disagree a wizard 20 is strictly better than 17/3 wiz/sor, for a couple points in metamagic you are giving up signature spell, spell mastery and your epic feat. that is not worth it. you would also need a 13 in charisma and that slightly better stat could have gone to wisdom or something more useful to you
For some of the few wizards where spell mastery is actually that noteworthy (ie, there's a 1st or 2nd level spell they would actually cast over and over again), it actually breaks their subclass features. (I'm thinking specifically Illusionist and taking Silent Image as a spell mastery - illusory Reality only works with spells cast with a spell slot, which is what would make the illusionist want to cast Silent Image over and over again in the first place.) And the things you otherwise really want to spell mastery, you can't anymore. (No more reaction or bonus action spell masteries).
Generally, you're not so limited on spell slots that either spell mastery or signature spell matter at all. And the main benefit of casting without a slot (getting to double up leveled spells on your turn) isn't that relevant without metamagic unless you're sitting on a pile of bonus action spells. I could see good arguments for all of Quicken, Heighten, Extended, and Subtle.
The Epic Feats are... not that impressive. Unless you plan on playing past 20, and getting that early +1 Int actually matters. And even then, metamagic is probably better, since as i understand it, past 20th you get an EB feat each 'level' instead of the level.
Spell mastery and signature spell might have been relevant around level 12/14. By 18th/20th they're a sideshow. But feel free to prove me wrong: what 1st or 2nd level spell do you spell mastery that you'd actually cast frequently at 18th? What 3rd level spells do you signature spell that a free cast matters at 20th?
Besides metamagic, Sorceror 3 also gives a subclass. Access to some divine spells (Divine Soul)? That can give you Aid (which, with extended, you could burn your highest level spell slot before going to sleep and have those extra hp all adventuring day the next day), and that's just one spell choice. Plus Divine Soul also lets you add 2d4 to a failed save per short rest. What about Shadow? (Cha save to not drop to zero hp, plus 120' darkvision and see through your own darkness spells). Those would be my top picks of Sorceror sub-classes in this situation, as both seem still relevant at level 20.
And of course, you can also take advantage of Innate Sorcery for advantage on any attack spells you can move into Sorceror known spells. (Cantrips would be the easiest, but if there's any low level attack roll spells you're upcasting still that are on the sorceror list...).
they aren't massive benefits but they are bigger than 3 points in meta magic. just long strider at will and see invisibility at will something that works for any wizard subclass is better than that. Then signature spell 2 free 3rd level casts and the epic feat. it beats woo 1 quickened spell and a couple sub class features. imo 3 points in metamagic at level 20 is a side show. sure a specific sub class may give access to spells you normally wont have, to very good ones but sure. But if we are going specific subclass we then look at the specific wizard ones that can break spell mastery.
while epic feats aren't everything, boon of dimensional travel a free teleport every round. that is basically the misty step at will 2014 wizards would have taken, boon of recovery, boon of speed, boon of night spirit all trump 3rd level sub class features by a wide margin imo. And yeah sure if you are going well past 20 you will get those anyways, but again i think spell mastery/signature spells are still better on their own.
they aren't massive benefits but they are bigger than 3 points in meta magic. just long strider at will and see invisibility at will something that works for any wizard subclass is better than that. Then signature spell 2 free 3rd level casts and the epic feat. it beats woo 1 quickened spell and a couple sub class features. imo 3 points in metamagic at level 20 is a side show. sure a specific sub class may give access to spells you normally wont have, to very good ones but sure. But if we are going specific subclass we then look at the specific wizard ones that can break spell mastery.
while epic feats aren't everything, boon of dimensional travel a free teleport every round. that is basically the misty step at will 2014 wizards would have taken, boon of recovery, boon of speed, boon of night spirit all trump 3rd level sub class features by a wide margin imo. And yeah sure if you are going well past 20 you will get those anyways, but again i think spell mastery/signature spells are still better on their own.
It's not just 3 points in metamagic. You can convert spell slots to metamagic points (which is why taking actual sorceror levels is better than megamagic adept in the alternative). How desirable that is will depend on your campaign and how many encounters you expect in a day, but I'm guessing you can easily sacrifice a few 1-4 level spell slots at levels 19-20, even in a more grindy campaign.
Safe to say all this is actually moot, as the OP wasn't looking for advice for building their 20th-level wizard-king, and almost nobody plays to level 20. That is to say, there are a thousand things you can multiclass to once you get your ninth-level spells, but until then, most full casters should stay in their full casting class. Only real exception is Warlock, as they "cap" at level 9 (I've never been terribly impressed with the Mystic Arcanum spells), and you can cast your pact magic spells with classic spell slots, so multiclassing is a little more desirable. If you ever play a game to level 17, you can start thinking about multiclassing then, and I guarantee you'll have a few ideas of your own by that time.
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For some of the few wizards where spell mastery is actually that noteworthy (ie, there's a 1st or 2nd level spell they would actually cast over and over again), it actually breaks their subclass features. (I'm thinking specifically Illusionist and taking Silent Image as a spell mastery - illusory Reality only works with spells cast with a spell slot, which is what would make the illusionist want to cast Silent Image over and over again in the first place.) And the things you otherwise really want to spell mastery, you can't anymore. (No more reaction or bonus action spell masteries).
Generally, you're not so limited on spell slots that either spell mastery or signature spell matter at all. And the main benefit of casting without a slot (getting to double up leveled spells on your turn) isn't that relevant without metamagic unless you're sitting on a pile of bonus action spells. I could see good arguments for all of Quicken, Heighten, Extended, and Subtle.
The Epic Feats are... not that impressive. Unless you plan on playing past 20, and getting that early +1 Int actually matters. And even then, metamagic is probably better, since as i understand it, past 20th you get an EB feat each 'level' instead of the level.
Spell mastery and signature spell might have been relevant around level 12/14. By 18th/20th they're a sideshow. But feel free to prove me wrong: what 1st or 2nd level spell do you spell mastery that you'd actually cast frequently at 18th? What 3rd level spells do you signature spell that a free cast matters at 20th?
Besides metamagic, Sorceror 3 also gives a subclass. Access to some divine spells (Divine Soul)? That can give you Aid (which, with extended, you could burn your highest level spell slot before going to sleep and have those extra hp all adventuring day the next day), and that's just one spell choice. Plus Divine Soul also lets you add 2d4 to a failed save per short rest. What about Shadow? (Cha save to not drop to zero hp, plus 120' darkvision and see through your own darkness spells). Those would be my top picks of Sorceror sub-classes in this situation, as both seem still relevant at level 20.
And of course, you can also take advantage of Innate Sorcery for advantage on any attack spells you can move into Sorceror known spells. (Cantrips would be the easiest, but if there's any low level attack roll spells you're upcasting still that are on the sorceror list...).
they aren't massive benefits but they are bigger than 3 points in meta magic. just long strider at will and see invisibility at will something that works for any wizard subclass is better than that. Then signature spell 2 free 3rd level casts and the epic feat. it beats woo 1 quickened spell and a couple sub class features. imo 3 points in metamagic at level 20 is a side show. sure a specific sub class may give access to spells you normally wont have, to very good ones but sure. But if we are going specific subclass we then look at the specific wizard ones that can break spell mastery.
while epic feats aren't everything, boon of dimensional travel a free teleport every round. that is basically the misty step at will 2014 wizards would have taken, boon of recovery, boon of speed, boon of night spirit all trump 3rd level sub class features by a wide margin imo. And yeah sure if you are going well past 20 you will get those anyways, but again i think spell mastery/signature spells are still better on their own.
It's not just 3 points in metamagic. You can convert spell slots to metamagic points (which is why taking actual sorceror levels is better than megamagic adept in the alternative). How desirable that is will depend on your campaign and how many encounters you expect in a day, but I'm guessing you can easily sacrifice a few 1-4 level spell slots at levels 19-20, even in a more grindy campaign.
Safe to say all this is actually moot, as the OP wasn't looking for advice for building their 20th-level wizard-king, and almost nobody plays to level 20. That is to say, there are a thousand things you can multiclass to once you get your ninth-level spells, but until then, most full casters should stay in their full casting class. Only real exception is Warlock, as they "cap" at level 9 (I've never been terribly impressed with the Mystic Arcanum spells), and you can cast your pact magic spells with classic spell slots, so multiclassing is a little more desirable. If you ever play a game to level 17, you can start thinking about multiclassing then, and I guarantee you'll have a few ideas of your own by that time.