So, Backup character... / Help me build a Battle Sorcerer

[dascarletm]

Okay, so in my other post there is a good chance my character may die, http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=278953. I'm going to be rolling up a backup just in case, and a character I've always wanted to play is a Battle Sorcerer type: (?'s I'm unsure of, and ___ i don't know what I should do)

Here is my current build Idea:

Human, Battle Sorcerer 7 / Abjurant Champion 5 / Battle Sorcerer 8 (maybe a level of archmage?): (UA Variant) and Spontaneous Metamagic from PHB2

Feats: 1. Extend Spell, Combat Casting 3. ____ 6. Leadership? (battle campaign, and we can customize followers heavily) 9. Quicken Spell 12. Persist Spell 15. ____ 18. ____

Should I drop in some Cleave, or other combat type feats? What about mounted combat?

Spells:
0: Detect Magic, Resistance, Light, Prestidigitation, Detect Poison, Read Magic, Arcane Mark, Message
1: Fist of Stone, True Strike, Blade of Blood, Shield
2: Mirror Image, Whirling Blade, Blur?, ______
3: Phantom Steed, Vampiric Touch?, Greater Mighty Wallop
4: Greater Luminous Armor, Orb of Force, Dimension Door
5: Greater Blink, Arcane Fusion, Undying Vigor of the Dragonlords
6: Greater Heroism, Antimagic Field?
7: Greater Teleport, Justice of the Wyrm Kings?
8: Greater Shadow Evocation, Protection from Spells?(or Greater Celerity?)
9: Shades, Time Stop

Items:
What should I look for?

What do you all think? Now the DM is cool with optimization, but if it is too cheesy he may be hesitant. If you want to gouda it up feel free, I may just not use it.

The keypoints are that I can hit a group decently well with whirling blade, I’m pretty tankey with all that armor, nice single target damage, and I should have really good mobility with the steed.

[JoshuaZ]

For the remaining second level spell, False Life could be nice to have those extra few hitpoints. Command Undead might also make sense since then you will have some way of dealing with undead which right now your spell list doesn't do much about.

[Xervous]

I'll just point you towards the sorcadin

pros: great saves, manages to get 9ths, and doesn't take the crappy battle sorcerer thing

[Deox]

If you don't care about casting 9ths at the end, I will tip my hat towards the Swiftblade.

A very fun combo I enjoy is:

Sorc 6 / Swiftblade 6 / Warblade 1 / Jade Phoenix Mage 6 / Warblade +1


The sorcerer can battle/stalwart if you'd like, but the real fun times is with all the "auras" that you end up stacking.

For example: Acid Sheath, Death Armor, Fire Shield, JPM's Arcane/Fire aura, (personal favorite) Prismatic Aura, and I believe there's an Enervation type aura. Add all this with Robilar's and it's a very solid gish.

[WhatBigTeeth]

I'd try to grab at least one polymorph effect, even if it's just alter self, and at least one immediate action defense spell like wings of flurry, celerity, permeable form or similar - basically a panic button for when something bad happens.

Of the spells you've selected, I don't think a sorcerer can learn Luminous Armor, and UVotDLs is really weak. I'd also be a bit concerned with all those standard action short-duration buffs. Until you can squeeze those out with a fusion or some form of quickening, each one is a round you aren't hitting things or casting offensively, which often ends up an unfavorable trade.

On feats, arcane strike and minor shapeshift are usually staples for gishes, and battle sorcerers have the advantage of accessing them early compared to the alternative <Full BA 2/Sorcerer 4/Spellsword 1/...> gish structure.

Quicken Spell doesn't usually work very well on sorcerers, since it takes two feats (or a feat and a familiar) to even use, and Arcane Spellsurge comes online at about the same time quicken becomes practical anyway. And Persistent spell doesn't work particularly well with your spells known (but it wouldn't be hard to swap some things around to make persistent wraithstrike+permeable form or something possible, if you want to go that route).

pros: great saves, manages to get 9ths, and doesn't take the crappy battle sorcerer thing

Can the casting really be counted as a pro if the Sorcerer learns dimension door at the same time the Battle Sorcerer learns teleport, polymorph at the same time the BS learns draconic polymorph, etc.?

[Blackhawk748]

I recommend the Battle Caster feat from Complete Arcane which will let you wear Medium armor, I played one awhile ago that took Abjurant Champion and Dread Witch (I was going for a Ringwraith feel, worked pretty well)
Arcane Strike from CW isn't terrible and will let you do a bit more damage

Fun things to do as a Battle Sorcerer

Dual Wield touch spells

Wear your armor under robes and laugh at your opponents expression when they hear a clang when they attack

Pretend to be "just another warrior" and laugh at your opponents expression when you turn them to an ash pile

Use the hell out of Imp Feint

Use the hell out of Intimidate

[Paul H]

Hi

I'd just play a Warmage. A simple base class that has plenty of nice spells each level, nice abilities and you can wear armour with NO ASF!

Thanks
Paul H

[Urpriest]

Hi

I'd just play a Warmage. A simple base class that has plenty of nice spells each level, nice abilities and you can wear armour with NO ASF!

Thanks
Paul H

Warmages aren't good at melee combat at all, though. It's really a very different character concept.

Edit: If you want Luminous Armor you either need something like Exalted Arcanist, or (more feasibly), the Arcane Preparation feat. You can't learns spells that aren't on your list.

[Fyermind]

Battle sorcerer is pretty much a gish-in-a-can class. With stalwart as well you can trade several of your spells for a very well rounded chassis. Major reasons to leave it are getting access to cheap of free metamagic, and getting class features.

I like a one level dip in spelldancer on a construct or undead sorcerer.

No matter what you should have wraith strike, and wings of cover in your spells known.

Beyond that, buffs are a good idea if they are likely to pay off in a four round combat. That's about the longest I'd ever expect the relevant part of combat to be before the enemies started breaking my allies if I wasn't helping significantly. Haste is a good buff for example.

[dascarletm]

Battle sorcerer is pretty much a gish-in-a-can class. With stalwart as well you can trade several of your spells for a very well rounded chassis. Major reasons to leave it are getting access to cheap of free metamagic, and getting class features.

I like a one level dip in spelldancer on a construct or undead sorcerer.

No matter what you should have wraith strike, and wings of cover in your spells known.

Beyond that, buffs are a good idea if they are likely to pay off in a four round combat. That's about the longest I'd ever expect the relevant part of combat to be before the enemies started breaking my allies if I wasn't helping significantly. Haste is a good buff for example.

Ah yes! Haste.

[MirddinEmris]

You could use Dragonborn with Heart aspect (breath weapon) and take a couple of breath feats ( my choice usually fall to Entangling Exhalation and Shape Breath) take some spells to augment your breath (dispelling breath, stunning breath, enervating breath) and you've got a nice damage/debuff options especially since you can choose what damage you deal from basic four. Maybe take Dragonblood substitution level from Draconic Heritage(Battle) and Dragonfire Assault to have an option to deal sonic damage from Power Attack feat.

Also, Wings of Cover, Wraithstrike are good for a gish and Ruin Delver's Fortune is good for any Cha based caster.

P.S. If i recall correctly, you don't need to learn Exalted spells, you just need to be good to cast them.

[Urpriest]

P.S. If i recall correctly, you don't need to learn Exalted spells, you just need to be good to cast them.

If you're talking about Sanctified Spells, you also need to prepare them. Only Clerics can cast them spontaneously absent PrCs or other help.

[MirddinEmris]

Yes, Sanctified, not Exalted, thanks) Forgot that spontaneous casters get the short end of a stick again. Never liked BoED anyway)

[dascarletm]

I never saw the point of not allowing spontaneous casters sanctified spells. Our group has mostly ignored it. I see with the BoVD equivalent since prepping it hurts you, but not with sanctified spells.