Just got invited to my first D&D game! halps :)

[SamaelOfChaos]

Unlike the wizard, sorcerers only pick new spells while leveling up and are stuck with their choices till their net level up when they can pick some more spells, so for them, spell choices are a LOT more important than for other classes.

[andysowhat]

Unlike the wizard, sorcerers only pick new spells while leveling up and are stuck with their choices till their net level up when they can pick some more spells, so for them, spell choices are a LOT more important than for other classes.

are there ways and what are they (if there are) that makes me able to learn more spells on each level up? (or something simular) I understand that sorcerers are more natural talented mages then wizards which study their magics. so I wont believe there are many ways as sorcerers to gain new spells.

[Barstro]

From the SRD

For a Sorcerer
"A sorcerer begins play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of her choice. At each new sorcerer level, she gains one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: Sorcerer Spells Known."

Alternative Favored Class Bonus (Each time you level)
Human: Add one spell known from the sorcerer spell list. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell level the sorcerer can cast.
I'm not sure if this allows you to know extra cantrips at the first few levels, but someone here will chime in.


Looking at both charts on the page; (barring CHA bonus and other things)
Level 3 Sorcerer
Cantrip; Know 5, Cast at will
Level 1; Know 3, Cast 5/day

Level 4 Sorcerer
Cantrip; Know 6, Cast at will
Level 1; Know 3, Cast 6/day (if you took the Human Alternate Favored Class, you can have an extra level 1 spell known, because you are capable of casting level 2 spells)
Level 2; Know 1, Cast 3/day

[andysowhat]

From the SRD

For a Sorcerer
"A sorcerer begins play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of her choice. At each new sorcerer level, she gains one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: Sorcerer Spells Known."

Alternative Favored Class Bonus (Each time you level)
Human: Add one spell known from the sorcerer spell list. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell level the sorcerer can cast.
I'm not sure if this allows you to know extra cantrips at the first few levels, but someone here will chime in.


Looking at both charts on the page; (barring CHA bonus and other things)
Level 3 Sorcerer
Cantrip; Know 5, Cast at will
Level 1; Know 3, Cast 5/day

Level 4 Sorcerer
Cantrip; Know 6, Cast at will
Level 1; Know 3, Cast 6/day (if you took the Human Alternate Favored Class, you can have an extra level 1 spell known, because you are capable of casting level 2 spells)
Level 2; Know 1, Cast 3/day

thank you :)

HUMAN: Sorcerer Add one spell known from the sorcerer spell list. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell level the sorcerer can cast.

someone explain this one to me closer. If I am level 5 and I level up. I can add one spell because of levling up. in addition of on level 4 or lower level spell?!? did I understand this correctly?

[Barstro]

thank you :)

HUMAN: Sorcerer Add one spell known from the sorcerer spell list. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell level the sorcerer can cast.

someone explain this one to me closer. If I am level 5 and I level up. I can add one spell because of levling up. in addition of on level 4 or lower level spell?!? did I understand this correctly?

If you take that trait, each time you level up you get to select a new spell that "is at least one level below the highest spell level the sorcerer can cast."
If you are Level 5 and Level up to 6, you will be able to cast Level 3 spells. As such, you can gain a bonus spell that is, at most, Level 2.

EDIT: Look at the two charts on the SRD page I linked. One is how many spells per day you can cast, the other is how many spells per day of each level you know. Both of those numbers may altered by other things (Charisma, Traits).
Leveling from 5 to 6, with that Trait, gives you
Level 5 Sorcerer
Cantrip - 6
Level 1 - 4 (Plus any other spells from other abilities, Traits, Bloodlines)
Level 2 - 2 (Plus any other spells from other abilities, Traits, Bloodlines)
Level 3 - 0

Going to Level 6 gives you
Cantrip - 7
Level 1 - 4 (Plus any other spells from other abilities, Traits, Bloodlines)
Level 2 - 2 (Plus any other spells from other abilities, Traits, Bloodlines)
Level 3 - 1

So, you learn ONE cantrip and ONE "Level-3 spell"
With that Alternate Human Trait, you also learn ONE "Spell of Level-2 or Lower".

[andysowhat]

If you take that trait, each time you level up you get to select a new spell that "is at least one level below the highest spell level the sorcerer can cast."
If you are Level 5 and Level up to 6, you will be able to cast Level 3 spells. As such, you can gain a bonus spell that is, at most, Level 2.

EDIT: Look at the two charts on the SRD page I linked. One is how many spells per day you can cast, the other is how many spells per day you know. Both of those numbers may altered by other things (Charisma, Traits).
Leveling from 5 to 6, with that Trait, gives you
Level 5 Sorcerer
Cantrip - 6
Level 1 - 4 (Plus any other spells from other abilities, Traits, Bloodlines)
Level 2 - 2 (Plus any other spells from other abilities, Traits, Bloodlines)
Level 3 - 0

Going to Level 6 gives you
Cantrip - 7
Level 1 - 4 (Plus any other spells from other abilities, Traits, Bloodlines)
Level 2 - 2 (Plus any other spells from other abilities, Traits, Bloodlines)
Level 3 - 1

So, you learn ONE cantrip and ONE "Level-3 spell"
With that Alternate Human Trait, you also learn ONE "Spell of Level-2 or Lower".

oh **** xD omg... .... ...

I always thought that level 20 meant tier 20 spells -.- fml... I see now that max tier of spells are 9... god...

thank you for clearing that up for me............. I feel like such a big retard atm

[Arbane]

oh **** xD omg... .... ...

I always thought that level 20 meant tier 20 spells -.- fml... I see now that max tier of spells are 9... god...

Don't sweat it. D&D rather overuses the word 'Level'. (Which is extra strange when you consider how much Gygax usually wrote like he'd swallowed a thesaurus....)

[andysowhat]

Well I gonna leave a small summary when I finnish mah first session tomorrow or sunday. and yeah hope you see you guys ingame xD

if someone have some last minute tips I happily read them :p wish me luck

[andysowhat]

what does "spell focus" do. help plox fast

[Arbane]

what does "spell focus" do. help plox fast

Makes one type of magic spell (enchantment, evocation, mecromancy, etc) you cast slightly harder (+1 on the difficulty) for targets to save against.

[andysowhat]

The spell color spray

"vivid cone of clashing colors springs forth from your hand, causing creatures to become stunned, perhaps also blinded, and possibly knocking them unconscious. Each creature within the cone is affected according to its HD.

2 HD or less: The creature is unconscious, blinded, and stunned for 2d4 rounds, then blinded and stunned for 1d4 rounds, and then stunned for 1 round. (Only living creatures are knocked unconscious.)

3 or 4 HD: The creature is blinded and stunned for 1d4 rounds, then stunned for 1 round.

5 or more HD: The creature is stunned for 1 round.

Sightless creatures are not affected by color spray."


dooes that mean I throw a d6. if I get 1 or 2 I can stun the targets hit by 2d4?

3-4 means target is stunned for 1d4+1?

5-6 they are stunned 1 turn?

[Segrain]

"HD" is a characteristic of creature. It stands for "Hit Dice" and determines how much hit points creature in question has; for example, wolf has 2 HD and Constitution of 15, which gives him 2d8+4 hit points (2d8 are his two Hit Dice and +4 is his Constitution's modifier +2, taken as many times as many Hit Dice he has, i.e. twice). Your character's HD is equal to his character level.
Thus, if you cast this spell onto a pack of wolves, all of them who get into a cone would be affected as 2 HD creatures and be unconscious, blinded and stunned; but if you cast it on a bear who has 5 HD, he will only be stunned. You do not roll anything; your targets roll their Will saving throw (and those who succeed are not affected by the spell entirely), but it is another matter.

[andysowhat]

if I throw example magic missile and have no armor. is there anyway I can fail my spell cast?

[Arbane]

if I throw example magic missile and have no armor. is there anyway I can fail my spell cast?

If you get hit while spellcasting, or are trying to keep your balance, or a few other ways, you'll need to make a Concentration check, so max out that skill.

[andysowhat]

when do I take a concentration check? do I take them if I have full health as sorcerer?

or is it only when im hurt and are bloodied and if im grappled etc?

[andysowhat]

and when I level up I get to throw a health die 1d6 + con modifier? (as sorcerer ofc)

[Vhaidara]

Concentration checks are made if...
1. You want to cast a spell defensively. Normally, casting a spell while someone is standing next to you will provoke an attack from them. Casting defensively means that you risk losing the spell completely, but you do not provoke the attack
2. If you are damaged while casting the spell. This can occur if you provoke an attack of opportunity by not casting defensively, or if someone readies an action to attack you if you cast a spell. It is based only on the damage dealt, and has no relation to the current state of your HP.
3. Adverse conditions, such as being grappled or distracted. This is the rest of the table.

Yes, when you level up, you roll a single d6, add your Con modifier to the result, and add that total to your max HP.

[Dalebert]

Bring Doritos!

[Arbane]

Bring Doritos!

Well, bring enough of some sort of snack to share with everyone. I wouldn't recommend Doritos - you don't want to get orange residue on people's books.

[oxybe]

ON SNACKS
Best snacks i've found are unsalted nuts, kettle chips or hard candies like M&Ms. These are generally tasty and leave little residue if you're going to be passing books.

ON EXTRA SPELLS
We've explained how you gain spells through leveling, so that's already covered, however for sorcs, there are ways to get extra spells known. Sortof.

A Page of Spell Knowledge can allow a spontaneous caster, if held, to use their spell slots to cast the spell held in the item. They're pretty costly though, starting at 1k gold for a single level 1 spell and the price topping at 81k for a level 9 (IE: the cost is [spell level^2]x1000 gold).

ON SPELL FOCUS
For the most part, Evocation, Illusions, Enchantment and Necromancy schools benefit the most from this feat. Abjurations tend to either use your caster level (which, for the most part is simply your levels in sorcerer), Conjurations rarely force saves (though when they do, they're nasty) as they tend to create things, Divinations occasionally do have saves but it tends to be the higher level ones used to spy on enemies and Transmutations are often better used for beneficial purposes like buffing yourself or your teammates.

One special case though, is that Spell Focus (Conjuration) is required for Augment Summoning, which is a fantastic feat if you're planning on summoning critters.

ON CONCENTRATION CHECKS TO CAST SPELLS
Others have actually given a good idea on when you'll be rolling this, so I won't go too much into it. Here's the full rules on concentration however.

The key thing to remember is just to stay outside and away from of things that could hurt you, use common sense and you should be fine. If you do get into trouble, the 5ft step and withdraw actions are your friends.

ON ITEMS
Look into the metamagic rods. They're pretty neat and the lower level ones allow for better use of your weaker spells at higher levels, or at least get more bang for your buck. A lesser Metamagic Rod of Extend Spell allows things like your lower level summons to last longer, or your Acid arrow to continue dealing it's damage over a longer period of time. This can also be used on spells like Mount (granting you a free horse for 4 hours/level) where at lower levels this free beast can serve as a rather cheap combat pet if you invest in handle animal, in addition to being a mode of transportation. It also allows for Mage Armor to last for most, if not all, of an adventuring day. At higher levels the +4 AC might not mean much, but it's a life saver at the lower levels.

[Raven777]

If you need help with choosing spells for your Sorcerer, with a quick rundown of why some spells are considered better than others, this is a most excellent guide (if Google Docs defaults to "suggest" mode, you can set to "viewing" mode with the green combo box on the top right corner of the page).

[andysowhat]

I start to get the hang of most things now. I have a arcane bloodline sorcerer level 4 with some metamagic feat and augmented summoning. so I basically trying to stun as much as I can while tanking damage with summons. I play with 4 noobs atm. so we try and fail all the time.

my biggest mistake so far is me thinking I got 5magic missiles at level 1 :D thinking I had 10 missiles at level 9 xD and the others I play with believed me cuz nobody knew the sorcerer spells xD but yeah :p

I guess its not as bad as the other guy who thought he could choose 4feats and 2 rouge talents at level 1. (wonder where he got it from) but yeah Learn by playing

or the druid who thought he could throw all his spells from his spell list at will and he could throw as many he wanted aslong he met the level requirement xD level 1 -> first rank spells -> level 2 -> secound rank spells.... You just summon those nature's Ally IX at level 9 ;)

[andysowhat]

you need certain components casting several spells. does the components dissipear after spell use?

[Vhaidara]

Material components are consumed, but, unless they are expensive (listed in the spell as being worth more than 1gp), they are infinitely provided by a Spell Component Pouch.

If the spell requires a focus, that is not consumed.

[andysowhat]

oh ok I think figured this out.

so if my spell is marked F (focus) and it says Mithril dagger. I can throw that spell aslong I have a mithril dagger and it wont disappear.

and if it says M (material) and it says honeycomb. the honeycomb will disappear ?

[andysowhat]

I read somewhere that you could fuse with your magic pouch when you were a druid or maybe a syntesist eidolon somehitng idk. is that true?!? or can someone put me straight? and its safer to get the eschew materials feat?

[andysowhat]

I will thank everyone on this forum to play Sorcerer who gives me Eschew materials. I am no cheater as everyone else who spams spells with materials with no way to compensate!! XD

[Segev]

Don't sweat it. D&D rather overuses the word 'Level'. (Which is extra strange when you consider how much Gygax usually wrote like he'd swallowed a thesaurus....)

The first exposure I had to D&D rules was the 1e AD&D player's handbook. In this book, when they are explaining classes and levels, they actually discussed that they considered, in writing AD&D, changing the terminology such that you had "ranks" in your classes, "orders" of spells, and "floors" of dungeons, precisely because of this over-use of the word "level." They decided against making this shift out of a bit of legacy adherence and largely because they thought it started sounding awkward, and that players were intelligent enough to pick up which kind of "level" was being referenced from context.

[Khedrac]

oh ok I think figured this out.

so if my spell is marked F (focus) and it says Mithril dagger. I can throw that spell aslong I have a mithril dagger and it wont disappear.

and if it says M (material) and it says honeycomb. the honeycomb will disappear ?

Correct.

I read somewhere that you could fuse with your magic pouch when you were a druid or maybe a syntesist eidolon somehitng idk. is that true?!? or can someone put me straight? and its safer to get the eschew materials feat?

When wildshaped everything a druid is carrying/wearing at the time they assumed the form is melded into them and inaccessible (without wildling clasps). The feat Natural Spell explicitly allows items in the melded spell component pouch to be used by a wildshaped druid casting a spell (something they usually cannot without the feat).
So: a wildshaped druid with natural spell can cast spells with a component, but only if they had their pouch when then assumed the form. A druid in its natural form needs the pouch to cast without Eschew Materials.

[andysowhat]

So me and my D&D noob crew ended up in a discussion last session. (really wish we could afford any of the dnd books xD)

when a level 3 rouge flank/sneak attack with two weapons.(rouge finesse feat ofc) and he hit with both weapons. Does he apply his Dex modifier as damage to both his hits? or does he apply it to all his dices he throws? even the ones for the sneak damage. 6x4 (thats just op)

and if the rouge crit attack on sneak does he get crit damage?!? or crit on the actual attack. like if he uses short sword. throw a 20 he get 1d6x2 + sneak attack dices