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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    DruidGuy

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    Jun 2018

    Default Help with SoP build

    I'm creating a character for a Pathfinder game using Spheres of Power. I'm thinking about using Sphere Sorcerer as the main class with some levels of Incanter added into the mix to get some extra talents. We'll be starting at level 6 and using custom-made races (the one I chose gives me 2 extra talents).

    The theme I'm thinking about is a mix between power of nature and space-time bending. The main role I want to fulfil is battlefield control and debuffing (with a bit of buffing and utility on the side).

    What I've thought so far is this: I'll start with three levels of sorcerer and three levels of incanter. As a sorcerer I'll go with Arial bloodline. I know that Arcane is considered to be about the best one, but it doesn't seem to mesh well with SoP. Arial seems quite alright and goes well with my character's theme, but I'm open to considering other options.

    As an incanter, I'll exchange all my bonus feats for specialisations (at this point I'm not sure it's a good idea, but that's the way I'm leaning). This gives me 5 specialisation points. I'll use two of them to stack my incanter levels with sorcerer to determine access and power of bloodline powers. The other three I'll use to get specialised in Warp. That'll give me an extra talent, +1 CL to Warp, and a small increase to teleport distance.

    This is how I'm thinking to structure my build:

    Level 1: Sorcerer.
    Feats: Arcane Empowerment
    Talents:
    Light (race)
    Repelling Light (race)
    Weather (sor)
    Destruction (Energy Focus: Electricity) (bonus)
    Electrical Blast (drawback)
    Nature (plantlife)

    Level 2: Incanter
    Talents:
    Warp (specialisation)
    Ranged Teleport (inc)
    Group Teleport (inc)

    Level 3: Sorcerer
    Feat: Spellcrafting
    Talents:
    Wind Lord

    Level 4: Incanter
    Talents:
    Time

    Level 5: Incanter
    Feat: Counterspell
    Talents:
    Steal Time
    Energy Wall

    Level 6: Sorcerer
    Talents:
    Encompassing Light

    The thing is that I feel that my talents are a bit all over the place and that I could be doing better with my selection. I've got three different ways to make enemies lose actions/movement (slow, steal time, entangle), I can create electricity walls, I can make trees hit people, I can create wind, and I can move people around (for the battlefield control and debuffing). I can make allies get an extra attack and deal damage as a greater size (for buffing). I can move people around, make light, and make food grow of plants (for utility). And I can blast electricity (every caster needs at least one blasting trick).

    Maybe it's because I'm thinking about what vancian casters can do, but I feel there's a lack in variety and power of the effects my character can create. I don't know if maybe I'm spreading my talents too broadly among different spheres, or because my talent selection is just poor. Or maybe it's just fine and this is how SoP casters are supposed to work.

    Can I get some help, thoughts, possible alternatives, etc. with my build (esp. talent selection)?

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    exelsisxax's Avatar

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    Oct 2016
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    Male

    Default Re: Help with SoP build

    nitpick: why did you lay things out like this? The order that you take levels doesn't matter generally, and for talents level doesn't matter at all. But you have inconsistently interleaved your levels. Any reason why you are making it harder to read?

    Yes, you are not thinking correctly about what SoP does. SoP is for making mage-types applicable to virtually every fantasy world except many D&D settings. In basically every other fantasy universe, mages specialize in doing particular things and can just do those things until they run out of magic juice or virgin blood or faith or whatever. D&D is nearly unique in allowing mages to do absolutely anything... assuming that earlier in the day they sat down and memorized that thing into their head, which they can use once and only once before it is permanently lost until memorized again.

    So, find your shtick, and do that thing. Spacetime warper, but you have a total of 2 time talents, including the sphere itself. Get more. I don't know why you have the light sphere. You've got a storm bloodline, and i'm not really seeing any storm talents - just a bunch of plant stuff out of nowhere. You say you want to buff/debuff and BFC, but you have almost none. More warp, more time, more weather. I'd complain about destruction, but you got energy wall so at least you're doing that part. Buffing is primarily creation/mind/enhancement/alteration, so pony up or you basically just have a few Time options.

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    EldritchWeaver's Avatar

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    Jan 2015

    Default Re: Help with SoP build

    I think the problem stems from not following your character idea. It sounds to me that you want some weather-focused High-Caster. So looking over the list of talents, I don't see why you need the Light talents (inclusively Encompassing Light). I would trade them out completely. Same goes for Nature (plantlife). Weather and Destruction along with the drawbacks works well. Warp.. I get the utility, but IMO it doesn't quite fit the thematics. I would suggest Energy Leap instead - you turn into lightning to move inside your destructive blast radius. If you don't care for group teleport that much or other Warp stuff, then Energy Leap is better. In particular you damage targets as well. In regards to Time and Steal Time, I don't see where this fits into your general concept. I would lose them as well.

    So what else would I suggest? We lost some buffs and debuffs. So let's see where we can get them back. So that's first a collection of possibilities, which look nice and from which the actual ones will be chosen.

    Destruction options (ok, there are number of nice things, which aren't necessarily (de)buff):
    * Energetic Response: That assumes a way to get more AoOs. And a high Dex or Str (if using SoM's Muscular Reflexes). But people provoking AoOs get lightning in their face.
    * Gather Energy: If you don't move around, free upgrade to your blast damage.
    * Selective Blast: Useful to ensure that your melee guys don't suffer damage. You need CL 10th+ to get 2 with no SP cost though. Or maybe get them energy resistance.
    * Chain Blast: D&D's lightning bolt.
    * Energetic Affliction: Electrocute people.
    * Explosive Orb: In combination with Orb Expert feat, unlimited AoEs.
    * Mutable Blast: Maybe a bit short, but mimics the lightning paths.
    * Rebuff: A short buff.

    * Shock Blast: Not sure why that costs a spell point, when Crystal Blast doesn't. But this makes people dazed. And since it is electricity, you can still take it.

    Actually, if you don't take that drawback, you could also take Air group blast shapes. Those do non-lethal damage, but have debuff-riders. In fact, for weather Cold, Light, Sonic and Water would also work. That would also open up the Admixture talent. I would recommend even Admixture Adept specialization for the incanter. Then you could do both damage and debuffing.

    Weather options: With no HB, the options are limited. Weather doesn't lend itself to much debuffing or buffing, but some stuff is still possible. You can limit usage of ranged weaponry, with creating strong winds. Fog grants concealment. Storm is nice with Storm Lord, so you can control the lightning strikes. But since those effects in general don't distinguish between ally and enemy, you need to equip your party with (or prompt them to buy) equipment to counteract the effects.

    Not sure if these options would be enough for you. But anything missing we can discuss.
    Avatar made by Mehangel - "Neigh?"

  4. - Top - End - #4
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    DruidGuy

    Join Date
    Jun 2018

    Default Re: Help with SoP build

    Thank you guys for your feedback. I've read it carefully and thought a bit more about the concept and talents I want.

    What I mean by "forces of the nature" as a theme is a bit more than just weather. I'm thinking about focusing on Nature, Time, and Weather. The image that I've got is the forces that can defeat civilisation: plantlife slowly but steadily regaining land to cities, weather effects eroding and damaging structures, and the constant pass of time making this possible. I still want a bit of destruction, though, to ensure that I can quickly deal damage if I need to.

    Maybe I'll set the BFC + debuff aside for a moment and think about what I can do with these three spheres. At level 6, I've got a total of 13 talents. So this is what I've thought:

    - Destruction (Energy Focus: Cold) + Frost Blast (granted by the drawback)
    -- Energy Wall

    - Nature (plantlife)
    -- Aggravating Vegetation
    -- Grow Plants

    - Time
    -- After Image
    -- Ranged Time
    -- Steal Time

    - Weather
    -- Greater Weather
    -- Storm Lord
    -- Wind Lord

    As I level up, I'm also going to get Towering Growth, Rain Lord, and Storm Lord again. I'll probably also get Chain Blast or Explosive Orb if I find that I need more blasting power. With this, although I might be spread a little thing among four spheres, I feel that my character is more unified. I can create frost walls, entangling plants, and force people to target a tree. The effects of controlling the weather aren't very powerful yet, but I can create winds that hinder movement and ranged attacks, and if I get to storm, I can control where lightning falls. Time gives me a bit of buffing and debuffing.

    I could drop time or nature, and get some more weather, but I feel that the usefulness of weather is more situational than other spheres. I really like the weather sphere, but I feel that if I get too many weather talents and neglect other spheres my caster won't be as useful in many situations.

    Any thoughts on this? Is it still too many spheres?

  5. - Top - End - #5
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    EldritchWeaver's Avatar

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    Jan 2015

    Default Re: Help with SoP build

    If you keep Time, then I would trade Alter Time with Group Time. Hasting the entire group/slowing many enemies seems more beneficial than just giving one or two guys a miss chance. I actually would just take Alter Time later - or maybe take a drawback, if you need it now and you can forego haste or slow for the time being.
    Avatar made by Mehangel - "Neigh?"

  6. - Top - End - #6
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    DruidGuy

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    Jun 2018

    Default Re: Help with SoP build

    Quote Originally Posted by EldritchWeaver View Post
    If you keep Time, then I would trade Alter Time with Group Time. Hasting the entire group/slowing many enemies seems more beneficial than just giving one or two guys a miss chance. I actually would just take Alter Time later - or maybe take a drawback, if you need it now and you can forego haste or slow for the time being.
    Sounds like a good idea. I'll do that.

    As a side note, I seem to remember that there was a talent in nature that allowed a tree you'd animated using pummel to uproot itself and move at speed 10 ft., but I can't find it anywhere. Did I dream that or does said talent exist?

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