First Level Sorc/Wiz Spells

[Rhaegar14]

Hey Playground, I'm working on some kobolds for a campaign I'm about to run this weekend. One of the standard "types" I have is a Sorcerer, but I'm not sure what spells to give them; save-or-sucks like Sleep and Color Spray aren't the kind of dickish moves I want to put my players through in the first session of the campaign, but I don't know what else is effective. Anybody have some suggestions?

[Emperor Tippy]

Magic Missile can be fun. Use it to snipe. Keep the Sorcerers back and have them snipe the PC's when the opportunity presents its self (for example, have one or two ready actions to MM any PC who tries to cast a spell) or to do things like snipe PC's who have taken enough damage that the MM will drop them to negatives.

Cause Fear, Summon Monster 1, and Grease can all be fun and useful as well without being overwhelming.

Outside of Core, Benign Transposition can be great fun. Have your Familiar sneak close to an enemy and then switch it with an ally fighter to deliver a full attack. Or ready an action to switch one ally with another after the first ally is done attacking.

Sticky Floor is also nice. Wall of Smoke can be quite useful as well.

Part of it depends on what exactly you want and how good your party is (along with what the party make up is).

[Rhaegar14]

Party Makeup is thus far a Warblade, a Bard, and a Sorcerer, all 3rd level, with one or two other players who haven't made their characters yet. I'm helping the Warblade and Bard optimize their characters so that they don't fail miserably from the getgo, but they're new to the system and can't be expected to play extremely intelligently. The Sorcerer I've never played with, but she tells me she has experience with the system, so we'll see how that goes.

[Diarmuid]

Try not to think about it as "what spells would these kobolds have that work well against the party" and more of "what spells are these kobolds likely to have when going about their day to day lives".

Do they have a most common enemy they fight, what would be particularly effective against them?
Do they have an environmental problem that they need to overcome on a regular basis? If so, what spells might help with that?
Do the sorceror members of the tribe have a set "role" within the tribe? What spells make the most sense for that role?

[ericgrau]

That would still be sleep or colorspray, except for elves and undead :P. But some other handy spells are obscuring mist (crossbow bolt bolt bolt bolt omg they're close fog and fleeee), charm person (with an already charmed "friend" too), burning hands (esp. against 2+ foes), silent image and ray of enfeeblement. EDIT: Ooh, cause fear is nice too.

Anyway even sleep isn't that dickish. A no save greatsword is more dangerous against level 1 hp.

Magic missile is a bit of a copout IMO. It's an awesome backup or strategic spell, but for it to be a creature's main spell and only attack option is telling the players "Hey guys, welcome to easy mode."

[nedz]

Sorcerers need one spell they can spam. Reduce person would be funny, bring those big folk down to size; or Ray of Enfeeblement similarly. Mix these two up amongst the Kobolds; the PCs will fail their saves at some point.

Sorcerers also value flexible spells, which can be used for several purposes. Silent image is flexible, if you are imaginative. One of them can keep concentrating on some deception, whilst the rest spam away.

[Karoht]

Seconding Grease. Really really.
Magic Missile if you plan on sticking this Sorcerer somewhere farther away and safe (IE-Sitting in a tower with decent line of sight to the party scrambling around below)

Have them fight in a ruined castle or similar structure. No roof, just walls. Sorcerer is up in the lone crumbling tower firing down Magic Missiles (a wand of MM isn't a terrible purchase at this level, especially if it is intended as treasure for the party anyway). Grease on the lower stairs as the party comes up the tower, kick over a bucket of oil or two from the top of the stairs as the Sorcerer makes his escape with a rope ladder while the party stumbles around on the stairs, light the rope ladder on fire, kick over a few flasks of oil at the the bottom of the stairs and light those on fire, then run away to another point of cover (the ruined castle walls), regroup with some surviving Kobolds, and maybe make one last ambush against the party or run for it and fight another day.

We wrecked a party like this. But that was because they were silly and wasted time trying to loot the ruins while being shot at with Magic Missiles. Burned through almost half of the wand's charges (29 remaining if memory serves me correctly) in a single encounter.

[MasterofFates]

Originally Posted by Diarmuid

Try not to think about it as "what spells would these kobolds have that work well against the party" and more of "what spells are these kobolds likely to have when going about their day to day lives".

Do they have a most common enemy they fight, what would be particularly effective against them?
Do they have an environmental problem that they need to overcome on a regular basis? If so, what spells might help with that?
Do the sorceror members of the tribe have a set "role" within the tribe? What spells make the most sense for that role?

I agree with this. If something seems at all illogical (unless it is something the players themselves are doing) your players will immediately jump on it if it leads to them being inconvenienced. Try to do these things logically.

Incidentally, the Create Trap spell in Races of the Dragon might be fun. I can't remember if the casting time is 1 round or a standard action, but either way, it instantly creates a relatively well-hidden trap, and could be used mid-combat.

[Gerrtt]

Give one sorcerer grease and one burning hands. Pretend the grease is flammable.

Fun times.

[nedz]

Originally Posted by Gerrtt

Give one sorcerer grease and one burning hands. Pretend the grease is flammable.

Fun times.

Why pretend ─ use Incendiary Slime from CMage. A level 2 spell which is basically flammable grease.

[Marnath]

Originally Posted by nedz

Why pretend ─ use Incendiary Slime from CMage. A level 2 spell which is basically flammable grease.

The whole point is to use 1st level slots though.
Lesser orb spells are nice if you've got the spell compendium or complete arcane.

[dungeonnerd]

Originally Posted by Marnath

The whole point is to use 1st level slots though.
Lesser orb spells are nice if you've got the spell compendium or complete arcane.

Seconding this - and as conjuration touch spells, they're not given saves or spell resistance.

[edit] also, don't forget that Kobolds are consummate trapsmiths. Make them use tactics - use color spray or the like to lure the PCs to a prepared area with entangling traps or pit traps, then rain spells from above on them as they are trapped, and flee when/if the fight turns against them.