D&D: planning ahead

[cellio]

I'm playing a sorceror in Ralph's D&D game. Sorcerors are new in third edition; they can cast any spell they know at any time (modulo not having blown the day's wad, of course), but for balance they know only a limited number of spells. (Wizards are the traditional D&D mage: they accumulate vast books of spells, but they have to decide each morning what spells they'll prepare for the day.) This is my first third-edition game; it is also my first serious try at playing a mage. (I'm not counting the munchkin days of high school.)

Because I have so few spell slots, it would be silly to waste slots on redundant spells or ones that get superseded quickly. (I've already made one mistake along this line, and do not want to make another.) So I'm trying to plan the next few levels' worth of spells now, to reduce the odds of this happening.

The character has certain preferences. Larissa started out, magically speaking, by manipulating physical objects around her. She is definitely on a path toward telekenesis. She would be a quasi-physicist, if D&D had such a notion.

In addition to manipulating forces, she has experimented some with manipulating actual objects/beings, including herself. She practices flying with magically-produced wings; her owl familiar laughs at her. (Alter Self lets you make and use wings, but maneuverability is poor.) She is definitely on a path toward polymorph.

She deals very much in reality. Illusion is not her thing, and she's not entirely certain about mind-control spells. Not that she would automatically rule them out, but it hasn't been a natural research area for her.

She has a knack for fire. (Well, conjuring up bursts of energy, more broadly, but mostly fire.) She thinks of magical fire as sort of like real fire with everything going really, really right. A fireball is a huge blob of fire contained in a very small space by a force field, she thinks -- and then you drop the field and things go boom. Force fields make sense to her, after all (Mage Armor is just a force field), so I figure she is trying to broaden the concept.

She is starting to get used to the idea that you can also move things through space in unusual ways, covering distances quickly. She is definitely on a path toward teleportation.

Ok, now let's look at spells. I should mention up front that the group is averse to save-or-die effects, so I won't be looking at those. (Save-or-take-huge-gobs-of-damage is something else entirely. :-) )

At her next level (7th), she will get to learn her final first-level spell. So it's important that I pick a good one; it's my last chance outside of working with another spellcaster to manufacture magic items. Currently she knows: Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Shocking Grasp (this was the mistake), and Unseen Servant. I am currently considering the following possibilities: Endure Elements (but only if I do not take Protection from Elements at third level), Protection from Evil (potentially useful but harder to justify from a character perspective), and Expeditious Retreat (more likely if I get a ruling that this applies to flight and not just running). I don't really want another attack spell, much as Ray of Enfeeblement might be handy at times. I'm not seeing a lot of interesting options on the first-level spell list.

At second level, I currently know Flame Sphere and Alter Self. I will get another at my next level, and two more after that. Pyrotechnics will almost certainly be on the list. Others that I am considering are Web, Darkvision, See Invisibility, and maybe Ghoul Touch or Glitterdust (but probably not the latter). Second level is where all the stat-enhancing spells come in (Bull's Strength, Cat's Grace, Endurance), but it appears that our party would not benefit from these enough for me to spend one of five spell slots on one. Given time, money, and experience points, I can make something like bracers of ogre strength, which fills a similar role without costing a spell slot.

At third level, I will ultimately get four spells (including one at the next level). I currently know Fireball. Fly and Dispel Magic will definitely be two of the others. For the last, I'm considering Protection from Elements, Stinking Cloud, and Vampiric Touch. I sort of need to decide on this (at least on the Prot Elements question) soon. I definitely want one of the elemental protection spells; the first-level one is a utility spell that could be useful under many circumstances, and the third-level spell is a shorter-duration spell that grants much better protection (for a few minutes). The first keeps you warm and cozy in the dead of winter outdoors; the second keeps you alive when someone throws a fireball at you, if you had some hint that that might be coming.

Looking ahead to fourth-level spells, Polymorph Self is the only certainty right now. This might also be the time to learn one of the Summon Monster spells; by fourth level there's a fair bit of flexibility in what you can summon. Ice Storm might also be appropriate.

The last level I've looked at in detail is fifth. (I won't get there for a few more levels yet.) Teleport and Telekenesis are definitely two of the four spells I will ultimately learn. I'm not sure what else.

I didn't really mention cantrips. Ultimately I'll be able to know half of them, and I don't see much in the way of problems here. Currently I know Mage Hand, Detect Magic, Light, Daze, Prestidigitation, Disrupt Undead, and Detect Poison. I'll learn Read Magic one of these days.

So that's my current thinking. Feedback from other D&D players, including the people in this campaign, is welcome.

Comments

[indigodove.livejournal.com]

Liandra gets all the "Summon Monster" spells, I believe...I haven't really been using them, but perhaps I should look at them again, 'cause they're a lot cooler when you're higher level. This does not mean I think you shouldn't take it, I just want you to know what I have :)

Oh -- there's a magic ointment we can make together that can cure both hit point loss and disease -- wanna make some sometime?

[mrpeck.livejournal.com]

Liandra gets the Summon Nature's Ally spells. It's the same idea but Liandra gets natural creatures and Larissa can get funky outer planar things.

As for spells, I've never used Ghoul Touch but I have seen the other four 2nd level spells be useful for parties (and I regularly memorize web and glitterdust for my mage characters even if I don't cast them all the time). I'd advise coordinating with Liandra and Prolix at least for emphasis. Carl should have some comments on the various protection from elements spells.

Ice storm isn't as cool as fireball in that it has a lower number of d6s for damage. However, it has no save and two types of damage and that can be useful sometimes. The summoning spells can be cool. Summoning eagles is pretty useless though. Grease can be quite useful. The characters in the Greyhawk campaign I'm in seem to get a lot of use out of magic circle vs evil but you really only need one character that can cast it. It has a radius and lasts longer than protection from evil (if I'm remembering correctly).

[dvarin.livejournal.com]

Sigh... I forgot about the antiposession use of Magic Circle. That's nice to have if your GM likes to put you up against necromancers casting Magic Jar. Not that we know anyone who's done that even to the point of ressurrecting said necromancer after we finally killed him, of course...

[cellio]

True, you can also cast Summon Nature's Ally (different set of critters, but similar spell). At some point we should talk about the druid spell list; while you can technically cast anything on it, you have demonstrated certain preferences (so far) and may have character reasons that will guide your selections in the future. Understanding those character issues would help me in coordinating.

Oh -- there's a magic ointment we can make together that can cure both hit point loss and disease -- wanna make some sometime?

There is? Tell me more. :-)

[indigodove.livejournal.com]

I think Mike is right -- we get different versions of the same spell. I hadn't been using it because the monsters I could summon were not as cool or reliable as a flame blade...I need to look at it again, as it's probably more useful at sixth level than it was whenever I first got it.

So, it *might* be a good choice, but I don't know enough to say that.