The Value of Sorcerors

I got mad with my monk characater (but I like him again now), so I tried out a sorceror through Chaps. 1 and 2 and I must admit that so far, they pretty much whup some arse. Being able to cast multiple Fireballs or Cloudkills sorta takes it out of the opposition.
Having to pick spells at the beginning hasn't proved to be much of a limitation either, because when ya think about it, the normal mage really doesn't use much of his/her total repertoire.

Any Sorcs out there have their ideas of the absolutely necessary picks to make?

Yes Bertran, I have been a Sorcerer since day 3, and I have become very, very strong, I know I'm not the best, but I'm close enough Anyway, here are some must-have spells;

Some of these are pretty high-level.

Protection from Evil - lv. ?
Chain Contingency - lv. 9
Gate - lv. 9
Meteor Swarm - lv. 9
Power Word Kill - lv. 9
Time Stop - lv. 9
Wail of the Banshee - lv. 9
Maze - lv. 8
Delayed Blast Fireball - lv. 7
Power Word Silence - lv. 6
Globe of Invulnerability - lv. 6
Stoneskin - lv. 4
Flesh to Stone - lv. ?
Stone to Flesh - lv. ?

You can't get ALL those spells without cheating, but if you can get most of them, that would be great.

- Riham

My sorceror used mainly these spells:

LEVEL 1: magic missile, chromatic orb, sleep (very useful at the beggining)
LEVEL 2: mirror image, melfs acid arrow
LEVEL 3: fire arrow, melfs minute meteors, skull trap (kicks ass !!)
LEVEL 4: stone skin, emotion
LEVEL 5: sunfire, breach
LEVEL 6: pierce magic, protection from magic energy (useless later with the cloack of reflection)
LEVEL 7: delayed fireball, Kelbens protections breaker (?)
LEVEL 8: abi dalzims horrid wielting, symulacrum

But this character was oriented to game play, for MP games against friend I would choose direct-killing spells too like disintegrate or flesh to stone (i didnt choose them for play because they destroy items).

[Rikard T'Aranaxz]

you do have to realize that a level 8 sorcerer can only leran 2 spells and at level 8 you want more
+ at level 7 you only get 3 spells but you need more you
and i won't start about leven 9
if you remove the XP you get 2 level 9 spells but you would want every single spell Tobbin told and those are 6 level9 spells

BTW i think Tobbin forgot
Abi-Dalzims Horrit Wilting level 8
freedom level 9
Death spell level 6
Finger of Death level 7
Warding whip level 7/8
Breach ;evel 8
lower resistance level 6
stoneskin level 4
fireshield level 4
Mantle level 8

[Memnoch]

Riham, a bit of fudging with Shadowcheater eh? I counted SIX level 9 spells on your list!
This is why i think the sorcerer is best used as a support artillery mage because the flexibility is actually less than that of a regular mage. Nothing wrong with that, but I don't think you can replace a mage with a sorcerer. When you get to the upper level spells you're really limited in the spells you can cast and that's where you want more options. Sorcerers are better at the middle levels, casting evoker type spells like fireball, chain lightning etc but at the top levels in antimage combat you want to have a mage there casting antimage spells like khelbens warding whip etc.

I was a sorcerer and I tell you the best way to play them is to pick these spells:
1.magic missile
2.lower residents
3.summon skellotans(I did not spell that right)
4.any and all spell sequencers

if you have those you can kill every thing. Well at least I did.

[Rikard T'Aranaxz]

you spell it wrong
summon skelotans should be spelled as Animate Dead (huh but that doesn't even look like it it is skeleton)

Playing sorcerors can be lots of fun. IMHO the key is to pick spells that:
1) get better with age, and/or
2) have multiple uses.

Another important thing is to spread attack spells around different levels. So if you already have Magic Missile, you'd pick Acid Arrow instead of Burning Hands.

Ignore the magic armour spells; plan on getting good bracers (or a nice robe).

My first level spells are:
Magic Missile
Chromatic Orb
Spook (high saving throw penalty at high levels -- have you ever seen a dragon with a yellow circle? great fun!)
Protection from Evil


You do NOT need Burning Hands or Identify -- Chromatic Orb will do acid damage after level 10, so that's your cheap troll killer, and there's an early item which gives you free Identify thrice daily.

Second level must have spells:
Melf's Acid Arrow (ages very well)
Glitterdust (see invisible + group blindness in one)
Invisibility
Horror (if you're good)

Third level spells:
Melf's Minute Meteors (my sorceror used mostly this spell to get 60% of the kills in the early dungeons -- through chapter 5 or so. They last for days; go in a building and cast this spell before wandering around the city. With fire resistance makes a good anti-mage tool. Ages very well.)
Vampiric Drain (if you're good)
Haste
Dispel Magic (vital, but not in first dungeon)
Fireball OR Skull Trap (Skull Trap ages better) OR Slow

Fourth level choices:
Spider Spawn improves mildly, which is more than can be said for Monster Summoning II.
Stoneskin is vital later. Not a first pick.
Greater Malaison -- very useful preceeding Glitterdust, Spook, Slow and ...
Emotion

Hints for Fifth Level spells:
Chaos
Breach -- depends on if you are going to be battling groups or mages
Animate Dead (near level 15)


Higher level spell stragegies:

Warding Whip, Lower Resistance, Spell Thrust, etc. can all be emulated with repeated castings of Pierce Magic. And repeated casting is what sorcerors are all about so skip those others.

Other specific spells to avoid: Strength becomes useless mid-game, obsoleted by items; Agablahblah's Scorcher does not improve with age; Sleep is eclipsed by Emotion and later Chaos; Charm spells -- perhaps I just don't know how to use them right; anything a cleric and druid can cast -- true sight, hold foo, detect/purge invisible; Knock unless you're going solo.


Once you near level 15, Animate Dead ought to be a priority. Several hasted Skeletal Warriors can prod much posterior.


You'll only get one 8th level spell (if you leave the XP cap on) and IMHO Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting is the only sensible choice.



I had much fun in a magic-centric party (Sorceror, Jaheira, Jan, Yoshimo -> Imoen) with these choices.