Concentration ?

[AStormbringer]

Is concentration important enough to a Sorc to also equip an Inner Focus item or are skill points each level sufficient?

[Thalone]

For reconstruct or normal casting?

In trash situations, you can lock down enemies with Web (or outright nuke them dead) and it won't be an issue. However, during my sorc life, I was sporadically missing concentration checks (no Concentration item, but +6 from Green Steel, +4 from GH, and usually +2 from Good Luck) when melee enemies rolled high and I rolled low.

If tanking a single melee monster on a WF, you can break out a shield with no ASF to help with damage mitigation and time your casting so concentration isn't an issue at all--most enemies will take longer between swings than your casting time, even on a wizard, much less a sorc.

Enemy spells in later levels will reach damage well beyond any achievable concentration score (think Disintegrate or Polar Ray). If you cast Recon without Quicken as such spells hit, you're out of luck.

[Icywave]

Is concentration important enough to a Sorc to also equip an Inner Focus item or are skill points each level sufficient?

Hard to answer without knowing your race... as a Warforged, I take Quicken which I use for Reconstruct and SLAs. I couldn't care less about Concentration, unless you solo all the time... you ain't supposed to be tanking non-stop :)

[AStormbringer]

Hard to answer without knowing your race... as a Warforged, I take Quicken which I use for Reconstruct and SLAs. I couldn't care less about Concentration, unless you solo all the time... you ain't supposed to be tanking non-stop :)

Human. Standard casting. I normally run in a 2 person group or solo, usually with hirelings. This is my first Sorc so I still have a very basic build and do a lot of nuking. (currently level 9.) Maybe I'm not really clear on what it does for a caster...

[xXbikergirlXx]

Human. Standard casting. I normally run in a 2 person group or solo, usually with hirelings. This is my first Sorc so I still have a very basic build and do a lot of nuking. (currently level 9.) Maybe I'm not really clear on what it does for a caster...

If I have a slot I will use a concentration item but to be honest I always put max allowed into it at every level up and on my wiz I took the combat casting feat, didn't on my sorc not sure that it made much difference.....

This sort of tells you what concentration does.....

http://ddowiki.com/page/Concentration

Hope that helps :)

[Seikojin]

Human. Standard casting. I normally run in a 2 person group or solo, usually with hirelings. This is my first Sorc so I still have a very basic build and do a lot of nuking. (currently level 9.) Maybe I'm not really clear on what it does for a caster...

It is what you roll to continue casting while you take damage. You have to roll above the damage you take (at least that is what Pen and paper does). If you plan on being in damage often, then it is ok to have. However quicken pretty much negates it's use.

[Enoach]

Concentration from Skill points only will tapper off as you gain level based on how much damage you potentially take while casting.

The higher the damage taken the Higher the concentration check needed to succeed.

While Sorcerer's do enjoy a faster casting rate they will potentially run into problems in high incoming damage situations. So having as high a concentration as possible will help avoid situations of lost spell casting.

Quicken Metamagic Feat is a good way to avoid concentration checks on spells that you cast. However, it can also be a drain on SP to have it applied to every spell all the time. I recommend limiting to "Must be able to cast and not be interrupted or all is lost" spells - such as reconstruct, healing etc. Allow for toggling for other spells as needed.

Also Quicken does not help with scroll usage. Here you are at the mercy of your concentration check, so if you use Heal Scrolls as a source of healing a low Concentration check means a high likelihood of failure if trying to heal while retreating.

Personally I recommend having a concentration bonus item on a Sorcerer and only recommend Quicken based on Race and/or if commonly using long cast time spells.

[thesnoman]

Enoach hit the nail right on the head - you want concentration for SCROLLS, especially if you're any race except Warforged.

Warforged have the luxury of using Quickened Reconstruct to heal themselves.

Fleshie toons don't have that luxury and will need to heal using Scrolls. Heal Scrolls take a while to cast and in a combat situation when you NEED to get a heal off, you will undoubtedly get hit at precisely the right moment and FAIL because your concentration isn't high enough.

In short, since you are playing a human, yes you need an Inner Focus Item. (Hopefully you're maxing your UMD too so you can use those heal scrolls)