Originally Posted by
GotSomeQuestions
Here's what I'd run on any sorcerer at all:
Level 1: Expeditious Retreat, Jump, Nightshield, Protection from Evil
Level 2: Blur, Resist Energy, Web, Knock
Level 3: Haste, Rage, Displacement, open
Level 4: Dimension Door, open, open, open (see below)
Level 5: Eladar’s Electric Surge; Niac's Biting Cold, Cloudkill, open
Level 6: open, open, open
Level 7: Finger of Death, Otto's Sphere of Dancing, Waves of Exhaustion
Level 8: Otto’s Irresistible Dance, Polar Ray, (Summon VIII or PW: Stun)
Level 9: Wail of the Banshee, Mass Hold Monster, probably Energy Drain
Level 4: there are just too many good choices here for me to say that any given spell is "wrong". Dimension Door I always keep because you can't buy scrolls, but I like Ice Storm, Solid Fog, Crushing Despair, and Enervation, too. But there's plenty of other good options, like Fire Shield. It's a tough level.
Level 6: also too many good spells for me to have definitive selections. If you can scroll GH, great. If you're WF, definitely carry Recon. Otherwise, it's your call. Chain Lightning, Otilukes, Circle of Death, Disintegrate, are all solid choices. Again, one of the toughest levels to nail down.
I skip SM VIII personally because I have so many air elemental gems, but others may not have that luxury. Conversely, I like Energy Drain at 9th, because it opens up a 4th level slot that would have to go to Enervation otherwise.
A note on damage spells: you'll probably want two or three out of: Chain Lightning, Ball Lightning, Otiluke's Freezing Sphere, and Cone of Cold. Certainly not all of them, but having at least two AoE spells is very helpful.
I'm assuming that any end game savant will be Water or Air, because of Eladar's/Niac's.