Sorcerer Newbie

[mcross]

OK total Sorc newbie. I'm not the best in the world at clickfests which probably makes me a poor candidate to play a sorc but you just can't duplicate the feeling of being a human flamethrower ; ).

I have a host of very basic questions and here are a few. I've got the whole burning hands thing pretty well down but area of effect spells are a problem. Whats the best way to target them. Since they don't affect your party members do you just pick out someone in the middle of a mob, click them then the spell? I took hypnotize as a crowd control spell. From the description it made it sound like you just needed to click the spell and it would automatically target nearby enemies but everytime I do that I get a message something like "spell usage failure not target selected". So it appears I need to target someone? Spells like Niacs seem difficult to use in big combats since you have to have a specific target and nobody will stand still ; ). Any suggestions on the basics of spell casting would be appreciated. Thanks.

[MrWizard]

aoe spells that leave an effect, like fog, ckill, or symbols, I usually try not to target anything because if it dies while you are casting, you usually lose the cast and points. I use the mouse look to 'point' my toon in the desired location, down long way aways, etc..(takes time to learn that) and then cast. Once cast If I do not change position or facing, I can cast multiple AOE in that same exact spot to layer (like mind fog, cloudkill, soild fog, firewall, etc)

AOE spells that are one timers, like hypnotize, I use the tab key to pick a dude in the middle of a big group and click it. If I am being run down by a huge mob I use the ~/` key to pick closest and then cast. This usually gets the closest one and those around him. And also blocks the rest.

If the party is fighting and another group is coming in to attack them, I try to 'tab' through or click on one of them and hypno or whatever them, so they do not break upon my comrades. This allows them to finish their fight and then take on more.

Always good to concetrate on a caster or archer first for a one shot deal as many players will ignore them in combat, even though they should not. In a big melee, I tab through until archer or caster comes up.
Good caster spells- feeblemind, hold person/monster/ FoD, FtS, blindness, PK, charm (for archers only).
Archers usually have precision or other cool stuff, so a good charm will dice up the enemy really good. Chamring casters is scary and they break quicker it seems.

Really, the best thing to do is just try out lots of spells. I always say a wizard is the best type to try first as you can really check out all spell types and change all the time....Just enjoy and be prepared for some people to diss you on spell selection.

There are enough spells to pick many crowd control, direct damage, and aoes of all types...so just enjoy.

[Kargon]

Yup kargon think the key are tab buttomon. tab generamally starts with the closest enemamy first and the more times hit it the farthermer away enemamies get targettamed. so if are having trouble with lots of targamets in a big chaotamic battle and suddenly some big ogre come charging straight at you and have to targamet it quick, hitting escape to clear current targamet and then tab to start again at nearamest enemamy work pretty well for kargon.

Kargon tab targamet for ray spells like niacs, most of the time if enemamy are bunched up use it for aoe spell like burnaming hands or firemaball or cone of cold (but try to tab to somemabody in middle of group rathermer than front), tab or click enemamy from long range for instakill spells, and for cc spells depending on spell eithermer tab target to somemathing in middle of group or hit escape to make sure not target anymathing and hold mouse button down to bring up circle targettaming reticle then cast spell at spot on floor kargon want it.

[DelScorcho]

tab with insta kill, mouse with any spell where bad placement will get me killed.

[mcross]

OK, I've seen some posts that talk about sorcs taking a lot of points in jump to use to get away from the inevitable aggro your spells will engender from the adoring monster public. I've also heard people discuss Diplomacy as an alternative. How do you use Diplomacy on a mob (or even a single monster) and what's the effect?

[Merkinsal]

40 is the max jump and you can get that at higher levels with the jump spell and some boots of +10. Any points in jump are probably not needed. The spell and whatever gear you find until you get to +40 should be good enough.

Don't forget to take umd at every level.

Diplomacy, target the dude who has agro on you and push it. Will want that if do not have Quicken feat. I have alot of it and can count on one hand the number of times I have used it lol. I prefer to duke it out lol, weave like a butterfly sting like a bee to steal a phrase. In other words, jump.

[richieelias27]

diplomacy works as the inverse of intimidate. You do not have to have anything targeted to use it, just click the diplomacy button and every monster around you checks to save. If they fail, then lose aggro on you. Diplomacy is your absolute best friend, max that skill, get items, whatever it taks, and you'll never have to worry about aggro unless the critter is mindless.

[Merkinsal]

cool, I did not know that. I saw a message some time ago, something to the effect of my diplomacy did not work on my target, they were not succeptable and I guess since I usually have something targeted, I screwed up. If I have something targeted, does it still work like the aoe you mentioned? I've actually tried a couple times just pushing the button on no one in particular but nothing seemed to happen. Guess i better go work on that a little more.

[Kargon]

diplomanacy not matter if have target selectamed or not. always centermers on you and tries to work on evermabody in range.

stuff like spidermers and scorpions and othermer things that not understamand languamage are mostly immune to diplomanacy.

Keep in mind if have any spells out like wall of fire or melfs acid arrow doing damanage, they going to re-aggro on you the momament they take more damanage from the spell. any further damanage after hit diplomanacy makes them aggro again as if not hit diplomanacy.

Some playermers swear by diplomanacy to save them. kargon personamally prefer the jumping method, especiamally when using firemawalls. kargon usuamally just jump back and forth from one end of firewall to the other, or stand in very middle and just jump straight up and down so enemamy have less time they can hit kargon. with haste and slower enemamies can also just run in a circle through both ends of firemawall to 'round them up' and walk them through it multiple times. jump also handy for enemamies that break free or save against crowd control spells, if they aggro on you can jump out of CC spell till they get out too then jump back in to get them stuck again (spells like web, solid fog, ottos sphere).

[cyadra]

Go WF and you wont have to worry about damage, better yet go WF melee and you really dont have to worry about damage.