The Sorcerer's Handbook: A Guide to Building and Playing Sorcerers

[Aspenor]

Hi Aspenor,

Thank you very much for all the help you are giving here. I really appreciate it.

I have very recently started DDO and I am now playing a ranger but after reaching level 5 I have decided that I would be better off playing a sorcerer.

Will it perhaps be possible to link a detailed build that would be good at higher levels? I am playing with a friend so grouping or being underpowered in the lower levels will not be a problem at all. I would prefer having a template to work from and just stick it out till 20 knowing I have a good build and spells etc.

I am sure I can find something that will be good but as I am totally new with dungeons and dragons I am pretty much lost at the moment and don't want to make mistakes with a character.

I am not sure if this affects the build choice but anyway, I am a paid subscriber and also bought the 32 point thing to start with. I really don't know what the paid part is giving me extra.

Thank you ever so much for your time.

Regards,

edit: I should probably of mentioned that I prefer being a damage dealer although utility is something that I would probably have to do as a caster which I don't mind at all but as I don't really know the game yet I don't know what other types of roles there are. Any advice would be nice

The build suggestion on the first page will work. You can tweak it as you see fit, obviously.

How do the Savant rings, water, earth, air and fire combine? I mean you cant wear them all.

Use different rings for different occasions, but I don't really even bother with them they were meant as an optional.

[Siskel]

Wouldn't the SP regeneration equipment make more sense to use more concordant opposition items. The two greensteel items listed in the build below could have conc opp added and you only give up minor boosts.

Goggles you can get conc opp by giving up +1 cha skills.
Bracers you can still get full HP and conc opp, but you lose +1 con skills. You do gain +1 str skills.

With a torc that would be three sp regen items and you effectively give up +1 cha skills and +1 con skills. It does add alot more grinding on the shroud.

[Aspenor]

Wouldn't the SP regeneration equipment make more sense to use more concordant opposition items. The two greensteel items listed in the build below could have conc opp added and you only give up minor boosts.

Goggles you can get conc opp by giving up +1 cha skills.
Bracers you can still get full HP and conc opp, but you lose +1 con skills. You do gain +1 str skills.

With a torc that would be three sp regen items and you effectively give up +1 cha skills and +1 con skills. It does add alot more grinding on the shroud.

Yes, and in fact with 2 conc opp items you can still have the full +6 to charisma skills. I'll edit it with these types of items in mind soon.

I am a big fan of the Tempered item with +3 con skills on tier III for concentration checks. I'd still want to have one of these on as well.

[Renothebest]

I still haven't crafted any tier3 GS item in the list but I've already decided to create concopp goggles. The problem is just one: ConcOpp works on "hit" scored by monsters on us (sorcs) in an extremely low %. Since we are no tanks (and we can't use shield blocking in ToD and say "welcome, hit as you like mobs!" hoping for concopp), will the cost (heavy shroud farming -> more than 48 LARGE INGREDIENTS) meet the benefits (an extremely low%*2 of regaining SOME mana and life)?

[Maugrim101]

As a new player, I found this thread to be very helpfull (Which was the intent I beleive). I've played D&D before (P&P and NWN), but it's obvious there are some differances in how this MMO works in comparison.

As my Sorcerer levels and I gain more playing experience, I may find that I disagree with some of the tips listed in the inital post, but from a starters perspective, it does seem to offer good all round general help.

I only managed to read a couple of pages of the feedback offered by the other established players. In all honesty, it was like watching an episode of Jerry Springer.

This guide might not be of any use to people who know this game inside out, but to those taking their first steps (Like me) it offers some insight into what lays ahead.

Nice guide, keep up the good work.

[Ushurak]

Ok..so I finally hit the all famous level 8 (we all know why that is the milestone). At level 7 I was getting a lot of compliments on the damage I could dish out with fireball and acid blast (it wasn't uncommon to see 100 hp without maximize being active). I have spent the most of my action points on anything element and energy (lineage/manipulation/etc). The only one of the spell enhancements I have though is maximize. I opted for mental toughness and force of personality. I can dish out damage with the best of them. I can't take a hit at all...I know this comes with being a sorcerer but I was actually asked by a cleric "You only have 43hp?" Is this par for the course and should I really wait until lvl 11 to get toughness or should I go ahead and get it at lvl 9 and fore-go one of the other spell enhancements. I only have three buffs (mage armor, blur and feather fall) my other spells are as follows (burning hands, electric loop ...love it, charm, snowstorm ...or is it snow ball...lvl 2 anyway, acid blast, fireball, and just this morning...dah dah dah....FIREWALL...antsy to use it.). It doesn't take alot to see that I like AoE spells (why hit 1 baddie when you can hit 5 with the same sp?). Do you have any suggestions? I'm open for anything.

Thanks,
Ushurak.

Orien server (Slyppyr , Hafling Rogue Custom, 11th Level , Guild Scion White / Jorain, Drow Sorcerer Custom, 8th Level, Guild Scion White)

[Aspenor]

Ok..so I finally hit the all famous level 8 (we all know why that is the milestone). At level 7 I was getting a lot of compliments on the damage I could dish out with fireball and acid blast (it wasn't uncommon to see 100 hp without maximize being active). I have spent the most of my action points on anything element and energy (lineage/manipulation/etc). The only one of the spell enhancements I have though is maximize. I opted for mental toughness and force of personality. I can dish out damage with the best of them. I can't take a hit at all...I know this comes with being a sorcerer but I was actually asked by a cleric "You only have 43hp?" Is this par for the course and should I really wait until lvl 11 to get toughness or should I go ahead and get it at lvl 9 and fore-go one of the other spell enhancements. I only have three buffs (mage armor, blur and feather fall) my other spells are as follows (burning hands, electric loop ...love it, charm, snowstorm ...or is it snow ball...lvl 2 anyway, acid blast, fireball, and just this morning...dah dah dah....FIREWALL...antsy to use it.). It doesn't take alot to see that I like AoE spells (why hit 1 baddie when you can hit 5 with the same sp?). Do you have any suggestions? I'm open for anything.

Thanks,
Ushurak.

Orien server (Slyppyr , Hafling Rogue Custom, 11th Level , Guild Scion White / Jorain, Drow Sorcerer Custom, 8th Level, Guild Scion White)

As a new player you may wish to take toughness earlier, but hit points are mostly dependent on gear. Find constitution and false life items, and wear them at the earliest levels possible.

[Arctigis]

Ok..so I finally hit the all famous level 8 (we all know why that is the milestone). At level 7 I was getting a lot of compliments on the damage I could dish out with fireball and acid blast (it wasn't uncommon to see 100 hp without maximize being active). I have spent the most of my action points on anything element and energy (lineage/manipulation/etc). The only one of the spell enhancements I have though is maximize. I opted for mental toughness and force of personality. I can dish out damage with the best of them. I can't take a hit at all...I know this comes with being a sorcerer but I was actually asked by a cleric "You only have 43hp?" Is this par for the course and should I really wait until lvl 11 to get toughness or should I go ahead and get it at lvl 9 and fore-go one of the other spell enhancements. I only have three buffs (mage armor, blur and feather fall) my other spells are as follows (burning hands, electric loop ...love it, charm, snowstorm ...or is it snow ball...lvl 2 anyway, acid blast, fireball, and just this morning...dah dah dah....FIREWALL...antsy to use it.). It doesn't take alot to see that I like AoE spells (why hit 1 baddie when you can hit 5 with the same sp?). Do you have any suggestions? I'm open for anything.

Thanks,
Ushurak.

Orien server (Slyppyr , Hafling Rogue Custom, 11th Level , Guild Scion White / Jorain, Drow Sorcerer Custom, 8th Level, Guild Scion White)

Do you have fireball _and_ acid blast? If so, ditch fireball for displacement. WoF will be your staple AoE from now
on. Keep AB for blackbones and other fire immune types. AB is great until L10 where it's damage caps, replace
it's usage with Ball Lightning (also a great AoE if used correctly)
Get a stoneskin wand from the Twelve. With a decent haggle, these are reasonably affordable.
Squeeze jump into your 1st level list.

displacement+stoneskin+jump should increase your survivability massively. IMO, Drow are very gear dependent -
Re-roll as a WF ;-)

What con did you start with to only get 43hp?

For L8, I'd expect, on average: 20(heroic) + 32(levels) + (32 con (18)) + 10 (false life) = 94 without any toughness.

Pick up a fort robe as well.

[Ushurak]

Do you have fireball _and_ acid blast? If so, ditch fireball for displacement. WoF will be your staple AoE from now
on. Keep AB for blackbones and other fire immune types. AB is great until L10 where it's damage caps, replace
it's usage with Ball Lightning (also a great AoE if used correctly)
Get a stoneskin wand from the Twelve. With a decent haggle, these are reasonably affordable.
Squeeze jump into your 1st level list.

displacement+stoneskin+jump should increase your survivability massively. IMO, Drow are very gear dependent -
Re-roll as a WF ;-)

What con did you start with to only get 43hp?

For L8, I'd expect, on average: 20(heroic) + 32(levels) + (32 con (18)) + 10 (false life) = 94 without any toughness.

Pick up a fort robe as well.

Thanks for the advise...I switched out FB for Displacement...good call. Toughness I will get at next level...that'll help.
My con is a base 10. When I initially roled this build I thought dex would be more helpful than con....guess I was wrong. I'm not concerned enough to worry about re-rolling though. As far as equipment goes...I have belt/necklace of poison and disease immunity...are these worth trading off for items of con and fort? I like having the immunities...it's really proved useful (more so on my rogue...but I still like the concept).

[Arctigis]

Thanks for the advise...I switched out FB for Displacement...good call. Toughness I will get at next level...that'll help.
My con is a base 10. When I initially roled this build I thought dex would be more helpful than con....guess I was wrong. I'm not concerned enough to worry about re-rolling though. As far as equipment goes...I have belt/necklace of poison and disease immunity...are these worth trading off for items of con and fort? I like having the immunities...it's really proved useful (more so on my rogue...but I still like the concept).

You need a + con item, I think the best you can get at L8 non-RR is +3 (non-named) and false life. I'd try and
farm the Linen handwraps from Delera's as they are +4 strength (always nice) but also offer disease immunity (rare
in a hand slot). Poison can be cured from a pot or immunity situationally swapped in. Drinking a pot will give you,
7 minutes I think, of immunity anyway. Yet another reason why I prefer WF......

You can also cure disease from a pot but I prefer not to rely on it. Although 10 con may sound like a non-issue,
it may bite you later on in the game. Getting toughness and spending AP on racial toughness will certainly help.

[winsom]

Ok..so I finally hit the all famous level 8 ... I can't take a hit at all...I know this comes with being a sorcerer but I was actually asked by a cleric "You only have 43hp?" Is this par for the course )

Those HP are low. You don't have toughness feat or a False Life (or Improved FL ) item, and probably dont have a CON +3 item on.

My human sorceress (base Con 14) had over 100 HP at level 8. At level 12 she has 170ish, including +20 from the Minos Helm (Orchard of the Macabre). No Tomes.

[Ushurak]

Well...since I was last on I have taken some of the advice and applied it (+3 con item + mod fort = a lot more happiness and 60 hp). I'm almost level nine and I'm saving every scrap of skill points I can acquire until then. I'll be getting the toughness feat and spending my skill points (I currently have 3....hope to have 4 by lvl 9) on racial toughness or something equally helpful in the HP/con area. I figure that this should put me back within what I'm hearing is the normal range for a sorcerer without having to really sweat it out during the course of my ride to lvl 20+.
Thanks for all the great advice guys...it's really appreciated. It's easier to take late advice than to re-roll a build after you've reached level 8...or higher.

[Carpone]

ConcOpp works on "hit" scored by monsters on us (sorcs) in an extremely low %. Since we are no tanks (and we can't use shield blocking in ToD and say "welcome, hit as you like mobs!" hoping for concopp), will the cost (heavy shroud farming -> more than 48 LARGE INGREDIENTS) meet the benefits (an extremely low%*2 of regaining SOME mana and life)?

I'm wondering the same thing. Comments from experienced sorcerers would be welcomed.

[Arctigis]

I'm wondering the same thing. Comments from experienced sorcerers would be welcomed.

Absolutely - get some DR (axeblock/spearblock/hammerblock) and a high DR shield (i.e. hound shield) and turtle up.
Archers are the best for this - infinite mana ;-)

[Ushurak]

Since I was last on I have attained level 9. I invested in toughness and two levels of racial toughness, this combined with a +3 con item (which I will keep until I get something better) I now have 96 HP. I have bracers of bears endurance w/ 5 charges (haven't found a dungeon yet that this won't last me through) and I made sure one of my spell picks for level 9 was false life. All combined I have 106(+19) HP...combined with moderate fort and, mage armor blur/displacement and energy protection I am definitely sitting in happy land. This might not be fighter stats...but I feel very comfortable knowing that a healer won't have to carry my stone through a dungeon now. I used my extra 4th level spell slot for acid rain just for alternative high end damage dealer against those few things that are fire immune and used my lower level spells for buffs. I find that except for electric loop that I'm not using my lower end damage spells any more so I figure put the slots to good use and replace them with buffs. Was this a good idea? Haven't used acid rain but I like the description. I know most go for PK but I also know that eventually I'll be seeing baddies with high end saves and I don't feel like spamming PK until they miss a save right when the fighter almost has them dead anyway...waste of SP...but that's my op...might just be wrong thinking.
Constructive feedback is always welcome...non constructive feedback will be snarked .

[Mindspat]

This thread will be updated as I continue leveling my reincarnated sorc. Keep in mind I will probably solo nearly all the way to 20, so, take that for what you will.

You have no friends or you're a loner?

j/k

[Aspenor]

You have no friends or you're a loner?

j/k

both

JK, was able to hook up with some friends of mine that TR'd about the same time I did. I had thought I missed the surge among my group of friends, but was able to catch up to some and convince and old RL friend to start playing again to keep me company.

[Mindspat]

both

JK, was able to hook up with some friends of mine that TR'd about the same time I did. I had thought I missed the surge among my group of friends, but was able to catch up to some and convince and old RL friend to start playing again to keep me company.

While I'm not a fan of the WF/Sorc I would be interested to hear if you've TR'd one and if there was a noticible improvement.

I probably should have TR'd my Sorcerer, it's still the same old 28pt character I made when the game launched.

[Aspenor]

While I'm not a fan of the WF/Sorc I would be interested to hear if you've TR'd one and if there were a noticible improvement.

I probably should have TR'd my Sorcerer, it's still the same old 28pt character I made when the game launched.

I did not TR as WF, I stayed as human. A buddy of mine did go WF, and basically made the following observations:
Warforged are better defensively
Humans are better offensively

[z0mbyjr]

Thanks Aspenor... My guild leader convinced me to finally roll a caster. Of course, he wanted a support character...
While I wanted a super-nuking PvP God of destructive epicness, who can haste when asked to... and do a few other lame things. lol

So I rolled one, and used this as some guidelines. Amazing... lol
While Impractical, Korthos on Elite while spamming Empowered Niacs and Extended Webs is so fun...