GM's Tip of the Week

Sorcerers; not the easiest class, but capable of surprising depth in the right hands. Even more than wizards, sorcerers are difficult to master; their fixed spell-lists and – in Pathfinder – added bloodilne powers make them powerful, but force a player to plan ahead and be far more careful with their spell choices than a wizard would.

I’ve played sorcerers, and I’ve seen them played, and my basic advice is to Choose Your Powers Wisely, and don’t over-specialise. The latter is easy to do; a lot of powers have cool appearances and descriptions, but, as we say in our group, ‘Beware the shiny, for it may betray you in the end’ – think very carefully about the spells you take, and what may lie ahead. Like ‘Don’t stand in the pain’, this remains good advice. Choose spells and powers that don’t trip spell resistance, or take feats and items that allow you to mitigate it. Be particularly careful of spells that do pure energy damage; especially at higher levels, your opponents will frequently have partial resistance, if not full immunity to the most common elements (usually fire and cold). Spells like Grease tend to remain on the list for pure versatility – as low-level spells go, it’s one of the best examples I can think of.

    For the GM, remember that a sorcerer can also be a Face type character – that high charisma needs to be good for something else besides spell-casting – and that force of personality can lead armies, sway cities and generally be a leader no one wants to disappoint – if only because there’s a chance that something horrible will happen to the hapless fool that manages it.

    That can be as true for the good guys as it can for the villains. A really effective villain does not do things because they can; remember, belief in a cause does not have to mean mindless zealotry or frothing destruction. Darth Vader was terrifying as much because of his personality and presence as because he could, and did, kill without mercy. He was patient, intelligent and calculating, and his master the Emperor, as much or more so. That’s a combination that a Sorcerer can and should be capable of.

    And the vision of the infernal sorcerer commanding an army while black wings unfold from their back is not one that anyone should take lightly. From either side of the conflict.