Human Sorcerer 32pt

Hey all, I'm building a Sorcerer. It's my first build, and I'm not certain how good it might be, and if I've misunderstood the class or just plain missed something important. Will you all review this and let me know comments and suggestions, please? All input is welcome, especially if I've goofed!

Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 03.14.02
DDO Character Planner Home Page

Human Sorc 32pt
Level 20 Lawful Good Human Female
(20 Sorcerer)
Hit Points: 232
Spell Points: 2072
BAB: 10\10\15\20
Fortitude: 10
Reflex: 5
Will: 14

Starting Feat/Enhancement
Abilities Base Stats Modified Stats
(32 Point) (Level 1) (Level 20)
Strength 14 16
Dexterity 8 8
Constitution 14 18
Intelligence 8 8
Wisdom 12 14
Charisma 18 26

Tomes Used
+2 Tome of Strength used at level 7
+2 Tome of Constitution used at level 7
+2 Tome of Wisdom used at level 7
+2 Tome of Charisma used at level 7

Starting Feat/Enhancement
Base Skills Modified Skills
Skills (Level 1) (Level 20)
Balance -1 -1
Bluff 4 9
Concentration 6 27
Diplomacy 4 8
Disable Device n/a n/a
Haggle 4 8
Heal 1 2
Hide -1 -1
Intimidate 4 8
Jump 4 14
Listen 1 2
Move Silently -1 -1
Open Lock n/a n/a
Perform n/a n/a
Repair -1 -1
Search -1 -1
Spot 1 2
Swim 2 3
Tumble n/a n/a
Use Magic Device n/a n/a

Level 1 (Sorcerer)
Feat: (Selected) Maximize Spell
Feat: (Human Bonus) Toughness
Enhancement: Storm Manipulation I
Enhancement: Flame Manipulation I
Enhancement: Sorcerer Energy of the Dragonblooded I

Level 2 (Sorcerer)
Enhancement: Human Improved Recovery I
Enhancement: Charged Spellcasting I
Enhancement: Force Manipulation I

Level 3 (Sorcerer)
Feat: (Selected) Spell Focus: Evocation
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Kinetic Spellcasting I
Enhancement: Deadly Shocks I
Enhancement: Storm Manipulation II

Level 4 (Sorcerer)
Enhancement: Deadly Kinetics I
Enhancement: Force Manipulation II
Enhancement: Sorcerer Charisma I

Level 5 (Sorcerer)
Enhancement: Charged Spellcasting II
Enhancement: Storm Manipulation III
Enhancement: Sorcerer Energy of the Dragonblooded II

Level 6 (Sorcerer)
Feat: (Selected) Spell Penetration
Enhancement: Sorcerer Air Savant I
Enhancement: Force Manipulation III

Level 7 (Sorcerer)
Enhancement: Kinetic Spellcasting II
Enhancement: Deadly Shocks II
Enhancement: Deadly Kinetics II
Enhancement: Storm Manipulation IV

Level 8 (Sorcerer)
Enhancement: Human Adaptability Constitution I
Enhancement: Charged Spellcasting III
Enhancement: Force Manipulation IV

Level 9 (Sorcerer)
Feat: (Selected) Extend Spell
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II
Enhancement: Deadly Shocks III
Enhancement: Storm Manipulation V

Level 10 (Sorcerer)
Enhancement: Kinetic Spellcasting III
Enhancement: Force Manipulation V

Level 11 (Sorcerer)
Enhancement: Deadly Kinetics III
Enhancement: Storm Manipulation VI
Enhancement: Sorcerer Charisma II

Level 12 (Sorcerer)
Feat: (Selected) Empower Spell
Enhancement: Sorcerer Improved Maximizing I
Enhancement: Sorcerer Air Savant II

Level 13 (Sorcerer)
Enhancement: Charged Spellcasting IV
Enhancement: Kinetic Spellcasting IV
Enhancement: Deadly Shocks IV
Enhancement: Deadly Kinetics IV

Level 14 (Sorcerer)
Enhancement: Racial Toughness III
Enhancement: Storm Manipulation VII

Level 15 (Sorcerer)
Feat: (Selected) Heighten Spell
Enhancement: Sorcerer Improved Maximizing II

Level 16 (Sorcerer)
Enhancement: Kinetic Spellcasting V
Enhancement: Deadly Shocks V
Enhancement: Deadly Kinetics V
Enhancement: Force Manipulation VI

Level 17 (Sorcerer)
Enhancement: Charged Spellcasting V
Enhancement: Charged Spellcasting VI
Enhancement: Force Manipulation VII

Level 18 (Sorcerer)
Feat: (Selected) Quicken Spell
Enhancement: Sorcerer Air Savant III
Enhancement: Kinetic Spellcasting VI
Enhancement: Deadly Shocks VI

Level 19 (Sorcerer)
Enhancement: Deadly Kinetics VI
Enhancement: Sorcerer Energy of the Dragonblooded III

Level 20 (Sorcerer)
Enhancement: Sorcerer Bloodline of Power
Enhancement: Sorcerer Spell Penetration I
Enhancement: Sorcerer Wand and Scroll Mastery I

Keeping in mind i am no expert but my Sorc was the second character that i ever built and i love her so much that despite her low HP's (I didn't take toughness) i have no inclination to give her a make-over or TR her. That being said about the only comment i have is that spell penetration has become pretty important with the new content. Because of this i opted for Spell pen and then Greater Spell Pen.

I have talked to a few people who have TR'd their charater 5+ times and have taken sorc/wiz a few times and the one thing they do recommend is that extend as a Sorc is a bit of a waste. The only real spell thats important for is haste really (depending on your spell selection too), because otherwise most buff's last long enough to get you through to the shrine in which case you re-buff again anyways.
I also know that lots of people that don't put a lot of stock into Empower, and i didn't take it either. I opted for Improved Mental Toughness for the SP's.

In my case i went Drow (which i don't know that i would change this, but i may TR something into a sorc as a half/elf or human just to see what her build looks like with a different race and the extra feats and skill points), so i needed to be picky with my limited feats and skill points. But i would be leery on the 8 Dex...cause really thats your AC. I know robes now actually have some AC on them which is nice.
And what does 8 Int give you, 2 skill points each level? Which means you won't do much with your skills. I know a few that used to go UMD, but i think many got away from that cause UMD is different now then when the game started.

Otherwise she looks like fun! That high Charisma should be bad ass! The big thing is to try to decide how you want to play her. My high spell pen makes me good with insta-kill spells so if i want to be a mana waster i can run her kill count up pretty high. If your looking to be more of a crowd control and area effect caster this looks like a good build for that.

Overall looks good I think.

I'll bring up one small consideration. Maximize is a great feat. (I was just lobbying for it in another thread!) But, probably not great at level 1. At +25 SP per cast you'd blow through your SP way to fast, and it will kill the efficiency of those level 1 and 2 spells. I've never played a sorcerer (but I've played lots of characters with this feat), so maybe someone could chime in on when to take it. I would guess not before level 6. So maybe move Evocation Focus up to level 1, Spell Penetration to level 3, and Maximize down to level 6?

I also second the notion that Extend Spell is a luxury you can live without. Greater Spell Pen or Greater Evocation Focus may be other great choices there.

I also agree UMD is a good skill to invest in for a Cha-based character too.

I love casters so much i have 6 of them. Here are the rules I tend to try and follow:

1. Max out Charisma with everything you can.
2. Get Con as high as you can afford. I start my 32 pt builds with a 16.
3. Str high enough to keep you from getting to a helpless point if hit with spells that affect str. I usually start with 14.
4. All other stats 8's.
5. Meta magic worth getting: Extend, Empower, Maximize - Extend is worth while early and mid game. If you wanted to switch it for something else later you could. Honestly the only thing I maximize is Displacement and Haste. Need to pick up Empower or Maximize before lvl 6 for savant. (only my opinion on this one)
6. Spell points are over abundant on a sorc, honestly I don't find the need for the mental toughness feats.
7. Pick a secondary element. Mobs with regen need fire or acid to temporarily stop HP regen. My air savant has Fire as 2nd element. I only took like 2 or 3 ap boost to the element.
8. I suggest also getting as much as you can in Force. I make this my secondary spell type and try to max this out. Very little is resistance or immune to force/untyped damage.
9. Spell pen - only needed for spells that have Spell Resistance. Majority of your spells will probably be damage spells, and as least with acid spells I'm not aware of any damage spells with Spell Resistance. FOD, Wail, and other instakills do, as does banish and dismissal.
10. Spell Focus - needed for spells that have saves (i.e. fire ball, acid blast, niacs, enchantment spells, instakill, etc) - very helpful if your more powerful spells have saves. Make sure your getting the correct spell focus for the spells you want a higher dc on.
11. skills: Concentration - max it out, UMD - handy if you want to UMD healing scrolls and rez scrolls. Can also use Race Required items with a UMD check. Balance - very nice to get you back up when you fall down (dirty dogs). The two skills I always put points into: Listen & Spot. If you can only afford one go with listen. Spot isn't really needed as much when you get true seeing item.
12. find items that increase your damage for the spells you use.

13. this is the most important item - Build your sorc to fit your play likes and style. You'll be the one that has to play the toon. If you don't like the way it plays, then its a bank toon lol. As you see, everyone's play style is a little different. Have fun with it!

Toughness is a great choice for the extra HP, but that just my opinion. My first sorc had a wopping 200 HP at lvl 20 with greater false life and +6 con item. I learned a lot about moving quickly to avoid taking damage. But I also couldn't take massive hits. My suggestion is try to hit at least 300-400 HP by epic. The more damage you can take, the easier it is for a healer type (hireling) to keep you going.

Thanks Xire. Did make a few changes to this build, and am loving the way it plays. I'm putting a lot of AP into Force damage and that works out well so far.

Swapped around spells a bit, taking mostly damage spells and putting buffs on wands and scrolls. Extend has gone by the wayside, and I replaced it with a Spell Pen for better CC at higher levels when I take disco ball and irresistable dance. Mental Toughness might get traded for Empower at higher levels, waiting to see how the sp situation works out.

Overall, having a great time playing Hrafnor. Thanks for all the comments and info.