Beginner's guide to playing a sorcerer
Sorcerers are one of the four pure spell-casting classes in GemStone. The class is a hybrid of spiritual and elemental magic, and the only one with access to the Sorcerer Base circle. While sorcerers have an array of utility spells and skills, they mainly focus on slaying their enemies in combat, most often via warding spells, although a few maneuver spells and bolt spells are also available. Thematically, much of sorcery is tied in with necromancy and demonology.
Racial Selection
Historically in Elanthia, sorcery was largely discovered and developed by the dark elves—specifically the Faendryl, which came to prominence particularly during the Undead War. Mechanically, dark elves have an advantage, as the CS for sorcerous warding spells are influenced by both Aura and Wisdom statistical bonuses, which are the highest for this race. Thus, from both a roleplaying and mechanical perspective, it is not overly surprising that a plurality, if not a majority, of sorcerers are indeed dark elves.
However, there are many other facets to the decision, and it must be stressed that any race can make a good sorcerer. The advantage in CS is an important factor, but certainly not the only one. For example, unlike many forms of attack, CS and maneuver spell power are not penalized for low spirit (although other unrelated penalties still apply); as there are methods to trade spirit for mana, such as the class-specific sacrifice as well as the Sign of Wracking from the Council of Light, races with high spirit regeneration have a different advantage. An important point to note here is that aura bonus and spirit regeneration are anti-correlated racial properties; that is, typically the higher a race's aura bonus, the lower their spirit regeneration (see the image to the right). All other things being equal, it is not possible to have a high bonus to CS and a good spirit regeneration; the exception is forest gnomes, partly from their wisdom bonus (which has no correlation with spirit regeneration).
It is probably most pertinent to select the character's race based more on how the character will be roleplayed than the mechanics. However, the racial selection can be influenced by their respective bonuses, and certainly the statistics should be selected in accordance with the racial selection. It should also be pointed out that races vary in many other ways, such as their innate resistance to diseases and poisons, their natural encumbrance, maximum Hitpoints, different innate bonuses to TD, and so on; although these factors are certainly not irrelevant to sorcerers, they should not play a decisive role in character creation.
Below is a table of selected differences resulting from racial selection and possible offsets available to sorcerers.
| Racial bonus | Offset available from sorcery |
| Decay Timer | None. |
| Max Health | Desire not to be hit; high DS from buff spells; typically in stance guarded. |
| Encumbrance Factor | Knowledge of Phase (704) and possibility to train further in Demonology. |
| Maneuver Bonus | None. |
| Target defense | Access to spiritual, elemental, and sorcerer TD buff spells. Knowledge of Corrupt Essence (703) and Limb Disruption (708). |
| Poison and Disease | Access to Disease Resistance (104), Poison Resistance (105), Undisease (113), and Unpoison (114). |
Statistics
There is a general guide on statistics for new players which is worth reading for the general points. However, more can be stated as is particular to sorcery.
(Hold over note from previous section: Although sorcerers pale in comparison to wizards in their ability to cast bolt spells, they are reasonably as good at hurling bolts as the other pure classes. As bolt AS is affected by Dexterity, this can also play a small, but not irrelevant role, in racial selection.)
Skill Selection
The selection of skills will vary somewhat by the type of path preferred by the player.
Well-Rounded Build
Core skills (trained on a per-level basis):
- 1x Physical Fitness
- 2x Spell Research, see below
- 1x Harness Power, strictly ranks at level
- 1x Arcane Symbols
- 1x Magic Item Use
- 1x Elemental Mana Control
- 1x Spiritual Mana Control
- 2x Spell Aiming
- 1x Perception
This standard and well-rounded path uses 17/43 training points per level, which even without further training is sufficient for success. Fortunately, it does not come too close to allocating all of a character's training points, and allows reasonable wiggle-room for individual taste while staying inside a standard build.
Threshold skills
Armor Use is only need at 4 ranks if full leathers are worn, and no ranks if robes are used instead. MOC can be discussed later, but only a few ranks, or using an Adv Guild badge is fine. Climbing and Swimming I can take from my work on Paladins since it affects sorcerers the same. We may also want Survival for characters near IMT, etc.
If a sorcerer uses the above core skills, it should be impossible to embark on a mutant or otherwise compromised training path, with intention or by accident. However, as the core skills do not allocate all the character's training points, some basic suggestions and guidelines are offered for maximizing the most gain out of the remaining training points.
Lore training can be expected to occupy a number of training points. 1 rank of Necromancy is easy and opens the Blood Burst (701) health gain effect at a minimal of cost. Demonology, necromancy, and Summoning are all good. Expand on this more carefully later.
Overtraining spells is not a bad idea, once these core skills are achieved. At low levels, this is generally better to diversify in MnS and MnE than pump Sorcerer Base (except the first 30 days). Sorcerer Base can even go below 1x while total Spell Research goes past 2x to achieve notable spells like 425, 430, 120, etc.
Arcane Symbols is a definite favorite to put more ranks in, owing to Scroll Infusion (714). The benefits of a good scroll collection, strong infusion ability, and long duration of spells cast from scrolls, is likely to outweight almost any other skill, at a mere cost of an additional 0/4 per level.
Spell Aiming training will need a clear, lucid, and compelling argument. The idea is that it affects: 708, 710, 713, 720, 111, 118; these can be supplemented with wands, too. It's known that Spell Aiming is a "2x or go home" skill. But sorcerers already convert PTPs as a general rule, and actually the skill is quite cheap. The main advantages here, among many others, is that the Sorcerer Base warding spells are generally rubbish when it comes to group hunting and invasions, where in contrast ball spells using Spell Aiming really shine. It's also the case of how "maximizing CS against all else" is flawed; Spell Aiming not only opens bolt spells, but also Maelstrom and Focused Implosion. Thus the claim that some creatures have high sorcerer base TD and require over-trained Sorcerer Base CSes is misguided, since any well-rounded sorcerer would immediately have two other options (bolt or implode) to deal with the situation, even at a fair minimum of cost (2x Spell Aiming vs. 3x Spell Research: at level, it's +(3/16) CS vs. a full slew of utility!!!) 708 is also somewhat unique utility, and the TD change is vastly better than anything Spell Research could offer for CS gain, although only for this spell. 710 is also known to be good in the levels like 20-30, but this mostly points out that 2x Spell Aiming is important even early on.
Perception needs also points. This includes all of the MnE that help for Popping boxes where this skill is critical. Illusions. Creature maneuver defense. And we are #1 suck at foraging.
See Also
- Sorcerer (main article)
- New Players' Guide (a comprehensive beginner's guide for new players of any profession)
- Sorcerer Guild
- Whirlin's Sorcerer Guide
- The Art of Roleplaying in GemStone IV (guide)
- Player Guide Contest
References
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