Best race for a sorcerer?

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Gold dwarf instead of human gets:
+LVL HP
+2 to (most) saves
+1 concentration
-1 AC
-1 Reflex saves
-1 feat
-(LVL+3) skill points (which might not matter if all you really wanted was to max concentration)

I'd stick with human.

Now, if we're talking wizards, shield dwarf is great, because you get the same CON and saves bonus, and don't mind giving up a feat and some skill points, because wizards get so many of those anyway.

 

Just trying to point out that if your party isn't like most "UPP's" that then Drow might fit in perfectly. This is Icewind Dale 2, not Neverwinter Nights so there's little point in considering something as "the best" if it doesn't synergize as well with the rest of the party.

EDIT: typo

 

The problem is that after you have selected the target of your AoE spell, there is a delay of a few seconds until the spell fires off and impacts the location you specified. During those few seconds, enemies and allies end up moving. It is likely that by the time the spell fires, the enemies have moved out of the AoE and/or some of my allies have moved into the AoE.

Compare this to Temple of Elemental Evil, Pool of Radiance or even Curse of the Azure Bonds. In these games, when the spell is cast, I know exactly where the edge of the fireball will be and can position it so that it hit my enemies while leaving adjacent allies untouched. I just love it in ToEE when I launch 2 fireballs from my wizard and sorcerer into a group of enemies dropping a majority of them on the first round of combat.

For spells that also hurt allies, I find the targetting of AoE spells to be a major pain in the Infiniti Engine games. It was one of the reasons I stopped playing Baldur's Gate. It took a long time before I got to cast fireball and when I did, it was just so frustrating that stopped playing it. Why penalise me when I finally get to use one of the most popular wizard spells? I don't have these targetting issues with Magic Missile or even Acid Arrow.

It did take me a while before I got better at targetting and the timing involved. I still find that the Infiniti Engine prevents me from enjoying Fireball and other ally harming AoE spells to the fullest extent. I would use AoE spells more often if I didn't have to deal with the targetting and timing issues. Most of the time, my wizard and sorcerer is just firing arrows. That is why I like the Wild Elf. I want that extra 2 points of Dex which I max out to 20 at level 1. When I do use spells, I am more inclined to using AoE spells that do not harm allies such as Confusion, Sleep and Horror. These AoE spells I can drop in the middle of my allies.

 

You're meant to use your judgement and predict where everyone will be when your spell fires off. Riflemen had to do the same thing when shooting at moving targets. It takes a little practice, but eventually you'll get the hang of it. That's the price you pay for getting to wield something as powerful as magic.

 

countD's right, it's called ballistics. You have to predict the movements of your enemies and time the spell right. I understand what your getting at completely, I experienced the same frustrations when I first used magic. I personally go for Skull Trap because it has a smaller radius, and is easier to cast safely.
Another thing you should do, is cast an initial fireball before you order your warriors to charge forward; it gives you a bigger window to cast spells. Aim fireballs behind enemy lines, so they still get caught in the blast when they advance, but you don't. Send in a fire-resistant decoy to round up the enemies, cast fire spells, then send in the rest. There are many ways to make these AoE spells work well, they just require a bit more thought than in ToEE. It makes it more realistic, if you ask me.

 

Trouble with me is that I'll cast the fireball away from the warriors, but they'll drop the baddie they're hitting too quickly and then go sprinting into the area of effect like idiots. Sigh. I guess there's only so much common sense AI can provide.

 

It did take me some time to get the hang of how to target AoE spells like fireball. Even though I got better at it, I still don't like how the Infiniti engine is very specific on which spells affect allies and which do not. Technically, all AoE spells including Confusion and Sleep should affects allies as well as Fireball. You half to jump through hoops when your arcane caster finally gets Fireball which is what every arcane caster looks forward to. However, you don't have to do the same thing when the Paladin gets his Holy Avenger.

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Well, my archers don't seem to have any additional difficulty shooting at moving targets. In fact, arrows seem to curve in mid flight to follow moving targets which was kinda weird when I first noticed it in BG.

Anyway, I think I've ranted enough here. Overall, I do like IWD2. I completed it once and am half way through it a second time. Fireball was just one of my peeves about this game engine. I guess no game is perfect.

Just so you guys have a sense of why I feel this way, I personally prefer turn based D&D computer games like ToEE and PoRRoMD. In those games, I could target fireball very easily which make me very happy. I can also have more control over where my guys move to take advantage of things like flanking and positioning for cleave. Things like this in addition to fireballing is more of a challenge with the Infiniti engine compared to turn-based engines.

 

D&D already factors that stuff in, though. Behind the scenes die rolls determine if you strike your enemy, get hit by an attack, or dodge an area effect spell. Behind the scenes die rolls also determine how much damage you inflict, and the system was originally designed to be turn-based. Area effect spells that hurt all in the area effect are only consistently useful in a turn-based system. In real time, they are really only useful in the occasional solo campaign or ambush. Most BG2 players spam spells like holy smite or Horrid Wilting not because they do the most damage (they don't), but because they can be used while the party is embroiled in melee, which guarantees that the enemy will be hit by the attack.

 

I like that post.

Aasimar being of divine essence or heritage or whatever I tend to see them perfectly suited as Sorcerers. One Pally level will take away some of the edge while giving a tremendous save boost.

I can't bear myself to play a low INT Sorcerer either so that rules out some options that make Humans so uber (from a powergaming perspective Humans rule).

Wild Elves for a change can be nice but I'd rather start with a maxed out CHA.

So I'd go with Aasimar preferably Lawful Good but maybe not so that I can avoid multiclassing down the road (more often than not multiclassing is a waste of a level especially for a spellcaster). I'd certainly compensate by giving this character the book for extra XP (How to Be an Adventurer) in the Black Raven Monastery.

 

I played through with two sorcerers once. One was human, the other Aasamir. I rained firey death on everything.

 

But which was more powerful?

I personally favor Drow.

They have great stat bonuses, and if you level squat at all (highly recommended if you're powergaming), the ECL penalty is virtually nullified.

 

A powergaming guide (JUPP i believe) discusses this in detail. Main differences are:
aasimar is one level behind, +2CHA
drow 2 lvls behind, +2CHA, innate SR
human is not behind, more mix-in options for the late game, higher STR and DEX through min-maxing. And a feat.

Most of the time, the human will have 2 more lower-level spells, while the aasimar and drow get one higher level spell and +1DC. The disadvantage of low AC (from DEX) and very low strength is hard to document. The drow can't mix-in paladin, so can't use the avenger for its SR. But that doesn't matter, because they have it innately. A consideration not mentioned in the guide, is that the combined paladin and monk mix-ins add a strong Evasion feature, and only the human and wild elf can achieve this.

 

The opposite is closer to the truth.

 

you´re right...
i looked up Ken J. Egervari´s UPP guide (not Jukka's):

 

Well, I may have changed my mind since I started a new game (chronic restarter syndrome) with a Wild Elf Sorceress and she is doing great. I like the idea of a feral elf who is not too bright (not a real powergamer so I didn't dump INT but I didn't invest in it either) but who from a peculiar affinity with magic is capable of casting many spells.

No level penalty is sweet.

 

I already said aasimar is fabulous...however, I think that a wizard is a better option, you get spells quicker

 

I only recently noticed that myself: My sorcerer was at level 5, and I didn't get level 3 spells.
But I wouldn't say that a wizard is better though, just different.
Wizards can cast higher level spells earlier, but need to find them first, meaning they can't choose.
Sorcerers progress slightly slower, but this 'slightly' can mean a lot of course. Sorcerer's spells are more, interchangeable, and can be chosen from ALL available spells. My illusionist still hasn't got Mirror Image (and I'm entering the Ice Temple, should've bought it...).
The best of both worlds would be to take one of each along in your party. In fact, I can't imagine not doing this.

 

I must admit (and don't have a go about it) but I do tend to use the cheat code for my wizard so I can have all the spells I need....however, it doesn't work as well with a sorcerer

 

No comments from me. Reimagining and cheat-leveling characters mostly goes without problems. My only complaint, is that when I want to reimagine my wizard, I have all this trouble with cheating in scrolls. I'm too lazy to remember the old ones, so i just cheat in the essentials...

!!!UPDATE: I checked the 'Sorcerer Spell Selections' table, and it turns out that sorcerers don't have a delayed spell progression. They just don't have the 'one-up' in the beginning, where wizards gain level 2, 3, 4 and 5 spells at wizard levels 2, 5, 7 and 9 respectively. They have the simple rule of sorcerer level/2 = spell level, with the exception of level 1 spells at level 1.

 

I wish I understood what that meant *sigh*