D&D 3E/3.5 D&D 3.5 edition sorcerer: need suggestions for scrolls to pad out his spells

[aboyd]

I have a level 4 sorcerer that I'm making for a short (3 or 4 session) mini-campaign. I have a handful of spells known, but I need more variety. I've decided to buy wands (don't have to be fully charged) or scrolls. Even though I can't cast 3rd level spells yet, I'm happy to get scrolls like that, because the UMD check is basically "don't roll a 1." I have 1000 gp left to allocate. So, with those limitations in place, what handful of spells would you suggest?

The spells I already know are Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Unseen Servant, and Alter Self (with such limited selection, I focused on essentials and spells with open-ended ways they could be applied). Due to a draconic heritage feat, I can convert any spell into fire breathing, so I don't need Fireball, Burning Hands, or similar spells.

I would like to avoid spells in the Player's Handbook, unless they are undeniably awesome. I am much more interested in spells that can be found in any other 3.5 edition book from Wizards of the Coast, such as any of the "complete" series of books (Complete Mage and so on), the PHB 2, and Spell Compendium.

Thank you all very much for any fun tips you can provide!

 

[Dandu]

Power Word Pain

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

Grease and Glitterdust are pretty awesome from PHB. If you don't have a Rogue-like character, Knock is pretty standard in usefulness.

Nerveskitter (Spell Compendium p.146) should be bread and butter for any Arcane caster.

Wings of Cover (Races of the Dragon p.119) is broken, and perfect for you.

 

[Dandu]

Why cast Knock when the party meatshield can cast Smash?

 

[Ashtagon]

Why cast Knock when the party meatshield can cast Smash?

Some doors have spell resistance that works against smash but not against knock.

 

[Sekhmet]

Some doors have spell resistance that works against smash but not against knock.

+1 for Spell Resistant doors.

 

[TKDB]

Grease and Glitterdust are pretty awesome from PHB. If you don't have a Rogue-like character, Knock is pretty standard in usefulness.

Nerveskitter (Spell Compendium p.146) should be bread and butter for any Arcane caster.

Wings of Cover (Races of the Dragon p.119) is broken, and perfect for you.

I'm not so sure that immediate-action spells like Nerveskitter and Wings of Cover can really be used from scrolls. Be sure to ask your DM on that one.

Grease, Glitterdust, and Knock are definitely good scroll options, though. However, bear in mind that the saving throw for Glitterdust will be pretty low from a scroll (13, to be precise), because scrolls use the minimum possible casting stat, so it will likely be most useful as a method of revealing invisible enemies than a debuff.

Other good stuff for scrolls would be the stat buffs from the PHB (Bear's Endurance is especially handy, and has saved lives in games I've played in), Dimension Step (PH2 p. 110), and (again from the PHB) Fly and Haste.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

You might want to check out the Metamagic rods. A Rod of Extend spell will make your Mage Armor last a while, for instance, freeing you to cast other spells down the road. One of my Draconic sorcerer loaded up on those rods (which have limited uses/day) and buff spells.

 

[Dandu]

Even though I can't cast 3rd level spells yet, I'm happy to get scrolls like that, because the UMD check is basically "don't roll a 1." I have 1000 gp left to allocate.

A sorcerer does not make UMD checks to cast sorcerer/wizard spells off of scrolls.

 

[TKDB]

A sorcerer does not make UMD checks to cast sorcerer/wizard spells off of scrolls.

Not a UMD check, but you do need a caster level check if the scroll is of higher CL than you. And aboyd is right in this case -- to cast a scroll of a 3rd-level spell as a 4th-level sorcerer, anything other than a 1 will work. Just got the wrong name for the check, that's all.