I decided to go solo as a pure magic user, but am undecided as whether to play a Mage or Sorcerer. From a roleplaying standpoint, I like the Sorcerer (it makes sense that a god's offspring would have innate magic.) However, is the limited number of spells a problem when soloing?

Another general question about sorcerers: Do they get more spells per level than a mage (as the manual implies), or is their only benefit the freedom from memorization?

If anyone has experience with this sort of thing, I would welcome advice about the relative benefits and drawbacks of playing each class. (I mean beyond basic description.)

Going solo with a magic user is gonna be hard, but if you do so, you should go with the sorcerer.

And they get the same number of spells as a normal mage, but you don't have to memorize your spells. You learn a number of spells automaticly when you go up levels, so you don't have to learn them from scrolls.

and six magic missiles can come in very handy! even though you won't be able to cast really high level spells IIRC, sorcerers can be pretty cool

I'm going solo with a sorcerer right now and am having no problems and lots of fun with it. I prefer the sorcerer to the mage because I tend to pick a few favorite spells and use them frequently (as opposed to those that like to really fine tune a spell selection and rest before any major battle).

Whichever you take, make sure you have plenty of slots taken up with Project Image as soon as can you get it. This one really extends your ability to cast *lots* of spells without having to rest all the time.

I'd also recommend getting a familiar (cast from scroll, of course) as soon as you can. If it can hide in shadows (or if you cast invis in it), it makes an outstanding spotter so that you can do mean things to the bad guys while keeping your character out of harm's way. The extra hit points you get won't hurt either.

Also, for the solo magic user, I like *lots* of summoning spells. Spider Spawn works well early on and Animate Dead is great later (level 15 and better). If you have selected the level 1 Protection from Evil, you might also consider learning the level 8 Summon Fiend. You won't get any experience from his kills (at that level, with a solo magic user, you won't need many more experience points anyway so who cares?) but it's great to throw him into the middle of a bunch of nasty bad guys and watch the fireworks. He's a lifesaver (though foul-tempered).

As for limited spells being a problem - I'd say NO. If fact, I started another thread about casting 9th level spells without messing with the xp cap - you might want to check that out as well.