Class: Sorcerer
The Sorcerer |
Sorcerer Mindset |
Playing a Sorcerer
You didn’t choose to become a spellcaster—you were created in a way. There’s magic in the very origin of your being, whether it's by birth or by a life changing event. A divinity touched one of your ancestors, a forebear communed with a primal creature, or a powerful occult ritual influenced your line. Self-reflection and study allow you to refine your inherent magical skills and unlock new, more powerful abilities. The power in your soul carries a risk, however, and you constantly face the choice of whether you’ll rise to become a master spellcaster or fall into self-made destruction.Roleplay
During Social Encounters; your natural charisma and magical potency makes you good at interacting with people, or at least swaying them with your strength of influence.
While Exploring; you detect the magic around you, finding treasures and warning your adventuring group of magical traps. When the group encounters mysteries or problems related to your sorcerous origins, you solve them slightly easier.
In Downtime; you craft or enhance magic items or consumables. Your sorcerous origin might drive you to research your ancestry or associate with affiliated people or creatures.
You Might...
- Have a strong independent streak, and whether you embrace or reject your magical origins, you long to distinguish yourself both as a spellcaster and as an individual.
- Rely on magic items, such as scrolls and wands, to supplement your limited selection of spells.
- View your magical powers with fascination, fear, or something in between—anything from wholehearted acceptance to vehement rejection
Others Probably...
- Assume you’re as unpredictable as the magic you bring forth, even if your personality proves otherwise.
- Consider you less dedicated than studious wizards, devoted clerics, and other practitioners of magic, since power comes to you naturally.
- Marvel at your ability to create magic from thin air and view your abilities with equal parts admiration and mistrust.
Mechanical Talk
How to play, etc etc.Key Attribute(s):
- Charisma or Intelligence. Charisma or Intelligence governs everything a Sorcerer can do, from their skills to their spells. The chosen attribute is used to assign spell and ability DCs as well, and any magical ability they may tap into naturally, such as their damage, healing, and affinity for Augmenting spells.
- Initial Character Additions
- Ancestry (and Heritage), Background (and Skill Talent), 1st Feat(s), etc
- Multiclass Additions
- Class Hit Dice
- Added Proficiencies
- Class Features
- Acrobatics (Dex)
- Adventuring (Int/Wis)
- Athletics (Str)
- Concentration (Con)
- Deception (Dex/Cha)
- Diplomacy (Wis/Cha)
- Insight (Wis)
- Intimidation (Str/Cha)
- Knowledge: Esoterica (Int)
- Knowledge: History (Int)
- Knowledge: Nature (Int/Wis)
- Knowledge: Religion (Int/Wis)
- Knowledge: Society (Int/Cha))
- Spellcraft (Int/Cha))
- Appraise (Int/Wis)
- Linguistics (Int/Cha)
- Lore - Any Available (Int)
- Profession - Any Available (Dex/Int/Wis & Others)
Key Terms
BONUS/PENALTY DICE): Bonus and Penalty die are important to all characters. For the Sorcerer, your kit will give you bonus die on fear effects... PROFICIENCY: Proficiency and Proficiency Bonus is an important term for all classes. For the Sorcerer, your proficiency will your usual kit (Attacks, Save DC, Skills, etc), as well as... Name them all.Sorcerer Class Table |
| Class Level | Class Features |
|---|---|
| 1 |
|
| 2 | X (Subclass), |
| 3 | Class Feature, Subclass Feature |
| 4 | +Y: Y, 1st Class Mastery Choices |
| 5 | Token Class Feature (PS, AA, etc), Class Features |
| 6 | Subclass Feature |
| 7 | +Y: Y, 2nd Class Mastery Choices |
| 8 | Class Feature |
| 9 | Subclass Feature |
| 10 | +Y:Y, 3rd Class Mastery Choices |
| 11 | Class Feature/td] |
| 12 | Subclass Feature |
| 13 | +Y: Y, 4th Class Mastery Choices |
| 14 | Build on Class Feature |
| 15 | Subclass Feature |
| 16 | +Y: Y, 5th ClassMastery Choices |
| 17 | Named Class Feature |
| 18 | Subclass Feature |
| 19 | +Y: Y, Last Class Mastery Choices |
| 20 | Class Capstone |
ClassName Basics |
Initial Character Additions
If the Sorcerer is your starting Class, you gain the following features and proficiencies:Ancestry, Background, etc |
You gain the benefits of your selected Ancestry, Heritage (be they Ancestral Heritages or Versatile Heritages, your Background and its Skill Talent, your 1st level Feat Choice, etc.
Attribute Boosts |
Health |
Proficiencies and Gear |
Gear Profs
Armor:Armor: No Armor Proficiencies
Weapons: All Simple Weapons and Wands
Saving Throws: Fortitude (CON/CHA) or Will Save (INT/WIS)Skill Profs
Choice of 2 primary skills from the following list:Starting Gear
You gain either 2d6 times 10 sp (or 70 sp / 7 gp) as starting gold to spend on gear, OR gear from any one of the following starter packs: Sorcerer Class, Initiator Group, Mage Group, Dungeoneer's Pack, Explorer's Pack.| [h2Multiclass Additions |
Other Sorcerer Info |
Core Class Features |
At levels 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 11, 14, and 17 you gain Your main Features, or semi-unique features that establish your class and your role in the game with such. At class levels 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, and 19 you will gain Class Mastery Features, or features that that improve on your main features; and a mini-feat called a Mastery Talent (1 out of 3+ preset choices). (Note: You can forgo taking Mastery Features and Talent(s) to gain or advance a Dedication Template instead).You gain the following class features:
(1st) Sorcerous Origin (Subclass Choice) |
Your magical abilities are somewhat innate, coming from a bloodline from a progenitor somewhere in your family, an accident that has changed you forever, or a gift from a being outside of your control. To this end you have magical abilities others simply do not possess, and you get them earlier than other classes would.
This is your subclass.
Your subclass gives you features at class levels 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18. It also gives you a unique capstone choice at class level 20, as well as separate Mastery Talent choices (the C choice) when they come up (at 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19).
1st) Inherited Genesis |
You start to tap into the origin of your powers. It provides a glimpse of the power you'll be able to obtain.
Your Sorcerous Origin will have a Feature named after this one, (such as Inherited Genesis: Arcana). You gain that feature and all its benefits (usually a skill, a unique ability or special function, and/or access to a Spell List).
(1st) Spellcasting, Sorcerer |
The Sorcerer is one of the most powerful and flexible spellcasters in the game, second only to the likes of the Wizard and the Witch. Sorcerers even share a unique class spell list with the Wizard, and at later levels they can bend and use magic in ways others cannot. As a result, and as a primarily Magic focused class, you gain the following.
- The Sorcerer is a Full Caster, whose Sorcerer level equates and builds into their Spellcaster Level Table and uses Spell Slots.
- The Spell Repertoire / Known Spells common feature. The spell lists available to the Sorcerer are the Arcane Spell list, the Elemental Spell list, and the Sorcerer Class Spell List, with other lists becoming available through your subclass. As Full Casters, the tier of spell ranks they can learn will increase at class levels 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th, 15th, and 17th.
- The Cantrips, Known common feature.
- You gain the Spell Complexity: Complex common feature, making you capable of casting almost any spell you can obtain barring the most rare or complex spells. You also have the ability to ⤴/Augment Up or ⤵/Augment Down any spell.
The Sorcerer's spellcasting Attribute is Intelligence or Charisma (your choice. You make this choice once you gain this class feature, and cannot change it unless otherwise stated). You may add your proficiency bonus to your spell's attacks or Save DC (your default ability save DC is 10 + your proficiency bonus + your ability modifier + other modifiers, should they exist).
You can use generic casting focuses to cast spells.
Note: As an Example, Sorcerers can start with the Iconic Sorcerer's Starter Spells
(2nd) Font of Magic |
You’ve unlocked a pool of raw arcane power, contained in a magical reservoir within you that you can use.
You gain the Spell Point Pool common feature.
In addition to spell points, you also gain access to Arcane Exploits, or Class Talents that allow you to twist your spells further. or granting you new abilities that only you can use. Both let you pull on the edges of reality with your spells, and if an Arcane Exploit adds a spell to your Repertoire, it is always considered prepared for you.
You gain Arcane Exploits every Sorcerer level, and when you gain a new one, you may exchange one talent for another you qualify for, losing access to everything the prior talent gave.
Uniquely, Sorcerers share Arcane Exploits with Wizards.
The full list of Arcane Exploits will be listed at the end of the Feature Summary.
(3rd) Ability Augmentations |
Sorcerers have an uncanny affinity for being able to manipulate their spells. You are no different, and you will gain more from your prowess as a Sorcerer as time goes on.
You gain two Ability Augment Feats of your choice. You must qualify for them.
(3rd) Subclass Features |
At 3rd class level, and every 3rd level after until 18th class level (6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th), you will get features from your subclass.
(4th) MF: Font of Magic, Greater Exploits |
Your Font of Magic feature improves with your mastery. You now gain additional Arcane Exploits equal to your Half-Proficiency
(5th) Potent Casting |
At this class level, you gain the Potent Casting common feature, improving your abilities' healing and damage by its action cost (action usage * usage modifier).
(5th) Sorcerous Wellspring |
You can tap into your magical wellspring cast more spells, or conjure success from failure.
You gain the Power Point Pool, and the Point Recovery common features. Additionally, when one of your skill checks or saves critically fails, you can spend 1 resource point as a reaction to reroll the d20. You must use the new roll, even if the new roll is lower.
(7th) Sorcerer's Flexibility |
Rather than a Mastery Feature, you gain your own version of Initiator's Flexibility
When you make your daily preparations or have a Short Rest, you may switch one of your Abilities for ones on your Spell lists or Fighting Style(s). You must meet all the prerequisites to switch between them as you please.
(8th) Manaflow |
Your innate magic is more potent.
Zeroth abilities that augment up via level increase their effects by 1 step, increasing their potency as if you were a much higher level, and their maximum potency overall.
As an example, Blazing Bolt does at least 3d12 fire damage this level, instead of 2d12)
Additionally, your Exploits, Augment Feats, and other non-ability Sorcerer Features that use Spell Points have their costs reduced by 1. This cannot reduce their costs below 1 unless otherwise noted.
(10th) MF: Sorcerous Wellspring, Expanded Wellspring |
Your Sorcerous Wellspring feature improves with your mastery. Your ability to cast spells has become that much easier, with your magical reserve expanding with practiced use.
For every spell rank tier you have, you gain an additional spell slot.
(11th) Magical Overload |
You know how to put more into your spells, causing them to become overloaded with magical energies.
You learn the Maximize Ability or Extend Ability Ability Augment Feats for free (or another of your choice if you already know one or both).
Once per Long Rest, you can apply one of them to any spell you cast without paying that feat's cost.
Additionally, your Spell and Power point pools become larger, increasing by an amount equal to your character level.
(11th) Signature Spells |
You’ve figured out a new way to twist your spells, your studies giving you a wider breadth of power to pull from.
Signature Spell Slots
For each of your spell tiers you have via Sorcerer spell progression (often corresponding to your caster level if not multiclassing (2nd at level 3, 3rd at level 5, 4th at level 7, etc)), you gain a specialized Signature Slot for that spell rank tier. At the start of every day, you pick any spell from your in your Repertoire to be used in those Signature Slots. They must share the same base rank as the Signature Slot (e.g. Faultless Fusillade can go into 1st rank Signature Slot, but not a 2nd Rank or higher rank Signature Slot).
Once per Long Rest, per Spell Rank Tier, you can cast any of your those Signature Spells once without consuming any resources. The Signature Spell will be of the Spell Rank tier's level. These spell slots can be replenished from your Font of magic for half the spell's slot's base cost (rounded up), but they cannot be used for Augmentation or become broken down into spell points.
As an example: if you have Barrier, Invisibility and Fireball prepared in those Signature Slots, you can cast them all once per Long Rest for free, but only at those spell rank tiers without augmenting them ⤴Up or ⤵Down. Barrier will be a 1st rank spell, Fireball will be a 3rd rank spell, etc.
(13th) MF: Sorcerer's Flexibility, Exotic Spells |
Your Sorcerer's Flexibility feature improves with your mastery, giving you access to the strongest spells known to exist.
You gain the Spell Complexity: Exotic common feature, allowing you to cast Exotic Spells.
(14th) Sorcerous Resistance |
You become harder to affect with magic, due to its very nature running through your being.
Magical effects you do not wish to affect you have a harder time affecting you. Spell attacks have disadvantage against you, and you have advantage on saves against such affects. If you Critically Succeed on the save, or if the attacks Critically miss, you can choose to outright ignore the magical effect entirely, damage and all.
(16th) MF: Sorcerous Wellspring, Potent Wellspring |
Your Sorcerous Wellspring feature improves with your mastery, giving you more to work with. You gain 1 more spell slots per spell tier. Additionally, you gain the Spell Focus common feature. If you already have it, you gain it again, increasing the effect.
(17th) Doors of Perception |
You’ve attuned to the multiverse and its magic echoes through you. As a result, you become a lens to the world as you observe it. You gain the following benefits.
- Once per round, when an ally uses points or spell slots to use an ability, you may use your ⮌ to have them spend your own resources. The cost for you is reduced by half (rounded up). You may do this an amount of times per long rest equal to your Proficiency Bonus.
- Once per Long Rest, you may extend the base duration of a single spell you cast to last 1 day. The spell's effects and opportunities for saving still occur as normal.
(19th) MF: Sorcerous Resistance, Anti Resistance |
Your Sorcerous Resistance feature improves with your mastery, making it so that your magic can't be stopped in kind.
You are immune to effects with the Anti-Magic trait. This includes other Sorcerer's Sorcerous Resistance or similar effects.
(20th) Capstones
When you reach the 20th class level in this class you may pick a capstone from this class's Class Group(s), it's subclass/dedication(s)/template(s), or from one below.
!!th: Supreme Sorcery |
You've become a powerful, skilled sorcerer, one that is unrivaled in your ability in this world, and likely others. Additionally, you have the power to back this statement up, being a true Supreme Sorcerer.
Your save DC equals your character level + 10 , rather than your proficiency bonus + 10. Additionally, your Spell Attack adds your character level, rather than your Proficiency bonus.
Attribute modifiers are applied as normal.
!!th: Mage's Pinnacle |
You have mastered the greatest secrets of magic, coming close to being able to pull on reality's strings.
you gain a single 10th-rank spell slot, and can use it to cast 10th level spells or lower. If you already have a 10th level spell slot when you gain this feature, you gain another. You can't use 10th-rank slots with abilities that give you more spell slots or that let you cast spells without expending spell slots
!!th: Initiator's Pinnacle |
You've gained a level of understanding with the martial arts that others consider your discipline supernatural.
You have advantage on all Saving Throws and Attacks, and all attacks against you have disadvantage. If you already had advantage/disadvantage to those effects, you add a bonus dice instead (base d4).
Additionally, you gain Focus, Power, or Spell Points (your choice) at the start of a combat encounter and at the start of every combat round. The amount gained is equal to your Half-Proficiency.
All Arcane Exploit Talents |
Subclasses and Archetypes |
Subclasses
Archetypes
Sample Builds |