Sorcerer Origin Handbook
By Joshua Joseph Kochuthelliyil
Hello! I am Joshua Joseph Kochuthelliyil, and this is the Sorcerer Origin Handbook. This is intended for use with the Dungeons and Dragons 5e tabletop role-playing game. Here, I shall present a quick synopsis of what each Sorcerer Origin is all about, but before we get into that, let’s answer some questions . . .
What is a Sorcerer?
A Sorcerer is one of the many classes that a player can choose for their player character. They are casters that wield innate magic within them. Whereas Wizards learn how to cast magic through rigorous academic study, Warlocks strike a deal for their magic, and Clerics are blessed with magic from the divine targets of their worship, a Sorcerer’s magic is fully their own. It is innate within them, and is said to “run in their blood”. This embodies the classic trope of being born with power or otherwise innately having power inside of you, but the Sorcerer class can be used to cover a wide variety of concepts. A Sorcerer’s spellcasting is often less flexible than a Wizard’s or Cleric’s, but the spells that a Sorcerer can cast can be warped and altered to fit their every need, and is overall more fluidly available compared to other spellcasters. A Sorcerer’s main ability is Charisma.
What is a Sorcerous Origin?
A Sorcerous Origin describes the nature of the Sorcerer’s power and how said Sorcerer got their power. There are many different ways that one can become a Sorcerer, and so each Sorcerous Origin gives a Sorcerer different innate powers. Functionally, the Sorcerous Origin you choose for your Sorcerer is your subclass.
Alright, without further ado, let’s begin with the Sorcerer Origin Handbook!
Aberrant Mind
“Here, on the horizon, was everything Gideon did not know.” - Battle of Fort Keff, Magic: The Gathering, by Richard Garfield
This is for a Sorcerer who bears the alien magic of otherworldly creatures. Perhaps, this Sorcerer was probed, or has an alien parasite inside the Sorcerer’s head? This Sorcerer gains the ability to telepathically cast spells, produce alien portals to the dark space between stars, and read minds! This is the best pick for a player who wants to feel “not of this world”. Due to how this Sorcerer is mechanically built, it is one of the stronger Sorcerer subclasses. It is one of the newer subclasses, and subclasses in Dungeons and Dragons have a tendency to creep in power over time.
Draconic Bloodline
“I am the storm that howls, the flame that sears, the power that crushes. Bow before the might of the dragon, for none can match its strength” - Corypheus, Dragon Age: Inquisition, by BioWare
This is for a Sorcerer whose blood flows with the power of Dragons, the kings of the world of Dungeons and Dragons! Likely, this Sorcerer can trace their power back to a Dragon Ancestor somewhere in their pedigree! Depending on the type of Dragon they draw their power from, they gain supernatural resistances and affinities to the type of element associated with the Dragon! For example, a Red Dragon Sorcerer may be able to produce searing flames, and a White Dragon Sorcerer could survive a great blizzard unscathed! This is the classic, archetypal Sorcerer, and so it’s the best choice for a player who wants to feel the innate power of their bloodline!
Clockwork Soul
“There is no difference between Time and any of the three dimensions of Space except that our consciousness moves along it.” - The Time Traveler, The Time Machine, by Herbert George Wells
This is for a Sorcerer who bears the ridgid magic of the dimension of Mechanus, the plane of ultimate law and order! Maybe, an ancestor of this Sorcerer was a machine of Mechanus? This Sorcerer gains the ability to skew the rolls of dice towards their statistical averages, and negate any outside factors that would give an unfair edge against the Sorcerer! This is the best pick for a player that likes to even the odds -by force!
This subclass was released in the same supplement book as the Aberrant Mind subclass, and so it is also noticeably stronger than the rest of the Sorcerer subclasses. That being said, don’t let your thirst for power affect what you want to play. In the end they’re all pretty decent, so pick the one you like.
Divine Soul
“And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’" - Matthew 28:18, The Holy Bible
This is for a Sorcerer that commands the power of the Gods! This Sorcerer may have been someone who was foretold to come in an ancient prophecy, a descendent of a God, or even a lesser God, trying to make a name for themselves! These Sorcerers gain bonuses to spells that heal, and have the unique ability to cast spells normally only selectable by Clerics, in addition to being able to cast their normal Sorcerer spells! This is the best pick for a player who wants a direct connection to a higher power; to a greater calling!
Shadow Magic
“Now go, and remember that the Dark Side is always with you” - Darth Maul, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, by Lucasfilms
This is for a Sorcerer whose soul has been dipped into the blackness of shadow! This Sorcerer may have spent too long in a place of negative energy, such as the Shadowfell, or suffered a fatal accident long ago, and was brought back via necromantic reanimation! Shadow Sorcerers get ominous powers that correlate to their darkness manipulation, like to see in magical darkness, teleport from shadow to shadow, and even summon a Hound of Ill Omen, which is a cursed, Shadow-Mastiff that haunts the Sorcerer’s foes! This is the best pick for a player who wants to utilize black, frightening magics!
Storm Sorcery
“I now call down the living lightning that be mine to command, the roaring gale, the full, unfettered fury of the storm!” - Thor, Avengers vol 1 #218, by James Shooter
This is for a Sorcerer who can control the thunderous tempest of the storm! Perhaps, this Sorcerer was struck by magical lighting? This Sorcerer gains magics that allow them to exude thunderous lighting, and cause the weather to change and sway as they please! This is the best pick for a Sorcerer who wants the worlds skies to bend to their will,
Wild Magic
“Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes.” - Song of Myself, Walt Whitman
This is for a Sorcerer that is exploding with uncontrollable magic! Wild Magic Sorcerers are Sorcerers that have a chance of accidentally producing a slew of magical effects on accident! Examples of the accidental Wild Magic Surges this Sorcerer may suffer include instantaneously combusting, magically becoming older or younger, magically becoming shorter or taller, morphing into a potted plant, and growing a beard composed of razor-sharp feathers! Due to Wild Magic’s innately unexplainable nature, it is likely that most Wild Magic Sorcerers were just lucky ( or unlucky ) to be given the boon ( or bane ) of innate magic! The Wild Magic Sorcerer is tailored for the player who prefers to let the dice decide the outcome of events!
Lunar Sorcery
“Every day it's a different version of itself. Sometimes weak and wan, sometimes strong and full of light. The moon understands what it means to be human.” - Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi
This is for a Sorcerer who’s magic moves with the Moon! Lunar Sorcerers are Sorcerers that can shift between phases just as the Moon can, granting them power as flexible as the Moon’s form! From the Full Moon’s bold healing power, to the New Moon’s destructive wrath, to the Crescent Moon’s trixie illusions and utility, this Sorcerer has it all! By switching through the phases, a Lunar Sorcerer can cover any situation, and so I like this subclass a lot, as it is effectively a “stance” character, or a character who can shift between different roles within the party. This is the best choice for a player that wants to be able to cover multiple roles and change specialization just as the Moon changes phases!
Citations:
“DND 5th Edition.” Sorcerer - DND 5th Edition, dnd5e.wikidot.com/sorcerer. Accessed 28 June 2023.
Holy Bible. American Standard Version, Bible Domain Publishing, 2013.
Sullivan, Sean. “The Great Old Ones.” Organization in Val’Vahan | World Anvil, worldanvil.com/w/valvahan-yingfire/a/the-great-old-ones-article. Accessed 28 June 2023.
“Corypheus.” Dragon Age Wiki, dragonage.fandom.com/wiki/Corypheus. Accessed 28 June 2023.
Wells, H. G. The Time Machine. Penguin Classics, 2012.
“Star Wars: The Force UNLEASHED2008.” Darth Vader: Your Fate Is Now Our Own. Sever All Ties with the Past. Let No One Know That You Still Serve Me. Now Go and Remember, the Dark Side Is Always with You., www.quotes.net/mquote/1069227. Accessed 28 June 2023.
“Avengers Vol 1 218.” The Mighty Thor, mightythor.fandom.com/wiki/Avengers_Vol_1_218. Accessed 28 June 2023.
Whitman, Walt. Song of Myself. 1892 "Deathbed" Edition.
Mafi, Tahereh. Shatter Me. Dean Part of Farshore, an Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2021.
No comments:
Post a Comment