The sorcerer, draft 3

Okay, I probably didn't need to spend two weeks thinking about this, but sometimes inspiration takes a little while to come.

For my next crack, I took some mechanical inspiration from the Witch class, though this is obviously an arcane caster rather than a divine one. There will be more bloodlines at some point, but I figured I'd go with what D&D considers its default (Draconic) and what Pathfinder considers its default first. In the meantime I'd like criticism on these, because I'm pretty sure we're still a ways away from a final draft, but at least now it should be playable.

SORCERER
Prime Requisite: CHA
Requirements: None
Hit Dice: 1d4
Maximum Level: 14

Sorcerers are humans born with an instinctive grasp of magic. Many claim descent from powerful wizards, or even from magical beings that assumed human form such as fey, elementals, or dragons. For a sorcerer, magic is not a skill that must be studied and refined, as a mage does, but an instinctive ability as natural and intuitive as breathing. Some societies are fearful of sorcerers, but others hold them in special reverence. Some suggest that the name "sorcerer" was originally applied as a pun, for they are a natural source of magic.

Sorcerers seldom train in the arts of warfare, preferring instead to rely upon their innate gifts to see them through danger. At first level, sorcerers hit an unarmored foe (AC 0) with an attack throw of 10+. They advance in attack throws and saving throws only two points every six levels of experience (i.e., half as fast as fighters). They may only fight with quarterstaffs, clubs, daggers, and darts. They are unable to use shields, fight with two weapons, or wear any kind of armor.

Sorcerers learn and cast arcane spells as mages of two-thirds their class level. The number and levels of spells the sorcerer can use in a single day is summarized on the Sorcerer Spell Progression table. Like a mage, the Sorcerer’s spell selection is limited to the spells in their repertoire. A sorcerer’s repertoire can include a number of spells up to the number and level of spells listed for their level, increased by their Charisma bonus. Unlike other arcane spellcasters, many sorcerers do without a physical spellbook, although changing their repertoire or learning a new spell still incurs similar costs for research and training. A sorcerer can use any magic items usable by mages.

Every sorcerer must bear a bloodline. a magical ancestry which gives them both their affinity for magic and a handful of other special abilities. When a sorcerer is created, select a bloodline for the character from the ones below (or work with your Judge to create a new one), and write down the spells and powers of the bloodline. Regardless, a sorcerer's bloodline grants Each bloodline automatically adds four spells to the Sorcerer's spell list at the spell levels designated below, which they may add to their repertoire in the usual way. If a copy of such a spell is found or placed on a scroll, the scroll will be usable only by casters who would otherwise have the spell on their list. Each also provides additional abilities at 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 9th levels.

Sorcerer Proficiency List: Alchemy, Battle Magic, Beast Friendship, Black Lore of Zahar, Collegiate Wizardry, Contemplation, Craft, Diplomacy, Elementalism, Elven Bloodline, Engineering, Familiar, Healing, Illusion Resistance, Knowledge, Language, Magical Engineering, Mapping, Mystic Aura, Naturalism, Quiet Magic, Performance, Prestidigitation, Profession, Sensing Power, Transmogrification, Soothsaying, Unflappable Casting

Arcane Sorcerer
Bonus spells:

1st level: Read Magic3rd level: Clairvoyance, Dispel Magic
4th level: Remove Curse*

1st level: An arcane sorcerer is so keenly attuned to magic that they can instinctively sense spellcasters within 60' and estimate their relative level of power. They can tell when arcane magic has been used in the last 24 hours within the same vicinity, but not tell whether an item is magic unless it has been used in that time. Using this ability takes a turn.

2nd level: The very same instinctive attunement that lets an arcane sorcerer sense magical power makes it easy for them to see how best to overcome it. They gain the Battle Magic proficiency.

4th level: Through spending an hour in sorcerous meditation, an arcane sorcerer can regain the ability to cast a spell of a level they had previously expended. The sorcerer may practice sorcerous meditation as often as they wish, but may not regain the same level of spell more than once per day.

9th level: The most powerful arcane sorcerers unlock latent spell knowledge hidden deep in their ancestral memory, and may add any four spells to their class spell list. The arcane sorcerer can then add these spells to their repertoire following the usual procedure. If the spells are normally divine, then they are identical in every way to their divine counterparts. If a copy of such a spell is found or placed on a scroll, the scroll will be usable only by casters who would otherwise have the spell on their list.

Draconic Sorcerer
Bonus spells:
2nd level: Winged Flight
3rd level: Polymorph Self
4th level: Fear
5th level: Call Dragon

1st level: A draconic sorcerer's first mark of their heritage is often their piercing, dragonlike eyes. The draconic sorcerer gains infravision out to 30 feet.

2nd level: As the draconic sorcerer becomes more powerful, they become more like a dragon, gaining a handsome scaly hide. This hide provides them a natural armor class of 1.

4th level: The draconic sorcerer may project a fearsome aura that awes and frightens those in their presence. They gain a +2 bonus to reaction rolls to impress and intimidate those in their presence. If this bonus results in a total of 12 or more, the subjects act as if charmed in their presence.

9th level: Three times per day, but no more than once per hour, a draconic sorcerer may use the breath attack of their dragon ancestor, which deals 5d4 damage along either a cone 40 feet long and 20 feet wide at its far end (if fire or cold), a 20-foot diameter cloud (if toxic gas), or a 60-foot line (if lightning or acid). A successful saving throw against Blast/Breath reduces the damage by half. A draconic sorcerer gains a +2 bonus to any saving throws against damage of the same type as their breath weapon.

A draconic sorcerer who attempts draconic apotheosis does so at half cost.

Sorcerer level progression				Sorcerer Spell progression
Experience	Level	Hit Dice	Level Title	1	2	3	4	5
0	1	1d4	Prodigy	1	-	-	-	-
2075	2	2d4	Curiosity	1	-	-	-	-
4150	3	3d4	Freak	2	-	-	-	-
8300	4	4d4	Spectacle	2	1	-	-	-
16,600	5	5d4	Whiz	2	1	-	-	-
33,200	6	6d4	Wonder	2	2	-	-	-
65,000	7	7d4	Phenomenon	2	2	1	-	-
130,000	8	8d4	Witchalok	2	2	1	-	-
280,000	9	9d4	Sorcerer	2	2	2	-	-
430,000	10	9d4+1	Sorcerer	3	2	2	1	-
580,000	11	9d4+2	Sorcerer	3	2	2	1	-
730,000	12	9d4+3	Sorcerer	3	3	2	2	-
880,000	13	9d4+4	Sorcerer	3	3	3	2	1
1,030,000	14	9d4+5	Sorcerer	3	3	3	2	1

Another poem

Been a while since I had a new poem, hasn't it? But I wrote another one tonight, inspired by a bit of a favorite daydream of mine lately. I hope you'll all enjoy it.

Cuddle

There is
A tin roof
Over
My front porch,
Someday,
I would like
To lay
In your arms,
Listen
To the rain
After lunch:
Sandwich,
A Grilled cheese
Or a
B.L.T.
Iced tea
Lemonade
Mixed like
Warm blankets
Rain sounds
and
Us.

In which I shamelessly panhandle

It's been a slow month for me, as you can tell. I've been a bit depressed, and I've had some money troubles. I hate to ask for help, because, rationally or not, it makes me feel like a moocher, but the time has come that I need to. I've set up an account on GoFundMe, in which I have explained my situation more thoroughly. For those of you who feel like helping out, you can find it here. Mention you came from my blog and I'll write a post dedicated to a prompt of your choice (within reason). So far it's been off to a productive start-- I set it up this afternoon and I already have over 2% of my (very long term) goal, enough to help me get over one of the medical bills that prompted me to set this up in the first place.

I like Dungeons and Dragons

I don't know how else to phrase it. I just... like D&D. Not just the broad idea, not just the essential salts of the game, but the D&D IP. I like the way that Wizards presented their vision of how it looked and felt during my teenage years (which coincided with 3.x and a goodly chunk of 4e,) even if I grew desperately sick of the mechanical implementations they used in 3.x and 4e.

That right there is the main reason why, since about 2011, I've been very involved in the OSR-- mechanically it is much less ponderous. You've probably picked up on this tendency yourself, given how much effort on this blog I've devoted to backporting one thing or other from WOTC!D&D to whichever retroclone has my attention that week.

From what I've seen of 5e, it works for me. It has all those bits of modern-D&D flavor that accumulated in my brain all through middle and high school and shaped my understanding of my hobby, but in a more streamlined, effective system. It's not perfect, maybe, but it works, and perhaps more importantly, it works while feeling like home to me, like the thing that I turned to for a good time in high school. It feels like the D&D I thought I was playing in those days, until my (then-)girlfriend turned it into a chore of a red queen's race, until I realized that even low-level NPCs had become a second batch of homework.

I know this: I don't want to get on the supplement treadmill again, and I don't want to devote hours to character builds. Unless the final product has some egregious mechanical fuckery, is unplayably broken, or holds back important content to sell more splatbooks, I suspect that once it's released, it will become my system of choice. I don't know what will happen to this blog then. I'll probably keep writing something here. Maybe more fluff articles.

The Sorcerer (An ACKS Class), second draft

ETA March 22: This is not up to my balance standards. I advise not using this version. I'll get a better one made eventually, I'm sure.

After thinking about it today I decided I wanted to try again and see if I couldn't get my Sorcerer to be a little more... street-legal. To that end I'm gonna give staggered custom powers that should put it in under four build points, as Tavis and Alex intended. Sadly, this means Sensing Power had to go back on the proficiency list... for now. This time around I (mostly) borrowed level titles from the excellent Blood and Treasure (Plus one sneaky Acquisitions, Inc. reference), but I still have no intention of employing them myself.

SORCERER
Prime Requisite: CHA
Requirements: None
Hit Dice: 1d4
Maximum Level: 14

Sorcerers are humans born with an instinctive grasp of magic. Many claim descent from wizards, or even from dragons that assumed human form. For a sorcerer, magic is not a skill that must be studied and refined like a mage does, but an instinctive ability as natural and intuitive as breathing. Some societies are fearful of sorcerers, but others hold them in special reverence. Some suggest that the name "sorcerer" was originally applied as a pun, for they are a natural source of magic.

Sorcerers seldom train in the arts of warfare, preferring instead to rely upon their innate gifts to see them through danger. At first level, sorcerers hit an unarmored foe (AC 0) with an attack throw of 10+. They advance in attack throws and saving throws only two points every six levels of experience (i.e., half as fast as fighters). They may only fight with quarterstaffs, clubs, daggers, and darts. They are unable to use shields, fight with two weapons, or wear any kind of armor.

Sorcerers learn and cast arcane spells as mages of two-thirds their class level. The number and levels of spells the sorcerer can use in a single day is summarized on the Sorcerer Spell Progression table. Like a mage, the Sorcerer’s spell selection is limited to the spells in their repertoire. A sorcerer’s repertoire can include a number of spells up to the number and level of spells listed for their level, increased by their Charisma bonus. Unlike other arcane spellcasters, many sorcerers do without a physical spellbook, although changing their repertoire or learning a new spell still incurs similar costs for research and training. A sorcerer can use any magic items usable by mages.

Each sorcerer also has a unique combination of spell-like abilities, chosen (or randomly determined) as they are attained on the Sorcerer Level Progression Table. A first-level sorcerer may use one first-level spell once per hour. At second level, the sorcerer gains a second first-level spell usable once per hour. At fourth level, the sorcerer gains one second-level spell, usable once every 8 hours. At tenth level, the sorcerer gains one third-level spell, usable once per day. At twelfth level, the sorcerer gains one fourth-level spell, usable once per week. Each of these spells takes one round to cast, and otherwise functions like a normal spell cast by a mage of their class level.

At 7th level, the sorcerer may begin to research spells, scribe magical scrolls, and brew potions, as if they were a mage of 5th level. Upon reaching 13th level, the sorcerer gains the ability to create magic items such as weapons, rings, and staffs as a mage of 9th level. They may also cast ritual spells and conduct other magical research as a mage of 11th level.

A sorcerer may also build a sanctum, often a great tower, when he reaches 9th level. They will then attract 1d6 apprentices of 1st-3rd level plus 2d6 normal men seeking to become mages or with the potential to become sorcerers. Their intelligence or charisma scores will be above average, but many will become discouraged from the rigorous mental training and quit after 1d6 months. While in the sorcerer’s service, apprentices must be provided food and lodging, but need not be paid wages. If the sorcerer builds a dungeon beneath or near their tower, monsters will start to arrive to dwell within, followed shortly by adventurers seeking to fight them.

Sorcerer Proficiency List: Alchemy, Battle Magic, Beast Friendship, Black Lore of Zahar, Collegiate Wizardry, Contemplation, Craft, Diplomacy, Elementalism, Elven Bloodline, Engineering, Familiar, Healing, Illusion Resistance, Knowledge, Language, Magical Engineering, Mapping, Mystic Aura, Naturalism, Quiet Magic, Performance, Prestidigitation, Profession, Sensing Power, Transmogrification, Soothsaying, Unflappable Casting

Sorcerer level progression					Sorcerer Spell progression
Experience	Level	Hit Dice	Level Title	Special Abilities	1	2	3	4	5
0	1	1d4	Prodigy	1st level spell 1/hour	1	-	-	-	-
2075	2	2d4	Curiosity	1st level spell 1/hour	1	-	-	-	-
4150	3	3d4	Freak	-	2	-	-	-	-
8300	4	4d4	Spectacle	2nd level spell 1/8 hours	2	1	-	-	-
16,600	5	5d4	Whiz	-	2	1	-	-	-
33,200	6	6d4	Wonder	-	2	2	-	-	-
65,000	7	7d4	Phenomenon	-	2	2	1	-	-
130,000	8	8d4	Witchalok	-	2	2	1	-	-
280,000	9	9d4	Sorcerer	-	2	2	2	-	-
430,000	10	9d4+1	Sorcerer	3rd level spell 1/day	3	2	2	1	-
580,000	11	9d4+2	Sorcerer	-	3	2	2	1	-
730,000	12	9d4+3	Sorcerer	4th level spell 1/week	3	3	2	2	-
880,000	13	9d4+4	Sorcerer	-	3	3	3	2	1
1,030,000	14	9d4+5	Sorcerer	-	3	3	3	2	1

The Sorcerer (An ACKS Class), first draft

I am perfectly aware that this technically breaks the ACKS custom class rules-- if it were broken down it would be worth 5 points and some change (Arcane 3, Thievery 2, and one extra custom power) but the final XP base is below that of the mage (though I have rounded it up to equal the mage to make everything neat and head off the balance concerns a little.)

The idea came to me last night when I happened to look at the gnome trickster class-- previous attempts at the sorcerer were very bloodline-focused, but this time I eschewed that in favor of making them naturally-gifted with arcane magic.

No level titles were provided because I don't much care for them.

This is very much a work in progress, so I'd definitely like to hear ideas on how it might be cleaned up.

SORCERER
Prime Requisite: CHA
Requirements: None
Hit Dice: 1d4
Maximum Level: 14

Sorcerers are humans born with an instinctive grasp of magic. Many claim descent from wizards, or even from dragons that assumed human form. For a sorcerer, magic is not a skill that must be studied and refined like a mage does, but an instinctive ability as natural and intuitive as breathing. Some societies are fearful of sorcerers, but others hold them in special reverence. Some suggest that the name "sorcerer" was originally applied as a pun, for they are a natural source of magic.

Sorcerers seldom train in the arts of warfare, preferring instead to rely upon their innate gifts to see them through danger. At first level, sorcerers hit an unarmored foe (AC 0) with an attack throw of 10+. They advance in attack throws and saving throws only two points every six levels of experience (i.e., half as fast as fighters). They may only fight with quarterstaffs, clubs, daggers, and darts. They are unable to use shields, fight with two weapons, or wear any kind of armor.

A sorcerer is so attuned to magic that they may sense power, as the proficiency of the same name. Each sorcerer also has a unique combination of spell-like abilities, chosen (or randomly determined) at the time of their creation. Once per hour, a sorcerer may use two first-level arcane spells. Once per 8 hours, they can cast two second-level arcane spells. Once per day they can cast one third-level arcane spell. Each of these spells takes one round to cast, and otherwise functions like a normal spell cast by a mage of his class level.

Sorcerers learn and cast arcane spells as mages of two-thirds their class level. The number and levels of spells the sorcerer can use in a single day is summarized on the Sorcerer Spell Progression table. Like a mage, the Sorcerer’s spell selection is limited to the spells in their repertoire. A sorcerer’s repertoire can include a number of spells up to the number and level of spells listed for their level, increased by their Charisma bonus. Unlike other arcane spellcasters, many sorcerers do without a physical spellbook, although changing their repertoire or learning a new spell still incurs similar costs for research and training. A sorcerer can use any magic items usable by mages.

At 7th level, the sorcerer may begin to research spells, scribe magical scrolls, and brew potions, as if he were a mage of 5th level. Upon reaching 13th level, the sorcerer gains the ability to create magic items such as weapons, rings, and staffs as a mage of 9th level. They may also cast ritual spells and conduct other magical research as a mage of 11th level.

A sorcerer may also build a sanctum, often a great tower, when he reaches 9th level. He will then attract 1d6 apprentices of 1st-3rd level plus 2d6 normal men seeking to become mages or with the potential to become sorcerers. Their intelligence or charisma scores will be above average, but many will become discouraged from the rigorous mental training and quit after 1d6 months. While in the sorcerer’s service, apprentices must be provided food and lodging, but need not be paid wages. If the sorcerer builds a dungeon beneath or near his tower, monsters will start to arrive to dwell within, followed shortly by adventurers seeking to fight them.

Sorcerer Proficiency List: Alchemy, Apostasy, Battle Magic, Beast Friendship, Black Lore of Zahar, Collegiate Wizardry, Contemplation, Craft, Diplomacy, Elementalism, Elven Bloodline, Engineering, Familiar, Healing, Illusion Resistance, Knowledge, Language, Magical Engineering, Mapping, Mystic Aura, Naturalism, Quiet Magic, Performance, Prestidigitation, Profession, Transmogrification, Soothsaying, Unflappable Casting

Sorcerer level progression			Sorcerer Spell progression
Experience	Level	Hit Dice	1	2	3	4	5
0	1	1d4	1	-	-	-	-
2500	2	2d4	1	-	-	-	-
5000	3	3d4	2	-	-	-	-
10,000	4	4d4	2	1	-	-	-
20,000	5	5d4	2	1	-	-	-
40,000	6	6d4	2	2	-	-	-
80,000	7	7d4	2	2	1	-	-
160,000	8	8d4	2	2	1	-	-
310,000	9	9d4	2	2	2	-	-
460,000	10	9d4+1	3	2	2	1	-
610,000	11	9d4+2	3	2	2	1	-
760,000	12	9d4+3	3	3	2	2	-
910,000	13	9d4+4	3	3	3	2	1
1,060,000	14	9d4+5	3	3	3	2	1

In which a pattern emerges

When I was a small child, my favorite game was Natural History Museum. I'd get out all my dinosaurs (and I had hundreds, mind you-- everything from those Carnegie Collection models they sell at museums to Jurassic Park action figures to 50-years-out-of-date neon plastic 1" tall ones from the plastic army men and cowboys section of the hobby store) and just... arrange them. By taxonomy, by the period when they lived, by features I wanted to highlight, any old way. I'd make display cards or signs or draw murals. And then when it was all sorted, I'd get my mother or father or sister to walk through like I was giving them a tour of a museum I curated, and just having all my toys in the right order and my knowledge and ideas on display was the bulk of the fun.

Sometimes I think that's just what I'm doing now, but with fantasy instead of dinosaurs.

(I'm sorry if this seems masturbatory to you or whatever, I'm just reflecting on my general approach as I have frequently been for some time now. Perhaps I felt the need to write about this to gain the insight of others, but I think it was mainly just so that those of you out there who read my thoughts better understand where it's all coming from.)