Innate Sorcery is a new feature for the 2024 Sorcerer - a rather odd but interesting addition. My biggest issue isn't with how it works, but how it still seems like an afterthought, despite the sourcebooks now being 'finished' and released.
None of the base subclasses (Aberrant, Clockwork, Draconic, or Wild Magic) have any features that relate to or interact with Innate Sorcery (or its upgrades). It feels like a major missed opportunity not to integrate Innate Sorcery into ANY of these subclasses. The most obvious would be partial transformations like having the Draconic sorcerer get claws or a breath weapon, or immunity to the damage type from its affinity while Innate Sorcery is active.
This oversight is even more egregious given the Aberrant and Clockwork sorcerers already get limited 'forms' - so now they have to juggle Revelation in Flesh / Trance of Order AND Innate Sorcery? Aren't these features meant to be unleashing your innate sorcerous power anyway?
I'm fully expecting other subclasses to follow this trend when they are finally ported to the new Sorcerer (Divine, Lunar, Shadow, Storm, and others), and am fully ready to continue to be disappointed with official sorcerer subclasses.
What are your opinions on Innate Sorcery - how many players have actually moved over to the 2024 Sorcerer?
Just to answer one particular thing, draconic sorcerers already have the Dragon's Breath spell, and an ability that does the same thing is redundant. Nevermind that the sorcerer is likely to be a dragonborn anyways.
The last several supervising devs have resigned this year (Pearls and Crawford) or got "let go" (Mearls) in 2023. Instead of investing in new, younger creative talent, the Hasbro leadership decided to invest millions into a D&D Virtual Tabletop program that they scrapped in March of this year right after it was rolled out. Then fired 90% of the staff working on the VTT. I wouldn't hold my breath for them to get their act together any time soon.
Just starting looking at sorcerer and see this Innate Sorcery feature. Isn't this just a boost against higher level bad guys? Why is this considered an after thought and why/how would the subclasses use this beyond the basic use?
Just starting looking at sorcerer and see this Innate Sorcery feature. Isn't this just a boost against higher level bad guys? Why is this considered an after thought and why/how would the subclasses use this beyond the basic use?
The Ancestral Sorcery subclass in the Arcane Subclasses UA has features that key off of IS; more than half of them, in fact. They contain the language, "While your Innate Sorcery feature is active..."
The OP seems to be lamenting that they didn't do that with the core 4.
I can see a bit of what the OP is saying - you have 2 minutes a day of innate sorcery (or less given that you can only have 2 uses and most fights last less than 30 seconds). It wouldn’t be game breaking to have the subclasses add some things if you are using it. Here are some examples: Aberant mind: L3 - telepathic speech - +1 person in 30’ you can communicate with. Not earth shattering but useful. L6 psychic defenses - if your innate sorcery is active you can add +1 to your saves vs charm and fear. L14 - Revelation in flesh - if your innate sorcery is active you can also chose to have an immaterial body allowing you to move through upto 3 feet of wood or stone or 3 inches of metal as if it weren’t there. L18 - Warping implosion - if innate sorcery is active the range of your teleport extends to a max of 150’. none of these are going to be used every time but each adds a piece of potential benefit for the synergy of the two abilities. I’m sure similar abilities could be figured out for the other subclasses.
Innate Sorcery is a new feature for the 2024 Sorcerer - a rather odd but interesting addition. My biggest issue isn't with how it works, but how it still seems like an afterthought, despite the sourcebooks now being 'finished' and released.
None of the base subclasses (Aberrant, Clockwork, Draconic, or Wild Magic) have any features that relate to or interact with Innate Sorcery (or its upgrades). It feels like a major missed opportunity not to integrate Innate Sorcery into ANY of these subclasses. The most obvious would be partial transformations like having the Draconic sorcerer get claws or a breath weapon, or immunity to the damage type from its affinity while Innate Sorcery is active.
This oversight is even more egregious given the Aberrant and Clockwork sorcerers already get limited 'forms' - so now they have to juggle Revelation in Flesh / Trance of Order AND Innate Sorcery? Aren't these features meant to be unleashing your innate sorcerous power anyway?
I'm fully expecting other subclasses to follow this trend when they are finally ported to the new Sorcerer (Divine, Lunar, Shadow, Storm, and others), and am fully ready to continue to be disappointed with official sorcerer subclasses.
What are your opinions on Innate Sorcery - how many players have actually moved over to the 2024 Sorcerer?
The last several supervising devs have resigned this year (Pearls and Crawford) or got "let go" (Mearls) in 2023. Instead of investing in new, younger creative talent, the Hasbro leadership decided to invest millions into a D&D Virtual Tabletop program that they scrapped in March of this year right after it was rolled out. Then fired 90% of the staff working on the VTT. I wouldn't hold my breath for them to get their act together any time soon.
This is true, but it could have added damage dice, increased the AoE of the spell(so it would be actually useful), etc.
Just starting looking at sorcerer and see this Innate Sorcery feature. Isn't this just a boost against higher level bad guys? Why is this considered an after thought and why/how would the subclasses use this beyond the basic use?
The Ancestral Sorcery subclass in the Arcane Subclasses UA has features that key off of IS; more than half of them, in fact. They contain the language, "While your Innate Sorcery feature is active..."
The OP seems to be lamenting that they didn't do that with the core 4.
I can see a bit of what the OP is saying - you have 2 minutes a day of innate sorcery (or less given that you can only have 2 uses and most fights last less than 30 seconds). It wouldn’t be game breaking to have the subclasses add some things if you are using it. Here are some examples:
Aberant mind: L3 - telepathic speech - +1 person in 30’ you can communicate with. Not earth shattering but useful. L6 psychic defenses - if your innate sorcery is active you can add +1 to your saves vs charm and fear. L14 - Revelation in flesh - if your innate sorcery is active you can also chose to have an immaterial body allowing you to move through upto 3 feet of wood or stone or 3 inches of metal as if it weren’t there. L18 - Warping implosion - if innate sorcery is active the range of your teleport extends to a max of 150’.
none of these are going to be used every time but each adds a piece of potential benefit for the synergy of the two abilities. I’m sure similar abilities could be figured out for the other subclasses.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.