Hey all - I've been dwelling on this for the past week or so after reading from the 'What would you change...' thread. Key aspects I felt like addressing were Eschew Materials, number of available spells, and expanding the spell list. I wanted to keep it thematic to D&D lore, so tell me what you think! It's still in rough draft so excuse/advise on any errors. Thanks for reading!
Arcane Soul
Some Sorcerers don't get their power from a powerful ancestor. Instead, they're infused with the Weave itself and act as its protectors.
In order to gain the most out of their gifts, Arcane Souls must study themselves and their interactions with magic.
Student of the Weave
Your affinity with the Weave makes it easier to understand the magics permeating the world around you.
Your spellcasting modifier is Intelligence instead of Charisma when casting Sorcerer spells, and you gain proficiency in Arcana (Int) if you do not already have it.
Weavewalker
The Arcane Soul's magical nature means they act as their own Arcane Focus. Additionally, they have an intrinsic ability to detect the threads of the Weave.
When casting a sorcerer spell you do not require material components unless the spell requires a specific value or consumes the component.
You learn the spell Detect Magic and can cast it once per long rest without expending a 1st level slot.
At 3rd level, the Arcane Soul Sorcerer may spend 2 sorcery points to extend the range of Detect Magic to 60 ft.
Acolyte of the Weave
Starting at level 6, you double your Proficiency modifier for Arcana (Int) checks.
Additionally, your experience being a magical conduit has given you insights into spellcasting. You can now learn a number of extra spells, called Curios, equal to your Intelligence modifier.
To learn a Curio, you may spend a number of Sorcery Points as a Reaction to being damaged, healed, conditioned, or otherwise enchanted by a spell of level 1 or higher. The points spent must equal the casting level of the spell cast, and you must have permanent spell slots equal to or greater than the base level of the spell to learn it in this way. A spell is also ineligible to be learned as a Curio if it requires a material cost or consumes materials. If the learned Curio is not on the Sorcerer spell list, it counts as a Sorcerer spell for you.
When you learn a Curio, you may replace a previously learned Curio. You may not learn another until after a long rest. At level 14 this is reduced to short rest, and at level 18 you can learn a Curio spell once a round.
Weaverider
At level 14, when you are hit by a spell that targets only you, you may use your Reaction to immediately move in a straight line away from the source up to 20 ft.
Alternatively, you may use a bonus action after you cast a spell with a single target to immediately move towards the target, in a straight line, up to 20ft.
If you move in this way you do not trigger opportunity attacks. Your movement ends if you hit a wall or the target, respectively.
Master of the Weave
At level 18, you learn the Antimagic Field spell if you do not already know it.
You, your spells, and your equipment are immune to the effects of Antimagic Field for 1 round for every sorcery point you spend when casting Antimagic Field.
I had to reread the level 6 ability a few times to really get what you were saying. I'd remove the complexity of giving this another name, just say spells. So basically you're getting an earlier and more flexible spell thief (from rogue's arcane trickster) that goes off of sorcerery points. Neat idea but I'm wondering about the efficiency of it, stopping it from being cheesed, and how it balances.
- Efficiency
So at level 6, it would take five days of absorbing one spell per day to get this ability to really have potential. This isn't terrible in of itself but the amount of in game time that will take (if you're getting into a fight every day) can be a bit of a drag for a new ability.
- Cheese
Fellow wizard! Hit me with a spell every day so I can absorb them and have free spells + max sorcerery points after the last one.
- Balance
At level 6 you will have more spells than a wizard (spells known 7 + max intel modifier = 12, wizard is level + intel modifier = 11) which is breaking the design balance between the two classes. I'm an advocate for more spells known for sorcerers, but it still shouldn't go beyond wizard's at any level.
- Potential fixes
I'd say have number of spells aborbed be based on something else other than the primary stat you just gave. Half proficiency modifier rounded down is the first thing that came to my head. Not sure about keeping the spells beyond resting either. Up to other opinions. Also reword it. Something like:
"Once per long rest, you can absorb a spell that you are effected by in any way at the cost of sorcerery points equal to the spell's level. This spell is now a sorcerer spell for you. You can absorb as many spells as half of your proficiency modifier rounded down. Once you absorb the maximum allotted spells, you can replace one if you choose to absorb a new one.
Starting at level 14, you can absorb a new spell once per short rest"
Level 14 ability
I find this very weak. Using 2 sorcerery points to move 20 feet? Thats two empower spells, one quickened spell, a twin blindness/deafness. And compare it to other abilities at level 14 for sorcerers. Dragons get wings, shadow gets free shadow step, divine gets wings, storm gets a damage reaction, all of those cost zero sorcerery points.
I'll see about re-wording the Acolyte feature so it's more clear. Due to the spell changeover ability for the extra spells, it does need a way to distinguish between them and base sorcerer spells to prevent characters from rewriting ones learned otherwise. I'd forgotten about the spell-thief ability so I can definitely mine that for vernacular - though I'll need to keep the qualifiers to prevent the costly divine or mage-built spells from being learned.
Addressing Cheese: That's the point of this class, to experiment on themselves with magic. If a wizard wants to use up their spell slots for this, then more power to them. Similar to if another party member were to just give all their money to the Wizard for buying & transcoding spells. I feel the potential for interesting situations regarding the mechanic outweighs the potential for someone feeling bad from it.
Balance: Due to restriction on the type of extra spells that can be learned, I don't see an issue here with comparing spells known. Especially because if any character is going to be able to contend with the amount of spells a wizard can cast, it'd have to be a sorcerer in a similar style as this. I'm actually a big fan of basing feature strength off a character's proficiency, but felt it detracted from the Intelligence-based feel of the subclass.
Weaverider: You're ABSOLUTELY right about this! After some mulling, I'm kind of tempted to just remove the sorcerer point cost altogether for a reaction/bonus action cost. Thoughts?
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Hey all - I've been dwelling on this for the past week or so after reading from the 'What would you change...' thread. Key aspects I felt like addressing were Eschew Materials, number of available spells, and expanding the spell list. I wanted to keep it thematic to D&D lore, so tell me what you think! It's still in rough draft so excuse/advise on any errors. Thanks for reading!
Arcane Soul
Some Sorcerers don't get their power from a powerful ancestor. Instead, they're infused with the Weave itself and act as its protectors.
In order to gain the most out of their gifts, Arcane Souls must study themselves and their interactions with magic.
Student of the Weave
Your affinity with the Weave makes it easier to understand the magics permeating the world around you.
Your spellcasting modifier is Intelligence instead of Charisma when casting Sorcerer spells, and you gain proficiency in Arcana (Int) if you do not already have it.
Weavewalker
The Arcane Soul's magical nature means they act as their own Arcane Focus. Additionally, they have an intrinsic ability to detect the threads of the Weave.
When casting a sorcerer spell you do not require material components unless the spell requires a specific value or consumes the component.
You learn the spell Detect Magic and can cast it once per long rest without expending a 1st level slot.
At 3rd level, the Arcane Soul Sorcerer may spend 2 sorcery points to extend the range of Detect Magic to 60 ft.
Acolyte of the Weave
Starting at level 6, you double your Proficiency modifier for Arcana (Int) checks.
Additionally, your experience being a magical conduit has given you insights into spellcasting. You can now learn a number of extra spells, called Curios, equal to your Intelligence modifier.
To learn a Curio, you may spend a number of Sorcery Points as a Reaction to being damaged, healed, conditioned, or otherwise enchanted by a spell of level 1 or higher. The points spent must equal the casting level of the spell cast, and you must have permanent spell slots equal to or greater than the base level of the spell to learn it in this way. A spell is also ineligible to be learned as a Curio if it requires a material cost or consumes materials. If the learned Curio is not on the Sorcerer spell list, it counts as a Sorcerer spell for you.
When you learn a Curio, you may replace a previously learned Curio. You may not learn another until after a long rest. At level 14 this is reduced to short rest, and at level 18 you can learn a Curio spell once a round.
Weaverider
At level 14, when you are hit by a spell that targets only you, you may use your Reaction to immediately move in a straight line away from the source up to 20 ft.
Alternatively, you may use a bonus action after you cast a spell with a single target to immediately move towards the target, in a straight line, up to 20ft.
If you move in this way you do not trigger opportunity attacks. Your movement ends if you hit a wall or the target, respectively.
Master of the Weave
At level 18, you learn the Antimagic Field spell if you do not already know it.
You, your spells, and your equipment are immune to the effects of Antimagic Field for 1 round for every sorcery point you spend when casting Antimagic Field.
reserved
I had to reread the level 6 ability a few times to really get what you were saying. I'd remove the complexity of giving this another name, just say spells. So basically you're getting an earlier and more flexible spell thief (from rogue's arcane trickster) that goes off of sorcerery points. Neat idea but I'm wondering about the efficiency of it, stopping it from being cheesed, and how it balances.
- Efficiency
So at level 6, it would take five days of absorbing one spell per day to get this ability to really have potential. This isn't terrible in of itself but the amount of in game time that will take (if you're getting into a fight every day) can be a bit of a drag for a new ability.
- Cheese
Fellow wizard! Hit me with a spell every day so I can absorb them and have free spells + max sorcerery points after the last one.
- Balance
At level 6 you will have more spells than a wizard (spells known 7 + max intel modifier = 12, wizard is level + intel modifier = 11) which is breaking the design balance between the two classes. I'm an advocate for more spells known for sorcerers, but it still shouldn't go beyond wizard's at any level.
- Potential fixes
I'd say have number of spells aborbed be based on something else other than the primary stat you just gave. Half proficiency modifier rounded down is the first thing that came to my head. Not sure about keeping the spells beyond resting either. Up to other opinions. Also reword it. Something like:
"Once per long rest, you can absorb a spell that you are effected by in any way at the cost of sorcerery points equal to the spell's level. This spell is now a sorcerer spell for you. You can absorb as many spells as half of your proficiency modifier rounded down. Once you absorb the maximum allotted spells, you can replace one if you choose to absorb a new one.
Starting at level 14, you can absorb a new spell once per short rest"
Level 14 ability
I find this very weak. Using 2 sorcerery points to move 20 feet? Thats two empower spells, one quickened spell, a twin blindness/deafness. And compare it to other abilities at level 14 for sorcerers. Dragons get wings, shadow gets free shadow step, divine gets wings, storm gets a damage reaction, all of those cost zero sorcerery points.
Thanks so much for the feedback Zero!
I'll see about re-wording the Acolyte feature so it's more clear. Due to the spell changeover ability for the extra spells, it does need a way to distinguish between them and base sorcerer spells to prevent characters from rewriting ones learned otherwise. I'd forgotten about the spell-thief ability so I can definitely mine that for vernacular - though I'll need to keep the qualifiers to prevent the costly divine or mage-built spells from being learned.
Addressing Cheese:
That's the point of this class, to experiment on themselves with magic. If a wizard wants to use up their spell slots for this, then more power to them. Similar to if another party member were to just give all their money to the Wizard for buying & transcoding spells. I feel the potential for interesting situations regarding the mechanic outweighs the potential for someone feeling bad from it.
Balance: Due to restriction on the type of extra spells that can be learned, I don't see an issue here with comparing spells known. Especially because if any character is going to be able to contend with the amount of spells a wizard can cast, it'd have to be a sorcerer in a similar style as this. I'm actually a big fan of basing feature strength off a character's proficiency, but felt it detracted from the Intelligence-based feel of the subclass.
Weaverider: You're ABSOLUTELY right about this! After some mulling, I'm kind of tempted to just remove the sorcerer point cost altogether for a reaction/bonus action cost. Thoughts?