Base Class: Sorcerer
Sorcerers with the Heretic Soul origin are marked by an unstable, corrupted bond to the arcane — a bond that twists the flow of magic into something aberrant and insatiable. Does your origin arise from exposure to a forbidden source: such as fractured ley lines? Were you the result of arcane experimentation? Perhaps an ancient curse was passed down through the blood. Whatever its source, your magical spark is ravenous, eating away at your vitality unless constantly fed by external sources of arcane energy.
Heretic Spells
You learn these additional spells when you reach certain levels in this subclass, as shown on the Spell Table below. Each of these spells counts as a Sorcerer spell for you, and does not count against the number of Sorcerer spells you know.
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Sorcerer Level |
Spells Known |
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1st Level |
Command, Shield |
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3rd Level |
Alter Self, Lesser Restoration |
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5th Level |
Counterspell, Revivify |
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7th Level |
Death Ward, Dimension Door |
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9th Level |
Greater Restoration, Wall of Force |
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Arcane Affinity
You can perceive magic with supernatural clarity. You gain the following benefits:
- You gain Darkvision up to 30 feet, or increase it by an additional +30 feet if you already have it.
- You learn the Detect Magic spell (if you didn’t already know it) and can cast it as a Ritual spell. Any magical enchantments, glyphs, marks, sensors, runes, or wards within 30 feet of you glow for the duration of the spell, emitting dim light for 5 feet.
- While this effect is active, you have Advantage on Intelligence (Arcana) checks to discern the nature of any magic revealed in this way. If the revealed magic means something in a language you do not know, you understand it as if you know that language.
Arcane Hunger
Your body becomes reliant on arcane energy. To start, after you finish a long or short rest, roll a d20: On an 8 or higher, you succeed, leaving you unaffected. On a 7 or lower, you fail, gaining one stack or Arcane Hunger.
- If you already have one or more stacks of Arcane Hunger, use the corresponding DC from the Arcane Hunger Effect Table.
See the “Arcane Hunger Effect Table” below for further details
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Arcane Hunger Level |
Effect DC |
Result |
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1st Level |
8 |
You have Disadvantage on Constitution saving throws. Consume a magic item of Common or higher rarity, or a spell slot of 3rd level or higher. |
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2nd Level |
10 |
Your movement speed is halved. Consume a magic item of Common or higher rarity, or a spell slot of 4th level or higher. |
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3rd Level |
12 |
You have Disadvantage on ability checks. Consume a magic item of Uncommon or higher rarity, or a spell slot of 5th level or higher. |
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4th Level |
14 |
You have Disadvantage on Attack rolls and saving throws. Consume a magic item of Rare or higher rarity, or a spell slot of 6th level or higher. |
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5th Level |
16 |
Your Hit Point Maximum is halved. Consume a magic item of Very Rare or higher rarity, or a spell slot of 7th level or higher. |
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6th Level |
18 |
Whenever you cast a spell, take Necrotic damage equal to 5 x spell’s level, but roll the maximum amount of spell damage. Consume a magic item of Legendary rarity, or a spell slot of 8th level or higher. |
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7th Level |
20 |
Your corrupted spark of magic becomes unstable without having a source of energy to temper it, draining your remaining vitality, and killing you instantly. See the “Combusting Death” heading for details. |
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You are immune to any negative results of your Arcane Hunger feature while you are in an anti-magic field.
Combusting Death
Upon reaching 7 stacks of Arcane Hunger, your twisted arcane essence can no longer be contained. You erupt in a catastrophic explosion of ravenous magical energy, destroying your body in the process.
- Each creature within 40 feet of you must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, a creature takes 20d6 Force damage and 20d6 Necrotic damage and is knocked prone. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage.
- Creatures composed primarily of stone, crystal, metal, or similar inorganic materials have Disadvantage on this saving throw.
- Nonmagical objects not being worn or carried are destroyed.
- A creature reduced to 0 hit points by this feature is reduced to fine grey dust. A creature destroyed in this way cannot be restored to life except by True Resurrection, Wish, or similarly powerful magic.
Your body is likewise destroyed, leaving no remains behind.
Reducing Arcane Hunger
To reduce your Arcane Hunger, the magic item's rarity or expended spell slot's level must satisfy the requirement of your current Arcane Hunger stack. When you reduce your Arcane Hunger this way, reduce it by 1 stack. If the rarity or spell slot level exceeds the minimum requirement, reduce it by an additional 1 stack for each tier above the minimum required.
Consuming a Magic Item. When you reduce your Arcane Hunger this way, reduce it by 1 stack. If the rarity or spell slot level exceeds the minimum requirement (at the DM’s discretion), reduce it by an additional 1 stack for each tier above the minimum requirement.
- Additionally, when you consume a magical item this way, roll on the “Arcane Echoes” table below.
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d4 Roll |
Arcane Echoes |
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1 |
Learn one spell of a level no higher than the consumed item's rarity tier or the level of the spell contained within it (or 1st Level if no spell level exists) from any list, until your next long or short rest. |
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2 |
Learn one cantrip from any spell list until your next long or short rest. |
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3 |
Gain temporary Hit Points equal to 5 x the item's rarity tier or the level of the spell contained within it, until your next long rest, or depleted. |
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4 |
Recover a number of Sorcery Points equal to the item's rarity tier or the level of the spell contained within it. |
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- While you have no Arcane Hunger stacks, you may consume a magic item (provided a magic item can be consumed, determined by the DM ). The item is destroyed, you gain no Arcane Echoes, and it provides no reduction to Arcane Hunger.
Metamagic Augury. You can expend Sorcery Points equal to 1 + your current Arcane Hunger stack to reduce your current Arcane Hunger by 1.
Spell Slots. You can expend a spell slot, or combined levels of spell slots, that satisfy the required level to reduce your current Arcane Hunger by 1.
Spell Siphon. As an Action, you can touch a creature with the ability to cast spells.
- If they are friendly to you, you siphon a spell slot, or combined levels of spell slots, that satisfies the requirement of your current Arcane Hunger stack. The target cannot regain that spell slot until it finishes a long rest.
- If the creature is hostile or unwilling to help, they must make a Constitution saving throw against your Spell Save DC. If they fail their save, you siphon a spell slot, or combined levels of spell slots, that satisfies the requirement of your current Arcane Hunger stack. The target cannot regain that spell slot until it finishes a long rest.
- On a successful save, you take 1d10 Necrotic damage and cannot target that creature again until 1d4 days have passed.
Residual Magic. As an Action, you may spend 1 hour in quiet meditation to draw on lingering magical residue from your surroundings, to reduce your current Arcane Hunger by 1 stack.
- You do not gain the benefits of a short rest during this time.
- The DM may determine that certain locations lack sufficient magical residue for this feature to function.
Once you use the “Residual Magic” feature to reduce your current Arcane Hunger stack this way, you can not do so again for 1d4 days.
Ruinous Offering
You learn two Ruinous Offerings of your choice from the Ruinous Offering list.
- As a Bonus Action, you can gain 1 stack of Arcane Hunger to activate one Ruinous Offering you know.
- You can only benefit from one Ruinous Offering at a time. If you activate another, the previous one immediately ends.
See the “Ruinous Offerings” below for further details
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Ruinous Offerings |
Description |
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Arcane Ascent |
You gain a flying speed of 40 feet and can hover for 1 minute. This flight cannot be suppressed, dispelled, or countered other than by antimagic effects, a Wish spell, or divine intervention. |
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Eldritch Potency |
When you cast a spell that deals damage, add your Charisma modifier to the damage roll for 1 minute. |
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Heretic’s Rebuke |
For 1 minute, whenever you succeed on a saving throw against a spell or magical effect, the caster takes Psychic damage equal to your Charisma modifier + your Proficiency Bonus. |
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Metamagic Surge |
The next Metamagic option you use costs no Sorcery Points. |
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Ruinous Strike |
The next spell you cast that deals damage ignores Resistance to that damage type. |
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Sorcerous Resolve |
At the start of each of your turns for 1 minute, you gain Temporary Hit Points equal to your Charisma Modifier + your Proficiency Bonus. These Temporary Hit Points last until the start of your next turn |
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Witchflame Aura |
For 1 minute, whenever a creature hits you with a spell or attack, they take Radiant damage equal to your Charisma Modifier + your Proficiency Bonus. |
You learn one addition Ruinous Offering at 6th level, and another at 14th level.
Residual Sense
You can detect unstable, residual, or decaying magic in the environment.
- You learn the Detect Evil and Good and See Invisibility spells. These spells count as Sorcerer spells for you and do not count against the number of Sorcerer spells you know. You can cast each spell once without expending a spell slot, and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.
As an Action, or when you cast Detect Magic using your Arcane Affinity feature, you can focus on residual magical traces within 30 feet of you and learn one of the following:
- Whether a spell was cast there within the last hour, and its school of magic
- Whether a creature that passed through the area was under the effects of a spell or magical effect.
- Whether the weave in the area is thin, torn, corrupted, or otherwise unstable, such as near hidden portals, magical anomalies, or haunted leyline zones, as determined by the DM.
Vital Casting
You learn how to fuel your magic with your own life force. When you cast a spell, you can choose to expend Hit Points instead of a spell slot. You take Necrotic damage equal to three times the spell's level.
This damage cannot be reduced, prevented, or negated in any way, and is taken immediately after the spell is cast.
- If this damage reduces you to 0 Hit Points, you fall unconscious after the spell resolves and do not begin making death saving throws until the start of your next turn.
Additionally, from this level onward, whenever you are reduced to 0 Hit Points, regardless of the source of the damage, you gain 1 stack of Arcane Hunger.
Improved: Ruinous Offering
- You learn 1 additional Ruinous Offering.
Elusive Counter
Your ability to absorb magic is no longer limited to simple objects. You gain the following benefits:
- You have Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
- When a creature you can see forces you to make a saving throw against a spell, or hits you with a spell attack, you can use your Reaction to partially consume the spell's power. You regain a number of Sorcery Points equal to half the spell's level (rounded up). If the spell deals damage, you take only half the damage.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum once), regaining all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Improved: Ruinous Offering
- You learn 1 additional Ruinous Offering.
Unbound Heresy
Your Arcane Hunger has grown beyond a curse, becoming a fundamental part of your existence. No longer content to merely endure its demands, you willingly unleash it, surrendering yourself to a state of catastrophic arcane transcendence.
As a Bonus Action, you can gain 2 stacks of Arcane Hunger to enter a state of Unbound Heresy for 1 minute. You gain the following benefits for the duration:
- You can have up to three Ruinous Offerings active at the same time, whether or not you know them.
Activating a Ruinous Offering no longer ends another active Ruinous Offering and does not require you to gain an Arcane Hunger stack.
If activating a Ruinous Offering would exceed this maximum, choose one of your active Ruinous Offerings to immediately end.
- Whenever Vital Casting would reduce you to 0 Hit Points while in this state, you remain conscious until the end of your current turn. At the end of that turn, you immediately suffer the effects of dropping to 0 Hit Points.
Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a Long Rest.
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