Base Class: Sorcerer
Teleporters have a natural affinity for instant travel. Their powers manifest in a way that seems to be trying to find a way to remove itself from reality, succeeding only in moving its wielder in erratic, unpredictable, ways. Until controlled.
Teleporters are often quite paranoid, selfish, individuals, using their very defensive powers to escape fights and danger, but those with this power will often find a way to use it to a larger benefit than their own. Quickly aiding downed allies; bringing a party member a dropped or lost weapon; pulling a healer out of the way of a dragon's breath: all ways a Sorcerer of this skill can find their truest potential with the powers imbued to them.
Freed Movement
1st level you begin to experience your magic in small bursts. Standing up from prone and breaking grapples now only take 5 feet of your movement as you teleport minute distances with ease. You appear within 5 feet of where you were.
Free Spirit
At 1st level you gain the ability to teleport frequently at short distances. You can use your bonus action to teleport yourself 15 feet. This costs no spell slots, but can be affected by the following metamagics at the cost of 1 Sorcery Point each.
Distant Spell - You can double the range of your bonus action teleport for this turn.
Twinned Spell - You can bring another person with you when you bonus action teleport, as long as they are within touching range and willing.
At 6th level the distance becomes 30 feet, at 14th level it becomes 45 feet, and at 18th level it becomes 60 feet.
Constant Displacement
At 6th level your natural affinity for teleportation makes you harder to hit. When calculating AC and initiative, add your Charisma modifier. Additionally, you always have a surprise round in combat, provided the first thing you do is teleport. If the enemy has a surprise round you go with them according to initiative. You have advantage and proficiency on Dexterity saving throws.
Teleportation Savant
At 14th level your teleportation skills are honed. Your bonus action can now be used to make 2 teleport movements, and upon 1 teleport all attacks on you have disadvantage until the start of your next turn. Applying Metamagics to your bonus action teleport costs only 1 Sorcery Point still, but does apply to both teleports.
Additionally, if you use your action to cast a larger teleportation spell, you can spend 4 sorcery points any time in the next 1 minute to return to the location you started at using 1 of your bonus actions teleports. Doing this once means the two locations can now be moved between using the bonus action teleports with no extra cost for 1 minute.
You can also now spend 1 sorcery point to use your reaction to teleport up to your bonus action teleport distance. This reaction can be made after taking damage from an attack, or if an area of effect attack is made with you in the radius, and you can see the attack being made.
Unstoppable Object
Movement is nothing to you now. Starting at 18th level, your movement can be swapped for teleportation, and doesn't use your bonus action teleports to do so. When casting a spell, you can now teleport up to 60 feet before or after you cast it as a free action. Reality flickers around you, and you can choose to target another unwilling creature with your bonus action teleports, making a melee spell attack, sending both of you or only them. All creature limits for teleportation spells is doubled for you at no extra cost.
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Posted Jul 5, 2021Very good catch! Sorcerer's can't wear armour standard so it def slipped my attention that i needed to stipulate that! thank you for pointing it out :)
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Posted Jul 5, 2021The AC benefit of Constant Displacement really needs something like "when you aren't wearing armor or wielding a shield", or it should be changed to "your AC becomes 1X + CHA". The way it's written, it would allow plate + shield + CHA (maxing out at 25)
It would outstrip a 20th level dex barbarian's 24 AC (a high level martial build that sacrifices a lot)
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Posted Feb 9, 2020Some comments and feedback:
Overall: I feel there's too much potential for abuse.
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Posted Apr 13, 2019Should it not be easier with something like ... you gain the alert feat or, you cant be surprised?
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Posted Aug 16, 2018I see what you mean now! A very good point now I've got my head around it too! I'll keep this in mind for when I next homebrew something publicly, thank you!
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Posted Aug 16, 2018Thanks for answering. I understand you used the expression "surprise round" colloquially, but it still makes it harder to understand how exactly it works for the sorcerer as (RAW) some enemies may be surprised along the initiative order and others not; and if the enemies are the ones surprising the party, some allies might be surprised and others not. Does it mean *all* enemies are surprised at the start of combat provided you teleport first? (i.e. you get a special turn before initiative is rolled). If not, what if an enemy wins initiative and isn't surprised *before* it is your turn? Is *that* enemy surprised in regards to your teleport? I think the feature would benefit from a phrasing that matches official 5e terminology.
From the Sage Advice Compendium: "If anyone is surprised, no actions are taken yet. First, initiative is rolled as normal. Then, the first round of combat starts, and the unsurprised combatants act in initiative order. A surprised creature can’t move or take an action or a reaction until its first turn ends (remember that being unable to take an action also means you can’t take a bonus action). In effect, a surprised creature skips its first turn in a fight. Once that turn ends, the creature is no longer surprised.
In short, activity in a combat is always ordered by initiative, whether or not someone is surprised, and after the first found of combat has passed, surprise is no longer a factor."
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Posted Aug 16, 2018Thank you for the compliment! I'm glad the concept behind the subclass grabbed your attention!
My phrasing of "surprise round" is I guess a more colloquial term for how surprise is described in the PHB and basic rules:
Constant Displacement allows the teleporter one additional turn at the start before other people can act, as if the enemies are surprised. If the playing party is surprised, it also means the teleporter would be able to still act in that round where their teammates could not. The Barbarian has a similar level 7 ability that I took inspiration from too!
My decision for advantage and proficiency was due to this being a very defence-heavy subclass, and since Sorcerer's are already glass cannons by trade their low health needs protecting as much as possible. Plus sorcerers do not get evasion of any sorts, so regardless they'll still be taking damage, just hopefully less so!
I hope this clears up the phrasing and choices for this subclass!
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Posted Aug 16, 2018As there is no "surprise round" in 5e, I feel the Constant Displacement feature should be rephrased. Example: "Additionally, if you teleport and then target a creature with an attack on your first turn in combat, that creature can't move and is incapacitated until the end of its next turn even if it was not surprised."
I also think advantage *and* proficiency on Dexterity saving throws is a bit much. Should probably be one or the other.
I like the flavor of the subclass.