This Sorcerous Origin is inspired by a game I played long ago. It was system-less and very imaginative. One of the characters there (and another one that I played) was a Surge Sorceress. The idea was that while they could produce very powerful magical effects, they had very little control over them. I liked it very much and so I decided to adapt the idea to the 5th edition ruleset.
I have no way to contact the people I played with so, if you’re reading this, contact me and I will add your credit where it is due. And besides, thank you for the wonderful game and great ideas.
As a young child you were exposed to a font of great and powerful magic. You either touched a Pool of Radiance, drank an experimental potion, were present at a portal to Pandemonium or at a Wish spell casting gone wrong. What ever happened has exposed your body and your soul to volumes of magic not even many experienced magic users experience and as such, you have been imbued, early in life, with an innate ability to channel powerful magic, but, very often, in a way you can’t fully control.
The surge of powerful magic is raging deep inside you, always threatening to burst. At your option, you can pick from or roll on the Surge Sorcerer Quirks table to create a quirk for your character.
Surge Sorcerer Quirks
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d6
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Quirk
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1
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You create an almost constant static field. Every once in a while, someone who touches you get lightly electrocuted.
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2
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You exude constant heat, hotter than everyone else except fire-aligned beings. You stand out to heat vision.
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3
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Your blood is magically charged. When you are cut, it glows and shimmers with your visible magical effects.
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4
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Small magical effects sometimes happen around you. Windows and doors open by themselves, torches light or campfires flicker, your walking sounds different, things stick to you just by touching, birds sing in unison, etc…
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5
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You are of particular interest to animals and, even more, to feys, celestials and fiends.
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6
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Almost your entire body is covered in tattoos of intricate magical runes and symbols designed to help you control your magic.
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Surge Magic
Starting when you choose this origin at 1st level, your spellcasting is so powerful, it is easy for you to sacrifice control for power. When you cast a spell, you can choose to increase its effect in exchange for releasing some control over it. If you choose to do so, one, and only one, of the following modifications will occur. Your choice is subject to GM’s approval.
- If the spell is a Spell Attack with damage, you attack with Disadvantage and the damage dice are considered to have rolled their maximum result.
- If the spell requires a Saving Throw against damage, the save is made with Advantage and the damage dice are considered to have rolled their maximum result.
- If the spell creates an effect with a duration and involves dice, the duration is halved and the dice are considered to have rolled their maximum result.
- If the spell creates an effect with a duration and involves a save, the duration is halved and the save is made with Disadvantage.
- If the spell is a buff, the duration is halved and the effect is doubled.
- If the spell requires a Saving Throw against a numbered effect, the number is halved and the save is made with Disadvantage.
If no effect is applicable to the spell being cast, this feature can not be used with it. You can not cast a spell that require concentration in this way.
Body Capacitance
The powerful magic is a part of you, it’s bonded to you and it can draw upon you. Starting at 1st level, as an action, you may gain Sorcery Points at the expense of Hit Points. You may regain as many Sorcery Points as you want. You may not have more Sorcery Points than your maximum Sorcery Points for that level. For each Sorcery Point regained in this way, your current Hit Points and your Hit Points Maximum is decreased by 2.
After you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a Long Rest. Your Hit Points Maximum is restored to its original value after you finish a Long Rest.
Controlled Burst
Starting at 6th level, you can choose to release a controlled burst into a spell you’re casting. You unleash the surge of magic in a controlled fashion. When you cast a spell…
- If the spell target is one target, you may spend 1 Sorcery Point for every 3 levels of a spell (1 point for levels 1-3, 2 points for levels 4-6, and 3 points for levels 7-9) to make it arc to another target of your choice that is up to 5 feet times half your sorcerer level away.
- If the spell target is a line, you may spend 2 Sorcery Points for every 3 levels of a spell to create two more lines, each on either side of the targeting line you chose.
- If the spell target is a cone, you may spend 3 Sorcery Points for every 3 levels of a spell to make the cone twice as long.
- If the spell target is a sphere or cube, you may spend 4 Sorcery Points for every level of a spell to make it twice as big.
- If the spell target is a cylinder, you may spend 4 Sorcery Points for every level of a spell to make it twice as wide.
Directed Surge
At 14th level, you’ve practiced it enough that you are able to, sometimes, control your magic surges.
When you use your Surge Magic feature while casting a spell, you may either cast a spell requiring concentration in this way or ignore the downside of the effect.
You may use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + you Charisma modifier (minimum 1). You regain expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.
Massive Surge
Beginning at 18th level, you have gained superiour control over your magic so that you feel comfortable in even intensifying it, pushing inwards and outwards with even more power.
You may now spend Sorcery Points to upcast your spells. When you cast a spell, every 2 Sorcery Points you spend counts as if the spell was cast at one level higher.
You can not use this feature if you have no unused Spell Slots remaining.
Base Class: Sorcerer
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Posted May 31, 2019Thank you for checking out my Homebrew race. I really hope you like it and consider using it in a future game.
Please feel free to leave a comment. I promise I will read and address every one.
And if you wish to support me and future design endeavours, please check out my Patreon.