D&D (2024) Sorcerers getting Chaos Bolt automatically

[Yaarel]

I'd really like to see sorcerers have powers based on planar origin. Dragons etc. are Material Origin, Elemental Origin, Outer Planar Origin, Fey, and Shadow, and then sub-options for each subclass there based on the specifics.

This is a great idea, make the Sorcerer a planar mage.

It covers themes that the 5e Sorcerer already includes, and pulls them altoghether in an overall concept that is interesting.

Structurally, maybe organize the class options as something like plane and subplane.

Material: draconic, or giant
Ethereal: fey, shadow, or ether
Elemental: earth, fire, air, water, or elemental chaos
Astral: celestial, fiend, or aster

So for example, the Chaos Sorcerer is specifically an elemental Sorcerer who specifically attunes the plane of Elemental Chaos.

Moreover, the Sorcerer should be able to planeshift back and forth between the current plane and the innately sorcerous plane. There should also be a special affinity between the Sorcerer and the inhabitants of the innate plane.

This connection between the Sorcerer and these otherworldly spirits, like members of the same family, helps make better sense of what the term "sorcerer" means. It is the employment of a spirit to perform a magical effect, especially a harmful one. Here the D&D Sorcerer does the magical effect oneself innately, but to have a special affinity with these other spirits feels correct.

 

[Vael]

Again, the advantage of having a signature spell like Chaos Bolt that all Sorcerers get for free, is it is design space for Sorcerer subclasses to play with. So ...

• Dragon Sorcerers can just make it their chosen element
• Wild Sorcerers can trigger a wild surge with it
• Shadow Sorcerers can do Necrotic damage with it
• Aberrant can always choose Psychic damage with it
• Astral Sorcerers can get Radiant Damage.
• Et cetera, et cetera ...

 

[OB1]

Again, the advantage of having a signature spell like Chaos Bolt that all Sorcerers get for free, is it is design space for Sorcerer subclasses to play with. So ...

• Dragon Sorcerers can just make it their chosen element
• Wild Sorcerers can trigger a wild surge with it
• Shadow Sorcerers can do Necrotic damage with it
• Aberrant can always choose Psychic damage with it
• Astral Sorcerers can get Radiant Damage.
• Et cetera, et cetera ...

Think this is spot on. I also wouldn't mind Chaos Bolt as a class feature replacing cantrips for Sorcerers until they get their subclass at 3.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

Again, the advantage of having a signature spell like Chaos Bolt that all Sorcerers get for free, is it is design space for Sorcerer subclasses to play with. So ...

• Dragon Sorcerers can just make it their chosen element
• Wild Sorcerers can trigger a wild surge with it
• Shadow Sorcerers can do Necrotic damage with it
• Aberrant can always choose Psychic damage with it
• Astral Sorcerers can get Radiant Damage.
• Et cetera, et cetera ...

Hopefully something like that happens. That way you can play on theme with it, rather than having Elsa the ice sorcerer accidently setting a building on fire.

 

[Clint_L]

The fundamental problem is that Wizard should really be a Sorcerer sub-class, with wizards being the sorcerers who get their magic from books and and being scholarly and whose big thing is their ability to change their spells to any in those books. Strong subclasses like the necromancer really work best as sorcerers with their limited range of magic and their metamagic than they do with their focus on an incredibly narrow range of spells.

I mean...whatever? You're making the same point. It doesn't really matter which one you place on top, wizard or sorcerer (I just went with wizard as it has the longer pedigree in D&D), the point is that they both play basically the same in 5e as it actually exists. That's the fundamental issue that we are likely to be stuck with, since OneD&D is not making fundamental design changes.

It is clear that WotC see wizard as the base class, and are trying to add something to flavour sorcerers as distinct from wizards. It's a good idea, IMO, but won't fix the basic problem, which is that they are essentially the same class.

 

[Emberashh]

One would hope that what may well be a core aspect of a class would be more elaborate of a design space than "deal different damage that may be doesn't matter".

 

[Staffan]

Its just taking what WotC is doing to it logical conclusion. They want randomness to be a key part of the Sorcerers mechanically identity, so this they keep along that goal, then Wild Surge makes sense too because both are manifestations of the chaos of a wild sorcerer's magic.

Seriously, this is "We can't see the surface of Venus because of clouds, therefore there must be dinosaurs there" levels of extrapolation.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Seriously, this is "We can't see the surface of Venus because of clouds, therefore there must be dinosaurs there" levels of extrapolation.

I don't deny that wild surge might not be there, but it might be. We will say.

 

[Emberashh]

Seriously, this is "We can't see the surface of Venus because of clouds, therefore there must be dinosaurs there" levels of extrapolation.

A more accurate analogy would be that we saw a lake peeking through the clouds on Titan, so we can assume that that isn't the only lake.

 

[tetrasodium]

One would hope that what may well be a core aspect of a class would be more elaborate of a design space than "deal different damage that may be doesn't matter".

It really does have a lot of potential.
Sorcerers all getting chaos bolt allows more than just locking the damage type or reskinning it. The damage for that spell is on a level that is reasonably analogous with greatsword+str & exceeds cantrips till tier 3. It also allows room for growth similar to but different from extra attack in ways that accentuate the half monster bloodline developing rather than just being wizard but better attrib.


Once you look at the math & consider growth potential there is likely very little coincidence behind why so many have speculated that sorc might get it as an at will ability instead of cantrips.