D&D 5E Witherbloom Student + Divine Soul or Clockwork Soul?

[Fun Elemental!]

The Witherbloom Student background and Divine soul both must happen at 1st level. Both give Cure Wounds at 1st level, divine soul lets you replace Cure Wounds with another cleric spell when you gain a level. Does rolling a character and giving it the first level of a class count as gaining a level in that class?

Also, Witherbloom Student says it gives the listed spells. So a level 1 Clockwork Soul has Lesser Restoration on their spell list. Clockwork Soul gives Lesser Restoration to the sorcerer at 3rd level. Since the Lesser Restoration was gained from Witherbloom Student and not from Clockwork Soul, the sorcerer would only be able to replace Lesser Restoration with a spell from the sorcerer list and not the abjuration/transmutation sorcerer/wizard/warlock list? Also, if the clockwork soul waits until after level 3 to replace Lesser Restoration, would they replace it with any spell off the general sorcerer list, or off the abjuration/transmutation sorcerer/wizard/warlock list? Since it was gained from Witherbloom Student and not from Clockwork Soul.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The Witherbloom Student background and Divine soul both must happen at 1st level. Both give Cure Wounds at 1st level, divine soul lets you replace Cure Wounds with another cleric spell when you gain a level. Does rolling a character and giving it the first level of a class count as gaining a level in that class?

No, you cannot swap anything until level 2. But you have misunderstood how the subclass works, the only spells the divine soul sorcerer can swap on level up are the ones they picked up using their "sorcerer spells known" slots. Which for a divine soul can be from either the sorcerer or cleric spell lists.

You can never swap the spells you know from your feats*, background, lineage, or the bonus spell the divine soul gets at level 1. Getting the same spell from multiple sources is not an advantage. Although the divine soul has other options apart from cure wounds.

Also, Witherbloom Student says it gives the listed spells. So a level 1 Clockwork Soul has Lesser Restoration on their spell list. Clockwork Soul gives Lesser Restoration to the sorcerer at 3rd level. Since the Lesser Restoration was gained from Witherbloom Student and not from Clockwork Soul, the sorcerer would only be able to replace Lesser Restoration with a spell from the sorcerer list and not the abjuration/transmutation sorcerer/wizard/warlock list? Also, if the clockwork soul waits until after level 3 to replace Lesser Restoration, would they replace it with any spell off the general sorcerer list, or off the abjuration/transmutation sorcerer/wizard/warlock list? Since it was gained from Witherbloom Student and not from Clockwork Soul.

At level 4 or above the Clockwork Soul can swap the Lesser Restoration they know from their subclass with any abjuration or transformation spell spell from either the sorcerer, warlock or wizard spell list. They can never swap the Lesser Restoration they learned from Witherbloom.


*a few exceptions are noted in the feat description.