D&D (2024) Sorcerers getting Chaos Bolt automatically

[Henadic Theologian]

At a certain point it makes more sense to make a new spell entirely.

Agree actually, I think they wanted to go with aspell they felt was iconic to the class, but 4e had other Sorcerer At-Will spells that could be better at providing the base then Chaos Bolt or as you said it might be better to create a whole knew one, like Soul Bolt or something.

 

[Incenjucar]

Wild Magic unlike Dragonblooded, Divine Soul, Shadow Magic, Storm Magic, Psionic Soul, and Clockwork Soul felt less connected to ancestory type thing, and more a type of magic with a long history in D&D. So I think they are trying to play it up as Sorcerer magic is innately, but some how connected to that, unstable inheriantly, but its origin is still ancestory based, its just now the nature of sorcerers that they are unstable no matter what their ancestory.

Perhaps, but they should really not be doing zero sum design where one version replaces, rather than exists beside, previous versions, as that essentially invalidates previous concepts and design space.

You don't give wizards a giant sized version of Flaming Sphere and replace Fireball with it.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

Surprised about the amount of people wanting all sorcerers to get wild surges. If that happens it guarantees I never play a sorcerer again. Which is a shame when they're thematically my favourite class.

Hard to build a serious elemental fire themed sorcerer when you keep accidently rolling ice damage and turning into a potted plant.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Surprised about the amount of people wanting all sorcerers to get wild surges. If that happens it guarantees I never play a sorcerer again. Which is a shame when they're thematically my favourite class.

I think the problem is that it's the class a lot of people never play. WotC is trying to change that, which is likely bad news for current fans of the class.

Hard to build a serious elemental fire themed sorcerer when you keep accidently rolling ice damage and turning into a potted plant.

I would definitely tell them this.

I think the random magical effects in Dungeon Crawl Classics are probably more appropriate than the current wild magic surges. Your fireball should be randomly surging from shooting off fireworks to destroying everything within a mile's radius, not spraying the battlefield with butterflies.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

I think the problem is that it's the class a lot of people never play. WotC is trying to change that, which is likely bad news for current fans of the class.

I would definitely tell them this.

I think the random magical effects in Dungeon Crawl Classics are probably more appropriate than the current wild magic surges. Your fireball should be randomly surging from shooting off fireworks to destroying everything within a mile's radius, not spraying the battlefield with butterflies.

Honestly I agree that the sorcerer needed changing. I was one of the few people who preferred the 5e playtest implementation, and hated the final 5e implementation.

 

[Incenjucar]

Adding wild magic as an optional mechanic that can be applied to sorcerers as a freebie choice would be neat. Keep it so that the benefit/penalty options are equally likely and you can indulge in wacky nonsense without it binding anything else.

 

[TwoSix]

Surprised about the amount of people wanting all sorcerers to get wild surges. If that happens it guarantees I never play a sorcerer again. Which is a shame when they're thematically my favourite class.

Hard to build a serious elemental fire themed sorcerer when you keep accidently rolling ice damage and turning into a potted plant.

I like the current sorcerer just fine, but they were never the right mechanical chassis to play a "specific theme" caster, despite the intention.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I like the current sorcerer just fine, but they were never the right mechanical chassis to play a "specific theme" caster, despite the intention.

They gave too much of the 3E sorcerer to the 5E wizard. As upsetting as it might have been at the time, maybe sorcerers should have just been a wizard subclass with "innate" magic rather than spellbooks, more spells per day but fewer known spells and access to metamagic.

(Then they would have had room for the warlord in the PHB!)

 

[Zaukrie]

IMO, sorcerer is too similar to Wizard/Mage.....and needs to be more different. But maybe that's just me....

 

[Zaukrie]

They gave too much of the 3E sorcerer to the 5E wizard. As upsetting as it might have been at the time, maybe sorcerers should have just been a wizard subclass with "innate" magic rather than spellbooks, more spells per day but fewer known spells and access to metamagic.

(Then they would have had room for the warlord in the PHB!)

Agreed. 100% agreed. Right now they are too similar.