A technical question about Divine Soul Sorcerers

[Warpiglet]

The rules state that Divine Soul sorcerers can learn cleric spells and cantrips when they get a new spell or replace one of the sorcerer's spells.

My question: does this mean you cannot select a cleric spell at first level aside from your affinity spell (e.g. evil, good, law, chaos)?

Thanks for any insight!

 

[mikebr99]

The affinity spell is free and doesn't count in the 2 spells you know at 1st level. These 2 spells you know can be cleric or sorcerer spells.

Mike

 

[Warpiglet]

The affinity spell is free and doesn't count in the 2 spells you know at 1st level. These 2 spells you know can be cleric or sorcerer spells.

Mike

Mike: thanks for the quick response. However, I am hung up on the term "learn." In all contexts I have seen this used, it referred to spells beyond those "known" at first level...

EDIT:

I reread the section on spells known and see what you mean. Thanks!

 

[mikebr99]

If you worship a lawful good deity, you can choose either cure wounds or bless as your affinity spell. You still choose 2 more 1st level spells for your known list at 1st level.. and these two can be chosen from the cleric or sorcerer lists.

 

[MechaTarrasque]

I figure it is the same way that sorcerers "learn" how to cast other spells: they get an irresistible urge to fling bat droppings and yell "Fuego" at someone......only in this case, they get the irresistible urge to lay hands on someone and say "the power of Christ compels you."

Otherwise, it wouldn't just be the 1st level spells that would have to be "learned", it would be all of them. And as far as I can tell, "learning" can only be done by studying with clerics or studying clerical scrolls (or being a bard), all of which sound like other classes.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

"Learn" in this context is a synonym for "acquire".

 

[jaelis]

The rules state that Divine Soul sorcerers can learn cleric spells and cantrips when they get a new spell or replace one of the sorcerer's spells.

My question: does this mean you cannot select a cleric spell at first level aside from your affinity spell (e.g. evil, good, law, chaos)?

Thanks for any insight!

I don't think the rules resolve this. Clearly your character "learns" those first two spells at some point. Like, when their sorcerous powers first reveal themselves. The question is, are you a divine soul at that point, or just a generic proto-sorcerer? If generic, then you would be limited to the regular sorc spell list. I would say you were a divine soul from the start, but I'd say that in general it is a DM call.

 

[Ancalagon]

The rules state that Divine Soul sorcerers can learn cleric spells and cantrips when they get a new spell or replace one of the sorcerer's spells.

My question: does this mean you cannot select a cleric spell at first level aside from your affinity spell (e.g. evil, good, law, chaos)?

Thanks for any insight!

That would seem to be a strict interpretation of the rule... but it's only at level 1, so you'll be able to replace all that soon enough anyway, I wouldn't worry about it.

Edit: Also, I hadn't realized they gained access to an *entire spell list*.... that's... huge. I'm going to have to think about this, there could be some crazy consequences.

 

[Harzel]

The rules state that Divine Soul sorcerers can learn cleric spells and cantrips when they get a new spell or replace one of the sorcerer's spells.

My question: does this mean you cannot select a cleric spell at first level aside from your affinity spell (e.g. evil, good, law, chaos)?

Thanks for any insight!

One could certainly make a case for that restriction based on the wording, but why would you want to bother doing so? It would be a small, nearly meaningless exception to the Divine Soul's ability to access the cleric spell list. The rules give no rationale for it and it won't improve the game. It would just be a bizarre, niggling annoyance.

I suppose if you were preparing to play a Divine Soul in an AL or con game, you might want to go in forearmed with the knowledge that you might run into a DM who is trying to signal virtue by hewing to (what they perceive as) a subtle letter of the RAW law. In that sense, it's probably worth noting that the interpretation is possible.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I don't think the rules resolve this. Clearly your character "learns" those first two spells at some point. Like, when their sorcerous powers first reveal themselves. The question is, are you a divine soul at that point, or just a generic proto-sorcerer? If generic, then you would be limited to the regular sorc spell list. I would say you were a divine soul from the start, but I'd say that in general it is a DM call.

Sorcerers are the D&D equivalent of X-men. They are born divine/draconic/wild /stormy/shadowy and as they mature learn to control their powers by channelling them into spells.