Arcane Power Excerpt: Cosmic Magic

AllisterH · Mar 30, 2009

A source that is "From beyond the stars" is distinctly different than one that "ebbs with the phases of the stars".

They're two distinct sources IMO. The latter being more for astrologist while the former harkens to insane madmen....

Piratecat · Mar 30, 2009

UngeheuerLich said:
He doesn´t seem to do serious striker damage...

More than you'd think. Remember, he gets his strength (!) damage added onto every one of those powers, and sometimes gets it twice. That adds up quickly if he has a +3 or higher strength bonus and affects multiple enemies.

chaotix42 · Mar 30, 2009

With just the powers revealed, the Cosmic sorcerer seems to do respectable damage while inflicting decent control - kind of like a warlock. Just look at Sun and Stars: 2d6+Cha+Str+3d6+Cha+Str. Add on your enhancement bonus and other static damage increases for both attack rolls and you've got a decent attack IMO. The lvl 13 encounter powers aren't too shabby either. The lvl 1 powers have low damage, but two of them target Will so I won't complain!

That halo thing that the dragonborn is wearing is sweet, too. Probably won't be a new implement, but it's cool!

UngeheuerLich · Mar 30, 2009

Piratecat said:
More than you'd think. Remember, he gets his strength (!) damage added onto every one of those powers, and sometimes gets it twice. That adds up quickly if he has a +3 or higher strength bonus and affects multiple enemies.

no, didn´t forget that... i even think, that his striker damage makes him even more "controlerish" because his at-will will be doing much more damage than scourching burst (d4 + cha + str is usually more than d6 + int...) and to add insult to injury it creates a damaging zone which autokills minions that survived the attack, when they try to move out of harms way...

ok this was his only area spell and all others are single target ok-range spells with controlerish side effects, but with recent design (probably not 100% like the design when the wizard class was created) at wills should let you fullfill you role...
and this at-will is clearly a controler spell... d4 + cha + str can´t compare to twinstrike or even sly flourish without sneak attack...

just to add: this is in no way a rant or something... i don´t have any problems with that at will... i can accept sorcerers beeing controller/striker hybrids

only the strength part seems strange... even more than the bard con part, but this could allow for some funny builds...^^

Plane Sailing · Mar 30, 2009

I like the sound of the cosmic and the storm sorcerers. Both good themes.

It seems like they are equating damage types
Sun = radiant
Moon = cold
Stars = psychic

which would be neat (although I would have preferred to see Moon doing psychic damage, what with the traditional association with lunacy, and Stars doing cold damage with the traditional cold between the stars).

Nice start at a very differently themed sorcerer though

Rechan · Mar 30, 2009

I don't see a lot of fluff overlapping.

The Cosmic Sorcerer: The Astral Sea itself (or at least, the celestial bodies within the Sea).
The Starpact Warlock: The entities that Swim in the Astral Sea (so to speak).

The Sorcerer's Yin to the Warlock's Yang. The two could even be at odds with one another, since the Things Between the Stars are looking to corrupt the very Astral Bodies that the Sorcerers draw their power from.

hamishspence · Mar 30, 2009

I can just imagine sorcerer player and DM interaction.

Innkeeper: This is your room.
Sorcerer: Isn't it a bit small?
Innkeeper: You know what they say: "Phenomenal cosmic powers: itty-bitty living space."

Sir Brennen · Mar 30, 2009

Rechan said:
The Sorcerer's Yin to the Warlock's Yang. The two could even be at odds with one another, since the Things Between the Stars are looking to corrupt the very Astral Bodies that the Sorcerers draw their power from.

If one were to follow the Cthulhu-esque flavor even more:

In ancient times, an order of arcane astrologers used their understanding of the complex patterns and relations of the celestial bodies to tap into the cosmic power, in an effort to lock out powerful entities from beyond the stars bent on reshaping the world in their terrible image. The ritual they performed imbued several special individuals with the natural ability to tap into the cosmic energy, and their very fates were woven into the pattern of the heavens which kept the creatures from Outside at bay. From their decedents new cosmic sorcerers would be born when the cosmos had need of them, though over time many from those bloodlines lost knowledge of their ancestry.

The original order earned the enmity of those beings, who over time learned to contact and grant great magics to other mortals, hoping they would act as their agents in defeating the cosmic sorcerers, whose very existence serves to keep the doorways to Outside sealed.

So now cabals of warlocks and cults lead by clerics of the Things battle with those that have inherited the powers granted by that long ago ritual.

RyvenCedrylle · Mar 31, 2009

I still feel that in both flavor and mechanics, this Cosmic Sorcerer is stepping on some toes. I suppose the primary fluff difference could also be described in terms of proximity. The Cosmic Sorcerer is dealing with the Sun and Moon - stuff nearby relatively speaking - whereas the Warlock is toying with entities really far away. To this end, I might reskin all the Cosmic Sorcerer's flavor text to meteors or comets or something to retain the different feel.

I also almost wonder if the devs picked up the concept of tropical vs. sidereal zodiacs for this one. The tropical zodiac puts 0° Aries on the position of the Sun at the vernal equinox regardless of the constellation's actual position - it's time based and feels like the Sorcerer's phases. The sidereal zodiac is the actual 'what does it look like up in the sky' zodiac and is space-oriented, like the far-off and foreign sounding star names mentioned in Dragon #366 in the Warlock 'Class Acts'. Just a thought.

Mechanically.. are we sure this is a striker? I mean, alright it's only a half-dozen powers so far.. but really? Cages? Maybe its secondary role is controller and that's what we're seeing now.