D&D 5E Designer apathy and sunk costs, The reason the sorcerer is doomed to uncanny valley one-trick-ponieness.

[Vael]

Well then why the loss of summons -very flexible-?

I'd be more annoyed at the lack of summoning options for sorcerers if:

1. I wasn't already unhappy with how summoning was implemented in 5e. I don't see summoning as particularly viable. Concentration restrictions, summons turning hostile, some summoning spells don't get better creatures, just board-clogging numbers of chaff ...

2. Sorcerers get Animate Objects, the best, and most fun version of summoning, IMO. You can actually get your Sorcerer's Apprentice on.

 

[Minigiant]

Sorcerer probably do get into the uncanny valley.

They are touched by magic but have the Charisma to hide it so it doesn't affect them.

But I could see a dragon sorcerer with two incisors too many with neck and limbs too thin and skin too smooth and hairless. Like a doll.

And that new shadow sorcerer has to be giving off that zombie feel with the no blinking, cold skin, and lack of chest movement from slow breathing.

---

But on the main issue.
Maybe we need to stop playing sorcerers like wizards. Much how we must stop playing rangers like fighters and monks like fighters.

You go to wizards for versatility.
You go to sorcerers for power.
You go to warlocks for frequency.

Are you playing for the season, the matchup, or the playoffs?

 

[JohnLynch]

Here's a quick homebrew.

Write the word "sorcerer" on your character sheet but actually play a wizard. Replace the word spellbook with "Arcane Secrets". Instead of studying your spellbook each day you meditate on the arcane secrets of the world. Otherwise prepare spells as normal. Use Charisma as your Spellcasting ability score. Lose the ability to learn spells you find but gain the ability to disregard inexpensive material components.

Does this capture everything you want in a sorcerer?

 

[MoonSong]

--

But on the main issue.
Maybe we need to stop playing sorcerers like wizards. Much how we must stop playing rangers like fighters and monks like fighters.

You go to wizards for versatility.
You go to sorcerers for power.
You go to warlocks for frequency.

Are you playing for the season, the matchup, or the playoffs?

So... be a blaster or go home... I get it. (Cause I haven't seen a powerful non blaster sorcerer)

 

[Sacrosanct]

So... be a blaster or go home... I get it. (Cause I haven't seen a powerful non blaster sorcerer)

Then you haven't read this thread or the responses people have given that address this. Or you're just trolling.

Either way, I'm getting a headache now trying to parse your logic, so I'm outtie.

 

[Vael]

It does seem that all three arcanists (setting aside the Bard, who can also blast) have at least a minor in blasting. Direct Damage is better here than it was in 3.5.

But Sorcerers and Wizards that don't want to focus on blasting are quite viable. Pity the Warlock, who sometimes feels like a class wrapped around Eldritch Blast.

Sorcerers can play support by Twinning great buff spells, like Polymorph or Haste. Outside of Divination wizards, they are the best at making Save-or-Dies stick with Heighten Spell or the Wildmage's dice manipulation tricks. Spy Sorcerers have Subtle Spell.

The number of Wizard spells that aren't on the Sorcerer's list that I really miss is quite small. The weirdly specific utility spells, the rituals, are generally not worth a Sorcerer spending a vital spell known in the first place. I really only want Shapechange, because I want my Dragon Sorcerer to gain his final form. And I wish I had Grease, but that's due to nostalgia, my 3.5 Sorcerer had Grease and Sleep as his first two spells known.

 

[Hussar]

So... be a blaster or go home... I get it. (Cause I haven't seen a powerful non blaster sorcerer)

Ok. I've seen this one a few times and it's just not true. Our current 8th level group has a wild Mage with pretty much no blast spells. Illusions, charms and polymorph. I'll stack hypnotic pattern against fireball any day of the week. We polymorphed a beholder into a rabbit, readied actions and smoked the beholder in a single round.

If you can't make an effective sorcerer without going blaster, that's on you.

 

[gyor]

Uncanny valley:

"This sorceress has a force of personality around her, she looks almost human, if not for the scales and the claws "

Or the wild mage, with no hair, red color and feathers?

Shadow sorcerer, looks like a cadaver, or doesn't blink, or is pale....

Basically each new bloodline finds new ways to make sorcerers look like freaks (Except perhaps favored soul).

Now, I know that wanting to do the same things a wizard can without being a wizard sounds like wanting your cake and eating it too -though you can't eat cake if you don't have it first and if you have it but can't eat it is as good as not having it-. But it isn't that weird, there are plenty of examples from real life where it is possible -they are just offlimits by policy-. So lets imagine:

We have a society of cats and dogs, dogs have lots of rights, access to work, education, wealth and everything, while cats are second class citizens -if they could just vote-. A cat rises to demand for equality and it is told: "Oh but you can have all this and be our equal; you just have to stop being a cat." , "But I'm a cat, not a dog, I shouldn't need to be a dog to have equality", "Well sucking is part of being a cat if you are a cat you cannot have all this, period."...

I want sorcerers to be equal to wizards, not identical. Sorcerer identity isn't tied to capabilities, but to the story and unique traits -traits, using cha to cast is a trait, being able to create demiplanes is a capability-. Otherwise there would be no point to my point.

You mean having giant feathered or bat wings is odd for most races, and honestly I see no reason a Favoured Soul might not display a sign of thier God on thier person.

Wild Sorceror are good at save or die as well as creating all purpose chaos.

Dragon Sorcerors aren't just blasters, they're aerial support, blasting from the skys.

Storm Sorcerors are the gishes, Booming Blade and Lightening Lure are almost must have spells for the Storm Sorceror. Of course later on they too can rain ruin from above.

Shadow Sorcerors are natural illusionists and tricksters, teleporting between shadows up to 120 feet as a bonus action, creating hounds out of shadow that keep enemies knocked down. They can summon darkness at the cost of 1 sorcery point and see thru it. Honestly its the caster verison of the Way of Shadows Monk.

The Favoured Soul, likely to be changed like they did the Storm sorceror, but at least its likely to retain its wings, uniqueness depending on deity, divine instead of arcane focus, and possibly martial prowess, and some sort of healing. None of that say blaster.

Actually I suspect that the next verison of the Favoured Soul will look alot like the Shadow Sorceror, instead of a spell list, the ability to use sorcery points to do magical spell like abilities.

Instead of Darkvision, the armour and weapon prof, instead of being able to summon darkness that you can see thru, the ability to channel divinity with a sorcery point, and/or cure wounds (or both), instead of being able to summon a hound of ill omen, you summon a spiritual weapon/creature with sorcery points, wings instead of teleporting, and instead of becoming incorpreal, the favoured soul might become an minor Avatar of the God by spending 3 sorcery points for a minute.

 

[MoonSong]

Ok. I've seen this one a few times and it's just not true. Our current 8th level group has a wild Mage with pretty much no blast spells. Illusions, charms and polymorph. I'll stack hypnotic pattern against fireball any day of the week. We polymorphed a beholder into a rabbit, readied actions and smoked the beholder in a single round.

If you can't make an effective sorcerer without going blaster, that's on you.

I shouldn't have to optimize to be effective. I really don't understand how to do that, and I never needed it before with a sorcerer. And if you need to optimize to be effective, maybe the class is underpowered?

You mean having giant feathered or bat wings is odd for most races, and honestly I see no reason a Favoured Soul might not display a sign of thier God on thier person.

Wild Sorceror are good at save or die as well as creating all purpose chaos.

Dragon Sorcerors aren't just blasters, they're aerial support, blasting from the skys.

Storm Sorcerors are the gishes, Booming Blade and Lightening Lure are almost must have spells for the Storm Sorceror. Of course later on they too can rain ruin from above.

Shadow Sorcerors are natural illusionists and tricksters, teleporting between shadows up to 120 feet as a bonus action, creating hounds out of shadow that keep enemies knocked down. They can summon darkness at the cost of 1 sorcery point and see thru it. Honestly its the caster verison of the Way of Shadows Monk.

The Favoured Soul, likely to be changed like they did the Storm sorceror, but at least its likely to retain its wings, uniqueness depending on deity, divine instead of arcane focus, and possibly martial prowess, and some sort of healing. None of that say blaster.

Actually I suspect that the next verison of the Favoured Soul will look alot like the Shadow Sorceror, instead of a spell list, the ability to use sorcery points to do magical spell like abilities.

Instead of Darkvision, the armour and weapon prof, instead of being able to summon darkness that you can see thru, the ability to channel divinity with a sorcery point, and/or cure wounds (or both), instead of being able to summon a hound of ill omen, you summon a spiritual weapon/creature with sorcery points, wings instead of teleporting, and instead of becoming incorpreal, the favoured soul might become an minor Avatar of the God by spending 3 sorcery points for a minute.

I really hope that is not the case, favored soul gives sorcerers lot of variety with a single subclass, and is very easy to use. (And I said -except perhaps-)

 

[Hathorym]

I shouldn't have to optimize to be effective. I really don't understand how to do that, and I never needed it before with a sorcerer. And if you need to optimize to be effective, maybe the class is underpowered?

He said nothing about optimizing! You just don't really want any help. That's the only thing I can come up with now.
Good luck with your sorcerer.