It is not a sorcerer, it's a completely new class

[Lwaxy]

Let me first say that, in most of my games, mage/wizard/sorcerer is basically the same. The normal public calls them either, not knowing or caring about the small differences. Sorcerers are bloodline based and get respective powers (even before PF introduced that big), mages get spontaneous insights into spells (as in suddenly KNOWING a spell) and wizards get better resource management, even without Vancian.

Now what WotC has come up with for the new "sorcerer" doesn't compute for me. It seems a subclass of sorcerer, or more something new entirely. I've tried to think up a better name for this new class, but am not creative right now, as it seems.

I'd not mind this new class, really. It's an interesting concept. But please don't call it sorcerer. It's just not. This is one of the things that might make a deal breaker for some people I know, and while I know I could just house rule it out - and definitely would as it is against everything I'd want - I'm just not sure if it is worth bothering with when I already have an established system. I rather add new 5e stuff I like to what I already have. And it makes me worry a lot about some of the other classes.

Please wizards, don't mess it up too much. Don't turn classes into totally different, unrecognizable things. A lot of us have established worlds were such things would never fit in, and even the official worlds don't compute for it.

None of the playtesters I want to run the next adventure with wants to be a sorcerer. Actually, one of my "always a sorcerer" players got a little panic attack over this. I have some who might do it if it would get another name that won't annoy them so if someone has suggestions..

 

[Yora]

It's a Dragon Disciple/Psychic Warrior hybrid.

Call it Dragon Warrior or something.

 

[Scribble]

I haven't looked at it myself... What makes it so "not a sorcerer" in your opinion?

 

[Yora]

Greatsword and full plate armor.

 

[DogBackward]

Greatsword and full plate armor.

That's not a Sorcerer class feature, that's a Dragon Bloodline class feature. And I think it fits rather well; dragons are great at both melee combat and magic, so why shouldn't the Dragon Bloodline Sorcerer be able to do the same? You don't have your own scales, so you learned to wear armor. You don't have claws and fangs, so you learned to wield weapons. What's wrong with that?

Just wait for a few new bloodlines to come out, I'm sure there will be plenty of "classic" Sorcerer options.

 

[Li Shenron]

Alas the name "Sorcerer" was chosen only to distinguish the class from the Wizard the first time it appeared. And the reason it appeared was not to introduce a character concept but to introduce a variant spellcasting system. The character concept of "inborn magic" was an afterthought, probably to elaborate the class further and give it a flavor of its own.

But IIRC sorcerer and wizard are practically synonyms. If there's a difference, a "sorcerer" is more a negative word, like someone using dark magic or getting help from evil spirits, pretty much like the concept behind the other class named warlock.

Unfortunately after two editions of "sorcerer" simply meaning "spontaneous arcane casters + added fluff of inborn maigc" we're now stuck with it.

As for the version in the 5e playtest, this is clearly one sorcerer option. It remains to see if every sorcerer will have a transformation mechanic similar to this or not. I am afraid that if the mechanics work, then we're going to see all sorcerers being transformers, at which point at least I sincerely hope they don't all transform in fighting machines...

 

[r0gershrubber]

I like the idea of Sorcerer Bloodlines, but there are serious balance issues with the Dragon option in the playtest, as is evident in some session reports. I'm not sure why WotC didn't opt for a more general mage-like Sorcerer for the initial playtest. I'm sure we'll see something like that soon.

While I'm OK with the dragon-sorcerer moving in the direction of the Dragon Disciple, I take issue with it casting in heavy armor from level 1. I don't think casting arcane spells in heavy armor at level 1 has ever been allowed in D&D; that's the sort of thing a character can't do until much later in it's career, and even then the character probably had to work toward that goal.

 

[Greg K]

That's not a Sorcerer class feature, that's a Dragon Bloodline class feature. And I think it fits rather well; dragons are great at both melee combat and magic, so why shouldn't the Dragon Bloodline Sorcerer be able to do the same? You don't have your own scales, so you learned to wear armor. You don't have claws and fangs, so you learned to wield weapons. What's wrong with that?

It is fine for *individual* dragon heritage sorcerers to go that route based on the character's background, making it better handled as a background and/or specialty chosen by a player (or even a separate Arcane Warrior class). It should not be hardwired into the Draconic heritage as it forces a specific concept of Dragon heritage sorcerer that may not fit an individual player's concept or a DM's setting.

 

[slobster]

It is fine for *individual* dragon heritage sorcerers to go that route based on the character's background, making it better handled as a background and/or specialty chosen by a player (or even a separate Arcane Warrior class). It should not be hardwired into the Draconic heritage as it forces a specific concept of Dragon heritage sorcerer that may not fit an individual player's concept or a DM's setting.

What if they made a generic catch-all heritage option, which didn't have any overt manifestations (maybe glowing eyes and cackling static, like someone in another thread mentioned). In the text about where the heritage comes from, they could say something like "in campaigns where sorcerers' magic is not overtly tied to a particular source, or that source is not obvious, select this bloodline and attribute your magical power to whatever cause makes sense . . ."

That way, if you want sorcerers to resemble their 3E incarnation, you just choose that generic background and say that it comes from dragons, with nobody to gainsay you but no overt physical manifestations of that heritage, either.

 

[Scribble]

Where is the download for them? I can't find it on the playtest page...