Sorceror Mechanics

[Dausuul]

In 3E, the sorceror was a wizard with a variant casting mechanic. Instead of preparing spells from a spellbook, you had a limited selection of spells from which you got to choose at time of casting. Aside from a few minor differences (sorcerors got more spells but were a step behind in gaining access to new levels; used Charisma instead of Intelligence; and cast metamagicked spells as full-round actions), sorcerors were "wizards for people who don't like Vancian casting."

In 4E, by contrast, the sorceror was a wholly separate class with its own power list. They tended to be straight-up blasters without the wizard's utility.

Which would you prefer to see in 5E? Should the sorceror be essentially a wizard variant, or should it be a distinct class?

 

[Dausuul]

(My vote is for 3E-style, simply because I love everything about wizards except Vancian casting, which I hate. The sorceror is a great way to let pro-Vancians and anti-Vancians alike enjoy wizarding, without having to make a whole new class for it.)

 

[Hassassin]

Maybe PF style? Sorcerer uses the same spells as Wizard, but different casting mechanics and other class features are different. (Bloodline abilities instead of metamagic/crafting feats.)

I don't really care all that much since I don't play Sorcerer very often - as long as they don't double the number of spells just because they want them to be different.

 

[KidSnide]

I don't really care what the sorcerer is, but there needs to be non-Vancian method of casting wizard spells. Whether that's the sorcerer class or a variant of the wizard doesn't matter.

D&DN needs the ability to play a non-Vancian, Int-based, wizard-like character with wizard spells and a wizard-like story.

There is definitely also design space for a spell caster with intrinsic powers from a magical bloodline, and it's OK for that to be a sorcerer. But that kind of character shouldn't be the only option if you want to play a wizard-like character without Vancian magic.

-KS

 

[CM]

In my perfect world, sorcerers would all have a theme, much like a specialty wizard - perhaps they would be limited to one school. The idea of a sorcerer being able to cast a hodgepodge of different attack and utility spells off the wizard list just isn't terribly inspiring to me.

So I guess I prefer 4e sorcerers then, and the 5e wizard should instead be able to cover both vancian and non-vancian wizard variants.

 

[Lwaxy]

Yeah I'm missing the PF-style option.

 

[Minigiant]

Somewhere in between.

The sorcerer is similar to a wizard. They cast the same spells but use a different system due to different method of learning.

My perfect sorcerer would be a spontaneous Charisma based wizard that cannot use metamagic due to lack of true understanding of magic. In place, they gain special abilities related to their special acquisition of arcane magic such as breath weapons for dragon blooded and glamors for fey descendants.

 

[gyor]

A mix of both, flexible vancian, with unique class features and feats.

 

[gyor]

Ninja'd again

 

[Plane Sailing]

In 3E, the sorceror was a wizard with a variant casting mechanic. Instead of preparing spells from a spellbook, you had a limited selection of spells from which you got to choose at time of casting. Aside from a few minor differences (sorcerors got more spells but were a step behind in gaining access to new levels; used Charisma instead of Intelligence; and cast metamagicked spells as full-round actions), sorcerors were "wizards for people who don't like Vancian casting."

You missed out 'and got vastly more use out of metamagic feats'.

Although the full round casting rule denied them quicken, I've played sorcerers and the ability to use any of your metamagic feats on the fly was astonishingly useful (Oh, I'll just make my Suggestion spell into a Silent Suggestion on this occasion. I'll empower this false life since I think we're getting into a particularly dangerous part of the dungeon).

I prefer the 3e vision to the 4e vision, as I don't like single-purpose blaster sorcerers. I haven't seen Pathfinder, but bringing bloodline to the fore seems like an interesting way of providing more flavour (certainly more than 'schools' do, which I've never, ever liked as a mechanism for dividing up spells).

I can see the convenience of sorcerers using the same list of arcane spells, I'd like to see them as a metamagicing non-vancian caster with distinct bloodline themes.

Cheers