D&D 5E Sorcerous Origin - Black Mage

[ZenBear]

Inspired by the Black Mage/Thaumaturge of FFXIV, Todoroki from MyHeroAca, and the Bright Wizard from Warhammer: Fantasy, I'm working on this concept for a heavily combat-focused Sorcerer that only uses fire and ice spells. I need help deciding on how the base mechanic should operate. FFXIV has a mana management mechanic where Astral Fire stacks boost damage at higher mana cost, and Umbral Ice stacks boost mana regeneration. I'm not sure how best to translate this, but I'm thinking it should play with Sorcery Points or spell slot refunds ala Divination Wizard. Alternately, it could be a temp HP/damage exchange. Drawing inspiration from Todoroki and the Bright Wizard, I had the thought to make the Astral Fire and Umbral Ice each take a different toll on the caster, forcing them to swap between the two types. Any feedback on implementation would be appreciated!

Song of Ice and Fire
At first level, you learn four cantrips: Create Bonfire, Frostbite, Produce Flame, Ray of Frost. These take up your cantrips known.

You can only learn spells that deal cold or fire damage. You can choose spells from any spell list and treat them as Sorcerer spells. If a spell you choose has the option to deal cold or fire damage, you must choose one or the other.

Option 1:
When you cast a spell that deals cold damage, you gain temporary hit points equal to the level of spell you cast.

When you cast a spell that deals fire damage, you take damage equal to the level of the spell you cast.

Option 2:
When you cast a spell that deals cold damage, you gain a number of stacks of Umbral Ice equal to the level of the spell cast. Each stack of Umbral Ice grants 5 temporary HP and reduces your speed by 5 feet (minimum 0). All stacks are lost after 1 minute of the last spell cast, or when you cast a spell that deals fire damage.

When you cast a spell that deals fire damage, you gain number of stacks of Astral Fire equal to the level of the spell cast. Each stack of Astral Fire deals 5 fire damage to you at the start of each turn, and the next time you cast a spell that deals fire damage you deal 5 bonus fire damage per stack of Astral Fire on you. All stacks are lost after 1 minute of the last spell cast, or when you cast a spell that deals cold damage.

Option 3:
When you cast a spell that deals cold damage, you gain a number of stacks of Umbral Ice equal to the level of the spell cast. Each stack of Umbral Ice grants you a Sorcery Point that can be converted to spell slots as a bonus action. All stacks are lost after 1 minute of the last spell cast, or when you cast a spell that deals fire damage.

When you cast a spell that deals fire damage, you gain number of stacks of Astral Fire equal to the level of the spell cast. Each stack of Astral Fire grants you 1d8 extra fire damage on spells you cast that deal fire damage. All stacks are lost after 1 minute of the last spell cast, or when you cast a spell that deals cold damage.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Interesting....

It reminds me of my "Freezer Burn" fatality combo in MK2. I would play Shang-Tsung, defeat my opponent, morph into Sub-Zero, freeze them, then morph into Scropion, and burn them. Boy, the good ol' days...

 

[Hawk Diesel]

The idea of "spell stacks" is an interesting one. It reminds me of some of the abilities in Borderlands, and it is unique enough that it could have some interesting interactions with 5e mechanics.

I might suggest wording the stacks like this:

Umbral Ice Shield
Whenever you cast a spell that deals cold damage, you gain a number of frost stacks equal to 1 + the level of the spell (cantrips count as a 0 level spell). You can hold a total number of stacks equal to your sorcerer level + your charisma modifier. These stacks last until you cast a spell that deals fire damage, and any remaining stacks are lost upon completing a long rest.

When you or an ally you can see within 60 feet would take damage, you can use your reaction to spend your total accumulated frost stacks to create a protective shield of Umbral Ice, granting the target a number of temporary hit points equal to the number of stacks you have accumulated. Any remaining temporary hit points fade after 1 minute.

Soul Fire Burn
Whenever you cast a spell that deals fire damage, you gain a number of flame stacks equal to 1 + the level of the spell (cantrips count as a 0 level spell). You can hold a total number of stacks equal to your sorcerer level + your charisma modifier. These stacks last until you cast a spell that deals cold damage, and any remaining stacks are lost upon completing a long rest.

While you possess flame stacks, you can choose to empower one of your spells that deals fire damage, turning it into a Soul Burning spell. When you cast a spell that deals fire damage, you can expend all your flame stacks as part of that casting. Any creatures affected by your spell take additional fire damage equal to the number of stacks expended. The additional fire damage overcomes fire resistance, but not immunity.