D&D 5E (2014) Suggest a House Rule for flexible Sorcerer spells known

[jasper]

Jasper stabs 5eyhu in the back for being Ninija on House rule 2. Jasper says any caster can cast from any list.
Jasper no longer wonders why he writes in third person.

 

[Hawk Diesel]

Hmmm. Maybe make use of the Wild Magic table. Allow a Sorcerer to replace a spell between levels, but the new spell gets Wild Magic results for a couple days.

I'm not sure I would like this idea, at least at my table. The wild magic surge is distinctly for Wild Magic Sorcerers, so I would keep that unique to them. If you went that route, I would suggest devising a system for spell failure where if you fail at best nothing happens and at worse there is a damaging backfire based on how hard you fail.

 

[ClaytonCross]

I think a simple solution is to take the sorcerers points that make sorcerer unique and allow them to applied in another way as part of font of magic at level 2.

"When ever you cast a spell you may use spell points equal to twice the base spell level used to cast an unknown spell from the sorcerers spell list. You may cast this spell using higher spell slot but the cost of casting will remain sorcerer points twice the base spell level not the adjusted spell level. Known spell continue to be cast without the requirement to use spell points."

Just my opinion. It might be a bit wordy but you then do spell sheets like clerics listing all spells and marking known as sorcerer point free. This actually makes sorcerers the most flexible spell casters in the game second to wizards despite there much smaller spell list.

 

[FrogReaver]

For a sorcerer I'd add it in as a free metamagic option. Make it take sorcery points equal to spell level but allow you to cast any spell on his list that way.

 

[Fanaelialae]

I have two ways that sorcerers can gain a bit of flexibility in their spellcasting.

The first stems from the idea that a sorcerer's power is in their blood. As such, a sorcerer can drink a specially prepared mixture made from the heart-blood of a powerful magical creature. This grants them a new spell known (based on the type of creature). The results can be a bit unpredictable however.

The other is that I added a spell to the sorcerer spell list. Wild mages get this spell as a bonus spell known.

Reckless Dweomer
1st level conjuration
Sorcerer

You attempt to harness raw magic and shape it to a desired end.

Casting Time: as chosen spell (see below)
Range: as chosen spell (see below)
Components: as chosen spell (see below)
Duration: as chosen spell (see below)

Choose any cantrip or 1st level spell.

You must succeed on a spellcasting ability check with a DC equal to 15 + the level of the spell you chose. If the spell is not on your the list of spells for your class, this check is made with disadvantage.

On a successful check, you successfully cast the spell. If you fail the check by less than 5, you successfully cast the spell but also trigger a wild magic surge. If you fail the check by 5 or more (or roll a natural 1), you fail to cast the spell and also trigger a wild magic surge.

At Higher Levels. You may choose a spell of a level equal to the spell slot expended or lower. For example, if you use a 3rd-level spell slot, you may choose any 3rd, 2nd, or 1st-level spell, or a cantrip.

 

[Blue]

Here is my suggestion.

The sorcerer can cast any spell off the sorcerer list. However, the sorcerer has 45 second wall clock time to complete their turn, otherwise the spell fails. Bonus action spells have 30 seconds, reaction spells 15 seconds.

This gives enormous flexibility to the sorcerer, while not reintroducing the main problem that spells known prevents.

Oh, and the sorcerer needs to give up something for the increase in power due to the extra flexibility. This is not a joke. Seriously, casters are already at absolute worst at par with non-casters - if you give something more to casters, you must take something away from them as well otherwise they will dominate non-casters, especially at higher levels.

 

[Quickleaf]

I admit this is a matter of personal taste, but I HATE the very concept of limited spells known. Detest it, and detest classes that are built that way. Every class has a big, beautiful spell list (some more than others, but that's neither here nor there), and a player of a limited-spells-known class will never get to use most of them. It's a waste. It also limits my (as a DM) flexibility, because I can't count on the characters having access to any particular magic when I make my adventures.

So.

I have made house rules that allow for some flexibility in the classes that don't have it per the PHB. Bards have a "song book" that mostly works like a Wizard spellbook (except it's written in a idiosyncratic musical notation, get it?), and they prepare spells with daily music practice. Warlocks can "borrow" 2-3 spells (in addition to their regular Spells Known) from their patron at the end of a long rest, and can cast them using a regular spell slot or Mystic Arcanum slot.

But what about Sorcerers? I'm struggling to think of a house rule that would allow for some flexibility while being consistent with the classes' concept of a natural, intuitive spellcaster. Any ideas? Has anyone implemented a similar rule?

(Please no replies of "Don't do this" or "That isn't what the Sorcerer is". I don't care. I'd rather just nix the class entirely than have a class with limited spells known. Solutions only, please. Thanks.)

I'll preface by saying I have a different philosophy on sorcerers. That said...

They're intuitive, right? Making this up as they go along without any theory or study? So how about they can replicate any spell if they've seen it or heard about it, but there's a risk? I'm envisioning something like a % chance of "unfortunate or potentially dangerous consequence" borrowing the familiarity table of the teleport spell.

---

Familiarity

"Permanent circle" or "associated object" would be knowing the spell or having a scroll of it. Cast as normal.

"Very familiar" would be sorcerer spells that match the PC's overall theme/sub-class or spells cast regularly by fellow PCs.

"Seen casually" would be spells cast by NPCs in town or recurring spellcasting monsters.

"Viewed once" would be a spell the sorcerer just witnessed being cast.

"Description" would be a spell the sorcerer heard described by another NPC or in a book.

"False spell" would be the player trying to make something up on the spot, knowing full well their PC doesn't know anything about the spell, or other corner case scenarios. Could include spells not on the sorcerer spell list too, depending on how much access to other spell lists you want to give sorcerers.

---

So you'd have "mishap" as in the spell backfires or the DM makes up something suitably nasty. Think of this as the DM answering "no, and..."

"Similar spell" would mean the sorcerer accidentally casts a similarly leveled spell from the same school instead. Think of this as the DM answering "no, but..."

"Off effect" would mean the sorcerer casts the right spell but there's a twist or complication to its effect. For example, a lightning bolt emitting a crack of thunder alerting all monsters within a mile. Think of this as the DM answering "yes, but..."

"On effect" would mean the sorcerer casts the right spell as desired.

 

[Li Shenron]

I am tempted to say something that no one would dare...

...if you allowed a Sorcerer to completely change her list of known spells at the end of a long rest, you still end up with a Sorcerer that isn't more powerful than a Wizard.

 

[Kinematics]

I'd just go with adding a list of bonus spells for the sorcerer, with 1 or 2 (probably 2) spells at each of 1/3/5/7/9. The key though is that the spells chosen have to fit tightly with the sorcerer's main theme (almost certainly tied to the sorcerer's origin). This may involve digging through third party resources, or crafting your own spells, because god knows the default spell lists are horribly anemic for themes other than "fire".

The main thing, though, is that sorcerer doesn't need a lot of spells (in terms of percentage of all spells available), but that they should really be full masters of their intrinsic magic. A storm sorcerer shouldn't be just the 2 or 3 best/most useful lightning spells, and then everything else be the standard run of random magic that has nothing to do with storms or lightning/thunder whatsoever. He should know every possible way to twist a lightning bolt, or deafen you with a clap of thunder.

That's different than the types of focuses that wizards have, which are entire schools of magic.

Anyway, you'll probably struggle to find 10 spells that fit the sorcerer's theme, so the remaining spells known can be a secondary theme, or, if you're lazy, the standard list of "best" spells. (If there were a way to ban spells that don't fit the primary and secondary themes, I'd do it.) It won't let a given sorcerer cast every known sorcerer spell, but it will let him cast all the spells related to Theme X that are normally ignored and forgotten, which seems good enough to me.

 

[jasper]

Here is my suggestion.

The sorcerer can cast any spell off the sorcerer list. However, the sorcerer has 45 second wall clock time to complete their turn, otherwise the spell fails. Bonus action spells have 30 seconds, reaction spells 15 seconds.

This gives enormous flexibility to the sorcerer, while not reintroducing the main problem that spells known prevents.

Oh, and the sorcerer needs to give up something for the increase in power due to the extra flexibility. This is not a joke. Seriously, casters are already at absolute worst at par with non-casters - if you give something more to casters, you must take something away from them as well otherwise they will dominate non-casters, especially at higher levels.

oh! oh! oh! mr kotter mr kotter. you forgot after the 45 seconds. The dm gets to taser the player.