D&D 5E (2024) What’s the difference between sorcerers, warlocks, and wizards?

[overgeeked]

I know there’s a bit of a mechanical difference between them in how the cast, slots, sorcery points, spell lists, etc.

I know there’s a membrane-thin fluff difference between them in one is born to power, one trades for power, and one studies for power. But that has effectively zero impact on the mechanics or actually playing one of the three.

But is that all? Even over a decade in to 5E and they just read like excuses to include different casting mechanics.

So fans of these three classes, besides the mechanics, what’s the draw?

 

[Scribe]

Wizards are still most flexible, Warlocks are actually fairly unique in design?

That's all I've got lol

 

[Zardnaar]

Mostly that different spellcasting methods.

Different spell lists.

 

[Autumnal]

I am enamored of warlocks in 5e because the pact concept go in so many different directions, from Elric to Faust to Dorothy Gayle to Old Castro (the HPL one, not the one the CIA tried to de-beard) to whatever. I’m really easy to seduce with mechanics that a) hook up really strongly to world and character concepts and b) are so ludicrously flexible without giving up substantial solidity. I like characters making pacts liable to evolve and/or blow up in interesting ways.

 

[Tonguez]

Yes once you get pass the fluff the DnD spell system is a bit naff

 

[DrJawaPhD]

So fans of these three classes, besides the mechanics, what’s the draw?

Warlocks are MUCH different mechanically, with major advantages (invocations, auto-upcasting, recharging on short rests) and disadvantages (almost no spellslots). Also they have great roleplay potential and personal sidequest potential with their Patron roleplay baked into their game mechanics. I'm personally not a fan of Warlocks because the spellslots are just too limited to be any fun, but the RP potential has always made it tempting to play one

Sorcerers and Wizards feel like the same class to me, like you said one studies for power, one is born with it, that's about it. For both the draw is obvious, it's always fun to play as a powerful spellcaster in a game where spellcasters dominate. Just pick whether you prefer the flavor of being a nerd or a nepo baby.

 

[Aldarc]

I know there’s a bit of a mechanical difference between them in how the cast, slots, sorcery points, spell lists, etc.

I know there’s a membrane-thin fluff difference between them in one is born to power, one trades for power, and one studies for power. But that has effectively zero impact on the mechanics or actually playing one of the three.

But is that all? Even over a decade in to 5E and they just read like excuses to include different casting mechanics.

So fans of these three classes, besides the mechanics, what’s the draw?

They are all legacy classes. But both the Sorcerer and Warlock were designed from a mechanics-first perspective.

Sorcerer in 3e: "What if we made a wizard that didn't prepare spells?"

Warlock in 3e: "What if we made a simpler spellcaster that didn't use spell slots?"

While I do understand that there is some flavor in these classes, I wish that WotC bothered to rethink whether this arrangement of classes was the best spread in terms of both flavor and mechanics. I personally don't think that these classes really hold up on their own, and I am including the wizard as well.

 

[CreamCloud0]

what's wrong with excuses to include different casting mechanics?

i mean, i can see what they were going for, one class that represents breadth of knowledge and the ability to learn new techniques, one that has a focused thematic core while being flexible and potent within it's niche, and a caster that feels like it's innately 'breaking the structure' of standard casting,

 

[UngainlyTitan]

They exist because there is a demand for different caster conceptions. Their problems stem from the fact that wizard came first and most of its class features in spells.
The Warlock has a better framework and it has got better but the sorceror suffers.
IMHO, detect magic should be a soceror class feature for example. To show their innate connection to magic.

 

[Staffan]

Noted occult expert Sam Wilson breaks it down: