What Each Spellcaster Is To You

[Minigiant]

Maybe I am the only one but I have always equated sorcerers to Marvel's Mutants. The differences where that the actually powers where hereditary (Magneto sires more Magnetos and not Quicksikvers and Scarlet Witches), their power were not genetic mutations but ancestral blood lines or dumb luck, and sorcerer could gain more powers as they gain experience.

 

[Greg K]

Maybe I am the only one but I have always equated sorcerers to Marcel's Mutants. The differences where that the actually powers where hereditary (Magneto sires more Magnetos and not Quicksikvers and Scarlet Witches), their power were not genetic mutations but ancestral blood lines or dumb luck, and sorcerer could gain more powers as they gain experience.

The ancestral bloodline, as I stated in my previous post, is in my opinion, a very common theme whether abyssal, dragon, infernal, fey, homo magus (or its equivalent in a given setting such as Halliwell lineage (Charmed), Dragonlord lineage (Scy Fy's Merlin).

The new powers and abilities in 3e could be
1. Heritage Manifestation, but this was a supplemental option and not hard wired. I like this as an option, but prefer the metamagic sorcerer house rule that appeared on message board early in 3e in which sorcerer's didn't need simple components and could innately shape magic.

2. Learn new spells. One can view the acquisition of spells as simply a new manifested ability, but it could also be an acquired learned ability (I assumed self taught through trial and error/experimentation). There was also a variant in the DMG that required the sorcerer to find a trainer to teach them a new spell. I prefer the learned approach whether through self teaching or having someone else teach.

 

[Minigiant]

The ancestral bloodline, as I stated in my previous post, is in my opinion, a very common theme whether abyssal, dragon, infernal, fey, homo magus (or its equivalent in a given setting such as Halliwell lineage (Charmed), Dragonlord lineage (Scy Fy's Merlin).

The new powers and abilities in 3e could be
1. Heritage Manifestation, but this was a supplemental option and not hard wired. I like this as an option, but prefer the metamagic sorcerer house rule that appeared on message board early in 3e in which sorcerer's didn't need simple components and could innately shape magic.

2. Learn new spells. One can view the acquisition of spells as simply a new manifested ability, but it could also be an acquired learned ability (I assumed self taught through trial and error/experimentation). There was also a variant in the DMG that required the sorcerer to find a trainer to teach them a new spell. I prefer the learned approach whether through self teaching or having someone else teach.

This is close to how I see it.

For example, my campaign setting has sorcery as the individual invoking the words written onto their soul. Most beings have nothing written on their souls and can't cast intrinsically. But a red dragon and all his offspring have FIRE on their soul and can shoot flames of all sorts naturally. So the son of a House Dragonfrost lord and a wildmage born under the Luckiest Star might create a girl who can cast Alarm And Ray of Frost as easy as she can cough. Then if Lady Dragonfrost wanted to cast something that wasn't an abjuration or evocation, she'd need to find a spiritual trained to scribe more magic to her soul or a wizard know knew how to rewrite her spiritually. Or she can go evil and Sylar the powers out of other sorcerers.

 

[Vikingkingq]

I was actually referring to clerics, but your point is well taken.

The OP's idea was that warlocks see the usual 'deal' between gods and worshippers to be way too one-sided, and sell their souls in a more equitable, quid pro quo sort of way.

(I suppose one could easily spin that as more Objectivist than Bolshevik, which is even funnier!)

Your point remains, though: The way of the warlock might well appeal to those don't have access to power any other way. Warlocks do seem to require literacy, however.

Warlocks would be scrappy auto-didacts rebelling against the elitism and exclusivity of the Wizards, which I think fits in with the current class description that the Pact is needed to unlock the book learning:

"Your patron grants you the insight needed to unlock the power behind the secrets you research."

Warlocks research all kinds of forbidden lore, but they don't have the formal training or inherited knack to understand and make use of it until they get handed the keys by an outside force.

 

[The Shadow]

Warlocks would be scrappy auto-didacts rebelling against the elitism and exclusivity of the Wizards, which I think fits in with the current class description that the Pact is needed to unlock the book learning:

Heh. So he's the guy hawking a book on the Internet about how Einstein Was Wrong, and he has the real theory of everything, and nobody in the scientific establishment will listen to him, but you can know the Truth for only $29.95! Hey, they do have Charlatan as a suggested background, I'm just sayin'!

"Your patron grants you the insight needed to unlock the power behind the secrets you research."

Warlocks research all kinds of forbidden lore, but they don't have the formal training or inherited knack to understand and make use of it until they get handed the keys by an outside force.

So the books don't make sense to you until an outside force from another dimension makes it All Make Sense. Nope, that's not creepy at all!

Maybe warlocks shouldn't be powered by high Int, but by low Wis!