D&D 5E What should a Sorcerer do?

[Mephista]

Wizards can't learn without DOING, and sorcerers can't do without KNOWING. Both get better at their respective spellcasting as they practice it in the world, and don't get any better at it locking themselves away in a tower with a bunch of dusty tomes.

Not true. Wizards learn from experimentation, research, and the like. Experimentation is the only "doing" that's necessary for their learning. And, yes, they very much CAN lock themselves away in a tower and improve. Wizards are drawn to adventure to seek out lost tomes and knowledge. Ancient civilizations had secrets they want to unbury. But its more than possible to be a library lecturer and grow in experience.

Sorcerers don't have to knowing anything except what their experience and practice using magic tells them. They can function perfectly well with zero mystical knowledge. They can be completely blind, mute, and deaf, and yet still learn to use their magic from instinct and practice. Magic is like a muscle to Sorcerers.

You're stridently missing the point.

My point is: it's perfectly fine to not have a problem with having to use material components.

No, you are stridently missing my point. Its immaterial if you don't have a problem. That suggests you're fine with things as they are. That you've settled and are willing to use it. So am I. I have no problem using that in play.

The question I'm bringing up is "Why should they? Is it thematically appropriate, or would it be more thematically appropriate to make it work another way?" Its a discussion on ways to improve the class. Can we tell better stories with the sorcerer by going another way instead? We don't need to have cantrips usable at will. Testing them was a good improvement. Trying new things that may work better is how we make better games.

If you want to argue that everyone HAS TO have a problem with it, you're going to have to do more than poke holes in the suggested narratives, because those are quite enough for plenty of people (and for me and my current character, for one).

Now it sounds like you're taking it personally. More like you're against questioning the status quo than anything.

That's conjecture.

Its based on discussions with developers as they designed the game and had feedback.

It's appropriate, just not for everyone.

If its not appropriate for everyone, then shouldn't we be considering something that is?

 

[I'm A Banana]

The question I'm bringing up is "Why should they? Is it thematically appropriate, or would it be more thematically appropriate to make it work another way?" Its a discussion on ways to improve the class. Can we tell better stories with the sorcerer by going another way instead?

It is if you want it to be. It's not if you don't want it to be. The fiction is is entirely based on what you want it to be. There is no objective standard that is necessarily true in all cases. Being able to natively cast spells without material components might improve some kinds of storytelling, adding material components might improve some kinds of storytelling, it's mostly arbitrary, it doesn't matter much either way. Sorcerers might need material components to, or not. Either one works. Either one can be justified narratively.

That's kind of my point: you can be fine with them needing material components if that's what you want, it isn't objectively better for them to not need them. But some folks might like it more.

More like you're against questioning the status quo than anything.

If you'd like to stop playing Internet Psychiatrist and telling me what I really think, and instead listen, this convo might go better.

If its not appropriate for everyone, then shouldn't we be considering something that is?

Appropriate For Everyone is nonexistent.

 

[famousringo]

The clash between the idea of intuitive casting and material components is the reason my sorcerer uses a focus. He just happened upon a crystal one day and was able to use it to focus his wild arcane power.

The idea that just he woke up one day with an epiphany about the secret magical power of bat poop is just too goofy.