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VENEFICUS (Unique 5e Sorcerer) [5e Compliant]

Changed to be 1 to 20. Inspiration/source material here.


VENEFICUS (SORCERER) 

Wizards have mind-guns that shoot spell-ferrets. They train and breed spells. Warlocks borrow power. Cleric and Paladins are gifted power.

A Sorcerer’s power is their own.

They have turned their souls inward and built a pyre in their hearts. They are more real than the rest of the world. Rare, because their arts cannot be taught, and because they frequently explode. Intolerable, because they cannot abide servitude or obedience. Powerful, because the world reshapes itself to their whims. There are no sorcerers around here; they’re all from Foreign Parts and they are all absolutely nuts. Sorcerers tend to be female as most formal wizard academies do not train women (think witches for example) and males are picked up by the academics at a young age and trained to be wizards.

Bloodlines, starting equipment, saving throws, etc are the same as the base 5e sorcerer.  Replace the spellcasting, sorceress points, and metamagic class abilities with soul casting and sorcerous powers class abilities. You gain the billowing robes, soul vision, magic ward, and free will as class abilities.

Progression Table

Alternate progression to make the sorcerer very unique:

Level XP Hit Points Proficiency Die Features Level Title Sorcerer Dice
1          – 6 + CON 1d12 Sorcerous Origin, Soul Casting Prestidigitator 1d6
2     1,200 2d6 + CON 1d10 Billowing Robes Hedge Warlock/Witch 2d6
3  5,000 3d6 + CON 1d10 Soul Vision Seer 2d6
4 10,000 4d6 + CON 1d10 Ability Score Improvement Magician 3d6
5  20,000 5d6 + CON 1d8 Magic Ward Enchanter/Enchantress 3d6
6  40,000 6d6 + CON 1d8 Sorcerous Origin Feature Cataclysts 4d6
7   80,000 7d6 + CON 1d4 Warlock/Witch 4d6
8   160,000 8d6 + CON 1d4 Ability Score Improvement Sorcerer/Sorceress 5d6
9   320,000 9d6 + CON 1d4 Sorcerer/Sorceress Lord/Lady 5d6
10   480,000 10d6 + CON Free Will Sorcerer/Sorceress Supreme 6d6
11 720,000 6d6
12 1,008,000 Ability Score Improvement 6d6
13 1,411,200 6d6
14 1,975,680 Sorcerous Origin Feature 6d6
15 2,173,248 6d6
16 2,390,573 Ability Score Improvement 6d6
17 2,629,630 6d6
18 2,892,593 Sorcerous Origin Feature 6d6
19 3,181,852 Ability Score Improvement 6d6
20 3,500,038 Reality Bender (after a short rest you may remove 4 instability die from your pool) 7d6
         

Decreasing proficiency dice represents the sorcerer moving away from any discipline in magic usage and depending more on raw power – the opposite of a wizard.  Mechanically it allows the sorcerer to start with a reasonable chance of hitting a target with a spell as using the alternate table means the sorcerer uses d6 and proficiency dice for everything – including rolling to hit. Using the proficiency dice instead of proficiency bonus also adds to the chaotic nature of the sorcerer and the chaotic magic he deals with.

Under this system, the sorcerer does not score criticals but instead, your sorcerer dice explode on a 6. You do not have to explode your dice, this is optional, but the extra dice do count for the purposes of triggering a sorcerous calamity.  To balance this out, the alternate sorcerer only scores calamities on triples, quadruples, quintuplets, and sextuplets.

SOUL CASTING

You alter the world through sheer force of will. You need no charms, no runes, no spells, no incantations. Reality is yours to command.

You change the world using your Sorcerer Dice (SD, green d6). You start with 1 SD and gain more as you level up, per the Sorcerer Table. Each time you wish to use one of the abilities below, invest any number of your SD. The [sum] of the SD rolled, as well as the number of [dice] invested, may affect the result. You add your spellcasting ability bonus to the roll.  You roll a d20 to hit and use your SD to enhance your chance to hit or do damage – your choice.

SD can be used any number of times per day. However, each time you use your sorcerous powers past the first time per day, add +1 ID (Instability Die, purple d6) to your pool. These dice do not count towards the [sum] or [dice] of any given power, they do count towards doubles, triples, and quadruples for calamities. Use 2 different colors of dice. You can also add ID to increase the effects of your sorcerous powers.

E.g. Charisma the Sorceress, level 2, has 2 SD to invest. She wishes to Harm a target and invests both SD. She has used two other sorcerous effects today, so adds +2 ID. Only the 2 SD count towards the [dice] and [sum] of the spell, but all four dice are counted for the purposes of Calamities (doubles, triples, and quadruples).

Sorcerers don’t run out of steam. They have the opposite problem. Like an overcharged locomotive, they sometimes explode.

Sorcerous Powers

Malum (Harm)
Deal [sum]+[dice] damage to one target creature or object you can see. Creatures and magical objects may Save to negate at the DM’s discretion but this will usually only be powerful foes (for example, creatures with Legendary Resistance), otherwise, the to-hit roll determines if the spell landed or not. Flavour however you’d like: lightning bolts, beams of light, grasping hands from the underworld.

+1 ID for each prior sorcerous effect you’ve used today.
+1 ID per additional target.
+1 ID to do half damage even on a miss (you may add this after the result of your to-hit roll is made.

Immutatio (Alter) 
Make a declarative statement affecting one creature or object you can see. The statement is true for [dice] rounds. The statement cannot cause damage directly (use Harm), move a creature or object, or create new objects or effects (use Create). Creatures and magical objects can Save to avoid being altered.

Example:

  • “This door does not exist.” You can walk through the space the door formerly occupied.
  • “The dragon is now a mole”. The dragon still has all its original abilities and HP, but it might be easier to hit.
  • “The dragon is made of paper.” The dragon is now made of paper for [dice] rounds. If you set it on fire with a torch, it will take extra damage.

+1 ID for each prior sorcerous effect you’ve used today.
+1 ID per additional target.
+1 ID to affect an area the size of a wagon (approximately a 20’ sphere).
+2 ID to affect an area the size of a cottage (approximately a 50’ sphere).

+3 ID to affect an area the size of a village  (approximately 1 square mile).

+1 ID to make the effect last for [dice] minutes.
+2 ID to make the effect last for [dice] hours.
+3 ID to make the effect last for [dice] days.

Ex Nihilo (Create)
Create something. The creature or object created exists for [dice] rounds. Without adding ID, the creature is Medium-sized or smaller and has 2 or fewer HD (or pick a creature of CR 2 or less). Objects are Medium-sized or smaller.

Creatures created cannot deal damage. You can create objects with magical effects (flying carpets, invisibility cloaks), but created objects cannot deal magical damage (you can make a regular sword but not a +10 vorpal sword of fire) or provide permanent effects (healing potions only heal for the duration listed, rings of permanent stat gain only work for the duration). You can make a sword that looks like a +10 vorpal sword of fire though.

+1 ID for each prior sorcerous effect you’ve used today.
+1 ID per additional object or creature created.
+2 ID to create a creature of up to +4 HD (CR 6, 12, 18 etc).
+1 ID to create an object the size of a wagon (approximately a 20’ sphere).

+2 ID to create an object the size of a cottage (approximately a 50’ sphere).
+3 ID to create an object the size of a village  (approximately 1 square mile).
+1 ID to create a magical or sufficiently weird object.
+1 ID to make the creature or object last for [dice] minutes.
+2 ID to make the creature or object last for [dice] hours.
+3 ID to make the creature or object last for [dice] days.

Billowing Robes

If you are wearing an outlandish costume worth at least 10 Δρ (drachma/gp), your armour counts as AC 11.
If you are wearing an outlandish costume worth at least 750 Δρ, your armour counts as AC 16.
If you are wearing an outlandish costume worth at least 1,500 Δρ, your armour counts as AC 18.

Money spent on billowing robes can not be used for XP.

Outlandish Costumes and Ambient Sorceries

If you gain access to a legendary seamstress or some other way to create magical robes you may enchant your Billowing Robes with one of the following random effects:

1d10 Outlandish Costume Ambient Sorcery
1 Long woven cloak of many colours. Clap hands to take 1 damage and teleport 1′.
2 Thick coat made of human skin and hair. Can read any language, but must read out loud.
3 Living full-body tattoos of scenery, birds, clouds. Thumb or nose can glow as brightly as a candle.
4 Turban and billowing silk robes. Cross legs and close eyes to hover 2′ off the ground.
5 Three conical felt hats stacked inside each other. If you hold your breath, you weigh as much as a feather.
6 Coat made of pierced sea-shells. Pleasant, exotic, spicy smell. Can turn on and off at will.
7 Nude, save for a few modest scraps of leather. Invisible to birds.
8 Extraordinarily long eyebrows and fingernails. Rain or snow will not fall on you.
9 Geometric robes with silver symbols. Do not need to eat or drink. Eat 1 gold piece per day instead.
10 One strip of cloth wound around your entire body. Invisible to cats.

You may roll multiple times for multiple effects. Where it makes sense, the effects stack.

Soul Vision
You can see the souls of living creatures. This allows you to guess the approximate location of invisible creatures. You can also immediately tell if a person is possessed, undead, protected by the Authority, or a spellcaster. The price for this gift is your connection to others. You permanently take a -2 to Wisdom (as the constant scrutiny of souls warps your mind) or Charisma (as you become callous and jaded) – your choice.

Magic Ward
Reduce all incoming magic damage by 2. Does not apply to self-inflicted damage. Once per day, negate the effects of a spell that targets you. Does not apply to spells generated by Calamities.

Free Will
Your mind is your own and you are difficult, if not impossible, to mentally dominate.  You have advantage on any mind-affecting effects, conditions or other spells that compel you in any way.  Even if you fail the saving throw the next time you can repeat the save you may choose to use your Charisma saving throw to overcome it. If a spell does not normally allow a repeat saving throw you may add an ID to your pool for the day to make another save.


SORCEROUS CALAMITIES

Sorcerous calamities occur whenever you roll doubles and you have an ID. The number of doubles determines the ensuing level of chaos.  Roll on the magical calamity table – D16 for doubles, d24 for triples and d30 for quadruples.

If you roll a quintuplets or worse, ask the DM what happens.

Posted in 5e, Adventurer's Vault, Clash of the Titans, Class, Dungeons & Dragons, Maze of the Blue Medusa, Monstrous Compendium

1 Comment

  1. solomani

    Original table for reference:

    Quadruples
    1              Lose 1d6 permanently from a random Stat.
    2              Effect is reversed (harm heals, alter in the opposite manner, create the opposite of what was intended).
    3              Effect is maliciously altered (harm targets an ally, alter makes the target more dangerous, create something inconvenient).
    4              A random spell is also cast, targeting you.
    5              Roll on the Death and Dismemberment table (1d6 for location, 1d12 + previous injuries for severity). HP is not reduced.
    6              Take 3d6 damage. If reduced to 0 HP or below, explode in an arcane torrent of power in a 50 foot radius sphere for 5d6 damage (DEX save for half damage for creatures in AOE). You die happy.

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