Sorcerer

Classes

Character Creation
Characters on Arelith:
Race - Alignment
Deity - Class
Gifts - Backgrounds
Mark of Destiny
Epic Sacrifice
Customization
Head List

Sorcerer is a default base class with Arelith specific changes.

Introduction

Arelith Sorcerers enjoy changes that benefit their spellcasing and summons. The #Path: True Flame and #Path: Shadow Mage expands those options. Mechanical changes are included in the #Class Mechanics on this page and explained in the #Arelith Changes section. Base mechanics can be found on NWNWiki. The #Roleplay Tips section provides suggestions for character development.

Class Mechanics

Requirements

Alignment restrictions: none

Class Features

Hit die: d4

Proficiencies: weapons (simple)

Skill points: 2 + int modifier ((2 + int modifier) * 4 at 1st level)

Class Skills: bluff, concentration, craft mastery, craft trap, heal, lore, persuade, spellcraft

Unavailable feats: weapon specialization

Primary saving throw(s): will

Base attack bonus: +1/2 level

Spellcasting: Spellcasting: Arcane (spell failure from armor is a factor), charisma-based (a base charisma score of 10 + the spell's level is required to cast a spell, bonus spells are based on modified charisma, and the charisma modifier affects spell DCs), and spontaneous cast (no spell preparation required).

Level Progression

Hit points rolls on Arelith are always maximum.

								Base spells per day											Known spells
Level	BAB	Fort	Reflex	Will	Feats	HP		0th	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th		0th	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	summon familiar, Brew Potion	4		5	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		4	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3		8		6	4	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		5	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3		12		6	5	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		5	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4		16		6	6	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		6	3	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4		20		6	6	4	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		6	4	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5		24		6	6	5	3	—	—	—	—	—	—		7	4	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5		28		6	6	6	4	—	—	—	—	—	—		7	5	3	2	-	-	-	-	-	-
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6		32		6	6	6	5	3	—	—	—	—	—		7	5	3	2	1	-	-	-	-	-
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6		36		6	6	6	6	4	—	—	—	—	—		7	5	4	3	2	-	-	-	-	-
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7		40		6	6	6	6	5	3	—	—	—	—		7	5	4	3	2	1	-	-	-	-
11th	+5	+3	+3	+7		44		6	6	6	6	6	4	—	—	—	—		7	5	5	4	3	2	-	-	-	-
12th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8		48		6	6	6	6	6	5	3	—	—	—		7	5	5	4	3	2	1	-	-	-
13th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8		52		6	6	6	6	6	6	4	—	—	—		7	5	5	4	4	3	2	-	-	-
14th	+7/+2	+4	+4	+9		56		6	6	6	6	6	6	5	3	—	—		7	5	5	4	4	3	2	1	-	-
15th	+7/+2	+5	+5	+9		60		6	6	6	6	6	6	6	4	—	—		7	5	5	4	4	4	3	2	-	-
16th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10		64		6	6	6	6	6	6	6	5	3	—		7	5	5	4	4	4	3	2	1	-
17th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10		68		6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	4	—		7	5	5	4	4	4	3	3	2	-
18th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11		72		6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	5	3		7	5	5	4	4	4	3	3	2	1
19th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11		76		6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	4		7	5	5	4	4	4	3	3	3	2
20th	+10/+5	+6	+6	+12		80		6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6		7	5	5	4	4	4	3	3	3	3

Spells

Cantrips		1st level spells		2nd level spells		3rd level spells		4th level spells
Acid splash		Burning hands		Balagarn's iron horn		Clairaudience/clairvoyance		Bestow curse
Daze		Charm person		Bear's Endurance		Clarity		Charm monster
Electric jolt		Color spray		Blindness/deafness		Dispel magic		Confusion
Flare		Endure elements		Bull's strength		Displacement		Contagion
Light		Expeditious retreat		Cat's grace		Find traps		Elemental shield
Ray of frost		Grease		Cloud of bewilderment		Fireball		Enervation
Resistance		Horizikaul's boom		Combust		Flame arrow		Evard's black tentacles
		Ice dagger		Continual flame		Greater magic weapon		Fear
		Identify		Darkness		Gust of wind		Ice storm
		Ironguts		Death armor		Haste		Improved invisibility
		Mage armor		Eagle's splendor		Hold person		Isaac's lesser missile storm
		Magic missile		Flame weapon		Invisibility sphere		Lesser spell breach
		Magic weapon		Fox's cunning		Keen edge		Minor globe of invulnerability
		Negative energy ray		Gedlee's electric loop		Lightning bolt		Phantasmal killer
		Protection from alignment		Ghostly visage		Magic circle against alignment		Polymorph self
		Ray of enfeeblement		Ghoul touch		Mestil's acid breath		Remove blindness/deafness
		Scare		Invisibility		Negative energy burst		Remove curse
		Shelgarn's persistent blade		Knock		Protection from elements		Shadow conjuration
		Shield		Lesser dispel		Scintillating sphere		Stoneskin
		Sleep		Melf's acid arrow		Slow		Summon creature IV
		Summon creature I		Owl's wisdom		Stinking cloud		Wall of fire
		True strike		Resist elements		Summon creature III		Crushing Despair
		Chromatic Orb		See invisibility		Vampiric touch		Finger of Agony
		Detect Poison		Stone bones		Bigby's Disrupting Hand		Wall of Ice
		Nahal's Reckless Dweomer		Summon creature II		Halt Undead		Animate Dead
				Tasha's hideous laughter		Sound Lance
				Ultravision
				Web
				Chaos Shield
				Scorching Ray
				Gust of wind

5th level spells		6th level spells		7th level spells		8th level spells		9th level spells
Animate dead		Acid fog		Banishment		Abi-Dalzim's Horrid wilting		Bigby's crushing hand
Ball lightning		Bigby's forceful hand		Bigby's grasping hand		Bigby's clenched fist		Black blade of disaster
Bigby's interposing hand		Chain lightning		Control undead		Blackstaff		Dominate monster
Cloudkill		Circle of death		Delayed blast fireball		Create undead		Energy drain
Cone of cold		Ethereal visage		Finger of death		Greater planar binding		Gate
Dismissal		Flesh to stone		Great thunderclap		Greater sanctuary		Greater spell mantle
Dominate person		Globe of invulnerability		Mordenkainen's sword		Incendiary cloud		Meteor swarm
Energy buffer		Greater dispelling		Power word, stun		Mass blindness/deafness		Mordenkainen's disjunction
Feeblemind		Greater spell breach		Prismatic spray		Mass charm		Power word, kill
Firebrand		Greater stoneskin		Protection from spells		Mind blank		Shapechange
Greater shadow conjuration		Isaac's greater missile storm		Shadow shield		Premonition		Summon creature IX
Hold monster		Legend lore		Spell mantle		Summon creature VIII		Time stop
Lesser mind blank		Mass haste		Summon creature VII		Sunburst		Wail of the banshee
Lesser planar binding		Planar binding		Greater Shadow Evocation		Avascular Mass		Weird
Lesser spell mantle		Shades		Improved Chaos Shield		Otto's Irresistible Dance		Burst of Glacial Wrath
Mestil's acid sheath		Stone to flesh				Maze		Iceberg
Mind fog		Summon creature VI				Scintillating Pattern		Mass Hold Monster
Summon creature V		Tenser's transformation				Shadow Plague
Daltim's Fiery Tentacles		True seeing				Nybor's Wrathful Castigation
Darkbolt		Undeath to death				Create Greater Undead
Nightmare		Disintegrate
Shadow Evocation		Eyebite
		Evil Blight
		Freeze
		Kyristan's Malevolent Tentacles
		Create Undead
		Greater Shadow Conjuration

Epic Sorcerer

Bonus feats: The epic sorcerer gains a bonus feat every three levels after 20th. In other words, at levels 23, 26, and 29.

Epic bonus feats: automatic quicken spell, automatic silent spell, automatic still spell, epic energy resistance, epic spell focus, epic spell penetration, epic spell: dragon knight, epic spell: epic mage armor, epic spell: greater ruin, epic spell: hellball, epic spell: mummy dust, great charisma, improved combat casting

Unavailable epic feats: epic weapon specialization, outsider shape, construct shape, dragon shape, undead shape

Level	Feats	HP
21st		84
22nd		88
23rd	bonus feat	92
24th		96
25th		100
26th	bonus feat	104
27th		108
28th		112
29th	bonus feat	116
30th		120

Arelith Changes

Change	Level	Description
Brew Potion	1	Gains Brew Potion feat at level 1.
Summoning Changes	-	For specifics, read Summoning Changes which details how summons are changed on Arelith and Summons which details each specific summon stream and what is summoned at each tier of the stream.
Spell changes	-	For specifics, see Spell changes.
New spells	-	Chromatic Orb (1), Detect Poison (1), Nahal's Reckless Dweomer (wild mage) (1), Chaos Shield (wild mage) (2), Scorching Ray (2), Gust of wind (moved to 2), Bigby's Disrupting Hand (3), Halt Undead (3), Sound Lance (3), Crushing Despair (4), Finger of Agony (4), Wall of Ice (4), Animate Dead (moved to 4), Daltim's Fiery Tentacles (5), Darkbolt (5), Nightmare (5), Shadow Evocation (5), Disintegrate (6), Eyebite (6), Evil Blight (6), Freeze (6), Kyristan's Malevolent Tentacles (6), Shades (removed), Create Undead (moved to 6), Greater Shadow Conjuration (moved to 6), Greater Shadow Evocation (7), Improved Chaos Shield (7), Avascular Mass (8), Otto's Irresistible Dance (8), Maze (8), Scintillating Pattern (8), Shadow Plague (8), Nybor's Wrathful Castigation (8), Create Greater Undead (8), Burst of Glacial Wrath (9), Iceberg (9), Mass Hold Monster (9)
Spell components	-	Requires spell components (made with Alchemy or Art Crafting) to cast spells greater than level 6. Level 7 spells cost 1. Level 8 spells cost 2. Level 9 spells cost 3.
Familiar	-	Familiar (small) changes and notes.
Class skills	-	Access to Bluff and Persuade as class skills
Inficasting	-	The Greater Spell Foci of every school that they take, additionally to the normal effects that they grant, will unlock a spell which the sorcerer, spellsword or wizard may cast freely and without limit as a special ability, that works identically as a spell casted from their spellbooks. Cannot be targeted at fixtures. GSF Abjuration grants Endure Elements. GSF Conjuration grants Melf's Acid Arrow. GSF Divination grants See Invisibility. GSF Enchantment grants Blindness/Deafness. GSF Evocation grants Magic Missile. GSF Illusion grants Color Spray. GSF Necromancy grants Ray of Enfeeblement. GSF Transmutation grants Burning Hands. To cast the spells, look for them in your radial menu of abilities. The subclasses and paths also benefit from this effect. These spells are lost if they are interrupted, but they can be refreshed by casting another infispell.

Path: True Flame

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The Path of the True Flame can be chosen at character creation by sorcerers by using the -path command. Followers of the Path of the True Flame get unlimited spells per day, but can cast only evocation spells. This limitation includes spells cast from scrolls, wands, and items.

A True Flame Sorcerer can still use Mundane items, any and all potions, as well as scrolls of Restoration, Raise Dead, and Resurrection. Epic spells must also only be Evocation (this means Greater ruin and Hellball) however they can only be cast once per rest as per normal.

List of available spells:

Spell Circle	Spell name		Spell Circle	Spell name		Spell Circle	Spell name
Cantrip	Electric Jolt		3rd circle	Fireball		6th circle	Bigby's Forceful Hand
	Flare			Lightning Bolt			Chain Lightning
	Light			Scintillating Sphere			Isaac's Greater Missile Storm
1st circle	Chromatic Orb			Bibgy's Disrupting Hand		7th circle	Bigby's Grasping Hand
	Horizikaul's Boom			Sound Lance			Delayed Blast Fireball
	Ice Dagger		4th circle	Elemental Shield			Great Thunderclap
	Magic Missile			Ice Storm			Mordenkainen's sword
	Shelgarn's Persistent Blade			Isaac's Lesser Missile Storm			Prismatic Spray
2nd circle	Cloud of Bewilderment			Wall of Fire		8th circle	Bigby's Clenched Fist
	Combust			Wall of Ice			Incendiary Cloud
	Darkness		5th circle	Ball Lightning			Sunburst
	Flame Weapon			Bigby's Interposing Hand		9th circle	Bigby's Crushing Hand
	Gedlee's Electric Loop			Cone of Cold			Meteor Swarm
	Gust of Wind			Firebrand			Burst of Glacial Wrath
	Scorching Ray						Iceberg
						Epic Spell	Hellball
							Greater Ruin

Path: Shadow Mage

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For details of the Shadow Mage path, see Shadow Mage.

Roleplay Tips

Sorcerers are arcane spellcasters that have, to some degree or another, inherent magical power. The reasons for this can be varied. Sorcerers are known to be produced by magically rich areas, simply by virtue of diffusion of magic through the environment. They can be produced by having some amount of magical blood in them from a lineage that includes a magical creature. Sorcerers can also be produced as a side-effect of a parent having been a sorcerer or wizard. Essentially: exposure to magic produces sorcerers. The aptitude doesn't seem to be distilled by distance from its source. So if your hundredth relative fancied dragons and had a lovely child with one, you may as well be a sorcerer.

Sorcerers are, historically, only rarely sorcerers by choice. It's true that some cultures have eugenics programs that exist purely to produce and train inherent magical talent, and will have culturally sanctioned sorcerers. Most societies, however, don't mean to produce sorcerers, they just do.

Sorcererous tendencies tend to manifest around puberty in humanoid creatures, frequently earlier for already highly magical creatures. These powers generally begin as uncontrolled, unexpected and fairly dangerous. An average commoner has about four hit points, a ray of frost does 1d4+1. You can see how even a teenage sorcerer in a bit of an angry moment can rather painfully cripple someone. This means that sorcerers come to be feared, reviled or sequestered away. Nobody expects a sorcerer in the family, unless they're extremely stoic, or just plain not commoners.

Because magic works in an instinctive way for sorcerers, they already know how to wave their hands around and what words to say to produce magical effects. These things just happen to them, it's like figuring out you can close one eye at the same time as another. You don't forget it. Regardless of Neverwinter Nights mechanics, sorcerers also never change their spell selection. They don't have the option, as the spells are just another limb they've come into use of.

So the hypothetical "average" sorcerer would discover their powers in a fairly sequestered community, attempt to supress or elaborate upon them in secret, and entertain great dreams.

Sorcerers tend towards becoming a few things. Wizards, gaining their powers through extreme logic and merticulous practice, tend towards law. Sorcerers, on the other hand, learning that they are something greater than their community, a power unto themselves, if you will, tend to range towards free action. Most people that find they have powers their peers lack try to use them, if not to impress or defend themselves, then at least to aid others. Above all sorcerers tend not to be the careful, conservative spellcasters that wizards are. Sorcerers act, for better or for worse. They tend to live fast and die young, whether good or evil.

Lawful sorcerers, of course, happen as well. They tend to be people that have a bit of a breakdown after discovering their power, and becoming very afraid of what they can do to another person. They become conservative, then, through fear of themselves. Perhaps they were someone that just wanted to ignore their power and remain part of the community, but was forced out or away, as no other could handle what they could, and they needed to leave to defend it. Sorcerers are also, frequently, sent to wizards to be trained, the people sending them not understanding their power, and the wizard fairly ineffectually trying to channel it into more logical pursuits.

Not to say that all sorcerers are afraid of themselves. Some become rather absorbed in themselves, believing themselves somehow greater than their peers, and frequently attempting to rescue or aid people with their magical powers, becoming good-hearted but hopelessly romantic. Alternatively some could see their power as placing them above others, and decide it is their prerogative to nurse it until they can strike back against their own community for perceived slights, operating off of a false sense of entitlement to justice.

Mechanics of Sorcery

Deciding how and why your character uses its power can be one of the greatest aspects of being a sorcerer. After all, the character has, in technicality, absolutely no control over what spells choose to manifest themselves. Certainly, their power tends to be tempered by their personality and preferences, but they hardly know what's going to happen next. Not all magic is blowing things up. There are sorcerers that are naturally transmuters, who find that the natural laws governing gravity and physics don't apply to them, and they can manipulate the states of things in their own world in an entertaining variety of ways. 'generalist' sorcerers also tend to be fairly rare, as people who are completely neutral and don't care what powers they posses tend not to have the force of personality required for sorcery.

Charisma, to a sorcerer, is essentially a measurement of how overbearing their presence is to the world. How much of a dent they make in society by their existence, how much people are inclined to listen to them, and how much the weave of magic they can sink into. It is, for all intents and purposes, the "weight" of your personality. In this way, it gives sorcerers power. You can elbow a bit more compliance out of the weave with a bit more weight.

Another fun aspect of creating a sorcerer is determining the source of their power. They may not even be aware of this source, and it may not even come up, but the way in which it can influence the way your character acts can be a bit of a subtle bonus to those who figure it out.

For instance, sorcerers born on another plane tend to gravitate towards powers that would be closely associated with that plane. A sorcerer born on the Inner Plane of fire, or any genasi, really, would be more likely to harness and evocate using the element from which it is derived. Negatasi frequently become necromancers, residents of the upper planes become frequently illusionists, if chaotic, or abjurers or diviners, if lawful.

If the sorcerer's power came from a creature in their lineage, they likely will still have some traits of that creature loitering around in their bloodstream. This doesn't mean to immediately make the leap of logic to 'dragon' and make your character a dragon disciple. There are literally hundreds of creatures that humans could have cross-bred with that would produce sorcerers. This doesn't mean flip open the Monster Manual and choose arbitrarily, but certainly put some thought into the idea of what monstrous or humanoid creature could be in your bloodstream to produce a sorcerer. The creature could also influence the type of powers that choose to manifest. If one is a sorcerer derivitive of an Alcor, then have them manifest primarily frost based spells. Although Neverwinter Nights mechanics don't allow for the same plethora of spells available to a Pen and Paper sorcerer, there's still enough of a selection to show a bit of racial bias.

Specialists

Sorcerer, or innate, specialists is not a normal thing in D&D, but Arelith is not D&D! And NWN does not enforce that. One way to RP sorcerer specialists in a way of 'disciplines' they attempt to focus their powers in one way or the other. Another way is to have a focus come naturally, coming from their heritage. The possibilities are limitless.

Say a Sorcerer is getting their magic from Devil in their ancestry, they might naturally be inclined to Illusions, Enchanting, or Divination. Devil's being Charismatic Buggers that pry into the mind, which is theoretically possible with all three schools, and discover secrets to use against their enemies. And it is totally possible that a Devil ancestry can go for any other type of spells out there.

External Links

Information about default NWN class are available on NWNWiki.