Sorcerer

Scions of innately magical bloodlines, the chosen of deities, the spawn of monsters, pawns of fate and destiny, or simply flukes of fickle magic, sorcerers look within themselves for arcane prowess and draw forth might few mortals can imagine. Emboldened by lives ever threatening to be consumed by their innate powers, these magic-touched souls endlessly indulge in and refine their mysterious abilities, gradually learning how to harness their birthright and coax forth ever greater arcane feats. Just as varied as these innately powerful spellcasters' abilities and inspirations are the ways in which they choose to utilize their gifts. While some seek to control their abilities through meditation and discipline, becoming masters of their fantastic birthright, others give in to their magic, letting it rule their lives with often explosive results. Regardless, sorcerers live and breathe that which other spellcasters devote their lives to mastering, and for them magic is more than a boon or a field of study; it is life itself.

Role: Sorcerers excel at casting a selection of favored spells frequently, making them powerful battle mages. As they become familiar with a specific and ever-widening set of spells, sorcerers often discover new and versatile ways of making use of magics other spellcasters might overlook. Their bloodlines also grant them additional abilities, assuring that no two sorcerers are ever quite alike.

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d6

Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Skills: The sorcerer's class skills are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Pilot(Dex), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Table: Sorcerer Spells Slots per day
Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th
1st +0 +0 +0 +2 Bloodline power, cantrips, eschew materials 3
2nd +1 +0 +0 +3 4
3rd +1 +1 +1 +3 Bloodline power, bloodline spell 5
4th +2 +1 +1 +4 6 3
5th +2 +1 +1 +4 Bloodline spell 6 4
6th +3 +2 +2 +5 6 5 3
7th +3 +2 +2 +5 Bloodline feat, bloodline spell 6 6 4
8th +4 +2 +2 +6 6 6 5 3
9th +4 +3 +3 +6 Bloodline power, bloodline spell 6 6 6 4
10th +5 +3 +3 +7 6 6 6 5 3
11th +5 +3 +3 +7 Bloodline spell 6 6 6 6 4
12th +6/+1 +4 +4 +8 6 6 6 6 5 3
13th +6/+1 +4 +4 +8 Bloodline feat, bloodline spell 6 6 6 6 6 4
14th +7/+2 +4 +4 +9 6 6 6 6 6 5 3
15th +7/+2 +5 +5 +9 Bloodline power, bloodline spell 6 6 6 6 6 6 4
16th +8/+3 +5 +5 +10 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 3
17th +8/+3 +5 +5 +10 Bloodline spell 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 4
18th +9/+4 +6 +6 +11 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 3
19th +9/+4 +6 +6 +11 Bloodline feat, bloodline spell 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 4
20th +10/+5 +6 +6 +12 Bloodline power 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the sorcerer.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Sorcerers are proficient with all simple weapons. They are not proficient with any type of armor or shield. Armor interferes with a sorcerer's gestures, which can cause her spells with somatic components to fail (see Arcane Spells and Armor).

Sorcerer Spells Known
Level Spells Known
0 4 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th
1st 4 2
2nd 5 2
3rd 5 3
4th 6 3 1
5th 6 4 2
6th 7 4 2 1
7th 7 5 3 2
8th 8 5 3 2 1
9th 8 5 4 3 2
10th 9 5 4 3 2 1
11th 9 5 5 4 3 2
12th 9 5 5 4 3 2 1
13th 9 5 5 4 4 3 2
14th 9 5 5 4 4 3 2 1
15th 9 5 5 4 4 4 3 2
16th 9 5 5 4 4 4 3 2 1
17th 9 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 2
18th 9 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 2 1
19th 9 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 3 2
20th 9 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 3 3

Spells: A sorcerer casts arcane spells drawn primarily from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. She can cast any spell she knows without preparing it ahead of time. To learn or cast a spell, a sorcerer must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a sorcerer's spell is 10 + the spell level + the sorcerer's Charisma modifier.

Like other spellcasters, a sorcerer can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Sorcerer. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Charisma score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells).

A sorcerer's selection of spells is extremely limited. A sorcerer begins play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of her choice. At each new sorcerer level, she gains one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: Sorcerer Spells Known. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a sorcerer knows is not affected by her Charisma score; the numbers on Table: Sorcerer Spells Known are fixed.) These new spells can be common spells chosen from the sorcerer/wizard spell list, or they can be unusual spells that the sorcerer has gained some understanding of through study.

Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even-numbered sorcerer level after that (6th, 8th, and so on), a sorcerer can choose to learn a new spell in place of one she already knows. In effect, the sorcerer loses the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell's level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged. A sorcerer may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that she gains new spells known for the level.

Unlike a wizard or a cleric, a sorcerer need not prepare her spells in advance. She can cast any spell she knows at any time, assuming she has not yet used up her spells per day for that spell level.

Bloodline:

Each sorcerer has a source of magic somewhere in her heritage that grants her spells, bonus feats, an additional class skill, and other special abilities. This source can represent a blood relation or an extreme event involving a creature somewhere in the family's past. For example, a sorcerer might have a dragon as a distant relative or her grandfather might have signed a terrible contract with a devil. Regardless of the source, this influence manifests in a number of ways as the sorcerer gains levels. A sorcerer must pick one bloodline upon taking her first level of sorcerer. Once made, this choice cannot be changed.

At 3rd level, and every two levels thereafter, a sorcerer learns an additional spell, derived from her bloodline. These spells are in addition to the number of spells given on Table: Sorcerer Spells Known. These spells cannot be exchanged for different spells at higher levels.

At 7th level, and every six levels thereafter, a sorcerer receives one bonus feat, chosen from a list specific to each bloodline. The sorcerer must meet the prerequisites for these bonus feats.

FAQ: Do the bonuses granted from Bloodline Arcana apply to all of the spells cast by the sorcerer, or just those cast from the sorcerer's spell list?

The Bloodline Arcana powers apply to all of the spells cast by characters of that bloodline, not just those cast using the sorcerer's spell slots.

Cantrips: Sorcerers learn a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, as noted on Table: Sorcerer Spells Known under “Spells Known.” These spells are cast like any other spell, but they do not consume any slots and may be used again.

Eschew Materials: A sorcerer gains Eschew Materials as a bonus feat at 1st level.

Sorcerer Bloodlines: Filled with magical power that screams for release, sorcery is not so much a calling as a blessing—or a curse. For some sorcerers, this arcane birthright manifests in subtle and carefully controlled ways, assisting in their manipulation of others or the pursuit of lofty goals. For others, it is wild and unpredictable, the primal and explosive lashing out of a power greater than themselves. Presented below are a number of bloodlines representing the mysterious origin of your sorcerer’s abilities.

Sorcerer Archetypes

Crossblooded

A crossblooded bloodline combines the powers of two distinct heritages. In most cases, sorcerers with this bloodline are the offspring of two sorcerers from different ancestries, but occasionally a crossblooded sorcerer arises from the conjunction of other powers. A draconic sorcerer who is also the culmination of a great destiny, an abyssal sorcerer from a family that dealt with devils, and an arcane sorcerer raised from birth by fey are all possible sources for crossblooded bloodlines.

A crossblooded sorcerer selects two different bloodlines. The sorcerer may gain access to the skills, feats, and some of the powers of both bloodlines she is descended from, but at the cost of reduced mental clarity and choice (see Drawbacks).

Class Skill: A crossblooded sorcerer receives the bonus class skill from both of her bloodlines. If these are the same skill, this does not grant any additional benefit.

Bonus Spells: A crossblooded sorcerer may select her bonus spells from either of her bloodlines. The sorcerer also has the choice to learn a lower-level bonus spell she did not choose in place of the higher-level bonus spell she would normally gain. Lower-level bonus spells learned this way always use the spell level that they would be if the sorcerer had learned them with the appropriate bonus spell.

Example: A 3rd-level aberrant/abyssal crossblooded sorcerer has the choice of learning cause fear or enlarge person as her bloodline bonus spell. If she selected cause fear as her 3rd-level bonus spell, at 5th level she could use her new bonus spell to learn enlarge person instead of bull’s strength or see invisibility, and she would add it to her list of 1st-level spells known (just as if she had learned it as her 3rd-level bonus spell).

Bonus Feat: A crossblooded sorcerer combines the bonus feat lists from both of her bloodlines and may select her bloodline bonus feats from this combined list.

Bloodline Arcana: A crossblooded sorcerer gains the bloodline arcana of both her bloodlines.

Bloodline Powers: At 1st, 3rd, 9th, 15th, and 20th levels, a crossblooded sorcerer gains one of the two new bloodline powers available to her at that level. She may instead select a lower-level bloodline power she did not choose in place of one of these higher-level powers.

Drawbacks: A crossblooded sorcerer has one fewer spell known at each level (including cantrips) than is presented on Table: Sorcerer Spells Known.

Furthermore, the conflicting urges created by the divergent nature of the crossblooded sorcerer’s dual heritage forces her to constantly take some mental effort just to remain focused on her current situation and needs. This leaves her with less mental resolve to deal with external threats. A crossblooded sorcerer always takes a –2 penalty on Will saves.

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