Do you have an itch to play a spell caster that has crazy meta-abilities? Have you played a Wizard so much that you now find their spells boring and lacking in versatility and craziness? Then a Sorcerer might be for you!
Among the spellcasting classes in Dungeons and Dragons, Sorcerers have a leg up over others: they do not require spending of gold in order to acquire new spells like a Wizard, nor do they have to offer up their soul, like Warlocks or Clerics.
As the Sorcerer, your role can be a little bit of everything. You can be a backline caster for full damage, or a full utility and support architect to best suit your party. The Sorcerer is one of the most versatile builds in Dungeons & Dragons thanks to Metamagic!
The greatest asset that Sorcerers get is access to metamagic abilities. For the metamagic abilities Twinned Spells and Quickened Spell example. Twinned Spell lets you cast a ranged spell at two targets instead of one;Quickened Spell lets you use a bonus action instead of an action to cast. Depending on your subclass, that applies to healing spells as well!
Because of their versatility, building a proper Sorcer involves many considerations that suit your playstyle and keeps you engaged throughout the game. . Fear not, for below are my top 5 builds for Sorcerers that are powerful.
Before we get into the builds, there are a few things that I should mention first. Unless otherwise stated in the build itself, the golden rule when making a Sorcerer is to prioritize your Charisma. It is the primary stat that drives your spells. If you want to play into metamagic (why wouldn’t you) you are always going to want the Metamagic Adept Feat, which grants extra sorcery points, aka food for your metamagic.
5) Divine Soul Sorcerer
Starting off on our list, this strong subclass of Sorcerer is granted access to the cleric spell list, which greatly expands spell options for the healing role. In terms of support, it is honestly one of the best out there. With access to Cleric healing spells and Sorcerer metamagic, you’ll become a healing metamaniac!
Make sure to take the metamagic abilities Twinned Spells and Extended spells. These synergize really well and boost your healing capabilities!
At higher levels, you gain access to Empowered Healing (Level 6) and Unearthly Recovery (level 16). Both of these improve your healing capabilities by altering the very existence of rolls and self heals respectively.
Build Specific Details:
- Race: Half Elf or Variant Human
- The half elf race grants a +2 to Charisma.
- Variant Humans gain a +1 and a bonus feat at level 1.
- Feats: Metamagic Adept and War Caster
- Metamagic: Extended Spells and Twinned Spells
- Recommended starting Spells:
- Cantrips: Guidance, Spare the Dying, Minor Illusion, Mage Hand
- 1st Level Spells: Bless (crucial buff spell), Healing Word (ranged healing), Shield (for Defense).
- 2nd Level Spells: Aid (Pairs great with Extended Spells), Spiritual Weapon (extra attacks on your bonus action),
- 3rd Level Spells: Revivify, Haste (Powerful buff for your friends, especially with Twinned Spells)
Play this Build if...
- You want to play a character who can significantly enhance your allies' effectiveness in combat through buffs and healing.
- You like the idea of a spellcaster who draws power from both divine and arcane sources, giving you a unique flavor for roleplaying.
- You enjoy the tactical challenge of deciding between healing and damage, while also managing sorcery points to maximize your own impact.
4) Clockwork Soul Sorcerer
The Clockwork Soul Sorcerer is a master of order, denouncing the chaos that can ensue in a battle. They possess both offensive spells and support. Healing and damage are both on the table for this subclass!
One of their best features, especially for early levels, is Restore Balance. Whenever someone rolls a D20 and has advantage or disadvantage, you can restore the order and set that back to a single, straight roll. This means that your friend who has disadvantage on stealth checks can roll normally, or that pesky enemy that always has advantage on strength saves now has to use a normal roll.
Have fun turning the tides of battle!
Build Specific Details:
- Race: Half Elf or Tiefling
- Both solid options for that charisma bonus.
- Feats: Metamagic adept and Fey Touched
- Metamagic: Extended Spells and Twinned Spells
- Recommended starting Spells:
- Cantrips: Fire Bolt, Message, Minor Illusion, Ray of Frost
- 1st Level Spells: Shield, Protection From Good and Evil, Mage Armor, Magic Missile
- 2nd Level Spells: Mirror Image, Aid, Web
- 3rd Level Spells: Counterspell, Fly, and Fireball (Devastating with twinned spells!)
Play this Build if...
- You want to counteract some of the chaos that battle can bring. The cog forever turns in the house of order and you are its caretaker.
- You need some good multiclass synergy. A lot of the abilities here pair well with other classes, including hexblade warlock.
- You have a thing for clocks! Or maybe you want a more steampunk vibe in your fantasy.
3) Aberrant Mind Sorcerer
Having touched the Far Realm, something might not be right with your mind anymore – but boy do you have some features! Think of the Aberrant Mind Sorcerer as a Lovecraftian walking trope with the natural born talent for spells.
Not only do you naturally gain telepathy at level 1, you also gain some terrifying powers at higher levels. Unleash your inner torment with Revelations in the Flesh where you choose your new physical form, and Warping Implosion, where you create a mini black hole as you teleport away!
Build Specific Details:
- Race: Custom Lineage or Variant Human
- Allows taking a feat at level 1
- +2 Charisma
- Feats: Eldritch Adept, War Caster, Metamagic Adept
- Metamagic: Twinned Spell and Quickened Spell
- Key Spells:
- Cantrips: Mind Sliver, Eldritch Blast (from Eldritch Adept), Mage Hand, Minor Illusion
- 1st: Dissonant Whispers, Shield, Arms of Hadar
- 2nd: Tasha's Mind Whip, Spiritual Weapon
- 3rd: Counterspell, Hunger of Hadar
Play this Build if:
- You’ve always wanted to be HP Lovecraft (minus the racism). This class draws a lot of inspiration from the writer, and you can use that to flavor your character more.
- You want to read people's mind from Level 1. Its a lot of fun, but be careful when using it on your friends (who knows what they are thinking up!)
- You need more versatility and spells than a warlock does.
2) Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer
When run properly, dragons are terrifying creatures in D&D. They have a lot of power behind them, and taking one down is no easy feat. However, there is an option that makes them more available to you, to harness that power yourself and bring destruction on your foes!
Enter the Draconic Bloodline. This subclass lets you utilize draconic blood flowing through your veins, granting you access to different abilities and spells that only a true dragon possesses.Starting with increased survivability through the class feature Draconic Resilience, make sure to increase your dexterity for increased AC – remember, you don’t wear armor.
Make sure to pick a bloodline that piques your own interest. However, if you want full damage capability, go with either Red, Brass or Gold. This grants you access to an affinity for fire and at Level 6 you’ll gain access to Elemental Affinity, which grants spells based upon that choice, i.e. Fireball.
Build Specific Details:
- Race: Half-Elf or Aasimar
- Both of these races give a bonus to charisma
- Aasimar’s radiant soul can help beef up spells.
- Feats: Elemental Adept (crucial for your elemental affinity), War Caster, Metamagic Adept
- Metamagic: Twinned Spell and Quickened Spell
- Key Spells:
- Cantrips: Fire Bolt, Acid Splash, Ray of Frost, Absorb Elements
- 1st: Chromatic Orb, Burning Hands, Shield
- 2nd: Scorching Ray, Web
- 3rd: Counterspell, Fireball
Play this Build if:
- You’ve always thought of yourself as pyromaniac. The amount of fire that you’ll dish out will be a lot, just be wary of fire resistant creatures!
- You want a lot more resilience with your spell casting.
- You want to be able to control the flow of battle through your awesome fire magic.
1) Wild Magic Sorcerer
The Wild Magic Sorcerer injects a high sense of chaos into every situations. Fueled by unpredictable surges of magical energy (determined by the wild magic table), Wild Magic Sorcerers never quite know what will happen when they unleash their power. This randomness can be both a curse and a boon, and while it can lead to comical mishaps or even self-inflicted harm, it also holds the potential for powerful benefits like free spells or teleportation, even creating dramatic swings in the tide of battle.
Mechanics like Tides of Chaos and Bend Luck enhance this playstyle, offering tactical advantages laced with the ever-present risk of a surge. As the Sorcerer grows in power, they can gain a bit of control over their wild magic, allowing them to manipulate the chaos to their advantage. It's a ton of fun!
Build Specific Details:
- Race: Custom Lineage or Tiefling
- The charisma bonus for both classes is a nice – and needed – touch.
- Feats: Elemental Adept, War Caster, Ability Score Increase (getting charisma up to 20 should be a priority for maximum damage).
- Metamagic: Twinned Spell and Quickened Spell
- Key Spells:
- Cantrips: Message, Ray of Frost, Firebolt, Booming Blade
- 1st: Shield, Chaos Bolt, Chromatic Orb, Detect Magic, Disguise Self
- 2nd: Mirror Image, Misty Step, Web, Invisibility
- 3rd: Counterspell, Fireball, Hypnotic Pattern, Slow
Play this Build if:
- You have a need for chaos! Wild Magic is about as chaotic as it could get, and mastering that chaos is part of the class's charm.
- You want a solid choice for spellcasting.
- You need to experience the ire of friends and dm alike! When your wild magic goes well, it’ll be a hoot. When it goes poorly, everyone will squirm and demand you change your class (which you absolutely should not!).
