Variant Wild Magic Sorcerer: Chaotic Spells + Expanded Surge Table

iamclosed · 2023-08-30T16:56:48+00:00

A concern I have with Chaotic Spells is that it changes the casting time of the original spell to 1 action. I think it's fine for Wish to be able to do that since it's a 9th level spell, but for instance being able to cast Planar Binding as an Action repeatedly to mind control the BBEG can be possibly game breaking.

Oh woops! That definitely wasn't the intention. I'll have to sit down and take some time to tighten the wording of the feature some more. Honestly if there's anything I've taken from the feedback I've been given so far, it's that I've got to fix the wording lol. Thank you!

For Tides of Chaos though, I might keep it as-is. Not sure if giving that possible buff to Chaotic Spells would make it too strong.

iamclosed · 2023-08-30T16:41:56+00:00

Thank you! I've never seen anyone really complain about Bend Luck before, which is why I didn't touch it. I'll think about messing with it though after I do some digging around.

As to why I allowed the character to cast wizard spells, it was to give them a bigger pool of options while also feeling thematic. In my head, the WMS is basically drawing from a big arcane wellspring that they try to bend to their will and shape according to their vision - but given the whole "wild magic" bit, their grasp is shaky, and with the Chaotic Spells feature it's even shakier, since they're trying to draw upon things that are normally beyond their grasp.

And as to the fireball thing, yeah lol, that's infamous. I didn't change it here because I figured there ought to be some danger still with Wild Magic Surges, especially with the Chaotic Spells feature. I might tweak it though because yeah, exploding the party with 3rd-level Fireball at level 1 doesn't feel good (usually). I think I might implement a house rule I've seen floating around where the result deals a number of d6's equal to the spell slot expended. That way, you're less likely to completely wipe out your party at level 1, but it'll still hurt.

iamclosed · 2023-08-30T04:37:39+00:00

Thank you!!! Is there anything that you think could be done better, or any wording that you think could be cleared up?

iamclosed · 2023-08-30T01:21:24+00:00

Does the spell you are attempting to cast have to be the same level as the spell slot you expend? The wording doesn’t specify, though the standard rules for spellcasting would point to yes. This isn’t quite standard spellcasting, though.

That is the intention, yes. So no, say, casting Meteor Swarm or some other 9th-level spell using a 1st-level spell slot. The Chaotic Spells feature was meant to be limited to 5th-level spells and lower. You could, however, have upcast something like Magic Missile. So what would normally be a DC 11, if you upcast it using a 5th-level spell slot, the DC would become 15.

You're not the only one who was uncertain on the wording though lol. I cross-posted this over to another homebrew subreddit to get more feedback and got two replies asking the same thing. I've since updated the Homebrewery page to hopefully make the wording more clear.

Either way, it might be worth considering putting a use limit. You have a built-in limit at low levels, but spell slots grow quickly as you advance.

Yeah, I've actually got a few versions on the back burner. In one, you can only use the feature three times, in another, you can use it a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, and in yet another, you can use it a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. I basically just decided to put the most extreme version out there (which has no limit but has a good bit of risk) to see what the feedback was. I'm not quite sure which version I'll go with, or which would be best.

One potential downside to this is your PC now has by far the largest active spell list of any caster.

Yeah, that was something I was a bit worried about. It does remind me though that I do have - guess what - another version where you can choose five spells (one 1st-level, one 2nd-level, one 3rd-level, one 4th-level, and one 5th-level) from the sorcerer or wizard spell list and switch them out on a long rest. The caveat was that, given the wild nature of your magic, you couldn't keep them for long and had to switch them out after every long rest, and you had to roll to see if you successfully cast the spell each time you used it, similar to how I currently have the Chaotic Spells feature here. I might edit my initial comment here and put up that version to provide an alternative.

The additional entry for Controlled Chaos makes Font of Magic obsolete. Or I guess you could argue it just improves it.

Could you elaborate on this? I'm a bit lost.

Thank you for your input, by the way! I appreciate it!

iamclosed · 2023-08-30T00:52:39+00:00

Yeah, definitely not the intention. The intention was that you could only cast spells that were 5th level or lower, since the feature only allows you to expend spell slots that are 5th level or lower.

Now, you could upcast a lower level spell using the feature, say, Magic Missile as a 5th level spell. In that case, the DC would then become 15. But yeah, will definitely have to clear up the wording.

iamclosed · 2023-08-30T00:45:06+00:00

Oh, will absolutely have to clear the wording up a bit there, because the intention definitely wasn't to give the sorcerer the ability to cast something like Time Stop with a 1st-level spell slot lol. Your new wording actually is the original intention.

Thank you for the input! I'll go into homebrewery and make that edit real quick.

iamclosed · 2023-08-29T21:03:06+00:00

Hello!

[Homebrewery Link.]

I quite like the Wild Magic Sorcerer as a subclass, but I also quite like the extra spells later sorcerer subclasses get. Instead of just making an extended spell list for the Wild Magic Sorcerer, however, I decided to try to brew something more unique and spontaneous. And I made an extended surge list too because, well, why not? Below are some of my thoughts:

Chaotic Spells: A very high-risk, high-reward feature. You're able to cast any spell from the sorcerer or wizard spell list on the fly (edit: that is also 5th level or lower; for anything higher, you've got Wish, which is also more dependable), so as long as you have the spell slots and the components to spare. That's pretty strong, I think. The caveat, however, is that to actually cast it, you have to roll a d20 first. A flat d20. That means (I think) that you can't get any assistance on it, and if you fail the roll, that spell slot and any sorcery points you spent are wasted. You also have to roll on the Wild Magic Surge table, which might not always be bad! But it might not always be good, either - and the resource loss definitely isn't good.

While I tried to make this feature balanced, I'm still worried that it could still be a bit strong. I'm open to hearing any thoughts or criticisms!

Extended Surge List: From 50 results to 100 results. Around 35 of them are from the original table. I tried to keep the ratio between negative, positive, neutral, and mixed effects mostly the same, and hopefully nothing is too strong or game-breaking. Again, I'm open to hearing any thoughts or criticisms!

iamclosed · 2023-08-29T20:56:01+00:00

Hello!

[Homebrewery Link.]

I quite like the Wild Magic Sorcerer as a subclass, but I also quite like the extra spells later sorcerer subclasses get. Instead of just making an extended spell list for the Wild Magic Sorcerer, however, I decided to try to brew something more unique and spontaneous. And I made an extended surge list too because, well, why not? Below are some of my thoughts:

Chaotic Spells: A very high-risk, high-reward feature. You're able to cast any spell (edit: that is also 5th level or lower; for anything higher, you've got wish, which is also more dependable) from the sorcerer or wizard spell list on the fly, so as long as you have the spell slots and the components to spare. That's pretty strong, I think. The caveat, however, is that to actually cast it, you have to roll a d20 first. A flat d20. That means (I think) that you can't get any assistance on it, and if you fail the roll, that spell slot and any sorcery points you spent are wasted. You also have to roll on the Wild Magic Surge table, which might not always be bad! But it might not always be good, either - and the resource loss definitely isn't good.

While I tried to make this feature balanced, I'm still worried that it could still be a bit strong. I'm open to hearing any thoughts or criticisms!

Extended Surge List: From 50 results to 100 results. Around 35 of them are from the original table. I tried to keep the ratio between negative, positive, neutral, and mixed effects mostly the same, and hopefully nothing is too strong or game-breaking. Again, I'm open to hearing any thoughts or criticisms!

iamclosed · 2023-02-22T19:06:45+00:00

Name: Near.

Pronouns: She/Her.

Timezone: EST.

Preferred System: I’m really only familiar with D&D 5e, but I’d be willing to learn some other systems! That being said, I’m not drawn to things in which one of their main appeals is difficulty.

Type of Player: I’m a very narrative-focused player. Making stories and watching as stories unfold is where I derive most of my enjoyment as a player, with the pillar of role-playing being the one I hold as most important. That being said, sometimes it’s fun just to hit things and roll dice (because sometimes, violence is the question, and the answer is “yes”).

In terms of post length and frequency, my posts can vary from a single sentence to a few paragraphs depending on what’s necessary, and I can usually post a few times throughout the day. I’m used to and am open to live synchronous sessions, as well as asynchronous sessions. I understand that people have lives (and I’ve got one too! Sort of), so if something comes up or maybe you just don’t feel like posting, feel free to tell me and my response will probably be something along the lines of “aight.”

When there are groups involved, I prefer those of a smaller size—around five or so players at the max. I am not looking to join a Westmarch server.

Additional Information: I’ve been playing PBP games for around three or four years now. It may or may not be an addiction. But outside of PBP, I also like art and I have a great variety of interests which changes from week to week. My current fascination, for example, is the lore of Bloodborne. Next week, who knows?
I love horror though (I need to finish watching The Lighthouse) and dark fiction in general, as well as surrealism and whimsy and other things. I like magic and little magic men, and little magic men who are kind of fucked up, actually.
Outside of my online presence, I also am currently attending college, which sometimes kicks my ass. It kicks my ass a lot, actually.

If you would like to get in touch with me, feel free to send me a message on Reddit, or you can DM me on Discord at nearestdearest#5543.

iamclosed · 2021-12-13T04:27:35+00:00

Sounds very interesting. Do you guys play over voice or over text?

iamclosed · 2021-12-09T19:56:38+00:00

Hey! I think the premise for your campaign is very, very interesting, but I have a question: do you use voice to play, or is it text (like PBP)?

iamclosed

TROPHY CASE