Sorcerer: Storm Sorcery
Crowd Control Close-Quarters Caster Build
The Character:
The rain hammered at Tenkarn's shoulders as he clung to the topmast for dear life -- one arm wrapped around the great wooden pole, the other straining to pull a rope taught. The Sea-Scorpion cut through choppy waters, the sea's surface thrashing like a man at his sheets in the heat of a nightmare.
"Stow the sails!" Tenkarn called over the gale to his crewmen. They held desperately to the wooden yards next to him some seventy feet above the deck of the ship. Useless cowards. The worst time to be bosun was no doubt during a storm, but this was no average hurricane. A normal storm's wind might whip and thrash the sails, carving them through, and leaving the ship stranded at sea, but this terror's rain drops pierced the sailcloth like arrows. They were already heavily damaged, but whatever he and his men could salvage might save their lives. Even if they crawled into dock, they'd at least reach land. Sweet, sweet land.
Damn that captain, earning them a banishment from Alphar right before the worst storm they'd ever seen washed in over the Sea of Fallen Stars. Wavecrest was still several days' travel away, and that was with in-tact sails. When they got through this Tenkarn knew exactly what he'd be doing with the dagger he kept sheathed at his side. A sickening crack of wood singed his ears and interrupted those mutinous thoughts as an enormous wave washed over the deck, breaking the railing and flooding the stern. That surge must've been a hundred feet tall, at least! Gods. The rush of water carried several screaming men overboard, including the captain that had been steering, flooding the stairs and prow.
Another wave abused the same spot, and the ship began to broach, tilting hazardously out over the angered sea. The topmast Tenkarn had been clinging to leaned over those gnashing waters, dangling him above their surface, an offering to that hungry mouth. That was when the sound of thunder deafened him, and his only vision was of blue lightning rending the ship in twain. So much for sailing into dock.
"Stow the sails!" Tenkarn called over the gale to his crewmen. They held desperately to the wooden yards next to him some seventy feet above the deck of the ship. Useless cowards. The worst time to be bosun was no doubt during a storm, but this was no average hurricane. A normal storm's wind might whip and thrash the sails, carving them through, and leaving the ship stranded at sea, but this terror's rain drops pierced the sailcloth like arrows. They were already heavily damaged, but whatever he and his men could salvage might save their lives. Even if they crawled into dock, they'd at least reach land. Sweet, sweet land.
Damn that captain, earning them a banishment from Alphar right before the worst storm they'd ever seen washed in over the Sea of Fallen Stars. Wavecrest was still several days' travel away, and that was with in-tact sails. When they got through this Tenkarn knew exactly what he'd be doing with the dagger he kept sheathed at his side. A sickening crack of wood singed his ears and interrupted those mutinous thoughts as an enormous wave washed over the deck, breaking the railing and flooding the stern. That surge must've been a hundred feet tall, at least! Gods. The rush of water carried several screaming men overboard, including the captain that had been steering, flooding the stairs and prow.
Another wave abused the same spot, and the ship began to broach, tilting hazardously out over the angered sea. The topmast Tenkarn had been clinging to leaned over those gnashing waters, dangling him above their surface, an offering to that hungry mouth. That was when the sound of thunder deafened him, and his only vision was of blue lightning rending the ship in twain. So much for sailing into dock.
The Concept: Build, Character, Backgrounds
The Storm Sorcerer is unpopular because it requires being within melee range to truly thrive -- this does not surprise me. When a class offers a benefit that is difficult to make function in an optimal way, people tend to shy away from it in favor of the more cut-and-dry cookie cutter formulas of the other subclasses. They're playing a sorcerer, a caster, so they want to stand at a distance and fire spells into the midst of the enemy. I understand that, but there is something so appealing about being the spell fired into the midst of the enemy, and that is exactly what the Storm Sorcerer provides. This build will be focusing on close-quarters casting that manages enemy crowds with an emphasis on lightning and thunder damage.
Both the sea and its sailors are chaotic, and those that would kill and steal from others who share the waves are often evil. For that reason, I've settled on a Chaotic Evil alignment for Tenkarn, though Chaotic Neutral would also be appropriate. The obvious background choice is Pirate, though I would choose the Sailor variant for a Neutral or even Good aligned Tenkarn. Of course, character background is more up to preference than optimization, so this choice lies in the hands of the player.
The Race: Human (Variant)
I did heavily consider the Half-Elf for this build, as its stat boosts fit just perfectly for what this build seeks to accomplish, but without beginning the game with a feat like the Human (Variant) does we wouldn't be able to maximize our Charisma stat. This build requires a total of four feats to function at its best, but once acquired, this Sorcerer will be a force to reckon with. The Human (Variant)'s stat boosts will go toward Charisma and Constitution. The starting feat the player should choose is Lightly Armored for the proficiency in light armor, and the +1 should be placed in Dexterity. The Mage Armor spell will be better than wearing light armor at first, but this feat is only a stepping stone, a prerequisite, for a feat we plan on taking later.
The Stat Spread (Standard Array):
CHA 16 (+3), DEX 15 (+2), CON 14 (+2), WIS 12 (+1), STR 10 (+0), INT 8 (-1)
Our prioritized stat, of course, is Charisma. This handles our Sorcerer's Spell Save DC and our Spell Attack Bonus - both crucial. Dexterity will be our secondary stat and will be handling our AC and melee damage, though we shouldn't be doing much of that. Constitution is of course up high for HP purposes, and the rest are dump stats.
The Class: Notable Features
Tempestuous Magic: this is the start of our Sorcerer's crowd control abilities. Our caster is going to be in the middle of the fray for most standard enemies/medium-difficulty encounters (no need to be in melee with a Tarrasque). As we won't be using our bonus action for much anyway, the ability to jettison 10ft. in any direction w/out provoking opportunity attacks allows the Sorcerer to target whatever threat is most dangerous at the moment, effectively spreading their damage out across all enemies throughout the encounter.
Heart of the Storm: this feature right here is really why we're in melee,and serves as the foundation for the build. Before even casting a spell, our sorcerer is dealing damage to enemies. This feature is also why we're prioritizing lightning and thunder damage spells, its not just for flavor. Whenever we begin to cast a spell that deals one of those damage types, every creature of the Sorcerer's choice within 10ft. take lightning or thunder damage equal to half the sorcerer's level thanks to this feature. Damage that comes before the damage is very good, and it doesn't even require an attack roll or saving throw. It just happens. The resistance to lightning and thunder damage is nice, too.
Storm's Fury: yet another reason to stay in the main fray with enemies. Free lightning damage equal to the character's Sorcerer level every time they're stricken with a melee attack is extremely good, and it encourages enemies not to approach or hit the Sorcerer. So, now we have a squishy caster that can stand right in the middle of a swarm of enemies and no one is willing to get close. Also, the additional option to launch an opponent 20 feet away after striking the Sorcerer is great if the area is getting too crowded.
Wind Soul: flight speed without the aid of a magic item or spell sure is excellent, and the ability to stretch it to the entire party is beyond good. With this feature active, now our caster can stay in the fray . . . 10ft above it. Out of the range of melee attacks, but still within range to punish opponents with Heart of the Storm every time they cast a spell.
Spells: as a pure caster, class features are just icing on the cake and spells are the cake itself.
In order to maximize how often we're utilizing Heart of the Storm, we'll be prioritizing spells that deal lightning or thunder damage.
While cantrips do not count toward the feature activating, Lightning Lure and Shocking Grasp are both thematically appropriate and function in cooperation with the build's playstyle: crowd control. We want as many enemies to be near our Sorcerer, and away from our party members, as possible when they're casting a spell, and Lightning Lure does just that. It draws foes in and shocks them once they're close. Shocking Grasp ruins a foes opportunity attacks, so if allies need to pass by unscathed, this is a great cantrip to whip out.
The bread-and-butter spell of this build is going to be Chromatic Orb, which can deal either 3d8 lightning or thunder damage, caster's choice, at first level. It's low-level so our Sorcerer can cast it many times, it activates Heart of the Storm and it plays into one of our feats, Warcaster, which will be discussed under the Feats section of the post -- it's perfect. Thunderwave is good for knocking things prone around the Sorcerer, granting advantage to the melee-using party members, but its very loud so if stealth is a necessity, leave this one at home. The Shatter spell falls into the same camp. Useful higher level damaging spells include Lightning Bolt, Thunder Step and Chain Lightning. Wall of Water is also both thematically appropriate and a great means of crowd control, keeping enemies within 10 feet of our sorcerer and forcing as many of them as possible to take damage from our Heart of the Storm feature.
Metamagic: what would a Sorcerer build be without discussing the strategy behind their Metamagic feature, the things that can make them, arguably, the strongest caster in the game. There are some specifically potent Metamagic spell combos that make our crowd control build even more deadly, and these are the four options the build should choose:
-Empowered Spell: there's not much to discuss with this option other than that the ability to reroll damage dice equivalent to the Sorcerer's charisma modifier is insanely good. It's best used when paired with one of the other Metamagic options -- a Lightning Bolt that makes enemies save at disadvantage via Heightened Spell with nitpicked damage from Empowered Spell is potent.
-Distant Spell: Shocking Grasp is low damage, it is a cantrip after all, but its unique ability to eat the target's reaction becomes much more versatile when the spell has a range of 30 feet. It can ensure a safe getaway for party members, or prevent a shield spell from an enemy abjurer, etc.! Unfortunately, Lightning Bolt has a range of self, so Distant Spell cannot be applied to it, but Chain Lightning has a range: 150ft. Well, with Distant Spell, now that's 300ft. And, while its not RAW, personally, as a DM, I would allow for the additional range function of chain lightning to be doubled as well. Typically, it can only strike additional targets within 30ft of the original. With Distant Spell, and a flexible DM, now its 60ft. While we are a melee caster with this build, that doesn't mean things aren't happening outside our reach, and Distant Spell is here to ensure that's close to nothing.
-Heightened Spell: want to be very certain that Chain Lightning spell hits? The Sorcerer wouldn't want to waste such a high level spell slot. This is when Heightened Spell is at its best. Forcing disadvantage on the save of a spell is fantastic not just for damaging spells but for utility as well. A Blindness/Deafness with disadvantage on the save can be devastating. Same with a Banishment spell. Really any save-or-suck spell pairs excellently with this option and as a crowd-control build, higher likelihood of damage dealing or debuff granting is too good to pass up.
-Twinned Spell: this option is exclusively for the benefit of our Lightning Lure cantrip and bread-and-butter spell Chromatic Orb. Very few spells pair well with this Metamagic option, but since our basic attack is one that does, this is a must-take. Dealing 6d8 spread out amongst two enemies with just a first level spell is the definition of crowd control, and being able to pull two enemies in to then suffer damage from Heart of the Storm is equally valuable. Pairing the two spells together with this feature, one twinned spell after the other, would likely kill any two given enemies. Think about it -- 4d8 via Lightning Lure (at max level) to each enemy after pulling them in, damage equal to half the Sorcerer's level via Heart of the Storm (potentially 10 damage), and then an additional 3d8 via Chromatic Orb (and that's just as a first level spell) all within 2 actions.
Wind Soul: flight speed without the aid of a magic item or spell sure is excellent, and the ability to stretch it to the entire party is beyond good. With this feature active, now our caster can stay in the fray . . . 10ft above it. Out of the range of melee attacks, but still within range to punish opponents with Heart of the Storm every time they cast a spell.
Spells: as a pure caster, class features are just icing on the cake and spells are the cake itself.In order to maximize how often we're utilizing Heart of the Storm, we'll be prioritizing spells that deal lightning or thunder damage.
While cantrips do not count toward the feature activating, Lightning Lure and Shocking Grasp are both thematically appropriate and function in cooperation with the build's playstyle: crowd control. We want as many enemies to be near our Sorcerer, and away from our party members, as possible when they're casting a spell, and Lightning Lure does just that. It draws foes in and shocks them once they're close. Shocking Grasp ruins a foes opportunity attacks, so if allies need to pass by unscathed, this is a great cantrip to whip out.
The bread-and-butter spell of this build is going to be Chromatic Orb, which can deal either 3d8 lightning or thunder damage, caster's choice, at first level. It's low-level so our Sorcerer can cast it many times, it activates Heart of the Storm and it plays into one of our feats, Warcaster, which will be discussed under the Feats section of the post -- it's perfect. Thunderwave is good for knocking things prone around the Sorcerer, granting advantage to the melee-using party members, but its very loud so if stealth is a necessity, leave this one at home. The Shatter spell falls into the same camp. Useful higher level damaging spells include Lightning Bolt, Thunder Step and Chain Lightning. Wall of Water is also both thematically appropriate and a great means of crowd control, keeping enemies within 10 feet of our sorcerer and forcing as many of them as possible to take damage from our Heart of the Storm feature.
Metamagic: what would a Sorcerer build be without discussing the strategy behind their Metamagic feature, the things that can make them, arguably, the strongest caster in the game. There are some specifically potent Metamagic spell combos that make our crowd control build even more deadly, and these are the four options the build should choose:
-Empowered Spell: there's not much to discuss with this option other than that the ability to reroll damage dice equivalent to the Sorcerer's charisma modifier is insanely good. It's best used when paired with one of the other Metamagic options -- a Lightning Bolt that makes enemies save at disadvantage via Heightened Spell with nitpicked damage from Empowered Spell is potent.
-Distant Spell: Shocking Grasp is low damage, it is a cantrip after all, but its unique ability to eat the target's reaction becomes much more versatile when the spell has a range of 30 feet. It can ensure a safe getaway for party members, or prevent a shield spell from an enemy abjurer, etc.! Unfortunately, Lightning Bolt has a range of self, so Distant Spell cannot be applied to it, but Chain Lightning has a range: 150ft. Well, with Distant Spell, now that's 300ft. And, while its not RAW, personally, as a DM, I would allow for the additional range function of chain lightning to be doubled as well. Typically, it can only strike additional targets within 30ft of the original. With Distant Spell, and a flexible DM, now its 60ft. While we are a melee caster with this build, that doesn't mean things aren't happening outside our reach, and Distant Spell is here to ensure that's close to nothing.
-Heightened Spell: want to be very certain that Chain Lightning spell hits? The Sorcerer wouldn't want to waste such a high level spell slot. This is when Heightened Spell is at its best. Forcing disadvantage on the save of a spell is fantastic not just for damaging spells but for utility as well. A Blindness/Deafness with disadvantage on the save can be devastating. Same with a Banishment spell. Really any save-or-suck spell pairs excellently with this option and as a crowd-control build, higher likelihood of damage dealing or debuff granting is too good to pass up.
-Twinned Spell: this option is exclusively for the benefit of our Lightning Lure cantrip and bread-and-butter spell Chromatic Orb. Very few spells pair well with this Metamagic option, but since our basic attack is one that does, this is a must-take. Dealing 6d8 spread out amongst two enemies with just a first level spell is the definition of crowd control, and being able to pull two enemies in to then suffer damage from Heart of the Storm is equally valuable. Pairing the two spells together with this feature, one twinned spell after the other, would likely kill any two given enemies. Think about it -- 4d8 via Lightning Lure (at max level) to each enemy after pulling them in, damage equal to half the Sorcerer's level via Heart of the Storm (potentially 10 damage), and then an additional 3d8 via Chromatic Orb (and that's just as a first level spell) all within 2 actions.
Feats: Close-Quarters Caster
The term "close-quarters caster" is definitely an oxymoron -- mages should generally not be on the front-lines; however, that is where the Storm Sorcerer excels, and so we must build into being near enemies. The following feats should be taken in the order presented, interspersed or followed by boosts to Charisma up to maximum based on player preference.
Lightly Armored: we took this feat as our racial trait for Variant Human, even though its solely worse than just using Mage Armor, specifically to set us up for taking Moderately Armored later, as it has a prerequisite of light armor proficiency which the sorcerer does not have. The +1 to DEX also helps us with the AC we'll gain from Moderately Armored.
Moderately Armored: up until having this feat, Mage Armor is definitely the Sorcerer's best option for AC, but expending a precious spell slot for armor, and not even fantastic armor at that, is asinine. This feat allows us to maximize the efficiency of our Dexterity modifier with a set of half-plate, boosting AC to 16, and the additional proficiencies in shields puts us all the way at 18 -- not bad for a caster-class. The +1 to Dexterity sets us at a nice even 16 in our Dexterity stat (a +3 modifier) which will come in handy for saving throws or the rare instance where attacking with melee is necessary. Since we're going to be right up in enemies' faces, the higher our AC the better.
Warcaster: for once, we aren't taking Warcaster for its advantage on concentration checks. In fact, very few of our spells will utilize concentration. What we're really after is the ability to cast our spells and wear a shield at the same time -- finally taking full advantage of the Moderately Armored feat -- and the ability to cast spells as opportunity attacks. Once again: crowd control. We're gonna be up in the fray and we want enemies to swarm us, that way they take as much damage from Heart of the Storm as possible. So, should they try to flee, now they take Heart of the Storm damage plus a Chromatic Orb (3d8) opportunity attack! That's the equivalent of three opportunity attacks from a Fighter with a longsword. This really punishes foes for leaving the Sorcerer's space, and Heart of the Storm punishes them for staying close. Really, there's no win for them, which is what we want.
Elemental Adept (Lightning): no explanation needed for this one I would hope. There are 35 enemies that resist lightning damage in D&D, and this feat makes sure that our primary source of damage does not become null and void in fights against them. Also, the ability to negate 1s on damage rolls is pretty sweet. Should the player choose to take the Thunder damage variant of this feat instead it would be less useful as only 14 enemies resist thunder damage, but still a valid choice.
Warcaster: for once, we aren't taking Warcaster for its advantage on concentration checks. In fact, very few of our spells will utilize concentration. What we're really after is the ability to cast our spells and wear a shield at the same time -- finally taking full advantage of the Moderately Armored feat -- and the ability to cast spells as opportunity attacks. Once again: crowd control. We're gonna be up in the fray and we want enemies to swarm us, that way they take as much damage from Heart of the Storm as possible. So, should they try to flee, now they take Heart of the Storm damage plus a Chromatic Orb (3d8) opportunity attack! That's the equivalent of three opportunity attacks from a Fighter with a longsword. This really punishes foes for leaving the Sorcerer's space, and Heart of the Storm punishes them for staying close. Really, there's no win for them, which is what we want.
Elemental Adept (Lightning): no explanation needed for this one I would hope. There are 35 enemies that resist lightning damage in D&D, and this feat makes sure that our primary source of damage does not become null and void in fights against them. Also, the ability to negate 1s on damage rolls is pretty sweet. Should the player choose to take the Thunder damage variant of this feat instead it would be less useful as only 14 enemies resist thunder damage, but still a valid choice.
While these are, in my opinion, the optimized feats for this build, there are some other useful options should the player wish: Crossbow Expert (the removal of disadvantage on ranged attacks for foes within 5ft. allows the Sorcerer to catch potentially double the amount of foes in Heart of the Storm since he no longer has to stay 10ft. away from enemies), Inspiring Leader (some temporary HP to cushion blows while in the thick of battle sounds nice), Medium Armor Master (a +1 to AC due to our 16 Dexterity stat, making our Sorcerer sit at 19 AC, gets no complaints from me) and Sentinel (ultimately a bad choice as the Sorcerer would only benefit from 2/3 of the feat, but stopping enemies with those War Caster Chromatic Orbs, trapping them within range of Heart of the Storm, could be useful).
Play Style: Eye of the Storm
Pre-Battle: at earlier levels, before our Sorcerer has access to the Moderately Armored feat, throwing up a Mage Armor before heading straight into the heart of battle certainly wouldn't hurt. At the later levels, granting the party access to Wind Soul's flight is extremely important. This prevents enemies from getting out of melee reach of the fighters/barbarians that excel up close. Other than that, there isn't much for this build to accomplish before battle. They excel in the thick of it.
Early Battle: get in close. Sending the squishy caster right into the throng of orc barbarians really seems to go against all instinct, unless the player is a masochist, but I promise that close-up is where this build excels. With a high enough AC, and a decent Constitution, our Sorcerer should last long enough for his high damage AOE class features and spells to kill any opposition. Really, the motto of this build is "kill or be killed." It's a bit of a glass cannon, true, but an effective one with enough precautions taken to make them not so fragile. This is the time for Lightning Lures to draw as many foes in close as possible followed by Chromatic Orbs to catch all nearby in an activation of Heart of the Storm. Ideally, some lucky few will land a hit and receive a nice taste of Storm's Fury in retribution.
Mid-Late Battle: this is likely when our caster is running low on HP despite consistent attention from even the most dedicated of Clerics. We're high threat, squishy, and right in the enemies' faces -- the Sorcerer will be a big target. So, now's the time to pull-back. We've had our fun with our Heart of the Storms and Storm's Furies, but now's the time to sit in the back and Lightning Bolt the big bad, or Chain Lightning any remaining crowds. Now's also the time to pump our Sorcery Points into Metamagics. Go all out to finish the fight to make up for not utilizing Heart of the Storm. A Heightened, Empowered, Elemental-Adept-boosted Lightning Bolt will really really hurt a boss and maybe even bring them down depending on how late in the fight we're talking.
Roleplay: I of the Storm
Tenkarn is a character best saved for an aquatic/water-themed campaign as his motivation lies at sea, but should he move to land, well, every pirate has a treasure map with an "x marks the spot," no? Perhaps he returned to the wreckage of the Sea-Scorpion and retrieved his previous captain's plans for treasure hunting, or has been far more successful in captaining his own pirate ship and found a treasure map own amongst stolen loot. Maybe he seeks to further his powers by learning more about the Great Rain, and some scholars he could consult live inland. Maybe he wishes to use his newly acquired powers to earn gold through bounty hunting or adventure-contract-taking.
Should Tenkarn be Neutral or Good aligned, his motivation might switch to protecting ships from incoming storms, or even just the ship he now sails with. Perhaps another Great Rain is predicted and he, having lived through it once, must venture forth to find how to stop or best prepare for it. Why are these powerful magical storms pouring in all of a sudden? Only he, touched by the storms, may truly know.
The flavor for spells is built right into the class's features, incentivizing lightning and thunder damage based attacking spells; however, there are still plenty of non-storm themed spells that could use a little Chef Emeril Lagasse style "BAM!" spicing up. For instance, Chromatic Orb does not have to be a mirrored ball that takes on the caster's preference of element. Instead, the Sorcerer forms a miniature hurricane between his palms and launches it toward the enemy, its miniature gales and lightning strikes searing their flesh. The Shield spell could be a burst of thunder, akin to Thunderwave, that knocks the assailant off target. A Hold Person spell might be high level winds tightly encircling a foe, preventing them from escaping. Dominate Monster might call a lightning bolt from the sky that strikes the beast in the head; its eyes flash with the light of the storm and is now under the Sorcerer's control. There is limitless potential for flavoring the Storm Sorcerer's spells. As long as it doesn't change the mechanics, most DMs will allow for customization of spells. Having a unique character is half the fun of D&D!
Should Tenkarn be Neutral or Good aligned, his motivation might switch to protecting ships from incoming storms, or even just the ship he now sails with. Perhaps another Great Rain is predicted and he, having lived through it once, must venture forth to find how to stop or best prepare for it. Why are these powerful magical storms pouring in all of a sudden? Only he, touched by the storms, may truly know.
The flavor for spells is built right into the class's features, incentivizing lightning and thunder damage based attacking spells; however, there are still plenty of non-storm themed spells that could use a little Chef Emeril Lagasse style "BAM!" spicing up. For instance, Chromatic Orb does not have to be a mirrored ball that takes on the caster's preference of element. Instead, the Sorcerer forms a miniature hurricane between his palms and launches it toward the enemy, its miniature gales and lightning strikes searing their flesh. The Shield spell could be a burst of thunder, akin to Thunderwave, that knocks the assailant off target. A Hold Person spell might be high level winds tightly encircling a foe, preventing them from escaping. Dominate Monster might call a lightning bolt from the sky that strikes the beast in the head; its eyes flash with the light of the storm and is now under the Sorcerer's control. There is limitless potential for flavoring the Storm Sorcerer's spells. As long as it doesn't change the mechanics, most DMs will allow for customization of spells. Having a unique character is half the fun of D&D!
Conclusion:
While the Storm Sorcerer excels in an environment antithetical to the typical caster, there are ways of circumventing this so-called disadvantageous style of fighting and turning the character into one that fights uniquely and powerfully. How many other caster classes are going to comfortably maintain in the heat of battle for at least a few rounds and dole out excessive damage because of it? Not many. I would like to note that while this series does not discuss multiclassing, a two-level dip into Tempest Cleric for this build not only has the potential for adding additional story-elements (deities are always fun) but it grants fantastic abilities that pair well with the Storm Sorcerer. It negates the need for both the Lightly Armored and Moderately Armored feats and grants access to maximizing lightning and thunder damage rolls. Pair that with a Heightened Chain Lightning and enemies would be sorry they ever crossed this character. But, that's a discussion for another day. As always, I wish those future Storm Sorcerers luck in their adventuring and that they have as much fun playing Tenkarn as I had building him, or whatever character they choose to make with the race, stats, and abilities of the build!
I just found the website and I took a look at the builds available here. And I have to admit they're wonderful! I'm eager to try the storm sorcerer and the undead warlock build you have presented here. Good job!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I'm planning on getting back to this blog very soon. Graduate school has kept me away, but my return is imminent!
DeleteAs a note, Extended Spell only works on spells with a duration of 1 minute or longer, so lightning bolt would not deal damage over 2 turns.
ReplyDeleteOops! Thanks for the feedback!
Deleteyo dude i believe that you made a mistake with metamagics, Usually, Lightning Bolt is instantaneous, and Extended Spell says a spell that has a duration time of 1 minute or more, so no extending on instantaneous spells
ReplyDeleteYou're totally right! I'll fix that soon. Thanks for the feedback!
DeleteI think I see a misunderstanding about the moderately armored feat, in order to take that feat you need to have proficiency with light armor. The thing is that sorcerer doesn't get any proficiencies with armor, so there's no way he can get that feat, except a few races that can provide that class with armor proficiency, such as mountain dwarf.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback! I don't blame you for not seeing it, because its kinda hidden in the paragraph about our choice for Human Variant, but our starting feat is lightly armored specifically so that we could meet the prerequisite and take moderately armored later!
DeleteWhat is your view on doing a updated build on a similar theme but multiclassing into tempest cleric-6/storm scorcerer-14. With some of the changes/errata thanks to TCoE. With things like the new crusher feat and booming blade that can be a powerful combination. Plus cleric gives you destructive wrath, heavy armor, side healing and now the ability to convert divinity into spell slots as well as thunderbolt strike wich is a house in conjuction with HotS.
ReplyDeleteHey, thanks for the feedback! That sounds like great fun. The nature of D&D is everchanging, with new editions and "add-ons" like XGTE and TCoE, so I kinda expect for these builds to wash out in terms of relevancy sooner or later. Once I get my hands on some free time and access to TCoE, it's definitely in the cards for me to revisit some of these older builds! It will be entertaining to see how much I've improved :)
Delete