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View Full Version : Why Don't Sorcerers get Absorb Elements?



Floorlock
2018-04-05, 09:33 AM
What the title says.

I noticed that Absorb Elements is only on the spell lists of Druids, Rangers, and Wizards.

What's up with that?

It's a pretty great defensive spell....so it would be great to have on a sorcerer.

But, more than that: I would assume that it makes thematic sense.

The way that the sorcerer class is presented...it seems as if Wizards of the Coast has somewhat planted them in this scope of "Elemental Superhero." They all revolve around having their specific gimmick....like.., Fire (Phoenix), Lightning (Storm and Sea), Water (Sea), Earth (Stone), Radiance or Necrotic or whatever (Divine Soul). And Draconic obviously revolves around whatever element you choose as well. Shadow and wild magic are a bit different...but, you get my point.

Why can wizards get it....but, a class that seems to have a lot of focus on certain elements is denied access to the ability to...

Absorb Elements...

Is it some sort of balance issue? It's a reaction spell that targets self with a 1 round time limit....so I would assume that it doesn't really have too much in the way of Metamagic abuse. It's not like it can be quickened or twinned or anything.

If I allowed this spell to pop up on the Sorcerer Spell List....how unbalanced would it actually make things?

MaxWilson
2018-04-05, 09:51 AM
They do. It's on the sorcerer spell list in Xanathar's.

FelineArchmage
2018-04-05, 09:56 AM
As someone who is used to the 3.5e spell list where sorcerer and wizard have the same spells, I'm not a big fan of 5e wizards and sorcerer's having different lists.

I was making an NPC who needed to have a specific spell for story reasons, and I thought it was part of the sorcerer spell list since it was in 3.5, but it wasn't! (I gave it to them anyway)

As a core classes go, it doesn't make sense to me that the arcane classes have different spell lists. Wizards should be able to learn any spell they want. Sorcerer's should be able to just inherently know them - the power is the same.

Floorlock
2018-04-05, 10:03 AM
They do. It's on the sorcerer spell list in Xanathar's.

Oh wow. Do they really?

Ha. Wow. That's my fault. I don't have a copy of Xanathar's, and I was just looking over old copies of the Elemental Evil player's companion.

I didn't realize that they had changed it.

I guess if that's the case....then nevermind then. Lol. Thread over.

Grod_The_Giant
2018-04-06, 06:57 AM
As someone who is used to the 3.5e spell list where sorcerer and wizard have the same spells, I'm not a big fan of 5e wizards and sorcerer's having different lists.

I was making an NPC who needed to have a specific spell for story reasons, and I thought it was part of the sorcerer spell list since it was in 3.5, but it wasn't! (I gave it to them anyway)

As a core classes go, it doesn't make sense to me that the arcane classes have different spell lists. Wizards should be able to learn any spell they want. Sorcerer's should be able to just inherently know them - the power is the same.
Or at the very least, that they would have some unique spells. 5e's generally pretty good about differentiating casters via trademark spells (Hex for the Warlock, Find Steed for the Paladin, etc), but Sorcerers just get a bunch of Wizard and Druid spells.

Naanomi
2018-04-06, 07:14 AM
Sorcerers have Chaos Bolt... a few bard list spells wizards lack as well

kardar233
2018-04-06, 11:45 AM
Sorcerers get exactly eight spells that Wizards don’t.

Chaos Bolt
Daylight
Dominate Beast
Earthquake
Enhance Ability
Fire Storm
Insect Plague
Water Walk

The list of Wizard spells that Sorcerers don’t get numbers 116.