P. G. Macer
2023-04-21, 01:07 PM
I’m a sucker for dragons in fantasy, so it should come as no surprise that the Draconic Bloodline is thematically my favorite sorcerous origin. It therefore annoys me that it’s on the lower end of power for Sorcerous Origins, with only Wild Magic and Storm being worse IMO. I therefore took some inspiration from the Tasha’s and Lunar Sorcerers in tweaking the subclass to be more on par with them.
The most obvious change from the PHB version is my inclusion of bonus spells, specific to each dragon kind. In order to compensate for the Draconic Bloodline not originally accommodating bonus spells in its power budget and including an extra-thematic 6th-level spell on top of the standard 10, I made these bonus spells completely unswappable, even if that means Blue and Bronze dragon sorcerers are stuck with witch bolt forever. I tried to balance thematic cohesion with power in selecting the spells, though I already know there are some clear winners and losers. Much of my inspiration for spell choices came from the suggested innate spell casting options for the chromatic and metallic dragons in Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons, and straight from the stat blocks for the gem dragons from the same book.
Aside from the bonus spells, the changes to the other features of the Sorcerous Origin are fairly minor, mostly Quality of Life changes, such as Dragon Ancestor granting a language of your choice if you already knew Draconic. The biggest change is expanding Elemental Affinity’s +CHA mod damage to being able to apply to more than one damage role, but only once per turn. The main reasoning for this is for spells like wall of fire, which in the RAW version only gain the bonus damage the first time damage is rolled.
Since most of the non-Bonus Spells changes are easy to overlook, I’ve italicized them here to make them stand out more.
Draconic Bloodline (Tweaked)
You can view my Homebrewery document of the subclass here (https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/F5A_Xph-QXZB).
(Lore unchanged from the Player’s Handbook)
Dragon Ancestor
At 1st level, you choose one type of dragon as your ancestor. The damage type associated with each dragon is used by features you gain later.
Dragon
Damage Type
Amethyst
Force
Black
Acid
Blue
Lightning
Brass
Fire
Bronze
Lightning
Copper
Acid
Crystal
Radiant
Emerald
Psychic
Gold
Fire
Green
Poison
Lunar
Cold
Red
Fire
Sapphire
Thunder
Solar
Radiant
Silver
Cold
Topaz
Necrotic
White
Cold
You can speak, read, and write Draconic. If you already know Draconic, you learn one other language of your choice. Additionally, whenever you make a Charisma check when interacting with dragons, your proficiency bonus is doubled if it applies to the check.
Dragon Magic
You learn additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class based on your choice of Dragon Ancestor, as shown on the Dragon Spells tables at the end of this post. Each spell counts as a sorcerer spell for you, but it does not count against the number of sorcerer spells you know. You cannot replace these spells when you gain a level.
Draconic Resilience
(Totally unchanged from the SRD/PHB version)
Elemental Affinity
Starting at 6th level, when you cast a spell that deals damage of the type associated with your draconic ancestry, you can add your Charisma modifier to one damage roll per turn of that spell for its duration. At the same time, you can spend 1 sorcery point to gain resistance to that damage type for 1 hour.
Dragon Wings
At 14th level, you gain the ability to sprout a pair of dragon wings from your back, gaining a flying speed equal to your current speed + 5 feet. You can create these wings as a bonus action on your turn. They last until you dismiss them as a bonus action on your turn.
You can’t manifest your wings while wearing armor unless the armor is made to accommodate them, and clothing not made to accommodate your wings might be destroyed when you manifest them.
Draconic Presence
Beginning at 18th level, you can channel the dread presence of your dragon ancestor, causing those around you to become awestruck or frightened. As an action, you can spend 5 sorcery points to draw on this power and exude an aura of awe or fear (your choice) to a distance of 60 feet. For 1 minute or until you lose your concentration (as if you were casting a concentration spell), each hostile creature that starts its turn in this aura must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed (if you chose awe) or frightened (if you chose fear) until the aura ends. A creature that succeeds on this saving throw is immune to your aura for 8 hours.
Black Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
cause fear, Tasha’s caustic brew
3rd
blindness/deafness, Melf’s acid arrow
5th
incite greed, plant growth
7th
charm monster, vitriolic sphere
9th
insect plague, summon draconic spirit
11th
transport via plants
Blue Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
silent image, witch bolt
3rd
dragon’s breath, dust devil
5th
lightning bolt, major image
7th
arcane eye, hallucinatory terrain
9th
summon draconic spirit, transmute rock
11th
chain lightning
Green Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
cause fear, ray of sickness
3rd
dragon’s breath, protection from poison
5th
speak with plants, stinking cloud
7th
charm monster grasping vine
9th
cloudkill, summon draconic spirit
11th
wall of thorns
Red Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
bane, hellish rebuke
3rd
heat metal, suggestion
5th
Ashardalon’s stride, incite greed
7th
elemental bane, wall of fire
9th
dominate person, immolation
11th
investiture of flame
White Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
armor of Agathys, cause fear
3rd
gust of wind, Rime’s binding ice
5th
fear, sleet storm
7th
elemental bane, ice storm
9th
cone of cold, control winds
11th
investiture of ice
Brass Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
sleep, speak with animals
3rd
Aganazzar’s scorcher, suggestion
5th
fast friends, wall of sand
7th
locate creature, wall of fire
9th
immolation, summon draconic spirit
11th
mass suggestion
Bronze Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
speak with animals, witch bolt
3rd
beast sense, skywrite
5th
call lightning, lightning bolt
7th
control water, storm sphere
9th
maelstrom, summon draconic spirit
11th
heroes’ feast
Copper Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
Tasha’s caustic brew, Tasha’s hideous laughter
3rd
dragon’s breath, Melf’s acid arrow
5th
enemies abound, fear
7th
stone shape, vitriolic sphere
9th
mislead, summon draconic spirit
11th
move earth
Gold Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
bless, burning hands
3rd
ray of enfeeblement, scorching ray
5th
fireball, slow
7th
Mordenkainen’s private sanctum, wall of fire
9th
commune, geas
11th
word of recall
Silver Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
frost fingers, ice knife
3rd
calm emotions, zone of truth
5th
beacon of hope, sleet storm
7th
ice storm, polymorph
9th
cone of cold, legend lore
11th
wall of ice
Amethyst Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
magnify gravity, unseen servant
3rd
borrowed knowledge, immovable object
5th
pusle wave, sending
7th
freedom of movement, gravity sinkhole
9th
Bigby’s hand, summon draconic spirit
11th
gravity fissure
Crystal Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
command, guiding bolt
3rd
invisibility, moonbeam
5th
blinding smite, hypnotic pattern
7th
aura of life, divination
9th
greater restoration, wall of light
11th
Otto’s irresistible dance
Emerald Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
dissonant whispers, silent image
3rd
detect thoughts, Tasha’s mind whip
5th
dispel magic, major image
7th
phantasmal killer, Raulothim’s psychic lance
9th
Rary’s telepathic bond, synaptic static
11th
psychic crush
Sapphire Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
Tenser’s floating disk, thunderwave
3rd
hold person, shatter
5th
meld into stone, thunder step
7th
banishment, elemental bane
9th
destructive wave, hold monster
11th
blade barrier
Topaz Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
bane, create or destroy water
3rd
darkvision, wither and bloom
5th
feign death, vampiric touch
7th
control water, fabricate
9th
antilife shell, enervation
11th
harm
Lunar Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
armor of Agathys, frost fingers
3rd
moonbeam, Rime’s binding ice
5th
gaseous form, meld into stone
7th
fire shield, stone shape
9th
cone of cold, wall of force
11th
Otiluke’s freezing sphere
Solar Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
guiding bolt, sudden awakening
3rd
air bubble, branding smite
5th
blinding smite, daylight
7th
fire shield, sickening radiance
9th
dawn, flame strike
11th
sunbeam
The most obvious change from the PHB version is my inclusion of bonus spells, specific to each dragon kind. In order to compensate for the Draconic Bloodline not originally accommodating bonus spells in its power budget and including an extra-thematic 6th-level spell on top of the standard 10, I made these bonus spells completely unswappable, even if that means Blue and Bronze dragon sorcerers are stuck with witch bolt forever. I tried to balance thematic cohesion with power in selecting the spells, though I already know there are some clear winners and losers. Much of my inspiration for spell choices came from the suggested innate spell casting options for the chromatic and metallic dragons in Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons, and straight from the stat blocks for the gem dragons from the same book.
Aside from the bonus spells, the changes to the other features of the Sorcerous Origin are fairly minor, mostly Quality of Life changes, such as Dragon Ancestor granting a language of your choice if you already knew Draconic. The biggest change is expanding Elemental Affinity’s +CHA mod damage to being able to apply to more than one damage role, but only once per turn. The main reasoning for this is for spells like wall of fire, which in the RAW version only gain the bonus damage the first time damage is rolled.
Since most of the non-Bonus Spells changes are easy to overlook, I’ve italicized them here to make them stand out more.
Draconic Bloodline (Tweaked)
You can view my Homebrewery document of the subclass here (https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/F5A_Xph-QXZB).
(Lore unchanged from the Player’s Handbook)
Dragon Ancestor
At 1st level, you choose one type of dragon as your ancestor. The damage type associated with each dragon is used by features you gain later.
Dragon
Damage Type
Amethyst
Force
Black
Acid
Blue
Lightning
Brass
Fire
Bronze
Lightning
Copper
Acid
Crystal
Radiant
Emerald
Psychic
Gold
Fire
Green
Poison
Lunar
Cold
Red
Fire
Sapphire
Thunder
Solar
Radiant
Silver
Cold
Topaz
Necrotic
White
Cold
You can speak, read, and write Draconic. If you already know Draconic, you learn one other language of your choice. Additionally, whenever you make a Charisma check when interacting with dragons, your proficiency bonus is doubled if it applies to the check.
Dragon Magic
You learn additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class based on your choice of Dragon Ancestor, as shown on the Dragon Spells tables at the end of this post. Each spell counts as a sorcerer spell for you, but it does not count against the number of sorcerer spells you know. You cannot replace these spells when you gain a level.
Draconic Resilience
(Totally unchanged from the SRD/PHB version)
Elemental Affinity
Starting at 6th level, when you cast a spell that deals damage of the type associated with your draconic ancestry, you can add your Charisma modifier to one damage roll per turn of that spell for its duration. At the same time, you can spend 1 sorcery point to gain resistance to that damage type for 1 hour.
Dragon Wings
At 14th level, you gain the ability to sprout a pair of dragon wings from your back, gaining a flying speed equal to your current speed + 5 feet. You can create these wings as a bonus action on your turn. They last until you dismiss them as a bonus action on your turn.
You can’t manifest your wings while wearing armor unless the armor is made to accommodate them, and clothing not made to accommodate your wings might be destroyed when you manifest them.
Draconic Presence
Beginning at 18th level, you can channel the dread presence of your dragon ancestor, causing those around you to become awestruck or frightened. As an action, you can spend 5 sorcery points to draw on this power and exude an aura of awe or fear (your choice) to a distance of 60 feet. For 1 minute or until you lose your concentration (as if you were casting a concentration spell), each hostile creature that starts its turn in this aura must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed (if you chose awe) or frightened (if you chose fear) until the aura ends. A creature that succeeds on this saving throw is immune to your aura for 8 hours.
Black Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
cause fear, Tasha’s caustic brew
3rd
blindness/deafness, Melf’s acid arrow
5th
incite greed, plant growth
7th
charm monster, vitriolic sphere
9th
insect plague, summon draconic spirit
11th
transport via plants
Blue Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
silent image, witch bolt
3rd
dragon’s breath, dust devil
5th
lightning bolt, major image
7th
arcane eye, hallucinatory terrain
9th
summon draconic spirit, transmute rock
11th
chain lightning
Green Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
cause fear, ray of sickness
3rd
dragon’s breath, protection from poison
5th
speak with plants, stinking cloud
7th
charm monster grasping vine
9th
cloudkill, summon draconic spirit
11th
wall of thorns
Red Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
bane, hellish rebuke
3rd
heat metal, suggestion
5th
Ashardalon’s stride, incite greed
7th
elemental bane, wall of fire
9th
dominate person, immolation
11th
investiture of flame
White Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
armor of Agathys, cause fear
3rd
gust of wind, Rime’s binding ice
5th
fear, sleet storm
7th
elemental bane, ice storm
9th
cone of cold, control winds
11th
investiture of ice
Brass Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
sleep, speak with animals
3rd
Aganazzar’s scorcher, suggestion
5th
fast friends, wall of sand
7th
locate creature, wall of fire
9th
immolation, summon draconic spirit
11th
mass suggestion
Bronze Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
speak with animals, witch bolt
3rd
beast sense, skywrite
5th
call lightning, lightning bolt
7th
control water, storm sphere
9th
maelstrom, summon draconic spirit
11th
heroes’ feast
Copper Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
Tasha’s caustic brew, Tasha’s hideous laughter
3rd
dragon’s breath, Melf’s acid arrow
5th
enemies abound, fear
7th
stone shape, vitriolic sphere
9th
mislead, summon draconic spirit
11th
move earth
Gold Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
bless, burning hands
3rd
ray of enfeeblement, scorching ray
5th
fireball, slow
7th
Mordenkainen’s private sanctum, wall of fire
9th
commune, geas
11th
word of recall
Silver Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
frost fingers, ice knife
3rd
calm emotions, zone of truth
5th
beacon of hope, sleet storm
7th
ice storm, polymorph
9th
cone of cold, legend lore
11th
wall of ice
Amethyst Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
magnify gravity, unseen servant
3rd
borrowed knowledge, immovable object
5th
pusle wave, sending
7th
freedom of movement, gravity sinkhole
9th
Bigby’s hand, summon draconic spirit
11th
gravity fissure
Crystal Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
command, guiding bolt
3rd
invisibility, moonbeam
5th
blinding smite, hypnotic pattern
7th
aura of life, divination
9th
greater restoration, wall of light
11th
Otto’s irresistible dance
Emerald Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
dissonant whispers, silent image
3rd
detect thoughts, Tasha’s mind whip
5th
dispel magic, major image
7th
phantasmal killer, Raulothim’s psychic lance
9th
Rary’s telepathic bond, synaptic static
11th
psychic crush
Sapphire Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
Tenser’s floating disk, thunderwave
3rd
hold person, shatter
5th
meld into stone, thunder step
7th
banishment, elemental bane
9th
destructive wave, hold monster
11th
blade barrier
Topaz Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
bane, create or destroy water
3rd
darkvision, wither and bloom
5th
feign death, vampiric touch
7th
control water, fabricate
9th
antilife shell, enervation
11th
harm
Lunar Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
armor of Agathys, frost fingers
3rd
moonbeam, Rime’s binding ice
5th
gaseous form, meld into stone
7th
fire shield, stone shape
9th
cone of cold, wall of force
11th
Otiluke’s freezing sphere
Solar Dragon Spells
Sorcerer Level
Spells
1st
guiding bolt, sudden awakening
3rd
air bubble, branding smite
5th
blinding smite, daylight
7th
fire shield, sickening radiance
9th
dawn, flame strike
11th
sunbeam