Infernally Clay
2023-08-10, 06:32 PM
I haven't really worked out the fluff surrounding this fully yet but it essentially exists within the concept of "one who normally seals their power in return for small bursts of greater strength". What do you think? I've added little explanations for each feature, if it helps.
Wrapped Tightly
Starting at 1st level, you bind a part of your body - typically your dominant arm - in special magical dampening cloth. This cloth imposes a -1 penalty to the damage rolls and difficult class of your spells. This penalty increases as you gain Sorcerer levels (-2 at 6th level, -3 at 14th level and -4 at 18th level). This cloth cannot be removed, damaged or destroyed in any way and its effect cannot be neutralised, except with a Wish spell.
In order for the concept to work, there needed to be some sort of persistent penalty. Your character is, after all, suppressing their own magical strength in return for bursts of power. While a -1 to -4 penalty to the damage and difficulty class of spells can be a lot, I didn't want to affect the attack rolls because nobody wants their spells to constantly miss due to a class feature and I actually hope these penalties encourage the player to adapt and try new strategies.
The Cloth That Binds
Starting at 1st level, the cloth binding your skin provides you with some resistance to the magical effects of others. Whenever a creature uses a spell or spell-like ability that would affect you, as a reaction, you may first make a charisma saving throw against the triggering creature's spell DC. If you succeed, you have resistance against the triggering damage or advantage on the saving throw to resist the spell or spell-like ability's effect. You gain a +1 bonus to this specific saving throw and this bonus increases as you gain Sorcerer levels (+2 at 6th level, +3 at 14th level and +4 at 18th level).
This is a big one. There needed to be more to the subclass than "you're weak most of the time but occasionally you're strong", so I thought of a persistent advantage to go with the persistent penalty. By limiting the effect to a reaction I'm limiting how often it can be used and providing an alternative to just spamming Shield all the time.
Stop Holding Back
Starting from sixth level, as a bonus action, you may touch the cloth binding your skin and enter an empowered state that draws upon the magic within you that it suppresses. For the next minute your spells gain a +3 bonus to their damage rolls and difficult class and this bonus increases as you gain Sorcerer levels (+4 at 14th level and +5 at 18th level). You may use this feature a number of times per long rest equal to your proficiency bonus.
I affectionately call this the "rage" mechanic of the subclass. It should be powerful enough that this is the reason you take the subclass at all but this should be offset by not allowing you to use it all that often. You really need to decide exactly when is the best time to pop this feature off, but it's a bonus action to do so which should allow you to get an immediate benefit out of it.
Magical Power Unbound
Starting from 14th level, when you roll damage for a spell, you can spend 1 sorcery point to roll one additional damage die when determining the damage of the spell. From 18th level, you can spend 2 sorcery points to roll two additional damage dice instead.
Another Barbarian style feature, except you get to choose when it happens and you're limited to how many times you can use it per day. Even if you're not playing a blaster, this should provide your damage spells with that extra kick. Just be careful you don't burn through your sorcery points doing it or you won't be able to take full advantage of...
That Which Even The Gods Fear
Starting from 18th level, the true nature of your magic and the purpose of the cloth you have worn becomes clear to you. One spell slot at each level becomes Ascended. When casting a spell with an ascended spell slot, you may apply one metamagic effect you know without spending sorcery points. This does not count against the number of metamagic effects you can spend sorcery points to modify spells with, but you cannot apply the same metamagic effect this way more than once per long rest.
The biggest concern I have of this feature is, of course, the Twinned Spell metamagic. Saving eight sorcery points on dropping a twinned Power Word Stun and then spending three to heighten it so the targets have disadvantage on the saving throw (which you already have a bonus to if you're using the "rage" mechanic) is extremely powerful. I believe limiting the use of each metamagic effect to once per long rest should help with that, however, given that your character would need to be an extremely high level Sorcerer and they'd still only get to do it once an adventuring day anyway. Limiting the number of ascended spell slots available to one per spell level should also help, but I didn't feel the need to prevent players from recovering those spell slots with sorcery points since there are only so many metamagic effects anyway.
Wrapped Tightly
Starting at 1st level, you bind a part of your body - typically your dominant arm - in special magical dampening cloth. This cloth imposes a -1 penalty to the damage rolls and difficult class of your spells. This penalty increases as you gain Sorcerer levels (-2 at 6th level, -3 at 14th level and -4 at 18th level). This cloth cannot be removed, damaged or destroyed in any way and its effect cannot be neutralised, except with a Wish spell.
In order for the concept to work, there needed to be some sort of persistent penalty. Your character is, after all, suppressing their own magical strength in return for bursts of power. While a -1 to -4 penalty to the damage and difficulty class of spells can be a lot, I didn't want to affect the attack rolls because nobody wants their spells to constantly miss due to a class feature and I actually hope these penalties encourage the player to adapt and try new strategies.
The Cloth That Binds
Starting at 1st level, the cloth binding your skin provides you with some resistance to the magical effects of others. Whenever a creature uses a spell or spell-like ability that would affect you, as a reaction, you may first make a charisma saving throw against the triggering creature's spell DC. If you succeed, you have resistance against the triggering damage or advantage on the saving throw to resist the spell or spell-like ability's effect. You gain a +1 bonus to this specific saving throw and this bonus increases as you gain Sorcerer levels (+2 at 6th level, +3 at 14th level and +4 at 18th level).
This is a big one. There needed to be more to the subclass than "you're weak most of the time but occasionally you're strong", so I thought of a persistent advantage to go with the persistent penalty. By limiting the effect to a reaction I'm limiting how often it can be used and providing an alternative to just spamming Shield all the time.
Stop Holding Back
Starting from sixth level, as a bonus action, you may touch the cloth binding your skin and enter an empowered state that draws upon the magic within you that it suppresses. For the next minute your spells gain a +3 bonus to their damage rolls and difficult class and this bonus increases as you gain Sorcerer levels (+4 at 14th level and +5 at 18th level). You may use this feature a number of times per long rest equal to your proficiency bonus.
I affectionately call this the "rage" mechanic of the subclass. It should be powerful enough that this is the reason you take the subclass at all but this should be offset by not allowing you to use it all that often. You really need to decide exactly when is the best time to pop this feature off, but it's a bonus action to do so which should allow you to get an immediate benefit out of it.
Magical Power Unbound
Starting from 14th level, when you roll damage for a spell, you can spend 1 sorcery point to roll one additional damage die when determining the damage of the spell. From 18th level, you can spend 2 sorcery points to roll two additional damage dice instead.
Another Barbarian style feature, except you get to choose when it happens and you're limited to how many times you can use it per day. Even if you're not playing a blaster, this should provide your damage spells with that extra kick. Just be careful you don't burn through your sorcery points doing it or you won't be able to take full advantage of...
That Which Even The Gods Fear
Starting from 18th level, the true nature of your magic and the purpose of the cloth you have worn becomes clear to you. One spell slot at each level becomes Ascended. When casting a spell with an ascended spell slot, you may apply one metamagic effect you know without spending sorcery points. This does not count against the number of metamagic effects you can spend sorcery points to modify spells with, but you cannot apply the same metamagic effect this way more than once per long rest.
The biggest concern I have of this feature is, of course, the Twinned Spell metamagic. Saving eight sorcery points on dropping a twinned Power Word Stun and then spending three to heighten it so the targets have disadvantage on the saving throw (which you already have a bonus to if you're using the "rage" mechanic) is extremely powerful. I believe limiting the use of each metamagic effect to once per long rest should help with that, however, given that your character would need to be an extremely high level Sorcerer and they'd still only get to do it once an adventuring day anyway. Limiting the number of ascended spell slots available to one per spell level should also help, but I didn't feel the need to prevent players from recovering those spell slots with sorcery points since there are only so many metamagic effects anyway.