An Eclectic Collection of Fun and Effective Builds

[bendking]

Introducing, the Divine Protector.


You try finding a heavily armored, quarterstaff & shield-wielding Sorcerer...

This build is a Divine Soul with a twist. Due to our Life Cleric dip, we get Heavy Armor proficiency along with Disciple of Life which boosts our healing abilities significantly. Basically, we're a Divine Soul who can also tank and heal effectively.
The aim here is to provide some of the value of a Life Cleric combined with the typical Sorcerer goodies. Notably, at late-game, this multi-class lets us pull off the insane Disciple-of-Life-Twinned-Regenerate, making two of our allies near immortal.

Race: Variant Human
Classes: Life Cleric 1/Divine Soul Sorcerer 19
Stats (Point Buy): 16 STR, 8 DEX, 12 CON, 8 INT, 13 WIS, 16 CHA
ASIs: Warcaster, +2 CHA, +2 CHA, Inspiring Leader, Resilient (WIS)
Weapon: Quarterstaff & Shield

Stats
This is a rough one. Since we need to have 13 in both CHA and WIS, and 15 in STR to wear heavy armor, and want a high CON, we are pretty damn MAD.
If you can get an STR boosting item early, this will definitely help the build by letting you dump STR and bump CON to 16. In the variants section, I discuss the option of starting with 14 CON while delaying CHA progression.
As with all MAD builds, this one would benefit greatly from increased Point Buy or well-rolled stats.

Feats
Warcaster ticks a lot of boxes for us. It lets us wield a sword & shield and still be able to cast spells, it unlocks the Booming Blade OA and boosts our concentration saves.
Inspiring Leader is undoubtedly nice, but since we do have some offensive spells in our belt, I prefer raising our CHA first.

Level Progression
Sorcerer 1 --> Cleric 1 --> Sorcerer 19
You could also take Cleric 1 after Sorcerer 5, but I like having the build come online sooner rather than later.

Metamagic
Twinned, Subtle, [Quicken (at 11th level)]
Of course, Metamagic shapes our spell list significantly. For this build, we're going to take Twinned for many things and Subtle because it's just great for both social and sticky situations.
Let's start with Subtle because it's shorter to explain. Subtle will come in handy both in social situations when you need to get away with casting spells. Subtle Suggestion is highly effective. It's also useful when you're somehow limited in your movement or speech, letting you cast spells in any situation. You can also cast a Subtle Counterspell, which makes it impossible for enemy casters to Counterspell it in turn. Subtle Telekinesis is also incredible. It's overall a super solid and reliable Metamagic that works with almost any build, so we're taking it. You could replace it with Extend if you really want to lean into the support role, but I honestly think the difference Extend makes barely ever matters.
Now, Twinned. I love this Metamagic because it single-handedly makes you the best buffer in the game, and with Divine Soul and Life Cleric granting you access to some great spells to use it with, we're squeezing a lot of value out of this one feat.
For starters, you can Twin Sanctuary, Protection from Evil and Good, Cure Wounds, and Healing Word, all to great effect. Twinned Healing Word is basically our poor man's Mass Healing Word. I mean, you probably won't need to up more than two downed enemies per turn anyway.
Next up, Twinned Polymorph is no joke. It's a powerhouse of a spell and a highly flexible one at that, which Sorcerers appreciate. It also works as a huge heal in a pinch. If your party absolutely really isn't down to playing T-Rexes ever, you should switch this with Great Invisibility. Twinned Death Ward is another great option for keeping your party alive.
Finally, the crème de la crème, Twinned Regenerate is almost broken with this build. For 1 hour, with no concentration, you get to give two allies, a staggering 10 HP per turn.
Quicken Spell is great later on for spells like Telekinesis and Sunbeam, and will occasionally be useful when you really need to dash/disengage while also casting.

Spell Selection
(X = pick according to taste)
[ ] = Domain Spells

Cantrips
Level 1 - Booming Blade, Chill Touch, X, X
Level 2 - Guidance, Toll the Dead, Light

Spells
I highly advise adjusting this tight list according to which spells your party has covered. For example, this list assumes that there is already a Cleric in the party that covers things like Revivify, which you would (unfortunately) have to take if this weren't the case. I listed the spells in order of importance so you would know which ones to switch out first, so in the case of Revivify, you would replace Fireball with it.

Cleric Spells
2 - Sanctuary / Protection from Evil and Good, Healing Word, [Bless, Cure Wounds]
Prepare PfEaG if you know you're going to be fighting planar beings, otherwise take Sanctuary.

Sorcerer Spells
1 - Shield, Sleep
3 - Shield, Absorb Elements, Sleep
4 - Shield, Absorb Elements | Spiritual Weapon, Web
5 - Shield, Absorb Elements | Spiritual Weapon, Web, Suggestion
6 - Shield, Absorb Elements | Spiritual Weapon, Suggestion | Spirit Guardians, Counterspell
7 - Shield, Absorb Elements | Spiritual Weapon, Suggestion | Spirit Guardians, Counterspell, Fireball
8 - Shield, Absorb Elements | Spiritual Weapon, Suggestion | Spirit Guardians, Counterspell, Fireball | Polymorph
9 - Shield, Absorb Elements | Spiritual Weapon, Suggestion | Spirit Guardians, Counterspell, Fireball | Polymorph, Death Ward
10- Shield, Absorb Elements | Spiritual Weapon, Suggestion | Spirit Guardians, Counterspell, Fireball | Polymorph, Death Ward | Mass Cure Wounds
11- Shield, Absorb Elements | Spiritual Weapon, Suggestion | Spirit Guardians, Counterspell, Fireball | Polymorph, Death Ward | Mass Cure Wounds, Telekinesis
12- Shield, Absorb Elements | Spiritual Weapon, Suggestion | Spirit Guardians, Counterspell, Fireball | Polymorph, Death Ward | Mass Cure Wounds, Telekinesis | Sunbeam
13- Shield, Absorb Elements | Spiritual Weapon, Suggestion | Spirit Guardians, Counterspell, Fireball | Polymorph, Death Ward | Mass Cure Wounds, Telekinesis | Sunbeam
14- Shield, Absorb Elements | Spiritual Weapon, Suggestion | Spirit Guardians, Counterspell, Fireball | Polymorph, Death Ward | Mass Cure Wounds, Telekinesis | Sunbeam | Regenerate

From here on pick according to preference.

Combat Tips
This build has a lot of options in combat, and I've gone through a few of them in the Metamagic section. Your roles in combat, ordered by priority, are: Buff, Heal, Tank, Blast.
Your buffing capability is top-tier due to Twinned Spell. Your healing is also top-tier due to Disciple of Life and Empowered Healing, which make in-combat healing an effective action.
You're a decent tank due to your high AC. You're sitting at 20 with full-plate armor and shield, and you get to 25 with Shield. We're also sporting the iconic Booming Blade OA thanks to Warcaster. Be wary, however, because your HP isn't as high as we'd like it to be.
Finally, I believe any class with access to Fireball should take it. This, along with Sunbeam makes you a part-time blaster when in need.

Variants
1. You could take Protector Aasimar instead of V.Human, which would mean starting with 15 STR and 14 CON, but having to take Warcaster at 4th, thus delaying your CHA progression. Frankly, that isn't as bad as it sounds. You aren't as reliant on your CHA modifier as other, more offensive Sorcerers, and you don't actually attack a lot besides your Booming Blade OA. Protector Aasimar is also quite thematic.
2. You may choose to take Extended Spell instead of Subtle Spell, which I personally think is the less optimal choice, but has some application in extending left-over 8-hour buffs (Aid, Death Ward) at the end of the day over to the next day.
That said, don't expect to get much value out of it on spells with less than an 8-hour duration. It's mostly this application that is attractive about this option.