Wild Sorcerer

D&D 3e (3.0/3.5) Rules

by Trampas Whiteman, André La Roche, James O'Rance

The Wild Sorcerer of Krynn is an entirely unique creature. Tapping into the ambient creation magic of the world, they can shape and control spells in a number of ways wizards could only imagine, virtually producing new and original spells as a result.

Unlike wizards, sorcerers are not bound to hours of poring through dusty tomes in the pursuit of learning magic. By embracing the theories behind sorcery and reaching out with their will to the surrounding magic of the world around them, Wild Sorcerers can harness basic universal effects rather easily, channeling magic "on the fly," without the intense and rigid discipline required for casting High Sorcery. However, this does not come without a price. Unlike their studious counterparts, sorcerers are incapable of producing effects that directly affect the living, or create spectacular effects such as the ability to grant a wish.

Adventures: Wild Sorcerers adventure for any number of reasons, but most typically do so in order to improve their mastery of magic. Despite the founding of the now-defunct Academy of Sorcery, the existence of sorcery is still relatively "newfound." There is still much to be learned about this form of magic, and many others who scorned Palin Majere's school to learn from. Sorcerers generally leap at the chance to learn new magical theories from other practitioners.

Adventuring parties find them useful, as they do not carry the baggage of robes and old tomes, like a wizard does. They are very welcome in the Legion of Steel, and the Knights of the Thorn utilize them to deadly effect.

Characteristics: Wild Sorcerers cast spells through their innate ability to tap into the ambient creative and elemental energies of Krynn known as Wild Sorcery. They know fewer spells than Wizards of High Sorcery and acquire powerful spells more slowly than Wizards of High Sorcery, but they can cast spells more often and have no need to select and prepare them ahead of time.

Since Wild Sorcerers gain their powers without undergoing the years of rigorous study that Wizards of High Sorcery go through; they have more time to learn fighting skills. They are proficient with simple weapons.

Alignment: Wild Sorcery is an intuitive art, not a science. Wild Sorcery favors the free, chaotic, and creative spirit over the disciplined mind, so Wild Sorcerers tend slightly towards chaos over law. Sorcerers aren't bound by any single moral or ethos. Those who have the understanding of the natural forces around them can wield them without prejudice.

Religion: Few sorcerers worship the gods of magic, believing, despite the fact that they draw their source from the ambient magic of Krynn, that Solinari, Lunitari, and Nuitari still play a role in its existence. Most sorcerers however follow other deities (if at all.) Branchala is most common among good sorcerers, Sirrion among the neutrals, and finally Hiddukel among the evil.

Background: Wild Sorcerers come from all walks of life. Most discover their power in adolescence, where it oftentimes manifests for the first time. Some Wild Sorcerers often find that they have a budding talent that can lie dormant for many years before being realized and self-taught. However, most are formally trained in the basic skills either by one of the remaining independent colleges teaching sorcery, or an itinerant adventurer knowledgeable in the use of this rather rules-free form of magic.

Races: Members of every race across Krynn is able to become Wild Sorcerers without too much trouble. Races that typically do not become Wizards of High Sorcery oftentimes favor the Wild Sorcerer class, such as Kender, Gully Dwarves, and Gnomes. Dwarves, however, distrust arcane magic of any kind, and tend to not become Wild Sorcerers.

Other Classes: Wild Sorcerers get along well with members of classes that believe in self-teaching and self-reliance, such as Rogues. They get along especially well with Mystics, whose magic is similar to their own. Wild Sorcerers sometimes find themselves at odds with members of more disciplined classes, such as the Knights of Solamnia, Paladins, and Monks.

Wild Sorcerers are considered to be Renegades by Wizards of High Sorcery. Wizards of High Sorcery will attempt to convince a Wild Sorcerer to multi-class into a Wizard of High Sorcery, where they would learn to access the focused arcane power of High Sorcery rather than from within. Wild Sorcerers who do not multi-class into Wizard of High Sorcery face the standard repercussions that other Renegades face.

Game Rule Information

Wild Sorcerers have the following game statistics.

Abilities: Charisma determines how powerful a spell a Wild Sorcerer can cast, how many spells a Wild Sorcerer can cast per day, and how hard those spells are to resist. To cast a spell, a Wild Sorcerer must have a Charisma score of 10 + the spell's level. A Wild Sorcerer gets bonus spells based on Charisma. The Difficulty Class of a saving throw against a Wild Sorcerer's spell is 10 + the spell's level + the Wild Sorcerer's Charisma modifier.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Die: d4.

Class Skills

The Wild Sorcerer's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int). See Chapter 4: Skills of the Player's Handbook for skill descriptions.

Skill Points at 1st level: (2 + Int modifier) x 4.

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier.

At each level, a Wild Sorcerer gains spells from each Realm he knows (see Realms below). The "R" on the list represents that. The number is the number of spells known beyond Realm spells, and is taken from the Wizard/Sorcerer spell list in the Player's Handbook.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Wild Sorcerer.

Armor and Weapon Proficiency: Wild Sorcerers are proficient with all simple weapons. They are not proficient with any type of armor or shields. Armor of any type interferes with a Wild Sorcerer's arcane gestures, which can cause his spells to fail (if those spells have somatic components). Note that armor check penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Pick Pocket, and Tumble. Also, Swim checks suffer a –1 penalty for every 5 pounds of armor and equipment carried.

Spells: Wild Sorcerers cast arcane spells, the same type of spells available to Wizards of High Sorcery. Wild Sorcerers are limited in the number of spells they can learn. Some spells are universal, and come from the Wizard/Sorcerer spell list in the Player's Handbook (p. 168-171). Other spells come from specialized areas of study known as "Realms".

Realms: Each Wild Sorcerer has an affinity for specialized areas of study known as Realms. Realms are similar to domains, save that they have 0-level spells and do not grant a domain power. Wild Sorcerers can cast any combination of spells between their spell list and Realms, although the number of spells they can cast remains the same.

Wild Sorcerers begin play with one Realm, and may learn new Realms as they advance in levels (see Arcane Secret). The number of Realms a Wild Sorcerer knows may never exceed his Intelligence modifier.

Arcane Secret: At 1st, 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th levels, the Wild Sorcerer improves his mastery over arcane magic by selecting an Arcane Secret.

The Wild Sorcerer may select a bonus metamagic feat, an item creation feat (only if he has the Enhancement Realm), or a bonus Realm (not to exceed his Intelligence modifier).

Spellshaping: Wild Sorcerers have the ability to shape spells by applying the reverse of a metamagic feat to a spell they are already able to cast. This is often referred to as "inverse" or "reciprocal" metamagic.

Feats are affected as follows:

• Empower Spell: All variable, numeric effects of the spell are reduced by one half. A reciprocally empowered spell uses up a spell slot two levels lower than the spell's actual level.
• Enlarge Spell: The range of a spell is halved. A reciprocally enlarged spell uses up a spell slot one level lower than the spell's actual level.
• Extend Spell: The duration of a spell is halved. Permanent spells affected by this last only one week per caster level. A reciprocally extended spell uses up a spell slot one level lower than the spell's actual level.
• Maximize Spell: All variable numeric effects are minimized to a value of 2. Each die normally rolled counts as having rolled a 2 (with the exception of d4's who are considered to automatically have rolled a 1.) A reciprocally maximized spell uses up a spell slot 3 levels lower than the spell's actual level.
• Quicken Spell: The casting time of a spell takes 10X longer than usual to cast. A reciprocally quickened spell uses up a spell slot 4 levels lower than the spell's actual level.
• Silent Spell: Add the verbal component to a spell that normally does not require it. A reciprocally silent spell uses up a spell slot 1 level lower than the spell's actual level.
• Still Spell: Add the somatic component to a spell that normally does not require it. A reciprocally stilled spell uses up a spell slot one level lower than the spell's actual level.

Spellshaping may be applied to other metamagic feats outside of the Player's Handbook with the Dungeon Master's approval.

Applying both a metamagic feat and its inverse to a spell cancels the effect of both out.

Wild Sorcery Realms

Aeromancy Realm

Aeromancy allows the sorcerer to create and control winds, manipulate the weather and even create winds strong enough to lift him off the ground.

Cryomancy Realm

Cryomancy allows the sorcerer to create blasts of frigid air, lower untolerably high temperatures, or even create ice out of water in the air.

Divination Realm

The Realm of divination makes it possible to discern information about distant locations or mysterious objects. It can even be used to catch a glimpse of the future.

Electromancy Realm

Electromancy is one of the most powerful Realms in terms of the sheer damage that it can wreak, but often seems limited to a small range of effects. Some sorcerers realise that the power of magnetism falls within this Realm, and use electromancy to affect ferrous metals.

Enhancement Realm

A sorcerer with access to the enhancement Realm can imbue arcane energy into items, increase the effectiveness of a given object, analyse magic items and even reduce or negate the effectiveness of magic.

Geomancy Realm

Powerful geomancers can cause towers of earth to rise from fertile plains or desert sands and create great earthquakes that crack the earth; they are considered among the most potent of sorcerers.

Hydromancy Realm

Hydromancy can be used to cause floods, influence the flow of a body of water, supply drinking water, and rescue mariners from drowning.

Pyromancy Realm

Pyromancy is possibly the single most destructive Realm of sorcery. It can be used to create flames for a variety of offensive or defensive effects.

Spectramancy Realm

Spectramancy grants control over light, and is versatile in its effects. Spectramancers have the ability to control what people see or don't see. They are even able to focus the power of light to cast offensive spells of great power.

Summoning Realm

Summoning deals more with traversing distances than ordering extra-dimensional creatures to appear. Summoning is the art of bending space so that it is possible to move instantly between two locations separated by many miles. Occasionally it involves beckoning a creature through this spatial distortion.

Transmutation Realm

Transmutation allows the sorcerer to alter the properties of an unliving item, causing strange supernatural effects or lending the power of movement to an object. An experienced transmuter can alter the very nature of an object, although it is very difficult to make radical changes in substance.

Author's Note: The Wild Sorcerer class is the Sorcerer from the Age of Mortals, and replaces the Sorcerer class from the Player's Handbook for use in the Dragonlance campaign setting. Portions of this article are based on materials by James O'Rance, and André La Roche's original sorcerer design for the Dragonlance Adventures 3rd Edition product.

All work and no play makes André a dull boy.

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