Designing: The Sorcerer Theme

Magic is something you must discover to wield, an elusive power that shrinks from the masses in forgotten worlds and is concealed by archaic texts, but may blossom fully to the inquisitive mind and dedicated worker. For many, magic begins and ends with the wizard, a practitioner who through years of dedicated study learns the ratios of power: for example, a pinch of granite with a gram of rose bud, pickled in distilled vinegar and bear's blood. These ingredients when combined grant enhanced strength and brief grandeur and beauty. The more learning and study, the more power can be wielded. But what if there were more "internal" ingredients? If granite and roses contain such magnificent potential in the right proportions, what about people, and their milieu of chemistry, emotions, actions, or stasis? Is there magic within us?

Sadko in the Underwater Kingdom

When anger rises, wrath and rage mounting, is there a powerful spell waiting to burst free? Within a glance that harbors unspoken love, is there an enchantment pining to be woven? In a chilling dismissal, is there a remorseless hex that imprisons the foe? Such are the ingredients of the Sorcerer, an arcanist whose very being is the conduit of power, combining emotions, thoughts, and feelings as implements of magic. It is intriguing to consider our own secret power, an inclination to which many people can relate. Our aspirations of ability dwell far beyond our actual capabilities, but in the realm of the fantastic, in a world where we may RISE over ruin, believing is a prerequisite and potential can be made real.

In creating the theme of the Sorcerer, we wanted an alternative to the other magicians who rely upon external sources for their power. We wanted magic like we want our superheroes: born special, with greatness thrust upon them. In the popular Marvel Universe, there are mutants whose abilities are indwelling and genetic. They are otherwise normal people with hearts and mind like anyone else, but then through maturation an often dangerous discovery is made and in a moment of adversity raw emotion strangles down normalcy and a hero is born in aftermath. A similar type of supernatural being is found in the worlds of Magic: The Gathering with its planeswalkers. Even more than mutants, the planeswalkers ignite their magic ability through an overwhelming trial of emotion, yielding the literal power to move between realities, and in the case of the super-powerful, create realities themselves. The planeswalker Chandra is a clear example: her anger is fire.

Another well-defined example of a sorcerer is found with Disney’s Elsa, the heroine of the Frozen films. While Elsa is the opposite of Chandra in terms of elements and, at times, triggering emotions, the base similarities are striking, and both examples illustrate the immense power available to the sorcerer.

Disney's Frozen

Elsa’s struggle with her unique power leads to a series of challenges, where the seeming omnipotent elemental power she wields is countered by the price it wages upon her person and what she must let go to in order to nurture her gift. When rage, sorrow, fear, and elation are the currency by which we purchase power, wealth becomes a danger in and of itself. This dichotomy is an excellent vehicle for roleplaying a hero. The greater your power becomes, the more challenging wielding that power becomes.

Mechanically though, how do we implement the methods by which the Sorcerer functions, especially in contrast to the Wizard or Warlock? How do you codify emotions into rules? The first is by intimately tying the Sorcerer to surges, which are the currency of action in RISE. The Sorcerer is able to reduce the cost of surge use and has a greater ability to gain additional surges than other themes. Thematically, this allows the Sorcerer to modify its abilities and powers at a whim, as if one's state of mind or heart had a direct impact upon the outcome of their action. Additionally, Sorcerers can turn temporary hit points into bonuses to Thaumaturgy, allowing the recovery of magical powers to be used again and again, as fear feeds fear, love embraces love, and rage stirs rage. When options are available to characters, they tend to want to use those options. While renewing, the lose of temporary hit points poses a real danger to regular hit points, while expended surges leads to exhaustion and the threat of failed saving throws, which often are catastrophic.

Next, power development adds to the mechanical theme of the Sorcerer. Like the Wizard, the Sorcerer’s powers are Arcane, but unlike the Wizard they also Primal. Primal powers are linked to the physical world, drawing potency from natural cycles, instinct, and thriving life. This puts the Sorcerer in the middle of the cosmic struggle between the Arcane and the Primal, the unknown and known world. This thereby marries the supernatural abilities of the Sorcerer to its very natural being, where causing a conflagration through a raging heart may achieve the destruction of enemies, but leaves our hero burning up inside and on the brink. An example of this is in the Novice power, Caustic Desire.

Using this power, Cadreef the sorcerer, surrounded by the judgmental bergomeister and every able-bodied man of the town's militia, can expend a move action instead of a main action to attack, he can affect more targets, and potentially cause more damage than a wizard of similar experience. However, the cost is initial damage to himself and the drawback of being Overwhelmed if he wishes to put more of his power into the spell. The time constraints inherent to being Overwhelmed may cause Cadreef to unwisely expend his resources, leaving him outnumbered and overpowered. Yet he may still triumph-- the increased number or targets, and the opportunity to cast this power twice per turn, far outpaces the raw damage of other casters, but the harm to Cadreef will be evident and additive: even as the bodies of his foes smolder in a circle around him, no longer able to circumscribe the sorcerer's powers by use of law or force, Cadreef will need time to regain his potency, and a second skirmish, even a petty one, could mark his doom. Power and cost are key components to the flavor of the Sorcerer as a theme in RISE.

As one of many themes, the Sorcerer adds a unique spin on the origin of power and where the secret of magic lies in RISE. As a standalone theme, a Sorcerer is a very potent and interesting choice, allowing for robust mechanical combat ability, but also showcasing a character’s persona to the forefront, encouraging meaningful roleplaying, as every incantation may reveal the soul. In combination with other themes, however, the Sorcerer can give nuance to any character adding secret potential and dangerous ability. The Barbarian Sorcerer can be a formidable elementalist, fueled by a soul longing for rest, while the Phrenic Sorcerer could be played as a cerebral powerhouse, shielding a frail conscience. However you may create your Sorcerer, pure power rests within your very being, ready to be unleashed in times of need or challenge. If you are ready to explore the magical power of your essence and body, boiling foes with your blood pressure, and taking flight through your daydream, then you are ready to RISE!