D&D 5e Sorcerer Guide (2014)

Introduction

The Sorcerer is D&D 5e's most direct magical damage class. Where the Wizard studies and prepares, the Sorcerer simply is magic, born with it, powered by it, and able to reshape it on the fly through Metamagic. Twinned Spell doubles your best concentration spell onto two targets. Quickened Spell fires a leveled spell as a bonus action while leaving your action for another spell or cantrip. Subtle Spell makes you completely invisible as a caster in any social or infiltration context.

The class trades the Wizard's breadth (enormous spellbook, hundreds of preparable spells) for depth and flexibility in a narrow toolkit. You know 15 spells at level 20, but those 15 spells are modified, amplified, and converted into Sorcery Points at will. The Sorcerer who has chosen the right 15 spells and the right two Metamagic options is one of the most efficient damage dealers and controllers in the game.

The Sorcerous Origin (subclass) defines your combat identity: Draconic Bloodline is the archetypical blaster; Wild Magic brings explosive unpredictability; Shadow Magic creates a stealth and darkness specialist; Aberrant Mind (Tasha's) delivers the best subclass spell list in the game along with psionic flavor.

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Disclaimer

• ● Red: Bad. Actively weak or superseded.
• ● Orange: Situational. Correct in specific builds or campaigns.
• ● Green: Good. Reliable and consistently strong.
• ● Blue: Fantastic. Best-in-class, almost always the right choice.

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Class Features

Spellcasting (1st Level) ●

Full caster, CHA-based, spells known permanently (not prepared daily). 15 spells known at level 20. The smallest spell library of any full caster, making every selection consequential.

Core Sorcerer spells to know:

• ● Counterspell (3rd) — Interrupt any spell being cast. No spell save DC required for spells of 3rd level or lower. The most universally valuable Sorcerer spell.
• ● Fireball (3rd) — 8d6 fire in 20-foot radius, DEX save. Iconic. Can be Heightened (disadvantage on save) or Twinned (two separate detonations).
• ● Polymorph (4th) — Concentration. Transform one creature into a beast. Turn the party Fighter into a T-Rex for a boss fight, or turn the boss into a cat. Twinned Polymorph affects two targets.
• ● Hold Person / Hold Monster (2nd/5th) — Concentration: paralyzed condition on WIS save failure (restores each turn). Paralyzed = every melee hit is a crit. Twinned to hit two targets simultaneously.
• ● Haste (3rd) — Concentration. Double speed, +2 AC, advantage on DEX saves, extra action. Twinned Haste on the Fighter and Paladin = extraordinary action economy.
• ● Hypnotic Pattern (3rd) — Concentration. All creatures in 30-foot cube that fail WIS save are incapacitated. AoE incapacitation until broken by damage or shaking.
• ● Fly (3rd) — Concentration. Fly speed 60 feet. Twinned for two flying allies.
• ● Misty Step (2nd) — Bonus action teleport 30 feet. Emergency escape from any grapple or dangerous position.

For the complete spell priority list by level, see our Best Sorcerer Spells guide.

Sorcerous Origin (1st Level) ●

See Subclasses section.

Font of Magic (2nd Level) ●

Sorcery Points = Sorcerer level. Flexible Casting: spend SP to create spell slots (2 SP → 1st, 3 SP → 2nd, 5 SP → 3rd, 6 SP → 4th, 7 SP → 5th) or convert slots to SP (1 SP per level). This conversion system makes the Sorcerer the most flexible resource manager in D&D. You can trade unused lower slots for Metamagic fuel or create higher-level slots from accumulated SP.

Metamagic (3rd Level) ●

Choose 2 at level 3, 1 more at level 10, 1 more at level 17 (Tasha's optional: learn all over time; by default 4 total). These define your combat identity more than any other Sorcerer choice.

Full Metamagic Ratings:

• ● Twinned Spell (1 SP per spell level) — Apply a single-target spell to two targets. Twinned Haste = two allies Hasted. Twinned Hold Person = two targets paralyzed. Twinned Polymorph. The most powerful Metamagic option for buffs and single-target control.
• ● Quickened Spell (2 SP) — Cast a spell as a bonus action. Fire a 3rd-level spell as a bonus action, then cast a cantrip (Fire Bolt, etc.) as your regular action. Double-spell turns. Best offensive Metamagic.
• ● Subtle Spell (1 SP) — Remove verbal and somatic components. Cast spells undetected. In social/intrigue campaigns: ●. In dungeon-crawl campaigns: ●.
• ● Heightened Spell (3 SP) — One target of a spell has disadvantage on their first saving throw. Expensive but devastating on a crucial Hold Monster or Polymorph in a boss fight.
• ● Empowered Spell (1 SP) — Reroll up to CHA modifier damage dice (keep new results). Cheap and applies to cantrips. On Fireball (8d6), rerolling 4 dice averages approximately +2–3 damage. Efficient but modest.
• ● Extended Spell (1 SP) — Double the duration of a concentration spell (max 24 hours). Mage Armor lasts all day for 1 SP. Excellent for utility spells.
• ● Distant Spell (1 SP) — Double the range of a spell, or touch → 30 feet. Situational.
• ● Careful Spell (1 SP) — CHA modifier creatures automatically succeed saves against your spell. In theory: Fireball your allies without hurting them. In practice: rarely needed if your positioning is correct.
• ● Seeking Spell (Tasha's, 2 SP) — Reroll a missed spell attack. Narrow: only applies to spell attacks, not saves.
• ● Transmuted Spell (Tasha's, 1 SP) — Change the damage type of a spell. Useful in campaigns with frequently resistant damage types.

Ability Score Improvement (4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, 19th Level) ●

Standard five ASIs. CHA is the priority; CON second. The Sorcerer's ASIs are spent purely on stats or a small number of high-value feats.

Sorcerous Restoration (20th Level) ●

Regain 4 SP on a short rest. At level 20: effectively never run out of SP for Metamagic. Two 2-SP Quickened Spell turns per short rest refuel.

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Ability Scores

Recommended Array:

● CHA: Max to 20 first. Every point increases your spell save DC and attack modifier. Feeds social skills automatically.

● CON: Concentration saves for Haste, Hold Person, Polymorph. Counterspell requires holding your concentration. CON 14 minimum; push toward 16 after CHA 20.

● DEX: AC (with Mage Armor: 13 + DEX). DEX 14 with Mage Armor = AC 15. Adequate for a backline caster.

● STR: No Sorcerer feature uses STR. Dump to 8.

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Races

● Half-Elf: +2 CHA, +1 to two stats (CON and DEX ideal), two extra skill proficiencies, Darkvision, Fey Ancestry. The CHA +2 is the highest single bonus to the primary stat. Best Sorcerer race.

● Variant Human: +1 CHA, +1 CON, extra skill, feat at level 1. War Caster at level 1 for a Sorcerer who plans to maintain concentration all game is exceptionally strong.

● Tiefling: +2 CHA, +1 INT (wasted), Darkvision, fire resistance, Hellish Rebuke and Darkness. Thematic; CHA +2 is excellent.

● Yuan-Ti Pureblood (Volo's): +2 CHA, +1 INT (wasted), Magic Resistance (advantage on saves vs. spells). For a class that relies on staying alive and maintaining concentration, advantage on all spell saves is extraordinary defense.

● Dragonborn: +2 STR (wasted), +1 CHA. Only the CHA +1 is relevant. The Breath Weapon adds a non-spell ranged option. Thematic for Draconic Bloodline but mechanically weak.

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Skills

Sorcerers choose 2 from: Arcana, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Persuasion, Religion.

● Arcana: INT-based, but relevant for identifying magic, spell effects, and creature weaknesses. With proficiency even at INT 10, competent.

● Persuasion: CHA-based. The Sorcerer has the highest potential CHA in the party. Social face role fits naturally.

● Deception: CHA-based. Second social skill for intrigue-heavy campaigns. Pairs with Subtle Spell for the perfect spy build.

● Intimidation: CHA-based. Slightly less common than Persuasion but CHA-based and useful.

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Backgrounds

For a full ranking of all 13 PHB backgrounds and how each compares outside this class, see the D&D 5e 2014 Backgrounds Guide.

● Noble: History and Persuasion, Position of Privilege. Persuasion is CHA-based. Position of Privilege (preferential social treatment) provides the best social background feature for a face Sorcerer.

● Sage: Arcana and History, Researcher feature. Arcana is the most relevant knowledge skill for a Sorcerer. Researcher (know where to look for unknown information) provides campaign utility.

● Charlatan: Deception and Sleight of Hand, False Identity. Deception is CHA-based. Best for a subtle, infiltration-focused Sorcerer.

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Feats

● War Caster: Advantage on concentration saves, cast spells as opportunity attacks. The Sorcerer's most powerful spells require concentration. Losing Haste, Polymorph, or Hold Person to a failed CON check is catastrophic. Take War Caster on any Sorcerer who plans to concentrate on spells in melee-range combats.

● Resilient (CON): CON save proficiency for concentration. Alternative to War Caster. Take one or the other.

● Alert: +5 to initiative, can't be surprised. The Sorcerer who goes first drops Hypnotic Pattern before enemies act, preventing all the attacks that would threaten concentration.

● Lucky: Three rerolls per long rest. Universal utility: reroll a failed concentration save, a crucial save for a spell, or a death save.

● Spell Sniper: Double spell range, ignore 3/4 cover. Situationally useful for a Sorcerer who relies on Eldritch Blast (not standard) or specific range-limited spells.

For the full level-by-level feat priority list, see our Best Feats for Sorcerer guide.

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Subclasses

The Sorcerer chooses a Sorcerous Origin at 1st level. All eight are compared in depth, feature by feature, in the D&D 5e Sorcerer Subclasses Guide.

The short version: the Sorcerer knows fewer spells than any other full caster and has a finite pool of sorcery points, so judge an origin by whether it gives you more spells or gives you effects that cost no points.

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Weapons

● Quarterstaff / Dagger: Simple weapons. The Sorcerer's weapon options are entirely situational. A Dagger as a backup melee option is fine; a Quarterstaff for flavor. In practice: cantrips (Fire Bolt, Ray of Frost) are always better attack options than weapon attacks.

● Any martial weapon: No proficiency. Avoid entirely.

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Armor

● Mage Armor (spell): AC = 13 + DEX modifier (no armor required). With DEX 14: AC 15. Costs a 1st-level spell slot and must be recast after long rest. Draconic Bloodline replaces this with the identical passive (no action or slot cost).

● No Armor (Draconic Bloodline): AC = 13 + DEX. Permanent, free, always active. Draconic Resilience makes armor entirely optional.

● Any physical armor: No proficiency. Wearing non-proficient armor prevents spellcasting. Never equip.

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Multiclassing

Multiclassing requirement: CHA 13.

● Paladin 2–6 / Sorcerer X: "Soradin." Paladin 6 for Aura of Protection + Divine Smite on CHA-based weapon attacks. Sorcerer's Metamagic (Twinned Haste on Fighter and Paladin, Quickened Spell + attack on same turn). One of the strongest multiclass builds in 5e.

● Warlock 1–3 / Sorcerer X: Short-rest spell slots fuel Quickened Spell and Twinned. Eldritch Blast cantrip. Hexblade (Xanathar's) adds CHA-based weapon attacks. The Sorcerer's Flexible Casting combined with Warlock's short-rest recovery creates the largest effective daily spell slot budget in D&D.

● Fighter 1–3: Action Surge: two sets of Quickened Spell turns in one Action Surge round. CON saves for concentration. The value requires specific combos.

● Wizard: INT/CHA conflict. No combined benefit. The spell slot pools draw on different ability scores.

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Example Build: The Twin Weaver (Aberrant Mind)

Race: Half-Elf (+2 CHA, +1 CON, +1 DEX, two extra skills)

Starting Stats: CHA 18 (16+2), CON 14 (13+1), DEX 14 (13+1), WIS 12, INT 10, STR 8

Tactics: Open with Mind Sliver (cantrip) against the most dangerous enemy: d6 psychic + they subtract d4 from their next save. Follow with Twinned Hold Person using a 2nd-level slot (1 SP for Twinned + 2 SP from slot): two enemies paralyzed simultaneously. Both take auto-crits from party melee attackers. Against a boss: Heightened Fireball (3 SP) for disadvantage on the DEX save; if it fails, 8d6 on a difficult save. In social encounters: Psionic Sorcery casts Detect Thoughts invisibly (no V/S/M components) for 2 SP: zero chance of detection. Quickened Counterspell as a bonus action when the enemy's most dangerous spell is cast, then cast your own spell as your regular action.

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Final Notes

The Sorcerer's identity is precision within limitation. You know fewer spells than any other full caster, but those spells are amplified, doubled, sped up, and reshaped through Metamagic in ways no Wizard can match. The Twinned Spell + Haste combination is among the most powerful single actions available to a support caster. The Quickened Spell + cantrip double-action is the most efficient offensive turn in the game for damage output on a standard combat turn.

Aberrant Mind is the strongest subclass: the bonus spell list removes the scarcity problem that limits every other Sorcerer. Divine Soul solves the healer shortage. Draconic Bloodline is the most durable and the best default. Shadow Magic and Clockwork Soul provide excellent reactive features.

Whatever Origin you choose: take Twinned and Quickened Spell as your first two Metamagic options, max CHA, and choose spells with maximum Twinned compatibility (single-target concentration spells: Haste, Hold Person, Polymorph, Hold Monster, Fly). The Sorcerer who builds their spell list around Twinned Spell is the most effective support caster in D&D at levels 5–15.

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