Unleash innate magical powers upon your enemies with this dedicated spellcasting class
Sorcerer’s have natural, innate magical abilities that come either as a gift or inherited from some ancestor. They tend to be highly attuned to their innate magical abilities with the capacity to magnify their spells beyond that of other spellcasters.
It can be easy to confuse the different types of spellcasters available and what distinguishes them. Below is an easy summary:
- Bard: Use music to tap into magical energy.
- Cleric: Receive magical powers from their god.
- Druid: Obtain magic from the powers of nature.
- Sorcerer: Obtain magic through innate or inherited abilities.
- Warlock: Obtain magic through a pact with a powerful patron.
- Wizard: Scholars of magic that learn it through study and practice.
Sorcerers in popular media include the likes of the Scarlett Witch (note that in D&D terms, Dr Strange is not a sorcerer, despite being the sorcerer supreme, but would actually be classed as a wizard). Witches and wizards of Harry Potter are more like sorcerers than wizards as you must be born with magical abilities to wield magic. Ciri from the Witcher is also a sorcerer with a hefty class dip in fighter.
If you’re looking for a powerful spellcasting class with the ability to enhance spells, then a sorcerer may be a good fit for you. Our guide will take you through how to play as a sorcerer, how to optimise one and role playing ideas for your character.
At a glance
Choose a sorcerer if you want…
- To cast lots of spells
- Want to cast more powerful versions of spells than anyone else
- Want to have strong face skills
- Want to wield innate magical powers
A sorcerer might not be for you if…
- A martial class
- A durable character
- Don’t want to play a spellcaster
- Want to play a healer
For a more detailed look at a Sorcerer’s capabilities, I’ve put together the scoring matrix below. This rates sorcerers on different features and abilities to give you a clear idea of where their strengths and weaknesses lie. For a full comparison of all classes and their capabilities, check out our class guide:
Class ratings (out of 5)
Combat
Armor class: 1
Weapon damage: 1
Durability: 1
Mobility: 3
Combat abilities: 3
Spellcasting
Spells known: 4
Spell slots: 4
Spell damage: 5
Spell buffs: 3
Spell debuffs: 2
Spell healing: 1
Battlefield control spells: 4
Out of combat spells: 3
Out of combat
Face abilities: 4
Skills: 2
Out of combat abilities: 1
How have we worked out these scores?
We’ve reviewed and played all the officially released D&D 5e classes and looked at a typical build for these class types. Because subclasses offer a lot of variety, we’ve had to exclude these from our considerations.
There is an exception here as the artificer is shaped hugely by their subclass. When it comes to something like weapon damage, we’ve had to take into consideration the fact that most artificers are decent with weapons, but an alchemist would probably only score a 2, even if the other artificer subclasses would score a 3.
We’ve scored each attribute out of 5 with a score of 5 reserved for classes that are the very best at that attribute. There’s some judgement required here. For example, a druid is typically a 3 in mobility (average mobility), but with wildshape, they can fly and swim quicker (and just travel faster). This elevates their score in our minds, even if they don’t consistently have these levels of mobility.
It’s important to understand though, that these scores are not hard and fast. Obtaining feats and pumping more into certain ability scores can turn any class into a decent face, for example. Different subclasses will also make a class better at different things (like an eldritch knight gaining spellcasting) but we feel that these scores represent most typical versions of their class.
Strengths
Sorcerers are powerful spellcasters. But there are so many spellcasting classes out there, and they all have different capabilities so I’ve outlined exactly what strengths you can expect when playing a sorcerer:
- Enhanced spells: Sorcerers have access to meta magic which gives them different ways of enhancing their spells from making them do more damage to being able to cast a spell at a second target. While not unlimited, meta magic can be a hugely powerful way to make some of your spells extra powerful, temporarily exceeding the capabilities of other spellcasters.
- Spell damage dealers: Sorcerers have access to a lot of spells (not as many as wizards, but still a lot). In particular, they have access to a lot of effective, damage dealing spells. Meta magic can even be used to enhance how much damage you can output on a turn. If you’re going for a high damage spellcaster, sorcerers are one of the best!
- Controlling the battlefield: It’s not just pure damage output that sorcerers are good at when it comes to spellcasting, they have a decent range of buffs and spells that can control the battlefield. Consider using something like enemies abound with twinned spell to wreak even more carnage on the enemy hordes (especially low intelligence enemies). Twinned spell on haste is also hugely effective and means you can augment 2 allies while concentrating on just one spell, doubling your influence on the battlefield.
- Concentration: On that note, sorcerers have proficiency in constitution saving throws making it easier to remain focused on your spells.
- Face skills: Not only are sorcerers charisma powerhouses, but they also have options for skill proficiencies in the 4 best face skills, deception, insight, intimidation and persuasion. This makes them a highly capable face for the party, especially if you choose a complimentary background.
Weaknesses
Sorcerers are a highly specialised class. What they do well, they do really well (spellcasting), but what they don’t do well, they do really poorly:
- Durability: With just d6 hit dice and no armor proficiency, sorcerers, alongside wizards, are the least durable class in the game. A couple of good saving throw proficiencies only make up for this shortfall by a small amount. A bit of dexterity and some spells that enhance your AC (like mage armor and shield) will help, but let’s be honest, you’re a pretty weedy class.
- Weapons: Sorcerers are pretty rubbish when it comes to any kind of armed combat. Dexterity-based ranged weapons are your best bet if for some reason you can’t cast a cantrip. A light crossbow is your friend, especially as you should have some capability in dexterity. In fact, a light crossbow could average more damage than your cantrips at earlier levels. Still, you’re not great with weapons.
- Reliant on spell slots and meta magic: When spell slots and sorcery points dry up, sorcerers become much less effective. This means a lot of resource management to unleash your power during important moments.
The above tackles a typical sorcerer build, but with subclasses and multi-classing, there are some interesting and unique sorcerer builds available to allow you to excel in different areas.
If you think a sorcerer isn’t for you, not to worry, there are 12 other classes for you to pick from, just check out our class guide to find out about all of them. Some great alternatives to the spell-focused sorcerer include; bards, clerics, druids, warlocks and wizards.
Getting the most out of the sorcerer’s features
| Party Role | Spell Damage Dealer, Control |
| Main Ability | Charisma |
| Saving Throws | Constitution, Charisma |
| Hit Dice | 1d6 + Consitution modifier per level |
| HP at 1st Level | 6 + Constitution Modifier |
| Spell Casting Ability | Charisma |
| Armour Proficiency | None |
| Weapon Proficiency | Daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, light crossbows |
Sorcerers are all about spells and enhancing their spells. There’s nothing else to them. But with a swathe of spell options and metamagic for enhancing spells, that’s all you need really.
Spellcasting – Level 1
Sorcerer spells pack the most punch in D&D 5e thanks to their metamagic enhancements. Primarily they’re focused on damage and battlefield control. But there’s a lot to choose from so I’ve pruned some of the best options for you below:
Cantrips
- Firebolt – Solid damage dealing cantrip for ranged spell attacks.
- Mage hand – Really versatile and often useful to get the things you can’t easily reach otherwise.
- Mind sliver – Lower damage than firebolt, but usually more reliable at dealing damage as it requires an intelligence saving throw (which are typically low). Combine it with your friends as they try and impose conditions on the target as it makes their saving throws worse.
- Minor illusion – Great utility spell if you’re creative enough to take advantage of it.
Level 1
- Absorb elements – Great defensive spell and it’s a reaction which helps your action economy.
- Magic missile – Solid damage and extremely reliable for hitting your target.
- Shield – Excellent defensive spell.
- Silvery barbs – Simultaneously grant disadvantage on an enemy and advantage on an ally as a reaction is very powerful.
Level 2
- Enhance ability – Very versatile buff that can help with social encounters, grappling tactics, endurance and a bunch of other things too.
- Earthbind – Great foil for flying enemies that can otherwise be very problematic.
- Invisibility – Excellent for scouting, sneaking and escaping.
- Misty step – Great spell for escaping your enemies or getting to hard to reach places.
- See invisibility – Great way to tackle invisible foes.
- Vortex warp – Teleport your enemies and make things awkward for them.
- Web – Great crowd control spell to keep your enemies from moving around or getting too close.
Level 3
- Counterspell – Essential defence against magic.
- Dispel magic – Crucial for any party.
- Enemies abound – Excellent way to both nullify a big scary enemy and have it cause damage to your other enemies.
- Fireball – AoE spell with big damage! Practically a no-brainer.
- Haste – Brilliant buff to help your allies out.
- Hypnotic pattern – Manage a large group of enemies by disabling them in combat.
Level 4
- Banishment – An excellent save or suck spell that can completely remove an enemy from the mix for an entire encounter.
- Greater invisibility – Powerful way to tackle invisibility in combat.
- Polymorph – Great way to take an enemy out of combat or enhance an ally.
- Wall of fire – Great for crowd control and some potential damage to boot.
Level 5
- Bigby’s hand – Great source of continuous damage and grappling at the cost of a single spell slot.
- Hold monster – Great way to disable a single nasty enemy.
- Summon draconic spirit – Decent continuous damage, plus you can ride it for flight and it can see invisible creatures.
- Wall of stone – A great big wall can be very effective for battlefield control.
Level 6
- Chain lightning – Lots of damage and you can throw it into a big crowd of enemies and allies and only hit your enemies.
- Disintegrate – Devastatingly high damage on a single enemy.
- Eyebite – Continuously putting enemies to sleep is great and just costs a single spell slot.
- Mental prison – Great option for keeping a particularly deadly enemy out of combat.
Level 7
- Draconic transformation – A breath weapon as powerful as a fireball every turn with your bonus action, plus flight and blindsight.
- Reverse gravity – A hugely problematic AoE spell to effectively take multiple enemies out of combat.
- Plane shift – Travel to another plane with the casting of a spell.
Level 8
- Dominate monster – Bend a powerful monster to your will to not only take an enemy out of the mix, but have it fight for you.
- Sunburst – Giant AoE damage spell that can blind your opponents too making their impact severely reduced.
Level 9
- Psychic scream – Stun up to 10 creatures in a big area and force intelligence saves (which most creatures are low on).
- Time stop – 2-5 turns in a row allows you to do a lot while your enemies just stand there.
- Wish – Incredibly powerful spell with a huge amount you can accomplish.
Font of Magic – Level 2
Weirdly, you can get sorcery points before you can actually use them on your meta magic. I guess the point is to allow you to use them in exchange for spell slots at level 2. It takes a bonus action to do this so I’d avoid doing it in combat unless you’re desperate or have nothing better to do with your bonus action.
Metamagic – Level 3
Metamagic is a really powerful way to enhance your spells. Unfortunately, the best options require multiple sorcery points. Still, it means you can do more with your spells than other spellcasters. Below are some effective ways to use your metamagic:
- Twinned spell – This option is really powerful and you’ll want to use it to cause big problems for your enemies very quickly (at the beginning of combat before they can do too much). Even better, you can use a concentration spell on 2 targets effectively allowing you to double the impact of your concentration (which would normally be limited to one spell, which it still is, you’re just doubling the effects of that concentration). Apply haste to 2 allies instead of one, cast enemies abound on 2 foes instead of one or double up on hold monster.
- Quickened spell – Chuck a fireball as a bonus action, then follow up with a cantrip like firebolt to finish off the survivors. This is best used early in combat to maximise damage output and take enemies out quickly.
- Empowered spell – The more damage dice you roll, the better this is. Reroll low scoring dice, especially 1s. This is also best used on AoE spells as the additional damage from rerolls scales upwards.
- Careful spell – Use when your allies are surrounded and they need the help of a fireball or other damage dealing AoE spell. You can protect your allies and incinerate your enemies.
Sorcerous restoration – Level 20
You have more sorcery points to play with as 4 will regenerate when you finish a short rest. It’s useful and pragmatic, but not very exciting and there’s not really tactics around this other than ensuring you take short rests between combat when you can.
How to play as a sorcerer
Sorcerers are spellcasting specialists, but with a range of spell types available and not a huge number of spell slots, you likely need to focus your spellcasting efforts. Ensure you consider your action economy though. You can only concentrate on one spell at a time, and you also likely want options for using your bonus action and even your reaction with spells.
Force of destruction
Good for: Dealing lots of damage.
Creating a force of destruction: High charisma for maximum damage and then take some damage dealing spells. AoE spells are obviously great for dealing with crowds, but make sure you have some single target spells too.
How it works: Go heavy with AoE damage dealing spells early on in combat to take out as many enemies as possible. Supplement this with metamagic that can enhance the power of your spells and use damage dealing cantrips to maintain damage without using spell slots.
Enhancer
Good for: Improving the effectiveness of your allies.
Creating an enhancer: You’ll still want to go big on charisma, but for this build, will want to take buffing spells. Things like guidance for constant use enhancements are good. As you progress in levels, you’ll want to take spells like haste, shield, invisibility and greater invisibility.
Don’t just rely on enhancement spells though. Many buffs are also concentration spells so you’ll want to have some damage dealers in your repertoire too for when you need to maintain concentration on haste for instance. Consider using twinned spells for some of your concentration spells to maximise their effectiveness.
To help you maintain concentration, you may want to boost your constitution and maybe even take war caster as a feat.
How it works: Make your allies better and watch them cause havoc on the battlefield. Supplement this with castings of damage dealing spells like firebolt or mind sliver.
Battlefield controller
Good for: Controlling the battlefield.
Creating a force of destruction: Again, take high charisma for effective spellcasting, but this time, you’re going to hone in on spells that can control the battlefield. That could be in causing blockers, areas of damage or restriction or by effectively taking certain enemies out of combat effectiveness.
Spells like enemies abound, vortex warp and web work well for this at lower levels. You might also want to take something like counterspell to ensure the battlefield isn’t controlled in your enemy’s favour (in fact, that’s good advice for most sorcerers). As you increase in levels, you can look to the likes of banishment, hold monster, wall of stone and mental prison to do this job even more effectively.
How it works: Disable enemies by targeting either large areas through the likes of web, or target highly problematic enemies with single target spells that will disable more thoroughly. Different types of spells are best used against different types of foes.
For example, restricting the movement of a spellcaster is less effective than doing the same thing to a melee tank. The spellcaster can continue to cast spells from web and be just as effective (or can misty step out of the way). For spellcasters, you’ll want to target their weaknesses too. Mental prison will work well against an enemy cleric because of its intelligence saving throw, but will be less effective against a wizard. Banishment works better against a wizard because of its charisma saving throw.
In reality, while you may want to focus on one of the above spellcasting styles, you likely want a range of spells prepared to help you tackle a range of situations.
Which subclass should I choose?
There are lots of great sorcerer subclasses to choose from (known as sorcerous origins) so much of this decision comes down to the kind of character you’re trying to build and where the origin of their magic comes from.
I’ve popped some guidance below on which subclasses are useful for different types of sorcerous builds and origins.
Draconic Bloodline
Source Book: Player’s Handbook
Description: These sorcerers have the powers of dragons coursing through their veins.
Good for: For sorcerers that want to be a bit tougher and embody the powers of a dragon.
Wild Magic
Source Book: Player’s Handbook
Description: Chaotic sorcerers whose magic is wild and unpredictable.
Good for: For sorcerers that want chaotic magical powers that are difficult to fully control.
Storm Sorcery
Source Book: Xanathar’s Guide to Everything
Description: Sorcerers whose abilities originate from the element of air.
Good for: For sorcerers that want to wield the powers of the elements to their advantage.
Divine Soul
Source Book: Xanathar’s Guide to Everything
Description: Such sorcerers have their magic originating from divine sources.
Good for: For sorcerers that want access to healing and buffs like a halfway cleric.
Shadow Magic
Source Book: Xanathar’s Guide to Everything
Description: Their magic comes from shadowy and sinister origins.
Good for: For sorcerers that want to gain the upper-hand from the darkness. Also great for sorcerers that live in a state between life and death.
Aberrant Mind
Source Book: Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
Description: Sorcerers with abilities derived from psychic origins.
Good for: Sorcerers that want to add psychic abilities to their repertoire as well as creepy occult spells.
Clockwork Soul
Source Book: Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
Description: Sorcerers with innate magic derived from Mechanus.
Good for: For risk-free sorcerers that want to make sure the right thing happens in important moments.
How to optimise a sorcerer
Optimising a character properly can be tricky. Below I’ve picked out some key attributes for you to use with your sorcerer to turn them into a fearsome spellcaster:
Ability score
Recommended options: Charisma is your most important ability score. Any spare points can go into dexterity and constitution to make you a bit hardier.
Options to avoid: Intelligence, wisdom and strength can all be dumped (wisdom is maybe slightly more important for the saving throws, but that’s all).
Considerations: Sorcerers are spellcasters but also make great faces. With charisma being your spellcasting ability, you’ll want to max this out as soon as possible to make sure you’re as effective as possible.
Dexterity will help increase your AC (remember, you have no armor so any bonus you can get here, the better). With only d6 hit dice too, constitution will help toughen you up a bit.
Best sorcerer races
You’ll want to aim to get a few different kinds of things from your race including:
Ability scores: Any races that can add to your charisma are going to be helpful. Dexterity and constitution are also going to help with your durability. Many more recent races will let you choose your ability score increases though which makes this easier.
Face skills: Sorcerers can make pretty good party faces, but lack the range of skills to properly back this up (they only get 2 as standard). As such, a race that can offer you these skills will help elevate you to a fully functioning party face.
Innate spellcasting: Sorcerers not only benefit from additional spells known, but can repeat cast innate spells and will have the charisma to back up these capabilities making races with innate spellcasting a good option.
Evasion: Any race that can help you evade danger will be useful as sorcerers really can’t afford to get stuck in danger. Things like flight and teleportation features will be really useful here.
With these factors in mind, I’d recommend the following races for a sorcerer:
- Aarakocra: Flight is the main reason you might want to consider an Aarakocra. Keep far from your enemies and blast magic at them.
- Astral Elf: Having a free teleportation feature as a bonus action is hugely beneficial for a very vulnerable character and saves you spending limited spell slots on another spell. Plus you get a free cantrip, perception proficiency and proficiency in a changeable skill (probably a face skill is best).
- Changeling: The ultimate social race meets a very good social class. Grab 2 top face skills and shapechange to your hearts delight to tackle social encounters.
- Fairy: Great evasion option with their flight (and you won’t mind the armor restrictions anyway as sorcerers aren’t proficient). Some innate spells are good and faerie fire will save you learning a counter to invisibility. Enlarge/reduce can be decent too.
- Githyanki: You get misty step as a prepared spell (and a free use) for great evasion tactics and a changeable skill proficiency to probably throw into a face skill (but could be something else and can change each day if needed).
- Goblin: Fury of the small works with your spells so you can make your spells a little more powerful against most creatures. Disengage and hide as bonus actions are pretty good for getting out of trouble too.
- Half-Elf: Great ability score increases with +2 in charisma and +1 in 2 other abilities (I’d go with constitution and dexterity). You also get 2 skills to add to your face capabilities. When choosing your heritage, I’d go with a Dark Elf as you’ll get 3 good spells and can use charisma as your spellcasting ability.
- Owlin: You’re mainly here for the extra evasion that comes from flight, but it really is that effective for one of the most vulnerable classes in the game.
- Tiefling: The big draw here is +2 charisma and some innate spellcasting that works great with a sorcerer who will really benefit from extra spells known. For your subrace, Bloodline of Glasya is probably your best option with some great stealth based spells but the Bloodlines of Dispater and Levistus also work well.
Backgrounds
Recommended options: Courtier, Faceless, Faction Agent, Gambler, Guild Artisan, House Agent, Rewarded, Urban Bounty Hunter
Options to avoid: Archaeologist, Athlete, Cloistered Scholar, Hermit, Inheritor, Knight of Solamnia, Marine, Outlander, Pirate, Sage, Uthgardt Tribe Member, Wildspacer
Considerations: Really, you’re here for some face skills or maybe another more generally useful skill like perception or insight so go for backgrounds that will offer you these types of skills.
Skills
Recommended options: Persuasion, deception, intimidation and insight
Options to avoid: Arcana and religion aren’t bad, but your intelligence likely isn’t good enough to make good use of this. Save it for your wizard or artificer.
Considerations: As the likely face of the party, you’ll want to double down on face skills (insight being useful for a face too).
Feats
Recommended options: Inspiring Leader, metamagic adept, spell sniper, telekinetic
Options to avoid: Linguist, observant, skilled
Considerations: Gaining extra sorcery points through metamagic adept is great. Enhancing your cantrips with spell sniper is also a good option, telekinetic can give you something useful to do with your bonus action while inspiring leader takes great advantage of your charisma. Other options are decent but not many really shine on a sorcerer.
Avoid feats like linguist that a spell can do just as well for you or things like observant or skilled which are unlikely to be used much by a sorcerer.
Weapons
Recommended options: Light crossbow is best for ranged, dagger for utility
Options to avoid: Quarterstaff
Considerations: Weapons aren’t going to be used much by a sorcerer. If your dexterity is decent enough, a light crossbow might do more damage than a cantrip from levels 1-4. However, after that, you’ll want to focus on spells unless you absolutely can’t cast any. Use something like shocking grasp for melee combat as it’ll be better than a dagger.
Quarterstaffs are rubbish as you shouldn’t have focused on strength anyway so don’t bother with one.
Armor
Recommended options: Mage armor and shield (spell)
Options to avoid: Any actual armor. You aren’t proficient, unless you multiclass or take a feat.
Considerations: Sorcerers don’t get proficiency in any type of armor so you’re reliant on your dexterity and magical armor like mage armor and shield. For the most part though, just try and stay out of the way of the danger.
Multiclassing
Recommended options: Bard, cleric, warlock
Options to avoid: Barbarian, fighter, monk, wizard
Considerations: Bard and Warlock can feel like obvious choices as they also use charisma as their spellcasting ability. Both will give you access to light armor proficiency, though a hexblade can be tempting as at 1st level, you can have medium armor and shield proficiency. Bards will help you improve on your skills too.
Cleric is an interesting option as you’ll be a little more reliant on wisdom with their spells, but that’s not too much of a problem for a sorcerer. What they will give you is medium armor proficiency, or if you choose your subclass well, heavy armor proficiency, to make you that much more durable.
One thing to consider is how far you want to progress when multiclassing (if at all) as you may get some extra benefits, but will delay the higher spell levels by multiclassing so best to limit this for a sorcerer.
On top of this, avoid any classes that rely on you getting into melee combat to be of use. This automatically excludes things like barbarians, fighters and monks, even if they’ll make you more durable. Even a paladin is problematic despite the shared spellcasting ability as they’re also heavily reliant on getting in close to enemies. A cleric remains a better multiclass option if you want armor and/or healing.
Roleplaying a sorcerer
Blessed/cursed with innate magical powers, sorcerers gain their magic through no effort of their own (though mastering those powers does take great effort). This is unlike other classes who might gain their powers through study (like wizards and bards), devotion (like clerics and paladins) or through a pact (like a warlock).
This can make them loads of fun to roleplay potentially even adding an element of unpredictability into the mix.
There are a whole host of ways you could roleplay a sorcerer, but if you’re struggling for inspiration, I’ve listed below a few ways you could roleplay your sorcerer:
- Untamed power: You don’t know where your magic came from, but you struggle to always keep it under control. Maybe it manifests when you get angry, anxious or even passionate! Controlling your powers is your main desire, but along the way, amusing/embarrassing/destructive things may happen to you. Kissing a loved one might result in scorch marks, scary dreams might end in lightning bolts and secret thoughts might manifest as illusions, visible to those around you. Imagine people like Rogue from the X-Men or Neera from Baldur’s Gate 1 & 2.
- Cursed with magic: You’d love nothing more than to just be normal, but your inherited gifts make you different from everyone else. Perhaps your draconic bloodline gives you a scaly appearance or your shadowy, magical origins leave you looking gaunt and feeling half-dead. Reality is, your magic doesn’t always feel like a gift. Perhaps you begrudgingly see the benefits of your powers, or maybe you actively seek to get rid of your powers. Either way, it feels like more of a curse than a blessing.
- Gift from the gods: Perhaps your powers were gifted you by the gods. A wonderful miracle to bring salvation to the downtrodden. Perhaps a miraculous sign was present at your birth, a prophecy was made foretelling your birth or you have the faint glow of celestial light. Whatever it is, you were given magic for a purpose. But do you work towards this purpose, or try to ignore your fate?
- Odd influences: It wasn’t just magic you received, you also received some unusual idiosyncrasies. Perhaps you were the subject of illithid experimentation, and along with psychic powers, you inherited alien ways of thinking too! Maybe your clockwork soul makes you very precise and ordered in your attitudes. Whatever it is, your personality seems to be influenced as much as your powers by whatever has affected your soul.
Other class guides
Not sure a sorcerer is for you. Not to worry, why not check out one of our other class guides.
