Sorcerers' Primary Ability Should Be Constitution

Trying to keep your body together from the unnatural magicks that flow through it? That's a CON save, baby! #shorts #dimension20

[arthurdent]

In that case, Sorcerers should have limited spell points, replenished by hit dice or hit points. So you can do the classic "I'm casting so hard right now I'm bleedin from me eyes/nose etc."

[BentonJZWilliams]

fun fact: in Ars Magica your wizards does lab work and invention with intelligence but actually casing spells with stamina

[romxxii]

Can you imagine the nightmare Sorcbarian builds that would come up from this?

[archsteel]

For those interested to see how this might work, look up the Kineticist in Pathfinder. They use constitution as a spell-casting mod, but their spells actively damage them to use at full effect and they also have a much more limited list of spells than an arcane caster.

[AlasKenn]

I now have a goal, to have a sorcerer that's not there having to control their overwhelming magical influence from seeping out, but instead one trying desperately to make the magic happen, drawing from an almost tapped bloodline.

[josephperez]

In 4th edition, Warlocks could have their spellcasting ability by either Constitution or Chsrisma. I usually read this as Charisma casters bring good at coaxing their patron to give them magical goodies with fewer side-effects. And on the flipside, Constitution casters are focusing on keeping their body from ripping itself apart from eldritch powers being pumped into them from a source that doesn't quite understand how relatively frail it's mortal servant it.

[dtotheawesome]

A point for this argument is that genasi (a race that has innate spell casting as they are half gin/elemental) use con as the modifier for their innate spells

[owenleal]

Im now imagining a sorcerer who is basically a gymbro, and they eat 2000 calories a day and work out to be able to use their magic.

[iainemackay]

I have thought this for years now. I think at the very least you should be able to choose between Con and Cha. Cause a sorcerer weakened by the magic in their blood could make sense too.

[TheRavenofSin]

To explain why sorcerers use charisma, in d&d charisma is your force of personality. Not just how good looking or well spoken you are (those are just side effects). Your powerful personality and sense of self shapes the world around you due to your bloodline, which is actually more tied to your actual soul than your physical body.

[grutarg]

This makes perfect sense in terms of how magic plays out in fantasy novels - so often the magic user will pass out from doing too much magic.

[mike]

The levels of needing out are off the charts, and I'm all for it. Keep the love going 😊

[matthiashavrez]

Brennan making low key featurings with Matt Colville once again. I love it

[SuchMuch-C]

This is such a great conversation, I'm really glad to see it happen on a bigger scale.

My ¢2 on this are:

While it does make sense to think of constitution as a casting stat for sorcerers because of the whole bloodline situation I also think WoC has pigeon holded the class a little bit by naming the subclasses as they have. To me, when designing a sorcerer character, it really helped to think of the bloodline as a catalyst as suppose to the means of magic. For example, dragon's blood is where I draw my magic from but charisma is the medium in which I summon said magic.
Thinking in such a way for me helped unlock charisma from the notions of "silver tongue" or "horny bard" type characters and realise that charisma can be seen as a irresistible influence/force of will which makes sense when you look at other entities in DnD that do use charisma in such a way like devils or celestials for example.

[mononoaware]

I do enjoy me some Brendan Talking At People

[stevefilms]

I believe in that argument his own point has sort of been countered:
Aka the control and power are not correlatory, as charisma (the raw magical power and force of personality/soul) increases the power of the spells increases.
Control increases separately according to sorcerer level (skill as a sorcerer familiarity with the natural power)
Constitution is all your body, and how sturdy it is a sorcerers power doesn’t come from them being able to tank a physical hit.
Now I could talk about dragon lore and charisma for a bit but this is too long already.

[pencilbender]

Point to consider: Charisma isnt neccisarily how goodlooking you are. Its your power of presence, the force you command with your being is exactly what ties into sorcerers' ability to cast spells. I think its perfect.

[skullsquad]

No
Charisma, is the power of the blood that flows through you.
Constitution, is just how tuff you are.

[alexandersen]

i have thought this from when i started playing in 3.5. It would make it even better if their most powerful abilities drew from their bodies similar to the Kineticist in pathfinder. It is a really interesting class i would recommend taking a look.

it is horrendously undersupported by piazo but there are a good number of 3pp books that support them.

[Ramschat]

Of course, putting all your points in constitution so you increase your concentration checks, hit points, spell save DC and spell attack modifier all at once would be a little too strong...