Sorcerer 101 - Part 3 (Wild Magic, Storm Magic)

As you all remember, last week we talked about melee based sorcerers. This week, we'll take a look at more "traditional" sorcerers: the squishy mages that we all know and love.

For ranged mages, there are really two options for your spell source: Wild magic and Storm magic. I have to say that, while I very much favor the melee sorcerer, Wild magic and Storm magic are some of the most fun characters I've seen in 4th Edition so far.

Well, let's get started:


Storm Magic

You are the brewing storm, the raging tempest. Thunder is your herald, the wind is your cloak, and lightning dances from your fingertips. Yeah, storm sorcerers are hella bad-ass.

They have many area attack powers that are very, very mean; and one or two will make your defender love you.

Storm Power: Add your dexterity modifier to your damage rolls. This goes up with tier, as other spell power features do.

Storm Soul: You gain damage resistance to lightning and thunder damage, with of course, goes with spell penetration for those two types of damage. The kicker with this is that you can end this resistance as a free action and get a +4 bonus to all defenses until the end of your turn.

Storm's Embrace: I like to call this the "lolwut" feature. When you roll a natural 20 on an attack roll for an arcane power, you push the target 1 + Dex modifier squares, and then can FLY a few squares. lolwut.


Wild Magic

Do you like being random? Do you wake up in the morning, pick up a random shirt and pants-you-think-are-clean-because-pants-don't-get-dirty off the floor, and go? Well, I think Wild sorcerer is for you.

Wild sorcerers are crazy, and the bane of many optimization builds. Why? Because you can't plan for them. Most of your powers have a random effect, and the paragon path associated with this power source can change the entire battlefield, and ruin any tactics or plan your party may have had. Why the hell would you play this class?

I'll tell you: because it's FUN.

Chaos Burst: Depending on if you roll an even or odd number on your first attack roll each turn, you either get a +1 bonus to AC or can make a saving throw. Random...

Chaos Power: Just like Storm power, in that you add your dexterity modifier to your attack rolls, and it scales with level. No extra benefit.

Unfettered Power: When you roll a natural 20, you slide the target and knock it prone. If you roll a natural 1, you push all creatures within 5 squares of you. This can get crazy.

Wild Soul: You know how every sorcerer gets some kind of resistance/spell penetration? Wild sorcerers do, too, but it's entirely random, and you have to roll a d10 after each extended rest to figure out what resistance you have for that day.


Final Thoughts

I have to be honest, I think these two are my favorite sorcerer spell sources. They're fun, have some crazy abilities, and care the embodiment of what a sorcerer really is: unlimited power!

Wild sorcerer has always been close to me heart, and especially with feats later, you can make your class less random... or even MORE random and crazy powerful. Next week, I'll build a few sorcerers from the ground up, and show you a few different ways to play, with character sheets downloadable. Stay tuned!