Sorcery’s allure comes from the ability to seize even greater amounts of magical energy than most other casters to empower their spells. Spells amplified by sorcery are harder to resist, deal more damage, have greater range, and affect larger areas. However, each time sorcerers tap into this energy, some remains trapped inside their bodies, causing great strain as it tries to escape. If their control slips, the pent-up energy explodes out from them in a destructive wave capable of blowing people and objects apart and leaving craters in the earth.
Given the technique’s destructive potential, sorcerers are widely feared throughout the Empire, and stories often surface of people finding burning craters and scorched earth. The Cult of the New God and the Wizards of the Tower Arcane sometimes join forces in uneasy alliance to apprehend sorcery’s most egregious practitioners, though such expeditions rarely end well for anyone.
Level 3 Sorcerer
Attributes. Increase two by 1
Characteristics. Health +2, Power +1
Magic You either discover a new tradition or learn one spell from a tradition you have already discovered.
Sorcery You learn the secrets of sorcery. Whenever you cast an attack spell, you can use this talent to make your attack roll with 1 boon or to impose 1 bane on challenge rolls made to resist your attack.
Each time you use this talent, you gain 1 strain, which represents your effort to contain the residual magical energy within your body. If you have any strain when you complete a rest, your strain total drops to 0.
Sorcerous Outburst At the end of any round in which you gained 1 or more strain, you must make a Will challenge roll with a number of banes equal to your strain total. On a failure, magical energy explodes from a point within your reach into a sphere with a radius in yards equal to your strain total. The energy deals 1d6 damage per point of your Power to everything in the area other than you. A creature in the area that gets a success on an Agility challenge roll instead takes half the damage. Once you trigger your Sorcerous Outburst, your strain total drops to 0.
Level 6 Sorcerer
Characteristics. Health +2
Magic You either discover a new tradition or learn one spell from a tradition you have already discovered.
Greater Sorcery Your understanding of Sorcery improves. Greater Sorcery replaces the Sorcery talent. When you cast a spell, you can choose to gain 1 strain and apply any one of the following effects to the spell.
Empowered Spell If you cast an attack spell, this talent grants you 2 boons on your attack roll and imposes 2 banes on challenge rolls made to resist this spell.
Enlarged Spell If the spell affects an area, you double it. Thus, if the spell would affect a sphere with a 5-yard radius, you could affect a 10-yard radius instead.
Far Spell If the spell affects an area or a target other than you, you can increase the range from touch to short range, short range to medium range, medium to long, or long to extreme. Thus, if you would choose a point within short range, you can use this talent to choose a point within medium range instead.
Lasting Spell If the spell has a duration, you can use this talent to extend it. A duration of 1 minute becomes 10 minutes, 10 minutes becomes 1 hour, 1 hour becomes 8 hours, and 8 hours becomes 24 hours.
Potent Spell If you cast an attack spell that deals or heals damage, you can use this talent to increase the damage dealt or healed by the spell. If the spell deals damage or heals damage to one or more targets, each target takes or heals 2d6 extra damage. If the spell deals or heals damage over time, the spell instead deals or heals 1d6 extra damage.
Level 9 Master Sorcerer
Characteristics. Health +2, Power +1
Magic You either discover a new tradition or learn one spell from a tradition you have already discovered.
Sorcerous Blast You can release your strain as a blast of magical energy. You must have at least 1 strain to use this talent. Use an action to reduce your strain by 1 and make an Intellect or Will attack roll against the Agility of one creature or object within medium range. On a success, the blast of energy hits and the target takes 2d6 damage.