The Spellfire Sorecerer subclass out of Heroes of Faerun is a perfect way to feel like you are magic incarnate. If magic is d4s.
There are subclasses that change the way you play. There are subclasses that give you a neat little story hook. And then, there are ones that make you feel like a special little princess. The Spellfire Sorcerer, out of the new Heroes of Faerun, is the rare one that does all three. Because, as you know, Sorcerers in D&D derive their power innately.
They are connected to magic in strange ways. Some might have the blood of a dragon in their ancestry. Others might have been blessed by a dryad, or even just been born under an ill-omened star, or literally kind of just around during a lightning strike (seriously).
But Spellfire Sorcery is different. They get their magic from magic itself. At least in Faerun, where they draw upon the raw power of the Weave in order to call upon Spellfire. A powerful burst of raw energy that, according to the rules, takes the shape of d4s.
Spellfire Sorcerer – Magic Can Do Everything
Drawing on the power of Spellfire sounds cool. And the lore surrounding the subclass makes it sound doubly so. Spellfire Sorcerers are courted, wherever they go by “factions with interests in the arcane arts, such as the Harpers, Cult of the Dragon, and Red Wizards.”
What makes them such Arcane stars? Well it all starts with the level 3 core features, both of which are bangers. The primary one is Spellfire Burst, and it makes you into a Sorcerer’s Sorcerer. Whenever you spend one or more Sorcery Points as part of a Magic Action or Bonus Action, you can also unleash one of two different effects for free: you can give someone 1d4 + Charisma temporary hit points, or you can deal 1d4 Fire or Radiant damage to someone. In both cases, you have a range of 30 feet.
What’s really nice about that is you can do it whenever you’re doing Sorcerer stuff. It’s not every turn, but it just enhances the Sorcerer-ness every time you use your signature class features.
The other big feature at level 3 is Spellfire Spells, a list of bonus spells that is quite versatile. You’ll get a good mix of spells, including a few that are typically reserved for Divine casters, like Cure Wounds and Guiding Bolt, or Aura of Vitality and Greater Restoration. But then there’s also the “fire” part of Spellfire, which takes the shape of spells like Scorching Ray, Wall of Flames, or Flamestrike.
Higher Level, More Absorption
The level 6 feature, Absorb Spells plays into the idea that you are steadily growing more and more potent. With this feature, you’ll always have Counterspell prepared. But that’s not all. Whenever you successfully counter a spell, you absorb 1d4 Sorcery Points from it. I really like the sense of “mastering raw magic itself” that this conveys.
At level 14 you get what is arguably the most boring feature, Honed Spellfire. It stands out because it’s the only thing that doesn’t give you something new – just a small percentage increase. You get to add your Sorcerer level to the Temporary Hit Points you can grant with your Spellfire Burst or you can deal 1d8 Fire or Radiant damage.
These increases are fine. “Number go up” is one of the big driving senses of progression – but, especially after waiting for so many levels between subclass features, I think it would have been nice to have a little something more. But in general, that’s what I prefer. An increase of 2 points of damage (on average) just doesn’t feel as good as being able to do something else cool.
Fortunately, we’re back at it again with the capstone feature, Crown of Spellfire. You gain this just four levels later, at level 18. But what a feature! It lets you “infuse yourself with the essence of spellfire” whenever you use your Innate Sorcery. Again, it’s a cool new thing you can do whenever you are using your core features, and that feels different.
Whenever you do infuse yourself with the essence of spellfire, you gain several benefits. First, you gain a fly speed of 60 feet and can hover. A great start, especially the doubling of most PC’s normal speed.
Second, you gain the ability to deflect attacks with the essence of your own life force. In game terms, this means you can spend up to your Charisma modifier in hit dice, roll them, and reduce the damage from an incoming attack by that much, no Reaction required.
Finally, you gain evasion but for all spells. So, any time you would take half damage from a spell if you mage a saving throw, you instead take no damage, and only half damage if you fail. All in all, I have to say this is probably one of my favorite of the new subclasses in Heroes of Faerun.
Check out the Spellfire Sorcerer and seven other subclasses in Heroes of Faerun!
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