Sorcerer

There are those who study the arcane, finding power in the knowledge they reveal. But then there are those for whom the arcane is an extension of their will and personality. They wield it as a part of themselves that they willed into being. They are sorcerers and sorceresses, and to them, magic is might.

Sorcerers use **** of will and personality to shape the innate arcane energies in Gristhaia to do their bidding. They are often people with powerful personalities, which leads them to be able to wield the arcane with ease. In fact, when it comes to sheer amount of magical reserves, sorcerers often trump wizards and are peerless in their quantities of magical power.

Where wizards and artificers represent the logical and procedural aspects of magic, a sorcerer represents the chaotic and adaptive characteristics of the arcane. Their power often manifests due to their heritage, descendants of powerful entities such as dragons, gods, or other powerful beings that visit Gristhaia. They often use their magic in a more creative manner than a wizard, as they usually lack the vast repertoire of spells that a wizard will have on hand. Other times, sorcerers just happen, and the source of their innate magical power remains a complete mystery.

Sorcerers are of many backgrounds, motivations and cultures, with no standard trait to bind them all except the way that their magic behaves, and even that is not constant among them. Their numbers are spread wide across Gristhaia, though their distribution can be as unpredictable as the sorcerers themselves. They can take many forms, and sorcery can manifest in almost any sentient being. Luckily, magic is widespread enough in most of Gristhaia to make witch-hunts and crusades against magic users fairly rare. Sorcerer is often considered a catch-all term to describe the class as a whole, and not gender specific like the term sorceress. Most of the inhabitants of Gristhaia are generally accepting of magic and the effects that it has on life.

Sorcerers can find employ in many vocations, and are not relegated to any specific task. One might find that they are most happy in a high production metal foundry, using magic to create high quality metals. They can enchant the machinery with magical flames reaching super high temperatures to speed up the processes of smelting, animated power hammers that need no steam or fuel, rollers that have nigh on infinite torque to extrude and cold forge metals. A determined sorcerer can certainly find a place in manufacturing, but most find it dull and leave such matters to wizards, clerics, artificers and artificers, those “stuffy studious types”. Many sorcerers find their talent in the arts, finding beauty in the magic that they cast, and using that magic to pursue their aesthetic. Yet others may find their desires lie in pursuing power, influence and grandeur itself. The path of any given sorcerer can vary wildly, and they can often find their niches in unexpected places.

On the battlefield, sorcerers are living engines of destruction. Few fortifications can withstand the damage that a determined sorcerer can bring to bear. Provided that they are careful enough to mind their magical reserves, and not be caught unawares, they can provide a punishing barrage of spells that can break formations, scatter troops and destroy any army using conventional ranks and files. They can use misdirection spells to make groups less effective, and **** troops into disadvantageous positions or situations. The power that a sorcerer can wield on the battlefield is a **** to be reckoned with.

This is not to say that they are invincible however, and once you strip away their wards and protections, a pure sorcerer is as squishy as their base race. Sorcerers will find a much harder task to wage unconventional warfare against multiple insurgents, or against assassins who can bypass the sorcerer’s field of destruction. Many arrogant and/or ignorant sorcerers have met their end at the end of the pointy end of a warrior’s blade, an assassin’s knife, or an archer’s arrow, who got the drop on them while their guard was down. Other magic users can also give sorcerers a run for their money, as a duel in magic is not decided by sheer might. Sorcerers who aren’t careful can have their guards stripped away and their magic countered at every turn, to meet their demise at the hands of a caster who had outsmarted or overpowered them. A sorcerer must be mindful of themselves and their enemies just like any other combatant. All threats can be nullified or weakened, but one can never make themselves impervious to all threats.

Sorcerers join adventuring parties for numerous reasons. They often seek glory and notoriety, though others may do so for causes of their own. Regardless of their motives, any party is more than happy to add the arcane might of a sorcerer to their repertoire. They can support their party, blast their foes, and can possess a number of other useful skills and spells that will help an adventuring party complete their tasks. They are a useful asset to have in any party, and many parties will be happy to accept a sorcerer into their ranks.