#making homebrew subclasses is fuuuuuuuuuun

[deconstructthesoup]

*points* Hey! You! D&D player who loves sorcerers!

Do you wish you had a good-old-fashioned Lower-Planes themed subclass to contrast the Divine Soul sorcerer? Are you sick and tired of all the nepo baby jokes and want more sorcerous options that focus more on the "my magic is a force of nature that I can barely keep under control" aspect? Do you want some way to better support your party?

Then I present to you a monster of my own creation:

The Fiendish Soul Sorcerer

Of all of the sorcerers that exist in the vast multiverse, there is one who rivals even the Wild Magic sorcerer in the toll it takes on the individual. Sorcerers infused with the energy of the Lower Planes wield the powers of devils, demons, and yugoloths alike, but that kind of magic will always come at a price, even if you never asked for it.

The stronger a Fiendish Soul sorcerer gets, the more unstable their powers become, to the point where they must share their magic with others in order to control the magic that eats away at their very being. This has manifested in these unique sorcerers sharing their magic as a symbol of trust and connection between themselves and their loved ones, but it has also manifested in Fiendish Souls tricking desperate people into accepting their magic, and exerting that influence over them as a form of control. This ability has gained these sorcerers the moniker “Shoulder Devils,” referencing their similarity to their dealmaking counterparts, and it’s said that the most powerful Fiendish Souls become warlock patrons themselves… that is, if they live long enough to master their magic.

(Pretty cool flavor text, right? Onto the abilities!)

1st Level: Sinner's Soul

You have magic that stems from one of the Lower Planes—maybe from the Nine Hells, maybe from the Abyss, maybe even from Hades. Whatever the case, it has given you immense fiendish power, the likes of which could destabilize you if you’re not careful.

When you choose this subclass at level 1, you also decide where your fiendish powers come from, which will grant you more abilities as you level up:

Infernal: You gain the Burning Hands spell, and can use a sorcery point to cast it as a cantrip.

Abyssal: You gain the Inflict Wounds spell, and can use 2 sorcery points to heal yourself or a party member for the amount of damage you inflict.

Chthonic: You gain the Dissonant Whispers spell, which counts as a sorcerer spell for you, and can use 3 sorcery points to make it affect more than one person.

(I wanted to base this off of the insanely cool new tiefling lineages we got in the 2024 PHB---even though this subclass follows 2014 rules---but I wanted the subclass features to differ from the abilities those lineages offer, since... let's face it, if you're playing this, your character's probably a tiefling.)

1st Level: Dealmaker

Your fiendish charisma worms its way into the way you interact with others. You have advantage on Insight and expertise in either Persuasion or Deception, making you skilled at finding compromises and leveling the playing field. You also gain the Friends cantrip and the Charm Person spell if you didn’t already have them.

(First instance of "deal with the devil" symbolism! It won't be the last!)

6th Level: Salt To The Wound

On a spell attack, you can add 2d4 of your fiendish origin’s damage type to it—fire for Infernal, poison for Abyssal, and necrotic for Chthonic. This increases at levels 10 (3d4), 14 (4d4), and 18 (5d4).

(If all of this is sounding a little OP to you, well... get ready for the next ability, it's a doozy.)

6th Level: Faustian Bargain

Your magic is beginning to become too much for you to handle. Every time you cast a spell of 2nd level or higher, you must roll a D20. On a natural 1, the spell deals out the maximum effect as you take 1d6 necrotic damage, and you will continue to take that damage after every spell you cast. If you don’t get a nat 1, your Faustian effect will trigger if you roll a 2 or lower, than a 3 or lower, and so on until it’s fully triggered, at which point it’ll reset. This effect ends once you spend two sorcery points to give one of your spell slots to an ally within reach, briefly infusing them with your powers. Going forward, this ally will also have access to one of your spells, which can also end your Faustian effect if they use it.

(DRAWBACKS! Loosely based on The Unsleeping City's homebrewed Wild Magic system, which always guarantees that this effect will happen, making for much more interesting gameplay! And, just like the Divine Soul sorcerer, this gives you the option to have more of a support role in your party!)

14th Level: Devil On Your Shoulder

Your body alone cannot contain your magic, but that doesn’t mean that it cannot be controlled. When you reach this level, you gain the ability to expend three sorcery points and use any creature you have granted a spell or spell slot to as a living arcane focus to avoid the Faustian effect, casting spells through them instead of alongside them. If the creature is willing, they can continue to use the spell you cast through them until they take a long rest. If the creature is unwilling, they must make a wisdom saving throw equal to your spell save DC, minus a third (rounded down) of the spell slot level you most recently gifted them. This effect backfires and triggers your Faustian effect if the unwilling creature succeeds, and you cannot use this ability again until after a long rest.

(I'm aware that the "unwilling creature" thing could only happen if, say, you gave a spell slot to an NPC who turned out to be a villain, but I believe in covering all my bases here. Also, I really do love the imagery of putting a hand on the shoulder of your fighter, guiding their hand upward, and seeing a look of shock and delight on their face as they cast one of your spells. It's all about trust!)

18th Level: Hell's Coming With Me

It took many trials and many near misses, but you have finally regained control over your magic—or, at least, your magic is much less likely to kill you by accident. Your Faustian effect only occurs if you are not in the near vicinity of those you have lent your magic to, and you regain a number of sorcery points equal to your magic-lenders once you are fully depleted of them. Additionally, you gain the ability to cast the Summon Greater Demon spell at will, calling the forces of the Lower Planes to your command.

(Is this OP? Yes. Counterpoint---this is the capstone. You are level 18. You are basically a god.)