Sorcerer Arcane Anomalies. The application of practical magic is a form of science, divine is a form of faith, but what origins allow someone to inherit the ability to cast a spell? Is it the spirits from the ground at your feet? Is it a matter of the strength of one’s will or is there truly power in dragon’s blood? This course presents an overview of the practical mechanics of sorcery, and examines known sorcerous origins.

—Tym Bessel Professor of Arcane Theory

PMA1104: Arcane Anomalies In a world where Marqué par le Dragon dynasties dominate the mystical economy, it’s easy to imagine how sorcerous bloodlines can fit into the world, but not every sorcerer has dragon’s blood or some inherited power. What defines the sorcerer is the fact that their magic comes from within, that they must exert their will to coax the powers that lay dormant within them to manifest. This section explores different ways that this can be expressed within a story, from the traditional sorcerous heir, to a vessel of the Mourning, or the product of Létourneau magebreeding.

Supernatural Traits The core idea of a sorcerer is that their magic comes from within. Whether it’s handed down through a mystical bloodline, the result of exposure to a Zone De Manifestation, or some other event, a sorcerer’s talents are not a “gift” like a warlock’s pact. Magic is truly an inherent part of the sorcerer, and the only bargain one must make is with the sacrifices the magic requires to coax it out. The most obvious way to explore this story engine is to have a dramatic physical manifestation of this mystical power.

If the sorcerer’s power is hereditary, consider whether the supernatural traits are shared by other relatives or children of the sorcerer. If the line has been around for a sufficient amount of time, it could be recognized by people of the region. This could make the fledgling sorcerer famous, infamous, or burdened with the expectation to live up to the deeds of the family line. In some places people might treat a sorcerer with fear or suspicion because of an unusual appearance, but Eberron is a world in which people interact with Méduses, Guerrier de Fer, and changelins, and a Nain with green hair or gleaming violet eyes isn’t that unusual by comparison. The traits below are cosmetic and don’t provide any sort of benefit or penalty.

Supernatural Trait d6

Trait

1

Your skin is an unusual color or texture. Alternately, you have patterns on your skin— abstract patterns similar to Marques du Dragon, scars that resemble arcane symbols, or something even more remarkable. These patterns may glow when you invoke your powers.

2

Your eyes are an unnatural color, and glow when you are excited or when you use your sorcerous power.

3

Your hair is an unusual color or texture. This might be simple—you have bright green hair, but it’s otherwise normal—or it could be more dramatic. It could appear to be formed from metallic threads or cold fire, or seem to be constantly moving in an unfelt wind.

4

You have a strong and unnatural body odor. This could be subtle, or it could be exaggerated when you cast a spell.

5

You have an unusual voice. You may subconsciously produce ambient sounds… quiet chimes, eerie whispers at the edge of hearing.

6

You subconsciously affect the environment around you in minor but interesting ways, based on the spells you know. If you wield fire magic, you might raise the ambient temperature by a few degrees. If you know illusion spells, the colors of things around you might shift. These changels aren’t significant, but they are noticeable, and might be something you still seek to control.

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scarcity of their bloodline never equated to the numbers or power to extend such influence into the Cinq Nations.

Sorcerous Blood and Bloodlines The Maisons Marquées Du Dragon establish a clear precedent for powerful families that possess hereditary mystical powers. The established lore of Eberron doesn’t present lines of sorcerers as playing a significant role within the setting but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be the case, especially with a Héritier des Dragons of Siberys. There are a few ways to approach this and you will want to discuss with your DM the ways that people within the campaign setting will react to your inherent power. •

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Fear. Some people believe that the prejudice against Marque Aberrante du Dragon was artificially generated by the Maisons Marquées Du Dragon to turn people against potential rivals of the house. It could be that the reason there aren’t powerful, publicly known sorcerous bloodlines is because people are afraid of sorcerers. The Commun folk might lump these displays of power in with the sporadic aberrant outbursts, believing that sorcerers can’t control their powers, that they are touched by Khyber or created by the Daelkyr and, as such, inherently evil. These superstitions could be fueled by the established nobility, the Marqué par le Dragon Houses, or both. If so, the second question is whether these fears are justified. Are sorcerers created by the Daelkyr and unwitting agents of evil?

•

Rare. Perhaps sorcerous power can be inherited but only manifests every few generations. People recognize that there are sorcerous bloodlines and aren’t mystified or afraid of sorcerers but they aren’t as Commun as Marques du Dragon and haven’t impacted society in the same way. Simply, sorcerers are just as rare as any other adventurer with unCommun power, which is to say they are, and even among the Maisons Marquées Du Dragon.

•

Regional. Sorcerous bloodlines aren’t presented as being a central part of the Five Nations, but they could be well-established in a particular region. The Lhazaar Principalities stands out as a wild territory, due to the unstructured nature of the nation, where such wild magics might thrive. There could easily be feuding families of sorcerers ruling neighboring principalities but the

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•

Secret. Perhaps sorcerers have been hiding their power, and in doing so aren’t concerned with ruling the Cinq Nations. The dragons of Eberron are secretive beings who manipulate Humainity in accordance with the Prophecy. The sorcerers of your bloodline could have received a mission along with their talents in magic, similar to the first Gatekeeper druids. You might be charged to combat the plans of the Seigneurs Des Cendres, or you could be gaining influence and waiting until the time is right.

These explanations are just a few ways of explaining why Eberron is the way it is now, and why a world in which families of sorcerers aren’t presented as playing a significant role in the world when they probably are or should be in other settings. Note that even if sorcerous dynasties are rare or secret, that doesn’t mean that sorcerers have to be equally rare, it simply means that they rarely pass their gifts on to their

children or use them to do anything but maintain their way of life. Sorcerers could still be a wellknown part of the world, but their power comes from Zone De Manifestations, enhanced Marques du Dragon, or spontaneous manifestation, rather than a long-established family line where those who don’t manifest some power are disowned by the dynasty.

Components of Sorcery One of the central ideas of sorcery is that the sorcerer’s power comes from within and when negotiating the elements of the campaign and a sorcerer character within it, it’s important to address how the thematic and mechanical aspects apply to the story. When a sorcerer casts a spell, it’s supposed to be fundamentally different than when a wizard casts the same spell, as the sorcerer draws on a natural talent and latent energy within, instead of manipulating arcane science inherent to the world. Thematically, the central difference is that the hours and hours of study that a wizard requires, the necessity of precise movement, and specific ingredients to coax a spell into existence is something that a sorcerer doesn’t require to draw these spells into existence, but for this the wizard benefits from a larger variety of spells learned during their studies. A sorcerer’s casting is supposed to be spontaneous thematically, but it often doesn’t feel any different from a wizard casting the same spell. A fireball from a sorcerer still requires all the same components that a wizard would need to cast the same spell, guano and all, and while metamagic acts as a catalyst to a thematic caveat, it’s far from consistent and requires a large investment from the sorcerer to invoke. Thematically, when a wizard casts a fireball spell, the magic in the air reacts to the words, specialized gestures, and material goods provided to harness and channel arcane energy, while the fireball spell should flow directly through the sorcerer, yet a sorcerer must still provide verbal components, somatic components, and a tiny ball of bat guano and sulfur. How do you reconcile the idea of innate power with having to prepare the same balls of bat guano? One approach is to say that when a sorcerer

casts a spell, it looks just like a wizard casting the same spell, that they use the same gestures and the same words of power, they just spontaneously know to speak whatever arcane language it requires instead of learning it. However, the idea of a small child running about the streets of a broken, grimy neighborhood, finding bat guano and gesturing in a specific pattern while mouthing specific words then defies the theme of sorcerous magic. Additionally, it limits the idea of a sorcerer as someone who possesses the innate mystical power, as somewhere down the line, each sorcerer has to learn the exact measurement and application of the guano. If this is the path you and your DM decide to take, it might be an interesting story to negotiate just how a sorcerer character learned to implement these components without such study. In Eberron, the easiest approach is to nullify all but the most expensive or rare material components from the sorcerer’s spell, indicating that the sorcerers themselves function as the material component, and still provides somatic and verbal components that look and sound entirely different from anything a wizard would do. Describe the somatic as emotional, irrational, and irreverent instead of the graceful, patient, and studied gestures of a wizard. The phrasing of a sorcerer’s invocations might be frantic and dramatic, instead of measured and practiced. If your campaign will have a variety of arcane spellcasters you can use either approach, or a combination to acknowledge the limitations of a component and decide how best to present those components in very different ways. If a spell has a verbal component, the sorcerer has to make sound when casting it but those sounds are likely very different from a wizard’s incantations. Discuss with your DM how best to represent this facet of the game in your story.

Material Components If the sorcerer’s magic is different from that of the wizard, why do they both need bat guano? A simple principle is that it’s manipulating the same underlying mystical principles and bat guano contains some sort of universal essence of fire, and anyone who performs any sort of fire magic needs that bat guano. On the other

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hand, there’s the practical aspect of a material component, it can be taken away from you, and if it is, you can’t cast the spell again until you find more of it. In fifth edition, the material component matter is simplified to allow an arcane focus to replace any free component and that, with a component pouch, a character is presumed to have an endless number of components and thus an ever-present supply of bat guano. This adjustment waves most free components to the ether, allowing the story teller with the freedom to ignore most material issues. When it comes to expensive components in Eberron, refined Fragments d'Eberron can take the place of any expensive spell component. The identify spell requires a pearl worth 100 gp but that pearl could be replaced with the equivalent worth of Fragments de Dragon or a dragonshard focus item of similar value. While fifth edition allows for some nominal ways to ignore the process of menial material components, there’s no reason to ignore the possibility of unique story angles through these avenues. Perhaps a sorcerer’s component pouch is actually filled with clay, and the caster quickly draws runes or sigils into clay shaped to represent the target or the fireball itself. Maybe it’s a bag of dust ground from Fragments de Dragon or bones, and a handful is all that’s needed to produce the magical effects. If so, the addition of metamagic might simply be an adjustment to that dust peppered with a crystal or stone. In that same vein, a wand or staff might normally act as an arcane focus, but your arcane focus could be a marionette, shaping a charm or suggestion spell as the strings are manipulated and pulled to influence the target like the sorcerer’s puppet. An Aereni sorcerer might use the skull of an ancestor as an arcane focus, while a Talenta sorcerer could use a spirit mask or engraved Dinosauree tooth. As long as the item fulfills the basic principles of an arcane focus in cost and size, connect with your DM to find how to best represent the way sorcery magic is different from other arcane traditions and what reaction an NPC might have to each in the same story, and exactly what makes your sorcerer unique.

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Somatic Components If a spell requires a somatic component, it also requires the sorcerer to have a free hand to cast it, and can’t cast with full hands, while tied up, or paralyzed. In the case of wizardry, the caster usually traces arcane symbols in the air or contorts a hand in a wild array. Depending how dramatic you want to be, these sigils could linger, traced in lines of cold fire, but even without special effects, it’s a series of precise gestures that focus and release arcane power. Such gestures could be far simpler in the hands of a sorcerer. One might point at a foe and release a blast of flame from the palm. As with all rules, find how they best inform and serve the setting and story. A Guerrier de Fer sorcerer might describe the fireball spell as a hand temporarily transforming into a cannon to channel the magic. In this case, perhaps the guano is fed directly into the cannon’s Chambre before it fires off, while still working with the rules to find an intuitive opportunity to show that a character can’t cast a spell without a free hand. Take a moment to think about how to use the rules to embrace and support that creative freedom a sorcerer embodies for you and your DM.

Verbal Components Sorcerers have to make sounds but they needn’t form words. A primal scream, hum, or howl, might all cast spells by unlocking the magic in a burst of emotion or powerful memory. Perhaps a snarl, deep and guttural like a dragon might be all that is required from one with a Draconique bloodline. A forceful phrase, perhaps even the name of the spell itself, spoken in Abyssal or Draconique might be all the spell needs. Any language could work for this venture, but these ancient languages are the first forms of speech and carry the most power in Eberron. For most, the words alone do nothing, but for someone with the primal essence of magic already coursing through their veins, they focus thoughts and allow the channeling of that magic.

Instead of full words and phrases, a series of syllables might feel like they’re based on Abyssal, Draconique, Géant, or Elvish, but don’t form any actual words in those languages. These syllables are primordial building blocks, the arcane underpinning of reality. As a sorcerer, these syllables come intuitively, and a sorcerer doesn’t think about the words but does think about the intent trying to be accomplished, and the sounds erupt forth. Perhaps these syllables are the true names of things, and in a sorcerer’s chant, the primordial name of fire is invoked to cast the fireball spell. A direction frequently traversed by bards would find the spell obeying a fanciful description of the effect being created. “Let my fiery lash burn you to ash!”, or an expression through sonnet or prose might entice the spell to take shape. According to the Player’s Handbook, a “particular combination of sounds, with specific pitch and resonance, sets the threads of magic in motion.” To use a spell with a verbal component, the sorcerer has to be able to speak, and it’s obvious to observers that the speech is connected to the spell effect, but what is actually being said?

Sorcerers of Eberron The Cinq Nations are founded upon arcane science, the magic of the wizard and Mage-artisans, but there are many ways to work sorcerers into the story.

Divine Souls A sorcerer with the Divine Soul origin can cast magic usually reserved for clerics and, a practical standpoint, this is about expanding the list of available spells and doesn’t have to tie to a divine power. A Divine Soul sorcerer could be a hobbit with a remarkable Marque de la Guérison or a Guerrier de Fer built with the ability to cast healing spells. A Divine Soul doesn’t have to actually be divine, but the process of such creation should consider how best to facilitate its synergy within the story. Celestial Bloodline. Immortals in Eberron can’t produce offspring but they can bind their

essence to a mortal bloodline and such an event is the genesis of kalashtar origins. This immortal spirit might be a couatl of the Flamme d'Argent, an angel of Irian, or an archon from Shavarath. The spirit might communicate with you, and your power could be its only legacy. You may want to discuss with your DM about how long ago this bond was made, and how many others like you are out there. If you follow this path, discuss the nature of your relationship to the spirit, benign or otherwise, with your DM. Personal Divinity. The Le Sang Divin asserts that all mortals have a spark of divinity within them and that the Sovereigns cursed the world with mortality to prevent anyone else from rivaling the power they’ve horded through millennia. No matter where it came from, and even if only beginning to kindle such a spark of divinity, the sorcerer knows it exists. Perhaps such a sorcerer doesn’t believe the power is gifted from a god, but that they are a god who has just now awakened. Consider what this means for your sorcerer and what you must do to strengthen your powers, and do you keep your divinity closely guarded, or work to convert others to further your ambitions? How might other deities feel about your emergence? Are you the answer to a question the dragons gleaned centuries ago from the Prophétie Draconique or simply a usurper who their agents will seek to destroy? Stolen Power. The Flamme d'Argent and the Cour Éternelle aren’t gods in the traditional sense but they are divine wellsprings. Perhaps you, intentionally or unintentionally, are stealing this power. You could be channeling the Silver Flame, but you don’t recognize the implications, or even believe in the Flamme d'Argent at all. Over time, perhaps you’ll come to respect the source of your power, perhaps the true believers will take notice and follow your teachings, or simply hunt you down. Unknown Source. It’s clear that you wield incredible power but perhaps you don’t know the source of it. Someone or something has chosen you to be its vessel but you don’t yet know your purpose. In conversation with your DM, perhaps the scenario dictates your purpose or burden, which might be revealed through visions or something that always remains unexplained.

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Draconique Bloodlines In this day and age of Eberron, the dragons around the world rarely interact with lesser

a sorcerer’s bloodline infused with a touch of magic could harken back centuries. The joining of Humainoïde and dragon is a dangelrous one, and such a precedent long ago, saw a group of dragons mingling their blood with a line of Elfes in an attempt to control the Prophétie Draconique through the Marque Du Dragon of Death. When this arrangelment produced results, a multitude of dragons joined with La Cour Éternelle to eradicate the bloodline completely. This was primarily an effort to destroy the Marque Du Dragon, not a war on every individual with Draconique blood, and in other instances, many dragons are fascinated with the lives of Humains, Elfes and Nains. While observation usually sufficed, the occasional flight of fancy saw dragons living the day to day in the guise of mortals to better understand the motivations of those with such finite time on the Plan Matériel. Some visits result in marriage and offspring in an attempt to live the charade to the fullest. Consider why a dragon would share its blood with your family, and do you know the reason or how long ago it happened? Is this a family secret, or do you celebrate your power?

Marqué par le Dragon Sorcerers Marques du Dragon and Marque Aberrante du Dragon possess specific abilities which could improve with the development of a Greater Marque Du Dragon or a Siberys Marque Du Dragon. Some sorcerers are Héritier des Dragonss that develop a closer connection with a Marque Du Dragon and can use a Marque Du Dragon to produce a wider array of powers beyond those most frequently documented. Normally, scions with the Marque des Tempêtess doesn’t have the ability to conjure lightning, but a Lyrandar Storm Sorcerer could. A hobbit sorcerer with the Marque de la Guérison could reflect their enhanced healing power with the Divine Soul origin, while an Elfee sorcerer might command the darkness of Ombre Magic with the Marque de l'Ombres as the origin of their power. To play this connection to the fullest, a character would likely specialize in spells that

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closely resemble those the house would have as part of their repertoire. Sorcery can also be used to reflect the inherently chaotic and unpredictable powers of an aberrant Marque Du Dragon, and wouldn’t need to match to a particular theme. However, aberrant mark powers are often destructive in nature and disturbing in how they manifest. In creating an aberrant sorcerer, think about what makes your powers frightening, to you and others. Tying your Marque Du Dragon to your sorcerous abilities is a purely cosmetic decision and your DM will have the final say as to how the table will approach components, and any additional power from feats and other features that might enhance or conflict due to the storytelling aspect you have agreed on. Don’t assume that this story angle would allow you to ignore the requirements of certain feats or features you might select throughout your adventures.

Manufactured As with many classes, it’s possible to explain the powers of a sorcerer as the result of mystical experimentation. Magebreeding. Maison Létourneau is known for imbuing creatures with supernatural power. Perhaps your Draconique bloodline isn’t natural, but rather the result of a Létourneau program to create hybrid Humains. Whether that hybrid was Draconique, Géant, or otherwise, you might have gained your sorcery from a transfusion of blood or body. If so, consider what became of the program and what your connection to it might be now. You might be an agent of the house, or a fugitive. One possibility is that an angry dragon destroyed the facility where you were created, and you’re afraid that either the house or the dragon might finish the job if it knew of survivors. The Daelkyr. The Lords of Xoriat are trapped in Khyber, but they’re known for their love of twisting creatures into new forms, typically creating aberrations in the process. Your spellcasting could be a mental gift, but a stRanger option is to say that you have physical elements that allow you to cast your spells, whether that be alien organs, grafts, or Symbiotes that produce your magical effects. The motives of the Daelkyr are always mysterious, but you might know why they created you. You might be a living weapon destined to free your creator, or you could just be an abandoned experiment. Guerrier de Fer. The Guerrier de Fer are mystical tools created to serve a function. As a Guerrier de Fer sorcerer, you are effectively a living wand, a tool that can produce a particular magical effect. As you gain levels and your powers grow, you might simply be unlocking the abilities your creator intended you to have, or you might be evolving into something Bombardier never imagined.

Manifest Sorcery The outer planes influence the material world and this power waxes and wanes, leaking energies into the world through Zone De Manifestations that ebb and flow throughout their celestial journeys. At some point in your past, the power of one or more planes was infused into your bloodline, imbuing you with sorcerous power. The positive light of Irian might grant the power of a Divine Soul, the unpredictable energies of Kythri or Thélanis could result in Wild Magic,

or you could channel the consuming power of Mabar to produce Ombre Magic. This origin makes more sense if spells that fit the theme of the plane are mainstays of the sorcerer in the story, but nothing prevents you from learning a few spells that don’t fit this theme. Your raw power might flow from the planes, but you may have taught yourself to harness it in particular ways that defy what even the most versatile creatures there are able to facilitate.

The Mournborn The Mourning is the mystical cataclysm that brought La Dernière Guerre to an end. It destroyed the nation of Cyre, and everything that survived was strangely warped and twisted, which might include you. If you were in Cyre when the Mourning struck, and you survived, you could possess mystical powers left dormant in your blood. Consider how and when they might manifest, and how your character reacts to the power. Any origin could be explained as being tied to the Mourning, but the dark nature of this cataclysm should reflect in your magic. If you wield Ombre Magic, you could be haunted by the spirits of friends who died in the Mourning. If you have a Draconique Bloodline, your wings and the other physical manifestations of your power could be twisted and strangel, almost as if the Mourning awakened the latent energies or fused a piece of a dragon within you. The Mourning is a mystery, and as a Mournborn sorcerer you’re tied to that mystery. In using your powers, you could be spreading the influence of the Mourning, setting the trigger for a second catastrophe, or you could the key to unlocking the mystery of the Mourning and cleansing Khorvaire of its vile influence.

Progenitor Spark Some sorcerers’ power flows from the primordial, cosmic beings who created the multiverse, and in the Eberron setting, these three Premiers Dragons are Eberron, Khyber, and Siberys. While the blood of dragons flows in your veins, you don’t have scales or manifest wings, but you hold a tiny piece of a spark that can shape reality, instead. On the surface, your spells allow you to fling fire, conjure illusions, and other Commun magic others might acquire,

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but you also have the power to create life, drawing dust and dirt together to form the living. The progenitor Eberron is seen as the source of all natural life and the defender of all that the three created. Khyber sought dominion over the aberrations and fiends she created, while Siberys produced the celestials in all their beauty and splendor. You might feel a connection to one of the three or you might be purely interested in the potential of creation, unburdened by concepts of good or evil.

Posted on May 30, 2018

Sorcerers carry a magical birthright conferred upon them by an exotic bloodline, some otherworldly influence, or exposure to unknown cosmic forces. One can’t study sorcery as one learns a language, any more than one can learn to live a legendary life. No one chooses sorcery; the power chooses the sorcerer.

— 5E Player’s Handbook

Wizards and artificers approach magic as a science. A warlock makes a bargain to gain arcane power. Magic is part of a sorcerer. It’s possible to inherit such power, but as the PHB suggests, it could just as easily be something entirely unique to the character. Later in this article I’ll discuss sorcerous origins tied to Eberron. But first, let’s consider what magic means for a sorcerer.

You’re a sorcerer. Your magic is a part of you. But it is still arcane magic… and at the end of the day, when you use that power you are still casting a spell. Unless you use the Subtle Spell metamagic feature, your sorcerer spells require all the same components—verbal, somatic, and material—as when a wizard casts that spell. In some ways this seems to clash with the whole idea of being a sorcerer. If your ability to cast a fireball comes from your draconic heritage, why do you still need to speak a word of power and throw a ball of bat guano to make it work?

One way to think about this is that arcane magic is a science… that as a sorcerer, the principles of magic come to you by instinct, but you ARE still casting a spell in the same way that a wizard is. But this doesn’t work with a lot of different character concepts. So let’s take a look at each of the different sorts of components and think about what they may mean for a sorcerer.

Verbal components require the character to make a sound. Per the PHB a “particular combination of sounds, with specific pitch and resonance, sets the threads of magic in motion.” In my mind, a verbal component needs to be clearly connected to a casting oa spell: it can’t be something that could be mistaken for conversation. With that said, I feel that the exact form can vary from class to class and character to character. For example, I could see any of the following as being verbal components for a fireball.

• A forceful phrase (“Consuming flames!”) in a variant of Abyssal or Draconic. The words feel hot in the ears of anyone who hears them. While this is in a language, it’s the thought behind it that triggers this searing effect; you don’t actually burn people or convey this power when casually speaking in Draconic.
• A series of syllables that might feel like they’re based on Abyssal, Draconic, Giant, or Elvish (“Talash zash harkala!”), but that don’t form any actual words in those languages. This is the “machine code” of reality, triggering access to the forces the wizard channels in the rest of the spells.
• An invocation of specific forces that will be channeled to power the spell. A divine caster might specifically call on an individual (“Dol Arrah, let your searing light lay my enemies low!”), while an arcane caster might invoke a power source, such as one of the eternal firepits of Fernia or the blade storms of Shavarath. On the other hand, a Warlock could specifically call on their patron by name.
• A straightforward but clear description of the effect you are trying to create (“Let my fiery lash burn you to ash!”).
• A bard might sing a song to cast a spell—but as with the first example, the song should feel clearly magical (unless Subtle Spell is used). As the words are spoken they might take shape in the air, or echo in the ears, or otherwise feel like there is a power behind them.
• This would be a place to work in naming. Perhaps your sorcerer innately sees the true names of things, and you call out that name and an effect.

The point being: You could be syllables infused with arcane might to channel power into your spell. You could be naming powerful entities or cosmic forces whose power produces your effect. You could simply describe exactly what you want to have happen to your victims, essentially making a demand the universe will obey. But whatever it is, if you’re casting spells with verbal components, you’re producing sounds that are clearly tied to the magical effects you produce… so what are those sounds?

Somatic components are gestures involved with the spell. Per the PHB, the most critical detail is that “the caster must have a free hand to perform these gestures.” Like verbal components, a requirement I apply is that it must be obvious that the hand gestures are tied to the spell. Someone watching you understands that there is a purpose to your gestures and that if they immobilized you, you would stop. So what forms can somatic gestures take?

• As a wizard, you could follow the model of the recent Doctor Strange—tracing patterns of energy in the air, essentially drawing glyphs or writing out an arcane formula.
• Taking away the lightshow, it can still be about precise hand and finger movements that trigger and focus mystical energy.
• On the other hand, you could combine both these things without any finesse. You need a free hand and it needs to be clear that you’re using that hand to cast a spell. You could simply conjure a ball of fire that you physically throw at your enemy… or dramatically point at them, at which point the fireball emerges from your palm.
• Another option is the Harry Potter approach: the wand. According to the PHB, the hand you use to access an arcane focus can be the same hand you use to perform somatic components. To me, this implies that my gestures could simply be some fancy wand-work. Again, the critical things are that it requires a hand and that it’s clear I’m using that hand to cast a spell.
• If someone’s playing a warforged sorcerer, I’d be fine with them stating “Activate artillery mode” (verbal component) and turning their hand into a cannon (somatic component)—as long as it’s understood that they require freedom of movement to do this.

So again: the point is that you require a free hand and that it is obvious to an observer that you’re using that hand to produce a magical effect. But as long as those two conditions are met, you’ve got some room to move.

Material components fall back into the realm of “If my sorcerer isn’t performing magic like a wizard, while do I still need a ball of bat guano to cast my spell?” Once again, it’s worth taking a moment to think about the impact of material components. Free material components—like the ball of guano—are primarily important because they can be taken away. If you’re trapped in a cell, whether you’re a sorcerer or a wizard, there’s an easy way for them to stop you from casting a fireball. Expensive material components—like the 100 gp pearl required to cast identify—prevent you from casting the spell casually, especially at low levels.

Starting with free components, it’s worth noting that you can ignore free components if you are holding a spellcasting focus (holy symbol, wand, rod, orb, etc) or if you have a component pouch. Personally, if these conditions are met, I’m entirely fine with a player either defining a unique arcane focus or changing what’s IN the component pouch. So looking at examples…

• A component pouch is a great way to define a unified set of components that fit your presentation of magic. Perhaps you perform sympathetic magic, creating a model of your victim and the effect you’re producing. Maybe you have a set of crystals, and you combine the crystals in different ways for different effects (“Fireball? I’ll need a sliver of Fernian basalt amplified with the Irianic lens”). Perhaps you literally assemble a wand tied to the specific effect you want to produce. If you want to get weird about it, you could have a component pouch full of liquids… you assemble a one-use potion from the pouch, drink it (somatic component) and then belch out the spell effect (verbal component). As a warforged sorcerer, I could have a pouch filled with little mini-wands that I attach to my hand. The critical point here is that the component pouch is a set of tools: what do your tools look like?
• A spellcasting focus needs to cost between 5-25 GP to replace. It needs to be something that is clearly associated with the spell when it is cast. It can’t be used for another purpose (IE it can’t be a useable weapon unless your class gives you that option) and it requires a free hand to use. But personally, as long as all those conditions are met, I’m fine with that being unique to the character. A few exotic ideas for a spellcasting focus…
  • The rune-engraved skull of an ancestor. This could be a wand carved from an ancestor’s bone, or something similar.
  • The polished horn of a beast—either something I hunted and killed, or a creature that was close to me. A Talenta caster could use the fang of a former dinosaur mount.
  • An exotic mask I hold in front of my face.
  • A strange machine I’ve assembled myself.

With any unique or exotic focus, there’s two critical questions. How can you replace it? If you lose your grandfather’s skull, how do you get a new one? Normally, a player can simply go to the store in a big city and buy a new focus, so the point to me is that I’d allow a player with time and money to replace a lost focus, regardless of the form. Perhaps you can perform a ritual that reconstitutes your grandfather’s skull—it’s just that the ritual takes components that cost 10 gp, the same cost as buying a wand. Second: can you perform magic using the standard components? Normally, a wizard can use a wand or component pouch to cast a fireball, but if they lose the focus, they can whip up a ball of bat guano. Can use use guano in an emergency?

The final topic is expensive components. Chromatic orb requires a diamond worth 50 gp. It doesn’t matter what kind of a caster you are, you need that diamond. Personally, the only thing I generally care about is the cost. I’m fine with the idea that chromatic orb requires a unique focus that costs 50 gp and is only used for this one spell, but I don’t personally care if it’s something that is likewise unique to the way your character performs magic. Likewise, in my Eberron, Eberron dragonshards can take the place of any expensive component. Whether it’s the 5,000 gp cost of resurrection or the 100 gp cost of identify, that amount of refined dragonshards will do the trick; this emphasizes the idea that dragonshards are the basic fuel of the magical economy. The only reason I’d restrict a spell to a concretely specific component is if I want to play up a particular region or individual as having a monopoly on that resource… if diamonds are consistently a thing, who has the diamonds? In Eberron, this is the role of Eberron dragonshards, which is why Q’barra and House Tharashk are important.

So putting all of this together, the question is: whether you’re a wizard or a sorcerer, what form does your magic take? Does your sorcerer have a magic musket with components they swap out (IE, exotic component pouch)? Do you carry around your grandfather’s skull (focus), hold it up (somatic) and ask it to produce magical effects (verbal)? Do you have henna tattoos (focus, as long as they can be removed) that you trace with a finger (somatic) while reciting words you learned in a dream (verbal)? If your power comes from exposure to the Mourning, do you wave (somatic) a piece of your house from Cyre (focus) while calling out the names of your friends who died (verbal)? You can have a unique style… but you need to figure out how it meets the requirements of casting a spell.

So: this is an article about sorcerers, remember? While the previous section could apply to all sorts of casters, the point is to think about how your sorcerous origin is reflected in the way that you cast magic. With that said, I’m just going to dive in and look at some possible ways to justify sorcerers in Eberron.

Sorcerous Origin: Any

Aberrant dragonmarks are an unpredictable and dangerous form of dragonmark. For many centuries the aberrant marks that have been seen have been limited in power… but in the days of the War of the Mark, the Children of Khyber wielded marks that could destroy cities. You could justify your sorcerous powers as being tied to an aberrant dragonmark, with that mark growing in both size and power as your level increases.

Now: aberrant dragonmarks are specifically called out as being dangerous—channeling destructive or aggressive powers. This is your character, so this is a limitation you’re applying to yourself; but if you want to fit the IDEA of the mark, you should limit your spell selection to powers that fit this vision. You could play a divine soul as a character with an aberrant mark, but if so, you shouldn’t be using it to produce healing effects. One way to handle this is to suggest that you are essentially a crappy wizard or magewright who ALSO has an aberrant mark. So your one or two NON-aggressive spells are the spells you cast in a traditional arcane manner… and the aggressive spells are the ones tied to your mark. This also ties to the idea that an aberrant dragonmark is supposed to be a burden to its bearer, either mentally or physically. The mark could cause you pain every time you use it. It could be an effort for you to contain its power and to keep from accidentally hurting the people around you. It could whisper to you. None of these things have concrete mechanical effects; this is all about flavor and how you choose to present it. You are amazingly tough and focused and you overcome these things; but if it’s an aberrant mark, you want to keep the story idea that it is a burden.

Aberrant marks take many forms, as long as they are aggressive in nature. As a result, you could tie this to any sorcerous origin. If you justify your draconic bloodline with an aberrant mark, you aren’t ACTUALLY descended from a dragon… and the effects of your draconic bloodline could take other forms. Draconic bloodline provides you with high AC and resistance to a particular damage type. It could be that your mark actually acts as armor and absorbs the damage; the mark could even extend from your body in the form of wings. But it could also be that the mark is mutating your body in a disturbing way.

The secondary issue here is components. Your power is supposedly coming from your mark… and yet, you still need those components! One approach is to say that your mark extends to one of your hands, and you have to point that hand at the target to perform somatic components. For material components, you could use a “crystal” arcane focus—in your case, a Khyber dragonshard that amplifies the power of the mark. Which just leaves verbal components. Perhaps you shout arcane syllables that come to your mind unbidden. Perhaps you have to tell the mark what you want it to do. The critical point is it needs to be clear that you have to be able to speak, and that your words are tied to the effect.

Sorcerous Origin: Divine Soul (duh)

A divine soul casts clerical magic as a sorcerer. What does that mean? Well, first of all, it doesn’t HAVE to be connected to a divine source. It could simply be that you have an aberrant dragonmark that produces traditionally clerical effects, or that you have an exceptional Mark of Healing; these are covered by my other suggestions.

But what if you DO have a connection to a divine power source? What does that mean? How does it work?

There’s a few paths I could see. First of all, the idea in Eberron is that we don’t know for certain that the gods exist. But we know that divine power sources exist. And people do have divine visions and such. So: as a divine soul, you have a connection to a divine power source. One option is that you’re hacking this power. You don’t BELIEVE in the religion; you’ve just figured out how to use arcane techniques to connect to the Undying Court or the Silver Flame and draw on its power. The power is unquestionably there, and it’s not like your using a bit of it will somehow drain the Silver Flame. Such a character could be a bit of a smug jerk—in your face, people of faith! The question would be how people OF that faith would feel about you. Your actions might not actually threaten to drain with Undying Court of its power, but that won’t stop the Deathguard from kicking your @$$ if they ever come across you.

A second path is that you have faith, you simply don’t know the rituals normally associated with it. You have connected to the Silver Flame in a weird and unique way, but you still understand what the Silver Flame is all about. You acknowledge it as the source of your power and invoke it in your verbal components, and you may use a holy symbol as your spellcasting focus. You’re NOT a cleric, but you are a person of faith.

A path that lies between these is that of the chosen one. You know nothing about the divine. You don’t know where your powers come from. And yet, you have visions that are driving you on your quest. The power has chosen YOU… but you don’t know why. Imagine your power comes from the Silver Flame. You don’t know this. You don’t believe in the Flame. But you have visions of yourself fighting supernatural evil. Perhaps a couatl whispers to you. Essentially, the Flame believes in YOU, and seems to have a purpose for you. Will you discover faith along the way? Or are you just a vessel? In this case, verbal and somatic components could be confused invocation (“Um, strange power, can you help my friend?”), or it could be that they come to you instinctively; you never know what you’re going to say when you open your mouth, but the words just come out.

Sorcerous Origin: Draconic Bloodline (duh)

So what if you WANT a draconic bloodline? There’s nothing wrong with that; dragons exist in Eberron and are a source of powerful magic. In standard Eberron, draconic bloodlines aren’t a defined thing. The primary magical bloodlines in the world are the Dragonmarked Houses. But there’s a few ways to do it. Perhaps you are part of a noble house that claims draconic heritage; I’d just be inclined to say that it’s very rare for a member of the family do develop powers beyond those of a first or second level sorcerer. Perhaps you’re a first generation draconic bloodline; which of your parents was a dragon, and what does it mean? Or perhaps you’re not LITERALLY descended from dragons, but rather the result of a Létourneau experiment that attempted to infuse humans with dragon’s blood. Are you the only success out of this program, or are there a number of dragon-blood super-soldiers out in the world? Are you working with House Létourneau, or are you a fugitive?

As a dragon-blooded sorcerer, you still run into the “What does my magic look like?” question. When you perform verbal components, do you instinctively speak draconic words of power? Or is it that the magic is in your blood, and you’ve jury-rigged some sort of spell system that lets you unleash it?

Sorcerous Origin: Divine Soul, Storm Sorcery, Shadow Magic

Along the same lines as an aberrant mark, if you’re of the proper race and bloodline to have a dragonmark, you can say that your unusually strong connection to your dragonmark is the source of your sorcerous abilities. Essentially, it’s clear that you have the potential to develop a Siberys Dragonmark, but rather than it manifesting all at once, it is emerging over time. A halfling divine soul with healing abilities could attribute the power to the Mark of Healing; a Phiarlan or Thuranni elf could have access to shadow magic; a Lyrandar heir could be a storm sorcerer. Like the Child of Khyber, you’re entirely on the honor system to choose spells that make sense with your mark. Or, like I suggest for the Child of Khyber, you could present yourself as a minor wizard or general sorcerer who ALSO has a powerful mark—so the spells that don’t fit with your Dragonmark are tied to this secondary path. A Siberys dragonshard would be a logical spellcasting focus, but you could also have an object that incorporates a Siberys shard—a tool designed by your house to channel this sort of power.

Sorcerous Origin: Any

Like a wizard, an artificer approaches magic in a scientific manner. But what if they didn’t? What if they create magic items that should never actually work, yet somehow do? The point with this character would be to present all of their magic as coming from strange devices that they create. From a mechanical perspective, they’d have a component pouch—but that pouch would be filled with lint, shards of broken glass, and so on. Part of the concept—what differentiates this character from an actual artificer—is for their explanations of their magic to make no sense. “We just saw three doves in the sky. So if I pour the yoke of this dove egg on this magnifying lens, it will triple its ability to focus the light of the sun and create a deadly beam of heat. Simplicity itself!”

The mad artificer could follow any path, representing their “arcane field of study.” A draconic bloodline sorcerer who follows this path would “artifice” as an explanation for the benefits of the class. Their natural armor could be the result of mystical tattoos that channel a low-grade repulsion field; their dragon wings would be an Icarus-like set of artifical wings.

Sorcerous Origin: Any

Manifest zones are places where the energies of the planes flow into Eberron. A character born in a manifest zone could justify their magical abilities as being based on an innate bond to that plane. A character with an innate connection to Mabar could possess shadow magic. Irian could grant the powers of a divine soul. Kythri or Thelanis could be a source of wild magic. As with other examples, you’d either need to voluntarily limit your magic to powers tied to your plane of choice, or come up with an explanation for where your other spells come from. Alternately, you could play a character who’s found a way to channel the energies of different planes—a form of the mad artificer, using spells that open up temporary portals to the planes you need. This would fit with the idea of verbal components calling out specific sources of extraplanar power, or material components tied to artifacts from the planes in question.

Sorcerous Origin: Any

In the City of Stormreach sourcebook we present a gang of people who survived the Mourning and emerged with strange arcane powers. While you could use this as the explanation for any sort of ability, it’s generally tied to the idea of disturbing abilities, not unlike the Child of Khyber. It could be that the Mourning is now a part of you, and you unleash its powers on your enemies. A Mourborn sorcerer with a “draconic bloodline” could be twisted into a monstrous shape. Or it could be that your magic has a secondary connection to the Mourning: you were the only survivor of your family, and now the spirits of those slain in the Mourning cling to you… demanding vengeance, but granting you the power you need to take that vengeance. This could be the sorcerer whose material focus is the bones of fallen friends, whose verbal components involve calling on them for aid.

This is a deep as I can go in the time I have available, but there’s many other possibilities.

• The warforged created as a “walking wand.”
• A changelin who weaves glyphs and mystic sigils into their skin.
• A Létourneau experiment, magebred to harness mystical power.
• A creation of the daelkyr.
• An Aundairian duelist who specializes in wandcraft

… and so on!

I recall that in the Eberron setting dragons do not mingle freely with mortals. There’s the entire tragedy with Erandis Vol’s parents marking her status as a half dragon something unique. So how is draconic ancestry justified for a PC? Wouldn’t the dragons of Argonessen have hunted down their entire bloodline ages ago?

The line of Vol wasn’t exterminated because of half-dragons; it was exterminated because Erandis Vol developed an apex Dragonmark, something that was likely only possible because she was a half-dragon.

The issue with dragons not mingling freely with normal races is because in a dragon you have a being that can live for thousands of years, who possesses tremendous physical and magical power and a civilization that is tens of thousands years old and has a deeper understanding of reality than most races… and then you have a human. Humans and other standard races are literally like housepets to dragons: The don’t live very long, they aren’t as smart as we are, it’s kind of cute when they act like they think they’re dragons. You might feel affection for one, but the idea of actually producing some sort of CHILD with one is simply bizarre. It’s not that the child has to be hunted down; it’s a question of WHO WOULD DO THAT? The only particularly logical reason is if it’s necessary to pursue a particular path of the Prophecy, or to achieve a specific end that absolutely requires it—both of which were the case with Erandis Vol.

So on the one hand, I suggest that you might have first-generation dragonic heritage; this would mean that you were created for a specific reason, and your draconic parent likely has an agenda involving you. On the other hand, I suggested that you might be part of a family that claims to have draconic heritage; odds are good that they’re mistaken. Either way, it definitely wouldn’t be a common thing, but neither is it something requiring immediate extermination.

Also, how common is it for celestials to mingle with humanoids in Eberron? Is it common (or at least, known to be possible) for a divine soul sorcerer to obtain their powers from celestial ancestry?

It depends what you mean by “mingle.” Celestials almost never casually interact with mortals. When they are encountered, it’s worth noting that immortals in Eberron don’t reproduce; there’s a finite number of them, and when one dies, the energy reforms to create a replacement. So if you’re suggesting that a celestial sires a child, it would be very unusual. On the other hand, what I suggested with aasimars is that the mortal is touched by or connected to an immortal. So the divine soul wouldn’t literally be the physical child of an immortal, but if there was a purpose for it, some celestial could have marked the child in the womb, or even worked magic to cause it to be born. But again, such things are extremely rare.

Do you consider spells to be discrete things that can be recognized? Like if an Aberrant Marked Sorcerer uses Burning Hands and a classically trained wizard cast the same spell would trained observers know they were both using “Burning Hands as isolated by Bob the Pyromaniac in year 1082…” or would they just notice bursts of flame that are superficially similar?

It’s a little hard to say. I would allow an observer trained in Arcana an opportunity to identify the spell being cast (“That’s burning hands“). But no, they aren’t doing the same thing. If a divine soul tied to the Silver Flame casts burning hands, I’d probably make the flames silvery. If an Child of Khyber does it, they might actually project dragonmark-like tendrils of energy from their skin… even if I said those tendrils inflicted fire damage. Meanwhile, I’d personally allow a Storm Sorcerer to learn a version of burning hands that inflicts lightning damage instead of fire damage, but otherwise behaves the same. So the common spells are essentially benchmarks of common effects that can be produced with magical energy, and what the Arcana check ACTUALLY tells you is “They just generated a 15-foot cone of fire, inflicting a base of 3d6 damage.”

So it’s not that the spell is literally recognized because it’s the exact same spell; it’s that the trained observer can identify and evaluate the effects. With that said, an Arcana expert could potentially identify the technique—so “That’s burning hands, and they learned it from the Arcane Congress” or “That’s burning hands, but they’ve got no magical technique whatsoever; they’re just ripping open a portal to Fernia and spilling it out.”

To elaborate a little on my question about spells as discrete things, I meant along the lines of Burning Hands being like electron energy levels, a basic part of reality, or like steel, contingent convergences of simpler natural principles.

Good way to distinguish! To me it’s like steel. We recognize the end result, but they’re achieving it in different ways with a range of cosmetic effects.

Do you see Dragons, and other “natural sorcerers” as all being the same where their magic is concerned? At least along species lines.

If a species possesses natural sorcery—like 3.5 dragons, who universally gain sorcerer ability over time—then I usually depict that as taking the same form. So you wouldn’t have one dragon who’s a divine soul and another one with “draconic ancestry.” With that said, some 3.5 dragons have class levels in addition to their natural powers. And if you had another species with innate sorcerer levels I might present that in a different way.

What have YOU done with sorcerers or arcane components? If you have questions or ideas, share them below. As always, thanks to my Patreon backers, who make this website possible!