Human Sorcerer 5e D&D Guide

Unlike their scholarly wizard counterparts, Human Sorcerers have no need for dusty tomes or complex rituals. Magic courses through their veins, a birthright passed down through generations.

The Human Sorcerer is a mesmerizing tapestry woven with strands of elemental magic.

Even though they are magically gifted, they are also incredibly clever, as their Human inventiveness and charisma shines through in almost every situation.

Creating a Human Sorcerer

Humans

Humans are known as the youngest of all common races and are short-lived compared to dwarfs, elves, and dragons. Perhaps this is why they strive to achieve the most they possibly can in the few short years they live through.

Others believe they want to prove themselves to the elder races, hence their building of gigantic empires, large armies, and constant trade. It is because of this that humans have become achievers, innovators, and pioneers of the worlds they inhabit.

Note: These features can be slightly changed or modified if some variations don’t fit your character.

Human Subraces

Humans have 7 different subraces if you exclude the humans from Plane Shift. These humans all have different strengths and weaknesses, so choose carefully.

Standard Human – Standard Humans can be found throughout any world, being good at everything but not excelling in anything.

Variant Human – Variant Humans are found in the same places other humans are found; however, they have extra proficiency in one skill and are given a Feat of their choice.

Variant Human: Mark of Finding – Mark of Finding Humans have a knack for tracking objects and creatures; they can communicate with those who speak Goblin.

Variant Human: Mark of Handling – Mark of Handling Humans have deep knowledge about nature and its animals. They have great animal communication and handling abilities to turn even the fiercest animals into loyal companions.

Variant Human: Mark of Making – Mark of Making Humans are experts at creation. They can conjure magical weapons, mend armor, and even move landscapes.

Variant Human: Mark of Passage – Mark of Passage Humans are known for their expert movement skills. With their magical abilities to increase stealth/movement, they can skillfully operate land vehicles and even unlock powerful teleportation magic.

Variant Human: Mark of Sentinel – Mark of Passage Humans are the guardians of those around them. With their spells, they protect the innocents, shield their allies and block incoming attacks without issues.

Note: All Variant Humans have spell lists with access to specific spells.

Sorcerer Class Features

Hit Points

Proficiencies

Sorcerous Origin

You choose your origin at level 1, describing the source of your magical powers.

Aberrant Mind – Aberrant Mind Sorcerers have their mind influenced by an alien presence, giving them psionic powers. The entity allows you to tap into the minds of others, altering the world around you and even being able to control magical energy from the multiverse.

As an Aberrant Mind, you can choose to become a shining beacon or a beacon of darkness, spreading terror in its wake.

Clockwork Soul – These Sorcerers have been suffused with magic that arose from Mechanus or a plane of existence similar to it.

Draconic Bloodline – Draconic magic flows through your veins, most likely passed down by your ancestors. 

Most of these Sorcerers can trace their descent back to an ancient Sorcerer who bargained with a dragon or who was claimed a dragon parent.

Divine Soul – In some cases, the divine has a hand in making a Sorcerer, meaning your magic abilities might have come from a distant, powerful familial link to a divine being.

It can even be that your ancestor was an angel who became a mortal to fight for their god or that your birth was aligned with an ancient divine prophecy.

Lunar Sorcery – The moon is thought of as a celestial body encasing vast magical powers that can influence people.

You or one of your ancestors were probably exposed to concentrated magic deriving from the moon, imbuing you with strange yet powerful lunar magic.

Shadow Magic – You can be described as a creature of darkness, your magic deriving from the Shadowfell itself. 

Your ancestors probably came from that wicked place, or you were exposed to its dark magic, which transformed you.

Storm Sorcery – Your magical powers derive from elemental air, traced back to a near-death experience caused by storms that are still spoken about to this day. Your ancestry could also have been influenced by powerful air creatures like djinn.

Wild Magic – You wield magical forces gained from the wild forces of chaos. Being exposed to raw magic, such as a planar portal leading to the Far Realm, Elemental Planes, or Limbo, might’ve given you power.

It can also be that you were marked by a demon or blessed by a formidable fey creature – it can even be a fluke at birth, giving no real reason or cause for you to have it.

Combining Sorcerer With Human

Determining Your Sorcerer Subclass

Choosing your ideal subclass is subjective, but if your objective is optimization, try understanding what your character wants to do and what stats fit best with their subclass.

Optimal Human Subrace

Since Humans have quite a few subraces/variants, choosing a subclass comes down to either personal preference or gameplay optimization. Sorcerers get the most value out of leveling Charisma, as it’s used as their spellcasting modifier.

Choosing the Standard Human subrace will give you the most value and allow you to allocate more of your character’s starting attribute points into Charisma because of its all-encompassing ability score increase.

You can choose other subraces which fit with your background, but then you’ll be giving up a few free ability score increases Standard Humans get.

Your Human Sorcerer Background

Your Human Sorcerer needs a unique background that will affect its choices, as well as the way it sees the world and what it wants to achieve.

Start by asking yourself some basic questions: Where were they born, and where did they come from? Do they have any goals, bonds, or ideals, and what are their flaws? Where do they belong in social circles and society as a whole? What inspires them?

Place of Birth

Think of the environment a Human Sorcerer grew up in and how it affected them physically and emotionally and eventually shaped their view of the world.

Try to make their place of birth and upbringing correspond with their personality traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws – this will truly bring their character alive.

Note: The birthplaces of races are usually mentioned in the Player’s Handbook or some of its expansion books.

Characteristics and Personality Traits

Human Sorcerers are blessed with powers unforeseen by others. They hold great power but do not know what to use it for.

Will they choose a path of righteousness or go down the path of many before them and seek power above all else?

Human Sorcerer Examples:

• I’m impolite to people who lack my commitment to fair play and hard work.

• Nobody can stay angry at me or around me for long since I can defuse any amount of tension.

Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws

Ideal – Express one ideal that is a driving force in a Human Sorcerer’s life – their conviction, ethical principle, and moral standing (probably something about nature).

I’m determined to make something of myself.

Bonds – Think of a single bond that your Human Sorcerer has to an event, person, or place. Bonds will tie them to their background and can inspire bravery or stimulate memories driving them against their ideals.

I will face any challenge on my path to win the approval of my family.

Flaws – Choose a single flaw for a Human Sorcerer – their unhealthy compulsion, greatest fear/weakness, or most vile vice.

I’m never satisfied with what I have currently – I always want more.

Inspiration

Inspiration is used by the DM to reward you for playing according to your bond, personality traits, ideals, and flaw.

I seek great power and sometimes stray from the path of righteousness to obtain it. But that’s fine; I’m doing it for my friends and family, so my sins shouldn’t matter!

Note: If you’re struggling to create your background or just don’t want to think, the Player’s Handbook has well-thought-through backgrounds that you can use for your character or use as a mold.

Supplies and Gear For Human Sorcerers

Sorcerers start with the following equipment, together with the equipment from their background. Choosing equipment based on your situation and your character’s proficiencies is the easiest way to go about things.

• (a) Light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) Any simple weapon
• (a) Component pouch or (b) An arcane focus
• (a) Dungeoneer’s pack or (b) An explorer’s pack
• Two daggers

You can decide how your character came about these goods – whether they stole, inherited, or purchased them some time back – adding to your character’s background.

Note: By using your starting wealth, you can buy your own equipment (3d4 x 10 GP for Sorcerers).

Final Thoughts

Humans who have been born with magical gifts or experienced events that gave them magical powers usually become Sorcerers.

In parties, they become can go from casting powerful damage-dealing spells or opening portals to other dimensions. 

So if your party needs a few interdimensional rifts opened or are just in need of a spellcaster, they should definitely consider recruiting a Human Sorcerer.

You might also be interested in the following:

• Human Barbarian
• Human Monk
• Human Paladin
• Human Warlock
• Halfling Bard
• Halfling Monk
• Halfling Warlock