New Sorcerous Origin: Ethereal Touched

[fattybear]

Any feedback on balance and whether this even makes sense would be appreciated!


Sorcerous Origin: Ethereal Touched

Description: Your innate magic comes from the magic lingering between the planes. The Ethereal Plane is deeply connected with the magically rich Material and Inner Planes. You might have been affected while travelling through the Ethereal Plane or a portal. Maybe, for mysterious reasons, you were born between two worlds - the Material Plane and the Ethereal Plane. Perhaps a ghost reached out to you and imbued you with a portion of itself. However the reason, you now brim with ethereal powers, granting you the ability to traverse the two planes.

Level 1: Piercing Gaze
You can see into the Ethereal Plane out to 60 feet. At level 14, your sight has become adept at deciphering the Ethereal Plane from the Material Plane, allowing you to see the true nature of things. You now have truesight up to 60 feet.

Level 1: Teleport
As a bonus action, you are able to briefly enter the Ethereal Plane. While in the Ethereal Plane, you are able to move up to your remaining walking speed before being transitioned back into the Material Plane. You are unable to make any attacks or Dash while in the Ethereal Plane. This can be used again after 30 seconds have passed (5 combat rounds).

Level 6: Ethereal Caster
You learn Blink and Leomund's Secret Chest if you do not already know them and they do not count towards your spells known. You can cast Blink once without expending a spell slot. For Leomund's Secret Chest, the spell can only end if you use your action to do so.

Level 14: Blink of an Eye
You see your enemy about to strike and attempt to blink to the Ethereal Plane just in time to avoid the attack. You can use your reaction to add your charisma modifier to your AC or a dexterity saving throw. You can use this once after every short or long rest.

Level 18: Ethereal Walker
You have obtained mastery over your ethereal nature. You are now able to use an action to focus your energies and enter the Border Ethereal Plane, and vice versa. You are able to bring up to 5 people with you when you use this ability. These people must be within 5 feet of you and have physical contact with your body in order to traverse planes with you.

[Ralanr]

I like it. Not sure on balance.

[eleazzaar]

My guess is getting etherial sight and teleport at level one is unbalanced. Have you figured the quickest way they could get comparable abilities?

[fattybear]

What about this?

Level 1: Teleport
Level 6: Ethereal Caster
Level 14: Piercing Gaze (truesight, just skip the Ethereal Plane sight entirely)
Level 18: Ethereal Walker

[Ralcos]

I say a spell list is in order?
Maybe focus on stealth, concealment, mobility, and shape-changing?

[Tenmujiin]

I would make teleport either once per short rest or cost a 1st level spell slot. Compare to misty escape which is a bonus action to teleport 30 ft for a 2nd level spell slot. While this does cost your movement it also allows you to go through walls and such (if I have the ethereal plane correct) which misty escape can not.

[fattybear]

Yeah, I thought the teleport might be a bit much. Maybe you can use it a number of times equal to your charisma modifier every long rest.

[eleazzaar]

The teleportation sounds a lot like "Dimension Door" a 4th level spell-- though it has a range of 500 ft. A caster gets access to this spell as 7th level, so being able to do this a lot at level 1, even if at shorter range is really a big deal.

[Tenmujiin]

I think the best way to balance teleport is to put it at lv 14 since its mobility/utility usage matches the wings that draconic and favored soul sorcerers get. Blink of an eye would make a great 1st level feature since it represents a weaker ability to go earthreal and matches the defensive nature of draconic's dragon scales amd favored soul's medium armor proficiency.

The lv 6 ability should be offensive, usually buffing spellcasting (cha to damage, extra attack)

For the 18th level ability, isn't it the astral plane that has a 'border plane'? it is also kind of weak/situational for a capstone, the wild magic and draconic origins have an offensive ability here.

Flavor is awesome and the abilities are mostly awesome but balanve is off. Liking your work so far.

[fattybear]

You both make excellent points. Switching blink of an eye and teleport makes sense. I'll have to rethink what the level 6 and 18 would be. I was thinking the class would be more defensive in nature as I couldn't think of many great offensive features.

[Tenmujiin]

Offensive doesn't have to mean damage, a good level 6 might be something akin to hurl through hell from the fiend warlock pact, minus the damage. The other subclasses have abilities tied to their spellcasting, at least loosely (extra attack needs a spell buffing it like haste or elemental weapon to be better than cantrips) so maybe char mod times per day, an enemy struck by one of your spells of at least first level has to make a cha save or be banished to the ethereal plane for one round.