D&D: Dragonlance’s New Lunar Sorcerer Will Have You Fighting Evil By Moonlight
Dragonlance’s new Lunar Sorcerer subclass draws on the power of the moon. Magical girl transformation sequence optional—but encouraged.
Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen has a few powerful new player options to tie PCs to the setting. One of the biggest methods is through new backgrounds and associated feats. But in Dragonlance, if you want to go all in on magical moons, becoming a double moon (or moon-moon if you will) you can become a Lunar Sorcerer.
Lunar Sorcery is the new subclass introduced in Dragonlance. It’s by far the strongest sorcerer subclass WotC has put out, and that’s entirely due to the fact that you can gain as many as 16 extra spells on your list, putting it head and shoulders above other Sorcerers. And on top of that, the features are fun. Let’s take a look.
Lunar Sorcerer – Dragonlance Proves Mages Aren’t Just Wizards
Perhaps the single most powerful feature of the Lunar Sorcerer is their widespread list of bonus spells. They’re extremely useful. As you can see, you get spells like Shield, Blindness/Deafness, even Phantom Steed or Dispel Magic, freeing you from having to use your limited Sorcerer spell selection on taking them.
Although, a Lunar Sorcerer doesn’t gain all of these at once. They must pick which phase of the moon they’re resonating with. Whenever you finish a long rest, pick a phase of the moon: full, new, or crescent. While in that phase, you can cast the 1st level spell without spending a spell slot once per long rest.
On top of that, they gain the sacred flame cantrip, but better, thanks to Moon Fire, their other 1st level ability. This lets them target two creatures within 5 feet of each other at no extra cost.
At 6th level, the Lunar Sorcerer really comes into their own, though. With Lunar Boons, they reduce the cost of Metamagic on spells associated with their current phase by 1 point, down to a minimum of 0. Here’s each phases associated schools:
- Full Moon – Abjuration and Divination
- New Moon – Evocation and necromancy
- Crescent Moon – Divination and transmutation
You can only reduce the Metamagic costs up to your proficiency bonus times per day, so it’s not an always on distant or extend spell, for instance. But it’s still real good.
At 6th level Waxing and Waning lets you spend a bonus action and one sorcery point to shift your Lunar Embodiment phase without having to rest. And when you shift phase, you can cast a 1st-level spell from your new phase without expending a spell slot.
At 14th level, Lunar Empowerment gives you a choice of always-on buffs depending on your lunar phase.
- Full Moon lets you use a bonus action shed or douse an aura of light and enhance you and your allies’ Investigation and Perception Checks inside it (can do this as often as you like).
- New Moon gives you advantage on Stealth checks, and while in darkness, attack rolls have disadvantage against you.
- Crescent Moon grants you resistant to necrotic and radiant damage.
At 18th level, Lunar Phenomenon, channels all that energy into a special power as a bonus action, once again, depending on the phase of the moon you’re in.
- Full Moon – Moonlight streams from you, out to 30 feet away, blinding creatures of your choice for a turn as well as healing one creature in the area.
- New Moon – Gloom emanates in a 30 foot area around you. Creatures caugh in it take 3d10 necrotic damage and have their speed reduced to 0 for a turn. Also you become invisible.
- Crescent Moon – teleport anywhere within 60 feet of yourself. Bring a friend with you if you want.
On top of that, you can use this as part of a bonus action when you shift phases with waxing and waning.
All of this goes into a pumped up Sorcerer, well worth trying out.
Moon magic activation!
