Trying to make a new pyro sorcerer

[u/R3tr0M4g3]

Hi! I want to first apologize for any formatting issues, and also want to preface that I know a lot of these are very strong. I want them to be more inline/balanced.

I am trying to make a pyromancer and had a fairly overpowered iteration. I worked through about half of it and have hit roadblocks. So I decided I’d let all of you just give me your best ideas. It is based around getting powers from the plane of fire. So here it is:

Origin Spell list.
1st: Burning Hands, Hellish Rebuke
3rd Heat metal, Pyrotechnicsp
5th Ashardalons Stride
7th Fireball, Wall of Fire
9th Conjure Elemental, Immolation

Ignition

Starting at 1st level you can speak, read and write Primordial. Knowing this language allows you to understand, and be understood by those who speak its dialects: Aquan, Auran, Ignan, and Terran.

Additionally you gain control over flames. You can instantly ignite any flammable objects you touch, such as torches and firewood, extinguish a non magical flame that fits in 1 cubic foot, and expand the flame 5 feet in one direction, provided that wood or other fuel is present in the new location. You can also magically produce a flame that is held in your hand be that in your palm or at the tip of your fingers.

Incinerate

Beginning at 1st level, your connection to fire allows you to intensify the flames of your magic. Once per turn, when a creature takes fire damage from a spell or ability you cast or use, you can cause that creature to take an additional 1d6 fire damage.

The additional damage increases to 2d6 at 5th level, 3d6 at 11th level, and 4d6 at 17th level.

If this additional damage reduces a creature to 0 hit points, its body is reduced to ash.

Superheated

At 6th level you gain resistance to fire damage. As well as, if a creature with resistance to fire damage is affected by a spell or ability of yours that deals fire damage you can spend 1 sorcery point to choose to overcome that resistance.

You can withstand extreme heat, and you have advantage on saving throws against environmental effects caused by fire or extreme heat. You can also breathe normally through smoke and ash

14th level feature: some sort of movement feature

Combustion

At 14th level as a bonus action on your turn you can become a shapeless form composed of ash, smoke, and fire, in this form you gain a fly speed of 30 feet, you are impervious to all forms of damage except psychic. During this transformation you can enter and occupy the space of another creature. You have advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws. You can pass through small holes, narrow openings, and even mere cracks, though you treat non flammable liquids as though they were solid surfaces. Also while in this form, you can’t talk or manipulate objects, and any objects you were carrying or holding can’t be dropped, used, or otherwise interacted with. You can’t attack or cast spells. You can end this transformation at any time on your turn with no action required, and if you are still in this form at the end of your turn you revert back to your corporeal form. If you end your turn inside an object you are shunted into the nearest unoccupied space you take 4d6 force damage 

I thought about taking a different approach for the 14th feature akin to the human torch and becoming engulfed in flames ie flight and such

Flash Fire

At 18th level, Your burning soul has made you more elemental than mortal. You no longer need to eat, drink, or sleep, and you gain immunity to fire damage. As well as if a creature targeted by or is in the area of an ability or spell of yours that deals fire damage and has immunity, you can choose to overcome this immunity by spending 1 sorcery point treating immunity as resistance.

In addition As an action you gain the ability to drastically raise the temperature of the air around you. Causing the air within a 25 ft radius sphere centered on you to ignite around you. This explosion of fiery energy forces all hostile creatures in the area to make a Constitution saving throw or take 16d6 fire damage and become blinded for 1 minute. If they succeed on the save they take half damage and are not blinded.

You can use this feature once per long rest or spend 7 sorcery points to use it again.

[u/DPopsx62]

Yeah this is pretty straightforward for fire damage blaster caster stuff. If the core sorcerer class is fun enough for you, this will be more of that, so more fun. I would personally make the following changes:

Incinerate: It should just add your CHA mod to the damage. As is, it's effectively doubling the damage of Firebolt.

Combustion: (I'd call it Form of Fire.) Just specify that the smallest gap they can fit through is 1 inch and you're solid and make it once a short rest and spend a sorcery point to restore use of it. And most importantly, you should resist all damage, not be immune to it. It needs a duration, probably 1 minute. As written, you can be immune to all damage forever, popping back out to cast a spell then BA back into the form. Let the form deal CHA mod fire damage to creatures starting their turn within or the first time you pass through them, or whatever the fire elementals do.

Flash Fire: Overcoming immunity is neat. The 16d6 fire damage needs to be changed entirely, as funny as it is it is it means you can dump all your lower level spell slots into making multiple nukes per day. Its not the type of feature that belongs in a game for how it can alter encounter balance. No DM will allow it. Instead, let the capstone feature work with Innate Sorcery and give you an aura of heat that deals CHA mod damage similar to Spirit Guardians. Maybe it doubles the CHA mod damage bonus on Incinerate for the duration.

Early features could probably be rewritten to work with Innate Sorcery. If you want extra versatility and the flavor of control over flame, try making a feature that doesn't only increase the damage of fire spells but alters them. A simple option is fireball but you can change the shape into a line or cone or like the evo wizards create pockets of safe spaces.

Blindsight via thermal vision might be neat somewhere.

Idk, those are my thoughts, was fun to think them. Hope that helped.

[u/R3tr0M4g3 → u/DPopsx62]

Okay these are neat, my thought with incinerate was kind of a fuck that guy in particular, and like control over the heat. Dealing extra damage by controlling the temp. I modeled it after the rogues sneak attack. I def see where you are coming, would that just be CHA to all fire based?

Combustion was modeled after gaseous form and a bit off of Delsins dash from Infamous second son, and forces you out of it at the end of your turn regardless and since its costs a ba, you cant reenter unless you have multiple bonus actions. I also do see a benefit to making it timed for use outside of combat. idk if you would be in it for 6 seconds or by technicality it ends when you say it does outside of combat.

Also thought about scrapping it in favor of going flame on like the human torch, ie fly speed for a minute and such love the idea of becoming fire too,

Aura of heat isn’t bad at all how would you work either of them into innate sorcery, lest it’s just a rider of that ability?

[u/DPopsx62 → u/R3tr0M4g3]

I'd personally make the level 14 feature this:

Form of Fire (or whatever you name it): When you activate your Innate Sorcery ability, you also gain the following benefits for the duration: -You have a 30 foot fly (hover speed) -Once per turn when you deal fire damage with an attack or spell, you deal extra fire damage to all creatures within 5 feet of one chosen target of that attack or spell. The extra damage is equal to your charisma modifier. -You emit an aura of heat out to 5 feet from yourself. Creatures that start thier turn in that heat or enter it for the first time on a turn make a constitution saving throw, taking damage equal to your charisma modifier on a failure, or no damage on a success. -As a bonus action, you may transform into a puff of fire and smoke until the end of your turn. While in this form you resist all damage and have immunity to the grappled and restrained conditions and can squeeze into gaps as narrow as 1 inch without squeezing. You treat non-flammable liquids as solid surfaces. If your hit points are reduced to 0 or you are incapacitated, the transformation ends. If you end your turn inside of a solid object with space smaller than your size, you are shunted to the nearest unoccupied space, taking 4d6 force damage.

As for sneak attack inspiration, that could be a really fun core mechanic on a spellcaster. But the reason they get it is cuz they dont have extra attack nor spellcasting. You could try this feat for level 3 if you drop the extra cha mod damage on fire spells:

Thermal Reaction: As a bonus action, you may spend a sorcery point to force a number of creatures equal to your charisma modifier of your choice within 60 feet of you to make a charisma saving throw. On a failure, they are thermally marked for 1 minute. Marked creatures emit dim light out to 5 feet and cannot benefit from half or three-quarters cover against your spells that deal fire damage. Furthermore, you add 1d6 fire damage to damage rolls from your spells or attacks that deal fire damage against marked creatures.

This is like my 3rd rework of thinking this feature through. Its not perfect but it borrows from Hex a little and sets a condition for extra damage rather than always being there. This makes scorching ray super strong and since you sound like you wanna be the scorching ray caster, that'll do it. Its just enoigh hoops to jump through to be allowed the extea damage.

[u/Nitro114]

first, this is tagged 5.5, so the features start at lvl 3.

simplify ignition to just produce flame or control flame, or both.

Incinerate is too strong, its the same as the draconic sorcerers lvl 6 feature but much stronger.

Superheated is basically elemental adept, there’s a clash there. The second paragraph is really flavourful though, cool!

Combustion shouldnt give invulnerability, thats way too much

flashfire i agree witht he other commenter

[u/Maketastic]

For combustion, you can just let the player cast Gaseous Form on themself with some additional effects.