Dreamwalker
For our first Sorcerer archetype, we offer a project that simmered in the Snickering Ghoul's mind for months before getting written: the Dreamwalker. Sorcerers are fun, since their archetypes lean so much into their particular flavor-identity, and traditions about the magic of dreams are some of the oldest and richest. The challenge wasn't so much to find interesting ideas, but to find a way to make them all fit into only one archetype! We're pleased with how much made it into the final, and we hope you enjoy! Let us know what you think of the subclass, and if you think any other classes should get a taste of dream magic. Until next week!
To see all of our more recent, premium content, join our Patreon, where all our spiciest new brews are at your disposal. We’re slowly remastering the highlights of our backlog, and if you’re a patron, you can vote on what gets updated next! And, if you want to ask us about our homebrew, new or old, our Discord is public and full of all kinds of brewers and internet goblins. If you’re either of those, we’d love to hear from you!
Dreamwalker
According to some sages, all thinking creatures have a connection to the Astral plane, because the Astral plane is created by the thoughts of those same creatures. The plane accumulates the dreams of the realm, and in rare cases, the dreams become almost real, in the deeper reaches the endless Astral.
While these theories offer very little firm evidence, it is certainly true that some mortals have a powerful connection to the magic of the Astral plane. Known as Dreamwalkers, these mages can channel the misty dream impressions of the Astral plane into the waking world, conjuring powerful illusions. As their powers grow, Dreamwalkers learn to sift through the dreams of others, gaining insight and secrets from the deeper and sometimes prophetic dreams found in the Astral plane.
Dreamwalker Features
Sorcerer Level Features
1st Astral Spells, Gift of Dreams, Somnomancer
6th Lesser Projection
14th Dream Shepherd
18th Beyond the Veil of Sleep
Astral Spells
You learn additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the Astral Spells table. Each of these spells counts as a sorcerer spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of sorcerer spells you know.
Astral Spells
Sorcerer Level Spells
1st dissonant whispers, sleep
3rd blur, phantasmal force
5th major image, slow
7th divination, summon aberration
9th contact other plane, dream
Gift of Dreams
Finally, you are an expert at lulling others to sleep with magic. When you cast sleep and roll to determine the hit points affected, you can reroll a number of the dice up to your proficiency bonus, and must keep the new rolls. In addition, you can choose a creature you can see within the spell’s area to be affected first. If the spell fails to put that creature to sleep, the creature makes attack rolls and saving throws with disadvantage until the end of your next turn.
Somnomancer
Beginning at 1st level, your magic comes from your strong connection to the Astral plane, causing you to have an unorthodox relationship with sleep and dreams. No magic can force you to sleep, and you do not need to sleep to gain the benefits of a long rest. Instead, you can spend the time performing light activity such as reading or keeping watch.
On your turn as a bonus action, you can enter a demi-sleep, suspending your mind between consciousness and the dream world of the Astral plane. You fall prone and, until you wake up, you cannot move or speak and you automatically fail Strength and Dexterity saving throws. However, the detached state of your mind makes you much harder to distract or fool. While you are in a demi-sleep, you have advantage on Intelligence and Wisdom saving throws, on any saving throws to maintain your concentration, and on any ability check to recognize illusions or find objects or creatures within 60 feet of you.
While you are in a demi-sleep, a creature must succeed on a Wisdom (Perception) check against your spell save DC to notice you. If they notice you but are not already hostile to you, they must succeed on a Charisma saving throw. On a failure, they forget you and whatever they were doing. You can awaken from your demi-sleep as an action.
Lesser Projection
At 6th level, your connection to the Astral plane allows an echo of your astral body to walk the Material Plane while your mind hangs between the Astral and Material planes. When you enter a demi-sleep, you can project your detached consciousness into a misty imitation of your astral body. Your mist body resembles your mortal form in almost every way, replicating your game statistics and non-magical possessions, except it appears to be made of dimly-colored mist, has 1 hit point, and no spell slots. If your mist body ever drops to 0 hit points or is more than 300 feet from your material body, it immediately disappears, and your demi-sleep ends.
When you end your demi-sleep as an action, you can spend 2 sorcery points to transport your material body to your mist body, leaving you awake in your mist body’s space. Otherwise, your mist body disappears and you awaken as normal.
Once you project a mist body, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest or you expend a spell slot of 3rd level or higher.
Dream Shepherd
At 14th level, you can lead other creatures into the world of dreams, and you can carry them physically through the dreams of others. When you cast dream and act as the messenger, you can spend up to 5 sorcery points. For each sorcery point you spend, you can bring an additional creature into the trance and into the target’s dream. Once you enter the target’s dream, the other creatures you bring appear as misty images of themselves trailing behind you. They are aware of their surroundings and can speak to you or the dreamer, but otherwise cannot take actions.
When the spell ends, you can choose to do one of the following:
You disrupt the dreamer’s ability to remember their dreams. They make an Intelligence saving throw, and on a failure, they forget any dreams that they had during that rest. On a success, they remember the dream perfectly, as normal.
You use the mind of the dreamer as a pathway to travel the Material plane. You and each creature in the trance disappear, skim through the Astral plane, and reappear in unoccupied spaces within 30 feet of the dreamer. If the dreamer is unwilling, they make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC as you appear. On a failure, they take 5d8 psychic damage. On a success, they take half as much damage, and you and each creature that traveled with you take the same amount of force damage.
Beyond the Veil of Sleep
At 18th level, your ability to walk the borders of the realm is unparalleled. You learn the spell astral projection. It counts as a sorcerer spell for you, but it does not count against the maximum number of sorcerer spells known.
In addition, your misty projections become more powerful. Your mist body has hit points equal to twice your sorcerer level, it can cast spells using your spell slots as long as it is within 300 feet of you, and it can travel up to 1 mile away from you without disappearing. Finally, you can choose for your mist body to appear identical to you, or for it to have its usual appearance.