Iโve been working on this Sorcerer overhaul specifically for solo runs or runs with only your main pawn, on Hard Mode.
My biggest priority is how the magic feels. The weight, animations, and physicality of Dragonโs Dogma are what I love most about it. I want more freedom as a caster, but every spell still needs to feel like it belongs in this world.
Iโm considering making this a separate vocation called Arcanist, rather than replacing Sorcerer. Think of a magic-focused Warfarer: one archistaff, multiple magical disciplines, no weapon switching. Skills and core skills would unlock in-game through Discipline Points, as with other vocations.
Hereโs what I have working so far. Names, mechanics, and balancing are still subject to change.
Core skills
Arcane Focus: Lock onto enemies or individual body parts with the spell reticle without having to begin casting. Lock-on range is doubled compared with the base game. Activated with R3.
Aerial Control: A much more flexible version of levitation. Activate it while falling from any height, or re-activate it during the same airtime. Hold R1 to ascend or Circle to descend; press L3 to teleport back to the ground. Levitation slowly drains stamina, with an additional cost for re-levitating.
Aerial Mastery: Cast certain spells while levitating. Your equipped skills automatically switch to their aerial replacements, so these donโt need separate hotkeys or additional skill slots.
Attunement: Casting a fire, ice, lightning, or holy spell enchants your archistaff with that element for 60 seconds.
Arcane Ward: A stamina-dependent magick barrier. Melee attackers recoil against it, while ranged attacks and projectiles are reflected back at enemies. Thrown objects are excluded.
True Galvanize: Galvanize restores health as well as stamina. Whether it should restore the loss gauge is still an open question.
Arcane Repertoire: 16 equippable skills, divided between two eight-skill palettes accessed by holding L1 or L2. R1 and R2 are included as skill inputs within each palette, and sheathing/unsheathing moves to L1 + L2. Conditional replacements, such as aerial skills, are additional to those 16 slots.
The spellbook
Spells are divided into Elemental, Holy, Psychic, and Arcane magic.
That includes a staff-mounted lightning orb, aerial Bolide, an exploding fire-sludge summon, healing and resurrection, illusions, mind control, telekinesis, Miasma, necromancy, and petrification.
And Ingle. Because I miss being able to throw a proper fireball.
Full spell list in the first comment.
What Iโd love your thoughts on
Does this belong inside Sorcerer, or should Arcanist be its own vocation?
At what point does expanding a vocation turn into creating a different one?
Where should the vulnerability remain?
This is aimed at solo/main-pawn play, but flight, wards, healing, and resurrection together could remove a lot of danger. What trade-offs would make that freedom interesting rather than automatic? Iโm particularly undecided about loss-gauge healing and whether 16 slots leave enough meaningful loadout choices.
What would you actually want to cast?
Which spells sound exciting, which sound redundant, and whatโs missing? Returning spells, entirely new ideas, better names, animation references, strange interactionsโฆ Iโm interested in all of it.
DD2 is my favorite game of all time. Iโm making the magic experience Iโve always wanted to play, and Iโd love to hear what yours would look like. My only non-negotiable is immersion.
