Summary
- Humans are a versatile option for sorcerers, offering extra feats for unique gameplay advantages.
- Aasimar sorcerers provide resistance to damage and special transformation abilities for increased survivability.
- Dragonborn sorcerers gain resistance to a specific damage type and temporary flight, aiding in combat strategy.
If you want a character who is magic incarnate for a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, sorcerers will fit the bill nicely. They're known for being one of the strongest classes when it comes to spellcasting due to their raw power and metamagic boosts while also being simpler to build compared to other classes like wizards.
RelatedDungeons & Dragons: How To Build A Sorcerer
Your magic is incredible, and you've even more access to it using the 2024 Player's Handbook, so let's build a sorcerer to rival other spellcasters.
PostsThat said, an important thing when creating your character is their species. Not only because that will dictate what they look like and where they're from, but also because of the mechanical bonuses that come with each species. Whether it's a species that gives you more spells or things such as flight, sorcerers can get nice perks depending on who they are.
10 Human
Basic, But Functional
A Scholarly Magic-User by Billy Christian.- Source: 2024 Player's Handbook
Humans get Heroic Inspiration after every long rest and a free skill proficiency, and you can choose any, unlike some species and even your class that gives you a limited selection to choose from. But the reason they're great for sorcerers is the same reason they're good as any class in the game: they get two feats.
Your options here are interesting. You can use Tough to compensate for your low health bar; you can use Magic Initiate to improve your spell options; Alert will ensure you'll go early in combat and make a difference right away, among others; or you just get Lucky already. Get the two you want the most and have fun.
9 Aasimar
Resilience And Extra Tricks
Warriors by Bram Sels- Source: 2024 Player's Handbook
Aasimar is a fun option for sorcerers. Narratively, they're a good justification for innate magic, but they also get excellent perks, like resistance against both radiant and necrotic damage, innate healing abilities, and a special transformation with different effects.
This transformation can be used once per long rest, and it can either be wings for temporary flight, low-but-unavoidable damage against nearby creatures, or the chance to frighten nearby creatures.
8 Dragonborn
Other Resiliences And Extra Tricks
"Dragonborn Warlock," art directed by Josh Herman in D&D 2025 PHB.- Source: 2024 Player's Handbook
Dragonborns are a good pick for a similar reason as the aasimar; it just depends on which perks you want. They get resistance to a damage type based on your color (fire for red dragonborns, for example), and they get their breath weapon for area damage. You'll have many spells that can do better, though, so it'll be useful mainly at low levels or if you want to save spell slots.
They can also temporarily fly, something that is extremely powerful for someone who fights from afar. There are better species for flying, but limited flight is still good, especially if free flight is banned from your table.
Think about your subclass before picking a species; some of them also grant you things like temporary flight, meaning dragonborns and aasimars won't be useful if that's all you want from them.
7 Elf
More Spells
The Sorcerer Delina by Wisnu Tan- Source: 2024 Player's Handbook
There are many species that grant you extra spells, which you can cast once per long rest without using your spell slots and a few more times through your spell slots if you want them. Elves are one of these species, and you can choose which spells you'll get, to some extent, by choosing your lineage.
RelatedDungeons & Dragons: All Official Sorcerer Subclasses, Ranked
Each sorcerer has a sorcerous origin that is the source of your magical powers, each with its own perks - here are all of them, ranked.
PostsDrows get Dancing Lights, Faerie Fire, and Darkness. High Elves get a wizard cantrip, Detect Magic and Misty Step. Wood Elves get Druidcraft, Longstrider, and Pass Without Trace. They also get other perks, including a free skill proficiency, Trance, and resistance against being charmed.
6 Tiefling
More Spells Here, Too
A Dazzling Mage by Evyn Fong- Source: 2024 Player's Handbook
Tieflings are another option for free spells. Abyssal tieflings get Poison Spray, Ray of Sickness, and Hold Person. Chthonic tieflings get Chill Touch, False Life, and Ray of Enfeeblement. Infernal ones get Fire Bolt, Hellish Rebuke, and Darkness.
Each will also get resistance to a damage type depending on your lineage, and they all get Thaumaturgy for free, too. You can trade these spells for wings if you're using the variant tiefling from Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, though.
5 Dwarf
Every Hit Point Counts
Brazen Dwarf, by Gabor Szikszai- Source: 2024 Player's Handbook
If you want to do something about your health that relies on a miserable d6 for a hit point die, dwarves can help. They'll give you one extra hit point per level, which stacks with Tough and even Draconic Resilience if that is your subclass, and all of these together will give you four extra hit points per level.
That said, you also get resistance against poison and tremorsense, allowing you to 'see' invisible enemies and continue to attack them, as well as find nearby enemies that are hiding away from you.
4 Orc
Endure And Survive
Artwork by Mike Pape via Wizards of the Coast- Source: 2024 Player's Handbook
Orcs won't help with spells but with survivability instead. They can dash as a bonus action a number of times equal to their proficiency bonus, and they gain temporary hit points (also equal to their proficiency bonus) when they do it. This ability recharges with any rest.
They also remain conscious with one hit point when they take an attack that zeroes their health once per long rest - a passive Death Ward. Dashing as a bonus action makes it easier to stay away from enemies and fight from afar, while the temporary hit points and extra resilience can compensate for your low health bar.
If you want other ways to move around through your bonus action, consider goblins, who can freely dash or disengage with their bonus action, githyanki or the aforementioned high elves, who have a free use of Misty Step per long rest, or Eladrin, who can teleport with their bonus action quite often, and whose teleports also have extra quirks.
3 Changeling
For Heavy Roleplayers
Changeling via Wizards of the Coast- Source: Monsters of the Multiverse
Changelings get a few things: a free skill proficiency, a different creature type, and shapeshifting, but these are strong. Being a fey rather than a humanoid means escaping certain spells, like Hold Person, and shapeshifting is a strong ability you can have for free.
RelatedDungeons & Dragons: The Most Useful Cantrips, Ranked
When playing spellcaster in Dungeons & Dragons, cantrips are essential. To improve your party's caster, we've ranked the most useful cantrips.
PostsYou can look like almost everyone, and your high charisma will help you keep your disguises. While changelings won't give you many benefits in combat (aside from the type), their perks can make for interesting moments of roleplay where you pretend to be someone else.
2 Githzerai
More Protection
Art by Jason Rainville- Source: Monsters of the Multiverse
The good giths are a great option for sorcerers for the same reason as elves and tieflings: spells. The spells they get are Mage Hand, Shield, and Detect Thoughts, all of which are useful. A free use of Shield is extremely handy, after all.
They are also resistant to being charmed or frightened, allowing you to avoid two terrible conditions reliably, and they are resistant to psychic damage, and resistance is always good.
1 Fairy
Wings And Spells
Sprite by Olga Drebas- Source: Monsters of the Multiverse
Ranged characters always benefit from flying. That said, we could just recommend all species that have permanent flight. We already mentioned tieflings, and we also recommend aarakocras, owlins, and mainly fairies.
Fairies are also fey, avoiding spells similarly to how changelings do, and they also have free spells - Faerie Fire and Enlarge/Reduce, in this case. Fight from afar and be untouchable. We recommend getting Feather Fall, just in case, though.
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Original Release Date 1974 Player Count 2+ Age Recommendation 12+ (though younger can play and enjoy) Length per Game From 60 minutes to hours on end. Franchise Name Dungeons & Dragons Publishing Co Wizards of the Coast Expand Collapse
