Whether a voice calling from the darkest parts of the universe or the presence of an alien being, you are not alone…
With strange origins and terrifying psionic abilities, the Aberrant Mind Sorcerer Controls and manipulates all those around them.
It is up to you whether you use these powers for good or the most sinister of affairs. Either way, you are a force to be reckoned with.
This is the full subclass guide to the Aberrant Mind Sorcerer in D&D 5e!
What is the Aberrant Mind Sorcerer in D&D 5e?
Have you ever looked at an eldritch monstrosity like an Aboleth or Mind Flayer and been like “I’ll have what that thing’s having!”?
As it just so happens, you already are…
The Aberrant Mind Sorcerer is a psionic Sorcerer who uses powerful psychic and mental abilities to incredible effect. These characters excel at reducing enemies’ minds to mush and bringing the crushing power of some alien force from beyond the stars down upon all who stand against them.
Such power doesn’t just happen naturally. There is nothing natural about the Aberrant Mind Sorcerer!
Whether by the influence of a powerful aberration on the Material Plane or something far more distant and powerful, you have been forever changed.
The Aberrant Mind Sorcerer is a Sorcerer subclass that was introduced in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. It appeared alongside the Clockwork Soul Sorcerer in the same book.
Role in the Party
The Aberrant Mind Sorcerer is a powerful subclass that is packed to the brim with psionic goodness. Using these powers, these sorcerers provide a great deal of psychic utility and battlefield control to their party.
Whether summoning otherworldly tentacles to ravage their enemies, manipulating the minds of those around them, or transforming into a being that defies all expectations and sanity, these characters are a sight to behold!
Aberrant Mind Sorcerers are very gifted casters with access to nearly twice as many spells as other sorcerer subclasses. They almost function as a type of crossover between the Sorcerer, Wizard, and Warlock subclasses.
Plenty of Divination and Enchantment spells make one thing clear: when you are near an Aberrant Mind Sorcerer, even your own senses cannot be trusted!
Aberrant Mind Sorcerer Features 5e
OK, so that’s a lot of hype, but it is well deserved!
So, let’s dive into the deep end of what the Aberrant Mind Sorcerer subclass has to offer. Heads up: things might get a little… slimy…
On an unrelated note, what’s your opinion on tentacles?
Oh… no reason… no reason at all…
Psionic Spells
So, as we already covered, the Aberrant Mind Sorcerer is a very powerful caster. Their psionic spell casting primarily caters to divination and enchantment magic, though they are capable of more.
You gain bonus spells when you reach certain levels within this subclass. I will include the spells in the table below.
| Sorcerer Level | Spells |
| 1 | Arms of Hadar, Dissonant Whispers, Mind Sliver |
| 3 | Calm Emotions, Detect Thoughts |
| 5 | Hunger of Hadar, Sending |
| 7 | Evard’s Black Tentacles, Summon Aberration |
| 9 | Rary’s Telepathic Bond, Telekinesis |
These spells count as Sorcerer spells for you and do not count against the number of Sorcerer spells that you know.
You can replace spells you gain with this feature when you gain another Sorcerer level. The new spell must be of the same level as the spell you are swapping out and must be either Divination or Enchantment from the Sorcerer, Warlock, or Wizard spell list.
All in all, this is a very powerful spell list that is sure to help you across all tiers of play. If you find yourself not using a spell, don’t be afraid to swap it out next time you level up.
Special shout-out to the Mind Sliver cantrip which is incredibly useful. Not only is it dealing solid psychic damage, but it makes a target more likely to fail their next saving throw! You can cause some major damage with this!
Also, note that the Hex spell is an enchantment spell that is typically only available to warlocks. It is very powerful and extremely useful, so it is worth prioritizing!
Thoughts on the Aberrant Mind Sorcerer’s Psionic Spell List
As I mentioned, Mind Sliver is an immediate stand-out option on this spell list. It will serve you very well throughout your adventuring career.
Meanwhile, Arms of Hadar gives you a good way to lash out against enemies who get too close. In situations where you need an enemy to excuse themselves from your presence, Dissonant Whispers can be especially handy.
Both of your level 3 spells are a bit more situational but far from useless.
Calm Emotions can be handy in tense situations that require some diplomacy. Unless you’re making heavier investments into your Intelligence score, it’s probably safe to retrain Detect Thoughts despite its utility.
Level 5 is when your Psionic Spells start getting a lot better.
When it comes to being able to deal AoE damage and exercise some battlefield control, Hunger of Hadar is an excellent option. Sending is useful if you’re doing a lot of long-distance communication for the party but can otherwise be retrained.
At level 7, you gain Summon Aberration (a spell found in TCoE alongside this subclass) and Evard’s Black Tentacles.
Evard’s Black Tentacles can absolutely shut down and restrain enemies who aren’t making their Dexterity saving throws. (Of course, Mind Sliver will help make this even more difficult for them!)
If you want some extra help, use Summon Aberration to call forth an aberrant spirit that takes the form of a Slaad, Beholder, or Star Spawn. All three of these options have some great uses depending on which situation you find yourself in.
Finally, you get two useful utility options at level 9.
Rary’s Telepathic Bond is an excellent way for keeping communication open amongst your party members, especially in moments where you need to be discreet. And, of course, the sky is the limit when it comes to the virtually infinite number of ways you can use the Telekinesis spell!
Related: The Sorcerer’s Metamagic Feature Explained
Telepathic Speech (Level 1)
When discretion is key (or you just really want to freak someone out), there’s always telepathy!
As a bonus action, choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you.
You and the chosen creature can speak telepathically with each other while the two of you are within a number of miles of each other equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one mile).
To understand each other, you each must speak mentally in a language that the other knows.
The telepathic connection last for a number of minutes equal to your Sorcerer level. it ends early if you are incapacitated, die, or use this ability to form a connection with a different creature.
Free telepathy makes for some great utility with plenty of applications if you’re creative.
A single use doesn’t last terribly long, so you might not be able to keep in contact with someone who is scouting too far out from where you are.
But when you need a stealthy approach and a way to communicate discreetly, this is great!
Psionic Sorcery (Level 6)
Your Psionic Sorcery feature helps you be more efficient when it comes to your spellcasting and sorcery points.
When you cast any spell of level 1 or higher from your Psionic Spells feature, you can cast it by expending a spell slot as normal or by spending a number of sorcery points equal to the spell’s level.
If you cast the spell using sorcery points, it requires no verbal or somatic components, and it requires no material components unless they are consumed by the spell.
Typically Sorcerers are converting sorcery points into spell slots when they start running low on slots. You get to skip that process and just use sorcery points to cast spells from your Psionic Spells feature which helps you conserve your sorcery points.
Plus, not needing verbal, somatic, or material components (with some exceptions) basically gives you the Subtle Spell metamagic for free!
Exercise some moderation with this feature, though. You’ll still want to have sorcery points for using your metamagic and it can be easy to burn through them!
Psychic Defenses (Level 6)
Woe to anyone who tries to play with the mind of an Aberrant Mind Sorcerer!
You gain resistance to psychic damage, And you have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.
Psychic damage is pretty rare in 5e. At least you’re safe from the damage of Banshees’ wails and Mind Flayers’ Mind Blast.
Charm and Fear effects are much more common though and can completely shut a character down. You’ll be glad to have advantage if someone or something is trying to mess with your mind!
Revelation in Flesh (Level 14)
Remember when I said things were going to get a little slimy?
Yeah… this is what I meant…
For the low, low cost of 1 sorcery point (or more if you choose), you too can become nightmare fuel for all who gaze upon you.
As a bonus action, you can spend one or more sorcery points to magically transform your body for 10 minutes.
For each sorcery point you spend, you can gain one of the following benefits of your choice, the effects of which last until the transformation ends.
It’s unlikely you’ll be in a situation where you NEED all of the benefits from this feature, but it’s good to have them.
If nothing else, it’s a quick way to get out of a social event that you don’t want to be at.
And let’s be honest, haven’t we all wanted to leave an event early on account of “being an Eldritch Horror”?
Just me?
Well…
Anyway…
Revelation in Flesh Benefits
You’ve got options here, so let’s break it down into smaller pieces.
You can see any invisible creature within 60 feet of you, provided it is not behind total cover. Your eyes also turn black or become writhing sensory tendrils.
Watch enemies think they’re being clever only to scare the living daylights out of them!
You gain a flying speed equal to your walking speed, and you can hover. As you fly, your skin glistens with mucus or shines with an otherworldly light.
This is the option that you’ll most likely be picking. 1 sorcery point for the ability to fly (without needing concentration) is great!
Also… ewwwww…
You gain a swimming speed equal to twice your walking speed, and you can breathe underwater. Moreover, gills grow from your neck or fan out from behind your ears, your fingers become webbed, or you grow writhing cilia that extend through your clothing.
When you need it, this is great. Just don’t mind the fish staring at you in horror.
Your body, along with any equipment you are wearing or carrying, becomes slimy and pliable. You can move through any space as narrow as one inch without squeezing and you can spend 5 feet of movement to escape from nonmagical restraints or being grappled.
Possibly the most disturbing mental image, but you can’t say it’s not effective! Infiltrating and making quick escapes are both made easy!
Especially for the cost, these are all crazy good. It’s a wonderful use of sorcery points and each of these can get you out of some very dangerous situations.
But I have a quick request from you…
Out of sheer curiosity, let me know in the comments which of these descriptions you find the most disturbing or unsettling.
I have to know…
Warping Implosion (Level 18)
The Aberrant Mind Sorcerer’s capstone feature is almost disgusting in how amazing it is. Used properly, this just might be the best capstone feature in all of D&D 5e.
As an action, you can teleport to an unoccupied space that you can see within 120 feet of you.
Immediately after you disappear, each creature within 30 feet of the space you left must make a Strength saving throw.
On a failed save, a creature takes 3d10 force damage it just pulled straight toward the space you left, ending in an unoccupied space as close to your former space as possible.
On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and is not pulled.
Once you use this feature you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest, unless you spend 5 sorcery points to use it again.
First things first, you have an incredible teleport ability with a great range with this feature.
Secondly, you leave only chaos and destruction in your wake as you make your escape. Pulling every creature within 30 feet of you toward the spot that you are leaving is massive.
But here’s where it gets nasty…
You should absolutely have the Quickened Spell metamagic for this. Use Warping Implosion to pull all of your enemies into a group then light them up by using Quickened Spell on your hardest-hitting AoE spell.
Some prime candidates are an upcasted Fireball or the always-epic Meteor Swarm.
If you don’t end the entire encounter in the scope of your 6-second turn, your allies will certainly be able to mop up any lingering scraps!
Obviously, this won’t be as effective against stronger enemies like Pit Fiends or Ancient Dragons, but you’ll at least wipe out whatever minions they brought to the field!
Connections
Distant relation to an aberration, infection, psychic manipulation… is there really much of a difference?
As an Aberrant Mind Sorcerer, you have an entire multiverse of reasons for your powers awakening how they have.
There might be a touch of fate or circumstance behind this awakening. Somehow influence from the Far Realm or Astral Plane has touched you. While some might see this as having fractured your mind, you know that it was the beginning of a much grander awakening.
You might have been mind-controlled by an Aboleth or implanted with the tadpole of a Mind Flayer that failed to take root.
If you’re not keen on the Cosmic Horror aspect, you might have had an encounter with someone or something that awoke some potential in you before mysteriously vanishing.
Your goals and methods for reaching them can be as varied and unpredictable as the universe itself.
The biggest question is:
Do you let the party know about your secret upfront or do you try to slowly get them used to your… condition?
I’m sure it will work fine. With your psychic abilities, you’re great at knowing the right thing to say at any given moment.
You might even know things about the party that they haven’t told you yet! (Just play it off and insist that they did tell you. Gaslighting is a great way to make new friends!)
Particularly if there’s a Great Old One Warlock in the party, you might even end up with an admirer of sorts!
Is the Aberrant Mind Sorcerer Good?
The Aberrant Mind Sorcerer is a fantastic Sorcerer subclass that completely breaks the mold. Everything about this subclass is powerful, exciting, and justice a tad unnerving in the best way possible!
It opens a lot of opportunities for both new and experienced players to poke and prod at the game world. There is a ton of space for creativity and out-of-the-box thinking while also having clear mechanics that keep it grounded and practical.
New players can avoid the downside that most Sorcerers face with a limited number of spells known.
Meanwhile, more experienced players will appreciate the world of options and complexity hidden just beneath the surface of the Aberrant Mind Sorcerer.
See? What did I tell you?
Things aren’t always what they seem…
How does the Aberrant Mind Sorcerer stack up against the other Sorcerous Origins? Check out my full ranking of every Sorcerer subclass in D&D 5e to see!
Conclusion – Aberrant Mind Sorcerer in D&D
There aren’t many subclasses that get my imagination as fired up as the Aberrant Mind Sorcerer. There are countless directions that you could take a character’s story just from the theme of this subclass alone.
I was a little worried about the Aberrant Mind Sorcerer when it was first coming out since I was really excited about the concept of it. But I think D&D really nailed it with this subclass!
What do you think? Will you be playing an Aberrant Mind Sorcerer in your next D&D game?
Feel free to chat in the comments! I’d love to read your character concept and/or learn which of those descriptions from the Revelation in Flesh feature made you squirm!
(It’s a toss-up between “writhing sensory tendrils” and “writhing cilia” for me…)
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I loved it all and my Revelation in Flesh feature was your body becomes slimy and pliable
Hi Olive!
It’s such a fun feature and that option is definitely a good one!
There’s so much to the Aberrant Mind that’s disturbing but in a way that’s fun and can allow for some really exciting (and…strange…) moments! 🙂
I came the conclusion that psionic sorcery is super busted. Spell slot conversion into sorcery points and the ability to cast spells instantly with sorcery points mean that aberrant mind is the sole class that can use extra high level spells. No one but aberrant mind can get 2 or 3 extra casts of 9th level spells, and with the silent spell metamagic on top of it.
Hi Xander!
It’s definitely an incredibly powerful feature. If it’s not the strongest feature among all of the Sorcerer subclasses, it’s definitely among them.
The biggest limitation of it is the sorcery points. Certainly powerful no matter what, but it can also make it easier for a Sorcerer to find themselves burning through their points and spells too quickly if they aren’t mindful of how they’re budgeting those resources.