[RPG] Does the second part of the Wild Magic sorcerer’s Tides of Chaos feature allow it to bypass the limitation of once per long rest

class-featurednd-5esorcererwild-magic

I have a feeling I'm missing something obvious, but the Wild Magic sorcerer's Tides of Chaos feature (PHB, p. 103) states:

Starting at 1st level, you can manipulate the forces of chance and chaos to gain advantage on one attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. Once you do so, you must finish a long rest before you can use this feature again.

Which suggests that this is a once per long rest ability.

But it goes on to say:

Any time before you regain the use of this feature, the DM can have you roll on the Wild Magic Surge table immediately after you cast a sorcerer spell of 1st level or higher. You then regain the use of this feature.

Which seems to suggest that you absolutely can use this more than once per long rest…as long as the DM has you roll on the Surge table after casting a spell of 1st level or higher.

Does that make it so that this feature is only once per long rest if the DM (or general wild magic) doesn't have you roll on the surge table before the end of the long rest? Otherwise, it's as many times as you want as long as you recharge it with a surge roll. Is my understanding correct?

Best Answer

Yes, it bypasses the limitation

Tides of Chaos states that it recovers on a long rest so that you always have it available to you at the start of the day regardless of its availability prior to the long rest (i.e. you might have been completely out of spells).

From playing a Wild Magic Sorcerer, I've found that the feature is an inherent part of my play style, but to use it I am dependent upon the DM permitting the frequent surges. In general, I strived to use Tides of Chaos almost every round so that I could utilize the recharge when I cast a spell. This is sensible, as a lot of optimization strategies for Wild Magic revolve around being away from your party and close to the enemies for variable shenanigans (which would be a good name for a band).

As has been previously stated, Wild Magic Sorcerer requires cooperation from the DM to be playable and enjoyable; if your DM doesn't permit you to recharge Tides of Chaos regularly with surges, you often are a lot more ineffective than other origins. If your DM is forgetting about situations to trigger surges, it's prudent to remind them; if they are hardly ever permitting surges, I strongly recommend playing a different origin as you will struggle to be effective.