Sorcerer Archetype: Failed Wizard

Because you are such an amazingly charismatic person, a great deal of effort went into your Wizard training. Despite your a remarkably low intellect, or significant inadequacy of some sort, you gained a modicum of spellbook use, yet fell far short of even the worst wizards. Somehow being around so much magic and regularly miscasting spells has imbued you with enough magic that you believe you are a wizard. You are not in fact a wizard.

Clearly a Wizard

Only real wizards have a spellbook

At 1st level you have a tattered spell book with 3 starting spells and are able to perform rituals out of it as a wizard, however doing so takes twice as long as a wizard (20 minutes). The book contains any sorcerer spell you know transcribing magically as you learn them, and you can inscribe additional spells into this book at the cost of double the time of an actual wizard. You can prepare 1 spell after each long rest, and are able to prepare an additional spell at 6th, 10th, and 14th levels. Prepared spells can not benefit from any of your metamagic features.

Trial and Error (mainly the latter)

Your failures have led you to develop an understanding of how to fix things, especially your spellbook.

At 1st level you gain the mending cantrip as an additional cantrip that doesn’t count against your cantrips known, and your spellbook can be fully reconstituted or returned to your possession with a 1 hour ritual (specifically repeating a 4 letter command word in succession while rocking in a fetal position).

Stubborn Beyond Reproach

The more they insist, the more you fireball.

By 6th level your party members have probably figured out that you are not a wizard, but convincing you of such has repeatedly met with failure, other people (even real wizards) have a hard time telling you are not a wizard... because you hurt them if they do, thus you gain proficiency in intimidation (or double proficiency if already trained).

Addationaly, you have convinced a naive apprentice to follow you. This npc will help you with mundane tasks and simple errands but will enthusiastically avoid real danger. They can try to assist you with rituals but do not reduce the actual time due to their inatiquicy as students (definitely not your fault). If killed (likely by questioning the legitimacy of you being a wizard) you can find a new one with 3 days effort.

Powerful Wizardry

All you other Wizards are just imitators.

At 14th level as a self-appointed Arch-Wizard your magic ego sustains you to the point that food, air, and sleep are no longer required, though you can only do light work such as studying your spellbook or maintaining watch to gain the benefits of a short or long rest. You age at 1/10 the normal rate and are immune to aging spells and similar effects.

Magic is not the end

I've got the scars to prove it.

Years of magical mishaps and a strong sense of denial have shaped your understanding of reality in a way that few can comprehend, as such at 18th level you gain advantage on intelligence, wisdom, and charisma saving throws. Should you fail one of these throws you are able to succeed instead by spending sorcery points to make up the difference.

Credits:

Subclass by WestMorgan

Image D&D wizard character design. Findaglio the bumbling drunken wizard! by Christian Hadfield