Wizard Class Feature to replace Spellbook

[Kzach]

Replace the Spellbook class feature of the wizard with the following:

Metamagic Mastery

Others may throw spells about with callous abandon, but the wizard is the true master of spell casting and shows off this talent through the control he wields over his own spells.

Choose one of the following abilities as a daily power for the wizard:

All metamagic abilities must be chosen before casting the spell to be altered. Only one metamagic ability can be used per day, even if you have multiple abilities through a feat or paragon path or epic destiny feature.

Extend Spell
Wizard Class Feature
You extend the reach of your spell.
Daily • Arcane
Free Action
Personal
Effect: Add 5 squares of range to any ranged spell.

Enlarge Spell
Wizard Class Feature
You enlarge the area of effect of your spell.
Daily • Arcane
Free Action
Personal
Effect: Add burst 1 to any burst spell.

Expand Spell
Wizard Class Feature
You expand the area of effect of your spell.
Daily • Arcane
Free Action
Personal
Effect: Add blast 1 to any blast spell.

Empower Spell
Wizard Class Feature
You increase the power of your spell.
Daily • Arcane
Free Action
Personal
Effect: Reroll any 1's rolled for damage.

Feats

Metamagic Masteries (heroic)

Prerequisite: Wisdom 13, metamagic mastery class feature.

Benefit: Gain one extra Metamagic Mastery. This feat can only be taken once.

Maximise Spell (paragon)

Prerequisite: Constitution 13, metamagic mastery class feature, empower spell.

Benefit: Maximise the dice of any damage that hits its target when using the empower spell metamagic mastery class feature.

 

[Kzach]

I know it probably seems powerful, but I'm actually quite at home with it and feel comfortable giving this to my players in place of the Spellbook Class Feature. Wizards kinda needed the boost anyway and it fits very nicely with their controller schtick.

I like it, anyway.

 

[Obryn]

I think the idea is very solid. I also think the Extend & Enlarge features are fairly well-balanced.

Multiply looks good. Focus seems weaker than Multiply, but it could work.

Energy Substitution seems very weak in comparison to everything else.

Expand Spell works, but there are fairly few Close spells, IIRC. I think it would balance fine if you allowed Enlarge to work with Close spells, too.

Maximize looks a bit ... too much. It's a free crit, and I think it's the choice every wizard would make. It's head and shoulders better than the rest, and, dropped on a Daily, it could get insane.

How about instead, "Empower: Your spell can deal no less than half its maximum damage" which I think balances with Extend & Enlarge.

-O

 

[Kzach]

Energy Substitution seems very weak in comparison to everything else.

Heh, not if you focus on fire spells and find the enemies are immune to fire damage

Expand Spell works, but there are fairly few Close spells, IIRC. I think it would balance fine if you allowed Enlarge to work with Close spells, too.

I considered that but I also want to future-proof it, and let's face it, there's going to be a billion and one new spells coming out so I'm sure it'll balance out in the long run.

Actually makes for an interesting specialisation too. You could specialise in close powers. Buff up your armour and hit points, take the battle or spiral paragon path and get into the thick of things.

Or focus on multiple targets and really clean up

Maximize looks a bit ... too much. It's a free crit, and I think it's the choice every wizard would make. It's head and shoulders better than the rest, and, dropped on a Daily, it could get insane.

How about instead, "Empower: Your spell can deal no less than half its maximum damage" which I think balances with Extend & Enlarge.

It's only against targets which you hit against and it's not like the wizard does a ton of damage anyway. But yeah, there are probably some synergies that could get out of hand. I might wait to see it in practice before I nerf it though.

I think I need to add that this is an immediate interrupt or something to prevent it stacking with itself. Having two of these powers shouldn't allow you to use both on one spell. Although, maybe it should be allowed...

 

[Obryn]

Heh, not if you focus on fire spells and find the enemies are immune to fire damage

Oh, there's no doubt that it's awesome in certain (fairly rare) situations - compared to the others which are rather universally (or frequently) useful. This, though, is only useful mainly when you throw certain foes against them; the others, they can set up tactics to make them useful.

Second, when you encounter an enemy who's immune to your chosen feature energy type and some other stuff, it's much less useful.

Finally, immunity is much rarer than resistance - and in most any case of resistance, you'd still be better off with Maximize.

It's only against targets which you hit against and it's not like the wizard does a ton of damage anyway. But yeah, there are probably some synergies that could get out of hand. I might wait to see it in practice before I nerf it though.

Your house-rules, your game. All I can tell you is, if I were a wizard in your game, I would choose Maximize without any hesitation. I think it falls into the must-have category.

I think I need to add that this is an immediate interrupt or something to prevent it stacking with itself. Having two of these powers shouldn't allow you to use both on one spell. Although, maybe it should be allowed...

I think the Interrupt sounds like an okay idea, but most would be fine as Free actions. Or, set different times for each one to balance them.

-O

 

[bganon]

First let me say I like the general idea a lot, and the Extend/Enlarge/Expand/Energy Substitution options seem pretty close to "just right".

But some of the other options have nasty loopholes you'd have to watch out for.

Maximize Spell: as pointed out, this seems an obvious gimme. And how does it work with, say, Flaming Sphere? Maximized damage for each attack? That's pretty huge.

Multiply Spell: Maze completely breaks this. Remove 5 targets for several rounds (this effect of Maze is automatic)?! But there are problems even at low levels: a Ray of Enfeeblement with 4 targets is a bit overpowered too, as is a Spectral Ram, Disintegrate, etc... The basic problem is that Wizard single-target spells often have very nice riders on them, so the (very minor) damage reduction is no big loss. In the long run, I think this is even more powerful than Maximize.

Focus Spell: whereas this is comparatively lame because the damage increase is so small. I can't think of a single spell I'd want to use this with. It might be a little useful at low levels as a way of avoiding hitting allies, but if that's a benefit you want to provide to players why not just make a limited version of Spell Accuracy available at Heroic tier? For this to be useful I think you'd have to at least provide something like the +4 to attack that you see on Mesmeric Hold and similar spells.

 

[WhatGravitas]

But some of the other options have nasty loopholes you'd have to watch out for.

Hmmm... seeing these possible loopholes: What if you only allow these abilities:
Energy Substitution, Extend, Expand, Enlarge, and Focus, but you don't need to choose one, instead you can use one of them once a day, akin to the Channel Divinity powers, just as daily instead of encounter powers.

Then you could even expand them further through feats, allowing you to pick up more metamagic. I think that could fit the wizard pretty well, gives him flexibility and keeps with the theme of "wizard has *really* good dailies".

And could fix the dearth of good wizard feats a bit.

Cheers, LT.

 

[Kzach]

Hmmm... seeing these possible loopholes: What if you only allow these abilities:
Energy Substitution, Extend, Expand, Enlarge, and Focus, but you don't need to choose one, instead you can use one of them once a day, akin to the Channel Divinity powers, just as daily instead of encounter powers.

Personally I think that would just be too powerful. Even as it is, it's far more powerful than what it's replacing. But that's just my opinion.

Oh, there's no doubt that it's awesome in certain (fairly rare) situations - compared to the others which are rather universally (or frequently) useful. This, though, is only useful mainly when you throw certain foes against them; the others, they can set up tactics to make them useful.

Hmm, yeah, perhaps changing it to allow choosing any energy type on the fly? Broadens it's range and from what I gather of energy resistance, it's fairly common for monsters so overall this would be quite useful, especially if you like specialising as a 'fire' mage or 'ice' mage, etc.

Your house-rules, your game. All I can tell you is, if I were a wizard in your game, I would choose Maximize without any hesitation. I think it falls into the must-have category.

I don't know, I'm still thinking it's just not that great. Sure, it's nice, but put it into an actual usage perspective. It would only affect the initial attack, so no maximum ongoing damage like with Flaming Sphere, just the first attack, wouldn't affect zone damage (except for the first attacks) and you'd have to decide to use it before casting the spell. Imagine if you cast it and only hit one person in a zone of ten (I've seen this happen, and more often than not, wizards tend to only hit about half the targets)?

So it's only doing maximum damage against an average of half the targets. And it's not like wizard damage is huge. As a daily, it's just a nice little boost for when they really need it.

I guess you could always do it like the brutal axe and just make it reroll one's or something?

I think the Interrupt sounds like an okay idea, but most would be fine as Free actions. Or, set different times for each one to balance them.

A free action, decided before casting the spell, and only one metamagic ability can be added to a spell. I think also probably limiting the feat to make it like a channel divinity thing (multiple choices, only one use) is probably a good idea too. Don't want this to be TOO powerful.

 

[Kzach]

I'm wondering now if this should be a daily or an encounter power.

Is it too powerful for an encounter power? Especially considering what it's replacing?

 

[erf_beto]

Another way to decrease the power of Maximize/Multiply/Focus is to limit them only to 1st level at-wills (like the orb's extended duration restriction), then add feats to remove these limits (by paragon or epic).
Maybe it's a bit much, and it would step in the toes of Implement Mastery*, but it would be nice to have all these options in a per encounter class feature like Channel Divinity.
The only problem: having more metamagic options than spells (at lower levels) is kinda weird, so allowing a wizard to master one formula per Cha or Wis modifier would be better (like the 3e sorcerer, willpower bending magic - it also fits your less bookish aproach, IMO).

* Brainstorm time 1: what if you removed the spellbook and gave wizards a fourth Implement and a new option for Mastery: Rod of Metamagic? The effects would be (one of) the ones you proposed. Even wizards with spellbooks could switch one of their 3 implements for the Rod - but of course, I have no idea if this is ok, since RAW rods were meant to synergize with warlocks...
Brainstorm time 2: what if you added the other implement masteries to the list of your metamagic options (with no need of the implements)? It would work like channel divinity, the wizard choosing the mastery he wants to use on the fly: at one encounter, you could use Impose Spell, the next you attack with an Accurate Spell... (not sure about staff of defense as a metamagic option)
Anyway, just random ideas yet...