4e Fan Creations and House RulesWorking on variant powers? Statting up a PC race or your version of a monster? Creating or converting an adventure? Put it here!
VANCIAN WIZARD I come from an age when a wizard's power was measured by the size of his library.
Prerequisites: Wizard, Tome of Readiness class feature
The vancian wizard is a spellcaster almost forgotten in the present day world. These powerful wizards were able to fill countless tomes with their spells; and although the day when one would require rest after casting his last spell is lost, there are still those who would master the remnants of this form of wizardry.
VANCIAN WIZARD FEATURES
Three and a Half Masters (11th level): Your spellbook now also holds your at-will and encounter wizard spells. Choose one extra wizard at-will attack power and one extra wizard encounter power for each level of encounter powers you have. When you prepare your daily spells in the morning, you can also prepare up to two of your at-will spells and one encounter spell per level you know. When you gain a new level of encounter wizard spells, you can choose two and prepare one each day.
A Real Spellbook (11th level): You no longer replace spells because of gaining a level. Instead, you write the new spells into your spellbook and they also take up one page per spell. When you prepare a spell at the beginning of each day, you can choose to prepare a lower level spell instead. You still can’t prepare the same spell twice.
Spells Per Encounter (11th level): You can spend an action point to regain the use of a wizard encounter power you've cast, instead of taking an extra action.
Spells Per Day (16th level): You can now prepare the same spell more than once. When you prepare a spell more than once, you must give up a spell of a higher level to do so. For example, instead of preparing fireball, ice storm and blast of cold, you can prepare fireball and two ice storms or three fireballs. You cannot prepare an encounter spell instead of a daily spell and vice versa.
VANCIAN WIZARD POWERS
Encounter Spell Slot Vancian Wizard Attack 11 You have trained hard so that you can prepare more encounter spells.
Daily
No Action Personal
Effect: At the beginning of each day, choose one encounter attack spell of 7th level or lower that you know. This becomes that power.
Utility Spell Slot Vancian Wizard Utility 12 You have trained hard so that you can prepare more utility spells.
Daily
No Action Personal
Effect: At the beginning of each day, choose one utility spell of 10th level or lower that you know. This becomes that power.
Daily Spell Slot Vancian Wizard Attack 20 You have trained hard so that you can prepare more daily spells.
Daily
No Action Personal
Effect: At the beginning of each day, choose one daily attack spell of 19th level or lower that you know. This becomes that power.
__________________ OP By Stalker0
Neo: "So, what are you trying to tell me? At 30th level I don't get anything?"
Morpheus: "No Neo. I'm telling you that when you're 30th level; you won't need anything."
Last edited by malcolm_n; 5th July 2009 at 07:31 PM..
I like the idea. I think I would make this change/addition:
A Real Spellbook (11th level): Your spellbook now also holds your at-will and encounter wizard spells. Choose one extra wizard at-will attack power and one extra wizard encounter power for each level of encounter powers you have. When you prepare your daily spells in the morning, you can also prepare up to two of your at-will spells and one encounter spell per level you know. When you gain a new level of encounter wizard spells, you can choose two and prepare one each day. You still can’t prepare the same spell twice, though you can prepare a lower-level spell with a higher-level slot.
Improved Spell Storage (11th level): You are able to store the power of a ritual in your mind until you wish to release it for the desired effect. When you prepare your spells in the morning, you may also prepare one ritual + one additional ritual per 3 character levels. You must spend the normal requirements of time, components and conditions during this time; if you do not use the ritual before your next extended rest, it and its costs are forfeit. You may manifest the effects of the ritual as a standard action.
Spells Per Day (16th level): You can now prepare the same spell more than once. When you prepare a spell more than once, you must give up a spell of a higher level to do so. For example, instead of preparing fireball, ice storm and blast of cold, you can prepare fireball and two ice storms or three fireballs. You cannot prepare an encounter spell instead of a daily spell and vice versa.
VANCIAN WIZARD POWERS
A Truly Magic Missile Vancian Wizard Attack 11 Your focus on archaic magic has turned up a gift from another time. Encounter • Force Standard Action Ranged 20 Target: 5 creatures. You can choose the same target more than once. Effect: The target takes 1d4 + Int modifier force damage.
Encounter Spell Slot Vancian Wizard Utility 12 You have trained hard so that you can prepare more encounter spells. Encounter No Action Personal
Effect: You regain the use of one encounter attack power that you have expended so far this encounter.
Daily Spell Slot Vancian Wizard Utility 20 You have trained hard so that you can prepare more daily spells. Daily
No Action Personal
Effect: You regain the use of one daily attack power that you have expended so far today.
Mind Impressing - certain lunatics are said to still risk sanity with mind impressing this is said to cause memory loss which goes beyond loosing the ritual and which often reduces experience gained - but look at the bright side it is even faster than reading a scroll some say 5 x times faster.
Improved Spell Storage (11th level): You are able to store the power of a ritual in your mind until you wish to release it for the desired effect. When you prepare your spells in the morning, you may also prepare one ritual + one additional ritual per 3 character levels. You must spend the normal requirements of time, components and conditions during this time; if you do not use the ritual before your next extended rest, it and its costs are forfeit. You may manifest the effects of the ritual as a standard action.
ooh oooh oooh I want to do dispel magic.... bye bye enemy magic item. There is reasons they made some spells in to rituals...
Mind Impressing - certain lunatics are said to still risk sanity with mind impressing this is said to cause memory loss which goes beyond loosing the ritual and which often reduces experience gained - but look at the bright side it is even faster than reading a scroll some say 5 x times faster.
Because wizards want to take longer going up levels like they used to they will love the experience point loss.... honest.
Now when high enough level they must be able to get past lock doors better than rogues... er I mean thieves and kill people better than fighters can I have save or die back again please. You should see my eyes twinkle and my heart go pitter pat at the idea of it. ;-)
Last edited by Garthanos; 3rd July 2009 at 04:13 AM..
Not to rain on your parade, but wouldn't it be cooler to allow vancian PCs from level 1? Perhaps a universal Power Preparation option?
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hmm. I have to say, I didn't expect these particular replies. Where to start...
@Ryven - Improved spell storage is too convoluted for little worth. There are few rituals a character would want to cast at a moment's notice anyway, let alone casting them before hand and saving them for later. Your Encounter and Daily spell slot powers also lose the flavor of being a vancian-type spellcaster.
@Garth - um... okay. I aimed for a 3e feel with the path. Experience loss was something from that time I'd rather stay dead; including save or die effects.
@Tequila - Meh; go for it if you want. The paragon path is for those who've worked hard in the current time period to master something archaic and forgotten by others.
__________________ OP By Stalker0
Neo: "So, what are you trying to tell me? At 30th level I don't get anything?"
Morpheus: "No Neo. I'm telling you that when you're 30th level; you won't need anything."
@Garth - um... okay. I aimed for a 3e feel with the path. Experience loss was something from that time I'd rather stay dead; including save or die effects.
Sorry my sense of humor is running rough shod.... ;-), I was umm one of the Anti-Vancian Dissidents all the way back to the blue book version of D&D. The comment about earlier mages being lunatics who risked their minds by impressing what should have been rituals directly in to their own heads...is my version of how to do continuity, ie make sure the past looked bad, cause it was. Oh and for a true vancianists need do lose there at-wills "Sorry magic doesn't work that way.. I cant remember how to do it now, give me an hour and I will have those re-impressed."
Last edited by Garthanos; 3rd July 2009 at 05:03 AM..
Note it isnt that Vancian magic is bad (one might look in to the game Dying Earth that focused on the actual world in question) also there was a Mag either White Wolf or was it a really early Dragon article about true Vancian Magic it really showed how completely D&D missed the mark if they were trying to invoke the flavor of Cudgel and company, how uniquely flavored those wizards were... etc. In some ways the magic of Vance was so tied to his world it doesn't fit as being "the method" used in a fairly general fantasy roleplaying game
I can see that. Honestly, the path is solely based on the idea of 3.5 and having several spells prepared during the day. It's just a cool throwback and I always love to post what my group does to the forums in case there's somebody else out there aspiring to do the same.
__________________ OP By Stalker0
Neo: "So, what are you trying to tell me? At 30th level I don't get anything?"
Morpheus: "No Neo. I'm telling you that when you're 30th level; you won't need anything."
I've made a major update based on my replies back on the wotc boards. It should look a little more properly based now.
I mentioned it once ... but here goes again.... as far as balance goes if any NPC ever has a magic item which they use.. dispel magic is way too poweful as an instant cast.. I would guarantee I got it.
There has been discussions about rituals being too expensive in various fashions and other things as well... But many rituals are indeed "rituals" ...for real reasons (include not allowing the wizard to undermine the usefulness of other roles) you dont want to override in a blanket fashion.... not sure Improved spell storage has any chance of not breaking things.
That's not even part of my paragon path, so I'm not sure what you're talking about. That other thing you mention is somebody else's post
ooops I realized that when I first looked at it then let it fade from my brain....arghh
Being able to reskin all your spell so you can appear to have large numbers of various flavored spells is the best Vancian element that exists in the latest version of the game.
. I figured as much.
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