Galethorn
First Post
So, I've been thinking about how magic doesn't compare very well (i.e. too different, rather than not good enough) with other forms of attack. A fighter gets better at hitting, and gets more attacks, and more strength. A rogue's sneak attack improves. But magic doesn't work as 'seamlessly'...magic users are simply unbalanced. Being bad at the low levels and good at the high levels just doesn't work. The point of balance is for the different classes to be roughly equal at all levels, at least in my mind.
So, I thought of a way around this. You see, all the classes other than mages/attack clerics use weapons as their main source of damage. Magic involves spells that work on a completely contrary system (automatic success unless their getting hit, and the defender rolls to see if its a success or not, usually). Also, magic-users give up staying power for short periods of massive power (basically until they run out of spells). Those are my major gripes...
So, I've come up with a solution...
Magic as a weapon.
These are the basics so far...
Remove all existing attack spells, making a few exceptions (like area-effect spells), and keep most non-combat spells.
Give magic-users an 'unarmed ranged magic attack' that they could use as much as fighters get to use their swords. It would do damage based on a base die-type for each energy type (force would use d4s, fire/cold/acid/electricity would use d8s, etc., just as an example), + the primary casting stat, + bonuses for using wands/staves. Wands/staves would work pretty much like magic weapons; they would have enhancement bonuses that would add to the attack and damage of a 'spell attack' or whatever you want to call it. Iterative attacks would also apply, so you could make three 'fire blasts' per round as a high-level 3/4 BAB caster.
So, how's the idea sound? Anybody read/heard/tried something similar?
So, I thought of a way around this. You see, all the classes other than mages/attack clerics use weapons as their main source of damage. Magic involves spells that work on a completely contrary system (automatic success unless their getting hit, and the defender rolls to see if its a success or not, usually). Also, magic-users give up staying power for short periods of massive power (basically until they run out of spells). Those are my major gripes...
So, I've come up with a solution...
Magic as a weapon.
These are the basics so far...
Remove all existing attack spells, making a few exceptions (like area-effect spells), and keep most non-combat spells.
Give magic-users an 'unarmed ranged magic attack' that they could use as much as fighters get to use their swords. It would do damage based on a base die-type for each energy type (force would use d4s, fire/cold/acid/electricity would use d8s, etc., just as an example), + the primary casting stat, + bonuses for using wands/staves. Wands/staves would work pretty much like magic weapons; they would have enhancement bonuses that would add to the attack and damage of a 'spell attack' or whatever you want to call it. Iterative attacks would also apply, so you could make three 'fire blasts' per round as a high-level 3/4 BAB caster.
So, how's the idea sound? Anybody read/heard/tried something similar?
