I would like a simple sorceror revision.

[Pevishan]

With the Monte Cook variant, you get d6, some better skills, and the big thing is he tweaks the spell list. For example, when it was 3.0 he had them casting haste as a forth level spell, because otherwise the sorcerer had a Quicken spell for three spell levels for a number of rounds. IIRC, he dropped it down to third again though, when it got reduced to better movement and a single extra attack.

Basically he messes with some of the support spells, because the main thing they had balanced the sorcerer with was attack spells.

Also, the variant does not use material componets, although the more costly ones instead incur a very minor xp cost.

 

[Coredump]

While reading this, I had another idea. I am a little concerned about the bookkeeping, but there may be a way around this.

One of the compaints about the sorcerer is that they are 'shoehorned' into what spells they can use, since they get to choose only a few, they can't afford to get any that are not going to be useful all the time.

What if they were allowed additional spells that were 'harder' to cast?

IOW, in addition to their normal selection of known spells, they can learn another 1st level spell in a third level slot. (the spell levels can be adjusted)

(It is quickly becoming obvious to me that I am not making this very clear, so please bear with me.)

ONE example of this:

Currently, and 8th level sorcerer gets known spells like this:

0: 8
1: 5
2: 3
3: 2
4: 1

Pretty limited, but if you increase it, they become way powerful. Unless you give an additional cost.

0: 8
1: 5
2: 3+2
3: 2+2
4: 1+1

In this case, the additional spells are actually spells from 2 levels earlier. So this sorcerer could case (for example)

0th slot: (8) Resistance, Acid Splash, Detect Poison, Detect Magic, Read Magic, Daze, Dancing Light, Flare

1st slot: (5) Shield, Grease, Mage Armor, Mount, Obscuring Mist.

2nd slot: (3) Arcane Lock, Obscure Object, Protection from Arrows:
(+2) Mending, Arcane Mark

3rd slot: (2) Fireball, Lightning Bolt.
(+2) Identify, Feather Fall.

4th slot: (1) Dimension Door
(+1) Knock



A sorcerer may not be willing to chose feather fall as a 1st level spell, may never get used. But this allows them to chose it as a 3rd level spell. May never get used, but if needed, it may be worth burning a 3rd level slot for it.
Identify isn't really worth taking as one of only 5 allowed 1st level spells. But may be worth a 3rd level slot at times.

More versatility, more variety, not much more powerful.

Now, the number of spells allowed, and the level 'cost' is not set in stone. I am intrigued to here opinions on this.

Thanks for reading, and sorry for it not being overly concise.

.

 

[Khaalis]

It seems very obscure and muddled, and a lot of paperwork to track. Also, would the 3rd level, 1st levle spell be cast as a 1st or 3rd level spell (for sake of DC's etc)? This could seriously unbalance spells.


-----
Personally I prefer a much more simple way to House Rule this weakness. It allows more flexibility in the spell levels you wish to choose from and nets 3 extra spells known by 20th.


Spells Known: A sorcerer’s selection of spells is extremely limited. A Sorcerer begins play knowing six 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of their choice. At each new sorcerer level, they gain 2 new spells. These spells may be acquired from any spell level that they currently may utilize, but only one may be applied to the highest spell level the sorcerer has access to.


In the you will end up with the following assuming you always go for the maximum number of highest level spells and the odd in 3rd.

Normal Sorcerer: 9/5/5/4/4/4/3/3/3/3 (43 known spells)
vs.
New Mechanic: 8/6/4/5/4/4/4/4/4/3 (46 known spells)

However if you really wanted to, you could have something like this also: 8/6/6/6/6/3/3/3/3/2

JMHO. YMMV.

 

[Thanee]

In my complete variant, I've come down to this at 20th level:

9/5/5/5/4/4/4/3/3/3

That's one more 3rd and one more 6th level spell and looks more streamlined, too.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Thanee]

These spells may be acquired from any spell level that they currently may utilize, but only one may be applied to the highest spell level the sorcerer has access to.

That's a neat idea, when we will ever use psionics in our games, I'll likely propose that as a limit for a psion's power aquisition (besides giving them access to higher levels one level later, like all spontaneous casters, of course).

Bye
Thanee

 

[Khaalis]

That's a neat idea, when we will ever use psionics in our games, I'll likely propose that as a limit for a psion's power aquisition (besides giving them access to higher levels one level later, like all spontaneous casters, of course).

Bye
Thanee

You truly hate Psions dont you? Why do you see them as so powerful?

I actually think they were very well done. I am not a Psion fanboy as I rarely play psionics at all and when I do I prefer the Psionic Rogue to the Psion, but I appreciate the Psion as a well designed class. I still think they are a little too close to Wizards (the whole "this crystal is a familiar" thing) but overall I dont see them as any more overpowered.

 

[maddman75]

First, I add Gather Info and DIplomacy as class skills, but I think I'll add UMD in the future as well. Like all classes, IMC they get an extra 2 skill points per level.

One of my big problems with the sorcerer is they didn't feel innately magical. They felt just like a wizard that didn't need to prepare spells ahead of time. But neither do I want to come up with a seperate spell list for dozens of possible themes. So each sorcerer chooses a theme, the source or form for their magical powers. It could be fire or some other element, darkness, animal spirits, runes and symbols, whatever the PC can imagine. Whenever they cast a spell that fits into their theme they cast at +1 caster level.

I'm also fairly generous in reinterpreting spells. A fire sorcerer could describe Magic Missiles as small blasts of blue edritch flames. While not actually hot or able to set things ablaze, its sufficient to get the bonus.

 

[Liquidsabre]

Heh, definately plenty of Sorcerer revisions out there to choose from, many of them very well thought out and with some quality pieces of mechanics and game flavor! Here's a link to my humble version of the Bloodline Sorcerer:

PDF Link Forthcoimng - don't think I can post my website link for copyright reasons heh, includes the use of illustrations without permission (haven't been able to figuere out who the artist is yet) and not sure how much of the material I can legally make availbale to the public heh. Anyone have any ideas? Is there an expert I can email the link to and can let me know if it's okay to post a link to my private gaming message board?

Likely, changes forthcoming to *this* version as well, mostly in the form of subsuming the Augment Familiar class feature simply into a special sorcerer feat, making the feature an option rather than a requirement for those bloodline sorcerers who care not a whit for a more powerful familiar.

To summarize:

• 4+Int Skill Points
• Add Intimidate/Remove Knowledge (Arcana)
• Arcane Bloodline (Spontaneous Domain Spells 1/Day & +2 Bonus Class Skills)
• Decrease spell/day/level by one. (this spell/day/level is now dedicated to the Arcane Bloodline Spell List)
• Spells Known progression identical to core sorcerer
• Summon Familiar progression altered slightly to suit the Sorcerer (every other +1 Int is instead a +1 Str)
• Eschew Sorcerous Materials I & II (may elect to pay 1/10 cost in XP rather than using the costly material component)
• Spell Thematics (+2 DC to identify the sorcerers spells + add spell theme such as "Ice Shards" or "Flaming Skulls")
• Bonus Metamgaic Feats (5th, 10th, 15th, 20th), Augment Familiar, or Metamagic Mastery (special sorcerer feats).