New Feats addressing spellcaster multiclassing [OGL]

[am181d]

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MYSTIC SYNERGY
Your knowledge of similar magical paths compliment each other.

Benefit: As long as you have a 13+ in the key ability for each of the relevant classes, you may stack all spellcasting levels of the same type (arcane, divine, psionic) when determining your caster level.

Special: Class levels that only provide 1/2 caster level still count as only 1/2 caster level. Wizards may select this feat as a bonus feat.

Normal: Characters without this feat have a separate caster level for each spellcasting class.

IMPROVED MYSTIC SYNERGY
Your knowledge of all the different magical paths compliment each other.

Prerequisites: Mystic Synergy

Benefit: As long as you have a 13+ in the key ability for each of the relevant classes, you may stack all spellcasting levels, regardless of type, when determining your caster level.

Special: Class levels that only provide 1/2 caster level still count as only 1/2 caster level. Wizards may select this feat as a bonus feat.

Normal: Characters without this feat cannot combine arcane, divine and psionic spellcasting levels.

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Mystic Synergy and Improved Mystic Synergy feats v1.0 Copyright 2003, Drew Melbourne

 

[am181d]

I haven't seen anyone else release anything as OGL on these boards. I thought it would be an amusing precedent. Please discuss the feats and whether the House Rules board should be used to release them as OGL below...

 

[3d6]

Doesn't do much for fighter/wizards, though. Have you considered a feat that allows you to add, say, half of your non-spellcasting class levels as a bonus to your caster level?

 

[Phaedrus]

I like it. In my campaign all magic is "one" and these feats feed off that idea--if you know how to do magic (in whatever flavor) then you should at least know a little bit about the other flavors. Taking this feat makes you a master of the "oneness."

If any of that makes sense to anyone I will be amazed.

I disagree with 3d6, however. If you take levels in Fighter then you aren't advancing your knowledge in magic. You've split your focus and therefore shouldn't be rewarded by doing so. (Although I don't know that 1/2 caster level is THAT bad an idea...)

 

[XCorvis]

They're not bad, but the requirements should be more substantial. IMO, Improved Mystic Synergy should have a requirement of 15+.

The "benefit" line also lists the requirements. You should separate them out so that it's perfectly clear what you need to take the class.

As far as OGL is concerned, I think others have tried it. I'm not sure of the legality, but I don't really see why it wouldn't be OK.

 

[am181d]

They're not bad, but the requirements should be more substantial. IMO, Improved Mystic Synergy should have a requirement of 15+.

The "benefit" line also lists the requirements. You should separate them out so that it's perfectly clear what you need to take the class.

As far as OGL is concerned, I think others have tried it. I'm not sure of the legality, but I don't really see why it wouldn't be OK.

The idea of not listing the ability requirements as prerequisites is that the feats would let you do different things, depending on your abilities. So if you have an Int of 14 and a Cha of 13 you could stack your Wizard and Bard levels and if you had a Wis of 15 and the Improved feat you could stack all of them, but if your Cha was 10, you could still stack your non-Charisma feats.

Similarly, if you have a bunch of spellcasting classes and you lose some points in Charisma, you don't unstack all your levels, just the Charisma ones.

You're probably right that Improved should require a 15+ in each key ability, though.

 

[Zhnov]

broke

am181d,

"...when determining your caster level."

IRT the application of this statement for these feats, what does caster level relate to? Number of spells per day? Highest spell level the caster can cast? Spell range/damage effects? Prerequisites for item creation feats?

Although in your campaign magic may be a "oneness", don't arcane and divine spellcasters cast spells in a fundamentally different manner, with power coming from different sources?

IMO, these feats are broken. Multiclass spellcasters have a breadth of flexibility that makes them a viable combination. To heighten a caster's power through these feats (whether it be just the numeric effects of a spell, or especially if it affects the number of spells per day or highest spell level that can be cast) gives waaaay too much juice.

2c

The Lil Scribbler

 

[Clay_More]

I think it refers to caster level as in used in the casting of spells (as in, a 5 th. level Wiz, 5 th. level sor would cast a 10d6 Fireball if he cast it from his Wizard list).

If it added to spells per day, the highest spell level possible etc. it would be broken, but I do not believe that is the intent.

As it is now, there is little if any benefit in multi-classing. This would remove some of the hindrances when applied to spellcasting classes.

Dont think there is a need to make a feat that applies to spellcasting / combat multiclassers, they normally have ample opportunity to have advantages (Haste/Bulls Strength/Cats Grace/Owls Wisdom/Mage Armor/Shield on a monk?).

 

[Khaalis]

I would have to add a few points.

I too agree that this is a needed idea for anyone wishing to Multiclass casting classes. As Clay_More pointed out, Melee/Casters already have advantages enough to balance the loss of some spell power. However, I do not hold to the "breadth of flexibility" argument. Its hogwash in my opinion.

A Cleric 3/Wizard 3 is in NO WAY even close to being the equivalent of a 6th level character and even WotC has admitted this is a Core System failure, they just have not found a fix that they like yet. In this example the Cleric has to give up Armor (one of its core advantages) and the spells they can cast are of massively limited use in a 6th level campaign considering they can only cast up to 2nd level spells and only cast those as if they were 3rd level. At any given moment they have to "Choose" whether they are a Wizard or a Cleric. At no time do they "Blend" their classes.

As for the feats themselves, I like them, although I am not personally fond of making the PC PAY to fix a core system problem. Why should a player be penalized for choosing to do something the core system is supposed to support doing?

::shrug::

As for the feats as written, I agree on the change of the relavent ability score requirement to a 15+ for the Improved version. Other than that I see them as totally feasable and useable.

Personally I would (and am seriously considering) make these a simple house rule on how magic works. ESPECIALLY if you run a world where all magic springs form one sorce (ex: Forgotten Realms).

Just a few rambling thoughts.