Thoughts for Sorcerer change?

[Cthulhudrew]

Just got my 3.5 books today (PHB and DMG, anyway). Still not terribly pleased with the Sorcerer, though. Personally, I think Intimidate would have been more appropriate for the Sorc than Bluff, but hey, they didn't ask me.

Anyway, I still think they need to do something with the Sorcerer to make it more attractive. I was considering this earlier today, and came up with this change: At first level, the Sorcerer gets to choose a bonus metamagic feat- either Still Spell, Silent Spell, or Eschew Materials. From that point on, he can spontaneously apply that feat to his spells, without it becoming a full round action. The caveat is that it still requires the standard use of the metamagic feat applied (ie, +1 level to spell for Still or Silent Spell; materials in excess of 1 gp will still require a material component) and this "spontaneous access" applies only to the feat chosen at 1st level (so, if he takes one of the other feats later, it still requires a full round action for spellcasting).

The only immediate thought on this one that comes to mind is that, of course, Eschew Materials isn't a metamagic feat, and so the benefit gained isn't necessarily equal to the benefit gained by adopting one of the other two feats, but other than that, can anyone see any potential problems with the option I've come up with?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

Eschew Materials is no longer a metamagic feat, so Sorcerors already have spontaneous access.

I'd reccomend giving it to 1st level Sorcerors as a bonus feat, since it makes more sense, flavor-wise, and would not, in my opinion, be particularly unbalancing.

 

[MangahunterD]

I could be wrong, but I thought from the description of sorcerers it said that their magic is internal, therefore they don't need material components anyway so the eschew materials would not be really a good choice. I do agree that they are not quite as attractive as wizards to some degree but when you compare the number of spells they can cast in comparison to a wizard then they are pretty mighty. Especially if you are careful to pick the right spells to suit your character concept. ANd with the edition of being able to un-learn spells and take new ones it makes them almost as versatile.

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

Their magic is internal, but the rules neither imply nor specifically state that they don't require material components. Giving them Eschew Materials at 1st level would mean they only needed the expensive ones, which is why I proposed the change in the first place.

 

[JoeBlank]

While I agree that sorcerer's need a little something, you might be going a little too far. Correction, for some reason I thought you were proposing no +1 spell level for Still and Silent.

I am a big proponent of the free Eschew feat at first level, especially now that it is not a metamagic feat, so it is perfect for sorcerers. The other two are nice, and having the option to have one of them without taking a full round is nice. I just can't imagine anyone taking Eschew, when it already does not require a full round. If I wanted all three, I would take Silent or Still as the bonus feat and pick up Eschew later.

 

[Technik4]

Why not give them Eschew at 1st level, then at 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th take a metamagic feat without increasing the casting time. It wouldnt be much more overpowered than it is now, as socerors are altering spells on the fly as it is, but it would give sorcerors a good reason to stay sorcerors since prcs wouldn't give them that nice bonus. Additionally, wizards can choose item creation feats, whereas sorcerors would be strictly metamagics.

Technik

 

[Spatzimaus]

Mangahunter, while stylistically you could argue that maybe Sorcerers SHOULD be able to ignore them, the rules as written have never allowed Sorcerers to ignore material components. This has been confirmed many times over by developers, in the FAQ, and so on. That whole "internal" thing is just flavor text, with no actual game effect beyond what the class abilities specifically state.

There are several feats that seem appropriate for Sorcerers, Eschew Materials and Spell Thematics being two of the main ones. If you wanted to give both of these abilities to low-level Sorcerers in exchange for something minor, it'd probably be balanced. For example, what if you gave them Eschew Materials at level 1, Spell Thematics at level 5, and to compensate reduced their Familiar abilities (lowering it by two levels and delaying until level 3)? Or maybe remove Spellcraft from their class skills, who knows.

For those who don't have Magic of Faerun, they've rewritten the entire Feat in the errata, this is the latest version. You can download the errata from the WotC website if you don't want to buy the book.

SPELL THEMATICS (General)
You have developed a signature thematic manifestation that gives your spells unique visual or auditory qualities. You are more effective when casting spells strongly linked to your theme, and any spell you cast reflects your signature theme to a greater or lesser extent.
Benefit: Choose a theme for your spellcasting. You cast spells designated as central to your theme at +1 caster level. Add +5 to the DC of any Spellcraft check made to identify any spell you cast, whether or not it is designated as a thematic spell.
A spell theme is comprised of two components. The first is a set of spells central to your theme. This consists of one spell at each spell level you can cast. For example, a 5th-level wizard might select ray of frost, magic missile, Snilloc's snowball swarm, and fly as spells central to his theme.
The second component is a common visual or auditory effect all your spells share, such as "fire", "ice", or "screaming skiulls." The special effect does not change the spells in any way, other than enhancing your caster level with the spells you coose to be central to your theme. For example, if your theme is "fire" then your magic missile spell might appear to produce bolts of filre, although the bolts are still a force effect and cause normal damage, not fire damage. If your theme is "screaming skulls", your fly spell might manifest as a dozen small screaming skulls that orbit around you, bearing you aloft.

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

I'd say Eschew Materials and Spell Thematics at 1st would be an even trade for the entire Familiar Ability, and make more sense. Familiars feel more Wizardly, to me.