D&D 3.x [3.5] Specialist wizards...

[Dash Dannigan]

Just started a new 3.5 campaign as a wizard specialist: Evoker. Opposition schools: Illusion & Necromancy, being a good and non-shifty type of wizard. To be prefectly honest I didn't like to lose necromancy because it really does have a lot of neat stuff now that the schools are balanced and with the loss of illusion I can't do some of those Ol' powergame moves as a wizard (imp. invisible, flying, fireball everything in sight...). As a group we enjoy the changes immensely, as a wizard I like how a specialist now actually HAS to give up something for the bonus they gain as a specialist (extra spell & +2 spellcraft with spells of school).

 

[Dark Magus]

I personally think that Divination should be allowed to be selected as a prohibited school for Illusion, Necromancy, and *maybe* Enchantment, and Abjuration, because while they're on the higher end of the weaker schools, they in now way compare to Conjuration, Evocation and Transmutation.

Just cause you slap a couple new rays, symbol spells, and create "uncontrolable" undead spells, doesn't put with everything else.

So in short, Specialists from Abjuration, Enchantment, Illusion, and Necromancy should be able to take Divination as one of their Prohibited Schools, whereas Conjuration, Evocation, and Transmutation should not.

I think that'd balance out everything.

EDIT: and just a quick question, if Necromancy encompasses spells that alter the flow of life energy, etc. Then why in Archeron does Conjuration get Trap Soul, thats just been buggin me...

 

[Darklone]

Re: Re: Re: Re: [3.5] Specialist wizards...

Not in any version of 3rd edition.

Well. In my PHB, they did. But then:
- Barbarian Rage only gave +2 will saves against fear effects only.
- shield spell cover bonus was explicitely saying that you still provoked AoOs.

Strange. How many different printings of 3.0 did we have?

 

[Storm Raven]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: [3.5] Specialist wizards...

Well. In my PHB, they did. But then:
- Barbarian Rage only gave +2 will saves against fear effects only.
- shield spell cover bonus was explicitely saying that you still provoked AoOs.
Strange. How many different printings of 3.0 did we have?

Perhaps you are confusing a house rule or a 2e rule with one from 3e? Check the 3.0 SRD description of the benefits of specialization:

A school is one of eight groupings of spells, each defined by a common theme, such as illusion or necromancy. A wizard may specialize in one school of magic. Specialization allows a wizard to cast extra spells from the chosen school, but the wizard then never learns to cast spells from one or more other schools. Spells of the school or schools that the specialist gives up are not available to her, and she can't even cast such spells from scrolls or wands. The wizard must choose whether to specialize and how at 1st level. She may not change her specialization later. The specialist can prepare one additional spell (of the school selected as a specialty) per spell level each day. The specialist gains a +2 bonus to Spellcraft checks to learn the spells of her chosen school.

That's it. No mention is made anywhere of a +1 bonus to saves against any kind of spell.

 

[Spatula]

Re: Re: Re: [3.5] Specialist wizards...

Specialist wizards got a +1 against spells from their specialised school. Didn't they?

In 2E, yeah. In 3E, no. It's not in any of the 3.0 PHB errata, either.

 

[The Souljourner]

There were two editions of 3.0 guys. They revised a bunch of stuff in the second printing. The original printings had some errors, so they fixed them. Maybe these were in those things changed. I don't know, because I don't have the newer printing.

-The Souljourner

 

[Storm Raven]

There were two editions of 3.0 guys. They revised a bunch of stuff in the second printing. The original printings had some errors, so they fixed them. Maybe these were in those things changed. I don't know, because I don't have the newer printing.

(1) It isn't in any version of the SRD.
(2) It isn't in any version of the 3.0 PHB that I have seen.
(3) It isn't in the PHB errata.

In other words, it looks like those who are remembering it are likely pulling forward a rule from 2e that they thought was carried forward, but wasn't, or have been using a house rule for so long that they assume that it was core.

 

[Pax]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: [3.5] Specialist wizards...

Well. In my PHB, they did. But then:
- Barbarian Rage only gave +2 will saves against fear effects only.
- shield spell cover bonus was explicitely saying that you still provoked AoOs.

Well, I just checked my first-printing PHB, and there's no save bonus. The Barbarian's Rage gives a blanket +2 will save benefit, too.

Either you're playing with a pre-3.0 playtest copy (in which case you should not be surprised that things have changed), or, you're playing with a pirate/bootleg PHB (in which case you shoudl be smacked, Hard. Repeatedly.)

Strange. How many different printings of 3.0 did we have?

To the best of my knowledge, two. First Printing, and Everything Else.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: [3.5] Specialist wizards...

Either you're playing with a pre-3.0 playtest copy (in which case you should not be surprised that things have changed)

I do think he would be aware of that. AFAIK, playtest material is just some sheets of paper, no complete book. Also, we would have noticed if he insisted that his 3e rules only has spontaneous casters (including clerics) or something like that

 

[Darklone]

(1) It isn't in any version of the SRD.
(2) It isn't in any version of the 3.0 PHB that I have seen.
(3) It isn't in the PHB errata.

In other words, it looks like those who are remembering it are likely pulling forward a rule from 2e that they thought was carried forward, but wasn't, or have been using a house rule for so long that they assume that it was core.

Both examples are written in my PHB as I said it. I bought the book in the shop here, nothing special about that. Perhaps it's a special German printing?

A guy from Australia posted some scanned pages with the same printing like mine once.

Edit: Three examples. Barbarian Rage: will+2 against fear only, Specialist save bonus and shield spell explicitely not helping against AoOs.