D&D 4E 4e Spell Casting Questions

[fba827]

I can not cite the source, or even solid fact -- just a fleeting memory in the back of my head that in one of the interviews, one of the designers said that even though there are 30 levels of spells, it doesn't mean that all 30 levels will have a full spell selection.

My guess, based on that (whether it is correct or not), is that the 4e-equivalent to metamagic will allow spells to take spell slots other than their own level. Kind of like how, in 3e, you could have a 10th level spell slot and so on even though there were no 10th level spells.

All this based on guesses made by something I only vaguely recall.

 

[Sadrik]

In my best estimation from what I have read is that spells will scale between 1 and 30 meaning >>caster level<<. So for instance, a 30th level fireball is different than a 10th level fireball only in the fact that it takes a 30th level character to cast one.

My gut hunch, is that the spell levels will be broken up into the 3 tiers: Heroic, Paragon and Epic. Then each spell gets better at each tier (siloing). So for instance, fireball might be a 5 foot radius at heroic, standard fireball at paragon and delayed blast at epic. That way the character has those three effects rolled (siloed) into the one spell: fireball.

 

[jtrowell]

About the fixed base attack bonus, I think that it might not be a bonus to melee/ranged/magic/... attacks, but rather a fixed bonus on all attack rolls made with a specific ability.

For exemple fighters might get +3 to Str based attacks
Rogues and rangers +3 to dex based attacks
Wizards +3 to int based attacks
Cleric to wis
Paladin might get +3 to cha, or maybe a mix (such as +2 to both Str and Cha attacks)
Warlocks +3 to cha attacks and so on ...

Of course the bonuses might be lower or greater, and some classes might have lesser bonuses for several abilities.

It would also make a fighter/wizard slightly less effective than a wizard/fighter in magic attack, but not useless as in 3.5 (I expect caster level to always be the full character level)

Something that I realize : by making saves act as AC, and the attack roll universal as ability bonus + 1/2 level, it remove the fact than in 3.5 lower level spells are easier to resist.

With the new system, we could have a first level spell cast by a archmage be as hard to resist as any other of his spells

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

In my best estimation from what I have read is that spells will scale between 1 and 30 meaning >>caster level<<. So for instance, a 30th level fireball is different than a 10th level fireball only in the fact that it takes a 30th level character to cast one.

I really don't think this is going to be how it works. From the Paladin smites listed, I believe the format for spells will be the same(which, incidentally is almost precisely how maneuvers work in BO9S and how Jedi Powers work in Saga).

So spells will be listed as(this is just a guess):

Fireball
Wizard 5
Encounter • Spell
Standard Action
Range 20 Spell
Target: Area 4
Attack: Intelligence vs. Ref
Hit: 3d6 + Int + Caster Level.
Miss: Half

My gut hunch, is that the spell levels will be broken up into the 3 tiers: Heroic, Paragon and Epic. Then each spell gets better at each tier (siloing). So for instance, fireball might be a 5 foot radius at heroic, standard fireball at paragon and delayed blast at epic. That way the character has those three effects rolled (siloed) into the one spell: fireball.

Siloing means grouping like things together. They have said that the point of siloing was that people wouldn't have to decide between utility spells and combat spells.

From everything I've read they are doing this by making it so that most utility spells are rituals whereas most damaging spells are Spells.

You can probably select a certain number of spells that goes up per level. For instance a total of 5 spells when you are level 10 to "prepare" and they are likely changeable given 15 minutes. They are likely preparable from a list of spells, say about 10 known spells.

As you go up levels you replace some of the low level spells on your known spell list with higher level ones. So, there isn't so much "slots". At least not like their used to be with 5 1st level spells, 4 2nd, etc.

 

[Sadrik]

I really don't think this is going to be how it works. From the Paladin smites listed, I believe the format for spells will be the same(which, incidentally is almost precisely how maneuvers work in BO9S and how Jedi Powers work in Saga).

So spells will be listed as(this is just a guess):

Fireball
Wizard 5
Encounter • Spell
Standard Action
Range 20 Spell
Target: Area 4
Attack: Intelligence vs. Ref
Hit: 3d6 + Int + Caster Level.
Miss: Half

This does make a lot of sense considering the smites. The spell level seems to be a, "You can take this ability at 'X' level." It still is yet to be determined though if a fireball "advances" in level as the caster does. For instance a fireball is a spell from level 5-30, or this:

Renewing Smite
Paladin 13
Encounter • Healing, Weapon
Standard Action
Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. AC
Hit: 2x[W] + Cha damage and ally within 5 heals 10 + your Wisdom modifier damage.

Could be a 13-30 level spell. What does the 2x[W] represent? I think it denotes what the critical will do. In this case double weapon damage.