7 *New* Feats for Wizards and Sorcerors!

[mercucio]

Had a couple of ideas to expand on the power of the Spell Focus feat chain and also to make feats to specific interest to wizards who choose to specialize in a particular school.


CEREMONIAL SPELL [METAMAGIC]
Requirements: Knowledge (Arcana) 6+ ranks, Spellcraft 6+ ranks, any one other metamagic feat.

Benefit: You may increase casting time of a spell by a factor of 1 to raise the any one level-based parameter (damage, range, duration, ect) of the spell by 1. You may do this a total number of times equal to your spellcasting attribute modifier +1, each additional raise increasing the casting time of the spell by a factor of 1 each time. You may not apply this feat to a quickened spell.

Special: This this is always applied spontaneously to a spell, even the spellcaster normally prepare their spells in advance.


FOCUSED METAMAGIC [GENERAL]
Prerequisites: Spell Focus (chosen school), Focused Spellcaster (chosen school), any two metamagic feats, Spellcraft 15 ranks.

Benefit: Select one school you posses the Spell Focus feat for. The spell slot modifier of all the character’s metamagic feats applied to spells of that school are reduced by one level, to a minimum of +1. This feat has no effect on metamagic feats whose spell slot modifier is +1 or less.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a new school of magic.
Note: Add this feat to the wizard’s list of bonus feats.


FOCUSED SPELLCASTER [GENERAL]
Prerequisites: Spell Focus (chosen school), Knowledge (arcana) 10 ranks.

Benefit: Select one school you posses the Spell Focus feat for. You caster level when casting spells of that school is consider one level higher.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to any new school of magic which you have the Spell Focus feat for.
Note: Add this feat to the wizard’s list of bonus feats.


FORTIFY DEAD [GENERAL]
Prerequisites: Spell Focus (Necromancy), Craft (alchemy) 6 ranks, Knowledge (religion) 10 ranks.

Benefit: When using animate dead, or similar spells and effects to create undead, you can grant them up to 2 additional HD as if gained through advancement. Hit dice gained in this manner count towards the maximum total HD the spell or effect may animate. Thus you could use animate dead to create human zombies with 2, 3 or 4 HD; or create greater undead to create wraiths with 5, 6, or 7 HD.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times. Each additional time you take this feat the number of HD you may grant a skeleton or zombie through advancement increases by 2.


IMPROVED SHADOW MAGIC [GENERAL]
Prerequisites: Spell Focus (illusion), ability to cast five different illusion (shadow) spells, one of which must be 4th level or higher.

Benefit: Spells you cast with the Shadow descriptor, such as shadow conjuration or shadow evocation, have their potency increased by +10%.


INSIDIOUS MAGIC [GENERAL]
Requirements: Subtle Magic, caster level 10+, Bluff 9 ranks

Benefit: If you cast a spell requiring a Will save against a target, and the target succeeds on their saving throw, they only realize a spell has been cast at them if they make a successful Spellcraft check (DC 20 + spell level).
Normal: If the target of a spell succeeds on their saving throw they automatically know that a spell was cast upon them, though they do not know more specific than that.


SUBTLE MAGIC [GENERAL]
Requirements: Any metamagic feat, caster level 7+, Spellcraft 10 ranks

Benefit: Any attempt to employ a divination spell, spell-like ability, or magic item to detect the magical aura of one of your spells (such as detect magic or arcane sight) the caster must make a level check (DC 10 + your caster level) to succeed. In additional the aura of your magic lingers as if it was one category lower in strength.
Note: Add this feat to the wizard’s list of bonus feats.

 

[Li Shenron]

Had a couple of ideas to expand on the power of the Spell Focus feat chain and also to make feats to specific interest to wizards who choose to specialize in a particular school.

All of them seems to be nice, only the first one in my opinion could have problems. I'll toss in my opinion on each, although they are only my minor notes

CEREMONIAL SPELL [METAMAGIC]

This is the only feat which is very dangerous. Increasing the casting time is indeed a risk in combat, but all the spells that you get to cast out of combat basically get huge benefits for free. I don't understand clearly if you can increase the casting time for example of a factor of 3 to get 3 benefits on different parameters or the same, and I don't understand what do you mean by "factor", could you explain? This cumulative option only makes it even more powerful out of combat (think of a Cleric who turns a cure light wounds into basically a full-healing spell without using a higher slot).

Finally, this is very versatile and you may find specific spell which should be outright banned by the DM from benefitting from this.

FOCUSED METAMAGIC [GENERAL]

This is fine, and I am glad you put high level requirements for this Only tiny note... I supposed you meant that you have to choose a school in which you have Focused Spellcaster rather than Spell Focus.

FOCUSED SPELLCASTER [GENERAL]

I am not sure if +2 caster level is ok or a little too much, it really depends on the spell... probably it's ok, since you are at least caster level 7 when you can take this feat, and the difference is lesser.

FORTIFY DEAD [GENERAL]

Just fine IMO, it is perfectly acceptable that it stacks.

IMPROVED SHADOW MAGIC [GENERAL]

This again is very fine, perhaps I would be more generous and require to know only 1 shadow spell - in which case after all the caster is going to benefit only from that one. Also, are there 5 shadow spells at all in the PHB?

INSIDIOUS MAGIC [GENERAL]

SUBTLE MAGIC [GENERAL]

These last two are on the weak side, but I think that for NPC casters they could be very interesting.

 

[Thanee]

CEREMONIAL SPELL [METAMAGIC]

Not sure what exactly you mean by the increase of 1. I guess you mean your caster level is increased by one for the purpose of raising one of these factors?

FOCUSED METAMAGIC [GENERAL]

This is normally an epic feat, or a 10th level ability of a prestige class focused on metamagic. I don't think it is a good idea to introduce it as a general feat (even tho it is limited to one school only).

FOCUSED SPELLCASTER [GENERAL]

Compared to existing feats (i.e. Spell Thematics, Bloodline of Fire), this is way too powerful.

IMPROVED SHADOW MAGIC [GENERAL]

The requirement to be able to cast five different illusion (shadow) spells, seems a bit much, are there even that many?

Bye
Thanee

 

[rrealm]

FOCUSED METAMAGIC [GENERAL]
Prerequisites: Spell Focus (chosen school), Focused Spellcaster (chosen school), any two metamagic feats, Spellcraft 15 ranks.

Benefit: Select one school you posses the Spell Focus feat for. The spell slot modifier of all the character’s metamagic feats applied to spells of that school are reduced by one level, to a minimum of +1. This feat has no effect on metamagic feats whose spell slot modifier is +1 or less.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a new school of magic.
Note: Add this feat to the wizard’s list of bonus feats.

Makes perfect sense to me. First you take spell focus for a given school of magic. Then, when you take this feat, you can only "upgrade" a school of magic if it is also on your spell focus list.

 

[Kemrain]

INSIDIOUS MAGIC [GENERAL]
Requirements: Subtle Magic, caster level 10+, Bluff 9 ranks

Benefit: If you cast a spell against a target and the target succeeds on their saving throw they only realize a spell has been cast at them if they make a successful Spellcraft check (DC 20 + spell level).
Normal: If the target of a spell succeeds on their saving throw they automatically know that a spell was cast upon them, though they do not know more specific than that.


SUBTLE MAGIC [GENERAL]
Requirements: Any metamagic feat, caster level 7+, Spellcraft 10 ranks

Benefit: Any attempt to employ a divination spell, spell-like ability, or magic item to detect the magical aura of one of your spells (such as detect magic or arcane sight) the caster must make a level check (DC 10 + your caster level) to succeed. In additional the aura of your magic lingers as if it was one category lower in strength.
Note: Add this feat to the wizard’s list of bonus feats.

These are great for flavor, and I love the first one, but the second looks kind of weak to me. The prereq's seem awfully high, as well, given the benefit. In most games, I doubt either of these feats would be worth it to many casters (though in my game I'd kill to have them), perhapse a good choice for an Enchantment Specialist. As class abilities of a Stealth and Deception-based arcane casting PrC, these abilities are great, though. Consiter them stolen, with only slight modifications.

- Kemrain the Thief.

 

[mercucio]

Hi All!

Thanks for the feedback. I've written a few clarification on a couple of feats below:

Ceremonial Spell
I don't understand clearly if you can increase the casting time for example of a factor of 3 to get 3 benefits on different parameters or the same, and I don't understand what do you mean by "factor", could you explain?

1. When applying Ceremonial Spell, you may only increase *one* level-based aspect of the spell you are casting. You could use this feat to increase a spell's effective caster level for damage dice or a spell's effective caster level for determining duration, but not both simultaneously.

Here's a sample situation. Arathor is a 9th level wizard with an Intelligence of 17 (+3), being chased by angry orcs in the mountains. Sprinting away from his pursuers, he scrambles down the mountainside, seeking escape. He is halted by a 900-ft wide chasm. There is no bridge, and the orcs are only a few minutes behind him. He has dimension door prepared, however his range is only 760 feet (400 ft + 40 ft. per level * 9 = 760 ft.) leaving him 140 ft. short. However, if he casts the spell as a ritual to extend the spell's range he might be able to make it across before the orcs catch up. He can ritually extend the casting of spell by a factor of 4 (Int modifier +1), which would raise his effective caster level to 13th, just allowing him to clear the chasm.

Clearing his mind he begins casting. He spends one standard action casting dimension door. On the next round, instead of teleporting across the chasm (and falling) Arathor spend another standard action to continue casting dimension door (1 additional "factor" of time) to increase his effective caster level by 1 (to 10th) for the purposes of the spell's range *only*. On the third round Arathor again spends another standard action (2 additional "factors" of time) casting dimension door, increasing his effective caster by 2 (to 11th) for the purposes of the spell's range *only*. This continues for another two rounds, increasing Arathor's effective level by a total of 4 (to 13th) for the purpose's of determining range only. Arathor has now spent 5 standard actions (1 base + 4 for +4 caster level) casting dimension door to raise his effective caster level for determing the range of his dimension door to 13.

This cumulative option only makes it even more powerful out of combat (think of a Cleric who turns a cure light wounds into basically a full-healing spell without using a higher slot).

Well, said cleric could indeed do that. However, the healing aspect of any spell in the cure x wounds series that ceremonial spell could affect would be the the +1 hp per caster level (it is the only level-based aspect, the d8's are fixed). Given that your typical cleric is going to have a 16-20 wisdom I don't see much of an issue.


Focused Metamagic
Li Shenron: You're right, Spell Focus (chosen school) shouldn't be listed and the requirement is fulfilled by Focused Spellcaster, which has Spell Focus in the chosen school as a prerequisite.

Thanee: Granted Improved Metamagic is either a 15th level ability (Incantrix 10 or Dweomorkeeper 10) or a epic feat gained at 27th level or later (30 ranks Spellcraft). However, given that the feat has 15 ranks in Spellcraft and 4 feats as a prerequistes, I feel the benefit is more than balanced. After all, the feat can only affect spells of 1 school, whereas Improved Metamagic affects spells of all 8 schools.


Focused Spellcaster
Li Shenron/Thanee: Heh, my brother agrees with you on that one. +1 caster level in your chosen school it is.


Improved Shadow Magic
Li Shenron/Thanee: There are 8 Illusion(shadow) spells in the PHB =). Most of them are found at 7th level or later. Change the requirements to read: Ability to cast five different illusion spells, one of which must be 4th level or higher.


Insidious Magic/Subtle Magic
Li Shenron: You could easily combine them in to one feat. I was a little wary of that, thinking that they might be too good as one feat.

Kemrain: Glad you like 'em. They actually two feats used by a cult in my campaign called the Magi of the Unseen. =)

 

[Dakkareth]

INSIDIOUS MAGIC [GENERAL]
Requirements: Subtle Magic, caster level 10+, Bluff 9 ranks

Benefit: If you cast a spell against a target and the target succeeds on their saving throw they only realize a spell has been cast at them if they make a successful Spellcraft check (DC 20 + spell level).
Normal: If the target of a spell succeeds on their saving throw they automatically know that a spell was cast upon them, though they do not know more specific than that.

You know, I was turning this idea about in my mind, even down to the name - Insidious Influence I'd have called it for the nice alliteration. Another version would be to require a second save against the same (or increased) DC to realize the attempted enchantment - the spellcraft check is possible only to spellcasting classes, which imo is a little unfair towards other classes.

 

[welby]

I think the DC for insidious magic is way too high. At that point, why even have one? Then you'd have to ask, are you comfortable with your magic user turning invisible and casting charm person + silent spell in all of your encounters with humanoids?

 

[ElectricDragon]

As far as shadow spells there are 8 in the PHB:

Project Image
Shades
Shadow Conjuration
Shadow Conjuration, Greater
Shadow Evocation
Shadow Evocation, Greater
Shadow Walk
Simulacrum

Ciao
Dave

 

[ElectricDragon]

The prerequisite for Improved Shaow Magic that at least one spell be at least 4th level is kind of unneeded, though. All 8 of the spells listed in the PHB are 4th level or higher.

Now if your campaign includes some spells of 0-3rd level that are Illusion (Shadow), then that's okay; otherwise, why mention it?

Ciao
Dave