A 9th school of magic - Invocation

[Michael Morris]

This is something I'm kicking around in my draft writings at the moment - moving all the spells that require a patron entity (god for clerics, patron for warlocks) into their own school - Invocation. This is part of a larger reorganization of the spells into lists based on colors of magic (Magic: The Gathering). By placing invocations off into their own school I can then declare all spells of the school off limits to any caster lacking a patron, and perhaps introduce a feat that allows casters who aren't clerics or warlocks access to the school.

Note having access to the school doesn't mean clerics and warlocks gain access to all the spells from it - instead these are the spells that require interaction with their patron, so if the spell does something impossible for the patron (raise dead) then the spell remains unavailable.

Thoughts?

 

[transcendantviewer]

It sounds interesting, but very balance-upsetting. Wizards already have access to every spell on their list, given enough money. Do you really want them having access to all of the other spells too?

 

[Michael Morris]

The spell reorganization divides the spells cleanly into the 5 colors - each color having the same number of spells. New spells are introduced to ensure all colors have the same number of spells. Each major spell casting class has access to at least two colors as follows.

Bard: Green & Blue
Cleric: White & Black
Druid: White & Green
Wizard: Red & Blue
Warlock: Red & Black

Each class has a wrinkle -

Bards had access to a third color based on college - and there is a new third college. This access is minor - all spells in the color are treated 1 level higher than they actually are.

Cleric domain spells are unchanged whether they are on the root list or not.

Druids I'm still working out.

Wizards have access to all spells of their school regardless of color - this is what makes it critical to move patron spells into a 9th school that doesn't (and will not have) a specializing school of wizards.

Warlock patrons determine access to spells outside of red/black.

The feel of the classes definitely changes. Wizards have an elemental feel as opposed to their historical scattershot do anything feel. Bards have a 1st edition druid feel to them thanks to the crossover on green.

All classes can access roughly 1/2 the spells in the game.

Oh, sorcerers - the class can cast anything, but half the spells a given sorcerer knows must be of the same color AND that color must be the sorcerer's alignment. (This setting does away with law/chaos,good/evil alignment in favor of color alignment).

 

[transcendantviewer]

If you can make that work, more power to you, but that sounds way more complex than it needs to be. Especially because the inspiration you're using, Magic: The Gathering, allows for many spells to cross those color barriers. I.E. Red Counterspells, rare instances of black spot removal, and aggressive blue.