A Bonus Sorcerer spells known feat?

[Voadam]

Not that you asked, but I've introduced items in my game that add 1-3 specific spells to a sorcerer's repertoire, usually along a theme, such as charm person/suggestion/eagle's splendor. I balanced it by (a) making the item a tall, pointy, obvious wizard's hat that screams "I am a spellcaster", and (b) requiring that the item be worn for one hour before the spells become accessible to the sorcerer.

You make sorcerers wear a dunce cap to gain a bonus spell known?

Cruel kitty, cruel kitty.

 

[Buttercup]

If a sorc could effectively get around the spells known limitation with a feat, then the wizard would be pretty pointless. That is a bad thing, without any regard to the power level of the game or the presence or lack of "munchkin" play.

Why would it necessarily be bad? What if there were no wizards in a particular campaign world? In that case, one might actually want to find a way to give sorcerers extra spells.

I'm still fond of the Bloodline concept. It's too late to incorporate it into my current campaign (I think) but in the future, it's definately in.

 

[Dinkeldog]

I'm okay with the bloodline feats as a general concept. Mostly, though, I want them to add non-combat specific utility spells that are otherwise going to be mostly forgotten in favor of the traditional haste, fireball, displacement/blink that I see most often.

 

[Bauglir]

Not that you asked, but I've introduced items in my game that add 1-3 specific spells to a sorcerer's repertoire, usually along a theme, such as charm person/suggestion/eagle's splendor. I balanced it by (a) making the item a tall, pointy, obvious wizard's hat that screams "I am a spellcaster", and (b) requiring that the item be worn for one hour before the spells become accessible to the sorcerer.

I'd get myself a Bag of Holding I, and wear it on my head, over the hat, then add a normal hat or hood on top of that.

Blend in perfectly

 

[The Sigil]

You might try looking in the Netbook of Feats (linked from http://www.fancc.net )... is this similar to what you're looking for?

ENHANCED DRACONIC BLOODLINE [Special: Magical]
You have mastered your unique heritage, gaining an extraordinary affinity for spell magic.
Prerequisite: Draconic Bloodline, Ability to cast Arcane spells without preparation (like a Bard or Sorcerer)
Benefit: If a Bard or Sorcerer, you gain bonus spells based on your Charisma attribute (per Table 1-1, page 8 of the 3rd Edition Player’s Handbook). These spells are added to your number of spells known; this feat does not increase the number of spells that you can cast per day.
Normal: Bards and Sorcerers are normally fixed in their number of spells known per level.
Special: The bonus spells provided by this feat cannot be combined with the bonus spells provided by any other feat (based on ability score) other than Cantrip.
ENHANCED DRACONIC BLOODLINE Copyright 2001, Eric D. Harry
Balance: 3.65 (Purp 3.75, Pow 3.50, Port 3.50, Comp 4.25, Rule 3.25)

or possibly

INTUITIVE SPELL KNOWLEDGE [General: Magical]
You are able to learn more spells.
Prerequisite: Ability to cast 1st level Arcane spells without preparation (like a Bard or Sorcerer)
Benefit: You can learn one additional spell of any level that you can cast.
Special: You can choose this feat multiple times but may only learn one additional spell per spell level.
INTUITIVE SPELL KNOWLEDGE Copyright 2001, Eric D. Harry
Balance: 4.65 (Purp 4.75, Pow 4.75, Port 4.75, Comp 4.50, Rule 4.50)

Obviously, the second version is considered much more balanced than the first.

As an aside, if you want ANY sort of Feat, you can probably find a reasonable facsimile in the NBoFeats.

--The Sigil

 

[Black_Kaioshin]

Yup. "Enhanced Draconic Bloodline" would pretty much what I was asking about. Cool. Thanks for the info Sigil.

 

[jmucchiello]

Concerning the original question, I agree that the feat in Tome and Blood is too weak - I've yet to see any sorcerer take it.

A player in my game has taken it. He really wanted another 2nd level spells as his 6th level feat came around. That was in 3.0 when having Cat's Grace and Bull's Strength were good utility spells for the party.

 

[Vrylakos]

A player in my game has taken it. He really wanted another 2nd level spells as his 6th level feat came around. That was in 3.0 when having Cat's Grace and Bull's Strength were good utility spells for the party.

Admittedly, my site hasn't been worked on for a year or more, but the Sorcerer Domain System is there.

It's tactic for spells gain was, when a character gained spells, he could add the slots to any spell level he could cast rather than have them fixed. It's hard to explain, but if you go to my sig and access the file, it becomes more clear.

I want to revised the Sorcerer Domains... sigh...

Vrylakos

 

[BryonD]

Why would it necessarily be bad? What if there were no wizards in a particular campaign world? In that case, one might actually want to find a way to give sorcerers extra spells.

Mainly because you have introduced an assumption that isn't nearly automatic.
I don't consider it reasonable to assume that wizards are not in the game unless it is clearly stated.

My statement certainly presumed that wizards did exist. As I consider that assumption to be the completely obvious default, I stand by my statement.

You can let a sorcerer automatically know all spells in all sources and it would still be under powered.*

Then, to expand on what I said, presume that all classes are more or less approximately balanced. Obviously this can be debated, but for purposes of this specific matter it isn't an issue.

If a fighter is an equally valid choice as a wizard or sorcerer, then changing the power level of a sorcerer just because wizards do not exist, would still provide an unbalancing shift against fighters, rogues, etc...

* - This statement assumes that arcane magic does not work in the campaign.

 

[coyote6]

I'm okay with the bloodline feats as a general concept. Mostly, though, I want them to add non-combat specific utility spells that are otherwise going to be mostly forgotten in favor of the traditional haste, fireball, displacement/blink that I see most often.

I'd agree with that.

Question: Someone mentioned 'em -- do the Scion feats (from R&R2 and the Player's Guide to Wizards, Bards and Sorcerers -- boy, does that need an abbreviation) actually add to spells known? I recall getting the impression that they don't give you extra spells -- they instead require you to take a serious of thematically-linked spells (the net effect of which struck me as being rather limiting to the sorcerer that took 'em; in exchange for +1 caster level to some spells and a +2 to a skill or limited save, you have to spend a feat and pre-set a sizable fraction of your spells known. For that reason, the feats in PGWBS don't seem that attractive an option; I'd rather just say, "my sorcerer's powers come from his X ancestry, and this is how my spells fit that ancestry.). But I digress...

My house rule: I've allowed sorcerers to get extra spells known, but based on Int rather than Cha. I don't think it's been terribly unbalancing (and I don't even charge a feat! Heck, I give 'em a couple of bonus feats, too! Gasp, swoon!).

Of course, my group probably qualifies as 'munchkins', 'power gamers', 'twinks', or whatevers (though IMO, they're generally bad whatevers), so YMPV.