A magical house rule

[Tolen Mar]

Specialists

Ok, not long ago, I posted an idea for a feat/template combo that allowed magic users to specialize over on monte cook's AU boards. I've posted this idea there as well. It was generic, but it granted access to spells based on school with an effective level boost for the user if the spell cast was in his specialty. It was quickly shot down as too powerful. (On a side note, I made it generic because I thought everyone would tell me its too specific, but they said that it would work fine for illusionists, which is my goal.)

Ok, now that that backgroundis out of the way, I've had a new idea to throw out and see what happens.

First would be the inclusion of 8 (or 9) new skills. They are cross-class for non-magic users, and are in fact useless otherwise. Each skill refers to a school of magic (one for abjuration, one for illusion, you get the idea). I'm not sure what to call the 9th skill (being for universal spells). Including these skills may call for a bump in magic users skill points per level, there being more skills and important ones to buy.

Ok, now each skill is like all others, assigned an attribute. Some of these are easy to come up with, others aren't so if you think I should change them, please let me know.

Abjuration: Wisdom
Conjuration: Charisma
Divination: Wisdom
Enchantment: Intelligence
Evocation: Dexterity
Illusion: Charisma
Necromancy: Constitution
Transmutation: Strength
Universal: Intelligence

To use these skills, roll a skill check, the result becomes the spell save DC (plus the spell level).

Therefore, an Illusionist would have more skill points in his illusion skill, and his spells would be hard to defeat (disbeleive). An Evoker would throw a hard to dodge fireball, etc. If you want to be a generalist, simply split your skill points evenly (You'll have decent results with more spells, but not as outstanding as a specialist).

These skills can be used untrained, but only in the sense that even a specialist can cast spells outside his chosen field. You still need to be able to cast spells in the first place.

The alternative method

An option would be to not allow specilisation under this system. Some people like it, some don't. In this case, you still get the skill point training to improve your abilities.

Instead of several skills for magic, replace it with one skill: Magical Theory. It does the same thing as the individual skills, but applies to any spell.

I don't like this method, even though it may not require extra skill points to use, because the whole point of the idea is to encourage specialization.

What do you think of this idea?

 

[Nifft]

Interesting.

There's no way I'd ever allow a spell's DC to be based off of Con, though. The other physical ability scores are likewise strong enough -- okay, maybe Str is kinda weak, but Dex and Con do not need the extra boost!

Here's how I'd break it down, if I were going to, which I'm not:

Abjuration: Wisdom
Conjuration: Intelligence
Divination: Wisdom
Enchantment: Charisma
Evocation: Intelligence
Illusion: Charisma
Necromancy: Intelligence
Transmutation: Wisdom
Universal: Intelligence


Your method for DC generation is going to be really quite high. Think about the maximum -- Spell level + (Wiz level +3) + Ability Bonus. From level 7 on up, your average wizard is going to be doing a LOT better than under the Core rules, and under the Core rules, they alreadu own high level play.

So, IMHO it's just not worth doing, until you can make the DCs more balanced at both the high & low end.

-- N

 

[Prothall]

Well, I thought of a feat which I've always wondered about the power of and never used, and I thought it up after reading an article by Mr. Cook; specifically, the one on specialist mages that appeared in Dragon.

Specialized Magic [General]

Benefits: Pick any spell subtype. All spells you cast have that subtype. Any spell that already had that subtype is cast at +1 Caster level. Any spell that had an opposing subtype (Water/Fire, Earth/Air) can either not be cast by your character or is cast at -1 Caster level (as chosen by your DM).

Special: This feat may only be taken the first time a character takes a level in a spellcasting class or on the first opportunity after taking levels in such a class.

 

[Aaron2]

To use these skills, roll a skill check, the result becomes the spell save DC (plus the spell level).

Won't this greatly increase the spell save DCs? A 9th level spell cast by an 18 Int wizard now has a DC of 23. With the DC based on a skill, it would easily be 20 points higher (23 ranks, + spell level, + int mod).


Aaron

 

[Prothall]

I think, personally, that that's the kicker. Why not just do like the original Psionics Handbook did, and use 1d20 instead of 10 as a base?

 

[Tolen Mar]

See, thats sort of what I'm after. I'd like to see spell ability based on skill, not simply the fact that you are a spellcaster. Like everyone else, they should have good days and bad.

And yes, the DC's will have a higher maximum, but thats at the top of the curve, the average will be lower most of the time. Its no worse to my mind than critical hits for fighters. A critical success under this rule doesnt mean double spell effect or anything, just that this one time the spell is really hard to ignore. (And there is the chance for critical failure this way as well.)

Done this way, the best wizards are the ones who put their points into the kind of magic they've studied most.

And to answer the concern that these do the same as spellcraft, they don't. Spellcraft is still used for IDing spells and everything else its used for, these skills ONLY set the spell save DC when the spell is cast. They aren't for IDing the spell.

 

[Prothall]

Well, the way we see it, the saves won't be lower on average due to the way skills progress. Having one skill maxed out simply lets you cast all others with average ability and that one sort of spell with greater than average ability.

 

[Nifft]

Assume that the PC / NPC will always max out his attack ability. If he likes Evocations, he'll put max ranks in Evocations. Who cares if his Conjuration skill suffers? Most of those spells don't have DCs.

Maybe he prefers Necromancy. Count up how many effects have save DCs. (Many, like Ray of Exhaustion, don't have any DC at all.)

So, what you're doing is giving a free boost to those who like effects that require a save (Evocation, Enchantment, Illusion, Transmutation, some Necromancy), and giving nothing to those who prefer to buff or use Abjurations (or summoners, or diviners, or ...).

Where's the trade-off? What does the PC lose to justify him gaining such a massive boost to save DC?

-- N

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

Another idea

Since you want things to be based on skills, why not have spellcasting itself be based on skills. Set a DC equal to something like 15 + spell level*2. Then, roll to cast. If you make the DC, you cast the spell. If you fail, you still cast, but your caster level on that spell goes down 1 for every point you fail by, to a minimum of 0. For every 5 points you succeed by, you get +1 to your caster level for that spell. If you roll a natural 20, it's a critical success, and you roll again. If you succeed on the second roll you get special bonus points equal to your ability score modifier (or something). Two points can be spent to increase the save DC by one. One point can be spent to increase the caster level by one.

Throw in an "improved critical: (spell school)" feat, and it's cake.

I dunno. That's something along the lines I'd write for my game. Make sure to give casters bonus skill points.