Allow Divine Casters...

[Terath Ninir]

In 2e, I always let players, in effect, have spontaneous casting. Back in the day, I remember the pain of the spellcasters taking thirty minutes of *real* time to pick out spells.

After we played 3e for a while, I went back to spontinaity. It's worked fine for us -- the other classes don't get outdone, as far as we can tell. I see your point, and I think the wizards need to be considered.

 

[BluWolf]

We made Cleric's spontaneous back in the 1E days and never had any power issues. Whe I converted my campaign world to 3.0 (and then 3.5) I made them spontaneous casters again.

However, I also dropped heavy armor as a class feature and rewrote the spell lists. I changed most divination spells into multi-round rituals and most life restoring spells as well.

I have yet to have a cleric (mine are called priests) break a session even remotely.

I have never had an issue with this.

 

[Kisanji Arael]

It's fine. But if clerics are just asking for spells (and should have access to teir full range), then wizards should be able to cast spells as they read them off the book (1 round/spell level). Or so I feel, at least.

 

[Mouseferatu]

If making clerics spontaneous works, in your campaign and with your players, then have at.

The fact that your players aren't taking advantage of it being broken, however, does not mean that it isn't. Give me a cleric who can cast any spell off his list spontaneously, without otherwise changing the rules, and by the time we reach mid-level, I'll break any game without even trying hard. And I game with people who are much better powergamers than I am.

Broken? Yes. Unusable? Obviously not, if you're having fun.

 

[Herobizkit]

I've turned both wizards and clerics into (what are essentially) sorcerers in my campaign. Everyone casts spontaneously, but from a limited spell list. Clerics and wizards share the same weapons and armor, and they now have d6 hp. Yay.

 

[Drowbane]

All spellcasting should be spontaneous. Fortunately, now that we have the warlock, we can just replace the sorcerer entirely and get on with our lives.

I whole-heartedly agree with this. Down with the Sorceror!!! (all those Sorc feats can just as easily be tacked on to a spontaneous Wizard )

 

[Mortis]

You could of course play a Favored Soul.

Regards,
Mortis

 

[Bagpuss]

My current group plays with all casting being spontanious, and so did my last one (since 2nd Ed), for both Clerics and Wizards. It's no were near as unbalancing as you might think.

The major drawback I find is at higher levels, (and for the Cleric even mid levels) in combat where the casters turn comes round in initiative and they have too much choice as to what to do, so there are issues with picking the spells.

It means either they haven't been paying full attention during the rest of the round, as they have been flicking through the PHB, Complete Divine, etc. Finding the spell they might use or they have been paying attention and they hold up the game when it comes to their turn while they select what spell to use.

I think its more of a flow of the game issue than a balance issue, of course it makes the sorcerer and Favoured Soul pretty pointless.

 

[BluWolf]

The major drawback I find is at higher levels, (and for the Cleric even mid levels) in combat where the casters turn comes round in initiative and they have too much choice as to what to do, so there are issues with picking the spells.

Agreed and part of the way you manage this is through controlling the spell lists. Spontaneous casting DOES NOT = all spells known to man. I control what spells the player's have access to.

 

[Bagpuss]

Except it does for Clerics who get access to all spells they can cast.