Alt Sorceror Plans

[Technik4]

I have always loved the idea of the sorceror, however I think it is misrepresented in the phb. The spell-casting is innoative, but the rest seems unfinished. Whereas the wizard gets to toy around with metamagics, pore over his books, and leave slots open for on-the-spot solutions, the sorceror is left with merely advancing, a level behind. The biggest mistake imo, is that they have the exact same spell list. On one hand, it makes sense, however I believe the sorceror should be rebalanced for indiiduality, not necessarily balance.

So, here are some things I have dreamed up to make sorcerors more worthwhile.

A) Feats (ideas, not all the way thought out)

Residue Collection [general]
As you cast the same spell in a given time period, it grows more powerful.
Benefit:
Normal:

Ok, the idea was that as the spell-caster (this is for any spell-caster, but clearly favors the sorceror as he is the most likely to be casting the same spell over and over) continued using 1 spell, it would become more powerful. Unfortunately, the only inspiration I looked to was metamagic feats. IE- If you cast the same spell more than 4 times in an 8 hour period, any further castings are treated as if empowered.

While this seemed like a viable feat, it seemed too dry. Does anyone have any ideas for this feat?

Enhance Item [item creation feat]
You are efficient at enhancing existing enchanted items.
Prerequisites: Sorc Level 4
Benefit: When adding an enhancement to an existing magical item, calculate the total cost of the item, with the most favorable order of enchanting to reach the lowest price. IE- If you are enchanting a ring of protection to add the invisibility effect of a ring of invisibility, calculate as if you were adding the deflection bonus to the ring of invisibility (note-if this is how magic enhancements are currently added, ignore this part). Then subtract the existing items cost. Take 10% of both the material, gold, and experience costs of the additional enchantment. This does not stack with any other deduction.
Normal: I'm honestly not sure, but it should be 10% more expensive.

This one is mostly thought out, it seems like a definite thing sorcerors would be better than wizards at, tinkering with toys someone else already made. Let the wizard take all the feats, the sorcerors will just add to their creations.


Sorcerous Deviation [general]
Your spells are difficult to counter, and hard to read.
Prerquisites: Sorc Level 1
Benefit: Any attemtps to counter your spells with a dispel magic (or variant) incur a -2 penalty. Additionally, the DC to detect any of your spells with detect magic or other magical means is +5.

This shows how sorcerors magic is more unpredictable, and harder to stop than more scholarly and thought-out spells.



b) Enhanced Class Abilities

Sorcerous Edge- At levels 1,10, and 20 the sorceror gains a free feat, chosen from the list below. [Any feat with Cha as a prerequisite, Any metamagic feat, Any feat designed specifically for sorcerors, Any feat with "Counterspell" in the name).

Sorcerous Savvy- At levels 1, 2, and 4 the sorceror may choose any non-exclusive Cha-related skill and make it a class skill as long as he takes sorceror levels.


These are both little tweaks that lend the sorceror a hand, and giving them a little more personality.


c) Specialty Sorcerors

This is a rough idea I have, with foundations in other far more radical ideas, however I think this is suitable for regular d20 play.

Sorcerors do not specialize as wizards do, seeing magic in its raw form and feeling its paradoxes first-hand. There are only 4 specialties a sorceror may choose, with far more debilitating consequences.

Battle Sorceror - Considered to be Specialized in Evocation and Abjuration for purposes of feats, prestige classes, etc.

Benefits: The battle sorceror may add metamagic feats to either evocations or abjurations as a free action, which does not extend the casting time. He may add as many metamagics as his Charisma bonus. The battle sorceror may choose 1 feat from the fighter's list of feats at 1st level. This will be his only bonus feat.

The battle sorceror is banned from casting spells from the conjuration and illusion schools. Additionally, he may never have more than 1 spell/spell level of a non-Evocation, non-Abjuration school.


Dark Sorceror- Considered to be Specialized in Illusion and Necromancy for purposes of feats, prestige classes, etc.

Benefits: The dark sorceror always has hide and move silently as class skills. She may cast a spell as a distraction, allowing a hide check at -10. The dark sorceror may cast spells with the [darkness], [evil], or [shadow] descriptors at +1 caster level.

Ah, life calls. I was planning on more variant sorcerors, but I can edit them in later. If you have any thoughts, please reply.

Technik

 

[Emongnome]

You didn't list the banned schools for the dark sorcerer. If one is Evocation, you need to amend that to allow them access to the Darkness spell (Evocation [darkness]). It only seems appropriate to a "dark" sorcerer. You grant spells with the evil descriptor a +1 level, but, personally, a dark sorcerer need not be evil, unless you think Necromancy is inherently "non-good" type spells. Maybe I'm one of the few that don't.

 

[Technik4]

Actually I planned on giving evil sorcerors an edge as dark sorceros, but not require that dark sorceros be evil, nor even non-good. I don't feel that necromancy is inherently evil either, however, I do think that the energies of death are more easily wielded by the wicked.

Dark Sorceror - Considered to be Specialized in Illusion and Necromancy for purposes of feats, prestige classes, etc.

Benefits: The dark sorceror always has hide and move silently as class skills. She may cast a spell as a distraction, allowing a hide check at -10. The dark sorceror may cast spells with the [darkness], [evil], or [shadow] descriptors at +1 caster level. Finally the dark sorceror may add any metamagic feat which affects non-numerical values as a free action to illusions or necromancies, the maximum number on 1 spell is equal to her charisma modifer.

The dark sorceror is banned from the Abjuration and Divination schools. Additionally she must always learn one necromancy and one illusion first, for any given spell level.


Summoner - Considered to be Specialized in Conjuration and Divination for purposes of feats, prestige classes, etc.

Benefits: The summoner more closely borders on the divine than any other spellcaster, any divine spellcasting levels stack caster levels if the spell appears on both lists. All the summoning durations are doubled (before metamagics), and the summoner may choose to take Animal Friendship as a feat (It also appears on their spell list). As a free action the summoner may metamagic any conjuration or divination, the maximum # being their charisma modifier. Finally on their spell list is a variant of the "Cure Wounds" spells, they only affect summoned creatures, including creatures summoned from items.

The summoner is banned from necromancy and evocation. Additionally, they may never have more spells of differing schools than of either divination or conjuration (IE- if you have 1 div, 1 ocnj, you may take 1 trans, 1 illus, 1 ench - but you may not take 2 of a non-conj non-div school until you have 2 of each of those schools).

Gotta run to work, thanks for the help Emongnome.

Technik

 

[Dispater]

I've thought of your ideas that as well - basically all wizards and other sorcerers get -4 to recognise a sorcerers spell - given that their magic is very personal and vary a great deal. Another thing is that I've made Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Innuendo, Intimidate, Sense Motive part of class skills beacuse of their charismatic ability. You can choose to play a general sorcerer or a variant sorcerer with a speciality - I've got a Black Sorcerer, who can only learn and cast Necromancy and Invocation spells, a Chaos Sorcerer who can only cast chaotic spells and his very presence has some nasty side effects to peace & order, and the Elemental Sorcerer - on for each element, which can only cast elemental spells of their prefered element up to 9th and two other elements of up to 4th, gets some bonuses but are vulrnable to spells of their opposed element.

-Dispater

 

[Technik4]

And finally, the [Enchanter+Transmuter]. Unfortunately I haven't thought of a name for this combination, but it sounds fun to play to me.

"Transchanter" - Considered to be specialized in Enchantment and Transmutation for the purposes of feats, prestige classes, etc.

Benefits: May cast 1 additional spell per level per day, it must be a transmutation or an enchantment, and it is considered the last spell cast (ie- you can't count the first spell of the day as the transmutation for that level). May add as a free action a # of metamagics to enchantments and transmutations equal to their cha modifier. At 4th level, the tranchanter receives a bonus item creation feat.

The transhcanter is not banned from any school, however, the total number of enchantments and transmutations must exceed other spells, for each spell level. Additionally the first 2 spells learned must be transmutations or enchantments.

Thats all, thanks for reading it all if you made it this far. Feel free to reply, I am planning on making a few NPCs utilizing the changes outlined in these posts. I will post them later.

Technik

PS- Feel free to reply to any point, I would like to hear your stance.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

And finally, the [Enchanter+Transmuter]. Unfortunately I haven't thought of a name for this combination

"Changer" "Alternator" "Variator"

Something that emphasizes that he changes everything - be it mind or matter.

 

[Nifft]

I like the idea of Transmuter / Necromacer and Illusionist / Enchanter better. One deals with transformations of the physical, one with perceptions.

Necromancy and Illusion were opposed schools in 2e.

An Enchanter / Transmuter could be called a "Shaper", or a "Genomancer", or simply an "Alchemancer".

-- Nifft

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Necromancy and Illusion were opposed schools in 2e.

I know. But they aren't any more. And 2e doesn't matter.
And they can be associated, as they're both dark arts (or part of it): the undeath part of necromancy and the shadow part of illusion.

 

[Corlon]

hmmm

I never really saw sorcerers as underpowered (preparing...I hate its guts)

Thats the thing though, sorcerers DON'T specialize in these things, how about something like at 5th level the sorcerer may choose a number of metamagic feats equal to his Cha modifier, and he may now cast them with no additional time. These choices may not be changed later. If the sorcerer doesn't have that many metamagic feats, when (or if) he gets the next one, he can choose to make that one.

Or upgrade his familiar, give it command others of its type and stuff.

Or mabye give him free experience that can be used ONLY (it doesn't even count towards leveling) to upgrade a familiar (spells and spellcraft)

OR, oo another one
You could give him the ability to NOT have to use any material components (unless of course they have a cost), making it more the sorcerer's raw energy and not just another ingridient the wizard has to add to get the final effect.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Re: hmmm

I never really saw sorcerers as underpowered (preparing...I hate its guts)

You hating spell preparation doesn't make the sorcerer stronger. You just have to put a little thought into what you prepare that day. The sorcerer has to put a lot thought into what he chooses as his spells.

Thats the thing though, sorcerers DON'T specialize in these things, how about something like at 5th level the sorcerer may choose a number of metamagic feats equal to his Cha modifier, and he may now cast them with no additional time. These choices may not be changed later. If the sorcerer doesn't have that many metamagic feats, when (or if) he gets the next one, he can choose to make that one.

Hm... it's his Idea that they do.

For your Idea: considering the number of metamagic feats the usual Sorcerer has (or can have, considering feats are limited), this would almost erase the sorcerer's penalty with metamagic feats. This would IMHO give him to much power (and it doesn't make much sense, since he still must apply it on the fly).

Or upgrade his familiar, give it command others of its type and stuff.

Doesn't fit the sorcerer, either. In fact, less than a specialist sorcerer does. And that won't help the Sorcerer himself to much (it's a nice touch for a PrC, though)

Or mabye give him free experience that can be used ONLY (it doesn't even count towards leveling) to upgrade a familiar (spells and spellcraft)

I don't like the Idea to give free XP that must be used for a certain purpose. Better just give the Familiar powers for free. (but see above)

OR, oo another one
You could give him the ability to NOT have to use any material components (unless of course they have a cost), making it more the sorcerer's raw energy and not just another ingridient the wizard has to add to get the final effect.

This one has been thought of before. In fact, it's a vital part of most of the sorcerer variants, including Monte's version.