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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nyeshet" data-source="post: 3407786" data-attributes="member: 18363">An idea occurred to me a while back, when I considered how to deal with the power of casters in a lower magic setting. The obvious choices - raising buff spells, teleport style spells, raise dead style spells, and a few divination style spells each up a level - is not always neat, and it doesn't change the fact that magic becomes really important really fast once you are past around level 11-15. But what if casting itself were delayed?Changes would be needed for balance, but as long as I am changing these, why not change some other aspects of the classes, streamlining them a bit?The below is my (current) results. It is a work in progress that will likely undergo some more changes, but the major change to note is that casting is limited to 6th level spells unless a PrC is taken. The PrC grants higher levels at the cost of number of spells per day per level, and it also reduces skill points, bab, and the grade of hit die, and it slows the gaining of the specials by half. Anyway, without further ado . . . Magus / Priest / Druid / Bard / etcHD: d6BAB: mediumSaves: Will Good, one Medium save (based on caster type), one Poor saveSkill Pts: 4 + IntProf: Simple & Racial Weapons, Light Armor, no shieldsSpells per DayLV 0 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 Specials01 1 . - . - . - . - . - . - Special [Lore]02 2 . - . - . - . - . - . -03 2 . 1 . - . - . - . - . -04 2 . 1 . - . - . - . - . - Special05 3 . 2 . - . - . - . - . -06 3 . 2 . 1 . - . - . - . -07 3 . 2 . 1 . - . - . - . - Special08 3 . 3 . 2 . - . - . - . -09 4 . 3 . 2 . 1 . - . - . -10 4 . 3 . 2 . 1 . - . - . - Special11 4 . 3 . 3 . 2 . - . - . -12 4 . 4 . 3 . 2 . 1 . - . -13 4 . 4 . 3 . 2 . 1 . - . - Special14 5 . 4 . 3 . 3 . 2 . - . -15 5 . 4 . 4 . 3 . 2 . 1 . -16 5 . 4 . 4 . 3 . 2 . 1 . - Special17 5 . 5 . 4 . 3 . 3 . 2 . -18 5 . 5 . 4 . 4 . 3 . 2 . 119 5 . 5 . 4 . 4 . 3 . 2 . 1 Special20 6 . 5 . 5 . 4 . 3 . 3 . 2 Note that a Special (or Bonus feat, yet to be decided) is gained each level that the character does not gain a new spell per day. I believe a Lore style ability makes since for the first level - the style of which should be based upon the type of magus (Know [religion] equivalent for Priests, Know [arcane] for Wizards, Know [nature] for Druids, Know [geography and local] for bards, etc). I chose simple weapons in part because of idea that simple weapons represent those weapons anyone might be able to use with little or no real training. Racial weapons would also be included in this. I considered not allowing Light armor, but considering the lower magic setting, they will need all the help they can get. Also, I find it difficult to believe that Cold Weather clothing should not be considered equivalent to Padded armor, and thus I would allow any class in a non-tropical setting to have proficiency in Light Armor. Shields were not included, however. The specials should vary. While leaving it open as bonus feats is possible, I tend to think that things such as Lay on Hands and some Turning equivalent should be available for priests, Wildshape and Animal companions for Druids, perhaps heritage feats or paths equivalents for Sorcerers, and just general magic feats for Wizards. Bards could have their bardic music based feats for these feats / specials, perhaps. I would probably work it out as follows: Bard Specials: (1) Lore of the Road, Counter Song, (4) Fascinate, Inspire Courage +2 (7) Inspire Competence +2, Suggestion (10) Inspire Greatness, Inspire Courage +3, (13) Song of Freedom, Inspire Competence +4, (16) Inspire Heroics, Inspire Courage +4, (19) Mass Suggestion, Inspire Competence +6.Druid Specials: (1) Natural Insight, Wild Empathy, (4) Animal Companion, Woodland Stride, (7) Wild Shape 1/day (medium & small, animal), (10) Wild Shape 2/day (large, humanoid), Timeless Body, (13) Wild Shape 3/day (tiny, plant*), (16) Wild Shape 4/day (huge, elemental), (19) Wild Shape 5/day (diminuative, vermin*). (* can choose vermin at 13 and plant at 19, if they wish). Upon gaining wild shape (humanoid) - the equivalent of a thousand faces - they also gain Timeless Body, for obvious reasons.Priest Specials: (1) Holy Lore, Turn Undead, (4) Lay on Hands, (7) Divine Health, Timeless Body, (10) Divine Grace, (13) Remove * or Divine feat, (16) Remove * or Divine feat, (19) Remove * or Divine feat. (* choose amongst the following: disease, poison, curse; use 10 Lay on Hands pts to remove it or 4 LoH pts to allow for a new save with a +2 aid another bonus from the Priest) Among the divine feats would be one that allowed use of LoH pts for the restoration of ability damage (but not drain, at least not without another feat). Either way, the cost in LoH pts should not be cheap.Sorcerer: ?? should be heritage related, perhaps a path for draconic, fey, fiend, celestial, aberration, elemental, undead, etc. rather like an intermediate bloodline in some ways, perhaps.Wizard Specials: (1) Arcane Lore, (4+) magic feats (crafting, familiar, meta-magic, etc)Note that specials that have uses per day would have those limited to the caster level. Bards only have 2 uses of Bardic music at second level, and clerics only have 5 turning attempts available at 5th level. This makes feats that grant 3 more uses (of either) notably more potent. Some might seek more, higher power. But such focus and intensity upon a single goal comes with a price (in hd, bab, saves, skill pts, etc). For such there is the following: Archmagus, High Priest, Lord Bard, etcPre-req: has already attained at least caster level 5 in a form of Magus. Pre-req: each type of caster should have one or more other pre-req specific to it. HD: d4BAB: poorSaves: Will good, Fort and Refl poorSkill Pts: 2 + IntProf: none gainedSpells per DayLV 0 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 901 2*. 1*. 1 . - . - . - . - . - . - . -02 2*. 2*. 1 . - . - . - . - . - . - . - Special03 2*. 2*. 1 . 1 . - . - . - . - . - . -04 3*. 2*. 2 . 1 . - . - . - . - . - . -05 3*. 2*. 2 . 1 . 1 . - . - . - . - . -06 3*. 3 . 2 . 2 . 1 . - . - . - . - . -07 3*. 3 . 2 . 2 . 1 . 1 . - . - . - . -08 3*. 3 . 3 . 2 . 2 . 1 . - . - . - . - Special09 4 . 3 . 3 . 2 . 2 . 1 . 1 . - . - . -10 4 . 3 . 3 . 3 . 2 . 2 . 1 . - . - . -11 4 . 4 . 3 . 3 . 2 . 2 . 1 . 1 . - . -12 4 . 4 . 3 . 3 . 3 . 2 . 2 . 1 . - . -13 4 . 4 . 4 . 3 . 3 . 2 . 2 . 1 . 1 . -14 4 . 4 . 4 . 3 . 3 . 3 . 2 . 2 . 1 . - Special15 5 . 4 . 4 . 4 . 3 . 3 . 2 . 2 . 1 . 1* Upon first taking this PrC (as caster level 6) this number of spells per day should almost certainly be less than what the character is already capable of casting per day. As such, no new spells are gained for these levels until the number stated for this spell level is greater than the number of spells already allowed per day - which should occur the level just following the last of the *s. Note that the final total number of spells per day is only one more than the non-PrC class. The PrC sacrifices depth for breadth. They can cast only once more per day than the non-PrC caster, but their spells are arranged over far more spell levels (0 - 9, rather than 0 - 6). They also lose out on Specials, as only at second level do they no gain a new spell per day at any level. However, to alliviate part of this, they are granted a capstone special at level 14 and a mid-way special at level 8.This is still two less specials than the core class gets - and the core class has 2 more skill points per level as well. The Specials would continue the path they were already upon as a Magus (priest, wizard, druid, bard, sorcerer, etc), although only half as fast as before, as their studies in higher level spells slows their ability to learn the paths. As such, for any specials that utilize level (lay on hands, turning attempts, bardic music uses, etc) only half the PrC levels would be counted. A Bard 5 / lord bard 10, therefore, would only have 10 uses of Bardic Music (5 from bard, 5 from half levels as an arch-bard).All in all, the PrC sacrifices much for the additional spell levels, although few would likely say consider them 'underpowered' for this loss, due to the vast power of the spells they can eventually cast. Anyway, how does this sound? I know it has problems and needs more work, and I know it could never be used in typical core play (due to being a bit underpowered), but I thought I would put out what I have for general reviews, etc.</blockquote>

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