D&D 5E Another Generalist homebrew
This is very high powered, and I think it would be hard to justify taking any other specialty if this were available:
Broader Comprehension gives two powerful abilities: a 50% gain in spells learned, every level, in addition to improved recovery, which will help the wizard every single long rest. Even if just the first of these were present, it would still be overpowered.
True Grimoire is arguably slighter (a "ribbon", if you will), but it guarantees access to your spell book at all times, which no other wizard would have, and is much more powerful than the fluffy "savant" abilities.
Scholarly insight: +2 to +6 spells prepared per day? Again, hugely powerful.
Improved Arcane recovery: this is fluffing up the ability granted by Broader Comprehension. Possibly fine here, especially if it is removed from level 2.
Grimoire Improvement. Three additional abilities at level 10! (all other specialties have 1, not 4). Arguably, two of these are minor, but the halving of ritual times is obviously exploitable, and would be highly powered on its own.
Potent Caster: by definition, every high-level generalist can take on any rival school. You are effectively giving more high-level slots to generalists for most major damage-dealing spells. You recognize the need for a cap, but use the exhaustion rules to make it more powerful. And why a short rest, rather than a long one? Again, too powerful.
I cannot imagine anyone taking any school specialty if this option was on the table.
Suggestions if you want to balance it against other schools (for a start):
* remove the improved recovery at level 2.
* remove the second second bullet of True Grimoire
* scholarly insights: prepare two extra spells (total), not N=proficiency bonus
* delete third bullet point of grimoire improvement
* Potent caster: allow the ability to be used once per long rest. (possibly a case could be made for 1/short rest)
Even if you accepted all of these changes, I still think the generalist would be pretty powerful. Hope this helps.
Broader Comprehension gives two powerful abilities: a 50% gain in spells learned, every level, in addition to improved recovery, which will help the wizard every single long rest. Even if just the first of these were present, it would still be overpowered.
True Grimoire is arguably slighter (a "ribbon", if you will), but it guarantees access to your spell book at all times, which no other wizard would have, and is much more powerful than the fluffy "savant" abilities.
Scholarly insight: +2 to +6 spells prepared per day? Again, hugely powerful.
Improved Arcane recovery: this is fluffing up the ability granted by Broader Comprehension. Possibly fine here, especially if it is removed from level 2.
Grimoire Improvement. Three additional abilities at level 10! (all other specialties have 1, not 4). Arguably, two of these are minor, but the halving of ritual times is obviously exploitable, and would be highly powered on its own.
Potent Caster: by definition, every high-level generalist can take on any rival school. You are effectively giving more high-level slots to generalists for most major damage-dealing spells. You recognize the need for a cap, but use the exhaustion rules to make it more powerful. And why a short rest, rather than a long one? Again, too powerful.
I cannot imagine anyone taking any school specialty if this option was on the table.
Suggestions if you want to balance it against other schools (for a start):
* remove the improved recovery at level 2.
* remove the second second bullet of True Grimoire
* scholarly insights: prepare two extra spells (total), not N=proficiency bonus
* delete third bullet point of grimoire improvement
* Potent caster: allow the ability to be used once per long rest. (possibly a case could be made for 1/short rest)
Even if you accepted all of these changes, I still think the generalist would be pretty powerful. Hope this helps.
asorel
First Post
Interesting thought on the first part of Broader Comprehension. Others with whom I have spoken actually thought it underpowered, as your average Wizard can get the whole list with gp and downtime anyways. My reasoning with the first Grimoire ability is that it stipulates "Some grand library, " which means you're still just as screwed in the middle of some dungeon. Otherwise, I see your points regarding everything else, and I'll take them into consideration while editing.
Last edited:
I understand your point about Broader comprehension, but suggest that won't be true at every table. In many 5e games (and the default, I believe) spells cannot simply be bought, and levelling up is the only opportunity a player has to choose spells to be added to his or her spell book. Apart from that, one is typically dependent on scrolls, etc. (and even then, with failure rules, it's not guaranteed).
I have to concur this seems...highly overpowered.
I would tone everything down/take things out, as follows, maybe to get more in line as a "genralist mage in a world with specialist mages":
@2nd: Broader Comprehension: the player selects 3 arcane schools of magicfrom the following list: abjuration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, evocation, illusion, necromancy or transmutation. Their time and gold is halved for copying spells of these schools into your spellbook.
@6th: True Grimoire: Using your Action, you can summon your spell book to your hand as long as you and it are on the same plane. Also, whether summoned or already in hand, the grimoire will flip through its pages itself to the spell or ritual you (mentally or vocally) request, allowing you to begin casting from it as a bonus action.
If lost/destroyed, the generalist can replace their True Grimoire with a specialized "Find Familiar" ritual that will result in the appearance of a "new" grimoire that is already inscribed with spells up to half the caster's level (e.g. a 10th level wizard who gains a new grimoire this way, would have/recover their 1st-3rd level spells in it, as usable by a wizard of 5th level).
@10th: Ritual Magus: You can copy and cast spells from other class lists that have the ritual tag into your True Grimoire. These rituals may be cast, at the normal time and material requirements. Additionally, Ritual spells from the Wizard's spell list can be cast -from your True Grimoire- at half the time and cost.
@14th: Improved Recovery: You can add your whole Intelligence mod to your number of slots regained from Arcane Recovery. This ability can not be used again until after a long rest.
And even some of this might be a bit over the top. But it is, at least marginally, closer in amounts and power-of-abilities to the other schools.
If I were to add a generalist mage to the class selection of a 5e game (and when I get one started, I most certainly will), I would use this or something similar before the class you presented...but I have a very low tolerance for overpowered/powergaming style play. So, ymmv.
I would tone everything down/take things out, as follows, maybe to get more in line as a "genralist mage in a world with specialist mages":
@2nd: Broader Comprehension: the player selects 3 arcane schools of magicfrom the following list: abjuration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, evocation, illusion, necromancy or transmutation. Their time and gold is halved for copying spells of these schools into your spellbook.
@6th: True Grimoire: Using your Action, you can summon your spell book to your hand as long as you and it are on the same plane. Also, whether summoned or already in hand, the grimoire will flip through its pages itself to the spell or ritual you (mentally or vocally) request, allowing you to begin casting from it as a bonus action.
If lost/destroyed, the generalist can replace their True Grimoire with a specialized "Find Familiar" ritual that will result in the appearance of a "new" grimoire that is already inscribed with spells up to half the caster's level (e.g. a 10th level wizard who gains a new grimoire this way, would have/recover their 1st-3rd level spells in it, as usable by a wizard of 5th level).
@10th: Ritual Magus: You can copy and cast spells from other class lists that have the ritual tag into your True Grimoire. These rituals may be cast, at the normal time and material requirements. Additionally, Ritual spells from the Wizard's spell list can be cast -from your True Grimoire- at half the time and cost.
@14th: Improved Recovery: You can add your whole Intelligence mod to your number of slots regained from Arcane Recovery. This ability can not be used again until after a long rest.
And even some of this might be a bit over the top. But it is, at least marginally, closer in amounts and power-of-abilities to the other schools.
If I were to add a generalist mage to the class selection of a 5e game (and when I get one started, I most certainly will), I would use this or something similar before the class you presented...but I have a very low tolerance for overpowered/powergaming style play. So, ymmv.
leinadvirgo
First Post
My thoughts of generalist wizard is a spell for every situation. So I would make an ability that you can swap out spells quickly. Something like once a day you can swap a spell known for another spell of the same school. I don't have phb on me so I don't remember the exact rules for swapping out spells normally.
Jester David
Hero
Broader Comprehension
This more than doubles the spells you gain each level, which is a pretty big boost. Especially at odd levels when you can suddenly know 5 spells at your new highest level rather than just two, and you don't have to balance picking between utility and offense. And it makes casting via rituals extremely easy.
At 20th level, instead of knowing 44 spells you know 101 spells.
It also really boosts Arcane Recovery, doubling the number of spell slots gained at level 2. At level 4, when you should only be regaining 2 you instead likely regain 4.
Also, you don't typically round up in D&D. You almost always round down.
True Grimoire
What level do you get this at? It's pretty potent for a 2nd level bonus on top of greatly boosting Arcane Recovery and spells known.
It really seems like you're afraid of losing your spellbook. There's not a good reason why this potent magical effect just happens either.
This power also doesn't really fit the theme of a generic wizard. It'd work nicely as a Tome Focused wizard school, but doesn't scream out magical generalist to me.
Possible Fix: Rather than just granting bonus spells, I might have a feature where the first spell of a given level added to the spellboost costs 1/2. Or the first spell scribed each wizard level. It's more in line with the other class features.
I'd replace True Grimoire with, oh, adding half your proficiency bonus to Arcane Recovery. Which is still good, but jumps up less quickly.
Scholarly Insights
I like this one. It's potent but not that potent and doesn't increase the spells you can cast per day. You know more spells and are more flexible, but not overly so.
Grimoire Improvement
I like the reduction of casting time of rituals and preparing spells. That really seems like a neat ability a generalist might gain. They're just better at that sort of stuff.
Potent Caster
This seems super good. Especially since it basically gives you an extra 9th level and 8th level spell. This is huge. Especially since you can do it 5-6 times between short rests. There's a good chance you can use this power every other round. If you can alternate cantrips enough, pretty much every spell you cast might be augmented.
This more than doubles the spells you gain each level, which is a pretty big boost. Especially at odd levels when you can suddenly know 5 spells at your new highest level rather than just two, and you don't have to balance picking between utility and offense. And it makes casting via rituals extremely easy.
At 20th level, instead of knowing 44 spells you know 101 spells.
It also really boosts Arcane Recovery, doubling the number of spell slots gained at level 2. At level 4, when you should only be regaining 2 you instead likely regain 4.
Also, you don't typically round up in D&D. You almost always round down.
True Grimoire
What level do you get this at? It's pretty potent for a 2nd level bonus on top of greatly boosting Arcane Recovery and spells known.
It really seems like you're afraid of losing your spellbook. There's not a good reason why this potent magical effect just happens either.
This power also doesn't really fit the theme of a generic wizard. It'd work nicely as a Tome Focused wizard school, but doesn't scream out magical generalist to me.
Possible Fix: Rather than just granting bonus spells, I might have a feature where the first spell of a given level added to the spellboost costs 1/2. Or the first spell scribed each wizard level. It's more in line with the other class features.
I'd replace True Grimoire with, oh, adding half your proficiency bonus to Arcane Recovery. Which is still good, but jumps up less quickly.
Scholarly Insights
I like this one. It's potent but not that potent and doesn't increase the spells you can cast per day. You know more spells and are more flexible, but not overly so.
Grimoire Improvement
I like the reduction of casting time of rituals and preparing spells. That really seems like a neat ability a generalist might gain. They're just better at that sort of stuff.
Potent Caster
This seems super good. Especially since it basically gives you an extra 9th level and 8th level spell. This is huge. Especially since you can do it 5-6 times between short rests. There's a good chance you can use this power every other round. If you can alternate cantrips enough, pretty much every spell you cast might be augmented.
asorel
First Post
The first ability changes your new spells/level from two to three; it doesn't increase it by three.
Jester David
Hero
It doesn't say that though. It should be explicit.
asorel
First Post
One of the features allows for more spells prepared, which fits that theme.
Fair enough, I've put in a clarification.
Similar Threads
