Comments, please - alternate wizard specialization system (Hârn)
I'm working on a conversion of D&D to the HârnWorld setting. (There is a fan-made D20 guide out there but I'm looking explicitly at D&D 3.5, with as few revisions as possible.) While I'm trying to keep as close to the rules-as-written for D&D as possible, I feel that I do need to do some fairly major revisions to wizards and clerics to match the Hârnic "flavour".
This post deals with wizards. (I've removed Sorcerers - there ain't no such animal on Hârn.) These are the basics for the new spell specialization and classification system. I'd appreciate any initial thoughts folks may have.
1) Magic on Hârn is divided into six quasi-elemental Convocations. These are "mental templates" that go beyond the elemental principles themselves; the principle closest to "water" - Odivshe - for instance, also deals with darkness, slowness and cold.
These are:
Lyahvi - light, sound, insubstantiality
Peleahn - fire, smoke, heat, speed
Jmorvi - stone, metal, artifice, craftsmanship
Fyvria - growth, decay, death, natural cycles
Odivshe - water, cold, slowness, darkness
Savorya - thought, concept, emotion, mind
These are set up in a circle (the "Pvaric Wheel"), as follows:
I am in the process of classifying the existing PHB spells into the Convocations. At this point from mid- to high-spell level, the Convocations don't balance - Lyahvi and Savorya tend to have a lot of spells, Odivshe and Jmorvi not so much. Peleahn has the bulk of the big boom spells, much like Evocation in the PHB. However since Druids don't exist on Harn either, I'm liberally raiding the Druid spell list, particularly for spells for Fyvria, Odivshe and Jmorvi. (Jmorvi, in particular, has precious few spells on the Wizard list at higher levels.)
I'm also granting Fyvrians some healing spells, but at higher levels than a comparable Cleric, and they don't have access to the really miraculous spells (like Heal). The spells to create undead have been removed entirely - that's purely in the domain of the God of Death.
2) Every mage is a "specialist" and must choose one Convocation as their speciality. Their Convocation is treated like a speciality in the RAW (extra spell/level/day, +2 to Spellcraft). Wizards cast Neutral spells, and the two Convocations adjacent to their primary Convocation, as per normal for their level. The two Convocations next adjacent on the Wheel are harder to learn and cast - wizards are considered 2 levels lower for the purposes of learning and casting these spells, and have -2 to Spellcraft checks in this regard. The opposed Convocation is tougher still, and a wizard's considered 4 levels lower and suffers -4 to Spellcraft checks for the purposes of learning and casting those spells.
3) There also exists "Neutral" magic which includes anything dealing with extraplanar magic (including all Monster Summoning spells), and with metaspells (Dispel Magic, Read Magic, etc.). I have expanded Neutral magic from Hârnic canon to include spells of "pure force" - Magic Missile, Wall of Force, Shield etc. - as those don't easily mesh with any of the Convocations. Only Grey Magi (see below) are able to research Neutral spells, so other wizards must learn the spells from books or teachers (in other words, you can't add a Neutral spell to your spellbook automatically upon gaining a level). At higher spell levels, there are a lot of Neutral spells, which given the background may not be a bad thing. (Encourages folks to become Grey Magi!)
4) The Grey Magi are a five-level prestige class. To become a Grey Mage you must know a certain number (not sure yet) of spells from all six Convocations, as well as a certain number of Neutral spells (including a high-level spell - not sure which level yet - called "Grey Metamorphosis" that begins the attunement to Neutral magic). There are a couple of other criteria that are more setting-specific. Once you become a Grey Mage, you begin to break down your attunement to a particular Convocation; once you complete the Grey Mage career you treat Neutral spells as your primary "Convocation", and can cast spells from all Convocations as normal for your level.
5) Just so non-Grey Magi don't feel left out, there will be a Prestige Class (Grandmaster) that allows greater ability and focus for high-level members of each Convocation as well.
----------------------------
So...what d'you think?
I'm working on a conversion of D&D to the HârnWorld setting. (There is a fan-made D20 guide out there but I'm looking explicitly at D&D 3.5, with as few revisions as possible.) While I'm trying to keep as close to the rules-as-written for D&D as possible, I feel that I do need to do some fairly major revisions to wizards and clerics to match the Hârnic "flavour".
This post deals with wizards. (I've removed Sorcerers - there ain't no such animal on Hârn.) These are the basics for the new spell specialization and classification system. I'd appreciate any initial thoughts folks may have.
1) Magic on Hârn is divided into six quasi-elemental Convocations. These are "mental templates" that go beyond the elemental principles themselves; the principle closest to "water" - Odivshe - for instance, also deals with darkness, slowness and cold.
These are:
Lyahvi - light, sound, insubstantiality
Peleahn - fire, smoke, heat, speed
Jmorvi - stone, metal, artifice, craftsmanship
Fyvria - growth, decay, death, natural cycles
Odivshe - water, cold, slowness, darkness
Savorya - thought, concept, emotion, mind
These are set up in a circle (the "Pvaric Wheel"), as follows:
I am in the process of classifying the existing PHB spells into the Convocations. At this point from mid- to high-spell level, the Convocations don't balance - Lyahvi and Savorya tend to have a lot of spells, Odivshe and Jmorvi not so much. Peleahn has the bulk of the big boom spells, much like Evocation in the PHB. However since Druids don't exist on Harn either, I'm liberally raiding the Druid spell list, particularly for spells for Fyvria, Odivshe and Jmorvi. (Jmorvi, in particular, has precious few spells on the Wizard list at higher levels.)
I'm also granting Fyvrians some healing spells, but at higher levels than a comparable Cleric, and they don't have access to the really miraculous spells (like Heal). The spells to create undead have been removed entirely - that's purely in the domain of the God of Death.
2) Every mage is a "specialist" and must choose one Convocation as their speciality. Their Convocation is treated like a speciality in the RAW (extra spell/level/day, +2 to Spellcraft). Wizards cast Neutral spells, and the two Convocations adjacent to their primary Convocation, as per normal for their level. The two Convocations next adjacent on the Wheel are harder to learn and cast - wizards are considered 2 levels lower for the purposes of learning and casting these spells, and have -2 to Spellcraft checks in this regard. The opposed Convocation is tougher still, and a wizard's considered 4 levels lower and suffers -4 to Spellcraft checks for the purposes of learning and casting those spells.
3) There also exists "Neutral" magic which includes anything dealing with extraplanar magic (including all Monster Summoning spells), and with metaspells (Dispel Magic, Read Magic, etc.). I have expanded Neutral magic from Hârnic canon to include spells of "pure force" - Magic Missile, Wall of Force, Shield etc. - as those don't easily mesh with any of the Convocations. Only Grey Magi (see below) are able to research Neutral spells, so other wizards must learn the spells from books or teachers (in other words, you can't add a Neutral spell to your spellbook automatically upon gaining a level). At higher spell levels, there are a lot of Neutral spells, which given the background may not be a bad thing. (Encourages folks to become Grey Magi!)
4) The Grey Magi are a five-level prestige class. To become a Grey Mage you must know a certain number (not sure yet) of spells from all six Convocations, as well as a certain number of Neutral spells (including a high-level spell - not sure which level yet - called "Grey Metamorphosis" that begins the attunement to Neutral magic). There are a couple of other criteria that are more setting-specific. Once you become a Grey Mage, you begin to break down your attunement to a particular Convocation; once you complete the Grey Mage career you treat Neutral spells as your primary "Convocation", and can cast spells from all Convocations as normal for your level.
5) Just so non-Grey Magi don't feel left out, there will be a Prestige Class (Grandmaster) that allows greater ability and focus for high-level members of each Convocation as well.
----------------------------
So...what d'you think?
)
For me it's one of my favourite aspects of the setting! But then my first Harnic character was a wizard. 
In normal D&D, specialists have to choose one or more schools that are actually forbidden. Here, two are somewhat penalized, and one is more severely penalized. What do folks think about those penalties - too stiff? Too easy? I don't want to outright forbid any of the Convocations as part of becoming a Grey Mage is to learn to use all Convocations.
