Complete Mage - Is it out yet?

[Psion]

Heh, I've never had a problem with them before until now.

Well, my Dragon Magic/Dark Matter/Spacecraft order came through okay.

But Amazon is promising me that the order containing my Complete Mage is going to take forever.

 

[d20Dwarf]

I think the roots of reserve feats lie in the psionic focus feats. They introduced the concept of getting some benefit out of exercising restraint, rewarding players for not shooting their wad right away.

I can't say that my inspiration for reserve feats *wasn't* psionic focus feats (whereas I can definitely say it wasn't locus feats or whatever, because I've never heard of those), but I don't think I'd taken a close look a the new psionic book when I was conceiving these. It was in the middle of my work for Champions of Ruin, I was sitting there one day ruminating on my dislike of playing spellcasters and what I could do to make them cooler. The idea of reserve feats came to me and I'm pretty sure I whipped off an article to Dragon that day and then offered them to WotC for Champions of Ruin after I didn't hear back from Dragon.

I was happy to hear earlier this year when I visited WotC that they were going to surface in Complete Mage...I do so little actual work for D&D these days that it's nice to make some contribution. (The reserve feats went through development since my initial offerings, but I"m not sure how much since I haven't seen the book yet. So, I can't claim credit for the end result, just the initial 10-15 feats I sent in, and I suppose the spur to use the idea in the first place I'm usually not a credit whore, but I'm proud of the idea of reserve feats and think they're going to change how a lot of people play spellcasters, so in this case I'll make an exception ).

 

[d20Dwarf]

Wizards have more than enough up-front power, but their staying power is somewhere down there.

I see the reserve feats as evening that power distribution out- they sacrifice some of that up-front power, because they don't throw out all high level spells available as soon as possible, and in turn gain a fair amount of staying power.

Exactly. I enjoyed the days when your party would literally push as far as they could all day instead of shooting their wad every encounter and then resting. Whiny wizard players and wizard spell power and slots are one reason the game is shifting toward the blow your wad paradigm, I think it's kinda sad.

 

[Twowolves]

Whiny wizard players and wizard spell power and slots are one reason the game is shifting toward the blow your wad paradigm, I think it's kinda sad.

So, now the paradigm is "Diablo III: The Tabletop"? That's exactly what I see the Warlock and these Reserve feats as doing; turning D&D into a simulation of a computer game.

What use is the druid spell Call Lighting, compared to this? Cast a 3rd level spell, get 3d6 electrical damage 5'r/round for CL rounds, vs memorize a lightning bolt with a reserve feat and do 3d6 electrical damage 20' line/round all day long? Yeah, I know it's a druid spell vs a wizard spell, but please, the comparison isn't that far off.

Let's just say I'm less than pleased with the direction the guys at WoTC are taking the game as we head toward the eventuality of a 4th ed somewhere down the line.

 

[Felon]

Exactly. I enjoyed the days when your party would literally push as far as they could all day instead of shooting their wad every encounter and then resting. Whiny wizard players and wizard spell power and slots are one reason the game is shifting toward the blow your wad paradigm, I think it's kinda sad.

I really wish I knew where the heck you were going with all that. Wizards always had a problem with blowing their wad, even moreso in older editions of the game. If a wizard's complaining because he has nothing to do much of the time due to the slot system, that's a pretty legitimate whine.

So, now the paradigm is "Diablo III: The Tabletop"? That's exactly what I see the Warlock and these Reserve feats as doing; turning D&D into a simulation of a computer game.

Well, there's truth to that. I don't think there's been a designer in years who's thought D&D should endeavor to bear any strong resemblance to the sword-and-sorcery literature that spawned it. Magic is a commonplace, all-purpose, safe, and reliable resource, to a degree that would make Gandalf or Elric's head spin.

 

[BryonD]

I got my copy a few days ago and I really like it.

Based on other reserve feats I'm betting the lack of a save for Storm Bolt is an error. shrug

I think the Abjurant Champion is a bit overpowered. I'm not sure why any elf wizard10 would ever bother to take Wiz11 now unless they have abjuration as prohibited. (Yeah, combat casting is over-rated, but for this class I'll live with it)


But some interesting classes, fun feats and pretty good new spells that are not all just new window dressing. I'm quite happy, best book in quite a while.

 

[BryonD]

What use is the druid spell Call Lighting, compared to this? Cast a 3rd level spell, get 3d6 electrical damage 5'r/round for CL rounds, vs memorize a lightning bolt with a reserve feat and do 3d6 electrical damage 20' line/round all day long? Yeah, I know it's a druid spell vs a wizard spell, but please, the comparison isn't that far off.

First, the druid could take this feat also.

Second, I'll take a 30' line that I can place 150+ feet away from myself without costing a feat over a 20 foot line that starts at myself and costs a feat.
And seriously, if a wizard uses more than 5 storm bolts in a battle (enough to "outgun" call lightning at minimum level) then that wizard has really wasted a lot of turns that could have been spent doing much better things than 3d6 20 ft lines.

 

[Amazing Triangle]

Most of the reserve feats take a 2nd level spell or higher max 4th level. A wizard taking this feat (6th level) for having 3rd level spells. So your choices are:

1. Shoot a 120 foot line of electricity for 6d6 once

or

2. Shoot a 20 foot line of electricity for 3d6 every round

So the feat allows you a much lesser version of the normal spell you are holding on to. As a wizard I would rather be 120 feet away than 20 feet.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I must be missing it, but how do I know the DC, range and duration for the Dazzling Illusion feat?

 

[Twowolves]

First, the druid could take this feat also.

I don't have the book, only casually reading through it and reading about it here, but I was under the impression it had an arcane caster requirement. Is that not the case?

Second, I'll take a 30' line that I can place 150+ feet away from myself without costing a feat over a 20 foot line that starts at myself and costs a feat.
And seriously, if a wizard uses more than 5 storm bolts in a battle (enough to "outgun" call lightning at minimum level) then that wizard has really wasted a lot of turns that could have been spent doing much better things than 3d6 20 ft lines.

That's sidestepping the issue somewhat. The comparison was: why take a spell that does x for a limited number of times per day, when you can take a feat and do it all day long? Why not a Reserve feat that let a cleric heal 1d8/level of a reserved Conjuration[Healing] spell at will? Would everyone still think this was balanced? Charm effect at will? Invisibility? Remove Disease? Dispel Magic? There are monsters have hefty LA modifiers for at will abilities that are far less useful than this.