Darksun Defilers 3.5

[Spatula]

Especially when the novels even contradicted themselves - Verdant Passage definitely had halfling wizards (both Nok and others - I remember a pair of them flying on giant dragonflies, and being described with the whole "palm toward the ground drawing energy thing"), but in the Cerulean Legion one of the SKs say that halflings couldn't become wizards.

Well, in the first boxed set, halflings could be illusionists, and in the 2nd set, they couldn't. So the novels in this case were probably just following the evolution of the rules.

 

[Staffan]

Well, in the first boxed set, halflings could be illusionists, and in the 2nd set, they couldn't. So the novels in this case were probably just following the evolution of the rules.

Or, more likely, Bill Slavicsek (who wrote the revision) noticed the discrepancy and swept the halfling preservers under the rug.

 

[Saeviomagy]

We had a saying in our darksun group. It was "Thanks Bill".

It tended to mean that something we were using that he'd wrote would suddenly cease to make sense.

My suggestion for defilers would be to simply make defiling the 'standard' method of casting. To preserve you must select a feat (which probably gives some other, minor, benefit, like +1 on survival checks, or the like).

Further, there are a string of feats which work while defiling which enhance the power of spells. +1 caster level, instant metamagics which work when defiling etc. There will, of course, be no such thing for preservers.

That makes preserving an effort. A preserver will be down one feat. A defiler has access to some powerful feats.

It means that preserving is a genuine and voluntary limiting of your power, as it should be, as it was described in the world, and in the books.

 

[Turjan]

My suggestion for defilers would be to simply make defiling the 'standard' method of casting. To preserve you must select a feat (which probably gives some other, minor, benefit, like +1 on survival checks, or the like).

I like the idea very much, because it leaves the choice between both kinds of magic open . I think there could be a more balanced way of distinguishing both pathes of magic, though. For the lower casting power, preservers should get something better than a +1 on survival checks. Some protective bonus might work, like giving an AC bonus (maybe even via a DEX bonus). An AC bonus would stress the difference between aggressive and preserving casting.

Btw, this is the path I would take with the fighters and their armour, too; give them training(DEX)-based AC boni.

 

[Staffan]

My suggestion for defilers would be to simply make defiling the 'standard' method of casting. To preserve you must select a feat (which probably gives some other, minor, benefit, like +1 on survival checks, or the like).

I've seen that method suggested before, and I'm not too fond of it - mainly for historical reasons. In the 2e Dark Sun setting, preservers were the same as standard AD&D wizards, and defilers got a boost over them. If you instead make defilers the standard and make preservers weaker (e.g. by requiring a feat for them), you change that balance.