D&D 5E Extreme Wizard Specialization

[Minigiant]

In my own super Homebrew setting, all wizards only get access to one school of magic for spells over 1st level. You get a ton of spells per day and there are a lot of spell clones. The illusionist gets "illusionary fireball". Diviners and Rangers are combined into one class. etc

That's also how human wizards work in Warhammer.

 

[dave2008]

In a number of novels like the Elric series and The Book of Five Magics spellcasters have access to only a single category of spells. Has anyone tried a similar approach in D&D? I am think it could be balanced by adding more interesting special abilities to each specialist class, maybe giving them better access to metamagic within their selected school. Thoughts?

I definitely like the idea in general. However I would do it a bit differently.
Warlocks: specialized spells based on patron, maybe 10% cross-over with other warlocks.
Sorcerers: specialized spells based on origin / bloodline, maybe no cross-over
Wizards: All spells/schools possible by a specialized wizard has enhanced versions. So a Necromancer can cast a fireball, but it would have base damage of 6d6 (instead of 8d6), a range of 100', and radius of 10' or something similar.

 

[dave2008]

So we should add more monsters with immune piercing, slashing and/or bludgeoning.
I mean really immune, not only needing a magic weapon, that way martial class would have to find alternate way of being useful.

Resistance works. If my sword is only doing half damage, I'm going to pull out my maul the next time I face a similar monster.

 

[gyor]

I definitely like the idea in general. However I would do it a bit differently.
Warlocks: specialized spells based on patron, maybe 10% cross-over with other warlocks.
Sorcerers: specialized spells based on origin / bloodline, maybe no cross-over
Wizards: All spells/schools possible by a specialized wizard has enhanced versions. So a Necromancer can cast a fireball, but it would have base damage of 6d6 (instead of 8d6), a range of 100', and radius of 10' or something similar.

Way too impractical, look at the challenges that 4e faced when every single class (and even some races and other things) had their own set of spells/prayers/powers/ect...

I would like to see more 4e spells/rayers/powers/ect... updated for 5e.

 

[jgsugden]

You don't need mechanics for this - just development choices.

If I were to attempt it mechanically, I'd say they could select 1 major school and 2 minor schools. They can only learn spells in their major r minor schools and only prepare one minor school spell per spell level they can cast. All PCs gain access to a small list of cantrips (plus cantrips from their major and minor schools.

If a PC holds true to these rules, I'd give them a minor boon.

 

[dave2008]

Way too impractical, look at the challenges that 4e faced when every single class (and even some races and other things) had their own set of spells/prayers/powers/ect...

I would like to see more 4e spells/rayers/powers/ect... updated for 5e.

I disagree. There is one master spell list, you just tell each class what spells from that list they get. I can do that easily.

The tricky one would be my specialist wizard concept, as I that would require a review of every spell, unless I could come up with a universal conversion. Maybe it learning a spell outside your school cost an amount of gold and you have to use a slot one higher than the spell level, with no benefit of the higher spell slot.

That works for me - solved it, done!

 

[DND_Reborn]

Completely opposite of the point of the OP, but since I am playing with it I thought I would throw it out there:

One master spell list. Screw class lists. Anyone caster can cast anything.

BUT...

To cast a spell you must make a successful spellcasting check. The DC equals 8 + twice the spell level you are casting at. Casting spells higher than your maximum spell level is with disadvantage. Failure means you take psychic damage equal to the spell level and cannot cast again until you finish a short rest.

Want to cast fireball as a 1st level ranger? Go ahead! You probably have a spellcasting modifier of +4 against a DC 14, and check with disadvantage. Fail, and you take 3 psychic damage and can't case another spell until you rest. Succeed, and BOOM!!!

"That works for me - solved it, done! " LOL!

 

[dave2008]

Completely opposite of the point of the OP, but since I am playing with it I thought I would throw it out there:

One master spell list. Screw class lists. Anyone caster can cast anything.

BUT...

To cast a spell you must make a successful spellcasting check. The DC equals 8 + twice the spell level you are casting at. Casting spells higher than your maximum spell level is with disadvantage. Failure means you take psychic damage equal to the spell level and cannot cast again until you finish a short rest.

Want to cast fireball as a 1st level ranger? Go ahead! You probably have a spellcasting modifier of +4 against a DC 14, and check with disadvantage. Fail, and you take 3 psychic damage and can't case another spell until you rest. Succeed, and BOOM!!!

"That works for me - solved it, done! " LOL!

You could then modify this so people can specialize (necromancer) and not suffer the same penalty or require a check on necromancy spells. Or specialize in fire spells, etc.

 

[Flamestrike]

In a number of novels like the Elric series and The Book of Five Magics spellcasters have access to only a single category of spells. Has anyone tried a similar approach in D&D? I am think it could be balanced by adding more interesting special abilities to each specialist class, maybe giving them better access to metamagic within their selected school. Thoughts?

I had a rule where a specialist wizard MUST prepare at least 50% of his spells from his school, and of the two free spells he gets every level to his book 1 must come from his school.

 

[Quartz]

Has anyone tried a similar approach in D&D?

Yes. An old edition of Dragon Magazine had an article on this. They called it Path Magic. So you might have Fion the Fire-master, Arianna the Air-tamer, and so on. The 5E sorceror with its metamagic seems a good fit.