Favored Soul

[Jdvn1]

Depending on how you build your FS. Typically, casters who suffeer the most from MAD are ones who must have high DCs to power their offensive spells. My summoning/planar ally/healing FS rocks as the party's all around necessary character.

Even at lower and mid levels? I'd think it seems like you're letting your weapon focus, specialization, and decent HD go to waste!

I do like the use of the Thaumaturgist, though, since I don't see that PrC used too often (is Spell Focus (Conjuration) useful? I actually do like wings). The d4 doesn't hurt, I suppose, if you're hanging back and summoning.

I like playing FS's, but I stick with buffing spells, and then being a food fighter.

EDIT: Oh, and ... holy thread necromancy, Jdvn1!

... How did I happen upon this thread?! I don't think I was going through the D&D Rules history...

 

[KarinsDad]

I don't get it either. I believed Favored Souls to be underpowered, since they suck at spellcasting due to MAD.

If there is no deity, then there are no restrictions on spells acquired when not following the precepts of the deity. Course, a DM could add them in anyway, but that hardly makes sense.

No deity = as many Miracle spells as the PC wants and can cast.

Deity = as many Miracle spells as the PC wants and can cast as allowed by the PC's deity. It might be zero.


Favored Souls are extremely powerful due to spontaneous metamagic, great saves, and a boatload of spells per day.

 

[Jdvn1]

No deity = as many Miracle spells as the PC wants and can cast.

Deity = as many Miracle spells as the PC wants and can cast as allowed by the PC's deity. It might be zero.

Though, there isn't a RAW reason for the number of Miracles to be limited in any way by the deity.

Favored Souls are extremely powerful due to spontaneous metamagic, great saves, and a boatload of spells per day.

I think you said this already. And I still counter that FS spells aren't as powerful as other casters' due to MAD and having the slightly slower progression and an extremely limited selection of spells.

Then again, if you also think Clerics are extremely overpowered as well, then we have highly contrasting views anyway.

 

[Angel of Adventure]

Spontaneous Cures?

Someone mentioned the benefit of having all spontaneous spells w/a FA, not just Cures.

For a FA to sponteously cast Cures, they must select these spells, correct? In other words, they don't get all the cure spells on top of their choses spells.

Is this correct?

Thanks,

AoA

 

[Jdvn1]

Someone mentioned the benefit of having all spontaneous spells w/a FA, not just Cures.

For a FA to sponteously cast Cures, they must select these spells, correct? In other words, they don't get all the cure spells on top of their choses spells.

Is this correct?

Thanks,

AoA

That's correct.

 

[Angel of Adventure]

I thought so. IMO, the FA is a bit underpowered. Yes, having a bunch of Miracles is nice, but having your spells based on 2 stats (Wis/Cha) is tough. Also, I don't think that having weapons specialization/focus, etc. makes up for the loss of domains. If anything, I would alter the FA to get 1 domain.

Maybe I'll change my mind as my character progresses (lvl 1 now), but they do seem a bit weaker than clerics (who could be considered a bit overpowered).

-AoA

 

[KarinsDad]

Though, there isn't a RAW reason for the number of Miracles to be limited in any way by the deity.

No? This sounds like a player entitlement argument. I guess it depends on interpretation:

A cleric’s deity influences his alignment, what magic he can perform, his values, and how others see him.

RAW does not prevent a deity from stepping in if a divine caster is screwing up.

I think you said this already. And I still counter that FS spells aren't as powerful as other casters' due to MAD and having the slightly slower progression and an extremely limited selection of spells.

This has been addressed many times before. The FS can boost up Wis and get just as good saves as a Cleric and it only costs him a few spells per day (of which he has many) due to a lower Cha. Or, he can focus on spells per day and blow off spells with saves. What you are mentioning here limits his utility, but not his power. There is a difference between power and utility. MAD is slightly limiting here, but not nearly as much as Monks or Paladins.

As for power, Favored Souls are not much different than Sorcerers. People claim that Sorcerers are weak when they are in fact the most powerful core arcane spell casters. They are not as versatile as Wizards, but they are more powerful (due to spontaneous casting and spontaneous metamagic). Ditto for Favored Souls.

 

[Corsair]

KD, your quote is flavor referring to domain selection.

 

[IanB]

I am pretty sure the "what magic he can perform" clause is talking about the prohibition of specific types of spells by clerics of deities with specific alignments - no [Good] spells for followers of Hextor, even if they're not themselves evil.

Certainly in prior editions the deity could grant or deny spells as it saw fit, but by RAW that does not appear to be called out in 3.5.

As it stands, the only restriction on miracle I have seen is the one in the spell text itself:

In any event, a request that is out of line with the deity’s (or alignment’s) nature is refused.

I think I would probably be more restrictive with alignment-based miracle casters than I would be with deity-based ones; after all the deity is a rational being that can make decisions based on the probable long term consequences of the miracle and has an interest in the survival of the cleric/favored soul; an alignment-based miracle I would simply have to ask 'is this action lawful' or whatever, and grant or deny based on that. I can see a lot more denials being likely from the second case.

That said I don't allow divine casters without a deity in my game, it just doesn't fit the flavor at all. I see no good reason (outside of flavor) to deny alignment-based favored souls if you're already allowing alignment-based clerics, though, I think they're equally goofy.

 

[Jdvn1]

KD, your quote is flavor referring to domain selection.

Of course it does. It also refers to Clerics and not FS's.