How do you deal with Wizard specialists when there aren't enough spells?

[Li Shenron]

Just checked the Spell Compendium + PHB master list on the Wizards website. There are not enough Illusions and Divinations of 9th level to even provide the minimum that a specialist MUST select from her school :\

How do you usually deal with specialist Wizards when there are not enough spells of their school for them to choose at level up? Do you allow them to choose a different school spell, force them to craft an entirely new spell, leave them with less spells known than it should be, allow them to learned metamagic copies of lesser level spells, or simply plunder non-WotC books for more spells?

Does it make a difference if it was their own "fault"? e.g. they learn BOTH specialty spells and then there aren't more spells left for next level, or they already scribed them from scrolls?

 

[philreed]

Just design new spells to fill in the gaps.

 

[edbonny]

For Illusions, here's a quick and easy solution:

Shadow Magic (Shadow)
Illusion 9
Treat like Shadow Evocation/Conjuration spells EXCEPT that it can create a shadowy version of any spell 8th level or lower from any school. The effect is 80% real.

Take some good Divination spells and plus them up

True Strike becomes Truest Strike (+50 to next attack roll, reroll any 1s if using the automatic miss). Or True Strike becomes True Strikes +20 to hit, 1 round/3 levels.

- Ed Bonny

 

[lukelightning]

I say "make up a spell or chose one from another book."

I hesitated regarding the "pick a spell from a previously unallowed book" option. It could be a can of worms: "How come Diva the Diviner can pick a spell from The Munchkin Tome of Uberness, but Eve the Evoker can't?!"

Of course, I think the "free spells" a wizard gets should include the option to make a new spell, since it is supposed to be their own private research. Why should the metagame fact that the spell is published in a WotC book be the limiting factor?

 

[AntiStateQuixote]

Um, when a wizard gains new spells at each class level the rules do not require that new spells learned be of the highest spell the wizard can cast. Give the specialist wizard a specialty spell of a lower spell level.

 

[Li Shenron]

Um, when a wizard gains new spells at each class level the rules do not require that new spells learned be of the highest spell the wizard can cast. Give the specialist wizard a specialty spell of a lower spell level.

That was supposed to be included in the first poll option, but I didn't make it very clear...

 

[Li Shenron]

I hesitated regarding the "pick a spell from a previously unallowed book" option. It could be a can of worms: "How come Diva the Diviner can pick a spell from The Munchkin Tome of Uberness, but Eve the Evoker can't?!"

Yes that option was worded in that wick way to prevent people answering "just pick a spell from another book", which assumes that you HAVE another book. The problem which I want to address is what to do when you are out of spells from the books you have allowed so far, hence you would need to introduce another source. That doesn't mean that the player chooses which source...

 

[Voadam]

If they knew every allowable spell in the game world I would say they are out of luck and do not learn anything new.

Has not come up.

 

[Sejs]

Cook up new ones to fit the bill, possibly adapting spells from other schools if they fit thematically.

 

[Knight-of-Roses]

Agreed, this has simply never been an issue in the games I have DMed/played in.