Viktyr Gehrig
First Post
So, yeah. I've been messing with the various spellcasting classes for awhile, as shown by several other threads in this forum. As a sort of last gasp before NaNoWriMo, I'm posting what I've got so far for your entertainment. (And, hopefully, to garner some critique.)
I'm not finished with the Sorceror yet, but among other things, I am seperating its spell list from the Wizard's.
Bard:
Bardic Magic counts as both arcane and divine magic for the purposes of prerequisites and effects. However, Bard spells are still subject to Arcane Spell Failure in Medium or Heavy Armor.
This makes Bards a little more dabblers, and makes "holy bards" distinctly more likely. It also helps to connect the Bard to its roots as a Druidic class.
Bards may be of any alignment.
I'm wavering back and forth on this one: Bards may select spells from the Wizard or Druid spell lists, in addition to the Bard spell list, when selecting the Extra Spell feat.
Add the following spells to the Bard's spell list:
(These are derived from the Bard variants in Unearthed Arcana.)
0th level: create water, cure minor wounds. 1st level: detect chaos/evil/good/law, protection from chaos/evil/good/law, calm animals, endure elements, summon nature's ally I. 2nd level: bull's strength, pass without trace, summon nature's ally II. 3rd level: magic circle against chaos/evil/good/law, summon nature's ally III. 4th level: sending, remove disease, speak with dead, summon nature's ally IV. 5th level: contact other plane, divination, restoration, commune with nature, summon nature's ally V. 6th level: true seeing, vision, commune, summon nature's ally VI.
This also affects the Sublime Chord prestige class, whose spells become both arcane and divine, and who may select their spells from the Bard, Druid, and Wizard spell lists.
Cleric:
Clerics are spontaneous casters, using the rules on page 64 of Unearthed Arcana. For every spell level except 0th, reduce their Spells Known by one, to a minimum of zero.
Clerics have two Domains at 1st level, and gain an additional Domain at 6th, 11th, and 16th level.
Clerics may cast the following spells at will upon reaching the listed Caster Level, provided they can pay the material and XP costs. (Keep casting times in mind.)
The limitations on these spells are not found in Spells per Day, but in their high costs of GP and XP and of their minimum caster level. Consecrate in particular doesn't make sense as using spell slots, since it has a casting time of 24 hours.
Druids:
Druids are spontaneous casters, using the rules on page 64 of Unearthed Arcana. Reduce Spells Known at each level except 0th by one.
At 1st level, Druids gain access to the spells (but not Domain powers) of one Domain, selected from the following list: Air, Animal, Community, Earth, Fire, Healing, Plant, Scalykind, Strength, Sun, Travel, Water, and Weather. They gain an additional Domain at 6th, 11th, and 16th class level.
Druids may cast atonement at will upon reaching Caster Level 9, provided they can pay the XP costs.
These changes are setting-specific for the "fantasy space" setting I'm working on, but may be applied to other games:
Druids gain wild shape at 5th level, as normal, and gradually increase in the number of uses per day, but do not gain the ability to take Large or Huge forms, or the ability to wild shape into an elemental.
At 8th level, Druids gain resistance to Cold, Fire, and Electricity 5. This increases to 10 at 12th level, 15 at 16th level, and 20 at 20th level.
Sorceror:
Sorcerors do not gain the ability to summon a familiar at 1st level. Instead, they gain Eschew Materials and Draconic Heritage as bonus feats.
Sorcerors use the Shugenja's Spells Known progression from Complete Divine. Replace the Shugenja's "order" spell with a spell based upon a specific type of True Dragon and replace the Shugenja's "favored element" with spells taken from a list based on the selected Dragon's two alignment subtypes and its elemental subtype.
Sorcerors may not learn or cast spells that oppose their elemental subtype or either of their alignment subtypes. I may simply place all elemental and alignment subtyped spells in the subtype lists, instead of the general Sorceror list. The general Sorceror list should be longer than any of the subtype lists.
Regardless of the alignment subtypes of their dragon ancestor (or selected dragon type), Sorcerors may be of any alignment.
New sources of Sorcerous power, such as Outsiders or Fey, can be added simply by defining new subtypes and designing new subtype lists. Draconic Heritage would have to be replaced by another suitable power.
The general Sorceror list, seperate from the Wizard list, needs to include "scalykind" spells such as magic fang and greater magic fang, and fewer spells with arcane foci or expensive material components.
I am considering giving Sorcerors a bonus feat at every 5th level, like a Wizard, drawing from the Draconic feats, Spell Penetration and Greater Spell Penetration, and Spell Focus in any of their selected subtypes.
Wizard:
All Wizards are Specialist Wizards. Wizards do not have to give up access to some schools of magic in order to specialize.
Wizards may designate a single spell at each spell level, from their specialized school, that they may spontaneously cast by sacrificing one of their prepared spells. (Like Cleric spontaneous healing.)
---
Comments welcome.
I'm not finished with the Sorceror yet, but among other things, I am seperating its spell list from the Wizard's.
Bard:
Bardic Magic counts as both arcane and divine magic for the purposes of prerequisites and effects. However, Bard spells are still subject to Arcane Spell Failure in Medium or Heavy Armor.
This makes Bards a little more dabblers, and makes "holy bards" distinctly more likely. It also helps to connect the Bard to its roots as a Druidic class.
Bards may be of any alignment.
I'm wavering back and forth on this one: Bards may select spells from the Wizard or Druid spell lists, in addition to the Bard spell list, when selecting the Extra Spell feat.
Add the following spells to the Bard's spell list:
(These are derived from the Bard variants in Unearthed Arcana.)
0th level: create water, cure minor wounds. 1st level: detect chaos/evil/good/law, protection from chaos/evil/good/law, calm animals, endure elements, summon nature's ally I. 2nd level: bull's strength, pass without trace, summon nature's ally II. 3rd level: magic circle against chaos/evil/good/law, summon nature's ally III. 4th level: sending, remove disease, speak with dead, summon nature's ally IV. 5th level: contact other plane, divination, restoration, commune with nature, summon nature's ally V. 6th level: true seeing, vision, commune, summon nature's ally VI.
This also affects the Sublime Chord prestige class, whose spells become both arcane and divine, and who may select their spells from the Bard, Druid, and Wizard spell lists.
Cleric:
Clerics are spontaneous casters, using the rules on page 64 of Unearthed Arcana. For every spell level except 0th, reduce their Spells Known by one, to a minimum of zero.
Clerics have two Domains at 1st level, and gain an additional Domain at 6th, 11th, and 16th level.
Clerics may cast the following spells at will upon reaching the listed Caster Level, provided they can pay the material and XP costs. (Keep casting times in mind.)
- Bless Water/Curse Water -- 1st
- Consecrate/Desecrate -- 3rd
- Restoration -- 7th
- Atonement -- 9th
- Hallow/Unhallow -- 9th
- Raise Dead -- 9th
- Restoration, Greater -- 13th
- Resurrection -- 13th
- True Resurrection -- 17th
The limitations on these spells are not found in Spells per Day, but in their high costs of GP and XP and of their minimum caster level. Consecrate in particular doesn't make sense as using spell slots, since it has a casting time of 24 hours.
Druids:
Druids are spontaneous casters, using the rules on page 64 of Unearthed Arcana. Reduce Spells Known at each level except 0th by one.
At 1st level, Druids gain access to the spells (but not Domain powers) of one Domain, selected from the following list: Air, Animal, Community, Earth, Fire, Healing, Plant, Scalykind, Strength, Sun, Travel, Water, and Weather. They gain an additional Domain at 6th, 11th, and 16th class level.
Druids may cast atonement at will upon reaching Caster Level 9, provided they can pay the XP costs.
These changes are setting-specific for the "fantasy space" setting I'm working on, but may be applied to other games:
Druids gain wild shape at 5th level, as normal, and gradually increase in the number of uses per day, but do not gain the ability to take Large or Huge forms, or the ability to wild shape into an elemental.
At 8th level, Druids gain resistance to Cold, Fire, and Electricity 5. This increases to 10 at 12th level, 15 at 16th level, and 20 at 20th level.
Sorceror:
Sorcerors do not gain the ability to summon a familiar at 1st level. Instead, they gain Eschew Materials and Draconic Heritage as bonus feats.
Sorcerors use the Shugenja's Spells Known progression from Complete Divine. Replace the Shugenja's "order" spell with a spell based upon a specific type of True Dragon and replace the Shugenja's "favored element" with spells taken from a list based on the selected Dragon's two alignment subtypes and its elemental subtype.
Sorcerors may not learn or cast spells that oppose their elemental subtype or either of their alignment subtypes. I may simply place all elemental and alignment subtyped spells in the subtype lists, instead of the general Sorceror list. The general Sorceror list should be longer than any of the subtype lists.
Regardless of the alignment subtypes of their dragon ancestor (or selected dragon type), Sorcerors may be of any alignment.
New sources of Sorcerous power, such as Outsiders or Fey, can be added simply by defining new subtypes and designing new subtype lists. Draconic Heritage would have to be replaced by another suitable power.
The general Sorceror list, seperate from the Wizard list, needs to include "scalykind" spells such as magic fang and greater magic fang, and fewer spells with arcane foci or expensive material components.
I am considering giving Sorcerors a bonus feat at every 5th level, like a Wizard, drawing from the Draconic feats, Spell Penetration and Greater Spell Penetration, and Spell Focus in any of their selected subtypes.
Wizard:
All Wizards are Specialist Wizards. Wizards do not have to give up access to some schools of magic in order to specialize.
Wizards may designate a single spell at each spell level, from their specialized school, that they may spontaneously cast by sacrificing one of their prepared spells. (Like Cleric spontaneous healing.)
---
Comments welcome.
