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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hawken" data-source="post: 1747451" data-attributes="member: 23619">I'd have to agree with Aaron's idea. Make it a Spellcraft check. Instead of the DC being dependent on the armor check penalty, make it the armor's bonus to armor class. There are enough qualities to reduce armor check (masterwork, mithril, etc.,) that could drop the DC so that most any wizard wouldn't have to worry about the check. Maybe add an extra 2 points to the DC for medium armor, and 4 points for heavy. And add double the spell level to the DC too. Example: 5th level wizard with a 14 Intelligence in chainmail tries to cast a fireball. The DC is 10 (base) + 5 (armor bonus for chainmail) + 2 (for medium armor) + 6 (2 X spell level) = 23. Now if the wizard has max ranks in Spellcraft (8 + 2 for Int = 10), he still needs a 13 or higher (23 - 10 = 13) on a d20 to cast it. Even if that wizard had Skill Focus (Spellcraft) which would reduce the DC from 13 to 10, he would still have to roll a 10 or higher on the d20 roll. That's only a 55% chance of successfully unleashing a fireball. Not very good odds when that wizard or his friends might really need that fireball, but still not a totally impossible situation.  If that wizard wants to take a feat to increase his chances of successfully casting a spell in armor, let him. That's one less metamagic feat, item creation, or other feat for him to use--and face it, wizard's don't get a lot of feats. That delays him from making magic items, improving his spells, meeting prerequisites for a PrC or whatever else the player has planned for that character. Yes, the wizard will be able to cast in armor, but he'll likely be encumbered and will have to max out that skill and take one or more feats to give him a decent chance at casting while wearing the armor.   Ok, let's use your example: 1st level wizard with an 18 Intelligence and max ranks (4) in Spellcraft wearing Full Plate who tries to cast Sleep (or whatever). His Spellcraft DC to successfully cast would be: 10 (base) + 8 (armor bonus for full plate) + 4 (for heavy armor) + 2 (2 X spell level) = 24. The wizard gets the following modifier to his roll: 4 (ranks in Spellcraft) + 4 (Intelligence modifier) = 8. So, he would still have to roll a 16 or higher on a d20 to cast the spell successfully. If he had Skill Focus (Spellcraft), he would have to roll a 13 or higher. That's only a 40% chance to successfully cast one of his two spells for the day! If he took yet another feat that gave him a +2 bonus to Knowledge (Arcana) and Spellcraft (Magical Training or something like that), he would still need an 11 or higher to succeed. That's a 50% chance of success. Not much better odds and the wizard has already used two feats and taken max ranks in that skill all just for a 50/50 chance of casting a spell while wearing armor. I don't think too many wizards would risk that!  As far as balance goes, trading two feats for a better chance at casting spells while armored seems a fair enough trade.</blockquote>

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