More Bonus Feats for Wizard

[trav_laney]

I am thinking about boosting the number of bonus feats available to the Wizard class, and was wondering if anyone has attempted this before. (And as always, if this has already been discussed in this forum, please point me to the proper thread.)

My plan is to allow wizards to get bonus feats at the same frequency the Fighter class does: one free bonus feat at 1st level, and one more at every even-numbered level thereafter. My reasoning behind this change is obvious: I want to make Wizards more powerful and versatile spellcasters. Sort of what the Fighter is to combat, the wizard would be to spellcasting.

The Wizard bonus feats would be chosen from the following list: Augment Summoning, Brew Potion, Combat Casting, Craft Construct, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Rod, Craft Staff, Craft Wand, Craft Wonderous Item, Empower Spell, Energy Substitution, Enlarge Spell, Eschew Materials, Extend Spell, Forge Ring, Greater Spell Focus, Greater Spell penetration, Heighten Spell, Improved Counterspell, Improved Familiar, Magical Aptitude, Maximize Spell, Persistent Spell, Quicken Spell, Reach Spell, Scribe Scroll, Silent Spell, Spell Focus, Spell Mastery, Spell Penetration, Still Spell, Subdual Substitution, and Widen Spell. (This list is mostly Item Creation and Metamagic feats, with a few spellcaster-specific ones thrown in.)

I'm having a hard time finding a trade-off for this, however. I thought about dropping the School Specialization ability of the wizard class...does this sound fair? Or should I balance it by tweaking something else? Should I even worry about it?

 

[starwed]

First, note that wizards are widely considered one of the most powerful classes in the game already. And they're definately one of the most versatile. So to be honest, I don't see why you want to increase both their power and versatility, since they're already right at the top of the spectrum already.

That said, wizards have only two relevant two class features: bonus feats, and spellcasting ability. If you give them more bonus feats, you'll need to reduce the spellcasting to compensate. Since they'll net a total of about 6 extra feats (depends on whether you're removing scribe scroll), that'll require a pretty hefty reduction in casting power.

 

[Li Shenron]

I will answer only after you tell me what are you going to give to Sorcerers

 

[trav_laney]

I will answer only after you tell me what are you going to give to Sorcerers

Well, since you asked...

I am using the variant sorcerer in Unearthed Arcana (at least, I think that is where I got it...I've slept since then.) They get the same HD and BAT as a cleric, and their spells per day are all reduced by 1 for each spell level. That sounds confusing...um, basically, they lose one less 1st level spell per day, one less 2nd level spell per day, etc.

 

[trav_laney]

That said, wizards have only two relevant two class features: bonus feats, and spellcasting ability. If you give them more bonus feats, you'll need to reduce the spellcasting to compensate. Since they'll net a total of about 6 extra feats (depends on whether you're removing scribe scroll), that'll require a pretty hefty reduction in casting power.

Scribe scroll is listed as one of the bonus feats available.

I see your point, and I agree. Thus, this thread. I thought that this ability could be balanced somewhat by the feats in the list themselves: metamagic feats are sort of self-balancing in a way; they require you to spend higher spell slots to use. Item creation feats are also kinda self-balancing; they require you to burn gold and XP to use. If I remove the other feats from the list (Spell Focus, Spell Penetration, etc.,) and stick to MM and IC feats, would it be more power-balanced?

As for the "why am I doing this" question, I feel like Metamagic and Item Creation feats should be a given for a wizard. Because they are so expensive to use (and rightly so,) they have to compete with other caster-specific feats like Combat Casting, Spell Focus, and so forth. If I give IC and MM feats out as bonus feats, it frees the wizard up to select more "everyday" feats. But I certainly don't want to unbalance my game with it.

You mentioned a "pretty hefty reduction in casting power." How would you suggest doing that? Reducing the number of spells per day?

 

[starwed]

Well, we have the following variables to play with:

• Spell slots per day
• Spells known
• Spell list
• Caster level
• Save DC's

Spells per day is probably one of the easiest to play with, as well as the spell list itself. Simply push each line down the chartby one level; then sorcs and wizards will get to each level at the same time. (That disparity always bothered me.) You'd want to stagger the first 2 levels, of course. That, and removing familiars, might work out ok.

Another option is to directly penalise either caster level or save DC's, and then allow the bonus feats to go towards compensating this penalty. That kind of defeats the purpose of what you're trying to accomplish, though.

 

[Quartz]

Dropping specialisation is no compensation for such an extension of power. You might consider the reverse, though: to get major access (L4+) to a school of magic, you must take a feat. A feat for each school. Or you could switch to the Bard advancement table - extend it upwards for L9 spells.

 

[Sigurd]

wizards are widely considered one of the most powerful classes

More appropriately high level spells are very powerful. Wizards are being nerfed at every opportunity and their abilities subdivided and redefined such that they can do less and less.

The problem is not with wizards but with paying for magic - everybody ignores spell components and their rarity. This should be the biggest check on wizardly power.


Wizards get 2 skill points a level and one feat per 5 levels. In the realm of knowledge they are more stupid than a rogue with a library card.

Furthermore the Item Creation rules are so fractured that a wizard that wants to make anything might as well discard the idea and simply plead with his DM "can I make this".

Every new PRC has more magic skills or inherent meta magic than wizards.

Ideas:

I think it would only be balancing at this point to give wizards 1 feat every 4 levels that can only be meta magic or item creation.

I give them 4 extra knowledge skill points a level - these can only be spent on knowledge. (Every new setting seems to invent another knowledge category.)

Pure wizards get a percentage reduction in monetary, and Experience cost equal to their level plus their intelligence bonus on all item creation and spell costs. They lose this bonus if they PRC or Multiclass. (DM's might make exceptions for "Pure Wizard PRC's" but I don't think I would.)

Craft Ring is replaces with Craft Jewelry - any rare metal work smaller than your hand.

Craft Wand, Rod, Staff, is one feat. Higher levels simply unlock the newer type of magic item. (I could be convinced this is too generous)



I'm pretty sure of the rest.


Sigurd

 

[Quartz]

Furthermore the Item Creation rules are so fractured that a wizard that wants to make anything might as well discard the idea and simply plead with his DM "can I make this".

I cannot agree. When the wizard drops behind in levels, he gets more XP. It's to his benefit to craft magic items.

 

[Arkhandus]

Take away one spell per day of each spell level. Every time the wizard would gain their 3rd spell slot of any given level, they instead get no 3rd slot yet; once they would gain their 4th spell slot of any given level, they instead get their 3rd slot of that level; they never gain a 4th spell slot for any spell level (this is excluding bonus spell slots of course; those will be unaffected and will still apply).

Then reduce the number of free wizard spells learned to 1 per level in the class (excluding 1st-level, which should have the normal number of free spells learned).

These changes should be sufficient. Don't take away the specialization option.