More Bonus Feats for Wizard

[trav_laney]

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.

I think you hit the nail on the head, Sigurd. My frustration over the wizard class is that it really isn't a class at all...it is just a spell list with a beard. I would like to do something else with wizards, make them into something more than just fireball throwers. Make them masters of item creation, or impeccable magicians who know tricks that other casters (namely sorcerers) don't.

Take the cleric, for example. The cleric is a core class, and should be on-par with the wizard in the Power Department. And yet the cleric gets a handful of class abilities (turn/rebuke undead, spontaneous casting), armor and shield proficiency, may cast his spells while wearing full plate and carrying a shield without penalty, gets almost twice as many hit points than the wizard, and has better attack bonuses and save throws. Clerics get domain spells (one free spell per day of every level like a specialist wizard, some of which are even on the sor/wiz list, but without having to select a prohibited school) and top it all off with two granted powers. The cleric spell list might not have <insert favorite spell here> on it, and the cleric doesn't get a fancy pet, but that's the only drawback I am seeing.

Maybe I'm blind and stupid...I've been called both...but on paper, it feels like that cleric is far more unbalancing than the wizard. Adding 6 more feats to the wizard doesn't seem like such a stretch to me. One could argue that obtaining a familiar, turning the undead, spontaneously casting healing spells, two domain granted powers, being able to select a small number of spells from another caster's spell list, shield proficiency, armor proficiency, and the ability to cast spells in armor without penalty are all equivalent to feats...and by that math, the cleric still comes out ahead. (shrug)

I dunno. Maybe I should just drop the idea of bonus feats altogether, and rebuild the class entirely from the ground up. Like the old saying goes, "build a better wizard, and Gary Gygax will beat a path to your gaming table."

 

[Cheiromancer]

A fair chunk of the cleric's power goes toward healing and buffing his party members; he gives up the spot-light so the others can get into it. The wizard's flashy spells mostly make himself look good.

It needn't always work that way; wizards can buff and clerics can make themselves into one-man engines of destruction. But the spontaneous cures and such tend to make the clerics take a support role. People have less fun- they'd rather be a wizard. And so the powers that be gave the cleric more power to compensate.

That's the explanation I heard, anyway.

 

[Kisanji Arael]

My frustration over the wizard class is that it really isn't a class at all...it is just a spell list with a beard. I would like to do something else with wizards, make them into something more than just fireball throwers.

I completely agree. I overhauled the Wizard class. Basically, they read out of the spellbook. And as they aren't suppsoed to have as much of a magical battery as Sorcerers, I changed them to make it so that they have to spend multiple rounds building up the energy to cast their higher leveled spells.

 

[Old_Skool]

I completely agree. I overhauled the Wizard class. Basically, they read out of the spellbook. And as they aren't suppsoed to have as much of a magical battery as Sorcerers, I changed them to make it so that they have to spend multiple rounds building up the energy to cast their higher leveled spells.

Interesting idea. I'd love to see your notes on it.

 

[Li Shenron]

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.

I think that variant is quite balanced per se, it doesn't make the Sor sensibly better than before.

But then if you boost the Wizard I think it would be fair to boost the Sor as well, giving it some bonus feats as well.

 

[Tonguez]

Spells are described in the RAW as Feats of Magic therefore a Feat = a Spell slot

Give the Wizard only feats and no spell slots each time they get a new feat they can convert it to a spell slot if they so choose

 

[trav_laney]

I think that variant is quite balanced per se, it doesn't make the Sor sensibly better than before.

But then if you boost the Wizard I think it would be fair to boost the Sor as well, giving it some bonus feats as well.

I wanted to make the sorcerer a little more feral and combat-oriented and less magical. In my head, sorcerers have always been the more primitive and aggressive of the arcane spellcasters.

I forgot to mention that in my campaign, sorcerers choose at 1st level whether to call a familiar or obtain an animal companion (druid level = 1/2 sorc level). This variant also came out of Unearthed Arcana, I think.

If I were going to boost the sorcerer even more, I wouldn't do it with bonus feats...I would give them the ability to cast spells in light armor without penalty, like a bard. That would fit my idiom a little better...but it would become a power balance issue at higher levels when magical armor is more common. I still haven't made up my mind on this...so for now, the answer is "no."

Now I am trying to make the wizard into the exact opposite of that...an intelligent, highly-educated student of magic, who has a well-disciplined and methodical approach to his art. As they are written in the SRD, the only major difference between the Sorc and Wiz is the way they cast spells. I admit that *is* a big difference, but I want it to be more.

 

[trav_laney]

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.)

After an evening of playtesting, I begrudgingly admit that giving out more bonus feats is too power-heavy. So I'm going to have to come up with another way to handle it.

The idea of giving skill points for Knowledge (only) is friggin' brilliant! It gave me an idea on a couple of new class features for the wizard, that reward the proper investment of skill points. Let me know what you think:

Arcane Craftsmanship: Wizards who focus their study on craftsmanship eventually learn to interweave magic into their products. By placing enough skill points into the appropriate Craft skill, wizards may gain bonus item creation feats.

3 ranks each in Craft (calligraphy): wizard gains Scribe Scroll as a bonus feat
6 ranks in Craft (alchemy): wizard gains Brew Potion
9 ranks in Craft (woodwork): wizard gains Craft Wand
12 ranks in Craft (woodwork): wizard gains Craft Rod
18 ranks in Craft (woodwork): wizard gains Craft Staff
8 ranks in Craft (armorsmithing or weaponsmithing): wizard gains Craft Arms & Armor
15 ranks in Craft (jewelry or gemcutting): wizard gains Forge Ring
6 ranks in Craft (any 3): wizard gains Craft Wondrous Item

Arcane Knowledge: Wizards who focus their study on the arcane arts eventually learn great and terrible magical secrets. By placing enough skill points into Knowledge (arcana), wizards may gain bonus metamagic feats.

5 ranks in Knowledge (arcana): wizard gains Extend Spell or Enlarge Spell as a bonus feat
9 ranks in Knowledge (arcana): wizard gains Empower Spell or Reach Spell
12 ranks in Knowledge (arcana): wizard gains Maximize Spell or Widen Spell
15 ranks in Knowlege (arcana): wizard gains Quicken Spell
18 ranks in Knowledge (arcana): wizard gains Persistent Spell
5 ranks each in Knowledge (the planes) and Knowledge (arcana): wizard gains Energy Substitution

If I use these new class features, I would remove all of the wizard's bonus feats (even Scribe Scroll at 1st level) and leave everything else alone...maybe boost the skill points per level to 4 + Int modifier, but I doubt it. What do you guys think?

 

[Quartz]

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.

If wizards want skills, then they should multiclass to a class which grants skills. Oh, you don't want to lose your spellcasting advancement? That's a choice you have to make.

IMHO players need to get over losing spellcasting advancement. Trust your DM to provide suitable challenges. Learn to run if he errs.

 

[Sigurd]

Trav - I really like the mechanic but the balancing will have to be careful.

You could give out item creation feats as craft synergy bonuses. Maybe replace the feats with a few dedicated spells. 'Empower wand" etc....

Empower Spells might be the same mechanic to recharge items. A wizard could draw on his spell selection strengths to be flexible enough to learn\use spells they wouldn't take adventuring.

Alternately you could add craft requirements for item creation feats and make them more frequent. How many characters are running around with creation feats and no craft skills?


sigurd