New Design: Wizards...

[Lackhand]

(@NatalieD): Me, too. Cups and pentacles also missing -- would an "amulet" kill them? And Rings.

I suggest making a surprising number of "wands" shaped like daggers. I know I will, anyway

Still, their breakdown isn't a bad one, at all.

 

[breschau]

Arcane strikes, power words, and spells.

Anyone think those are the names for the at will/per encounter/per day abilities?

I'd just hope that the at/will abilities would be more than just strikes though. But that's a good guess. Come to think of it, I really would like some fluff terminology to distinguish the three game mechanics rather than at/will spells, per/encounter spells, and per/day spells.

Cool. Nice guessing.

^-^

 

[Mouseferatu]

Hmm...

You know, if "tome" is one of the four tools of magic, that suggests very strongly that the wizard's spellbook--as it was known in 3E and prior editions--is gone.

Which makes sense, given what we know of the new magic system, but is still something that hasn't been confirmed.

 

[Mouseferatu]

This looks hard to adapt to other concepts or campaign worlds. I don't think I'm happy about it.

Why? Just off the top of my head, I can see two very easy ways, and one more complicated way, to do it.

1) Change the forms. Instead of wants, use daggers. Instead of orbs, use amulets. Instead of staves, use the wizard's familiar.

2) Eliminate them. Wizards suffer no penalties for not using the items, and gain no benefits for using the items. Done.

3) Change the forms, as with #1, but also change the sorts of spells to which they apply. This one requires more work, but it's still certainly possible.

Even if #3 is too much work, the first two are easily applied to almost any setting with about 30 seconds' work.

 

[Lackhand]

I'm hoping for something even cooler: all at will abilities and per-encounter abilities driven by some sort of talent-selection-like process (like picking domains!) -- with the per-day abilities stored in a spell book, and more potent.

But maybe not?

 

[Greg K]

Personally I think this is just a little gimmicky.

same here
edit: I am referring primarily to tomes for protection. Amulets or other jewerlry ( even tatoos) would make more sense to me. However, the wand/staff division does seem awkward to me as well

 

[I'm A Banana]

Gives you room to expand the system and can make some very strong flavor choices.

"Ah, the Wizards of Lorland use the skulls of their enemies as we use our Orbs, and the Wizards of the Song College can use flutes and lutes as wands and staves!"

I still wonder what the familiar will be doing in this system...

And this raises questions about the sorcerer, as well. Wizards need these tools -- can sorcerers do magic without these tools? If so, that's a strong flavor division I kind of like...

 

[Imp]

Why? Just off the top of my head, I can see two very easy ways, and one more complicated way, to do it.

1) Change the forms. Instead of wants, use daggers. Instead of orbs, use amulets. Instead of staves, use the wizard's familiar.

Yeah this seems the most obvious route. I guess I was thrown by the feel of it, but this could be tied to tablets with different runes and sigils, for example; relics, even environments. It might be cool if one type of magic was stronger at night, and another stronger in day, etc. Hmm.

Dunno about familiars. I would have to get used to saying things like, congratulations Gryphondor, you have found a +3 toad!

 

[breschau]

Gives you room to expand the system and can make some very strong flavor choices.

"Ah, the Wizards of Lorland use the skulls of their enemies as we use our Orbs, and the Wizards of the Song College can use flutes and lutes as wands and staves!"

I still wonder what the familiar will be doing in this system...

And this raises questions about the sorcerer, as well. Wizards need these tools -- can sorcerers do magic without these tools? If so, that's a strong flavor division I kind of like...

Or that they can't use them. Preventing the bonuses from using implements. There's also the ever popular disarm attack and of course Gandalf's favorite of breaking the staff.

From a flavor stand-point this sounds cool. Have to reserve rules judgment until I can read the book.

 

[Jack99]

I really like this change. Gives a lot more flavor imo.