New Feat: Spell Specialization

[Falling Icicle]

I think it would be cool if casters could take feats to specialize in specific signature spells. Here's what I came up with.

Spell Specialization
You are particularly adept at casting your favorite spell.
Heroic Tier
Prerequisite: Must know at least one power from the Arcane power source.
Benefit: Choose one arcane power you know, and choose two of the following benefits. These benefits apply whenever you cast the chosen spell. Benefits labeled (Paragon) can only be selected if you are 11th level or higher.

Accuracy: You gain a +2 bonus on attack rolls with the chosen spell.

Enhanced Damage: For a spell that adds your ability modifier to the damage, add twice your ability modifier instead.

Improved Critical: When you make an attack with the chosen spell, you can score a critical hit on a natural roll of 19 or 20.

Widened Area: You can increase the area of the spell by 1 square, if desired. For example, a close blast 3 spell could become close blast 4. Only blast and burst spells can gain this benefit.

Extended Range (Paragon): Double the spell's range. Close or melee spells can't gain this benefit.

Lasting Effect (Paragon): An effect that lasts until the end of your next turn lasts an additional turn, if desired.

Piercing (Paragon): Treat your target's resistances as 20 fewer than normal when determining the spell's damage.

Precision (Paragon): You can shape the spell so that you only hit your enemies. The spell now targets enemies in its area, rather than creatures. Only area spells that target each creature in its area can gain this benefit.

Special: You can take this feat mutliple times. You can either choose a new spell or select an additional two benefits for a previously selected spell. You can't choose the same benefit for the same spell more than once. You can change the chosen spell or benefits by retraining the feat.

 

[Kaelkatar]

Doubling the turns effected or causing two saves is broken. Toss that on the Blood Mage L20 daily and it snaps clear in half. For everything else I think it is workable, though in my opinion it shouldn't be usable to enhance at wills.

 

[Stalker0]

Doubling the turns effected or causing two saves is broken. Toss that on the Blood Mage L20 daily and it snaps clear in half. For everything else I think it is workable, though in my opinion it shouldn't be usable to enhance at wills.

Agree, the others look alright, but doubling durations is a no no. I also agree this would be very powerful on at-wills.

 

[Falling Icicle]

Thanks for the feedback! I've made the following modifications, let me know what you think:

You now get to choose two benefits instead of just one.

Added an improved crit and resist piercing option.

Removed the two saving throw feature from lasting effect.

Changed Enhanced damage so that it works with any ability modifier, not just Intelligence (oops, sorry warlocks).

Made a few of the abilties only available to paragon characters.

 

[Khaalis]

Spell Specialization

Love the concept. However, I think some of these might be a bit much, especially when you get to stack two of them together for each feat choice.

Here are my other thoughts.

Prerequisite: Must know at least one power from the Arcane power source.

I think this could be simplified to: "Arcane Power Source"

Benefit: Choose one arcane power you know, and choose two of the following benefits. These benefits apply whenever you cast the chosen spell. Benefits labeled (Paragon) can only be selected if you are 11th level or higher.

I would split this into two feats. It would seem to fit the core mechanic better that way. "Spell Specialization [Heroic]" and "Advanced Spell Specialization [Paragon]" for instance.

Accuracy: You gain a +2 bonus on attack rolls with the chosen spell.

Again, since you are gaining 2 benefits from the feat, and to better match benefits given by other Heroic tier feats, I'd drop this to a +1 bonus. The only real +2 to Attack is to specialized circumstance attacks like Opportunity Attacks.

Enhanced Damage: For a spell that adds your ability modifier to the damage, add twice your ability modifier instead.

This is Very strong. I would reduce this to be more akin to existing powers and the core mechanic. In this case I would do either:
1) Add a flat +2 damage bonus OR
2) Add your Tertiary stat as a bonus to damage.
........Example: A Wizard specializes in a spell that deals 2d6+INT. With this addition they would deal instead 2d6+INT+WIS.

Improved Critical: When you make an attack with the chosen spell, you can score a critical hit on a natural roll of 19 or 20.

This feat effect is an Epic Tier effect for weapons, and I would suggest it stays there for spells as well. This would require a 3rd feat.

Widened Area: You can increase the area of the spell by 1 square, if desired. For example, a close blast 3 spell could become close blast 4. Only blast and burst spells can gain this benefit.

This is a BIG boon. I'd be tempted to say this is a Paragon Tier effect.

Extended Range (Paragon): Double the spell's range. Close or melee spells can't gain this benefit.

Not a bad idea, but I think Doubling is too powerful (we're talking about mostly spells that are range 10 and 20 to start with). I would instead increase range by your INT modifier (again sticking more with the core mechanic and making stats matter more). If you did this, I would knock it back to Heroic Tier.

Lasting Effect (Paragon): An effect that lasts until the end of your next turn lasts an additional turn, if desired.

Tough call. Very powerful. I would change it to:

"An effect that lasts until the end of your next turn gains the following addition.
Sustain Minor: You can sustain this power until the end of the round following its normal expiration. If you don’t sustain this power, it ends normally at the end of your next turn after being cast."

This could be Heroic tier.

Piercing (Paragon): Treat your target's resistances as 20 fewer than normal when determining the spell's damage.

Wow. 20 fewer? That's huge. That bypasses almost all of the MM resists for everything heroic through paragon level. I'd drop this to either a flat 10 or a 5+INT.

Precision (Paragon): You can shape the spell so that you only hit your enemies. The spell now targets enemies in its area, rather than creatures. Only area spells that target each creature in its area can gain this benefit.

Great power but powerful. Definitely fitting Paragon, just almost worth an entire feat unto itself though.

 

[Falling Icicle]

Okay, here's my latest attempt.

Spell Specialization
You are particularly adept at casting your favorite spell.
Paragon Tier
Prerequisite: Must know at least one power from the Arcane power source.
Benefit: Choose one arcane power you know, and choose two of the following benefits. These benefits apply whenever you cast the chosen spell.

Accuracy: You gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls with the chosen spell.

Enhanced Damage: Increase the damage dealt by the spell by +3.

Extended Range: Increase the spell's range by 100%, but you suffer a -2 penalty for attacking targets beyond the spell's normal range. Close or melee spells can't gain this benefit.

Improved Critical: When you make an attack with the chosen spell, you can score a critical hit on a natural roll of 19 or 20.

Lasting Effect: An effect that lasts until the end of your next turn lasts an additional turn, if desired.

Widened Area: You can increase the area of the spell by 1 square, if desired. For example, a close blast 3 spell could become close blast 4. Only blast and burst spells can gain this benefit.

Special: You can take this feat mutliple times. You can either choose a new spell or select an additional two benefits for a previously selected spell. You can't choose the same benefit for the same spell more than once. You can change the chosen spell or benefits by retraining the feat.