New sorcerer variant (need comments)

[Draugin]

This is the sorcerer variant class I'm working on. I'd like very much comments and opinions from you on flavour, balance and game mechanics.
For now I'll write only the short version, without all the descriptive text (too much to translate for a little gain, it's only blah blah blah).
This is already 3.5 oriented.

SORCERER VARIANT

The sorcerer is usually a self-taught raw magic power user. He's a prodigy with innate arcane strenght, and for that he's hated and feared by many. Where he lacks in technique, he can channel and unleash tremendous amounts of magical energy.

Hit dice: d4.
Base attack bonus: Poor (as wizards).
Good Saving Throws: Will.
Alignment: Any.
Spell known/Spells per day: As original sorcerer.

Skill points per level: 4 + Int modifier (x4 at 1st level).
Class skills: Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Use Magic Device (Cha).

Class abilities:
Weapon and armor proficiency: All simple weapons, no armor, no shield.
Spells: As original sorcerer, but a sorcerer must be focused (every sorcerer develops related powers, and don't pick up a spell here and there). Choose four schools. You can know spells only of that schools. Oher schools are not barred, you can use magic items (such as wands or staves) of a school you do not know, but your innate powers don't go in that direction. You can increase your repertoire with the feat below. Sorcerers can swap spells (as 3.5 rules).
Extra School: Only a sorcerer can take this feat. Choose a school you don't have access to. You now can know spells of that school. You can gain choose this feat multiple time, but each time it applies to a different school.
Channeling: A sorcerer can channel magical energy from the environment, becaming a visible and spectacular fulcrum of power. While channeling he gains +4 Con, +4 Cha and +2 to saves against magic and magical effects, -2 to AC. He cannot cast on the defensive and do complex works (except for casting spells or using magic items). At the end of the channeling he's fatigued. Channeling duration is 3 round + new Con modifier (it can be stopped at will). Effects of channeling grow with levels (greater channeling at 11th, supreme channelling at 20th). I'll follow what they do for rage in 3.5.
At 1st level, you can channel 1/day. You gain another channeling every four levels (2/day at 4th, 3/day at 8th and so on).
Personal sorcery: Every sorcerer develops his own way to cast spells. At 1st level, a sorcerer gain a bonus feat chosen from these: Augment Summoning, Combat Casting, Eschew Materials, Magical Affinity, Silent Spell, Spell Penetration or Still Spell.
Magic illiteracy: Sorcerers cannot cast spells from scrolls (but they can activate them with Use Magic Device).
Spell Focus: At 2nd level a sorcerer gains Spell Focus in a chosen school as a bonus feat.
Magic sense: At 3rd level, a sorcerer has developed keen senses about flows of magic. The sorcerer is considered permanently under the effects of a detect magic spell, and he only has to concentrate to use it (supernatural ability). If he already knew detect magic, he can swap it for another 0-level spell.
At 13th level the sorcerer's magic sense improves, as he always benefits from the effects of an arcane sight spell (T&B, hope they make it SRD). If he already knew this spell, he can swap it for another 3rd level spell.
Greater Spell Focus: At 5th level a sorcerer gains Greater Spell Focus in a chosen school as a bonus feat. He has to meet all the requirements of the feat in order to benefit from it.
Unbreakable casting: At 15th no one can stop a sorcerer's link with magic powers. While channeling a sorcerer gains a +10 bonus to Concentration checks to avoid losing a spell because of distractions while casting (i.e. damage, distracting spells, etc.).

I'm looking for more mid to high level neat abilities to balance it - the school restriction is irrilevant at start but heavy after some levels- but for now you've got the idea.
BTW, I like channeling because you can use it not only to raise your spell-DCs, but also to be more effective at other tasks, such as intimidate (do you remember the scene in which Gandalf scares Bilbo?).

Edit: Added Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus and modified Magic Sense (thanks to Destil).
Fixed channeling amorphous shape and shifted it from channelling to channeling.
Added unbreakable casting ability (thanks to DreamChaser).
Improved magic sense ability (thanks to Destil).

 

[Destil]

It may be interesting [or a better theme] to allow the Sorcerer to select a few descriptors they could learn spells from any school from, in addition to their full access to some schools... something like [Acid] or [Fire].

Instead of Detect Magic at will as an SLA, how about "The sorcerer is treated as always being under the effects of Detect Magic, and can thus simply concentrate to use the spell". Works out the same, but it has a bit more of an 'innate' flavor.

Some abilitiy suggestions
Metamagic Mastery: Starting at 8th level the Sorcerer gains a slight edge when it comes to meta-magic. The sorcerer gains 2 spell levels of arcane energy per day that they can use towards paying the extra cost of a spell enhanced thruogh meta magic. The sorcerer can not use this power to cast spells that would be beyond their ability normaly.

Every four levels after 8th (12th, 16th et cetera) the sorcerer gains an extra level of arcane energy per day.

Exampe: Hennet is a 8th level sorcerer who has the Extend Spell Feat. He can use this power to cast a single extended 3rd level spell and only use a 3rd level spell slot and one level of arcane energy, or to cast a 2nd level spell double extended, using a 2nd level spell slot and two levels of arcane energy. He can not cast an extended 4th level spell, as he can not normaly cast 5th level spells.


5th Bonus Feat - Energy Substution, Extend Spell, Enlarge Spell, Empower Spell, Spell Focus

10th Bonus Feat - Maximize Spell, Delay Spell, Widen Spell, Energy Adamentixture, Greater Spell Focus, Greater Spell Penentration

13th - Upgrade magic sense to function as the spell Arcane Sight, rather than Detect Magic

 

[Draugin]

Thanks for your answer.

It may be interesting [or a better theme] to allow the Sorcerer to select a few descriptors they could learn spells from any school from, in addition to their full access to some schools... something like [Acid] or [Fire].

Yes, I originally didn't want to order them by school (you caught that), but the SRD doesn't support well spell descriptors. They had a good idea, but I don't know why they didn't fully use it. Monte's fixing that on his Arcana Unearthed, I don't know yet what they are doing with 3.5, but I don't think they'll put [Earth], [Water], [Plant], [Darkness], [...] descriptors. How sad.

Instead of Detect Magic at will as an SLA, how about "The sorcerer is treated as always being under the effects of Detect Magic, and can thus simply concentrate to use the spell". Works out the same, but it has a bit more of an 'innate' flavor.

Wonderful. I copied from paladin's detect evil ability which I thought was innate, but I hope they'll fix that as you say, it's much better.

Some abilitiy suggestions
Metamagic Mastery: Starting at 8th level the Sorcerer gains a slight edge when it comes to meta-magic. The sorcerer gains 2 spell levels of arcane energy per day that they can use towards paying the extra cost of a spell enhanced thruogh meta magic. The sorcerer can not use this power to cast spells that would be beyond their ability normaly.

I'll think about that, thank you!
And about feats, I was giving them spell focus and greater spell focus, but I'm thinking about other feats.

13th - Upgrade magic sense to function as the spell Arcane Sight, rather than Detect Magic

Where is it?

Bye!

 

[Destil]

Arcane sight is in Tome and Blood, and from what I've seen (3eR perminancy list) it'll be core in the revision.

 

[The Proconsul]

I think the +4 Cha bonus is much more powerful than the +4 Str bonus of the Barbarian from which it was supposedly derived, because Save DCs are usually lower than ACs, meaning it provides a much greater relativ bonus.

 

[DreamChaser]

In terms of the descriptor thing.

What I do with sorcerer in my game is have them choose an elemental (or similar) descriptor and then make the spells they choose follow that theme, generally with cosmetic changes. This determines spells that they can't take and which ones must be modified. All damage spells (regardless of the original source, gain the descriptor (if applicable) and at least half the damage comes from that source (Magic Missile would be half energy and half force, for example).

The upshot of this is that there are things that they can never really accomplish. A fire sorcerer is screwed in terms of direct damage against a fire giant. She has to try other things (since she is incapable of casting a non-fire spell; of course she could try a magical item.)

I like this sorcerer but I'm not sure about some parts of the Channeling ability. Why the +4 to Con? Unless it is just to boost the duration. With the Charisma boost, do they gain new bonus spells per day? How visible is the channeling?

A high level ability I can think of is to make them incapable of losing concentration due to damage, etc. while channeling. Also, have a minor protective field at a high level related to their specialty. A fire sorcerer might have an area of flames that cause 1d4 damage each round out to 5' a light sorcerer might have a field similar to the flare spell.

DC

 

[The Proconsul]

If you want to go for elemental descriptors, check out the Shugenja in Oriental Adventures. They specialize in one element, losing access to the other ones. They have an own spell list, which is a conglomerat of arcane and divine spells (but because they have a forbidden element, and the majority of their spells known must come frome their Elemental Focus, it all balances out).

 

[Tzudralkor]

Channeling

i would suggest that when channeling, to differentiate it from Barbarian rage a little more, make durration based on Wis instead of Con and give +4 Wis while channeling (constitution boost didn't make sense anyway) since they are channeling from their surroundings, it makes sense that their senses/perceptions would benefit. will save bonuses and skill bonuses would make slightly less sense, but i don't see why they're less justifiable than extra hit points and Fort. bonus.

A high level ability I can think of is to make them incapable of losing concentration due to damage, etc. while channeling. Also, have a minor protective field at a high level related to their specialty. A fire sorcerer might have an area of flames that cause 1d4 damage each round out to 5' a light sorcerer might have a field similar to the flare spell.

i second the idea of high level abilities while channeling.
All in all, seems pretty good.

 

[Draugin]

I think the +4 Cha bonus is much more powerful than the +4 Str bonus of the Barbarian from which it was supposedly derived, because Save DCs are usually lower than ACs, meaning it provides a much greater relativ bonus.

Yes, saving throws grow slowly compared to AC, but a sorcerer cast an inferior number of spells compared to the number of attacks a barbarian usually makes, and Strenght adds its bonus to hit and also to damage. I don't have the maths but I don't feel it's particulary unbalanced.
BTW, it shouldn't necessary be balanced with rage either. This variant sorcerer gets other restrictions (no familiar, limited schools) to pay off the channelling ability.

 

[Draugin]

In terms of the descriptor thing.
What I do with sorcerer in my game is have them choose an elemental (or similar) descriptor and then make the spells they choose follow that theme, generally with cosmetic changes.

Good idea. I like spell customization.

I like this sorcerer but I'm not sure about some parts of the Channeling ability. Why the +4 to Con? Unless it is just to boost the duration. With the Charisma boost, do they gain new bonus spells per day? How visible is the channeling?

Thank you, I hope I can explain some of my choices.
I gave a Con bonus because I thought that while channelling the sorcerer was pervaded by magical energy that made him superior and more resistent. When the channelling ends, if he got too much damage he falls down like a puppet, when the arcane forces dissipate away.
Sorcerers do not gain extra spell slots while channelling (it's a temporary ability boost).
Channelling it's very visible and audible. Crackles, fizzles, lights, wind, sudden silence from animals, candles burst or light off, and whatever you like, but spectacular.

A high level ability I can think of is to make them incapable of losing concentration due to damage, etc. while channeling. Also, have a minor protective field at a high level related to their specialty. A fire sorcerer might have an area of flames that cause 1d4 damage each round out to 5' a light sorcerer might have a field similar to the flare spell.

I'll consider those abilities.
Thanks a lot!