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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Afrodyte" data-source="post: 561323" data-attributes="member: 8713">I was inspired by the Sovereign Stone RPG to tweak the spellcasting system so that you could use flavor to differentiate sorcerers from wizards, but I think here is as good a place as any to put it, if only to share my ideas of how arcane casters can be done.  I'll follow up with how I'm planning to do wizards so you can see the difference.  I apologize for the length.  I know it's a great deal to read and digest.SORCERERThe flavor text paragraphs that detail what the sorcerer remain the same.  So no changes for religion, races, alignment, etc.It's the game rule information that gets the overhaul.GAME RULE INFORMATIONAbilities Charisma determines the spellcasting bonus for a sorcerer's spells.  Sorcerers add their Charisma modifier to their Spellcasting bonus roll.Alignment: Any.Hit Die: d6Class Skills: Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate, Knowledge (any), Profession.Weapon and Armor Proficiency:  Simple weapons.  No armor or shields. Spells:  Spells Known.  Sorcerers may cast spells from the one school (chosen during creation) as arcane spells, even those classified as divine spells.  As long as it is a spell of the school the sorcerer is familiar with, she can cast it.  The maximum level of the spells known is equal to half the sorcerer's caster level, rounding down (minimum level is 1).  For example, a sorcerer who is a bit of a pyromaniac would cast spells from the Evocation school, and this would include (for the most part) cleric spells from the Fire domain.Casting spells.  To cast a spell, a sorcerer makes a spellcasting check as though it were a skill check.  The DC for casting a spell starts at 5 for 0th level spells and increases by 5 for each level (this means DC 50 for 9th level spells).  Sorcerers get a spellcasting bonus equal to their level + their Charisma modifier.  Unlike wizards, sorcerers require no components for their spells, but they gain a +5 competence bonus for using them.  Some sorcerers choose to channel their mystical energy through a focus such as a talisman, amulet, staff, wand, or other tool (consider meditation, drugs, etc).  For using a focus (as opposed to simply having it) to cast a spell, the sorcerer gains a +5 bonus to the spellcasting roll when casting a spell from the school associated with the focus.  Sorcerers may also spend extra time focusing their power to gain bonuses to their casting.  A sorcerer may spend time before casting a spell concentrating to gain a bonus to the spellcasting check.  For each round spent concentrating, add +1 to the result.  If, however, the sorcerer is the gambling type, he may, before casting a spell, roll a Concentration check vs. DC 10 + the spell's level.  If successful, add the degree of success to the spellcasting roll.  In addition, a sorcerer may expend her personal reserves to add more power to a spell.  For every 5 HP the sorcerer sacrifices to this end, she may add +1 to the spellcrafting result.  Sorcerers cannot take 10 or 20 for spellcasting checks because they operate from raw mystical power, not from rituals and learning.Innate spells.  When a sorcerer becomes extremely familiar with casting a certain spell, he gains the ability to cast it at will without needing to roll.  These are called innate spells.  For a number of spells equal to half your caster level (round down), you may cast a spell automatically as a move-equivalent action, even in times of great stress or amidst distraction.  If the innate spell you chose is augmented by the Quicken Spell feat, you may cast this spell as a partial action.Not every spell can be an innate spell.  First, the spell must be a known spell that has been cast frequently, which establishes the familiarity that makes innate casting possible.  At least five times within a given level is a good yardstick.  Second, the level of the innate spells a sorcerer may know is limited by how much magical energy she can process.  If the sorcerer can successfully cast a spell using only her spellcasting bonus and charisma modifier by taking 10, she has enough mystical power to have it as an innate spell.  For instance, if a sorcerer wished to cast flaming sphere as an innate spell, she would need a spellcasting bonus (including Charisma modifier) of at least +15 to do so.  Once an innate spell is chosen, it cannot be changed.  Talents.  Talents represent the sorcerer's growing awareness of his abilities.  Through his experiences, sorcerers not only discover what they are capable of, but also increase the powers they already have.  Sorcerers gain a talent at 1st, 5th, 7th, 10th, 11th, 13th, 14th, 17th, and 19th levels.  There are five talents available to sorcerers.Familiar.  As the PHB, but can have normal medium-sized animals as familiars too.  A dog, will give a +2 bonus to Listen and Scent tests (works like Spot, but with smell).Bonus spell.  Self-explanatory.  Of course, this must be from the school(s) that your character knows.Innate spell.  You know another spell as an innate spell.  You must still meet the prerequisites for having this spell as an innate spell.Bonus school.  You can cast spells from more than one school.  You may take this talent up to 3 times.Bonus metamagic feat.  Self-explanatory.  A new feat I came up with is Magic Focus.  You use an object (perhaps a crystal, an item of clothing, or drugs), situation (nudity, lunar phases, planetary alignments, time of day), or state of mind (pain, joy, anger) which focuses your mind and energy, facilitating spellcasting.  Each time you take this feat, it applies to a different school.  You gain a +5 spellcasting bonus when you cast spells using (not simply possessing) a focus.Note:  Multiclassed spellcasters cast spells as they learned them.  So, if a sorcerer multiclassed into Wizard (say, Sor 4/Wiz 1), she would cast her sorcerer spells as a 4th level caster and her wizard spells as a 1st level wizard.Note:  These sorcerers do not get item creation feats.  You need to be a wizard to do that.</blockquote>

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