New take on sorcerers...

[Bob Aberton]

I felt that sorcery is far too similar to Wizardry as per the PHB. So, I changed it, eliminating the sorcerer class. Here is the new system.

Sorcery is now an inborn talent.
The various races have different % chances to manifest sorcerous talents.

Gnomes 30%

Dwarves 5%

Elves 40%

Humans 20%

Half-Elves 25%

Half-Orcs 5%

And so on. To be able to cast spells above cantrip-level, the character must take the appropriate feat, such as:
Spellcasting 1 (lvl. 1 spells)
Spellcasting 2 (2 lvl. spells)

and so on, up to Spellcasting 9.

The possession of such feats enables the character to use a spellcraft check to cast a spell. Failures result in off target spells, fizzled spells, or mishapen spells.

Very skeletal, but what do you think?

 

[Crothian]

What's the DC on the Spellcraft check?

So, you're saying I can make a Human rogue and take a few of these feats and I'll have spell casting ability? I think it's too powerful, feats are easier to waste then levels. My human rogue can spend all his feats and by level 6 have third level spells, same as a normal sorcerer plus six levels of rogue abilities. THis would be way too much. I like the basic idea, but I think it needs refined.

 

[Bob Aberton]

No, you don't only need the feats, you also need the talent. Take a look at the "% chance of manifesting sorcerous abilities." You need to be in that Talented 20% (for the aforementioned Human Rogue) to be able to take the feats. So, If you rolled for sorcerous abilities in character creation, and you rolled in the 20% percent for a Human, then you can choose to take the feats to gain spellcasting abilities.

The DC for the spellcraft check is 20 + spell level. So a level 2 spell would be DC 22 to cast. The high DC, coupled with the necessary burning of feat slots is meant to make this balanced. Whaddya think now?

 

[Dagredhel]

I agree that sorcery is uncomfortably close to wizardry. However, I think most of the rules mechanics work just fine.

I hope that the percentage chance of sorcerous talent by race you offer isn't a throwback to the old percentile roll for psionic ability. If you want to reinforce the idea that sorcerous talent is inborn, you simply don't allow characters to gain levels in the sorcerer class unless they began play as sorcerers . Alternately, one could offer a selection of feats (perhaps available only to beginning characters) that reflect unusual ancestry. These feats might offer some small bonus in their own right, but also allow a character to take sorcerer levels. Examples would include draconic ancestry, elemental ancestry, divine ancestry, fey ancestry, or whatever else seemed appropriate.

Another idea that I think has some merit is that of sorcerous 'knacks'. Acording to this concept, a sorcerer character would have to choose his spells known from a group of spells with a common theme or effect, rather than have the entire wizard's list from which to select. Combining this with the notion of sorcerous ability as the manifestation of a unique heritage, you could have fire sorcerers who are distant (or not so distant) kin to beings from the Elemental Plane of Fire, or dragon sorcerers whose spell selection would reflect the powers of their draconic forebearers, perhaps even specific to dragon type.

I hope these ideas are helpful to you.

 

[Oni]

I despise percentage roles to have some special ability like this. It would really suck for instance if you made a fighter and your friend made one as well only difference he made his percentage roll and you didn't, now his character is vastly more powerful than yours for not other reason than dumb luck. And not only that this isn't some small power difference like a couple point higher stat, this is major. I find that kind of thing to be very annoying, it very often means that some characters get relagated to the background 'cause they can't "hang" with the lucky bastards that rolled well.

 

[Crothian]

And on the flip side what does this do to character concepts? It would stink to really want to play a sorcerer, but know I have to get lucky on the die roll. The Fighter doesn't have to roll dice to see if he can use his concept, so why should I?

 

[~Joseph~]

Psyconics worked like this in 2e and it was one of the most broaken systems in 2e, I don't think this is a good idea. It's too hard to get sorcerous abilities and a non-socerer class becomes HUNDREDS of times more powerful.

Look at it this way, most races with substancial magical abilities, anything more that a couple cantrips 1/day, tend to have a large ECL, this'll probly double a fighters CR. And why take socrerer levels if I can be proficient in everything, have 21 feats, better hit die, and BAB, and STILL get all the abilities of a sorcerer. And why stop there, wouldn't the ability to cast spells be dependant on chance too? or being favored by the gods to caste devine spells? The idea of classes is that if you want to play a socerer, it is assumed that you have the ability, the reason you have to take levels to get better is because of the amount of energy it takes to improve upon this power.

did I mention that I don't think it's a good idea?

 

[BluWolf]

I like your train of thought however I think your trying something that is VERY against the grain in 3E. ie using a random roll as a prereq for a class. Something that is verboten for Prc.

take a look at my thread on my campaign world's sorcerer;
http://www.enworld.org/messageboards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7712

Similar concept, different execution. I also require ceratin races to start life as a sorcerer if they want to be a sorcerer. Others can pick it up at later levels.