Problem?: New spells

[reanjr]

I was wondering what the community at large thought about these spells. Primarily, do you think they take too much of the oomph out of Sorcerer's?

Prepare Dweomer I
Universal
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Components: F
Casting Time: 1 free action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous

This spell allows the caster to instantaneously prepare a 0-level arcane spell that he knows. The spell does not take up a spell slot of any kind and the spell must be cast on the caster’s next action or it is lost. Otherwise, the spell is cast as normal, taking an action (or more as listed under Casting Time in the prepared spell) and any components that would normally be necessary.
Arcane Focus: A spellbook containing the spell being prepared (the spell must have been written into the spellbook successfully by the caster).

Prepare Dweomer II
Universal
Level: Sor/Wiz 2

This spell functions like prepare dweomer I, except that the spell being prepared can 1st level or lower. If the spell is 0-level, it is heightened (as the metamagic feat Heighten Spell) to 1st level.

...

and on to Prepare Dweomer IX, which allows you to do it with 8th level spells.

I'm pretty durned sure that this is balanced (q.v. limited wish), but was wondering if the sorcerer suffers from loss of personality. Would adding an XP cost (10 x spell level) be enough to counter that?

 

[glass]

Prepare Dweomer I
Universal
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Components: F
Casting Time: 1 free action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous

You should probably change Sor/Wiz1 to just Wiz 1.

I'd also be inclined to change the casting time to 1 swift action to be consistant with the similarly timed spells in MiniHB and XPH (well the XPH ones aren't spells, but you know what I mean).

The spells do kinda shaft sorcerers, but maybe you could give them something else to compensate.


glass.

 

[reanjr]

You should probably change Sor/Wiz1 to just Wiz 1.

I'd also be inclined to change the casting time to 1 swift action to be consistant with the similarly timed spells in MiniHB and XPH (well the XPH ones aren't spells, but you know what I mean).

The spells do kinda shaft sorcerers, but maybe you could give them something else to compensate.


glass.

I used free action to be consistent with the 3.5 SRD

I've always hated that Sorcerer's took a full-round to metamagic, so removing that would be probably be a good start. Makes metamagicking very versatile. I could also expressly prohibit the use of metamagic feats with the Prepare Dweomer x (where x is an integer between I and IX) spells, so that Wizards do not gain the same veratility.

 

[glass]

I'm pretty durned sure that this is balanced (q.v. limited wish), but was wondering if the sorcerer suffers from loss of personality. Would adding an XP cost (10 x spell level) be enough to counter that?

Ah, sorry, didn't read your post all the way to the end. Yes, an XP cost would be a very good idea. Making it an emergency measure rather than a standard tactic.


glass.

 

[glass]

I used free action to be consistent with the 3.5 SRD

Are there any? Oh of course, featherfall!

I've always hated that Sorcerer's took a full-round to metamagic, so removing that would be probably be a good start. Makes metamagicking very versatile. I could also expressly prohibit the use of metamagic feats with the Prepare Dweomer x (where x is an integer between I and IX) spells, so that Wizards do not gain the same veratility.

Good idea. Removing the FRA would make any sorcerer with heighten spell a master of counterspelling. OTOH counterspelling is underused anyway, so I wouldn't consider that a problem.

ISTM that wizards who understand the spells they are casting would be better at metamagic rather than worse, but I am not surewhat to do about that. Maybe a companion suite of spells that allows a wizard to apply a metamagic feat he knows to an already prepared spell?


glass.

 

[reanjr]

Are there any? Oh of course, featherfall!



Good idea. Removing the FRA would make any sorcerer with heighten spell a master of counterspelling. OTOH counterspelling is underused anyway, so I wouldn't consider that a problem.

ISTM that wizards who understand the spells they are casting would be better at metamagic rather than worse, but I am not surewhat to do about that. Maybe a companion suite of spells that allows a wizard to apply a metamagic feat he knows to an already prepared spell?


glass.

Yeah, I'm surprised there aren't more spells with a casting time of 1 free action (besides quickened spells of course). I guess there just aren't too many spells that are useful as a free action, but significantly less so as a standard action.

I look at it as the sorcerer is using his innate talent to harness magic energies and create the spell on the fly. Therefore he should be able to create similar (metamagicked) spells to what he already knows how to.

Meanwhile, the wizard has to kind of go back to the drawing board and check how a metamagic effect must be applied to the various parts of the formula.

I'm not quite up on the coutnerspelling thing; doesn't the sorcerer have to have the particular counter to counterspell? How does Heighten Spell help?

 

[JimAde]

Ah, sorry, didn't read your post all the way to the end. Yes, an XP cost would be a very good idea. Making it an emergency measure rather than a standard tactic.


glass.

I think these spells are a fine idea, but I disagree with this point. I don't think you need the XP cost, but I could be wrong. Since a wizard has to plan to do this (preparing the Prepare Dweomer ahead of time) it's really not for emergencies only. And if you have an XP cost, the wizard has to dedicate a prepared slot to a spell he hopes he'll never cast. Maybe instead of XP you could allow it to cast any known spell two levels lower instead of one. That's a real power hit for the versatility.

 

[Arkhandus]

I wouldn't add an XP component, but instead increase the level of each of these spells by 1 and make the casting time 1 standard action (maybe). This most definately takes away from the only real advantage a sorcerer has. I suppose adding the XP component would work instead, but then it would probably be more of an emergency thing and not much used.

 

[glass]

Yeah, I'm surprised there aren't more spells with a casting time of 1 free action (besides quickened spells of course). I guess there just aren't too many spells that are useful as a free action, but significantly less so as a standard action.

There are loads in the Miniatures handbook and (as powers) in the Expanded Psionics Handbook, although as I said, the call them Swift Actions. That way, they include the one-per-round rule.

I'm not quite up on the coutnerspelling thing; doesn't the sorcerer have to have the particular counter to counterspell? How does Heighten Spell help?

Oh yes sorry, I forgot you need another feat too: Improved Counterspell. With that you can counter any spell with another spell of the same school that is at least one level higher. With at least one spell of every school you can counter any spell upto one level lower than you can cast.

It doesn't normally work because of the FRA for heighten spell, but take that away and you are good to go.


glass.

 

[reanjr]

There are loads in the Miniatures handbook and (as powers) in the Expanded Psionics Handbook, although as I said, the call them Swift Actions. That way, they include the one-per-round rule.



Oh yes sorry, I forgot you need another feat too: Improved Counterspell. With that you can counter any spell with another spell of the same school that is at least one level higher. With at least one spell of every school you can counter any spell upto one level lower than you can cast.

It doesn't normally work because of the FRA for heighten spell, but take that away and you are good to go.


glass.

Yeah, that would be pretty cool, though the sorcerer still has to have a spell of the appropriate school. To be a pimping-counterspelling-machine, you'd have to plan your spell selection carefully so as to maximize the number of schools at a given level that you can counterspell.

Given this limitation, it's probably not overpowering, either, which is an added bonus.

So I'd probably apply nominal XP costs to the spells. Making them standard actions, to me at least, would ruin the spells. Then I'd forbid using metamagic on the spell (unless of course, the wizard wanted to fully research an Empowered spell to permanently write into his spellbook or some such thing). Then remove the full round thing from sorcerer metamagicking.

That would probably be a sound system.