Races of the Wild - First Impressions

[dvvega]

Magic of the Land (General)
Prereqs: Concentration 5 ranks, Knowledge (nature) 5 ranks, Spellcraft 5 ranks, caster level 1.
Benefit: When in a natural setting, you can make a Knowledge (nature) check of DC 15 when casting a spell (this is a free action). If you make the check, each target of the spell is healed 2 points of damage per spell level, in addition to the spell's normal effect. If you fail the check, the spell/slot is lost. You can't use this with any spell with an alignment descriptor, nor with any necromancy spell.

I think its obviously aimed at Rangers, Druids, etc. I would probably change caster level 1 with divine caster level 1. However I don't think it is that useful.

The text implies that the spell must be successful "in addition to the spell's normal effect". If the saving throw is made then it shouldn't heal. Of course the target can say "I accept the spell", but what spells are we going to be casting here? Spells like Magic Circle only directly affect 1 creature. What spells affect more than one target that this feat would make be a little "too much"?

D

 

[Gez]

The Elf gets nothing to help his wizardry, so doesn't get played very often, despite apparently being a great wizard. Go figure.

Why should they be great wizards? Elves are great thingie/wizard multiclass, which is aptly reflected by their Favored Class ability. Look at staple of D&D-elvendom like the Bladesinger or Arcane Archer -- basically "multige classes" or "gestalt prestige classes". They aren't masters of raw wizardly power, but they're experts at blending a bit of magic with everything they do.

Anyway, on to that point:

Balancing a race/class combination that isn't played against another race/class combination that isn't played is stupid.

Balancing a sub level against the standard level is not stupid.

Vocenoctum made a comment about how the elven wizard with the subst level should be balanced against his compatriot counterpart without the subst level, and you lash out and speak about a race/class combination that isn't played.

There's a big bit of bad faith in claiming elven wizard is a race/class combination that isn't played. :\

 

[MerricB]

Why should they be great wizards? Elves are great thingie/wizard multiclass, which is aptly reflected by their Favored Class ability. Look at staple of D&D-elvendom like the Bladesinger or Arcane Archer -- basically "multige classes" or "gestalt prestige classes". They aren't masters of raw wizardly power, but they're experts at blending a bit of magic with everything they do.

That's fair enough.

Balancing a sub level against the standard level is not stupid.

Vocenoctum made a comment about how the elven wizard with the subst level should be balanced against his compatriot counterpart without the subst level, and you lash out and speak about a race/class combination that isn't played.

Not relevant.

Say I have a Half-Orc Wizard substitution level, which is equivalent in power to the normal Half-Orc Wizard. For some reason, no-one still uses it. Why? Because Half-Orc Wizards, at their normal power level, are bad.

This is not a problem with the Half-Orc, incidentally. It _is_ a problem if you want effective Half-Orc Wizards, however.

Is the substitution level a bad thing if it brings the Half-Orc Wizard to just below the utility of (say) an Elf Wizard?

I say not.

I noted at the beginning that I had concerns about the balance of the Elf Generalist Wizard. I still do.

Is the Elf Wizard now a no-brainer with the extra spell/day and the extra spells known? I still don't know. There isn't really a problem with the power level of the Elf Generalist in the game (that is, against the monsters), but there may be a problem with player choice.

If all Wizard players now choose elves, then there's a problem.

I don't think it's that clear, though.

I suspect that there should be an additional penalty - perhaps the loss of free sword & bow proficiency...

Cheers!

 

[Gez]

The free sword and bow proficiencies are racial traits and thus cannot be removed. If you have an elven monk (for example) that multiclass in wizard and use that subst level, would he no longer be able to use swords and bows even if he did the day before?

Removing Scribe Scroll is easier.

A loss of racial ability could still be used, if you have some way to rationalize it. For example, the bonus to resist enchantments and/or magical sleep immunity. You could remove them and rationalize it by saying that, by attuning more closely to magic than most elves, he became more vulnerable to it.

 

[beaver1024]

You can't specialise.

You aren't a human or gnome.

Cheers!

Hahahahaha! Why does this remind so much the Complete Elves Handbook? Nice "restrictions". Clearly WoTC is not testing their products and they're letting former T$R employees write them.

 

[Vlad Le Démon]

About balancing and playtesting issues

If something seems to be broken for all of you why don't you ask the DCI to make a Restricted and a Banned Feats, Spells, Core Class, PrC List...

We're playing D&D, not Magic the Gathering, the game balancing doesn't matter so much...the only thing that is important is that each Race and each Class must be attractive...
And in some games there is no fight at all...and all the "broken" stuff is principaly combat stuff...

Broken stuff doesn't exist in D&D...the only problem is the lack of fluff and creativity...Prestige Classes that are not prestigious at all, weirds monstrous pc races, etc...

I don't care about stuff, i want great campaigns (Enemy Within...), original worlds with good
background...

Arggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg...