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Ramble - design inspiration that comes too late
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<blockquote data-quote="RangerWickett" data-source="post: 2303052" data-attributes="member: 63"><p>The power level I'm shooting for is to let spellcasters at low level (3 or less) cast only a few spells a day. At mid level (4 to 8), they can cast a few average spells, or a lot of weaker spells. At high level (9+), they can cast an unlimited number of weak spells, a lot of average spells, and a few powerful spells.</p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p>The DC to cast a spell is 10 + spell level. Magical skill checks aren't modified by ability scores or things like skill focus, so basically if you max out your ranks in a skill, you're going to have a bonus of level +3. If you fail a spellcasting check, you suffer a cumulative -1 penalty to spellcasting checks until you rest.</p><p></p><p>You cannot normally cast a spell of higher level than your ranks in that skill. Spell level is roughly double that of a core spell, plus 2 or 3 levels based on how powerful it is to be able to use it repeatedly, so charm person (1st level) converts to 5th level with a one-minute duration and a 30-ft. range.</p><p></p><p>Right now, the 2nd level magic-user PC in my playtest game has a +5 bonus to Defend, so he can give a creature a +3 enhancement bonus to AC for 10 minutes with a 55% chance of success. This I feel is fine, because he can easily buff before combat begins, and if it doesn't work he can try again with a good chance of success.</p><p></p><p>He also has a +5 bonus to Charm, which is enough for him to cast 5th level spells (equivalent to a Charm Person), with a 55% chance of success. Or he can cast something akin to Command (2nd level spell) with a 70% chance of success. The problem here, though, is that even if he rolls well, the target gets a save to resist. The rules say that if you roll a nat 20 on your spellcasting check, your target automatically fails his save, but otherwise a good roll doesn't mean anything.</p><p></p><p>Worst case scenario, you have a mage being attacked in melee by a creature with spell resistance. He casts defensively (roll), then casts the spell (roll), then beats spell resistance (roll), and then the creature saves (roll). Four chances to fail the spell. A fighter only has to roll to attack once, and he has a better chance of getting lucky against a foe with high defenses.</p><p></p><p>Now, when you're high level (9+) you wouldn't really need to worry about the Concentration check or spellcasting check if you're casting a spell that's 4th level or lower, since you only fail on a natural 1.</p><p></p><p>The rules have provisions for taking more time to cast a spell with an additional bonus. If you spend 10 minutes you get a +2 bonus to a roll, and your allies can assist with a ritual by using the Aid Another rules. This allows low-level mages to still do useful things, just it takes more time.</p><p></p><p>I'm not sure if there really is a problem. At 1st level, an Attack-focused mage can use attack spells to deal 2d6 with the range of a gun, and have a 55% chance of the spell going off. Then the target gets a save. This makes magic at low level generally less useful than technology, since a pistol is much better unless the target is wearing armor or has cover.</p><p></p><p>At 5th level the Attack-focused mage can basically fire a rocket launcher, dealing 5d6 damage at medium range with a burst. Hmm.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="RangerWickett, post: 2303052, member: 63"] The power level I'm shooting for is to let spellcasters at low level (3 or less) cast only a few spells a day. At mid level (4 to 8), they can cast a few average spells, or a lot of weaker spells. At high level (9+), they can cast an unlimited number of weak spells, a lot of average spells, and a few powerful spells. The DC to cast a spell is 10 + spell level. Magical skill checks aren't modified by ability scores or things like skill focus, so basically if you max out your ranks in a skill, you're going to have a bonus of level +3. If you fail a spellcasting check, you suffer a cumulative -1 penalty to spellcasting checks until you rest. You cannot normally cast a spell of higher level than your ranks in that skill. Spell level is roughly double that of a core spell, plus 2 or 3 levels based on how powerful it is to be able to use it repeatedly, so charm person (1st level) converts to 5th level with a one-minute duration and a 30-ft. range. Right now, the 2nd level magic-user PC in my playtest game has a +5 bonus to Defend, so he can give a creature a +3 enhancement bonus to AC for 10 minutes with a 55% chance of success. This I feel is fine, because he can easily buff before combat begins, and if it doesn't work he can try again with a good chance of success. He also has a +5 bonus to Charm, which is enough for him to cast 5th level spells (equivalent to a Charm Person), with a 55% chance of success. Or he can cast something akin to Command (2nd level spell) with a 70% chance of success. The problem here, though, is that even if he rolls well, the target gets a save to resist. The rules say that if you roll a nat 20 on your spellcasting check, your target automatically fails his save, but otherwise a good roll doesn't mean anything. Worst case scenario, you have a mage being attacked in melee by a creature with spell resistance. He casts defensively (roll), then casts the spell (roll), then beats spell resistance (roll), and then the creature saves (roll). Four chances to fail the spell. A fighter only has to roll to attack once, and he has a better chance of getting lucky against a foe with high defenses. Now, when you're high level (9+) you wouldn't really need to worry about the Concentration check or spellcasting check if you're casting a spell that's 4th level or lower, since you only fail on a natural 1. The rules have provisions for taking more time to cast a spell with an additional bonus. If you spend 10 minutes you get a +2 bonus to a roll, and your allies can assist with a ritual by using the Aid Another rules. This allows low-level mages to still do useful things, just it takes more time. I'm not sure if there really is a problem. At 1st level, an Attack-focused mage can use attack spells to deal 2d6 with the range of a gun, and have a 55% chance of the spell going off. Then the target gets a save. This makes magic at low level generally less useful than technology, since a pistol is much better unless the target is wearing armor or has cover. At 5th level the Attack-focused mage can basically fire a rocket launcher, dealing 5d6 damage at medium range with a burst. Hmm. [/QUOTE]
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