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Skills, Feats, & Sanity Wizard (long)
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<blockquote data-quote="Arkhandus" data-source="post: 3310907" data-attributes="member: 13966"><p>What Primitive Screwhead meant, likely, is that the only difference between this and a pure skills-and-feats magic system is that you tied these to a specific class, rather than being open to all characters (which would require making the spell-access granted by feats rather than being granted as a class feature at 1st-level in the Magus class).</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Well, don't take my constructive criticism too hard, but I see various problems and gaps in the rules description at the very least, and some typos.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Question, are sanity point dice rolls modified by Wisdom or anything, in the same manner as Constitution modifies hit points?</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Are these Knowledge subskills or something? They aren't listed as such here, and aren't on the Magus' list of class skills. I would guess that you meant to specify these as being Knowledge skills?</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Just to note some typos, your table says Spellcraft instead of Dweomercraft, and here you list the Knowledge skill as Universal, whereas the table lists it as Universal Magic. Also, the last skill is Use Magic Device, not Use Magical Device, but you use the latter form here and on the class progression table.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>How do you expect high-level Magi to get Intelligence scores as high as 29, to learn 9th-level dweomers, let alone mid-level Magi to get Int of 21+ for 5th or higher dweomers? Even an optimized Magus with starting Intelligence of 18 would only have 21 by 12th-level (2 levels after they'd receive access to 5th-level spells), and 23 Int at 20th-level.</p><p></p><p>You're basically requiring them to get a +2 or better Headband of Intellect before 10th-level and then to wear it all the time, and somehow get a +4 HoI before 14th-level, and then a +6 HoI before 16th-level. And even then they won't actually have access to 9th-level dweomers until 20th-level, rather than 18th. Any sub-optimal Magus (starting Int of less than 18) will likely never cast 9th-level spells, nor would they be able to cast other high-level spells as soon as an optimal Magus could.</p><p></p><p>The Tomes that grant inherant mental ability bonuses require Wish or Miracle as a prerequisite to create them, if I recall correctly, and that couldn't be done until the Magus already had an Int of 29 and a class level of 18th+ (needing actually 20th-level if they don't have an ECL+X race with an Int bonus). Also, the maximum Inherant bonus is +5, which would only yield 28 Intelligence at best; a Headband of Intellect is thereby absolutely necessary regardless.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>This paragraph is flawed. You list the example DC as 33, but the table below that paragraph lists it as DC 37. Your listing of the roll includes a die roll of natural 20, +7 from ranks in Dweomercraft, +2 synergy from Knowledge (Abjuration), Intelligence score of 11, Skill Focus (Dweomercraft), and a masterwork grimoire.... But this doesn't add up properly or make sense. The table (and earlier paragraph) says that 15 Int is required to learn a 2nd-circle dweomer, not Int 11. Nowhere in your post is there any other mention of masterwork grimoires, or what they cost, or what benefit they grant.</p><p></p><p>Assuming you use 3.5 Skill Focus (+3 to the skill check), and assuming the masterwork grimoire adds +2 like a masterwork toolkit would, the total result is a check of 34, or 36 if you increase the Intelligence from 11 to 15 as it ought to be......which is still neither a 33, nor the required 37 to succeed. Furthermore, this calculation doesn't include the +2 bonus from the Magical Aptitude feat....or does your Magus assume that the Spellcraft skill is not, in fact, completely synonymous with the Dweomercraft skill? In which case, more clarification is needed. Even so, this makes the total check 36 or 38....the 38 would at least succeed, just barely, but keep in mind that this was with a natural 20 on the roll.</p><p></p><p>Further comments on this part: If the Magus fails to learn a spell through the Dweomercraft skill check, how much time is wasted in the study, and when are they allowed to try again? Does it cost any gold in the research or study when it fails, and does it cost that much again if they re-try the dweomer learning attempt later?</p><p></p><p>Why does learning 0-level dweomers incur no Sanity damage (rather than something like 1 Sanity or 1d6)? When does a Magus suffer the Sanity damage for learning the free dweomers they get at each class level? Does the Magus need to roll checks to learn those dweomers, too?</p><p></p><p>Also, how do you expect Magi to succeed at the required Dweomercraft checks when they seem to need a natural 17, 18, 19, or 20 (depending on Int score) to have any chance of success at all? Why does the set of check DCs to learn new dweomers have no logical pattern to it (a mix of 6, 3, and 5 point increases to the DC, without a solid pattern; it varies in the number of 3-point increases between each 5-point increase, plus the 0-circle DC is 6 points lower than the 1st-circle DC)?</p><p></p><p>Let's see what a 20th-level Magus could do when trying to learn his or her first 9th-circle dweomer..... DC to learn is 64, according to your chart. 23 ranks in Dweomercraft, +3 Skill Focus, +2 Magical Aptitude, +2 synergy from Knowledge (whichever college of magic the dweomer is from), +9 Intelligence (from the required 29 Int, coming from base 18, +5 from level advancement, +6 from a Headband of Intellect). That's a total bonus of +39. Even with a natural 20 on the roll, it'd be a result of 59, still 5 points short. Boosting the Intelligence to maximum for a human, 34, by adding a +5 Tome of Clear Thought (although it'd be bloody expensive and rarer than a snowflake in the Elemental Plane of Fire, given this class' set-up and all).....it'd still be 2 points short of the DC. Problem.</p><p> </p><p></p><p></p><p>A note, this seems like the required roll would be ridiculously easy for most Magi who have enough ranks and bonuses on Dweomercraft, to actually learn the dweomer in the first place (since that DC is rather much higher).</p><p></p><p>Question, why does having the grimoire open help with this? Also, do they need to prepare their spells beforehand, and is there any limit to that if so? If not, then shouldn't they probably already require checking the grimoire every single time they cast a spell, for lack of complete memorization (I hardly think that a human could store all the complex formulae, equations, components/reagents, symbols, and other stuff for every single spell they may store in their grimoires over the years......especially since there seems to be no limit, as with a Wizard, but Wizards have their prepared spell slot limits....)?</p><p></p><p>Furthermore, does it take any time/actions/rounds to open the grimoire to the right pages or anything, and would it provoke attacks of opportunity? If so, what type of action, or how many rounds, would be required? ALSO......does the bonus from a masterwork grimoire add to this, in addition to the circumstances bonus? Seeing as you have no mention of what exactly a MW grimoire does/costs......</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I assume that Divination specialists only need to choose one prohibited school? You don't specify here if Magi are required to specialize, or not. You also don't specify if these three particular specialist choices are the only ones available (i.e. are Enchantment specialists impossible? Are Abjuration specialists impossible?). Also: where'd you get the term Nigromauncer from? I don't recognize it myself, so it's odd to me.</p><p></p><p>Further: Keep in mind that 3.5E added a lot of offensive Conjuration spells to the wizard/sorcerer spell list. Dunno how many are in the Spell Compendium itself, but.... The Orb spells from Complete Arcane at least would be troublesome (they originated in Tome & Blood for 3.0E, but back then, they allowed saving throws and required touch attack rolls). In any case, banning Magi from Evocation while leaving Conjuration in place seems odd, since Conjuration is nearly as much of a blow-lots-of-stuff-to-smaller-and-smaller-smithereens school as Evocation these days.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Arkhandus, post: 3310907, member: 13966"] What Primitive Screwhead meant, likely, is that the only difference between this and a pure skills-and-feats magic system is that you tied these to a specific class, rather than being open to all characters (which would require making the spell-access granted by feats rather than being granted as a class feature at 1st-level in the Magus class). Well, don't take my constructive criticism too hard, but I see various problems and gaps in the rules description at the very least, and some typos. Question, are sanity point dice rolls modified by Wisdom or anything, in the same manner as Constitution modifies hit points? Are these Knowledge subskills or something? They aren't listed as such here, and aren't on the Magus' list of class skills. I would guess that you meant to specify these as being Knowledge skills? Just to note some typos, your table says Spellcraft instead of Dweomercraft, and here you list the Knowledge skill as Universal, whereas the table lists it as Universal Magic. Also, the last skill is Use Magic Device, not Use Magical Device, but you use the latter form here and on the class progression table. How do you expect high-level Magi to get Intelligence scores as high as 29, to learn 9th-level dweomers, let alone mid-level Magi to get Int of 21+ for 5th or higher dweomers? Even an optimized Magus with starting Intelligence of 18 would only have 21 by 12th-level (2 levels after they'd receive access to 5th-level spells), and 23 Int at 20th-level. You're basically requiring them to get a +2 or better Headband of Intellect before 10th-level and then to wear it all the time, and somehow get a +4 HoI before 14th-level, and then a +6 HoI before 16th-level. And even then they won't actually have access to 9th-level dweomers until 20th-level, rather than 18th. Any sub-optimal Magus (starting Int of less than 18) will likely never cast 9th-level spells, nor would they be able to cast other high-level spells as soon as an optimal Magus could. The Tomes that grant inherant mental ability bonuses require Wish or Miracle as a prerequisite to create them, if I recall correctly, and that couldn't be done until the Magus already had an Int of 29 and a class level of 18th+ (needing actually 20th-level if they don't have an ECL+X race with an Int bonus). Also, the maximum Inherant bonus is +5, which would only yield 28 Intelligence at best; a Headband of Intellect is thereby absolutely necessary regardless. This paragraph is flawed. You list the example DC as 33, but the table below that paragraph lists it as DC 37. Your listing of the roll includes a die roll of natural 20, +7 from ranks in Dweomercraft, +2 synergy from Knowledge (Abjuration), Intelligence score of 11, Skill Focus (Dweomercraft), and a masterwork grimoire.... But this doesn't add up properly or make sense. The table (and earlier paragraph) says that 15 Int is required to learn a 2nd-circle dweomer, not Int 11. Nowhere in your post is there any other mention of masterwork grimoires, or what they cost, or what benefit they grant. Assuming you use 3.5 Skill Focus (+3 to the skill check), and assuming the masterwork grimoire adds +2 like a masterwork toolkit would, the total result is a check of 34, or 36 if you increase the Intelligence from 11 to 15 as it ought to be......which is still neither a 33, nor the required 37 to succeed. Furthermore, this calculation doesn't include the +2 bonus from the Magical Aptitude feat....or does your Magus assume that the Spellcraft skill is not, in fact, completely synonymous with the Dweomercraft skill? In which case, more clarification is needed. Even so, this makes the total check 36 or 38....the 38 would at least succeed, just barely, but keep in mind that this was with a natural 20 on the roll. Further comments on this part: If the Magus fails to learn a spell through the Dweomercraft skill check, how much time is wasted in the study, and when are they allowed to try again? Does it cost any gold in the research or study when it fails, and does it cost that much again if they re-try the dweomer learning attempt later? Why does learning 0-level dweomers incur no Sanity damage (rather than something like 1 Sanity or 1d6)? When does a Magus suffer the Sanity damage for learning the free dweomers they get at each class level? Does the Magus need to roll checks to learn those dweomers, too? Also, how do you expect Magi to succeed at the required Dweomercraft checks when they seem to need a natural 17, 18, 19, or 20 (depending on Int score) to have any chance of success at all? Why does the set of check DCs to learn new dweomers have no logical pattern to it (a mix of 6, 3, and 5 point increases to the DC, without a solid pattern; it varies in the number of 3-point increases between each 5-point increase, plus the 0-circle DC is 6 points lower than the 1st-circle DC)? Let's see what a 20th-level Magus could do when trying to learn his or her first 9th-circle dweomer..... DC to learn is 64, according to your chart. 23 ranks in Dweomercraft, +3 Skill Focus, +2 Magical Aptitude, +2 synergy from Knowledge (whichever college of magic the dweomer is from), +9 Intelligence (from the required 29 Int, coming from base 18, +5 from level advancement, +6 from a Headband of Intellect). That's a total bonus of +39. Even with a natural 20 on the roll, it'd be a result of 59, still 5 points short. Boosting the Intelligence to maximum for a human, 34, by adding a +5 Tome of Clear Thought (although it'd be bloody expensive and rarer than a snowflake in the Elemental Plane of Fire, given this class' set-up and all).....it'd still be 2 points short of the DC. Problem. A note, this seems like the required roll would be ridiculously easy for most Magi who have enough ranks and bonuses on Dweomercraft, to actually learn the dweomer in the first place (since that DC is rather much higher). Question, why does having the grimoire open help with this? Also, do they need to prepare their spells beforehand, and is there any limit to that if so? If not, then shouldn't they probably already require checking the grimoire every single time they cast a spell, for lack of complete memorization (I hardly think that a human could store all the complex formulae, equations, components/reagents, symbols, and other stuff for every single spell they may store in their grimoires over the years......especially since there seems to be no limit, as with a Wizard, but Wizards have their prepared spell slot limits....)? Furthermore, does it take any time/actions/rounds to open the grimoire to the right pages or anything, and would it provoke attacks of opportunity? If so, what type of action, or how many rounds, would be required? ALSO......does the bonus from a masterwork grimoire add to this, in addition to the circumstances bonus? Seeing as you have no mention of what exactly a MW grimoire does/costs...... I assume that Divination specialists only need to choose one prohibited school? You don't specify here if Magi are required to specialize, or not. You also don't specify if these three particular specialist choices are the only ones available (i.e. are Enchantment specialists impossible? Are Abjuration specialists impossible?). Also: where'd you get the term Nigromauncer from? I don't recognize it myself, so it's odd to me. Further: Keep in mind that 3.5E added a lot of offensive Conjuration spells to the wizard/sorcerer spell list. Dunno how many are in the Spell Compendium itself, but.... The Orb spells from Complete Arcane at least would be troublesome (they originated in Tome & Blood for 3.0E, but back then, they allowed saving throws and required touch attack rolls). In any case, banning Magi from Evocation while leaving Conjuration in place seems odd, since Conjuration is nearly as much of a blow-lots-of-stuff-to-smaller-and-smaller-smithereens school as Evocation these days. [/QUOTE]
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