Specialization Redesigned

[Darren Ravenshaw]

Specialization: Wizards who choose to specialize in a school of magic gain the following benefits.

Specialist can prepare one additional spell of his speciality school per spell level each day.

Specialist gains a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks involving spells from their speciality school.

All spells from the specialist school gain either a +1 to their DC if they allow a non-harmless save, or a +1 to their effective caster level for determining variable, numeric effects if the spell has no save.

At each new wizard level, the specialist gain 3 new spells of any spell level or levels that he can cast, but at least one of the spells must be from the specialist’s school.

The specialist also suffers the following disadvantages.

They must choose 2 schools of magic as opposed schools.

The specialist suffers a -8 penalty on Spellcraft checks involving spells from these schools.

Spells from these schools have a spell level 1 higher then normal for the specialist. These spells have a caster level of 2 lower than the specialist’s caster level and the save DC is 2 lower than normal if the spell allows a save. If the spell has no save the caster level is 4 lower then normal.

The specialist can only learn a number of spells per spell level from his opposed schools equal to half his Intelligence modifier(round down).

For spells from all other schools the specialist suffers a -2 on any Spellcraft checks and a -1 to their DC if they allow a non-harmless save, or a -1 to their effective caster level for determining variable, numeric effects if the spell has no save.

Spell Focus is allowed to spellcasters of 3rd level or higher and grants a +1 to the DC of spells if they allow a non-harmless save, or a +1 to their effective caster level for determining variable, numeric effects if the spell has no save
to spells from the chosen school.

Greater Spell Focus is only allowed to specialist of 9th level or higher. It grants a +1 to DC of spells if they allow a non-harmless save, or a +1 to their effective caster level for determining variable, numeric effects if the spell has no save. It also grants a +1 bonus to caster level checks to over come spell resistance.

Thoughts, Comments, Ideas?

 

[Technik4]

Its long been said that the generalist is stronger than the specialist, your proposed changes seem to make that more true. While it would be, perhaps, more fun to play such a confined mage, I don't think you would get many volunteers, the bennies hardly justify the losses.

A generalist casts a fireball, DC X. An evoker under your changes casts the same spell, at DC X+1, possibly +2 <if> she has taken a feat. Oh and she has huge problems identifying and casting spells from 2 schools of magic. The evoker has managed to write a few more spells for free than the generalist but her opposed schools will almost never make up those spells.

It seems to be close to what shadow weave is like in the realms, maybe its just a mechanic don't personally like. Too many rules to keep track of, I like it the way it is in 3.0, banned from schools, more schools banned based on your spec.

Technik

 

[Verequus]

In general, I agree with Technik4, alone the -8 penalty is a huge disadvantage. I've never seen in the core rules such a stiff penalty, except when firing into melee, and that situation was the stacking of two -4 penalties.

Another thing, what I don't like, is the disallowance of feats for non-specialists. That's something like Weapon Specialization for the Fighter - you can have it, if you have the right class. (My personal believe is contrary - you can have it, if you train for it. No wonder, that I trashed the core magic system and use Elements of Magic Revised exclusively.) I know, that it should strengthen the specialist, but actually you weaken the whole multiclassing concept - while even a generalist could multiclass to fighter for Weapon Specialization, he can't multiclass with a specialist.

 

[Merlion]

I like it overall, but the penalties with other schools are a bit stiff. I also think seperating the save DC and caster level bonuses is unwieldy. Just give them +1 caster level and +1 to save DCs with spells of their school, and -1 DC and caster level with spells of oposed schools, and limit not the spells known, but spells prepared of oposition schools..something like that no more than half your prepared spells of a given spell level can be of an oposed school.

 

[Elrik_DarkFury]

Too many brand new penalties when the existing ones for specialists where more than enough.
Thus ,it is very unlikely that anyone would play this.
(except of course,me)

_____________
The Wizard

 

[DreamChaser]

It is, in my opinion, an ineligant system. There are too many layers of rules to explain a thing that should be (and has been in 3.x so far) pretty simple.

If you could take the same concept but require only half as much space to explain it, I might go for it.

DC