[Unearthed Arcana] How many Optional Rules have you Incorporated?

[Laman Stahros]

Alot of UA material planned (but not yet executed) for my upcoming campaign.

Battle sorcerer replacing standard sorcerer.
"Paths" (aka domains) for sorcerers

Nell.

Are you combining the battle sorcerer variant with the domain wizard variant?

 

[Impeesa]

Well, our current game started just before we got access to UA, so we're only using the stuff I've specifically requested - my character has Paladin of Freedom levels, and has bought off his level adjustment with XP, so I voted for those two. I can see us using a lot of the others from the early chapters if someone asked, just nobody has yet.

--Impeesa--

 

[Nellisir]

Are you combining the battle sorcerer variant with the domain wizard variant?

Essentially, yes. And giving wizards spontaneous casting, as per the sidebar on page ... something.

(Needless to say, balance questions are giving me a hiccups -- both classes are mutating into something far beyond their original specs. It is fun, though.)

I'm creating path lists for the sorcerer using spells from non-core material. Spells are comparable in power to core spells, but generally more distinctive. I'm hoping it'll make the sorcerers feel a little less generic.

In the original concept, sorcerers were linked to one path by birth, and a second by choice. My current dilemmas revolves around how many spells should the sorcerer know, should those spells include her path spells, how many spells should she be able to cast, and should she gain bonus castings using her path spells?

Secondarily, does spontaneous casting of prepared spells by the wizard erode too much of the sorcerer's distinctiveness (even with the battle sorcerer changeover), and would making all wizards specialists even things out? That's not a solution I'm wild about, btw.

Sorcerer changes (so far)
- d8 hp
- BAB as cleric
- Improved weapon selection
- Light armor allowed
- Arcane Armor (light) bonus feat (-15% spell failure penalty in light armor)
- bonus spells from paths.
- Metamagic mastery (using the 3x/day spontaneous metamagic UA variant, sorcerers get a +1 bonus to viable spell levels)
- pruned spell list

(this sorcerer resembles a bard, but with poorer skills, saves, and armor-wearing capability, but better spells, familiars, and metamagic).

Wizard changes (so far)
- d6 hp (I upped alot of classes)
- spontaneous casting of prepared spells (or spontaneous casting of a favored school?)
- Improved Counterspell at 1st level
- Spontaneous dispel magic at 5th level
- Spontaneous greater dispel magic at 11th level

I dunno. I've been letting it all sit quietly for a little while, and working out divine classes instead.

Cheers
Nell.

 

[fredramsey]

I find the Level Independent XP awards to be great. I have a software program I wrote to handle combat, and it calculates the XP based on the CR of the opponent when I add it to the "kills" list.

My current campaign is kind of an over the top, good versus big icky evil, so rapid advancement is Ok. The next campaign I will probably be cutting the XP awards in half to slow down advancement. But the way of doing XP from Unearthed Arcana is great, IMHO, compared to calculating it per the PHB.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

My campaign, if it ever starts, will include:

* Celestial, demon, devil, and elemental bloodlines
* Daily uses spontaneous metamagic
* Cloistered cleric, urban ranger, wilderness rogue, thug, and (some of the) totem barbarians

 

[Laman Stahros]

Essentially, yes. And giving wizards spontaneous casting, as per the sidebar on page ... something.

Aahh, HR: Daily Spell List on page 153. Definitely adds versitility to the wizard.

(Needless to say, balance questions are giving me a hiccups -- both classes are mutating into something far beyond their original specs. It is fun, though.)

I'm creating path lists for the sorcerer using spells from non-core material. Spells are comparable in power to core spells, but generally more distinctive. I'm hoping it'll make the sorcerers feel a little less generic.

In the original concept, sorcerers were linked to one path by birth, and a second by choice. My current dilemmas revolves around how many spells should the sorcerer know, should those spells include her path spells, how many spells should she be able to cast, and should she gain bonus castings using her path spells?

If the path lists are like the Domain lists given for the Domain Wizard, then I would suggest giving the path spells as extra spells - over and above their normal number of spells known.

Secondarily, does spontaneous casting of prepared spells by the wizard erode too much of the sorcerer's distinctiveness (even with the battle sorcerer changeover), and would making all wizards specialists even things out? That's not a solution I'm wild about, btw.

Well, anytime you make two groups use similar methods, distinctiveness can be lost. Maybe, based on the sidebar your using for wizards, leave the sorcerer's spells/day alone (battle sorcerer loses one spell/day per spell level) or, as the sidebar says, add one spell/day per spell level. On the other hand that might be too much. oh well, just a thought.

Sorcerer changes (so far)
- d8 hp
- BAB as cleric
- Improved weapon selection
- Light armor allowed
- Arcane Armor (light) bonus feat (-15% spell failure penalty in light armor)
- bonus spells from paths.
- Metamagic mastery (using the 3x/day spontaneous metamagic UA variant, sorcerers get a +1 bonus to viable spell levels)
- pruned spell list

(this sorcerer resembles a bard, but with poorer skills, saves, and armor-wearing capability, but better spells, familiars, and metamagic).

Wizard changes (so far)
- d6 hp (I upped alot of classes)
- spontaneous casting of prepared spells (or spontaneous casting of a favored school?)
- Improved Counterspell at 1st level
- Spontaneous dispel magic at 5th level
- Spontaneous greater dispel magic at 11th level

I dunno. I've been letting it all sit quietly for a little while, and working out divine classes instead.

Cheers
Nell.

Sounds interesting, overall. Do you see alot of counterspelling in your games? In all the 3e games I've played, the wizards/sorcerers/clerics hate the idea of wasting spells to block the enemy casters ("If I cast a spell at him, then he won't be alive to cast at us!").

Hope you don't mind my suggestions, good luck and have fun.