Universal Spontaneous Casting?

[Elder-Basilisk]

Danger Will Robinson!

When considering this option, keep in mind that you don't just have spellcasting classes to worry about in terms of balance. It may be that you can increase the sorceror's spells known (in my experience, sorcerors rarely run out of spell slots) to make up for wizards spontaneously casting (of course, you might want to decrease the cost for wizards to learn spells then since if you signficantly increase a sorceror's spells known, he will actually know more spells than the wizard). You also power up bards (probably with more spells per day--making them sorcerors with an inferior spell list and limited advancement capability) and clerics (with spontaneous casting).

Where does that leave the fighter, barbarian, rogue and monk? Everyone else just got a lot more powerful but they stayed the same. So, even though your magical classes may be balanced in relation to each other, they'd now be overpowered in relation to the non-magical classes.

This might or might not be a problem for your campaign. But be prepared to do something if all of a sudden the fighters and rogues are just placeholders to keep the monsters away from the all powerful wizards and sorcerors (you said your players don't play clerics).

 

[drowdude]

Re: Danger Will Robinson!

When considering this option, keep in mind that you don't just have spellcasting classes to worry about in terms of balance. It may be that you can increase the sorceror's spells known (in my experience, sorcerors rarely run out of spell slots) to make up for wizards spontaneously casting (of course, you might want to decrease the cost for wizards to learn spells then since if you signficantly increase a sorceror's spells known, he will actually know more spells than the wizard).

I agree that more spells known would serve a sorcerer much better than additional spells per day.

We have already reduced the cost by 50%, perhaps a further reduction to 25% would be in order if I were to implement universal spontaneous casting...

Where does that leave the fighter, barbarian, rogue and monk?

I dont think this would be a major issue for monks or rogues IMC, but your point is well taken with regards to fighters and (to a lesser extent) barbs.

 

[Thorvald Kviksverd]

Sovereign Stone has a magic system that might be worth checking out.

Something I do in my Basic D&D campaign :

A Magic-User may cast on the fly by expending an unused spell slot, and any spell that it may have been used to prepare. The INT required to successfully cast, with no additional chance of spell failure, is (18+Spell Level)--the additional chance of failure, if any, is +5% per point of INT below this requirement. (Note: The spell slot, and any relevant spell, must be sacrificed before rolling for spell failure.)

You may want to increase the 18 slightly if using this option in 3e, since ability scores are easier to raise.

This makes room for a lot of interesting decisions and situations...

--The Wizard can choose to forego a "sure thing" in order to attempt a more appropriate spell.

--He may have badly miscalculated the opposition, and be reduced to casting chancy spells while in great peril.

--His spell books may be unavailable, lost, or stolen--and he has to rely on an imperfect memory until such time as he can return to his library, find them, or replace them.

--He may be self-taught or a maverick--getting by without ever relying on spell books. (As with the current Sorcerer--though perhaps you'd want to confer some additional benefit upon a Wizard who, for roleplaying reasons, chose to forego memorization/preparation altogether.)

 

[drowdude]

Thanks for the reply Thorvald.

I will make an effort to get ahold of a copy of Soverign Stone soon. I have heard some good stuff about it thusfar and if it has a workable alt.magic system that is all the better!

I like your system. It has a nice level of give & take to it.

 

[drowdude]

Anyone else have any useful insight here?

 

[twjensen]

One other option

One of the rumors about sorcerers was that they could learn a spell if you cast it at them. This was pre-anything 3e being actually released, BTW.

If you add this back in, say at DC 25 + spell level (spellcraft check), then the sorcerers start being cool again even if Wizards, etc. all cast like sorcerers.

(There are obvious reasons why this power didn't make it into the final game, if it was ever there at all. Point is, that if you give power back to Wizards / Clerics, this is one of the serious rules options discussed for sorcerers at one point.)

 

[Thorvald Kviksverd]

Drowdude--

Speaking of Sovereign Stone...

I was in the game store today and noticed that there is a supplement out for this setting dedicated solely to the magic system--and it's about as thick as the campaign book itself!

I didn't look too closely, but there seem to be rules for creating spells, having battle mages, and all around general tweaking of the system.

I think it's called Codex (something-or-other).

Anyway, it looked like something you might be interested in.

 

[drowdude]

Re: One other option

Wow. That would be truly insane.

I immediately envisioned a high-level sorcerer paying off wizards to just unload their full arsenal of spells on them...