Warmage, Dread Necromancer, and Beguiler as Preparation Casters?

[airwalkrr]

I have thought a lot about these classes recently, and I am at an impasse. While I really like the flavor behind the classes, I am not really fond of the spontaneous magic system as it works for them. Spontaneous casters are traditionally recognized as having some innate talent or personal understanding of magic, whereas the flavor for these classes makes them seem more like a specialist wizard (i.e. they study magic but only limited forms).

So I propose the following house rule: the warmage, dread necromancer, and beguiler are basically variant wizard specialists who must prohibit more schools than usual. The warmage must specialize in evocation and is allowed to prohibit divination, but he must prohibit four other schools of magic. The dread necromancer must specialize in necromancy and is also allowed to prohibit divination, but he must prohibit four other schools of magic. The beguiler must specialize in illusion or enchantment and may not prohibit divination, illusion, or enchantment, but he must prohibit only three schools of magic.

Their spells per day is determined as if they were wizards and their spellcasting is based on Intelligence. The adaptive learning class feature is removed from all classes.

Does anyone have any adjustments they would suggest or changes to the general rule? Any reason to think it is overpowered or underpowered relative to the classes in question?

 

[Felon]

The second you eliminate spontaneous spellcasting from the warmage, you may as well throw it out. The dreadneck and beguiler have enough class features going for them that spell preparation doesn't undermine them too badly, but spontaneity is the warmage's chief asset.

What's that you say? d6 hit dice? The wizard casts false life and more than makes up the difference.

Armored Mage you say? The wizard can get by with mage armor until he can get his hands on a twilight mithril chain shirt (0% ASF). As for a shield, a masterwork buckler is affordable even on a 1st-level wizard's salary. If the 5% ASF truly proves to be a hassle, spend 1,165 gp on a mithril one when you get a chance.

Throw in Scribe Scrolls and other bonus feats, and factor in all those spells the wizard will get that the warmage won't, and I think it's safe to say that Warmage Edge gets edged out.

The wizard is a little more nuanced than the other classes (who here didn't know about false life compensating for 1d4 hit dice?), which is why the other classes exist in the first place. If the only reason to do away with spontaneous casting is that it doesn't "feel" appropriate, then I recommend modifying those feelings

 

[airwalkrr]

To tell the truth, my "feelings," as you put it, are not the only reason why I dislike the classes. I have a twofold problem with their spell lists. They are at once both too big and too restrictive. For a spontaneous caster, they have too many spells on their list. However, their spells, by and large, do the same thing. This makes the characters very one dimensional and marginalizes their usefulness to a party. I'm not saying they are useless. The warmage can blow up stuff like nobody's business and the beguiler is never out of ways to charm people. But when it comes right down to it, a wizard with the same spell selection can do the exact same thing. The catch is that the wizard can also have a spell selection that lets him be a totally different kind of caster. A wizard with vast spellbooks can be the necromancer, the warmage, or the beguiler, and all that he lacks is spontaneity, which, it terms of potential power, does very little to help the character. Spontaneous casters are easy for new players to play, but those experienced in playing spellcasters know how to prepare the right spells and gain little from the ability to choose what they cast on the fly, especially when their spell list is so limited.

This brings up another thing I had intended to include in my original post but apparently forgot to. Why not make these three classes TRUE specialists by giving them access to ALL spells of a given school, not just sorcerer/wizard ones and a handful of others? For instance, the dread necromancer gets animate dead at 3rd level like a cleric. A warmage can cast searing light and sound burst. A beguiler can cast modify memory and song of discord. And so on. A dread necromancer can cast any spell of the necromancy school or any spell with the fear descriptor and can cast it at the lowest possible level for the spell. A warmage can cast any evocation or any spell with an energy or force descriptor and can cast it at the lowest level possible for the spell. A beguiler can cast any illusion or enchantment at the lowest possible level for the spell. I think that would make the classes much better, more versatile, while at the same time preserving their flavor.

 

[Fat Daddy]

To tell the truth, my "feelings," as you put it, are not the only reason why I dislike the classes. I have a twofold problem with their spell lists. They are at once both too big and too restrictive. For a spontaneous caster, they have too many spells on their list. However, their spells, by and large, do the same thing. This makes the characters very one dimensional and marginalizes their usefulness to a party. I'm not saying they are useless. The warmage can blow up stuff like nobody's business and the beguiler is never out of ways to charm people. But when it comes right down to it, a wizard with the same spell selection can do the exact same thing. The catch is that the wizard can also have a spell selection that lets him be a totally different kind of caster. A wizard with vast spellbooks can be the necromancer, the warmage, or the beguiler, and all that he lacks is spontaneity, which, it terms of potential power, does very little to help the character. Spontaneous casters are easy for new players to play, but those experienced in playing spellcasters know how to prepare the right spells and gain little from the ability to choose what they cast on the fly, especially when their spell list is so limited.

Airwalkrr, I agree that the wizard can be any of those things if he prepares the proper spells ahead of time. However, that is the argument I would use to keep them spontaneous casters. That is their balancing factor (if you will) they DON'T have the versatility of the wizard, but what they can do, they can do without worrying about which spells to prepare.

This brings up another thing I had intended to include in my original post but apparently forgot to. Why not make these three classes TRUE specialists by giving them access to ALL spells of a given school, not just sorcerer/wizard ones and a handful of others? For instance, the dread necromancer gets animate dead at 3rd level like a cleric. A warmage can cast searing light and sound burst. A beguiler can cast modify memory and song of discord. And so on. A dread necromancer can cast any spell of the necromancy school or any spell with the fear descriptor and can cast it at the lowest possible level for the spell. A warmage can cast any evocation or any spell with an energy or force descriptor and can cast it at the lowest level possible for the spell. A beguiler can cast any illusion or enchantment at the lowest possible level for the spell. I think that would make the classes much better, more versatile, while at the same time preserving their flavor.

I really like this idea. The only part of it I would question is giving them the spells at the lowest possible level. I would like to see perhaps a little more thought go into it than that. You are expanding their spell lists and giving them access to many more spells, and by also saying you now get spell X as a level 2 instead of level 3 seems like it could be unbalancing. Of course, this also under the assumption that they remain spontaneous casters. JMHO

 

[Felon]

As-is, the classes are simple and straightforward, which to a large extent is the very point of them. The advanced learning class feature is intended to both expand the class's spell list and to lend a degree of individuality to each individual member of the class. The Eclectic Learning variant option from the PHBII allows them to learn spells from outside their specialty.