Why is Arcane Spell Failure a "Sacred Cow".

[Uller]

Why is everyone stuck on feats? Especially ones that fail to equal the already existant still spell?

Just make a new skill called Armor Compensation that subtracts it's ranks from your ASF. No overlap with concentration, means the character must still pay precious skill points, if not the much more dear feats.

-Andor

It's possible. I considered having a skill that would give a chance to reduce the ASF. Maybe DC = 10+spell level. Roll d20 + Amored Casting skill. Subtract the DC and that is what you get to reduce your ASF by...

For instace...let's say your skill bonus is +7 and you are casting a 3rd level spell(DC 13). You roll a 19. Subtrace the DC and you have a 6. So you can reduce your ASF by 6. Adjust the DC to make casting harder or easier as desired...however, I think the extra rolling and complexity makes it not worth it compared to the feats solution.

 

[Uller]

All I'm saying is that I don't think changing certain rules or "sacred cows" that have been around a long time is the way to go here. I mean while were at it why don't we make the restriction on a Paladin "any good" instead of just Lawful Good?

Instead of going the route your on right now, couldn't you (as the DM, I'm assuming) simply make an Armor Magical Ability called Ease, which reduces spell failure, and have it broken up into 3 stages like Fortification?

Fair enough. I thought of that. In fact, for a one shot adventure I'm running I am allowing a character to do just that. I counted it as a +1 bonus for each 5% of ASF reduced. I like the feat idea better, though. In either case, you are providing another way around the ASF mechanic.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

The difficulty with creating such a skill is that you would radically change the balance between multi-classed wizards and multiclassed sorcerors.

Wizards have enough skillpoints to keep Spellcraft, Concentration, Knowledge, Your New Anti-Armor Failure Skill, and several others maxed out.

Most sorcerors scrape to get concentration and one or two other skills to halfway decent levels. Adding a new essential skill into the mix would probably be too much for most sorcerors' meager supply of skill points to take.

Consequently, you'd see many more fighter/wizards than fighter/sorcerors.

It's possible. I considered having a skill that would give a chance to reduce the ASF. Maybe DC = 10+spell level. Roll d20 + Amored Casting skill. Subtract the DC and that is what you get to reduce your ASF by...

For instace...let's say your skill bonus is +7 and you are casting a 3rd level spell(DC 13). You roll a 19. Subtrace the DC and you have a 6. So you can reduce your ASF by 6. Adjust the DC to make casting harder or easier as desired...however, I think the extra rolling and complexity makes it not worth it compared to the feats solution.

 

[Oxidor Trucidel]

I think it is a sacred cow issue, both in fantasy and D&D history, But also so that clerics have something to them niche wise. Arcane casters can not cure or cast in armor, why? so that clerics can have something that is only theirs. If you have a sorcerer fighter in platemail casting detect magic and light, well then you are a cleric equivalent but not religious.

Flavor wise, clerics and divine magic cheats, and armor causes failure for somatic components similar to skill check penalties. Why cleric somatic components are not affected is a glaring inconsistency.

Just for the fun, when I used "Skill and Powers" in AD&D2, I created a "cleric" who cast the 8 magic schools instead of clerical sphères... he had just enough points to buy all the schools... and if I drop a school, I can take Healing and an other clerical sphere...

That's an extremely powerfull wizard... but his name is cleric.