Wizards of High Sorcery work in progress

[Cam Banks]

The milestone mechanic is a good one to build off because it also encourages not resting immediately. Especially when you've just given someone a reason that certain days matter to them and others don't, that's reasonable.

Correct. And I don't want to jump into design with the assumption that the rules as presented are wrong. I'm working on the assumption that people will be using them, and I'm encouraging people to do so.

One nice thing about restoring the daily is that it feels more interesting than a static bonus. My concern is primarily around power.

I had considered the notion of getting back a utility power, and leaving the option for getting a daily attack power back to times of grand conjunctions (such as the Night of the Eye, when all three moons are aligned). That makes those occasions pretty special. Utility powers reflect an area of wizardry that can always do with more flex, and so if it's "get a utility power back after a milestone" for High Sanction and "can't use a utility power until you reach a milestone" the power balance might be better addressed.

Now, to take an entirely different tact - what if you did it something like expanded spellbook and said that the wizard had access to more spells during high sanction and less during low?

In 3.5, we set about providing the players who took the WoHS prestige class with a number of benefits, from a bonus to Knowledge (arcana) and Spellcraft just by being WoHS, to better research and lab access, and so forth. Expanded Spellbook sounds like a good thing for any mage to have, so I feel comfortable leaving it as it is and having them make decisions based on the existing feats. For instance, why come up with an all-new power or ability that does what a feat like Spell Focus does? They can take Spell Focus and be done with it.

Though none of those really affect a mage not adventuring, but neither does almost anything.

Right. I'm not really all that concerned with the mages who are sitting back in their Tower doing nothing. They get some minor benefits but that's about it, and really, that's cool with me.

Cheers,
Cam

 

[keterys]

I think I'd be tempted to do the following:

Lunar Influence: When you pass the Test, whether or not you take the Mage of the Robes multiclass feat, you become attuned with the phases of your patron moon. When your moon is full (High Sanction) your power increases, though when it is new (Low Sanction) the opposite is true. Once a day, when under the influence of your moon in High Sanction, you regain the use of a single wizard utility power upon reaching your first milestone. In addition, you gain a +2 bonus to Arcana to detect magic or perform rituals. If your moon is in Low Sanction, you are unable to use one of your prepared wizard utility powers until you reach your first milestone, and take a -2 penalty to Arcana to detect magic or perform rituals.

Which also affects non-adventuring mages and gives people reasons to do powerful rituals during High Sanction.

I'd put rules for the Night of the Eye on its own, it's rare enough.

That said, I will note that you're giving all wizards a bonus (with whichever version we're talking about) - which is what the moons did in 3rd too, mind you, but it's worth noting. You could make it so the cooler effects require the feat to really work.

 

[Cam Banks]

Here's the current version of the multiclass feat for the Wizard of High Sorcery.

Mage of the Robes
[Multiclass High Sorcerer]
Prerequisites: Arcane power source, Ritual Caster feat
Benefit: Your survival of the Test of High Sorcery and admission into the Orders has parted the veil on many secrets. You qualify for the Novice Power, Acolyte Power, and Adept Power feats (from the Player’s Handbook), treating High Sorcerer as the class into which you have multiclassed. Depending on your Order, you gain an additional benefit from the list below.
• Solinari’s Protection: When you use an encounter spell, you gain a +1 bonus to your defenses until the end of your next turn.
• Lunitari’s Mystery: When you use an encounter spell, you gain concealment from the target or targets of that spell until the end of your next turn.
• Nuitari’s Ambition: When you use an encounter spell, you gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls with your spells until the end of your next turn.

 

[Irda Ranger]

Curse you, EN World post eater!!

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I'm using the Spellscarred from the FR Player's Guide as inspiration for handling the Wizards of High Sorcery from Dragonlance. Essentially, there's a feat you take when you pass the Test, and anybody who passes the Test becomes affected by the phases of the moons. Multiclass power swap feats allow access to new powers based on the mage's Order (Black, Red, White). This also keeps mages in Dragonlance focused on being a WoHS, since you can't multiclass into more than one "class."

I like it. I'm working on a slightly different system which is similar to the various implement mastery rules (Wand vs. Staff, etc. (this would allow for multiclassing into 'real' classes)), but this is a neat approach.

Once a day ... you regain the use of a single daily power upon reaching your first milestone.

What if you haven't used your Daily yet? How about "Once per day you can use an Action Point to refresh an Encounter or Daily Attack or Utility."

High Sanction: AP to Refresh, -1 Saves, +5 Arcana for Rituals.

Low Sanction: +1 Saves, -5 Arcana for Rituals.

(The Arcana bonus/penalty is so non-adventuring mages also get something. I'd also just say that the Night of the Eye gives a +10 to Arcana for all orders and leave the rest alone. The Night of the Eye always seemed more like a time for the "big guns" rituals, rather than fight night.)

Black Robes are supposed to gain power quicker, while the White Robes are supposed to take the slower route, but be more powerful in the end. I believe that's how DLA presents it, at least.

That's how I remember it too. DLA's solution though was to advance spell level access at different rates, which runs against the grain for 4E class design (unless you restrict Black Robes to NPCs, in which case it would be fine since they'd be "monsters" and allowed to advance differently than PCs). I don't think there's a way to really allow for "more powerful" and "balanced" at the same time.

 

[keterys]

I like that a lot, Cam (the multiclass feat)

I really dislike having saves affected by the moons, though. Just something that doesn't result in being affected by a power for the entire combat when combined with an Orb please

Actually, having just wrapped up a 3 year campaign... I think I'd prefer if it were almost entirely flavor so it were easy to ignore for large stretches of time (I had spreadsheets of the calendars with what moon it was as events happened, but the mage player got a lot of flak for having to track a schedule and wanting them to wait a day or two here and there, etc). So, a bonus/penalty to arcana for rituals... and sure, spend an AP to recharge a utility or wait a milestone to use one...

 

[Cam Banks]

I like that a lot, Cam (the multiclass feat)

I really dislike having saves affected by the moons, though. Just something that doesn't result in being affected by a power for the entire combat when combined with an Orb please

Yes, I think the save bonus/penalties is probably going to go the way of the dodo. That's OK. I'm tempted by the ritual bonus, but again, I don't know that it's sexy enough. And I'm really not sure about Irda Ranger's suggestion to make it a +5 bonus. They're already Trained in Arcana, so this makes it enormous.

Actually, having just wrapped up a 3 year campaign... I think I'd prefer if it were almost entirely flavor so it were easy to ignore for large stretches of time (I had spreadsheets of the calendars with what moon it was as events happened, but the mage player got a lot of flak for having to track a schedule and wanting them to wait a day or two here and there, etc). So, a bonus/penalty to arcana for rituals... and sure, spend an AP to recharge a utility or wait a milestone to use one...

I'd also thought about using action points, since that's connected to milestones too. I'll give it some more thought this evening and post a revision!

Next up, some Heroic tier powers.

Cheers,
Cam