Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Althor Enchantor 05-21-04, 08:52 AM	Just some ideas I've been throwing around in my head. Hopefully I can get some feedback. Mind you, I'm posting only original ideas, not the same "d6 hit die, more skills" stuff that everyone's been posting. Idea 1: "The Sorcerer is self-taught; this means he is more adaptable than a Wizard but more reckless" Let me give you an example: in martial arts, whether Tae Kwon Do or Fencing, a person who has had rigorous formal training is going to be brutally efficient (since they were taught to use the most efficient way to respond to a given situation), but he or she will also be somewhat predictable (since they were taught to *only* use the most efficient way to respond to a given situation). This likens onto the Wizard. A Sorcerer, however, learned magic the way I have thus far learned Tae Kwon Do and Fencing: by playfully attacking some of my friends with my fists or a stick and trying to figure out how to best another person on my own. Of course, when I'm sparring against someone who *has* been formally trained, they have an easier time hitting me (because I've never been taught how to attack without being reckless), but after I take one hit, I can adapt to the situation because I know that if I do the same move, they'll exhibit the same response. The response is efficient and usually works, but since I already know what's coming, I can use my creativity to figure out a way to negate it and give me the advantage. So, going back to the Sorcerer, it might make sense for Sorcerers to have a scaling penalty to saves against magic (because they're reckless) and a scaling ability to effectively "pull the right spell out of their ass" a few times per day (because they can adapt). Idea 2: Redefining Spontaneous Metamagic In short (because the first idea was a bit long), instead of a full-round action, casting a Metamagic spell spontaneously requires an extra move-equivalent action. This effectively amounts to the same thing, except that now Quickening a spell is possible (because it takes a free action plus a move-equivalent action). Idea 3: Wizards become massively better with the right magic items; why not Sorcerers? Wizards *love* wands and staves; these items allow them to cast a good old-fashioned Fireball or Polymorph up to fifty times, with no limit on how many times per day they can do so. The Wizard just needs a wand or staff for each of his most oftenly cast spells and he ends up better than a Sorcerer at being a Sorcerer and capable of leaving the entirety of his Spells per Day available for backup or for rarely-used utilitarian spells. So what items are there for the Sorcerer? Well, an item *could* exist that effectively adds a specific spell to a character's Spells Known, to be prepared in advace if a Wizard or cast spontaneously if a Sorcerer. Since a wand or staff does just that *and* provides fifty free castings of the spell, this new item would have to cost less than a wand. Spell level squared times 1000 gp perhaps? (cheaper than a wand at every level except first). Comments?
BlaineTog 05-21-04, 07:16 PM	Originally posted by Althor Enchantor Idea 1: "The Sorcerer is self-taught; this means he is more adaptable than a Wizard but more reckless"It has merit, but changes the flavor of the Sorcerer somewhat. It does sound like an interesting feat, though... Idea 2: Redefining Spontaneous MetamagicIt removes the only real negative factor from the time increase, but I still don't like it. I'm against it on principle. :D ;) Idea 3: Wizards become massively better with the right magic items; why not Sorcerers?Personally, I think that the wizard's reliance on magic items (and insane power boost therefrom) is a major design flaw.