Armoured Priest's Alt Sorc: The Specialist [Archive] - Wizards Community

Armoured Priest's Alt Sorc: The Specialist [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Armoured Priest
03-20-04, 05:54 AM The Specialist
Armoured Priest’s alt sorcerer

Many have posted on these forums various ideas on improving the sorcerer class as it stands in the PHB. I would like to offer a variation that I am currently using in one of my campaigns.

Abilities: same as PHB
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d4 (Note: in my home game, some abilities can be dropped to boost this to a d6, but for purposes of reducing complexity I have sought a basic build for this submission.)

Class Skills: sorc’s class skills are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Chr), Knowledge Arcana (Int), Knowledge Planes (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Use Magic Device (Chr) and See class features for further skills.

Skill Points: 4 + Int (at 1st {4 + Int} x 4)

Saves and BAB as per PHB
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Level------------Special
1 Summon Familiar, Craft Arcane Spell Focus, Improved
Extra Spell
2 Reduce Arcane Spell Failure by 5%
3 ---------
4 ---------
5 Improved Extra Spell
6 Improve Arcane Spell Focus I
7 ---------
8 ---------
9 ---------
10 Improved Extra Spell
11 ---------
12 Improve Arcane Spell Focus II
13 Reduce Arcane Spell Failure to 10%
14 ---------
15 Improved Extra Spell
16 ---------
17 ---------
18 Improve Arcane Spell Focus III
19 ---------
20 Improved Extra Spell
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Class Features
Weapons and Armor: All simple weapons and light armor (Note: In my personal playing experience sorc’s are more likely to wear armor than their Wizard counterparts even with the ASF. It is a combination of their worldliness and differing spell casting that makes it probable for this version of the sorcerer to wear armor and gain some ability out of it. See below for more details.)
Spells: For the number of spells cast per day see PHB. For spells known, however, the player at character creation chooses two of the Spell schools (Abjuration, Evocation, Divination, Illusion, Transmutation, Conjuration, Enchantment, or Necromancy) as well as gains access to the Universal School spell list (Wish, Permanency, ect…). This choice is permanent and cannot be changed at a later date. The player gains casting access to the various spells when caster level reaches the appropriate level. Upon choosing the two schools, the character gains a knowledge skill as a class skill depending on which schools were chosen.

Spell School = Gained Knowledge Skill
Abjuration = Architecture & Engineering
Conjuration = Nature
Divination = Geography
Enchantment = Nobility & Royalty
Evocation = Dungeoneering
Illusion = History
Necromancy = Religion
Transmutation = Local

Unlike the PHB sorcerer spells are not swapped at 4+ even levels. Also, unusual spells not in PHB are not automatically known, but may be added either by the Extra Spell feat or DM’s discretion may allow for automatic knowledge at appropriate levels.
Familiar: as per PHB

Craft Arcane Spell Focus: as a sorcerer comes to understand his powers, to aid in his spell casting he crafts a Spell Focus. This feat is a very specialized form of the craft wondrous item feat (though neither feat can substitute as a prerequisite for the other). The cost to craft a spell focus is 25gp and 1 exp. A 1st level character (or newly crated character) is assumed to have paid the exp cost but still must purchase one using starting funds. The Spell Focus is a personal thing and cannot be swapped between sorcerers. In game terms the Spell Focus takes the place of all material spell components costing (25gp x caster level) or less. The caster must still provide any material component over this cost. Note that spells with no material component may be cast without the Spell Focus. This also has the effect of increasing the Spellcraft DC to identify spells by +5 if the character trying to identify the spell is a wizard. Conversely, sorcerers suffer a –5 penalty to their Spellcraft rolls against wizard’s spells. (Divine magic is unaffected by this rule). The Spell focus is relatively fragile and unsuitable as a weapon. (hardness 5, 5hp)

Arcane Spell Failure Reduction: Sorcerers, being worldlier than their wizardly counterparts, have more time to practice with implements of war. While not as effective at casting in armor as a Bard, Sorcerers with their alternate casting and extra practice gain at 2nd level a 5% reduction to an ASF check. At level 13, this reduction increases to 10%.

Improved Extra Spell: As per Extra Spell Feat from Tome and Blood with the following exception. The Caster may choose a spell from any level he can cast, including his highest casting level. Thus a 10th level sorcerer can choose any spell 0 through 5th to add to his spells known. This choice can come from any school the sorcerer doesn’t already have access to. This feat is gained at 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th levels. If taken as a normal feat the prereq for this feat is the Extra Spell feat.

Improve Arcane Focus: A specialized form of Craft Magic Arms and Armor. At 6th level the sorcerer gains the ability to convert his Spell Focus into a more durable form that can be used as a weapon. The Spell Focus can be converted into any +1 weapon (must be a melee weapon) that the caster is proficient with. The improved spell focus may be made of any material suitable for the weapon chosen. The sorcerer, however, must pay exp as per the Craft Magic Arms and Armor rules. Also, the sorcerer must pay full retail price for the weapon. Still, this added price does produce an added benefit. Both the hardness and hit points of the Spell Focus are increased by +5. At 12th level the bonus may be increased to +2 (the new bonus may be a special ability rather than a straight plus) and hardness and hit points increased by an additional +5. At 18th level the bonus may be increased to +3 with corresponding addition +5 to hardness and hit points. The sorcerer, at no time, is obligated or forced to improve his spell focus. Also he may wait to level 18 at upgrade the Spell Focus straight to Improve Arcane Spell Focus III. The cost modifiers for material components versus the Spell Focus remain constant (25pg x caster level)

Feat Variation for Sorcerers in my campaign.
Quicken Spell
All prereqs, costs, and uses are identical to standard PHB version except that when sorcs take this feat, the feat is applied to only two spells in the sorcerer’s spells known list. This choice is made when the feat is chosen, and is irrevocable. Example: Jeanas the sorcerer has chosen Evocation and Necromancy as his schools. At level 18 he gains the Quicken Spell feat. He chooses to have as his quicken spells Cone of Cold and Enervation. He can now cast these spells quickened, but only these spells. He can, of course take the feat multiple times to gain more spells.
Szatany
03-20-04, 07:31 AM How about changing conjuration - knowledge (nature) to (planes) ?
And maybe illusion - perform (painting) ?
schulerta
03-20-04, 11:21 AM A couple of questions. So I take it the Sorcerer knows all spells from their chosen schools?

Instead of making the arcane focus into a weapon, did you think about it granting spell focus, then spell penetration etc.? What I am thinking is:

At 1st level the Arcane focus does what you state it does, and grants spell focus in one of the sorcerer's two schools. Then as they gain the improved arcane focus, the sorcerer can choose to have spell penetration for one of their two schools, or another spell focus in their second school, or greater spell focus in their first school. And so on as they increase in level and gain the later versions of improved arcane focus. The sorcerer would lose the benefit of the virtual feats if he lost his focus, but a new one could be created. Keep the rules for upgrades costs, I just don't see a sorcerer having much of a need for a weapon.

Love what you did with Quicken Spell Feat. It is balanced and attractive for a sorcerer to take.

Overall, very balanced. Nicely done.

Troy
Bait the Bard
03-20-04, 03:51 PM Nice work. It might be easier to understand if you put some codes in there, I think you can find them in the Prestige Class forum.

However, nicely done. I'll playtest it sometime and see how it comes along.

- the annoying bard
Armoured Priest
03-20-04, 06:20 PM Thanks for looking at my sorc:D

To Szatany: Actually Knowledge Planes was my first choice for Conjuration, but I changed it for a couple reasons. First of all I wanted the bonus class skills granted to be knowledge skills, just a personal preference on my part due to the fact that the knowledge skills are a relatively small and concise group of skills. Sorcs already get Know. Arcana. The problem arose when I forgot that there are 10 knowledge skills total, not nine (My orginal version of this sorc was put together while I was killing time at work when I actually had nothing to do and i didn't have my books at the time). I had forgotten About Knowledge Local. I thought about it and decided two things. First, a fair number of PrCs that sorcs can otherwise qualify for need ranks Knowledge Planes, usually more ranks than can be covered by cross-class. So, even though my goal was to make the sorc more interesting to play through 20 levels, I gave a nod to people who like to take PrCs by making it a little easier for the sorc to gain some more PrCs by making Knowledge Planes a general sorc skill. Second, this left Conjuration without its original skill choice. Know. Nature seemed to me to be the next best choice. Certainly, making Conjuration correspond to Know. Planes would not heart things in the least. If you do do that I suggest dropping Know. Local entirly and make Transmutation the school that corresponds to Know. Nature. As for Illusion, I thought it was kind of funny making its corresponding skill History as sometimes history in real life gets colored by the propaganda of the day, be it good or bad, and fact can sometimes get colored by opinion altering truths depending on the point of view. Sorry, it sounds like Star Wars bit Obi Wan was right: Many of the truths we cling to, do in fact, depend on our point of view. I happen to think your suggestion would be a pretty good alternative for Illusion... My choice is just a reflection of how neatly knowledge skills worked mechanically and matching them made for a little extra flavor. Thanks:)

To Schulerta: To Answer your question, yes the do indeed know all of the spells from their schools known. In the spells section of special abilities I made some comments on how to deal with spells not coming from the PHB. (Basically, no, you don't get spells from other sources unless A) It's OK with the DM and/or B) you use your Improved Extra Spell Feat). Second, I would not be adverse to your suggestion for adding in the specific Virtual Feats as the pluses instead of weapon bonuses, but I would be reluctant to give Spell Focus at the begining. (This has more to do with how I run Spell Focus and greater spell focus in my games. Spell Focus works like normal but Greater Spell Focus makes the bonus a +3 instead of just a +2. Game mechanics wise there is no reason a higher level caster couldn't make his favorite Staff Power or Rod of Wonder his Arcane Spell Focus. Still, back on track at first level I'd say no for virtual feats as the item is too inexpensive, but for the upgrades I'd say certainly.

I'd like to hear what others say about this idea.

Thanks about quicken, my players are split down the middle in terms of preference over wizards and sorcs. They all agreed that this gives the sorc a little more equal footing with the wizard.

To Bait the Bard: I would have used coding by it didn't seem to play very well with my posts which I edited a couple times. Admittedly I was tired and probably just screwed it up somehow. I will try to fix it latter. Thanks.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Armoured Priest 03-20-04, 05:54 AM	The Specialist Armoured Priest’s alt sorcerer Many have posted on these forums various ideas on improving the sorcerer class as it stands in the PHB. I would like to offer a variation that I am currently using in one of my campaigns. Abilities: same as PHB Alignment: Any Hit Die: d4 (Note: in my home game, some abilities can be dropped to boost this to a d6, but for purposes of reducing complexity I have sought a basic build for this submission.) Class Skills: sorc’s class skills are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Chr), Knowledge Arcana (Int), Knowledge Planes (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Use Magic Device (Chr) and See class features for further skills. Skill Points: 4 + Int (at 1st {4 + Int} x 4) Saves and BAB as per PHB ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level------------Special 1 Summon Familiar, Craft Arcane Spell Focus, Improved Extra Spell 2 Reduce Arcane Spell Failure by 5% 3 --------- 4 --------- 5 Improved Extra Spell 6 Improve Arcane Spell Focus I 7 --------- 8 --------- 9 --------- 10 Improved Extra Spell 11 --------- 12 Improve Arcane Spell Focus II 13 Reduce Arcane Spell Failure to 10% 14 --------- 15 Improved Extra Spell 16 --------- 17 --------- 18 Improve Arcane Spell Focus III 19 --------- 20 Improved Extra Spell ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Class Features Weapons and Armor: All simple weapons and light armor (Note: In my personal playing experience sorc’s are more likely to wear armor than their Wizard counterparts even with the ASF. It is a combination of their worldliness and differing spell casting that makes it probable for this version of the sorcerer to wear armor and gain some ability out of it. See below for more details.) Spells: For the number of spells cast per day see PHB. For spells known, however, the player at character creation chooses two of the Spell schools (Abjuration, Evocation, Divination, Illusion, Transmutation, Conjuration, Enchantment, or Necromancy) as well as gains access to the Universal School spell list (Wish, Permanency, ect…). This choice is permanent and cannot be changed at a later date. The player gains casting access to the various spells when caster level reaches the appropriate level. Upon choosing the two schools, the character gains a knowledge skill as a class skill depending on which schools were chosen. Spell School = Gained Knowledge Skill Abjuration = Architecture & Engineering Conjuration = Nature Divination = Geography Enchantment = Nobility & Royalty Evocation = Dungeoneering Illusion = History Necromancy = Religion Transmutation = Local Unlike the PHB sorcerer spells are not swapped at 4+ even levels. Also, unusual spells not in PHB are not automatically known, but may be added either by the Extra Spell feat or DM’s discretion may allow for automatic knowledge at appropriate levels. Familiar: as per PHB Craft Arcane Spell Focus: as a sorcerer comes to understand his powers, to aid in his spell casting he crafts a Spell Focus. This feat is a very specialized form of the craft wondrous item feat (though neither feat can substitute as a prerequisite for the other). The cost to craft a spell focus is 25gp and 1 exp. A 1st level character (or newly crated character) is assumed to have paid the exp cost but still must purchase one using starting funds. The Spell Focus is a personal thing and cannot be swapped between sorcerers. In game terms the Spell Focus takes the place of all material spell components costing (25gp x caster level) or less. The caster must still provide any material component over this cost. Note that spells with no material component may be cast without the Spell Focus. This also has the effect of increasing the Spellcraft DC to identify spells by +5 if the character trying to identify the spell is a wizard. Conversely, sorcerers suffer a –5 penalty to their Spellcraft rolls against wizard’s spells. (Divine magic is unaffected by this rule). The Spell focus is relatively fragile and unsuitable as a weapon. (hardness 5, 5hp) Arcane Spell Failure Reduction: Sorcerers, being worldlier than their wizardly counterparts, have more time to practice with implements of war. While not as effective at casting in armor as a Bard, Sorcerers with their alternate casting and extra practice gain at 2nd level a 5% reduction to an ASF check. At level 13, this reduction increases to 10%. Improved Extra Spell: As per Extra Spell Feat from Tome and Blood with the following exception. The Caster may choose a spell from any level he can cast, including his highest casting level. Thus a 10th level sorcerer can choose any spell 0 through 5th to add to his spells known. This choice can come from any school the sorcerer doesn’t already have access to. This feat is gained at 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th levels. If taken as a normal feat the prereq for this feat is the Extra Spell feat. Improve Arcane Focus: A specialized form of Craft Magic Arms and Armor. At 6th level the sorcerer gains the ability to convert his Spell Focus into a more durable form that can be used as a weapon. The Spell Focus can be converted into any +1 weapon (must be a melee weapon) that the caster is proficient with. The improved spell focus may be made of any material suitable for the weapon chosen. The sorcerer, however, must pay exp as per the Craft Magic Arms and Armor rules. Also, the sorcerer must pay full retail price for the weapon. Still, this added price does produce an added benefit. Both the hardness and hit points of the Spell Focus are increased by +5. At 12th level the bonus may be increased to +2 (the new bonus may be a special ability rather than a straight plus) and hardness and hit points increased by an additional +5. At 18th level the bonus may be increased to +3 with corresponding addition +5 to hardness and hit points. The sorcerer, at no time, is obligated or forced to improve his spell focus. Also he may wait to level 18 at upgrade the Spell Focus straight to Improve Arcane Spell Focus III. The cost modifiers for material components versus the Spell Focus remain constant (25pg x caster level) Feat Variation for Sorcerers in my campaign. Quicken Spell All prereqs, costs, and uses are identical to standard PHB version except that when sorcs take this feat, the feat is applied to only two spells in the sorcerer’s spells known list. This choice is made when the feat is chosen, and is irrevocable. Example: Jeanas the sorcerer has chosen Evocation and Necromancy as his schools. At level 18 he gains the Quicken Spell feat. He chooses to have as his quicken spells Cone of Cold and Enervation. He can now cast these spells quickened, but only these spells. He can, of course take the feat multiple times to gain more spells.
Szatany 03-20-04, 07:31 AM	How about changing conjuration - knowledge (nature) to (planes) ? And maybe illusion - perform (painting) ?
schulerta 03-20-04, 11:21 AM	A couple of questions. So I take it the Sorcerer knows all spells from their chosen schools? Instead of making the arcane focus into a weapon, did you think about it granting spell focus, then spell penetration etc.? What I am thinking is: At 1st level the Arcane focus does what you state it does, and grants spell focus in one of the sorcerer's two schools. Then as they gain the improved arcane focus, the sorcerer can choose to have spell penetration for one of their two schools, or another spell focus in their second school, or greater spell focus in their first school. And so on as they increase in level and gain the later versions of improved arcane focus. The sorcerer would lose the benefit of the virtual feats if he lost his focus, but a new one could be created. Keep the rules for upgrades costs, I just don't see a sorcerer having much of a need for a weapon. Love what you did with Quicken Spell Feat. It is balanced and attractive for a sorcerer to take. Overall, very balanced. Nicely done. Troy
Bait the Bard 03-20-04, 03:51 PM	Nice work. It might be easier to understand if you put some codes in there, I think you can find them in the Prestige Class forum. However, nicely done. I'll playtest it sometime and see how it comes along. - the annoying bard
Armoured Priest 03-20-04, 06:20 PM	Thanks for looking at my sorc:D To Szatany: Actually Knowledge Planes was my first choice for Conjuration, but I changed it for a couple reasons. First of all I wanted the bonus class skills granted to be knowledge skills, just a personal preference on my part due to the fact that the knowledge skills are a relatively small and concise group of skills. Sorcs already get Know. Arcana. The problem arose when I forgot that there are 10 knowledge skills total, not nine (My orginal version of this sorc was put together while I was killing time at work when I actually had nothing to do and i didn't have my books at the time). I had forgotten About Knowledge Local. I thought about it and decided two things. First, a fair number of PrCs that sorcs can otherwise qualify for need ranks Knowledge Planes, usually more ranks than can be covered by cross-class. So, even though my goal was to make the sorc more interesting to play through 20 levels, I gave a nod to people who like to take PrCs by making it a little easier for the sorc to gain some more PrCs by making Knowledge Planes a general sorc skill. Second, this left Conjuration without its original skill choice. Know. Nature seemed to me to be the next best choice. Certainly, making Conjuration correspond to Know. Planes would not heart things in the least. If you do do that I suggest dropping Know. Local entirly and make Transmutation the school that corresponds to Know. Nature. As for Illusion, I thought it was kind of funny making its corresponding skill History as sometimes history in real life gets colored by the propaganda of the day, be it good or bad, and fact can sometimes get colored by opinion altering truths depending on the point of view. Sorry, it sounds like Star Wars bit Obi Wan was right: Many of the truths we cling to, do in fact, depend on our point of view. I happen to think your suggestion would be a pretty good alternative for Illusion... My choice is just a reflection of how neatly knowledge skills worked mechanically and matching them made for a little extra flavor. Thanks:) To Schulerta: To Answer your question, yes the do indeed know all of the spells from their schools known. In the spells section of special abilities I made some comments on how to deal with spells not coming from the PHB. (Basically, no, you don't get spells from other sources unless A) It's OK with the DM and/or B) you use your Improved Extra Spell Feat). Second, I would not be adverse to your suggestion for adding in the specific Virtual Feats as the pluses instead of weapon bonuses, but I would be reluctant to give Spell Focus at the begining. (This has more to do with how I run Spell Focus and greater spell focus in my games. Spell Focus works like normal but Greater Spell Focus makes the bonus a +3 instead of just a +2. Game mechanics wise there is no reason a higher level caster couldn't make his favorite Staff Power or Rod of Wonder his Arcane Spell Focus. Still, back on track at first level I'd say no for virtual feats as the item is too inexpensive, but for the upgrades I'd say certainly. I'd like to hear what others say about this idea. Thanks about quicken, my players are split down the middle in terms of preference over wizards and sorcs. They all agreed that this gives the sorc a little more equal footing with the wizard. To Bait the Bard: I would have used coding by it didn't seem to play very well with my posts which I edited a couple times. Admittedly I was tired and probably just screwed it up somehow. I will try to fix it latter. Thanks.