Post/Author/DateTime	Post
deanruel 04-03-06, 02:06 AM	Allright all you arcane lovers out there I have a question for you. I am going be playing a wizard soon and I am trying to make him much more spontaneous than your average Tome-poring Wizard. He will be a transmuter specialist (Transmutable Memory), I might get Eschew Materials, and I have a bunch of other ideas for him as well. But heres my BIG question... Can a Wizard live without Scribe Scroll? My plan at the moment was to "trade-in" the feat for something else. I know item creation in general is a really well known part of what wizards do, and I've seen it do all sorts of great things. But keeping a load of pre-made scrolls for every problem and situation is WAY out of the character flavor I was going to go for. But can it be done? You can have all the character flavor in the world and if you end up dead on your first mission it doesn't matter much. So thats what I want to know from those of you who are VASTLY more Wizardry knowledgable than I (and there's a lot of you). Can a Wizard be scroll-less and still stay alive?
Silverthumb128 04-03-06, 08:09 AM	I guess you probably can live without it. If its out of character to use it, then what did you have in mind to swap? Keep in mind that since their casting ability lies on Intelligence, they're gonna bookish, and that doesn't give you too many options as a starting free feat, if not Scribe Scroll. Wizards really aren't spontaneous casters. You'll have to burn most of your feats(keep in mind that Wizard Bonus Feats can't be used here) on Spell Mastery in order to have a fair number of spells you can still cast without preparation. Not to dissuade you from using Wizard, and I'm sure you've realised this, but if you want spontaneous, Sorc is the way to go.
runestar 04-03-06, 08:24 AM	Scribe scroll at such low lvs is actually a major boon. It is one of the extremely few ways a wizard has of circumventing his pathetic amount of spells known each day. By scribing a few of each spell whose effect is not all that dependent on caster lv, such as enlarge person, mage armour or magic missile, you actually increase your versatility by improving the odds of having a useful spell when you need 1. This is as close as you come to being a spontaneous spellcaster. ;) At 1st lv, each scroll costs only 25gp and 1xp. Get the entire party to chip in. Its quite worth it.
Maraxus 04-03-06, 09:19 AM	Magic Missle not that dependant on caster level? Anyway, there are really a few spells, like See Invisibility or Protection from Arrows, that you need rarely but if you need them you need them immediately. However, if you go as spontaneous as possible - there is that one feat, that allows you to choose a spell-mastered spell and cast it spontaneous like a cleric casts cure or inflict spells. Take that for your more frequently needed spells and you can use your slots for that rarer spells. Oh - unlike then said above, Spell Mastery is a possible wizard bonus feat.
Puca 04-03-06, 09:45 AM	You might want to look at some of the specialist wizard variants (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/specialistWizardVariants.htm#transmuterV ariants). I think that Transmutable Memory sounds like it is something that will fit with your idea.
Hariman 04-03-06, 09:57 AM	Magic Missle not that dependant on caster level? Anyway, there are really a few spells, like See Invisibility or Protection from Arrows, that you need rarely but if you need them you need them immediately. However, if you go as spontaneous as possible - there is that one feat, that allows you to choose a spell-mastered spell and cast it spontaneous like a cleric casts cure or inflict spells. Take that for your more frequently needed spells and you can use your slots for that rarer spells. Oh - unlike then said above, Spell Mastery is a possible wizard bonus feat. Spell Mastery only lets you prepare chosen spells without a spellbook. You still have to prepare them. A low level Wizard MAY be able to live without Scribe Scroll, but he'll be better off with it.
Maraxus 04-03-06, 10:10 AM	Spell Mastery only lets you prepare chosen spells without a spellbook. You still have to prepare them. A low level Wizard MAY be able to live without Scribe Scroll, but he'll be better off with it. I never said something else, I just said, there is a feat (*check* Signature spell FRCS) that does allow you to spontaneous cast a spell-mastered spell, and that you can take spell mastery as a wiz-bonus feat (Silverthumb128 said, you can't)
runestar 04-03-06, 10:44 AM	Magic Missle not that dependant on caster level? At lower lvs(eg: lv1 and 2). It has no save, so no real need to have it memorised by the party wizard, where those slots are better off holding spells which are save-reliant such as sleep or colour spray.
Jimbo19 04-03-06, 11:23 AM	NO. If you dont want to use scrolls, play a sorc. Using the old Handy Haversack, and packing in as many scrolls as you can, makes the wizard a viable caster. Since no matter what you do as a wizard, you never know what you will need. Having scrolls available to fill that "uh oh" slot, is the power of the wizard class. Plus its the best way to be as spontaneous as possible, which is what you said you wanted to do. I guess I have no idea where you are going with this.
Ratix 04-03-06, 01:48 PM	Judging by your description, it sounds to me like your idea is more of a Sorcerer than a Wizard, since this plays more to the strengths of a Sorcerer than a Wizard. It's perfectly legitimate to make a Sorcerer character who studies magic like a wizard would rather than the exotic lineage stereotype which most people think of; Sorcerer simply implies a special talent for using what spells you know effectively; that can come from lineage or just the individual. The only problem with making the character a Sorcerer is that he'll need a good Charisma score, which you don't really need if you're a Wizard.
deanruel 04-03-06, 04:22 PM	I know the distinctions between the classes, and I'm definitely playing A wizard one way or the other my only question is if I can play THIS kind of Wizard. From the sounds of things at the moment it sounds like wizzies really depend on thier scribing, so I will alter my question then. (Although further opinions on the first question are still much appreciated) Does anyone know a way I could keep scribe scroll and somehow make it seem less..........dorky? Like the character I'm going for is very flashy, very swashbucklery (not the CW class, the image). Less of a "Pouring over old Tomes" wizard and if anyone knows any sort of imagery or variation I might use to accomplish that I would love to hear it. At the moment the only idea I have is to substitue "Scrolls" for something else that has a little less of a stigma attached to it. Although I would need to make sure that the new item didn't offset things. For instance if I was going to change scrolls to "spell marbles" that probably wouldn't be fair, considering one could hold dozens of marbles in the same space it would take to hold a single scroll
Puca 04-03-06, 04:50 PM	As far as your class concept, I think the Magelord (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20050202a&page=2) sounds pretty "swashbucklery," so you might want to check that out. You have to give up some caster levels, but as far as spontaneous casting for a wizard goes, this is about as good as you can get. On scrolls, there is a secion in CA about variants like this. The real issue isnt so much weight/space as making sure that your variant scrolls are still spell-completion items and follow the rules for them.
Silverthumb128 04-03-06, 04:59 PM	I never said something else, I just said, there is a feat (*check* Signature spell FRCS) that does allow you to spontaneous cast a spell-mastered spell, and that you can take spell mastery as a wiz-bonus feat (Silverthumb128 said, you can't) Oh, sry. Misread. :D
Tony Vargas 04-03-06, 05:16 PM	I know the distinctions between the classes, and I'm definitely playing A wizard one way or the other my only question is if I can play THIS kind of Wizard. Trading in Scribe Scroll for Spell Mastery would allow yout be less 'bookish' - you'd only need to consult a spellbook to prepare more unusual spells that you don't use often, and wouldn't even need to have a book with you for extended periods, if, for whatever reason, you didn't want people to suspect that you might be a wizard. Like the character I'm going for is very flashy, very swashbucklery. Less of a "Pouring over old Tomes" wizard... That would certainly seem better suited to a high-CHA sorcerer, than a high-INT, spellbook toting wizard.
Molot 04-03-06, 05:42 PM	Magelord PrC gives fair number of mastered spells and turns all of them into Signature at the end. Full caster + precision damage... You may just trade off scribe scroll for sth of the requirements. Aslo consider tattooed spellbook.
Armoured Priest 04-03-06, 07:14 PM	In our current home campaign, I'm playing a wizard with a religious bent. Using feats from Complete Divine, i was, at the very least, able to somewhat replicate, the clerical spontaneous healing...(used the feat that gives you access to domain spells, and then the spontaneous healer feat) Problem is a high WIS score is needed to maki it effective, a dificult proposition at best with point buy. We rolled stats, so my wiz has managed to be a little more effective in that area Still, what you're trying to do is more along the lines of a sorc. Also, Wizards absolutly need Scribe scroll. It's their best way to match the tactical flexibility of the sorc...not to be confused with stratiegic flexibility which is something they already have in abundance (Sorcs use scrolls to make up for this aspect)
Votan 04-03-06, 07:37 PM	Magelord PrC gives fair number of mastered spells and turns all of them into Signature at the end. Full caster + precision damage... You may just trade off scribe scroll for sth of the requirements. Nice class but it might be hard to enter without rogue levels (which dilute overall caster ability). if it did not also take 4 feats it'd also scream able learner to me . . .
ninjarabbit 04-03-06, 08:27 PM	Look into the Mage of the Arcane Order PrC from Complete Arcane. Spellpool will allow you to be spontaneous to a degree.
General_Ridley 04-03-06, 08:47 PM	if you are a changeling, then Wiz 5/Recaster 1 (Races of Eberron)/Geometer 5/Recaster 4/Archmage 5 makes you fairly spontaneous with how your spells come out and with metamagic.
Archmagi1976 04-03-06, 09:40 PM	The way you are talking, it almost makes me think of the bard. True it is not as caster powerful as the wizard but it might provide you the means to find what you want play wise. Other then that you could always put marks in your equipment in set styles as a way to record your magic, or make a knotted band for scrolls that you need to undo to make the spell go off, just one of many ideas if it helps at all. Spell sword might give you the flashy, swash buckler feeling...
oddman 04-04-06, 10:06 PM	You definitely want a bard. You could also just lose the lame stereotype that reading is uncool.
Linkrulesx10 04-05-06, 01:35 AM	I agree loss the lame stearotype but if you want to play a flashy transmuter... You could look at the full metal alchemist core class that is on this board... That is fairly flashy, You could also use the Illusionists Illusion Mastery Varient except make it Transmutation.