Post/Author/DateTime	Post
smrtgmp 04-29-04, 07:19 AM	IMO, there is little reason to play a specialist wizard under the new rules. In an attempt to make them a more attractive (and viable) character option, I am working on a house rule. I have seen the optional material presented in UA, and while I like it, its not quite what I'm looking for. That being said, I am concidering adding the following abilities to the specialist wizard (in addition to the extra spell per level) and am looking for feedback regarding balance. I would add the following: 1) Spell Focus (specialized school) as a bonus feat. 2) Specialized familiarity (not an existing feat, I made it up): The specialist casts all spells from his specialty school as if (s)he was one level higher than (s)he actually is. This would effect all level dependant variables (range, duration, damage, etc) but have no bearing on the number of spells per day or the max level of spells available to the character. In addition, the specialist would recieve a +1 bonus to all saves from spells from his school of choice. Would this be acceptable? I love specialist wizards from a flavor standpoint, but they pretty much suck in 3.X. Thanks for the input.
DungeonMaster 04-29-04, 08:16 AM	Originally posted by smrtgmp I love specialist wizards from a flavor standpoint, but they pretty much suck in 3.X. Thanks for the input. I think your ajustments are fine and won't tilt the game balance too far. I think 3.5 wizards suck rocks regardless of specialisation so you might want to do more for them if you're playing 3.5. Like making that a +2 focus.
Kary Wanzer 04-29-04, 08:24 AM	Actually, Smrtgmp, under the new new rules found in Unearthed Arcana, there's plenty of reasons to play as a specialist wizard. :cloud9: It provides rules and new special abilities for a wizard devoted to each and every school of magic. A specialist conjurer is completely different from a specialist diviner is completely different from a specialist transmuter etc. Try to take a look some time. Yeah, it kinda sucks that constantly buying all the new books costs so much money, especially the latest books that now cost $35 (didn't they used to cost $20?), but trust me hon, having Complete Warrior, the Expanded Psionics Handbook, the Miniature's Handbook and Unearthed Arcana, are definately well worth it. They fix so many problems with older versions of stuff, and offer plenty of great new material that actually makes some of the stuff you, me and the other board-authors write, obsolete. :eek:
smrtgmp 04-29-04, 08:26 AM	I actually use the 3.0 versions of spell focus. I realize DCs got out of hand when all the different splat books and PrCs got involved, but they should have changed those (which they did) rather than change the original feats. I hate it when non core material messess with core.:mad:
smrtgmp 04-29-04, 08:28 AM	Originally posted by Kary Wanzer Actually, Smrtgmp, under the new new rules found in Unearthed Arcana, there's plenty of reasons to play as a specialist wizard. :cloud9: It provides rules and new special abilities for a wizard devoted to each and every school of magic. A specialist conjurer is completely different from a specialist diviner is completely different from a specialist transmuter etc. Try to take a look some time. Yeah, it kinda sucks that constantly buying all the new books costs so much money, especially the latest books that now cost $35 (didn't they used to cost $20?), but trust me hon, having Complete Warrior, the Expanded Psionics Handbook, the Miniature's Handbook and Unearthed Arcana, are definately well worth it. They fix so many problems with older versions of stuff, and offer plenty of great new material that actually makes some of the stuff you, me and the other board-authors write, obsolete. :eek: I actually have all those books (except miniatures handbook, is that one good?), which was why I mentioned the optional rules in UA (unearthed arcana, I should have specified what my short hand meant, sorry.:D )
Elrana 04-29-04, 08:54 AM	It amazes me that a specialist doesn't automatically get some kind of bonus to his chosen school. I don't see it as being particularly different to a cleric's domains. You must choose a spell a day from it but you don't get the special ability. I have often wondered why focus is not automatic in particular. I also quite like the idea of increased caster level. At the moment I see spec. as a useful tool for min/maxing. You decide on a school you will always want at least one spell a level from, decide two schools you can happily live without and increase your maximum spell casting potential by 25% (excluding int. bonus) overnight. All you need to do from then on is pick one Evoc., Ench. or whatever spell per day. Adding the increased caster level would actually make it more worthwhile to choose spells from your chosen school than any other. Giving you greater reason to play in character, or at least to base your character more centrally around your specialisation. Perhaps (as the move from 3-3.5 really screwed specialists who had chosen only one prohibited school) there should be a choice to make. Lose one school and that's that, or lose two and gain the extra spell level. Focus for free should really just be a given. If these rules were to come into play, however, I would think that maybe a similar kind of sacrifice/gain should be made available to the sorcerer. Increasing the power of specialists could really wipe out the point in playing a sorcerer otherwise. (Don't, please, please, turn this into yet another wizards versus sorcerers thread because of that opinion!) On the note of changing 3-3.5 I was ultra screwed. I had picked evocation and lost conjuration. Who the hell decided to change the teleport spells to conjuration? And what the hell for? There is little to no point to it and as most evokers will lose conjuration as a pretty fair swap it has screwed us all. Evokers of the world unite, take cooperative spell and lay waste to WotC Towers with the world's largest ever fireball! :ayyyy!:
Capn Charlie 04-29-04, 09:12 AM	Hmm, I was never aware that specializing sucks so much. I will have to rememberto tell that to the evokers and enchanters in my game that eagerly went for it. Only problem that I ever had with specializing was the ability to specialize only with a school of magic. However, have you considerd perhaps jsut giving them the extra spell per level, but allowing it to be like a sorcerer slot for the school they are specialized in? That would also encourage players to stay in character by learning many spells from specialty schools instead of just specific ones. Might have to also add some cross class spells from those schools to their lists at certain levels though. Kind of like I did wit hmy elementalist specialists, they drop one school and the ability to cast opposing alignment and get expanded spell list of element, and 1 "open" slot per day to cast the elements spells, and all dcs for other elemental spells are -1, and "elemental focus" is available. But I have A certain focus on elemental magic in my game.
hekker 04-29-04, 09:46 AM	Personally, I don't think spezialization is not worth it anymore, becuase you still get 1 more spell PER LEVEL each day. On low levels, it can mean you get TWICE AS MUCH spells of your highest level, and at high levels it also mean you get 33% EXTRA SPELLS of all lower levels. Also, when you have a lot of supplements available (like tome and blood etc) you can choose much more spells from you own schools so you have less need for spells for m prohibited schools. When you still think spezializing is bad, I like Capn Charlies rule is best because a) it just rocks and b) it (as charlie says) motivates spezialist to choose much spells from their own spezialty school but maybe it is also a bit too powerfull.
Shadowfax7 04-29-04, 03:18 PM	Originally posted by smrtgmp 1) Spell Focus (specialized school) as a bonus feat. I have house ruled this in my game and found no unbalancing features. :)
smrtgmp 04-29-04, 07:45 PM	Originally posted by hekker and at high levels it also mean you get 33% EXTRA SPELLS of all lower levels. How did you come up with this figure? A high level wizard has 4 spells per level at the lower level spells (not counting bonus spells for high int), so one extra spell in an increase of 20%, not 33%. Even so, I dont concider giving up access to two schools a fair trade for one extra spell/level.
Heron_Marked_Blade 04-29-04, 08:03 PM	Try being a specialized mage --> 3.5 Incantatrix.... :( Three prohibited schools! My character's specialized in abjuration, too, with prohibited Enchantment, Necromancy, and Illusion schools. On paper, it seems like it'd suck. In character, it's actually kind of fun. My 15th-level spellcaster (Wizard 5/Incantatrix 10) isn't the "insta-solution" to problems that a lot of high level wizards are, but he still packs a wallop, particularly with the 4 extra metamagic feats the Incantatrix PrC grants. Combine that with Improved Metamagic, and you're sitting pretty.
smrtgmp 04-29-04, 08:07 PM	The incantatrix is pretty freaking awesome, IMO. Do you know why Abjuration is still the school they have to have. It made sense in 3.0 when they focused on dismissing extra planar creatures, but now that they focus on metamagic, it doesnt make sense. Although, given the fact that I would neven select abjuration as an opposed school, I suppose it doesnt really matter.
Elrana 04-29-04, 08:16 PM	One of my friends wanted to play a necromancer and was deciding which schools to drop. His first suggestion was divination and abjuration! I laughed him out of the room! After looking at the spell lists again he kind of went a little red, sheepishly agreed and dumped enchantment and illusion instead. Far more appropriate for a necromancer probably and also less likely to leave you bereft of protection and the ability to read your first spell book! He's now a pretty awesome palemaster 8/cleric of Wee Jas 2 (and some wizard, can't remember how many) and working toward mystic theurge possibly.
Heron_Marked_Blade 04-29-04, 08:25 PM	Originally posted by smrtgmp Do you know why Abjuration is still the school they have to have. Dunno. I don't mind having a free slot every level for shield, resist energy, dispel magic, stoneskin, dismissal, greater dispel magic, spell turning, mind blank, and prismatic sphere (my normal specialization roster), I can tell you that. Perhaps it's because manipulating spell energy in the way they do with their special abilities (applying feats, "stealing" control of spells, etc.) falls under the Abjuration school of magic? :confused:
smrtgmp 04-29-04, 08:30 PM	those are certaily some of the most useful spells in the game.