Complete Mage question [Archive] - Wizards Community

Complete Mage question [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
psychic_infinity
10-26-06, 07:00 PM I've read through Complete Mage, and I find it useful. It's a bit short, but still useful.
I have one question though:

A specialist wizard can, a first level, give up an additional school of magic and lose a spell slot from each level to gain the ability to prepare two extra spells from his chosen school at each level.
(Well that's the gist anyway :rolleyes: )

I don't quite...understand what is meant by this.
The way it's worded, it sounds like you can give up an extra school of magic to be forced to prepare certain types of spells. I'm not sure if this is a typo or if I'm reading it wrong. Could somebody please clarify this for me? Takk.
Karak_Nechot
10-26-06, 07:13 PM When you specialize, you lose access to up to two schools, and you gain one additional spell slot per spell level that can only be used for the school you specialized in.

With this option, you select another prohibited school, lose one spell slot per spell level, and you get a total of 3 additional spells per spell level that can only be used for your specialized school.

If you're going to concentrate only on one school, this is not a bad option, but, in the overall game, a wizard who gives up his versatility is just nerfing himself.
DM Zoc
10-27-06, 03:07 AM By giving up versatility in spells known (taking an additional barred school), and giving up versatility in spells per day (at least three spells at each spell level must be from your chosen school, as compared to just one of each spell level for a regular specialist) you effectively gain one extra spell slot of each spell level.

This is something I would do if I ever played a wizard, because it helps keep my potential spells known in check while allowing me to cast more spells per day (essentially, making my wizard more like a sorcerer).
Seeker of Undeath
10-27-06, 07:18 AM By giving up versatility in spells known (taking an additional barred school), and giving up versatility in spells per day (at least three spells at each spell level must be from your chosen school, as compared to just one of each spell level for a regular specialist) you effectively gain one extra spell slot of each spell level.

This is something I would do if I ever played a wizard, because it helps keep my potential spells known in check while allowing me to cast more spells per day (essentially, making my wizard more like a sorcerer).True, you'll be more like a sorcerer. In fact you'll have the same number of base spell slots. However, you've restricted yourself to saying that 3 of those spell slots will be used only for spells from your specialized school. I suggest you choose a very versatile school of magic. Conjuration might be the way to go. Sure, divination will only require you to give up a total of 2 forbidden schools (1 normally and an additional 1 from this new option), but frankly I don't know that I'd want to prepare 3 divination spells of every spell level every day. Granted, you'd play the role of information gatherer pretty well, but you'd better make those other 0-4 (depending on intelligence bonus and wizard level) slots count.

For clarity, let's look at what it does at 1st level. A wizard has a base number of 1st-level spell slots of 1. For specializing we get another 1 (2 total). Now we give up our original 1 in exchange for 2 specialized (3 total). Thus at first level we have 3 spell slots (the same as a 1st-level sorcerer!). However all 3 of those spells must come from our specialized school of magic (we just lost the versatility of a wizard AND a sorcerer!). Thanks to having an intelligence of at least 12 we'll get 1 more spell slot that we can use for general purposes (however this is not more than the sorcerer, who will also gain a slot from a 12+ charisma score).

For sake of argument we can swing it the other way now. As a 20th-level wizard you'll have 6 spell slots per level (not including slots from intelligence bonus). This does match the sorcerer. Now 3 spells of every level will still be from your specialized school, but 3 of every level can be whatever you please. Now things aren't nearly so bad, but you've still given up a significant number of options. When all I hear is "wizard=versatility!!!!!!111111one", I begin to wonder if this isn't counter-intuitive.

I love the idea, but by itself it doesn't appear that great. On the other hand, if one were to take a Diviner (Enchantment and Illusion forbidden) and multiclass into Beguiler as a lead in to Ultimate Magus, I could definitely see some use coming out of this feature.

Diviner4/Beguiler1/UltimateMagus10/Archmage(Diviner)5 would cast as an 18th-level Wizard and an 8th-level Beguiler as long as you took Practiced Spellcaster (Beguiler) at 3rd level and advanced your Wizard casting all the way. Your caster levels would be Wizard 22 and Beguiler 16, however. With Use Magic Device as a class skill for Ultimate Magus, you could use Enchantment and Illusion items by virtue of your Beguiler casting. Now this shows promise. The ability to find traps doesn't hurt either, though your ranks in the necessary skills will likely stink.

In the end, use this class option with caution, care, and planning.
psychic_infinity
10-27-06, 09:09 PM Ah, okay, thanks. :)
I misread the entry and thought it meant that now you had two bonus slots at each level, not you gained two more bonus slots at each level.
NineInchNall
10-28-06, 12:23 AM The use should be obvious: Shadowcraft Mage. Two extra spell slots per level, each one containing every Sor/Wiz evocation/conjuration spell of that level or lower? Um, sure?

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
psychic_infinity 10-26-06, 07:00 PM	I've read through Complete Mage, and I find it useful. It's a bit short, but still useful. I have one question though: A specialist wizard can, a first level, give up an additional school of magic and lose a spell slot from each level to gain the ability to prepare two extra spells from his chosen school at each level. (Well that's the gist anyway :rolleyes: ) I don't quite...understand what is meant by this. The way it's worded, it sounds like you can give up an extra school of magic to be forced to prepare certain types of spells. I'm not sure if this is a typo or if I'm reading it wrong. Could somebody please clarify this for me? Takk.
Karak_Nechot 10-26-06, 07:13 PM	When you specialize, you lose access to up to two schools, and you gain one additional spell slot per spell level that can only be used for the school you specialized in. With this option, you select another prohibited school, lose one spell slot per spell level, and you get a total of 3 additional spells per spell level that can only be used for your specialized school. If you're going to concentrate only on one school, this is not a bad option, but, in the overall game, a wizard who gives up his versatility is just nerfing himself.
DM Zoc 10-27-06, 03:07 AM	By giving up versatility in spells known (taking an additional barred school), and giving up versatility in spells per day (at least three spells at each spell level must be from your chosen school, as compared to just one of each spell level for a regular specialist) you effectively gain one extra spell slot of each spell level. This is something I would do if I ever played a wizard, because it helps keep my potential spells known in check while allowing me to cast more spells per day (essentially, making my wizard more like a sorcerer).
Seeker of Undeath 10-27-06, 07:18 AM	By giving up versatility in spells known (taking an additional barred school), and giving up versatility in spells per day (at least three spells at each spell level must be from your chosen school, as compared to just one of each spell level for a regular specialist) you effectively gain one extra spell slot of each spell level. This is something I would do if I ever played a wizard, because it helps keep my potential spells known in check while allowing me to cast more spells per day (essentially, making my wizard more like a sorcerer).True, you'll be more like a sorcerer. In fact you'll have the same number of base spell slots. However, you've restricted yourself to saying that 3 of those spell slots will be used only for spells from your specialized school. I suggest you choose a very versatile school of magic. Conjuration might be the way to go. Sure, divination will only require you to give up a total of 2 forbidden schools (1 normally and an additional 1 from this new option), but frankly I don't know that I'd want to prepare 3 divination spells of every spell level every day. Granted, you'd play the role of information gatherer pretty well, but you'd better make those other 0-4 (depending on intelligence bonus and wizard level) slots count. For clarity, let's look at what it does at 1st level. A wizard has a base number of 1st-level spell slots of 1. For specializing we get another 1 (2 total). Now we give up our original 1 in exchange for 2 specialized (3 total). Thus at first level we have 3 spell slots (the same as a 1st-level sorcerer!). However all 3 of those spells must come from our specialized school of magic (we just lost the versatility of a wizard AND a sorcerer!). Thanks to having an intelligence of at least 12 we'll get 1 more spell slot that we can use for general purposes (however this is not more than the sorcerer, who will also gain a slot from a 12+ charisma score). For sake of argument we can swing it the other way now. As a 20th-level wizard you'll have 6 spell slots per level (not including slots from intelligence bonus). This does match the sorcerer. Now 3 spells of every level will still be from your specialized school, but 3 of every level can be whatever you please. Now things aren't nearly so bad, but you've still given up a significant number of options. When all I hear is "wizard=versatility!!!!!!111111one", I begin to wonder if this isn't counter-intuitive. I love the idea, but by itself it doesn't appear that great. On the other hand, if one were to take a Diviner (Enchantment and Illusion forbidden) and multiclass into Beguiler as a lead in to Ultimate Magus, I could definitely see some use coming out of this feature. Diviner4/Beguiler1/UltimateMagus10/Archmage(Diviner)5 would cast as an 18th-level Wizard and an 8th-level Beguiler as long as you took Practiced Spellcaster (Beguiler) at 3rd level and advanced your Wizard casting all the way. Your caster levels would be Wizard 22 and Beguiler 16, however. With Use Magic Device as a class skill for Ultimate Magus, you could use Enchantment and Illusion items by virtue of your Beguiler casting. Now this shows promise. The ability to find traps doesn't hurt either, though your ranks in the necessary skills will likely stink. In the end, use this class option with caution, care, and planning.
psychic_infinity 10-27-06, 09:09 PM	Ah, okay, thanks. :) I misread the entry and thought it meant that now you had two bonus slots at each level, not you gained two more bonus slots at each level.
NineInchNall 10-28-06, 12:23 AM	The use should be obvious: Shadowcraft Mage. Two extra spell slots per level, each one containing every Sor/Wiz evocation/conjuration spell of that level or lower? Um, sure?