| Post/Author/DateTime | Post |
|---|---|
| Dhavaer01-07-06, 07:40 PM | What do people think of the Specialist Wizard Variants? Personally, I think it adds a lot more flavour to a specialist, rather than just giving them a few more spells/day. |
| Rathje01-10-06, 01:46 AM | I really like them. Especially because it allows me to make a Wizard without a familiar. I'm not fond of familiars or animal companions. Before I got Unearthed Arcana, I avoided Druids and Rangers altogether, solely because I didn't want to have to deal with the animal companion. Now I'd take Druidic Avenger or the Barbarian variant with Favoured Enemy (which my group refers to as Barbarian 58, for the page number it's on). Familiars bog down combat too much. I wouldn't mind so much if only one class got them, but they seem to pop up all over the place. Druid, Ranger, Paladin, Sorceror, Wizard. That's five of the eleven core classes. Ugh. Anyhow, back to the topic: I thought the Specialist Wizard Variants gave a lot of flavour that was needed. While a Domain Wizard can stay closer to a Universal Wizard, but with Specialization, Specialist Wizard Variants can move even further away for more originality. Plus, most of the abilities are cool. Not all of them are the greatest, but they're different. It's not just the same ability used elsewhere with a new name. Now I just need to get rid of Hexblade familiars. |
| Dhavaer01-10-06, 02:57 AM | I actually like familiars. This is, I admit, because I'm extremely paranoid and want something to watch my back while I sleep. |
| Pallando9701-10-06, 11:43 PM | To tell the truth, I felt that Wizard and to a lesser degree, Sorcerer, we too bland and similar for my taste. I ruled that if you specialize you automatically gain the benefits of the variants without actually giving up your familar or feats or extra spells. I like the flavor they add so I just made it apart of them anyway. And actually, to spice up the Sorcerer I gave them bonus Draconic heritage feats from the Complete Arcane as they leveled up as well. |
| elven warriorXX01-11-06, 09:20 PM | I really like them. Especially because it allows me to make a Wizard without a familiar. I'm not fond of familiars or animal companions. Before I got Unearthed Arcana, I avoided Druids and Rangers altogether, solely because I didn't want to have to deal with the animal companion. Now I'd take Druidic Avenger or the Barbarian variant with Favoured Enemy (which my group refers to as Barbarian 58, for the page number it's on). Familiars bog down combat too much. I wouldn't mind so much if only one class got them, but they seem to pop up all over the place. Druid, Ranger, Paladin, Sorceror, Wizard. That's five of the eleven core classes. Ugh. A messages from are sponsors: Yes I to think that all wizards/sorcerers/druids/rangers/paladins having Familars bog down the game. I like Familiars but I think that every izard having one is just corny. So I let druids/rangers have a Totem (different then the Totem barbarian) or a Animal companion and let Wizards/sorcerers have a Staff or a Familiar. Now back to your thread: Yes I like the Wizard specialty abilities a lot and plan to have all my wizards use those abilities. Also I think that wizards having extra spell per day is useless. Thats all folks :) |
| Greg_K01-11-06, 10:44 PM | What do people think of the Specialist Wizard Variants? Personally, I think it adds a lot more flavour to a specialist, rather than just giving them a few more spells/day. The specialist wizards are really just a reworking of an optional rule introduced in certain 2e supplements. It is also how I thought that specialist wizards should have been handled in 3.x from the start. |
| Levism8401-18-06, 11:19 AM | My DM is planning on doing a Harry Potter-esk campaign where magic is the norm, most people have at least 1 or 2 levels of wizard to start off with, there are no sorcerers, druids, clerics, or other spellcasting classes (healing spells fall into the conjuration school, and couple of the other schools are going to be expanded with some normally divine spells), and humans are the super dominate (only PCable) race. He is really interested in the specialist varient for wizard, but I was wondering if there could be even more specializations? Healing? Nature? Occult? Blue Mage? Since this will obviously be a high-magic campaign, and I really love the idea of intergrated magic, what if there were profession specializations? Arcane Engineer, Arcane Librarian, or Arcane Politition? Just wondering if anyone had any ideas on different varients like that? Something that doesn't neccasarily specialize so much in one school, but in a devotion for future employment. ~Rain~ |
| Hodo01-18-06, 02:46 PM | Something resembling "elemental" themes would be nice too. Ice magic, fire magic, energy, etc; as opposed to just evocation to cover a wide list. Wizardry has always been described in the DnD game as a kind of science. The correct combination of factors and materials results in the universe producing a predictable outcome, just like chemistry. So then it seemed odd to me that a wizard who had been casting mostly magic missile, or ray of frost, with no fire spells, would suddenly stumble upon the equation and formula for making fireballs when that spell becomes available at their caster level. I also think sorcerer's should have similar themes. if not more exagerrated since their powers are entirely natural. The PHB actually encourages Sorcerers to stick with a theme (offensive fire spells, defensive buffs, etc), but strangely enough, sorcerers don't have any in game mechanics that reward them for following a specific style of magic the way wizards do. |
| elven warriorXX01-18-06, 02:56 PM | Something resembling "elemental" themes would be nice too. Ice magic, fire magic, energy, etc; as opposed to just evocation to cover a wide list. This Is another (yes another so sue me) thing I am tinkering with. I am making an elemental spell list (from all 4 elements) that a wizard can specialize in. To specialize you can choose and Element (lets say Fire) and then you auto gain all the spells on the Fire list and you can cast them at +1 level. You can't cast spells from the opposite element (in this case Water) and take a -1 to level on all other elements (Earth and air) So that means you can't even cast Earth or air spells untill you are 2nd level. |
| Hodo01-18-06, 03:00 PM | My DM is planning on doing a Harry Potter-esk campaign where magic is the norm, most people have at least 1 or 2 levels of wizard to start off with, there are no sorcerers, druids, clerics, or other spellcasting classes (healing spells fall into the conjuration school, and couple of the other schools are going to be expanded with some normally divine spells), and humans are the super dominate (only PCable) race. He is really interested in the specialist varient for wizard, but I was wondering if there could be even more specializations? Healing? Nature? Occult? Blue Mage? Since this will obviously be a high-magic campaign, and I really love the idea of intergrated magic, what if there were profession specializations? Arcane Engineer, Arcane Librarian, or Arcane Politition? Just wondering if anyone had any ideas on different varients like that? Something that doesn't neccasarily specialize so much in one school, but in a devotion for future employment. ~Rain~ There's no end to the modified wizards, alternate arcane classes, and wizard related prestige classes there are in the game. Off the top of my head, the core classes I can think of are... Wu Jen- Asian themed wizards who must practice wierd customs (not eating meat, never sit facing north, shave head, etc) to gain powerful elemental powers. In the complete arcane books. Warmage- Wizard/sorcerer/fighter who specialises in combat. Also from complete arcane. Spellthief- "Blue mage" with limited spellcasting abilities, but can steal the spells of others and use them for himself. From complete adventurer. Magewright- Work wizard: the guy who can sit in a shop and cranks out everburning torches and wands of curelight his entire carreer. Found in the Eberron books. These are just wizards though. There's an arcane (sorcerer or bard-like) class or prestige class for anything you can think of. Loremasters (librarians), Archmages (uberwizards), and Arcane Archers (archers) prestige classes are all found in the DMG. You may also be interested in the Eberron books for more classes and prestige classes, as well as more utilitarian spells. Magic is everywhere in the Eberron setting, and is an everyday thing thing that often used in a manner similar to the Harry Potter world. |
| Hodo01-18-06, 03:20 PM | This Is another (yes another so sue me) thing I am tinkering with. I am making an elemental spell list (from all 4 elements) that a wizard can specialize in. To specialize you can choose and Element (lets say Fire) and then you auto gain all the spells on the Fire list and you can cast them at +1 level. You can't cast spells from the opposite element (in this case Water) and take a -1 to level on all other elements (Earth and air) So that means you can't even cast Earth or air spells untill you are 2nd level. I like. I'm wondering if all the spells are balanced around something like this though. For instance, are all fire spells so powerful and focused on damage, and water spells so forgettable that the option to go with fire is obvious? |
| elven warriorXX01-18-06, 03:32 PM | I like. I'm wondering if all the spells are balanced around something like this though. For instance, are all fire spells so powerful and focused on damage, and water spells so forgettable that the option to go with fire is obvious? I think I know what you mean (hard to read post XD). No if some one chooses fire they will not be lossing nothing, I will be puting some themes around the spells like fire theme is, Fire, damage, and Evocation. Water will be Water, cold, and protection. Earth will be Earth, Acid, and Transmtation. Air will be Air, Lightning, storms, and nature. I will balance the spells list by making the Wizard really think if he wants to give up Acid rain for Freeze. |
| elven warriorXX01-19-06, 12:26 PM | Okay here is the list of Elemental spells that Wizards can specialize in. I will also be posting this on the Magic and Spells forum. If you don't know were the spell comes from go search the name here (http://www.imarvintpa.com/dndLive/FindSpell.asp). Fire 0: Flare 1: Burning hands, Produce Flame, Heat Metal 2: Glitter dust, Flaming sphere, Scorching ray, Pyrotechnics 3: Fireball, flame arrow, Continual Flame, Daylight, 4: Fire trap, Fire shield, Wall of fire, Blast of flame 5: Cone of fire, Fireburst, Energy Vortex 6: Fire seeds, Summon monster VI (fire creatures only) 7: Delayed blast fireball, Fire Storm 8: Incendiary cloud, Sunburst 9: Meteor swarm, Internal Fire Water 0: ray of frost 1: Obscuring mist, Chill touch, Create Water 2: Fog cloud, Rain*, Animate Water, Swim 3: Iceball, Water breathing, Water Walk, Quench 4: Solid fog, Ice storm, Wall of ice 5: Cone of cold, Control water 6: Drown, deep Freeze, Tidal Surge 7: Delayed ice bomb, Freezing Sphere, Water Spout 8: Polar ray, Flashflood, Maelstrom 9: Storm of Vengeance, Comet swarm Air 0: Ghost sound 1: Sleep, Shocking grasp, Feather fall 2: Gust of wind, Whispering wind, Invisibility 3: Lightning bolt, Wind wall, Fly 4: Wall of Lightning (as wall of fire but deals Lightning damage), Air walk, Defenestrating Sphere 5: Overland flight, ball lightning, control winds, Cyclonic Blast 6: Chain lighting, Wind Walk 7: Control weather 8: Whirlwind 9: Etherealness, Greater Whirlwind Earth 0: Acid splash 1: Fist of Stone, Hail of Stone 2: acid arrow, Stony Grasp, Barkskin 3: Stone Shape, Acid ball (as Fireball but deals acid damage) 4: Meld into Stone, Spike Stones 5: Move Earth, Transmute Mud to Rock, Wall of Stone 6: Mudslide, Acid rain, Wall of iron, Flesh to Stone, Stone to Flesh 7: Calm Earth, reverse gravity, statue 8: Earthquake, iron body 9: summon earth monolith, Transmute Rock to Lava |