Massive Magic Mischief...

[Jane_Smith]

Ok, meant Massive Magic Revamp project, but MMM sounds better. >.>

-cough-

Anyway, sitting up at 4:36 am, toothache AND a headache from the abyss keeping me up, god decides to punish me - by making me unable to stop thinking. Peachy, hu?

Well, I was thinking - Necromancy. Healing. Oh noes! Healing wizards, bad Jane, bad! -slaps self- But, seriously, would giving some healing spells with a Necromancy [Healing] subtype be HORRIBLE overpowered? I mean, wizards cant spontaneously cast them, they get what they prepare. This would allow wizards and sorcerers to replace clerics for the healing duty of band aid, and it would be a MUCH needed buff to the Necromancy school, considering as of now, if your arn't a undead-factory necromancer, your a fail necromancer, when in truth the school of necromancy is the ART OF MANIPULATING --LIFE-- and --DEATH--... sure, undeath is a -result-, but not the primary focus of necromancy and I beleive, strongly, dnd went way off track with this positive = holy, negative = unholy crap.

However, i understand WHY clerics healing spells are labeled as conjuration - while a necromancer would use complex arcane formulas, alchemy, components, etc and twist the leylines and weave to his focus, a cleric prayers and acts as a conduit and draws the magic from their deity. So in a sense, their 'summoning' healing magic from their god to the mortal realm...

The big problem I see here is - we got 1 result, from 2 different means.

My idea to fix this little issue? Rework the magic system for necromancy/arcane and cleric spells. Giving the necromancy an entirely new set of Inflict/Cure like spells, with a "FEW" soft modifications from the cleric spell list.

Obviously, tapping magic from a GOD is faster and and less cost effective and draining on a cleric then necromancy would be for someone who cheats life and death and tames it by force. Thus; my basic ideas are listed below;

Necromancy School Overhaul;
1: Cure spells will be added. However, they will be tastefully renamed as Mend spells, become Necromancy [Healing] typed. Examples; Mend Light Wounds, Mass Mend Critical Wounds.

2: Inflict spells will be added. I plan on renaming it to Rend spells, and like the above, they will gain the Necromancy subtype. Examples; Rend Light Wounds, Mass Rend Critical Wounds.

3: Lesser Restoration, Restoration, Heal, Regeneration, Lesser Vigor, Vigor, Greater Vigor, Major Vigor, Mass Heal, and the like will be added. Some minor changes will be made. Also thinking of Reincarnation, renamed Rebirth and without the random factor, but takes several days to 'regrow' the character. They will gain the necromancy subtype.

4: Im thinking of giving necromancers resurrection-based spells; Raise Dead, etc, albeit at a +1 spell level then clerics, and with the necromancy subtype.

So, any ideas, opinions, help? :P

[Jane_Smith]

First Set of ideas;

Lesser Mending
Necromancy [Healing]
Level: Wiz/Sorc 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will half (Harlmess)
Spell Resistance: Yes (Harlmess)

When laying your hand upon a healing creature, you use your magic to warp their flesh and quicken the healing process, restoring 1d6 points of damage +2 point per caster level (maximum +10) to the target.

Statistics: Maximum benefit of 1d6+10 for an average of 12.5 hp cured per cast by 5th level.

Mending
Necromancy [Healing]
Level: Wiz/Sorc 3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will half (Harlmess)
Spell Resistance: Yes (Harlmess)

When laying your hand upon a healing creature, you use your magic to warp their flesh and quicken the healing process, restoring 2d6 points of damage +2 point per caster level (maximum +20) to the target.

Statistics: Maximum benefit of 2d6+20 for an average of 25.5 hp cured per cast by 10th level.

Greater Mending
Necromancy [Healing]
Level: Wiz/Sorc 5
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will half (Harlmess)
Spell Resistance: Yes (Harlmess)

When laying your hand upon a healing creature, you use your magic to warp their flesh and quicken the healing process, restoring 3d6 points of damage +2 point per caster level (maximum +30) to the target.

Statistics: Maximum benefit of 3d6+30 for an average of 39.5 hp cured per cast by 15th level.

Major Mending
Necromancy [Healing]
Level: Wiz/Sorc 7
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will half (Harlmess)
Spell Resistance: Yes (Harlmess)

When laying your hand upon a healing creature, you use your magic to warp their flesh and quicken the healing process, restoring 4d6 points of damage +2 point per caster level (maximum +40) to the target.

Statistics: Maximum benefit of 4d6+40 for an average of 51.5 hp cured per cast by 20th level.

Rest
Necromancy [Healing]
Level: 0
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes (Harmless)

This spell removes all effects of fatigue that arose because of strenuous labor or movement. This does not cure fatigued caused by magical or supernatural means.

Bestow Life
Necromancy [Healing]
Level: Wiz/Sorc 0
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes (Harlmess)

The caster touchs the subject and gives them a spark of life energy, bringing them back from deaths door. This spell instantly heals the target of 1 hit point and stabilizes them from dying when under 0 hit points, however, this spell automatically fails when used on creatures with 1 or more hit point.

Resurrect
Necromancy [Healing]
Level: 9
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: Touch
Effect: dead creature touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None (see text)
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)

You restore life to a deceased creature. You can raise a creature that has been dead for no longer than one day per caster level. In addition, the subject's soul must be free to return. However, they do not need to be willing. If the subject's soul is not willing to return, they must make a will saving throw to resist. If they fail, they are forced to revive. If the save succeeds, the spell does not work.
Coming back from the dead by this manner is an ordeal. The subject of the spell loses one level worth of experience points and is reduced to half way threw his previous level. This does not actually bestow negative levels, it is just that much longer until the character can level again normally. If the creature has only 1 hit dice, they instead take 2 points of permanent Constitution damage instead (if this would reduceits Con to 0 or less, it can't be raised). A character who died with spells prepared has a 50% chance of losing all spells upon being raised. A spellcasting creature that doesn't prepare spells (such as a sorcerer who has unused spell slots, or a creature with spell-like abilities per day) has a 50% chance of losing all uses of those spells as if it had been used.
A character restored to life by these means returned with a number of hit points equal to its total Hit Dice. Any ability scores damaged to 0 are raised to 1. Normal poison and normal disease are cured in the process of resurrecting the subject, but magical diseases and curses are not undone. While the spell closes mortal wounds and repairs lethal damage of must kinds, the body of the creature to be revived must be at least partially whole enough to sustain life without it, such as a arm or leg. Otherwise, missing parts are still missing when the creature is brought back to life. None of the dead creature's equipment or possessions are affected in any way by this spell.
A creature who has been turned into an undead creature or killed by a death effect can't be raised by this spell. Constructs, elementals, outsiders, and undead creatures cannot be raised by this spell. The spell cannot bring back a creature that has died of old age.

Material Component: The fresh blood of the caster, at the end of the casting time the character must inflict 1d4 temporary constitution damage on himself for the spell to take effect.

XP Cost: 1000 XP.

[DracoDei]

The first one is as good at CLW at first level, and better there-after. You probably don't want it to be that way. Also, the average of a d6 is 3.5 not 2.5 which might explain how you made that mistake. At higher levels the 3rd level cleric spell (Cure Serious) is only slightly better than the third level spell you created. At 15th level the difference is only one half of a point. This is perhaps tollerable given that by that time the characters have access to their respective 7th level spells.

As for wizards raising the dead, see Clone.

[Jane_Smith]

Um, actually i based all four spells on Cure Light, Moderate, Serious and Critical wounds (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th spell levels for clerics), lowered the hit dice to d6 and buffed the hp/level (which i do for clerics; and the cleric cure spells are close-range, not touch), and spread them out to 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th level spells for necromancers. Takes a 13th level wizard to learn the equivilent of a Cure Critical Wounds of a 7th level Cleric, and even then he has to touch his targets.

Ya, and clone cant bring back someone thats already been dead unless you got a preserved 'sample' of them waiting after they die. This version of Resurrect is the equivalent to the 5th level spell Raise Dead for clerics - with no gp cost, no actual level loss, and the ability to FORCEFULLY revive someone against their will - both a good and evil little ploy for necromancers. (Also takes less time to do then waiting for the clone to grow)

[PairO'Dice Lost]

lowered the hit dice to d6 and buffed the hp/level (which i do for clerics; and the cleric cure spells are close-range, not touch)

If you've made changes to clerics, you should probably explain what they are, because as-is 1d6+10 is better than the by-the-book cure light wounds 1d8+5. If your clerics already heal better than this, that's fine, but you need to say so for people to give accurate comments.

[J.Gellert]

I am seeing this as a trend where homebrew is concerned... Overcomplicating things.

What are you trying to do? Give healing spells to wizards. So give them!

It is not going to overpower them. The reason is this: D&D is designed for adventuring groups. If there is a cleric in the party, you can bet all your wealth by level that the wizard will not be routinely preparing any healing - because the cleric is simply more efficient at it and doesn't sacrifice prepared slots for it. How many Druds prepare healing if the party has a cleric? Only a few, and only a few slots in the off-chance that the cleric is incapacitated. A wizard is only ever going to prepare Cure spells when there is no other healer in the group - and then, is it so bad if the party has some healing? I guarantee you it will be limited...

...because prepared slots are very valuable for casters. Wizard players want to destroy things, not waste slots (and combat time) healing people. Besides, it is ineffective; why would the wizard ever prepare Cure Serious Wounds? He can prepare Stoneskin which is much better at reducing "overall damage received". And he can prepare Confusion or Fear thereby preventing the need for any healing in the first place.

So anyway this explanation went on longer than I thought it'd go. Bottom line is this: No healing for wizards is a relic of older editions, like arcane spell failure. In old times, clerics used to fill a niche: The healer. That was their contribution to the party. Since 3rd edition, clerics fill the role of the tank/mage/zilla so it's not like people will stop playing clerics if healing isn't their selling point (and it will still be a strong point because of spontaneity).

Finally, don't complicate things. You created an entire new line of spells, well, why? If you think Cure spells belong to Necromancy, change'em. You can do it. If you think they belong to both schools, change them to "Necromancy/Conjuration". You can do that too. By introducing new spells you just make mistakes like renaming "Arcane Cure Light Wounds" to "Mending (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/mending.htm)"

[Set]

I would consider not only allowing Necromancers to use Cure X Wounds (and Inflict X Wounds) spells, perhaps at a +1 spell level (Cure Light Wounds as a 2nd level spell, for instance), but I would even consider creating a Transmutation-based healing spell (using smaller dice, perhaps, or turning lethal damage into nonlethal damage, to mix things up).

Quite a few d20 based systems and settings already allow arcane curing, or just completely ignore the arcane/divine divide (Arcana Unearthed, True 20, etc.) and even WotC allows options like the Unearthed Arcana 'generic spellcaster' or the Divine Magician option, where a Wizard can take the Healing Domain and go to town.

Another route to go, if you wanted to complicate things a bit, would be to allow a Specialist Wizard to pick one spell per level of spells from their School of specialization *from any full class list.* So a Specialist Necromancer could pick up some Cure X Wounds spells, while a Specialist Evoker grabs stuff like Flame Strike and a Specialist Conjurer is checking out Planar Binding and a Specialist Enchanter is grabbing Heroism.