mswiddershins
2015-03-20, 01:10 AM
I have this burning image in my head of a necromancer who sings and plays a lute to make the dead dance. Problem: Bards aren't exactly built to be necromancers. Also, I don't particularly want this musical wizard to be versatile, or even mechanically very different from a wizard at all: I just want a wizard, exactly as powerful as the standard kind, but with musical flavor.
But, of course, good flavor has mechanical effects. Things I can think of:
all spells have verbal components and Silent Spell can't be used
Perform (insert musical category here) is a class skill
Scribe Scroll is messed with so that only other musical spellcasters can use the scrolls produced
maybe monkey with the spell lists a bit
maybe let these wizards use Perform instead of Spellcraft or something?
Charisma-based but non-spontaneous casting? (you have to practice spellsongs in order to get them well enough to use)
add the sonic descriptor to spells where it intuitively feels like it belongs (e.g., many enchantments)?
I don't know how far to go with it, I'm not a very experienced homebrewer.
But, of course, good flavor has mechanical effects. Things I can think of:
all spells have verbal components and Silent Spell can't be used
Perform (insert musical category here) is a class skill
Scribe Scroll is messed with so that only other musical spellcasters can use the scrolls produced
maybe monkey with the spell lists a bit
maybe let these wizards use Perform instead of Spellcraft or something?
Charisma-based but non-spontaneous casting? (you have to practice spellsongs in order to get them well enough to use)
add the sonic descriptor to spells where it intuitively feels like it belongs (e.g., many enchantments)?
I don't know how far to go with it, I'm not a very experienced homebrewer.