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Brom
2007-12-12, 03:34 AM
WIZARD

A brief on my changes to the Wizard class and why:

I always felt the Wizard, was, in many ways, an unenlightening and difficult to play class that didn’t always live up to it’s reputation. Sure, the flexibility is nice, the changing of the spells every day, but some aspects of the class just didn’t feel like they lined up. My goal in this remake was to do several things: 1) Give people more reason to specialize, ‘cause one more spell per day isn’t doing it. 2) Increase a Wizards use to a party through skills – that is one edge they have on Sorcerers, but it’s not nearly sharp enough in my mind. 3) Give the Wizards more adaptation and sheer power in their spells, but give them fewer spells. 4) Give Wizards fewer dead levels so that their intense work and training is represented and they keep gaining on their prior abilities and finally 5) To make devoting to Wizards feel important. Right now, with the Complete Mage, Dungeon Masters Guide, Complete Arcane, and other supplements, the Wizard feels like a necessary step into a unique prestige class where they can truly begin to shine instead of a significant career to pursue in its own.

An intense change to the way spellcasting works:

I made a fairly intense change to spellcasting for the purposes of my games. In my games, Wizards will have a spell point system, as will Bards, Warmages, Paladins, Clerics, Druids, Rangers, and Sorcerers. Spell points – interchangeably referred to as Mana Points, Casting Points, Magicka Points, Arcane Points, Divine Points, etc… -- are my way of making sense of the overly compartmentalized Wizard. I have a hard time seeing why a 20th level Wizard can only cast 4 0th level spells in a day. I mean, sure, he could probably laden himself with wands that he sticks himself in a bag of holding and have EASILY far more than that, but come ON. 0th level spells, people, they aren’t that powerful and a 20th level Wizard is likely to be seething with magical power. So, here is how it works – Wizards gain five spell points per level. Every cast requires a certain amount of spell points:

0th: ½ a spell point
1st: A single spell point
2nd: Five spell points
3rd: Ten spell points
4th: Fifteen spell points
5th: Twenty spell points
6th: Twenty Five spell Points
7th: Thirty spell points
8th: Thirty five spell points
9th: Forty spell points

Metamagic is in no way changed: instead of increasing the spell level of a spell, you increase the number of spell points it costs by the amount of levels it goes up. IE, a Maximized spell is a four spell level increase – so, if you were maximizing a magic missile, instead of costing a single spell point, it now costs twenty. The memorization is not changed, either: A Wizard may memorize a number of spells of each level equal to his intelligence modifier x ½ his Wizard level in a day. He may spend spell points on those spells; specialist casters still get to add one spell to that list and have a number of spell points equal to that spells level dedicated to that spell casting that can be spent in no other fashion.

A change to the Spell Focus Feat

Spell focus now increases your caster level by 1 for casting spells of a chosen school. Greater Spell focus simply doubles this bonus. They do not stack.

Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d4.

Class Skills
The wizard’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int), Use Magic Device (Int). See Chapter 4: Skills for
skill descriptions.
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Mana Points at Each Level: 5 + Intelligence Modifier


Level Base Attack
Bonus Fort
Save Ref
Save Will
Save Special
1st +0 +0 +0 +2 Summon familiar,
Scribe Scroll, Focus Powers
2nd +1 +0 +0 +3 Improved Initiative
3rd +1 +1 +1 +3 Skill Focus
4th +2 +1 +1 +4 Arcane Sight
5th +2 +1 +1 +4 Bonus feat, Focus Powers
6th +3 +2 +2 +5 Skill Focus
7th +3 +2 +2 +5 Combat Caster
8th +4 +2 +2 +6 Identify Magic
9th +4 +3 +3 +6 Skill Focus
10th +5 +3 +3 +7 Bonus feat, Focus Powers
11th +5 +3 +3 +7 Unseen Servant
12th +6/+1 +4 +4 +8 Skill Focus
13th +6/+1 +4 +4 +8 Suppress Magic
14th +7/+2 +4 +4 +9 Improve Magic +1
15th +7/+2 +5 +5 +9 Bonus feat, Focus Powers
16th +8/+3 +5 +5 +10 Forceful Casting
17th +8/+3 +5 +5 +10 Improve Magic +2
18th +9/+4 +6 +6 +11 Overpower Resistance
19th +9/+4 +6 +6 +11 Body & Magic
20th +10/+5 +6 +6 +12 Bonus feat, Focus Powers

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the wizard.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Wizards are proficient with the club, dagger, heavy crossbow, light crossbow, and quarterstaff, but not with any type of armor or shield. Armor of any type interferes with a wizard’s movements, which can cause her spells with somatic components to fail.
Spells: A wizard casts arcane spells which are drawn from the sorcerer/ wizard spell list. A wizard must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time (see below).
To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the wizard must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a wizard’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the wizard’s Intelligence modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a wizard can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The Wizard. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Intelligence score.
Unlike a bard or sorcerer, a wizard may know any number of spells. She must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time by getting a good night’s sleep and spending 1 hour studying her spellbook. While studying, the wizard decides which spells to prepare.
Bonus Languages: A wizard may substitute Draconic for one of the bonus languages available to the character because of her race.
Familiar: A wizard can obtain a familiar in exactly the same manner as a sorcerer can. See the sorcerer description and the information on Familiars below for details.
Scribe Scroll: At 1st level, a wizard gains Scribe Scroll as a bonus feat.
Focus Powers: At 1st level, a specialized Wizard gains the first of her focus powers. If she did not specialize in a school of magic, ignore these. If she has, pick the appropriate level one at 1st, 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th levels.
Improved Initiative: The Wizard understands that acting first is preferable to acting last for optimum effect, so she gains Improved Initiative, as the feat, from her preparation for combative spellcasting.
Skill Focus: The Wizard has trained in a skill that has been proving useful lately with renewed fervor. He gains a +3 bonus to that skill, as the Skill Focus Feat. The skill must be a class skill.
Arcane Sight: The Wizard can use Detect Magic as the spell as a spell like ability a number of times/day = to her Intelligence modifier.
Combat Caster: Having been through some rough spots, the Wizard has trained and seasoned himself for casting in rough, unpleasant conditions. He gains Combat Caster, as the feat.
Identify Magic: The Wizard gains the ability to use the Identify spell as a spell like ability a number of times/day equal to her intelligence modifier.
Unseen Servant: The Wizard can summon an Unseen Servant 1/day. The Unseen Servant has the duration as it would have if made by a 15th level Wizard.
Suppress Magic: The Wizard can temporarily negate the magic of a magic item that is unattended for 2d6+1 rounds. To do so, he must cast Dispel Magic, as a spell like ability that costs no spell points. He can do this a number of times/day = to his intelligence modifier.
Improve Magic: 1/day, the Wizard can increase his effective caster level by one for a single spell. At 17th level, this increases to a +2.
Forceful Casting: By paying three times the amount he would for a spell, the Wizard can increase the spell level by two. This stacks with other effects, such as spell focus & Wizard specialization.
Overpower Resistance: The Wizard is trained in simply running over an opponents resistance to make needed spells take place. He gains a +8 on rolls made to overcome an enemies spell resistance if he pays triple the normal the spell he is applying the +8 bonus to.
Body & Magic: The Wizard can, at any time during a day, sacrifice one point of Constitution & Strength. If he does this, he gains ten spell points. He cannot convert spell points into Constitution or Strength, and the Constitution/Strength cannot be restored by spells, not even by Wish. He must spend the points within 1 hour or lose the spell points.
Bonus Feats: At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level, a wizard gains a bonus feat. At each such opportunity, she can choose a metamagic feat, an item creation feat, or Spell Mastery. The wizard must still meet all prerequisites for a bonus feat, including caster level minimums.
These bonus feats are in addition to the feat that a character of any class gets from advancing levels. The wizard is not limited to the categories of item creation feats, metamagic feats, or Spell Mastery when choosing these feats.
Spellbooks: A wizard must study her spellbook each day to prepare her spells. She cannot prepare any spell not recorded in her spellbook, except for read magic, which all wizards can prepare from memory.
A wizard begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level wizard spells (except those from her prohibited school or schools, if any; see School Specialization, below) plus three 1st-level spells of your choice. For each point of Intelligence bonus the wizard has, the spellbook holds one additional 1st-level spell of your choice. At each new wizard level, she gains two new spells of any spell level or levels that she can cast (based on her new wizard level) for her spellbook. At any time, a wizard can also add spells found in other wizards’ spellbooks to her own.

SCHOOL SPECIALIZATION
A school is one of eight groupings of spells, each defined by a common theme. If desired, a wizard may specialize in one school of magic (see below). Specialization allows a wizard to cast extra spells from her chosen school, but she then never learns to cast spells from some other schools.
A specialist wizard can prepare one additional spell of her specialty school per spell level each day. She also gains a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks to learn the spells of her chosen school. In addition, when casting spells from a Wizards specialized school, their caster level is treated as one level higher for any spell cast from that school. In addition, a Wizard gains Focus Powers for specializing in a school that augment her prowess in that school of magic.
The wizard must choose whether to specialize and, if she does so, choose her specialty at 1st level. At this time, she must also give up two other schools of magic (unless she chooses to specialize in divination; see below), which become her prohibited schools.
A wizard can never give up divination to fulfill this requirement.
Spells of the prohibited school or schools are not available to the wizard, and she can’t even cast such spells from scrolls or fire them from wands. She may not change either her specialization or her prohibited schools later.
The eight schools of arcane magic are abjuration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, evocation, illusion, necromancy, and transmutation.
Spells that do not fall into any of these schools are called universal spells.
Abjuration: Spells that protect, block, or banish. An abjuration specialist is called an abjurer. Abjurers get the following focus powers:
1st level – Vigilant Defender: An Abjurer adds one hour to the duration of every Abjuration spell with a duration.
5th level – Deny Information: An Abjurer can lose twice again as many spell points to make the effect of a spell that cancels scrying last 24 hours.
10th level – Impeccable Defenses: An Abjurer can lose twice again as many spell points to make spells that target himself protectively last 24 hours. If their effect is overcome ((Ie stoneskin absorbs maximum damage)) the spell ends.
15th level – Swift Abjuratives: An Abjurer can re-cast an Abjuration spell he just cast as a free action 1/day as long as he makes no other movement. IE, he could cast stoneskin on a Fighter, then a Rogue, but only if the Rogue & the Fighter were next to him.
20th level – Master of Antimagicks: An Abjurer can end a spell with a duration 1/day as a full round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. No check/savings throw is applied.
Conjuration: Spells that bring creatures or materials to the caster. A conjuration specialist is called a conjurer. Focus powers are as below:
1st level – Loyal Summons: A Conjurer’s Summon Monster spells last 1 minute/level instead of 1 round/level.
5th level – Otherworldly Comprehension: A Conjurer can speak the language of any creature summoned through Summon Monster spells.
10th level – Summon Madness: A Conjurer can emplace a mighty rage in creatures he summons, granting them +6 Strength/Constitution. This stacks with spells like Bear’s Endurance and feats like Augment Summoning. To do this, he must pay twice as many spell points as he would for the Summon Monster he is applying it to. IE, Enraging a Summon Monster III costs 20 spell points. The duration is 1/round per Wizard level. He can spread these Rages out between multiple creatures.
15th level – Dimensional Positioning: A Conjurer increases the range of his Summon Monster spells from short to long.
20th level – Practiced Conjuratives: A Conjurer shortens the casting times of his Summon Monster spells to a standard action instead of a full round action.
Divination: Spells that reveal information. A divination specialist is called a diviner. Unlike the other specialists, a diviner must give up only one other school. Focus powers for the school are as follows:
1st level - Farsight: Increase the detection range of Detect spells from 60 ft to 200 ft.
5th leve1 – Skilled Divining: A Diviner can prepare and memorize Cleric spells of the Divination school as a Cleric of a level no greater than her Wizard level. You memorize spells of this kind as if they were part of the Wizard/Sorcerer spell list.
10th level – Discreet Divination: A Diviners spells can no longer be detected by any means short of other spells designed to detect Divinations. This means that a Ranger would not get a Spot check to detect a Scrying spell.
15th level – A Minute of Genius: For one minute/level/day, you gain a +10 on Knowledge & Spellcraft checks. You can split these minutes up throughout the day, using a number of minutes no greater than your Wizard level.
20th level – Nonstop Divination: A Diviner can make any Divination spell of her choice last for 24 hours 1/day.
Enchantment: Spells that imbue the recipient with some property or grant the caster power over another being. An enchantment specialist is called an enchanter. Focus powers are as follows:
1st level – Master of Guile: An Enchanter gains Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Gather Information, and Sense Motive as class skills. In addition, you add your Intelligence bonus to these skills, rather than your Charisma. You gain a +1 to each of these skills every five levels ((5th, 10th, 15th, 20th))
5th level – Improvising Mindbender: An Enchanter can cast any spell of the Enchantment school, even if it is of another class’s spell list. She is still confined to the spell level; for example, a 7th level Enchanter can cast Command ((1st level Cleric Spell)) but not Command, Greater ((5th level Cleric Spell)). She must prepare such a spell – spells are treated as if they are part of the Wizard/Sorcerer spell list.
10th level – Thoughtwalker: An Enchanter gains Telepathy 100 ft out, and can communicate with any creature which has a language.
15th level – Suggestive Persona: An Enchanter gains Suggestion as a spell like ability useable at will, as the spell.
20th level – Charm & Wit: An Enchanter gains Charm Monster as a spell like ability useable at will, as the spell, only it lasts 24 hours.
Evocation: Spells that manipulate energy or create something from nothing. An evocation specialist is called an evoker. Focus powers are as follows:
1st level – Precision Assailant: An Evoker can change any Evocation spell which deals damage into a Ray. Damage dice and other limitation stay the same.
5th level – Pure Arcanum: An Evoker can change half the damage he does into raw arcane power which has no type; it ignores energy resistance.
10th level – Undiluted Arcanum: By doubling the spell point cost of a spell, an Evoker can make all the damage of her spell untyped, raw arcane damage.
15th level – Controlled Demolition: An Evoker can designate one five foot square per two levels that her area-effect spells do not inflict damage on. This can only be done with spells that inflict damage, such as Fireball and Lightning Bolt.
20th level - Obliterator: An Evoker adds ½ his Evoker level as damage to any Evocation spell that does damage to an opponent.
Illusion: Spells that alter perception or create false images. An illusion specialist is called an illusionist. Focus Abilities are as follows:
1st level – Master of Deceit: The Illusionist gains Bluff, Disguise, Forgery, and Hide. In addition, all these skills are now based off of Intelligence and the Illusionist gains a +1 circumstance bonus to them at 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th levels.
5th level – Lingering Fiction: The spells Silent Image, Minor Image, and Major Image last a number of rounds after the Illusionists ceases concentration equal to twice the Illusionists Intelligence Modifier.
10th level – Lasting Obscurity: All spells the Illusionist casts that grant Invisibility have Extend Spell emplaced on them automatically.
15th level – Careful Deceiver: You can designate one target per two levels that does not see any of the things created by your Illusion spells.
20th level – Master of Untruth: Your Illusions appear as what you desire them to be, even under magical discernment, such as True Seeing.
Necromancy: Spells that manipulate, create, or destroy life or life force. A necromancy specialist is called a necromancer. Focus Abilities are as follows:
1st level – Necromonger: You can prepare Necromancy school spells from the Cleric list using your Wizard level as your Cleric level for the purposes of defining which spells you can and cannot cast. They are still treated as Arcane spells for any other purpose.
5th level – Frightful Magics: Characters who see you use Necromancy school spells who are within either five feet of you or the subject of your Necromantic spell must make a Will Save of DC 10 + Intelligence Modifier + ½ Wizard level or are affected by the Cause fear spell, only the effect has no HD limits. Subjects who succeed are shaken.
10th level – Vampiric Emulation: When you cast a spell with the Inflict Wounds descriptor, you gain an amount of health equal to the damage dealt + your Intelligence modifier.
15th level – Eternal Necro-antics: You apply the Extend Spell feat to all of your Necromancy school spells with duration.
20th level – Embracing Undeath: Coming to a pinnacle in your Necromancy studies, you can choose to acquire the template of a Lich or Vampire.
Transmutation: Spells that transform the recipient physically or change its properties in a more subtle way. A transmutation specialist is called a transmuter. Focus abilities are as follows:
1st – Modify Body: The Transmuter gains a spell called Modify Body. The spell gives a +10 to a single named skill by creating a minor change to the casters body; ie, if the caster desires a +10 Swim bonus, she gains webbed feet. The spell lasts 1 minute/Transmuter level.
5th level – Lasting Enhancements: The spells Bull’s Strength, Bear’s Endurance, Fox’s Cunning, Owl’s Wisdom, Eagle’s Splendor, and Cat’s Grace now last for one minute per level instead of 1 round per level.
10th level – Twist Body: You gain the spell 3rd level spell Twist Body, which gives a plethora of unique options and abilities by granting you one of the following physical changes:
* Wolfs Head: You gain a Wolfs head instead of your current one, giving you Scent, a +4 to tracking, a 1d6 bite attack, and trip as a wolf. You cannot cast spells with this modification made, but you can end it at any time.
• Spider Legs: You gain Spider legs which replace your current legs. You have a 20 foot move speed and can walk vertically/horizontally across flat surfaces that gravity would normally take you off of.
• Tree State: You gain leaves and roots to the ground, and can gain water from the ground and food from the sun as a tree can. You are immobile in this state, but can end the spell at any time and cast spells.
• Anaconda Arms: One arm of your choice transforms into an anaconda fifteen feet in length. This arm remains attached to your body. The anaconda head has a 1d8 bite attack, a 1d12 constrict attack, and gives you a +12 to grapple as well as a 15 ft reach.
• Owl Head: Your head becomes capable of 360 degree rotation, and you gain Darkvision 60 ft out, and also gain a +8 to Spot checks at night.
• Scorpion Stinger: You gain a Scorpion Stinger. The stinger has a five foot reach, and has a poison with an initial and secondary damage of 2d4 Constitution. The savings throw is 10 + ½ Wizard level.
• Chameleon Form: You gain the ability to walk vertically up walls with your hands and feet, which turn into chameleon feet, and you gain a +10 circumstance bonus to Hide due to your ability to change color. Your eyes move to the sides of your head and you can look in two directions at once.
• Gliding Lizard: You gain the flap of skin which allows certain lizards to glide, giving you the slowfall ability. For every five feet you would fall straight down, you fall forward, as well. You can change your forward direction mid-glide. You can attempt to land on an object that is stationary as a move action, but attempting to land on a moving object requires a balance check.
15th level – Potent Enhancement: The spells Bull’s Strength, Bear’s Endurance, Fox’s Cunning, Owl’s Wisdom, Eagle’s Splendor, and Cat’s Grace now grant +8 enhancement bonuses to their respective attributes instead of +4.
20th level – Reality Changer: You gain the spell Alter Matter, which is as follows:

Alter Matter
Transmutation
Level: Transmuter 9
Components: V, S
Range: Short ((25 ft + 5 ft/2 levels))
Area: Up to 2 5 ft cubes/5 levels
Duration: Permanent, see text
Saving Throw: See text
Spell Resistance: No

This spell turns any Nonmagical, non attended matter into another piece of simple matter as designated by the caster. The caster can, for example, turn a large piece of wall into mud, or water into mist, or rock into steel. He cannot, however, create swords out of steel, or castles out of stone. This effect remains in place until a successful Dispel Magic spell is cast on it.

Universal: Not a school, but a category for spells that all wizards can learn. A wizard cannot select universal as a specialty school or as a prohibited school. Only a limited number of spells fall into this category.

FAMILIARS
A familiar is a normal animal that gains new powers and becomes a magical beast when summoned to service by a sorcerer or wizard. It retains the appearance, Hit Dice, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, skills, and feats of the normal animal it once was, but it is treated as a magical beast instead of an animal for the purpose of any effect that depends on its type. Only a normal, unmodified animal may become a familiar. An animal companion cannot also function as a familiar.
A familiar also grants special abilities to its master (a sorcerer or wizard), as given on the table below. These special abilities apply only when the master and familiar are within 1 mile of each other.
Levels of different classes that are entitled to familiars stack for the purpose of determining any familiar abilities that depend on the master’s level.

Familiar Special
Bat Master gains a +3 bonus on Listen checks
Cat Master gains a +3 bonus on Move Silently checks
Hawk Master gains a +3 bonus on Spot checks in bright light
Lizard Master gains a +3 bonus on Climb checks
Owl Master gains a +3 bonus on Spot checks in shadows
Rat Master gains a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves
Raven1 Master gains a +3 bonus on Appraise checks
Snake2 Master gains a +3 bonus on Bluff checks
Toad Master gains +3 hit points
Weasel Master gains a +2 bonus on Reflex saves
1 A raven familiar can speak one language of its master’s choice as a supernatural ability.
2 Tiny viper.

Familiar Basics: Use the basic statistics for a creature of the familiar’s kind, but make the following
changes:
Hit Dice: For the purpose of effects related to number of Hit Dice, use the master’s character level or the familiar’s normal HD total, whichever is higher.
Hit Points: The familiar has one-half the master’s total hit points (not including temporary hit points), rounded down, regardless of its actual Hit Dice.
Attacks: Use the master’s base attack bonus, as calculated from all his classes. Use the familiar’s Dexterity or Strength modifier, whichever is greater, to get the familiar’s melee attack bonus with natural weapons.
Damage equals that of a normal creature of the familiar’s kind.
Saving Throws: For each saving throw, use either the familiar’s base save bonus (Fortitude +2, Reflex +2, Will +0) or the master’s (as calculated from all his classes), whichever is better. The familiar uses its own ability modifiers to saves, and it doesn’t share any of the other bonuses that the master might have on saves.
Skills: For each skill in which either the master or the familiar has ranks, use either the normal skill ranks for an animal of that type or the master’s skill ranks, whichever are better. In either case, the familiar uses its own ability modifiers. Regardless of a familiar’s total skill modifiers, some skills may remain beyond the familiar’s ability to use.
Familiar Ability Descriptions: All familiars have special abilities (or impart abilities to their masters) depending on the master’s combined level in classes that grant familiars, as shown on the table below. The abilities given on the table are cumulative.
Natural Armor Adj.: The number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus.
Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score.
Alertness (Ex): While a familiar is within arm’s reach, the master gains the Alertness feat.
Improved Evasion (Ex): When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, a familiar takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage even if the saving throw fails.
Share Spells: At the master’s option, he may have any spell (but not any spell-like ability) he casts on himself also affect his familiar. The familiar must be within 5 feet at the time of casting to receive the benefit.
If the spell or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting the familiar if it moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect the familiar again even if it returns to the master before the duration expires. Additionally, the master may cast a spell with a target of “You” on his familiar (as a touch range spell) instead of on himself.
A master and his familiar can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the familiar’s type (magical beast).
Empathic Link (Su): The master has an empathic link with his familiar out to a distance of up to 1 mile. The master cannot see through the familiar’s eyes, but they can communicate empathically. Because of the limited nature of the link, only general emotional content can be communicated.
Because of this empathic link, the master has the same connection to an item or place that his familiar does.
Deliver Touch Spells (Su): If the master is 3rd level or higher, a familiar can deliver touch spells for him. If the master and the familiar are in contact at the time the master casts a touch spell, he can designate his familiar as the “toucher.” The familiar can then deliver the touch spell just as the master could. As usual, if the master casts another spell before the touch is delivered, the touch spell dissipates.
Speak with Master (Ex): If the master is 5th level or higher, a familiar and the master can communicate verbally as if they were using a common language. Other creatures do not understand the communication without magical help.
Speak with Animals of Its Kind (Ex): If the master is 7th level or higher, a familiar can communicate with animals of approximately the same kind as itself (including dire varieties): bats with bats, rats with rodents, cats with felines, hawks and owls and ravens with birds, lizards and snakes with reptiles, toads with amphibians, weasels with similar creatures (weasels, minks, polecats, ermines, skunks, wolverines, and badgers). Such communication is limited by the intelligence of the conversing creatures.
Spell Resistance (Ex): If the master is 11th level or higher, a familiar gains spell resistance equal to the master’s level + 5. To affect the familiar with a spell, another spellcaster must get a result on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or exceeds the familiar’s spell resistance.
Scry on Familiar (Sp): If the master is 13th level or higher, he may scry on his familiar (as if casting the scrying spell) once per day.

Master Class Level Natural Armor Adj. Int Special
1st–2nd +1 6 Alertness, improved evasion, share spells, empathic link
3rd–4th +2 7 Deliver touch spells
5th–6th +3 8 Speak with master
7th–8th +4 9 Speak with animals of its kind
9th–10th +5 10 —
11th–12th +6 11 Spell resistance
13th–14th +7 12 Scry on familiar
15th–16th +8 13 —
17th–18th +9 14 —
19th–20th +10 15 —

ARCANE SPELLS AND ARMOR
Wizards and sorcerers do not know how to wear armor effectively.
If desired, they can wear armor anyway (though they’ll be clumsy in it), or they can gain training in the proper use of armor (with the various Armor Proficiency feats—light, medium, and heavy—and the Shield Proficiency feat), or they can multiclass to add a class that grants them armor proficiency. Even if a wizard or sorcerer is wearing armor with which he or she is proficient, however, it might still interfere with spellcasting.
Armor restricts the complicated gestures that a wizards or sorcerer must make while casting any spell that has a somatic component (most do). The armor and shield descriptions list the arcane spell failure chance for different armors and shields.
By contrast, bards not only know how to wear light armor effectively, but they can also ignore the arcane spell failure chance for such armor. A bard wearing armor heavier than light or using any type of shield incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance, even if he becomes proficient with that armor.
If a spell doesn’t have a somatic component, an arcane spellcaster can cast it with no problem while wearing armor. Such spells can also be cast even if the caster’s hands are bound or if he or she is grappling (although Concentration checks still apply normally). Also, the metamagic feat Still Spell allows a spellcaster to prepare or cast a spell at one spell level higher than normal without the somatic component. This also provides a way to cast a spell while wearing armor without risking arcane spell failure.

magic8BALL
2007-12-12, 05:51 AM
This is a rather extensive effort. Well done: it takes quite a while to compile this amount of information. I have a few questions though.

Firstly, you say that one of your motives was to make the wizards spells even more powerful. Why would you do that? there are already cheep shots (like the cloud kill, force cage one two and imprisonment spells) available: how much more powerful do you want? I agree the wizard needs to be fixed, but tweeked the other way.

Secondly, your spell point system... it seems to be very much the same as the power point system of the Expanded Psionics Handbook. The main difference is that a psion may choose to manifest at lower manifester levels, and thus spend less points on a power, whereas with this system a level 15 wizards fireball casts the same as a level 10's or a level 5's, despite the 5th level wizards being less effective. I would sugest that this redux of a D&D icon is little more than a complicated attempt of saying "wizards are psions, but with tyhe wizard spell list converted to powers"... wich is essentially what a psion is anyway, with "psionic this" and "psionic that" having in their entries "as this the spell" and "as that the spell" respectivly. Except no, this build is more than that.

This wizard (and this I like) has access to small powers and abilities that make a wizad a wizard. "What?" I heard you ask. Consider this: a wizard without the ability to pick out and identify magic items. Odd isn't it? yet have a look at the current build of the wizard and note how easy it is to over look.

On another note, there are still references to 'an extra spell per day', 'spells per day' and the like. Alter this so that whatever these phrases refere to still make sence with this new casting system: will a 'spell per day' be 5, 10, 15 mana points or what? one extra mana point per level? 2 per level? level squared times 2? something else altogether?

Nice system, not as new as I thought it would be, but doesnt need to be. Extra skill points and minor class features a bonus.

Brom
2007-12-12, 06:12 AM
I've never really seen cloudkill or forcecage used in such a gamebreaking way. If anything, I've been working with spells in my gameplay that allow saves. That, and it feels so useless to play a Wizard once your spells are gone. Giving Wizards a little more utility was what I was aiming for.

Hmm, I thought I edited out all the spells per day crap. I'll go over it again in the morning.

I disagree with Wizards needing to be edited the other way. Sorcerers, maybe, but Wizards, no.

Lady Tialait
2007-12-12, 06:47 AM
Interesting Revamp of the wizard. I have something like this running around my Newr World. Just not posted on this forum...

the wizard is very powerful. More so then the Sorc. personally I think you underestimate the wizard as written. Level 20 Cleric vs. level 20 Sorc. That sorc would be nutered if the Cleric can find out what spells the Sorc has. with very little effort from the Cleric...

Clerics need fixing tho. they really do.

magic8BALL
2007-12-12, 05:55 PM
Just another thought you may want to consider:

While the wizard is about a useless as a commoner in for the rest of the day once all the spells are used up, why not work it so that he may cast a limited number of spells per encounter, but by the time the next encounter comes along, you may cast again.

How to do this?

Smaller base mana points, but mana regenerates slowly (possably faster at higher levels). This forces the player to cast a few high level spells, a lot of low level spells or one big "end of encounter spell" for one encounter, but takes the risk of not having the mana to cast right away if reenforcements show up quickly.

So if it takes 10 mana points to cast a Fireball, a fifth level wizard should have maybe 10-15 mana points to spend, and mana regenerates at one or two points per round.

There you go: a wizard has a base mana point pool equal to twice their wizard level plus Int mod. mana regenerates at 1 point per round at 1st level, 2 points at 5th, 3 at 10th, 4 at 15th, 5 at 20th.

I think this stops high spell level combo's but lets a wizard be effective in every encounter, while still making the player manage resources.

Brom
2007-12-12, 07:19 PM
Every six seconds ((1 round)) is a very fast mana regeneration, even at 1 mana point. Still, I like your idea of extending the use of Wizards over multiple encounters. What would change to Sorcery using this model?

I agree about Clerics. In my games, they are closer to what they were designed to be like in my mind; the holy version of Wizards. They gain no armor prof., no weapon prof., and d4 hit die. However, they gain Bonus Feats and minor abilities much as the Wizards do.

magic8BALL
2007-12-12, 10:00 PM
six seconds for one point isnt very fast by the time you need 10 points for your next Fireball, and the 28 or so angry orcs arn't in the mood to let you sit and wait.

I think this is intended to be a Wiz only thing. As far As I can tell, this is supposed to give the leg over that wizards need to trump soc's (I don't see why, but then I don't see why people have a problem with fighters as they are in the PHB, they're not under powered, Power Gamers with Arcane casters need to step back a bit, thats all.)... ahh... where was I..?

I forget, I'll keep on ranting.

I'd Absolutly axe all other casters and keep this one. In fact, I'm off to do my own sort of tweeking, so that I can have a single caster class for a low magic setting. And by low magic, I mean not every man and his dog will cast spells, whats that all about?

Brom
2007-12-12, 11:02 PM
This isn't intended to make Wizards Trump sorcerers; only be equal. Sorcerers have higher spell points per level; 15, to be exact. They also gain affinities with spells in more instinctive ways. If you want, I'll provide my template for modified sorcerers.