Channeler (Base class, sor/wiz variant)

[Zaydos]

Just call them a Mage? Not Magus, just "Mage". Arcanist is already taken up by the way from a class that is basically on the same prinicipal as this (spontaneously casting prepared spells with class features that makes you not want to multiclass out)

This class... I honestly thought was cool at first, but I do honestly feel it is a little gamebreaking

Reserve feats are nice, for instance, but I don't think many people use them much in the first place. But I don't see it as particularly strong option, especially since you have so many spells, even with the dropped casting progressions. You still get up to about 3 spells per level, before factoring Cha bonuses. It'll be one less than wizard, you just trade out 1 spell per level for not having to get a spell book. I'd probably make it more costly to cast spells personally.

Can't speak for familiars, since I rarely have people bring one.

Spontaneous metamagic is nice.

A trip to PFSRD tells me that I confused Magus and Arcanist. The reason I didn't go with Mage is I made a class I called Mage before (it was intended as a lower powered spellcaster retaining versatility but more in line with a Beguiler or Dread Necromancer than a Wizard), that and it's a little too generic.

One reason I went with Reserve feats was, as r2d2go reasoned, to give them some endurance and regularity, another was that as a whole they are typically worse than metamagic feats and potentially even than Scribe Scroll.

I'm afraid to lower their spells per day too much further because it starts just running into problems with not having enough juice to go; although my original conception actually had them getting a slower spell progression and only ending up with 8th level spells at 20th.

I think the idea is that to avoid making them useless once they use up their spells (which will happen quickly), they're not useless. I really like that approach, actually

Anyway, I like the class a lot, though I think the exact power balance is a bit off. As noted by Almarck, only 1 less spell is not a huge penalty when you factor in Charisma bonuses. I'd consider lowering them even further (perhaps limiting Chance bonuses to make them less SAD), and maybe buffing the Reserve feats more. Perhaps a 2 or 3 part boost to Reserve strength, instead of just one level? Also, the class is even more vulnerable early compared to most casters, which isn't really a weakness that needs exacerbating. A more curved progression, with more spells to start and less (especially high-level) spells to end could help.

Overall, a great class, and I can't find any big fault with it, but those tweaks to SPD and reserve power might help. Good class!

Edit: For the name, I agree Mage could work. Something along the lines of Channeler or something could work too, maybe? It seems like that's what the class does - rather than restricted, defined magic, they just make whatever effect they can imagine. Hm... Spellshaper?

The reserve feats are to make you not useless when avoiding using spells because a challenge is beneath the need for them, but same basic principle.

The problem with giving them more spells to start is that then they are a strictly better wizard at early levels. I thought about higher skill and hit points to give them a slight boost mostly at low levels (at high levels you end up needing those less and the impact of 21 hp tends to be less than the impact of 2 at Lv 1 as Con becomes a larger value).

Would making their save DCs be based off of one score and their bonus spells another help? It makes them less SAD which weakens them compared to a wizard, but archivists survive it (Favored Souls not so much, but Favored Souls have the problem of being generally worse than clerics), while also making you choose between spell slots and spell power at high levels (at low levels you'll get +1 spell slot most of the time regardless of choice). Maybe couple it with a HD size increase to make up for their likely lower Constitution?

I'd go with Spellshaper but there's one in the current base class challenge, I do like Channeler though.

For the record, reserve feats only work so long as you're able to cast spells... of the given level of casting. As you get weaker and use up higher tier spell slots, reserve feats get weaker. Well, if what I recall is corect.

Also, one thing I realize. In a strictly core game (that allows experimental homebrew), the spellist limitation is not as steep as envisioned either.

What you recall is correct. The reserve feats serve to give you an option to make an impact on combat, albeit a small one, and conserve your spells for when they are needed while discouraging pure nova-ing of high level slots.

And yes, this was never intended for a core only environment. In Core only they would be like unto a god!

This is very very similar to the Suliin Sorcerer / Thaumaturge as seen here and in the Tome of Awesome. I don't know if you modified the class or thought of this idea on your own, but if it's the former then I recommend you credit the original creators.

I'm not a fan of Advanced Learning, because there are so many spells on the players' list that they will only be using it on dumpster diving for high-impact spells. I would prefer to see more [Reserve] feats, especially since the intent of including those seems to be giving this guy some extra reliability.

I've never browsed that forum before, the name rings vague bells but they're all related to Minsc and Boo, and I have only ever heard vague references to the Tome of Awesome. Honestly I'm not surprised it's been done before, and would be more surprised if it hadn't been; it's a pretty basic idea.

I gave them Advanced Learning mostly to give them some way to get non-Core spells, and I want to leave them a way to do that, though I am open to suggestions for alternative methods. And yes that is the intent, I'll think about reducing the former and increasing the latter, but I'm away from books at the moment and would want to go over the list again before giving them too many more if only because I haven't actually read over the list in... maybe a year? Maybe more. I always liked the idea and would take them on occasion, but it's been a while since I played a wizard (and as a dread necromancer I have little use for them).