Arcane Magic [Base Class and System Overhaul, WIP, PEACH]

[Scholar23]

"The Apprentice of the Lore of Storms threats all winds "

Started to read it and found this... I think you ment Treat

Keep up the HB realy good. Will give a better reply later on it

[Eldan]

I've added Primal Fury, the first of hopefully several rituals that will permanently change a base creature, mostly by adding a template. I've planned for Lichdom, Halfdragons, Mummies and a few others.

[Niezck]

Lore of the Abyss

Spoiler

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Apprentice's Arcanum: Child of the Abyss
You gain Damage Reduction/Cold Iron and Good equal to the highest level spell from the Lore of the Abyss the arcanist knows. In addition, Knowledge: The Planes is always a class skill for you. If it's already a class skill, you gain a +2 bonus to it.

Initiate's Arcanum: Soldier of the Abyss
You gain the Darkvision 60ft and the ability to see through magical darkness. In addition, you gain resistance to acid, cold and fire equal to the highest level spell known from the Lore of the Abss.

Journeyman's Arcanum: Denzien of the Abyss
You gain Telepathy out to a range equal to 10ft per level of the highest level spell known from the Lore of the Abyss.

Adept's Arcanum: Master of the Abyss
You gain the Outsider type with the Chaotic and Evil subtypes. Your native plane is the Abyss. You may choose to count as your previous creature type instead of an outsider if that would be beneficial for the purposes of any spell or effect affecting you. In addition, you gain immunity to poison and electricity and spell resistance equal to 10 plus your caster level.

Master's Arcanum: Lord of the Pit
You may choose to grow one size category. In addition, you gain a pair of secondary claw attacks dealing 1d6 damage each, a pair of secondary wing slams that deal 1d4 damage each and grant flight equal to twice your base land speed with good maneuverability, and any one ability from the following list:

• Protective Slime as per the Babau
• The ability to manifest, as a move action, a whip that deals 2d6 fire damage plus Entangle and Death Throes as per the Balor
• Poison as per the Bebilith
• Two primary pincer attacks dealing 2d8 damage as per the Glabrezu
• Stench as per the Hezrou
• Constrict as per the Marilith and a tail attack dealing 4d6 damage
• Smite as per the Nalfeshnee
• Energy Drain and Change Shape as per the Succubus
• Spores and Stunning Screech as per the Vrock

In addition, if you are killed you are reborn from a random layer of the Abyss 3d6 days later, at full power though without any of your equipment.

Cantrip: Murderous Command
The caster can incite rage in her foes with but a word. This cantrip only has a verbal component. To use this cantrip, the caster targets one living creature within hearing range. The target must makes a will save as if this were a spell of the highest level spell known from the Lore of the Abyss. If the target fails, they must spend a number of rounds equal to the level of the highest spell known from the Lore of the Abyss melee attacking its allies. The target will use any means necessary to move toward, melee attack and kill its allies for the duration of the cantrip. Spell Resistance applies to this cantrip.

Spell List
Level 1
Babau Slime (Mantra)*
Protection from Law (Mantra, Targets)
Demonflesh (Mantra, Targets, FC1)
Orb of Acid, Lesser (Invocation)*

Level 2
Blistering Invective (Invocation, PF)
Blood Blaze (Invocation, Sustained, PF)
Balor Nimbus (Mantra)*

Level 3
Blood Rage (Mantra, Targets, PF)
Demon Wings (Mantra, FC1)
Spit Venom (Invocation, PF)

Level 4
Detonate (Mantra, PF)
Orb of Acid (Invocation)*
Aura of Doom (Mantra, PF)

Level 5
Flame Strike (Invocation)
Hungry Pit (Invocation, Sustained, PF)
Damnation Stride (Invocation, PF)

Level 6
Tar Pool (Invocation, Sustained, PF)
Song of Discord (Invocation, Sustained)

Level 7
Abyssal Frenzy (Invocation, Sustained, FC1)
Destruction (Invocation)

Level 8
Frightful Aspect (Mantra, PF)
Bodak's Glare (Invocation)*

Level 9
Abyssal Rift (Invocation, Sustained, FC1)

[Eldan]

Thanks for that, it has been added to the first post.

By the way, if anyone else has any suggestions or homebrew of their own, I'd love to have a look at it.

[1lost1]

Hey totaly in love with this , are you still working on this or ?

If so I got ideas for a bard class to add to you Sor and Wiz

Also another idea maybe to give the Sor some varients would be bloodlines to how they have thier natural powers (simplist way I can thick of and the most know)

Thanks

[Eldan]

I don't think it will ever be really finished as such, there's always more to add. There's tons of spells tha tcould be rituals, ideas for more lores, a few notes on prestige classes and the bard... but I don't really have the inspiration anymore to kneel into the project and really work on it.

The basic outline of the bard was there. The bard gets fewer spells, more skills and the ability to sing certain mantras. Singing would make them audible at a distance, but also increase their area and number of affected creatures.

I wasn't really sure whether that would be a new class or just a wizard variant, but there you go.

[1lost1]

Well I would suggest it as a new class and if you post what you have done for it I wouldn't mind finishing it for you.

Beyond that if you ever want to jumpstart this I would gladely help

[Eldan]

Well, what would be your ideas for the Bard, then?

And if you have any ideas for lores (Arcana, especially) or Rituals, feel free to post them.

[1lost1]

Just a class layout (its writen up somewhere) with choices on types of paths, Skald, Hearald, Courtier, Messenger, and stuff like that.

As to arcana a celestial one would be good and the following:

Luck
Law
Choas
High magic (or Royal)
Street Magic
War Magic
Ley Lines

[Eldan]

Just naming lores is easy. I've had tons of that. Mind, Stars, Law, Chaos, Life, Blades, Metal, Artifice were all lores I was working on at some point.

The difficult part is finding enough fitting spells, especially ones that aren't already in another lore. And hten writing arcana.

[Xerlith]

Whoa.
I just stumbled upon this work of yours and I'd like to say it's absolutely amazing.
I was looking for an alternate casting system for my game and I think I found it here. Now all that remains is convincing them.

That said, I'll probably post my take on the Metal or Blades lore (or something similar). It's easier if you look also at the Wu Jen spell list (And it's much more balanced than the Wizard/Sorcerer one. Small, though).

EDIT:


A draft
The Lore of Metal

Spoiler

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Spells with [OA] - Oriental Adventures; [CArc] - Complete Arcana; [CM] - Complete Mage
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"Catchphrase"

Apprentice's Arcanum:


Initiate's Arcanum:


Journeyman's Arcanum:


Adept's Arcanum:


Magister's Arcanum:


Cantrip:

Level 1:
Iron Scarf [OA]
True Strike
Magic Weapon

Level 2:
Heat Metal
Entangling Scarf [OA]

Level 3:
Keen Edge
Magnetism [OA]
Storm of Needles [CM]
Greater Magic Weapon

Level 4:
Rusting Grasp
Rebirth of Metal [CM]
Rain of Spines [CM]

Level 5:
Metal Skin [CArc]
Major Creation (Metals only)

Level 6:
Wall of Iron

Level 7:
Adamantine Wings [CM]
Decapitating Scarf [Carc]

Level 8:
Iron Body

Level 9:

[Eldan]

Hm. Yes, Wu Jen is one I haven't looked at much. I've mostly dug through the Pathfinder SRD and the Spell Compendium for interesting spells.

The original concept was starting with the eight Lores of Warhammer. As you can see, quite a few were dropped or changed.

[Eldan]

If anyone's interested, here's my notes on the Lore of Metal/Blades, with Wu Jen added (surprisingly few spells from that one).

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...nc&usp=sharing

Noteable recurring problems: more low-level than high level spells, spells that don't work in my framework (swift action spells, spells that are cast before a weapon attack), overlap between spells that do more or less the same thing, nothing good for cantrips (they need to make sense as something you want to spam regularly).

[Xerlith]

I have a feeling that Lore of metal and Lore of Blades are best fit to be one lore. Also, most of those spells you shown could use a different nametag if gathered. Something along the Lore of Battle, if I may.

Also, look at the choice of spells I made in my higher post. The Scarf line seemed to be fitting.

[Eldan]

The problem is, magic weapon is a bad cantrip. A cantrip should be a spell you can, if necessary, cast every turn in combat if you have nothing better available. So, useful in almost every situation and still useful if cast half a dozen times in rapid succession. Magic weapon you cast maybe twice and preferably before combat.

[Xerlith]

Well, I couldn't come up with something good. Sadly.

[Eldan]

Updated the tables, if anyone still cares. Will probably add the odd small thing later. Prestige classes probably still aren't happening and new lores are too much work right now, but I have a few feats mostly finished, as well as the odd ritual.

[Seraphiel]

Glad you did, or I would have missed this, and it seems really cool. It's a shame you're not doing more with the lores, they're lovely.

[1whoscribbled]

I do this system is ecpic , definelty would be fun to base a setting around this system.

[Eldan]

Lores are a pain to write, though. Not only do you need a long list of fitting spells, coming up with lores is also necessary. And a good, spamable cantrip.

[1whoscribbled]

Lores are a pain to write, though. Not only do you need a long list of fitting spells, coming up with lores is also necessary. And a good, spamable cantrip.

I will see what I can do ... thinking at the moment

[Eldan]

I'm thinking of just rewriting the entire metamagic system to something closer to core. Wizards prepare spells with metamagic at an extra focus cost, while sorcerers spend extra focus while casting to make a spell metamagic.

The problem being of course that most of the time, it probably wouldn't be worth it to pay twice the cost of the spell for a metamagic feat.

But currently, I have three metamagic feats that work, while with hte other system, most could be ported over.

Opinions?

[VoxRationis]

I'm not sure if anyone's noticed this, but the high elf's sealed memories ability doesn't have any form of scaling besides increasing your Intelligence score, even though the DCs are keyed to a level-linked class feature that also benefits from Intelligence. This has the net effect of making the ability no more useful, on an absolute scale, at level 20 than it was at level 1, and on a relative scale therefore being much less useful. Some of the DCs for bardic knowledge are 25 or 30, and most characters aren't going to throw that sort of intelligence around, even at high levels.

[Eldan]

Hmm. Yes, that is true, I guess. Though I'm not sure it should scale. If it did, every elf could step on every bard's toes and that sounds wrong to me. Plus, I'm not sure what it would scale with. Level doesn't quite seem to fit, to me.

[1whoscribbled]

I'm thinking of just rewriting the entire metamagic system to something closer to core. Wizards prepare spells with metamagic at an extra focus cost, while sorcerers spend extra focus while casting to make a spell metamagic.

The problem being of course that most of the time, it probably wouldn't be worth it to pay twice the cost of the spell for a metamagic feat.

But currently, I have three metamagic feats that work, while with hte other system, most could be ported over.

Opinions?

Meta magic in my mind is such a fun way to make spells more unique so Im all for you converting it over since without the conversion the feats the amount of focus needed to use them make them useless.

[Eldan]

Obviously I want to convert them. The question is how. I'm all open for suggestions.

[1whoscribbled]

Just throwing ideas out:

Increase the casting time

Maybe invest focus into a feat that allows spells to have that ability no matter the spell cast. So for example I would invest three focus in slient spell and all spell I would cast would be non verbal. Certain feats though of course shouldn not be done like this (Quicken to name one). So I take the silent spell feat and can chose to invest three focus (1 level bump= 3 focus to invest) so that all spells I cast are silent. This makes it balanced since one you have to invest focus and two doing multiple feats would prevent spamming since it eats focus.

When choosing the feat you select one spell it applies to and it only applies to that spell. Making it permently attached to it. So I would allways have a silent casting of Invisiblity. Since you are latterly altering a spell this would make sense .

Ect...

[Eldan]

Just throwing ideas out:

Increase the casting time

Maybe invest focus into a feat that allows spells to have that ability no matter the spell cast. So for example I would invest three focus in slient spell and all spell I would cast would be non verbal. Certain feats though of course shouldn not be done like this (Quicken to name one). So I take the silent spell feat and can chose to invest three focus (1 level bump= 3 focus to invest) so that all spells I cast are silent. This makes it balanced since one you have to invest focus and two doing multiple feats would prevent spamming since it eats focus.

When choosing the feat you select one spell it applies to and it only applies to that spell. Making it permently attached to it. So I would allways have a silent casting of Invisiblity. Since you are latterly altering a spell this would make sense .

Ect...

It already works pretty much like that. Only with much less focus cost and affecting all spells automatically. Your version seems far too expensive to ever be worth it.

[1whoscribbled]

It already works pretty much like that. Only with much less focus cost and affecting all spells automatically. Your version seems far too expensive to ever be worth it.

Ok then maybe have Meta Focus equal to 1/4 your level plus your wisdom plus one for each meta feat you have then? This way they have a separate pool of points devoted to altering their spells.

[Eldan]

Someone recently asked me if I was still working on this. The answer is "sort of". I have a few half- or less finished lores (Forests/Plants, Stars and Metal), all of which are severely lacking in useful spells right now. But technically, I'm still interested. Meanwhile, I've posted a new feat (artificer), which allows some sharing of spells. A few more feats and rituals may be coming over the next few days.