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I was bored again and happened to have the Complete Arcane with me... Was reading through feats and stumbled across Cooperative spell. I'd never given it much thought before, but suddenly saw it as an opportunity for awesome homebrewing.
Note: A couple parts of the original feat were a bit vague to me. As such I've made the following assumptions: The one that coordinates the spell (The others ready their actions to cast when he does) is the Leader of the spell. The spells originate from the Leader. Other casters aren't required to use a Cooperative Spell, but no bonus is gained if no others are participating. All casters must use the exact same spell. That means identical Metamagic feats applied.
I had the idea for a character focused around Cooperative Spell leading massive numbers of casters in the creation of massive spell effects. And thus you get the:
Mage Commander
"Follow my lead!"
-Enrikor, Mage Commander
Wizards are powerful. Actually, so are most Arcane casters. Divine ones are too, but not quite as... destructive. Anyways, Arcanists have found that when they work together they can accomplish things that they could never have had they acted alone. This is usually done via the Cooperative Spell metamagic feat that allows two or more casters to work together to increase the Save DCs of their spells and to overcome SR. Mage Commanders take this a step further: They learn how to further enhance spells cast by a circle of mages which they lead. Through much training and practice they have mastered the arts of the Mage Circle, being able to coordinate massive numbers of casters together to produce ungodly effects. Sadly, this power comes with a price. They can't act alone. Without their followers their talents are worthless. This makes the Commander a particularly interesting character who really depends on teamwork.
Becoming a Mage Commander
Mage Commanders usually begin their careers as Warmages, Sorcerers or Wizards working in the employ of a military force. A few groups are instructed in the ways of Cooperative Spells and some soldiers find that it is their calling. Or that they really like bossing around other casters. Either way, as they gain levels and rise through the ranks they are assigned a full squadron of casters for their use. Together they work as a devastating force to take down massive obstacles. Artillery is a common use of such groups.
Skill Points each level: 2+Intelligence Modifier Class Skills: Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Knowledge (all skills, taken individually), Profession, and Spellcraft. Hit Dice: d4
Level
BAB
Fort
Ref
Will
Special
Spellcasting
1st
+0
+0
+0
+2
Circle Leader
-
2nd
+1
+0
+0
+3
One Mind
+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
3rd
+1
+1
+1
+3
Lend Spell
+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
4th
+2
+1
+1
+4
Circle Flexibility
+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
5th
+2
+1
+1
+4
Metamagic Lead
+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
6th
+3
+2
+2
+5
Greater One Mind
-
7th
+3
+2
+2
+5
Breach Gap
+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
8th
+4
+2
+2
+6
Improved Cooperation
+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
9th
+4
+3
+3
+6
Channel Circle
+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
10th
+5
+3
+3
+7
Orchestrate
+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Mage Commanders gain no proficiency with any weapons or armor.
Circle Leader: The main talent of the Mage Commander is that of causing the combined efforts of the Circle to result in not only spells that are more difficult to resist, but also spells that have greater effects overall. Mage Commanders add an amount to the CL of Cooperative spells that they lead dependent on the number of additional participants.
Extra Participants
CL Bonus
1-3
1
4-6
2
7-10
3
11-15
4
16-20
5
21-25
6
26-35
7
35-50
8
51-75
9
76-100
10
101-110
11
111-120
12
+10
+1
One Mind: Communication is very important when coordinating large numbers of casters. And for some reason people don't like it when you start yelling out "GUYS! WE'RE GOING TO BE CASTING A FIREBALL NEXT ROUND! OKAY? A FIREBALL! DID YOU HEAR ME? I SAID A FIIIREEBALLL!". And the opponents always seem to cast Protection from Energy on that round... Once a Circle is Established (They cast at least one spell together with the Commander as the Leader) the Commander and all other members of the Circle are subjected to the Message spell simultaneously with no need for finger pointing. Once the Circle is broken or a spell is cast without the Commander as the Leader, the effect ends.
Lend Spell: It is inevitable that someone is going to run out of spells. When that happens, this can mean disaster. As such the Commander learns how to substitute his own spells in place of those that would normally be cast by his less competent men. When Cooperatively casting a spell and one or more of the Circle members do not have the appropriate spell, the Mage Commander may spend additional spells in place of these members. Said members must have already been a part of the established Circle (So they must've already cast a spell together with the rest of the circle to be a part of it) and they must be of a high enough caster level and of the correct class to cast the spell. The individual who is being lent the spell must still spend the usual casting time.
Circle Flexibility: With large numbers of casters gathering in tight formations, an AoE is inevitable. And sometimes there simply isn't enough room. A Circle established by a Mage Commander of at least 4th level no longer requires that all participants be adjacent to two others. They only need to be adjacent to one other.
Metamagic Lead: Metamagic Spells are invaluable tools to Arcane casters. They allow for much more versatility and power than would otherwise be possible. However, it's very difficult to coordinate such tools with large numbers of casters and it often results in someone not having the correct feat or not having high enough spell slots. Beginning at 5th level with a Mage Commander Leads with a spell with a Metamagic feat applied besides just Cooperative Spell, the other participants do not need to cast the spell with that metamagic feat applied.
Greater One Mind: It's important to know what resources are at ones disposal. One Mind now also conveys information as to exactly what spells, spell slots, and metamagic feats are at the disposal of the members in the Circle to the Commander. If they do not wish this information to be known, they may attempt a Will Save at DC 10+Primary Casting Stat+1/2 level in this class.
Breach Gap: It's a big problem when someone gets separated from the rest of the Circle. Though it is possible to rejoin an established Circle by casting another spell with them (You better be told what the spell is or have a decent Spellcraft), it's much better if the connection is simply not broken. For every ten circle members including the Commander, there may be a 5ft gap between one circle member and another without the Circle being broken. This means that they may still participate in castings and are still affected by One Mind.
Improved Cooperation: It's difficult always having to pick up the extra weight when people don't have the right spells. The Mage Commander learns how to deal with things. By applying some of the principles of Improved Counterspelling the Mage Commander can take higher level spells of the same school contributed by his comrades and transform them into the spell that's actually being cast. Other participants may substitute a spell at least one level higher and of the same school of magic in place of the spell being cast by the Leader and still count towards the number of participants. This ability also applies to Lend Spell. The Mage Commander could be coordinating a Sorching Ray and substitute one of his Fireballs to cover an individual who's out. Why such a powerful group is Cooperatively casting a Scorching Ray, I don't know.
Channel Circle: Mobility is important. So is being able to have Evocations not originate from the middle of a group of d4 hit die individuals who happen to be a very juicy target. The Mage Commander learns how to take his men out of danger. Once a Circle is established, as long as the Commander is within Long range of at least one other member of the Circle, he may still act as its leader. The members of the circle do not need line of sight or effect to the Commander. One Mind gives them all the instructions they need. Additionally, the Commander may Establish a circle without having to be adjacent to another member of it as long as he's still within Long Range.
Orchestrate: Masses. Masses of casters. The Mage Commander has become so adept at his art that he can control more than one Circle at once. Multiple Circles may be established simultaneously with he acting as the Leader for all of them. He may use One Mind to communicate with all of his Circles simultaneously, even giving them separate orders. When spells are cast from these Circles, the Commander still participates (He too expends spells as normal and is a candidate for providing the CL and Save DC bases). More than one Circle may cast in a single round with the Commander still supplying the requisite spells. Only one spell may originate from the Leader in a round however. The circles are assigned secondary leaders that the spells may instead originate from.
Tip: Leadership and much later Enhance Spell are both suggested feat choices for Mage Commanders.
...
Uh. It's hard for me to tell if this is extremely broken in terms of power or extremely weak. Trying to protect hordes of casters can be a bit difficult. And unless you're dealing with a highly trained group you won't be able to cast terribly high-level spells. Opinions? Did I horribly misinterpret parts of the original feat? There's a slight source of a potential Nova problem, though the shear amounts of spell energy that would be required should nullify it. I think.
I was bored again and happened to have the Complete Arcane with me... Was reading through feats and stumbled across Cooperative spell. I'd never given it much thought before, but suddenly saw it as an opportunity for awesome homebrewing.
Note: A couple parts of the original feat were a bit vague to me. As such I've made the following assumptions: The one that coordinates the spell (The others ready their actions to cast when he does) is the Leader of the spell. The spells originate from the Leader. Other casters aren't required to use a Cooperative Spell, but no bonus is gained if no others are participating. All casters must use the exact same spell. That means identical Metamagic feats applied.
I had the idea for a character focused around Cooperative Spell leading massive numbers of casters in the creation of massive spell effects. And thus you get the:
Mage Commander
"Follow my lead!"
-Enrikor, Mage Commander
Wizards are powerful. Actually, so are most Arcane casters. Divine ones are too, but not quite as... destructive. Anyways, Arcanists have found that when they work together they can accomplish things that they could never have had they acted alone. This is usually done via the Cooperative Spell metamagic feat that allows two or more casters to work together to increase the Save DCs of their spells and to overcome SR. Mage Commanders take this a step further: They learn how to further enhance spells cast by a circle of mages which they lead. Through much training and practice they have mastered the arts of the Mage Circle, being able to coordinate massive numbers of casters together to produce ungodly effects. Sadly, this power comes with a price. They can't act alone. Without their followers their talents are worthless. This makes the Commander a particularly interesting character who really depends on teamwork.
Becoming a Mage Commander
Mage Commanders usually begin their careers as Warmages, Sorcerers or Wizards working in the employ of a military force. A few groups are instructed in the ways of Cooperative Spells and some soldiers find that it is their calling. Or that they really like bossing around other casters. Either way, as they gain levels and rise through the ranks they are assigned a full squadron of casters for their use. Together they work as a devastating force to take down massive obstacles. Artillery is a common use of such groups.
Skill Points each level: 2+Intelligence Modifier Class Skills: Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Knowledge (all skills, taken individually), Profession, and Spellcraft. Hit Dice: d4
Level
BAB
Fort
Ref
Will
Special
Spellcasting
1st
+0
+0
+0
+2
Circle Leader
-
2nd
+1
+0
+0
+3
One Mind
+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
3rd
+1
+1
+1
+3
Lend Spell
+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
4th
+2
+1
+1
+4
Circle Flexibility
+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
5th
+2
+1
+1
+4
Metamagic Lead
+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
6th
+3
+2
+2
+5
Greater One Mind
-
7th
+3
+2
+2
+5
Breach Gap
+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
8th
+4
+2
+2
+6
Improved Cooperation
+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
9th
+4
+3
+3
+6
Channel Circle
+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
10th
+5
+3
+3
+7
Orchestrate
+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Mage Commanders gain no proficiency with any weapons or armor.
Circle Leader: The main talent of the Mage Commander is that of causing the combined efforts of the Circle to result in not only spells that are more difficult to resist, but also spells that have greater effects overall. Mage Commanders add the square root of the additional casters to the CL for Cooperatively cast spells which they lead. So this means if it were just them and another caster, they would increase the CL by one. He and four others would result in a +2 to the CL and so on.
One Mind: Communication is very important when coordinating large numbers of casters. And for some reason people don't like it when you start yelling out "GUYS! WE'RE GOING TO BE CASTING A FIREBALL NEXT ROUND! OKAY? A FIREBALL! DID YOU HEAR ME? I SAID A FIIIREEBALLL!". And the opponents always seem to cast Protection from Energy on that round... Once a Circle is Established (They cast at least one spell together with the Commander as the Leader) the Commander and all other members of the Circle are subjected to the Message spell simultaneously with no need for finger pointing. Once the Circle is broken or a spell is cast without the Commander as the Leader, the effect ends.
Lend Spell: It is inevitable that someone is going to run out of spells. When that happens, this can mean disaster. As such the Commander learns how to substitute his own spells in place of those that would normally be cast by his less competent men. When Cooperatively casting a spell and one or more of the Circle members do not have the appropriate spell, the Mage Commander may spend additional spells in place of these members. Said members must have already been a part of the established Circle (So they must've already cast a spell together with the rest of the circle to be a part of it) and they must be of a high enough caster level and of the correct class to cast the spell. The individual who is being lent the spell must still spend the usual casting time.
Circle Flexibility: With large numbers of casters gathering in tight formations, an AoE is inevitable. And sometimes there simply isn't enough room. A Circle established by a Mage Commander of at least 4th level no longer requires that all participants be adjacent to two others. They only need to be adjacent to one other.
Metamagic Lead: Metamagic Spells are invaluable tools to Arcane casters. They allow for much more versatility and power than would otherwise be possible. However, it's very difficult to coordinate such tools with large numbers of casters and it often results in someone not having the correct feat or not having high enough spell slots. Beginning at 5th level with a Mage Commander Leads with a spell with a Metamagic feat applied besides just Cooperative Spell, the other participants do not need to cast the spell with that metamagic feat applied.
Greater One Mind: It's important to know what resources are at ones disposal. One Mind now also conveys information as to exactly what spells, spell slots, and metamagic feats are at the disposal of the members in the Circle to the Commander. If they do not wish this information to be known, they may attempt a Will Save at DC 10+Primary Casting Stat+1/2 level in this class.
Breach Gap: It's a big problem when someone gets separated from the rest of the Circle. Though it is possible to rejoin an established Circle by casting another spell with them (You better be told what the spell is or have a decent Spellcraft), it's much better if the connection is simply not broken. For every ten circle members including the Commander, there may be a 5ft gap between one circle member and another without the Circle being broken. This means that they may still participate in castings and are still affected by One Mind.
Improved Cooperation: It's difficult always having to pick up the extra weight when people don't have the right spells. The Mage Commander learns how to deal with things. By applying some of the principles of Improved Counterspelling the Mage Commander can take higher level spells of the same school contributed by his comrades and transform them into the spell that's actually being cast. Other participants may substitute a spell at least one level higher and of the same school of magic in place of the spell being cast by the Leader and still count towards the number of participants. This ability also applies to Lend Spell. The Mage Commander could be coordinating a Sorching Ray and substitute one of his Fireballs to cover an individual who's out. Why such a powerful group is Cooperatively casting a Scorching Ray, I don't know.
Channel Circle: Mobility is important. So is being able to have Evocations not originate from the middle of a group of d4 hit die individuals who happen to be a very juicy target. The Mage Commander learns how to take his men out of danger. Once a Circle is established, as long as the Commander is within Long range of at least one other member of the Circle, he may still act as its leader. The members of the circle do not need line of sight or effect to the Commander. One Mind gives them all the instructions they need. Additionally, the Commander may Establish a circle without having to be adjacent to another member of it as long as he's still within Long Range.
Orchestrate: Masses. Masses of casters. The Mage Commander has become so adept at his art that he can control more than one Circle at once. Multiple Circles may be established simultaneously with he acting as the Leader for all of them. He may use One Mind to communicate with all of his Circles simultaneously, even giving them separate orders. When spells are cast from these Circles, the Commander still participates (He too expends spells as normal and is a candidate for providing the CL and Save DC bases). More than one Circle may cast in a single round with the Commander still supplying the requisite spells. Only one spell may originate from the Leader in a round however. The circles are assigned secondary leaders that the spells may instead originate from.
Tip: Leadership and much later Enhance Spell are both suggested feat choices for Mage Commanders.
...
Uh. It's hard for me to tell if this is extremely broken in terms of power or extremely weak. Trying to protect hordes of casters can be a bit difficult. And unless you're dealing with a highly trained group you won't be able to cast terribly high-level spells. Opinions? Did I horribly misinterpret parts of the original feat? There's a slight source of a potential Nova problem, though the shear amounts of spell energy that would be required should nullify it. I think.
I know many d&d players are stereotypically nerds, but perhaps using "Square Root" isn't so swell an idea? It sounds so... nonstandard in the way of mechanics, which is something I seem to get complained to about a lot in my stuff.
So... the circles can't cast any magic on their own... Like a little prestidigitation or something to retrieve their pocket-watch they dropped?
I know many d&d players are stereotypically nerds, but perhaps using "Square Root" isn't so swell an idea? It sounds so... nonstandard in the way of mechanics, which is something I seem to get complained to about a lot in my stuff.
So... the circles can't cast any magic on their own... Like a little prestidigitation or something to retrieve their pocket-watch they dropped?
But its great. perfectly usable first shot *envy*
Mostly an NPC class I'd imagine.
Eh, I can either say "Square Root" or I can make a chart that simply illustrates the same thing. But in all fairness, a Square Root progression seems appropriate. If it scaled linearly you'd have a problem with huge armies casting single Fireballs. This way it is beneficial to work together, but the benefit decreases when you go to insane limits---
Wait, what's that on my paper? OH YEAH! I did something- Oh. Woops. Now I feel like an idiot. I appear to have crossed off "Square Root" and instead have a very different progression. Involving a table. *Facepalm* One sec while I add that...
And yeah, mostly for use by NPC armies. Though it could see use for higher-level play when you got a really high Leadership score. Or if you're doing one of those all-arcanist parties.
Edit: Added in the chart. It starts it off closer to the square root effect with greater numbers requiring progressively more people, but then flattens off at 10 per. The result is that it's easier to obtain the lower level bonuses (So you don't need 10 participants to get the first +1) but at the same time massive numbers of people aren't way too strong. I think.
Eh, I can either say "Square Root" or I can make a chart that simply illustrates the same thing. But in all fairness, a Square Root progression seems appropriate. If it scaled linearly you'd have a problem with huge armies casting single Fireballs. This way it is beneficial to work together, but the benefit decreases when you go to insane limits---
Wait, what's that on my paper? OH YEAH! I did something- Oh. Woops. Now I feel like an idiot. I appear to have crossed off "Square Root" and instead have a very different progression. Involving a table. *Facepalm* One sec while I add that...
And yeah, mostly for use by NPC armies. Though it could see use for higher-level play when you got a really high Leadership score. Or if you're doing one of those all-arcanist parties.
An all arcanist party being lead like that wouldn't be too fun or those players involved, "Right.. so your having us cast Jack and **** again this round? Great! Let me go grab a snack while you fix that up."
But its a beautiful NPC class, Solo game, or a game with patient players who don't mind waiting for one player to organize a circle for whatnot.
An all arcanist party being lead like that wouldn't be too fun or those players involved, "Right.. so your having us cast Jack and **** again this round? Great! Let me go grab a snack while you fix that up."
But its a beautiful NPC class, Solo game, or a game with patient players who don't mind waiting for one player to organize a circle for whatnot.
Yeah. Players being the bosses of other players rarely works out well.
NPCs would be the primary users of this, followed by PCs with Leadership.
Also I like that a one-level dip gets you the main feature which is quite potent, yet the cost of a CL hurts enough for it not to be terribly overpowered. And you still need to get the lackeys from somewhere.
I don't see how the CL adustment helps much though...
It doesn't seem to effect much, and what it does has caps anyway. a group of 20lv wizards still casts a fire ball as within the max...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Welknair
Tip: Leadership and much later Enhance Spell are both suggested feat choices for Mage Commanders.
...
You can remove the cap (Or at least increase it significantly). And also many spells have durations based upon CL or sizes based upon it. Imagine a group like this casting a Wall of Force.
Combined with T.J. Oskar's warmage (which removes caps on damage per CL) This could be awesome... In a gestalt game... The possibilities for a player with an army are endless. *chuckles evilly*
Combined with T.J. Oskar's warmage (which removes caps on damage per CL) This could be awesome... In a gestalt game... The possibilities for a player with an army are endless. *chuckles evilly*
The problem of course is protecting your army while they focus on boosting spells you cast. If someone gets to them and you aren't quick enough, you could have a seriously problem.
Nerveskitter, Celerity, Summon X(what ever strikes your fantasy...)
Then make your circle, and blast lightningbolts on the dervish. Done.
This is why Casters are tier one and the derish is tier 4(I think, maybe 3)
As for your army, thats why you cast animate undead to literally make a meat shield for you.
Guess that's one solution. Still you need to be careful that you don't let any of those pesky non-casters by your defenses or you have a serious problem.
I guess.. But with CL raises like that, It would be something like, Celerity, protection from fire X, fireball.
Or if your a late mage (xD) delayed fireball, rinsed and repeated.
Things get really interesting when you start to mix my PrCs. Like a Metamagic Expert/Late Mage. That's then applying these to pumped up spells from their Circle. And then casting them as a Battle Hymn. What.
Am I the only one who sees a Warmage/ Warmage 5/Mage Commander 9controlling an army of casters who send a magic missile at the enemy commander?
Or 100 Casters,the leader being Sorc/War Mage 5/Mage Commander 9 who use wings of flurry, (That AOE Sorcerer only spell that has no dice cap) and decimating that shambling horde of zombies.
__________________ My extended signature.
Thanks to the wonderful Ceika for my signature.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chained Birds
Just one of those guys vs girls things. Guys like giant, fighting robots that shoot lazerz out their eyes while girls like pretty jewelry that sparkle in the moonlight after having a romantic interlude with a charming gentleman.
Am I the only one who sees a Warmage/ Warmage 5/Mage Commander 9controlling an army of casters who send a magic missile at the enemy commander?
Or 100 Casters,the leader being Sorc/War Mage 5/Mage Commander 9 who use wings of flurry, (That AOE Sorcerer only spell that has no dice cap) and decimating that shambling horde of zombies.
Yeah... evocation is a pretty obvious application of these powers. And likely the one the PCs would show the most interest in. But there's also something to be said about 68 10ft cubes worth of an illusion. Friggin massive. Or the previously mentioned wall spells. Or the "Persistifying". But mostly players want to see things go boom.
I'm planning on using this one in my campaign, actually. One of my favorites.
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[3.5e PrC] Mage Commander (PEACH)
