[3.5] Magician: A T3 sorcerer remix with frosting!!

jiriku · 08-01-2011, 10:05 PM

MAGICIAN

I think you should know that I have seen and done much since I left this place.
I could show and tell your students things they can gain from no other wizard.
--Voldemort

A recent collaboration on how to balance spellcasters led to some suggestions by sonofzeal, togath, and neoseraphi that inspired me to build this class. A sorcerer/artificer hybrid, the magician presents a search for a balanced and enjoyable Tier 3 caster, even if we had to slaughter some sacred cows of game mechanics to do it! The magician replaces both the sorcerer and the artificer in games that desire a balanced or low-magic approach to spellcasting.

Magician is designed to be compatible with the Philosopher's Stone magic remix.

CLASS DESCRIPTION

While some spellcasters learn their magic in formal academies or secretive cabals, others find The Art to be more like a Craft, and are largely self-taught, or learn their work apprenticed to another spellcaster much as one would learn any trade. A magician is such a spellcaster, one who learned mostly by doing. The magician practices simple, easily learned magical spells, crafts simple magical items (often of a temporary nature), and regards magic as a tool for getting things done. The magician likes his magic to be safe, reliable, easy to use, and well-tuned to the task at hand. Often derided by members of the more scholarly arcane classes as “hedge wizards” or practitioners of “low magic”, magicians are appreciated by the common folk for the practical aid their magic brings to a variety of problems, although superstitious folk often mistreat them when times are bad. A magician might be a suspicious hermit, a kindly seller of love potions and herbal remedies, the court wizard in a minor noble’s entourage, or an herbalist whose “special stock” includes alchemical items, magic potions and even poisons.

Adventures: Because magicians wield considerable power and are usually not born into great wealth, the rewards of an adventuring life often appeal to them. If a magician is a man of the common folk, he may seek adventure to champion the cause of the people. Still other magicians may have been driven from their homes by mobs that (rightly or wrongly) blamed them for bad crops, stillborn children, or other misfortunes.

Characteristics: The key feature of the magician is his ability to quickly produce the right spell for the job. Give him a few minutes to infuse a weapon and fashion a fetish, and he can support his party in a battle against undead. With an hour to craft a potion and brew a little poison for the rogue, eliminating the vigilant watchmen in order to break into the baron’s castle becomes a snap. The magician uses both spells and infusions to help the party find solutions when the other member’s abilities falter.

Alignment: Magicians are a varied lot and may be of any alignment.

Religion: Magicians who see their magic as a source of spiritual inspiration may worship Boccob, Wee Jas, or Vecna. Since they often live in a rural setting, Ehlonna and Obad-Hai appeal to many magicians. Other magicians take their inspiration where they find it, and might worship any deity.

Background: Magicians are generally either self-taught, or learned under the casual tutelage of a master magician (who may not have known much more than the student). Their knowledge and expertise varies widely, and while magicians recognize themselves as fellow practitioners of The Craft and may occasionally meet to trade scrolls and share their insights, they do not form groups. Magicians learn primarily by doing and experiencing, and no magician has time for more than one or two apprentices, so they have little need for organization.

Races: All races boast magicians among their numbers, but dwarves and half-orcs have fewer. The tradition-minded dwarves prefer a more scholarly approach to magical study, while most half-orcs have little interest in arcane magic of any kind. Gnomes, Halflings, and Humans make perhaps the best magicians, since their nature inclines them towards the role of wandering troubleshooter.

Other Classes: Wizards and sorcerers tend to look down on magicians, regarding them as ill-educated amateurs who will never grasp true power. Fighters, monks, paladins, rangers, and rogues (who rely on spellcasters for support), regard them warmly, having noticed that the magician tends to be ready with the right magic for the job when the sorcerer is merely shrugging his shoulders and the wizard is complaining that he needs more time to prepare. Clerics and druids tend to be more concerned about the faith a magician follows and the deeds he performs than with how he acquires his arcane power.

Role: A magician most often fills the role of arcane troubleshooter, relying on his versatile infusions, large collection of spells known, and satchel full of scrolls, potions, and wands to meet any challenge. Depending on his spell selection, he might also function as the party’s diviner, rapid transport, or safecracker. His sympathetic magic makes him reasonably effective at buffing allies, but he is most likely overshadowed by the cleric and bard in this role.

Adaptations:

Spoiler

Version Log:

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GAME RULE INFORMATION
Magicians have the following game statistics.

Abilities: Intelligence and Charisma are the most important abilities for a magician, as they determine how powerful a spell or infusion he can cast and how hard his spells are to resist. Charisma is useful for many of the magician's class skills. A magician benefits from high Dexterity and Constitution scores much as a sorcerer or wizard would.

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d6

TABLE 1: THE MAGICIAN

Level	Base Attack	Fort	Ref	Will	Special	-0-	-1-	-2-	-3-	-4-	-5-	-6-
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Magecraft, prestidigitation, summon familiar	3	2	-	-	-	-	-
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Infuse magic	4	3	-	-	-	-	-
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3		5	4	-	-	-	-	-
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Rapid infusion 1/day	6	5	2	-	-	-	-
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Sympathetic magic +1	6	6	3	-	-	-	-
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5		6	6	4	-	-	-	-
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Hedge wizardry (quick crafting)	6	6	5	2	-	-	-
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6	Rapid infusion 2/day	6	6	6	3	-	-	-
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6		6	6	6	4	-	-	-
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Sympathetic magic +2	6	6	6	5	2	-	-
11th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Hedge wizardry (potions)	6	6	6	6	3	-	-
12th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8	Rapid infusion 3/day	6	6	6	6	4	-	-
13th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8		6	6	6	6	5	2	-
14th	+7/+2	+4	+4	+9	Hedge wizardry (wands)	6	6	6	6	6	3	-
15th	+7/+2	+5	+5	+9	Sympathetic magic +3	6	6	6	6	6	4	-
16th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10	Rapid infusion 4/day	6	6	6	6	6	5	2
17th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10		6	6	6	6	6	6	3
18th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11	Infused magic	6	6	6	6	6	6	4
19th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11		6	6	6	6	6	6	5
20th	+10/+5	+6	+6	+12	Rapid infusion 5/day, sympathetic magic +4	6	6	6	6	6	6	6

TABLE 2: SPELLS KNOWN

Level	-0-	-1-	-2-	-3-	-4-	-5-	-6-
1st	all	4	-	-	-	-	-
2nd	all	5	-	-	-	-	-
3rd	all	6	-	-	-	-	-
4th	all	7	2	-	-	-	-
5th	all	8	3	-	-	-	-
6th	all	9	4	-	-	-	-
7th	all	10	5	2	-	-	-
8th	all	10	6	3	-	-	-
9th	all	10	7	4	-	-	-
10th	all	10	8	5	2	-	-
11th	all	10	9	6	3	-	-
12th	all	10	10	7	4	-	-
13th	all	10	10	8	5	2	-
14th	all	10	10	8	6	3	-
15th	all	10	10	8	7	4	-
16th	all	10	10	8	8	5	2
17th	all	10	10	8	8	6	3
18th	all	10	10	8	8	7	4
19th	all	10	10	8	8	8	5
20th	all	10	10	8	8	8	6

CLASS SKILLS (4 + Int mod per level, x4 at 1st level)
A magician's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (local), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Use Magic Device (Cha).

In a way, we are magicians. We are alchemists, sorcerers and wizards.
We are a very strange bunch. But there is great fun in being a wizard.
-- Billy Joel

CLASS FEATURES
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The magician gains proficiency with all simple weapons, but not with any armor or shield. He suffers a chance of arcane spell failure when attempting to cast spells while wearing armor or using a shield.

Spells: A magician casts arcane spells, which are drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list in the Player’s Handbook (PH 192) (although not from the schools of Conjuration or Evocation). Like a sorcerer, you need not prepare spells in advance. You can cast any spell you know at any time, assuming you have not yet used up your spells per day for that level.

To learn or cast a magician spell, you must have an Intelligence score of 10 + the spell's level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a magician’s spell is 10 + the spell's level + the magician’s Cha mod. Like other spellcasters, you can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. You begin play knowing all cantrips on the sorcerer/wizard list in the Player’s Handbook (PH 192), except those of the Conjuration or Evocation schools. For spells of higher level, your daily spell allotment is given in the table above. If you attempt to cast spells while wearing armor, you suffer an arcane spell failure chance. You know a limited selection of spells, as shown in Table 2 above.

A magician’s spellcasting is more limited than a sorcerer’s, however. You do not gain bonus spells per day for having a high ability score. You may cast no more than one magician spell per round, even if you would otherwise have enough actions available to cast more than one. Casting a spell with a casting time of 1 immediate action counts as your use of a spell on your next turn. You cannot learn spells from the schools of Conjuration or Evocation. Like a sorcerer, you can only learn common spells automatically (those found on the sorcerer/wizard list, PH 192), and must locate spells from other sources during play. But unlike a sorcerer, you lack the training to unravel the method for casting a spell from the personalized codes used in spellbooks, and may only attempt to learn uncommon spells from scrolls. Further, unraveling and interpreting the magical energy from a scroll is an unpredictable process, and you may not take 10 on Spellcraft checks made to learn a new spell in this fashion.

Upon reaching 4th level, and at every level thereafter, a magician can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows, “losing” the old one in exchange for the new. The new spell must be of the same level as the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least one level lower than the highest-level magician spell you can cast.

To ready his spells each day, the magician must have 8 hours of rest, and must spend 15 minutes concentrating (you also refresh your infuse magic uses at this time). Spell slots used within the last 8 hours are not refreshed and count against your daily limit.

Magecraft: A magician learns to create all manner of magical trinkets and enchanted items. You may ignore Item Creation feat prerequisites when crafting magic items or qualifying for feats, prestige classes, or other special features. Additionally, you reduce the base xp cost by 50% when crafting a magic scroll, potion, wand, or wondrous item that has charges or a limited number of uses.

Prestidigitation (Sp): A magician thoroughly masters simple spells to entertain children or impress simple-minded folk, and can use such magic effortlessly. As a standard action, you can cast prestidigitation as an at-will spell-like ability.

Summon Familiar: A magician can obtain a familiar just as a sorcerer can, except that he does not lose experience points if the familiar is dismissed or slain, and he need only wait until the next full moon (or other significant monthly event as decided by the DM) after such an event before he can attempt to acquire a new one.

Infuse Magic (Sp): A magician of 2nd level or higher knows how to use a brief magical incantation and some burnt incense or specially prepared oil to temporarily infuse an item with magical power. By spending 1 minute and expending an expensive component, you can temporarily add a special property to a weapon or armor that you touch. The benefit lasts 10 minutes per caster level. At first you can imbue only minor properties, but as your magician caster level increases, so too does the potential power of your infusions, as shown on the table below.

Table 3: Infuse Magic

CL Armor or Shield Value
Weapon Value
Cost
5 or lower +3,000 gp or a +1 bonus +6,000 gp or a +1 bonus 10 gp
6 to 8 +8,000 gp or a +2 bonus +16,000 gp or a +2 bonus 40 gp
9 to 11 +15,000 gp or a +3 bonus +30,000 gp or a +3 bonus 90 gp
12 to 14 +24,000 gp or a +4 bonus +48,000 gp or a +4 bonus 160 gp
15 or higher +35,000 gp or a +5 bonus +70,000 gp or a +5 bonus 250 gp

To imbue an item with an infusion, a magician must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the bonus-equivalent level of the infusion. Infusions never allow saving throws, and you cannot infuse an attended item whose possessor is unwilling. You can imbue a number of infusions each day equal to one-half your class level. You choose which property you will imbue at the time you imbue the infusion.

You refresh your daily allowance of infusions whenever you refresh your allotment of magician spells. Infusions used within the last 8 hours are not refreshed and count against your daily limit.

At 8th level, you can expend a daily use of infuse magic to duplicate minor creation. At 11th level, you can expend a daily use of infuse magic to duplicate major creation or fabricate. At 14th level, you can expend a daily use of infuse magic to duplicate move earth. You produce these effects as spell-like abilities, but you must still expend the normal casting time and material components as if they were spells.

Rapid Infusion (Ex): A magician of 4th level or higher can imbue an infusion in 1 round (like a spell with a casting time of 1 round). He can use this ability once per day per four levels he has.

Sympathetic Magic (Su): Magicians practice and understand sympathetic magic, a system of magecraft that relies on using items with an innate resemblance or connection to your target to establish magical influence. Upon reaching 5th level, you learn to incorporate these items into your spellcasting to improve the potency of your spells. You can incorporate an item with a personal connection to your target as an additional focus component in a targeted magician spell to increase the spell’s save DC and the DC of any checks to dispel or counter the spell by +1. However, if the sympathetic focus is destroyed, your spell is automatically dispelled. Examples of items that have a personal connection to a target include a lock of hair, article of clothing or piece of gear belonging to a creature, or perhaps earth from the grave or a bit of the corpse of a ghost.

If you cannot acquire an item with a connection to your target, you may instead substitute a likeness of the target such as a tiny doll, sketch or painting, clay figurine, or other item that imitates the target. This likeness takes 1 minute to craft and costs 10gp per spell level (higher level spells require finer likenesses crafted of better, more expensive materials).

You can use sympathetic magic on a spell that affects an area too, either by using an item taken from that location, or an item that has a likeness to the desired effect of the spell (again at a cost of 10 gp per spell level).

Additionally, once per encounter when applying metamagic to a magician spell that includes a sympathetic focus, you can reduce the spell level adjustment of the metamagic feat by 1 (minimum +0), but doing so automatically destroys the focus once the spell’s duration has expired. You can only use this form of sympathetic magic if the sympathetic focus is a nonmagical item.

When you reach 10th level, and every five levels thereafter, the bonus to the spell’s save DC and the DC of any checks to dispel or counter the spell increase by an additional +1, and you can reduce the cost of a metamagic feat one additional time per encounter (or apply multiple metamagic cost reductions to the casting of a single spell).

Hedge Wizardry (Ex): Upon reaching 7th level, a magician develops a knack for quickly creating minor magical trinkets and limited-use items. When scribing a scroll, brewing a potion, crafting a wand, or crafting a wondrous item that has charges or a limited number of uses, you require only one hour per 1,000 gp of the base price (but never less than one hour). You can create multiple items in a single day, although you still can only work 8 hours per day on crafting items.

Upon reaching 11th level, your expertise at brewing potions improves, and you can now create potions of any 4th-level or lower spell that you know.

Upon reaching 15th level, your expertise at crafting wands improves, and you can now create wands of any 5th-level or lower spell that you know.

Infused Magic (Ex): After reaching 18th level a magician learns to enhance the speed of his other magic when rapidly infusing an item. Immediately after you successfully use rapid infusion to imbue an infusion, you can cast a magician spell or activate a scroll, potion, wand, or charged wondrous item as a swift action. You can only use this benefit on spells, scrolls, potions, wands, and items with an activation time or casting time of one standard action.

NeoSeraphi · 08-01-2011, 10:13 PM

This looks nice and balanced, the only real question is, as a "magician" who shocks and wows with flashy magic, I really think he should be able to teleport. Maybe give it to him as a spell-like ability?

nonsi · 08-01-2011, 11:35 PM

It appears like the description of Infused Magic is incomplete.

Also, which book is 'ECS' ?

Cipherthe3vil · 08-02-2011, 12:35 AM

You. tables. are. godly ~Swoons ~~~

TEST TABLE: THE TESTING

BLOCK ONE

BLOCK TWO

THE TEST LEVELS	TEST ATTACK	TEST SAVE ONE	TEST SAVE TWO	SPECIAL	TEST SPARE
LEVEL ONE	ATTACK	SAVE ONE	SAVE ONE	TESTWORTHY	ONE
LEVEL ONE	ATTACK	SAVE ONE	SAVE ONE	TESTWORTHY	ONE
LEVEL ONE	ATTACK	SAVE ONE	SAVE ONE	TESTWORTHY	ONE
LEVEL ONE	ATTACK	SAVE ONE	SAVE ONE	TESTWORTHY	ONE
LEVEL ONE	ATTACK	SAVE ONE	SAVE ONE	TESTWORTHY	ONE
LEVEL ONE	ATTACK	SAVE ONE	SAVE ONE	TESTWORTHY	ONE
LEVEL ONE	ATTACK	SAVE ONE	SAVE ONE	TESTWORTHY	ONE
LEVEL ONE	ATTACK	SAVE ONE	SAVE ONE	TESTWORTHY	ONE

1	2	3	4	5	6
blank	blank	blank	blank	blank	blank
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blank	blank	blank	blank	blank	blank
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blank	blank	blank	blank	blank	blank
blank	blank	blank	blank	blank	blank

1	2	3	4	5	6
blank	blank	blank	blank	blank	blank
blank	blank	blank	blank	blank	blank
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Yay I got it. doesn't look as nice, but then again its not as filled ~<3

Table 1: The Pratictioner

Sexy Spells

Incredible Moves

Level	BaB	Fort	Ref	Will	Special	Sexehbeasts
1	1	0	0	0	Sexehfiend	1 sexehbeast
2	2	1	1	1	Sexehmoves	2 sexehbeasts
3	3	1	1	1	Sexehlovah	3 sexehbeasts

level	sexeh1	sexeh2	sexeh3
1	3	-	-
2	6	3	-
3	9	6	3

level	1lovah	2lovah	3lovah
1	1	-	-
2	2	1	-
3	3	2	1

*giggles* YUSH! it looks great! Your awesome!

Oh. and I love the your class. Great for when ya just gotta have some magic but your DM's a stuffy when it comes to magic. hard not to love it or reason for it to not be allowed in a game.

Steward · 08-02-2011, 12:43 AM

Great tables. I don't know how to evaluate something like this mechanically but it sounds awesome, very easy to visualize how this class would operate in both a campaign and in a story. I really like being able to whip up those dinky little magic items; it's like being an IKEA artificer or something.

Quote:

Also, which book is 'ECS' ?

I think ECS is Ebberron, which is kind of like a steampunk version of D&D.

jiriku · 08-02-2011, 03:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nonsi

It appears like the description of Infused Magic is incomplete.

Also, which book is 'ECS' ?

ECS is Eberron Campaign Setting, where artificers and infusions are introduced.

Infused Magic is correct as written, although I see that I need to clear up the wording. The idea is roughly, cast a rapid infusion on round 1, get a free quicken for your next magician spell or spell trigger/completion item. Any suggestions on how to word that?

nonsi · 08-02-2011, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jiriku

ECS is Eberron Campaign Setting, where artificers and infusions are introduced.

Infused Magic is correct as written, although I see that I need to clear up the wording. The idea is roughly, cast a rapid infusion on round 1, get a free quicken for your next magician spell or spell trigger/completion item. Any suggestions on how to word that?

A good start would be to state it out in the first place
===============================================
"...In the round after you successfully use rapid infusion to cast an infusion, if you [something]"... then you may........... ???
===============================================

Another suggestion I can think of is notations and explanations (asterisks & superscripts).
Very long clauses within sentences are prone to making them unclear.

jiriku · 08-02-2011, 04:51 PM

Revised. Does it make sense now?

Jade Dragon · 08-02-2011, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steward

I think ECS is Ebberron, which is kind of like a steampunk version of D&D.

House Lysander doesn't like you calling their elemental powered airships, ships, trains, and carts "steampunk".

Shadow Lord · 08-02-2011, 04:55 PM

I can haz capstone?

Nice work, jiriku. I really like what you've done with the place. Here, have a cookie.

jiriku · 08-02-2011, 05:47 PM

Omnomnomnomnom!

Sympathetic magic +4 is a "stealth" capstone, because it moves your ceiling of free metamagic into lower epic territory. With it, you can effectively cast a 10th-level spell once per encounter (and it costs either 0 or 60 gp per target). For example, a sympathetic (+4) twinned disintigrate is effectively a 10th-level spell cast out of a 6th level spell slot, and requires a save of DC 20 + Cha. You can cast persistent ruin delver's fortune on yourself in a 6th level slot, using your pocket lint as sympathetic focus (although I'd expect most DMs who want to nerf casters will probably ban Persistent Spell as a matter of principle).

Steward · 08-02-2011, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Swiftmongoose

House Lysander doesn't like you calling their elemental powered airships, ships, trains, and carts "steampunk".

I honestly don't really know anything about Eberron or steampunk except that a lot of people here put those two words together.

Shadow Lord · 08-02-2011, 09:40 PM

A capstone is not something that is a continuation of an existing ability. It's a new ability that is unique compared to the other abilities.

Fizban · 08-03-2011, 12:14 AM

I like it. I was a little surprised at having dual progressions in both magic and infusions, but when I got the the hard infusion list it made sense. Not sure Move Earth is needed, but it's nice having the option anyway. Definitely digging the massive number of sorcerer spells known: heck, I'd almost take the top tier casting hit just to get the extra spells, if I didn't already know it'd end up a wash. Definitely not digging complete removal of conjuration (and even evocation), but if you're trying to actually nerf it down to tier 3 then that's just about the only way to do it, so I understand. Naturally I'd take the suggested adaptation and add them back in if I was allowing one, or ask for it if I were to play one.

Regarding capstones: Infused Magic is clearly the capstone, even if it's not at level 20. I'd actually say capstones should come at 17th or 18th anyway, since that's when casters usually get their 9th level spells, so if you want equality of shinyness that'd be where to put it.

So, if I'm reading this right, there's no limit to the number of infusions you can learn, and you cast them spontaneously? I don't think it's going to break anything, but it still seems odd to have one half restricted and the other endless. I would dispute that the default interpretation restricts learning to the PHB without in-game research, but it's fine for a class spell list restriction. And regarding the scroll requirement over spellbook: I can see again why you're writing this even though I don't agree with it, but I have a fluffing to suggest: the reason they need scrolls is because they need the magical energy of the spell to take apart and study in order to properly learn how it works, compared to a wizard that can work off theory alone.

The Tygre · 08-03-2011, 09:35 AM

Dat table...

Dat class...

Dat Merlin...

jiriku · 08-03-2011, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shadow Lord

A capstone is not something that is a continuation of an existing ability. It's a new ability that is unique compared to the other abilities.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fizban

Regarding capstones: Infused Magic is clearly the capstone, even if it's not at level 20. I'd actually say capstones should come at 17th or 18th anyway, since that's when casters usually get their 9th level spells, so if you want equality of shinyness that'd be where to put it.

Ah. Well, yes, in that case, Infused Magic is the closest you'll get to a capstone.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fizban

I like it. I was a little surprised at having dual progressions in both magic and infusions, but when I got the the hard infusion list it made sense. Not sure Move Earth is needed, but it's nice having the option anyway. Definitely digging the massive number of sorcerer spells known: heck, I'd almost take the top tier casting hit just to get the extra spells, if I didn't already know it'd end up a wash. Definitely not digging complete removal of conjuration (and even evocation), but if you're trying to actually nerf it down to tier 3 then that's just about the only way to do it, so I understand. Naturally I'd take the suggested adaptation and add them back in if I was allowing one, or ask for it if I were to play one.

Yeah, I think you've grasped it very astutely. Teleportation, planar travel, the binding of outsiders, and spectacular displays of elemental mastery are not very thematically fitted to the idea of low magic and hedge wizardry. I'll be developing a ritualist class later this month which will do for the wizard what the magician does for the sorcerer -- you'll see flashy magic there for sure.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fizban

So, if I'm reading this right, there's no limit to the number of infusions you can learn, and you cast them spontaneously? I don't think it's going to break anything, but it still seems odd to have one half restricted and the other endless.

You're correct. Like the artificer, the magician is a whole-list caster of infusions. However, a magician cannot learn most infusions because they do not have a casting time of 1 minute or more.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fizban

I would dispute that the default interpretation restricts learning to the PHB without in-game research, but it's fine for a class spell list restriction.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Player's Handbook Page 54

A sorcerer's selection of spells is extremely limited. A sorcerer begins play knowing 4 0-level spells and 2 1st-level spells of your choice. At each new sorcerer level, he gains one or more new sorcerer spells.... These spells can be common spells chosen from the sorcerer/wizard spell list (page 192), or they can be unusual spells that the sorcerer has gained some understanding of by study. For example, a sorcerer with a scroll or spellbook detailing an unusual sorcerer/wizard spell (one not on the sorcerer/wizard spell list in this book) could select that spell....

Yah. This paragraph has been hotly disputed in the past; my interpretation is that the sorcerer can learn common spells without needing an in-game source for the spell, or can learn unusual spells provided he has a source. Common spells are defined as spells "from the sorcerer/wizard spell list (on) page 192" and "on the sorcerer/wizard spell list in this book (the PHB)". Uncommon spells, by logical inference, would be sorcerer/wizard spells in splatbooks and custom spells introduced by the DM or by other players.

I'm sure some will interpret that paragraph differently, but the important thing for our purposes is that the magician will learn spells this way. This gives the magician's player a core of PHB spells to which access is guaranteed but lets the DM to decide for him/herself which other spells will enter play.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fizban

And regarding the scroll requirement over spellbook: I can see again why you're writing this even though I don't agree with it, but I have a fluffing to suggest: the reason they need scrolls is because they need the magical energy of the spell to take apart and study in order to properly learn how it works, compared to a wizard that can work off theory alone.

Fluff shall be added! Ultimately, the ability to pick your spells known from 30+ rulebooks is the ability to define your own class features to a much greater extent than other T3 - T6 classes can do, and I wanted to put an additional cost on that value. Creating the real risk of failure when attempting to learn a spell also returns us to earlier editions of D&D where sometimes you had to make do, rather than 3.5's paradigm of a spell list built to your exacting specifications like custom cabinetry.

jiriku · 09-03-2011, 11:30 PM

Moved rapid infusion and sympathetic magic forward in the feature progression so that they're gained sooner. Rapid infusion now grants 1 extra daily use over 20 levels. Moved the first instance of hedge wizardry back to 7th level, from 4th. Overall, these should allow you to enjoy the key class features of the magician over more of the life of the class and get a taste of them even if you're planning a prestige class at 6th level.

Edit: Greatly simplified the class by replacing the four bonus item creations with one simple class feature, eliminating the infusion progression and replacing it with the simplified infuse magic ability, and adding some quick-start rules for quickly generating a high-level magician character from scratch.

Edit: Replaced the craft reserve with a flat 50% discount on the xp cost for crafting limited-use and charged items. Simpler that way.