Focus Wizard [Core Class] Still NEEDs HELP!

[The Clown]

{table]

level
BAB
fort
ref
will
special stuff
spell points / max level


1
0
0
0
2
Summon Familiar, Create Focus, recall focus
8 / 1



2
1
0
0
3
--
9 / 1



3
1
1
1
3
--
10 / 1



4
2
1
1
4
Focus: Power Boost
12 / 2



5
2
1
1
4
--
14 / 2



6
3
2
2
5
--
17 / 3



7
3
2
2
5
--
20 / 3



8
4
2
2
6
Focus: Power Boost
24 / 4



9
4
3
3
6
--
28 / 4



10
5
3
3
7
--
33 / 5



11
5
3
3
7
--
38 / 5



12
6/1
4
4
8
Focus: Power Boost
44 / 6



13
6/1
4
4
8
--
50 / 6



14
7/2
4
4
9
--
57 / 7



15
7/2
5
5
9
--
64 / 7



16
8/3
5
5
10
Focus: Power Boost
72 / 8



17
8/3
5
5
10
--
80 / 8



18
9/4
6
6
11
--
89 / 9



19
9/4
6
6
11
--
98 / 9



20
10/5
6
6
12
Focus: Power Boost
108 / 9



level
BAB
fort
ref
will
special stuff
spell points / max level

[/table]


Hit die: d4

Skills:As wizard

Weapon and armor proficiency: As wizard

Spells: A focus wizard casts arcane spells (the same type of spells available to sorcerers, wizards, and bards), which are drawn from the same spell lists as sorcerer and wizard spells.

To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, a focus wizard must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell's level.

The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a focus wizard's spell is 10 + the spell level + the focus wizard's Intelligence modifier.

The focus wizard has a spell book which contains all the spells he has access to, and he may learn any number of spells. The focus wizard memorizes spells from this spell book (but they may also be memorized from a scroll or other source). The wizard may memorize a number of spells equal to his Intelligence modifier plus his class level.

To memorize a spell, a quiet place to study a spellbook is required. Each spell takes 5 minutes per spell level, minimum 1 minute (for 0 level spells) to memorize. A DM may wish to require Concentration checks (DC 15 + spell level) in some situations. Once a spell is memorized, it stays in memory until the focus wizard chooses to drop it from his memory. He must ensure he gets 8 hours of sleep nightly to refresh his spell pool. A memorized spell may be dropped at any time for replacement by another spell (though memorizing the new spell still takes time).

Focus wizards work off of a Spell Pool to cast spells. Each spell costs a number of points to cast equal to its spell level. Just as a sorcerer and wizard gains more spells per day, the focus wizard's spell pool increases as he advances in level. To cast a spell, simply expend a number of points from the Spell Pool equal to the spell's level (including the cost of any metamagic feats, if applicable). Zero level spells are a special case. To cast a zero level spell, make a Will save DC 20. If the save is successful, the zero level spell costs no spell points to cast. If the save fails, the spell costs 1 spell point.

In order to perform any magic at all, a focus wizard must be in possession of, and wielding his focus. The focus is not the source of the wizard's power, but it is the conduit through which all his magic is performed and channeled. A focus wizard need not provide any material components for spells costing less than 1gp; however, all spells now require both verbal and somatic components. The metamagic feat Still Spell can not be applied to any of a focus wizard's spells. All spells of a focus wizard require a somatic component. Other feats such as Silent Spell may still be applied, however.

A focus wizard may select a school specialization in the same manner of normal wizards if he so wishes.

You gain a number of bonus memorization slots equal to 1/3 your Intelligence modifier (rounded down).

The number of bonus Spell Pool points you gain due to a high Intelligence is equal to your Intelligence bonus times half your Intelligence bonus.

spell book: As Wizard

Familiar: A focus wizard may summon a familiar in exactly the same manner as a sorcerer. See the rules on the familiar sidebar in the Player's Handbook. Focus wizards may ignore the prerequisites of the Item Familiar feat, should they choose to make their focus their familiar (Item Familiar rules found in Unearthed Arcana). [Special note for Item Familiars: When determining the item familiars' ego score, it should be treated as having a special purpose].

Create Focus: Select any non-magical item you wish. Many common items include a wand, a staff, a gemstone, or a ring, though any non-magical item may be used. The character spends one day per class level doing nothing but concentrating on the item and becoming intimately in tune with it. Nothing more than eating, sleeping, or other necessary bodily functions may be done while attuning with an item. This time must be performed non-stop. If any day during this week occurs during which the character does not work on attuning himself with the item, the entire process must be restarted. A character may only be attuned with one item at a time. After the character has become attuned with the item, that item is forevermore considered magical. If the focus is destroyed, a Fortitude save DC 20 must succeed, or the mage suffers 1d4 damage per class level and is knocked unconscious for 1d4 days. Focus items may be improved after they have become foci, but doing so requires a number of days equal to the item's new enhancement bonus to re-attune with the item, and the changes within it, after the modifications are complete.

Recall Focus: A number of times per day equal to 1/3 your class level (round down, minimum 1), you may summon your focus to your hand as though it were the subject of a Teleport Object spell.

Invest Spells: Once per day, the focus wizard may expend points from his Spell Pool and imbue a spell of level equal to the number of points spent into his focus. The spell remains in the focus until used. A focus can hold a number of spells equal to 1 plus the item's intelligence modifier (if it has one).

Power Boost: At 4th level, and every four levels thereafter, all spells cast with the focus gain a +1 to the DC to resist the spell.

[Eighth_Seraph]

So this is basically what you get when a wizard and a psion who each took Eschew Materials crash into each other really fast so that they fuse together? Now, I'm not particularly fond of the flavor, but I'm sure someone else here is, so let's see how we can get this thing as spiffed up as possible then.

If I read this right, the Focus Wizard has spontaneous casting, the ability to memorize spells via spellbook, and a spell pool so that she can choose to cast all level 9 spells that day. That's a bad thing. That means that she has all the main advantages of the sorcerer, the wizard and the psion rolled into one with the only nerf being a severe lack of known spells. Sure the Focus Wizard knows about half the amount of spells a wizard of the same level has in a spellbook, but she doesn't have to try and foresee what spells she's going to be needing to use that day.

The other major problem is one of flavor. The Focus Wizard was obviously meant to be based around having a focus, though the execution seems rather clumsy. The focus has the approximate usefulness of a very minor magical item, and even then only by making it an intelligent item, and to make it useful at higher level would require giving it a dangerous ego score. So maybe base the class more fully on the wizard, but replace the bonus feats with upgrades to the focus, which might include stat bonuses to the Focus Wizard, properties of other magical items, etc. It's difficualt to say what can be done before it really just becomes a wizard with a beefed-up staff/ring/amulet

[The Clown]

If you added up all the spells as points using the sasme system a wizard has far more points.

I think you should have memorization points equal to you class plus you intelegence score. A level 9 spell would use up nine memorization, a 1st level would use up one.

Also anything in italics shoud be changed.

[Proven_Paradox]

If you added up all the spells as points using the sasme system a wizard has far more points.

That is very true. However, if I understand this right, this class could cast eleven ninth level spells per day, where as most wizards will manage only four per day. Even Sorcerers are only going to see six per day. I find the balance there quite questionable, even if a standard wizard would have more spell points by this method.

And, as Seraph said, the class's flavor seems somewhat clunky.

[The Clown]

Sure, I could cast 12 9th level spells at level 20, but I would not be able to cast any other spells than that, where a wizard could then move to his 8th and 7th level spells and be fine.

On the flavor comment, I would like to wait on flavor until we get the mechanics worked out.

[Eighth_Seraph]

That's reasonable enough. Now like I said before, you'll have to specify whether this class will have spontaneous or prepared casting, that's a major if not the major balance component for spellcasting classes.

[The Clown]

Prepared. Every mornig they must choose what spells too memorize. They will not be able to change these spells without eight full hours of sleep. they sould be able to cast theses spells un til they run out of points. for instance a 10th level focus mage with an int score of 18 could memorize 28 levels of spells. (because of his high intelegence bonus). He has 41 spell points (33 from levels and 8 for having a high intelegence. He can cast any combination of spells so long as he uses no more than than 41 spell points.

If he wants to cast a quickend second level spell, it would use up 5 memorization points. If he wanted to cast the same second level spell without quikening it, he would need to use anouther two memorization points.

[Eighth_Seraph]

And that{s one of the main thing that I find really strange about this class. Memorization points? A wizard that memorizes spells from a spellbook every morning and then forgets it the next? If if you're just doing the same thing that a normal wizard does preparing its spells, please say so, because this is really getting confusing, and confusing is not good for core classes.

[The Clown]

Yes, he is doing the same thing a wizard does. The way the class was originaly described gave you your level plus your intelegence modifier as the number of spells you could memorize in a day. I thought that was too many, so I tried to lessen them.

[Eighth_Seraph]

Well, I reallly would say that it's reasonable. 1/3 a wizard's intelligence modifier will almost be negligible until the mid-teen levels. The amount of spells that this thing is casting is not that much, the problem really does lie in the point system and how it allows lots of uses of save-or-die effects; does anyone know how psionics balances that issue?

[The Clown]

I don't, but i thought of a simple solution to the point problem. I'll just use the point system described in UA.

What about making it a five level PrC. It would just be about the focus. Prerequisets so you would have to be fifth level wizard or sorceror. Still get the DC buffs, recall focus and Invest spells. Get full spell progression, but can cast without focus at diminished level.

E.X. lvl 15 PC with 10 in Wizard and 5 in Focus Mage would cast as a lvl 10 wizard without focus and 15 with.

Invest Spells: A focus wizard may use up one of his daily spells and store it in his focus, for later use. A spell cast from the focus does not count against his daily spells. a Focus mages can store a maximum of 1 + his caster level of spell levels in his focus. 0 level spels count as half a spell level.

E.X. A level one focus mage/level five wizard can store 2 third level spells, 6 1st level spells, or twelve 0 level spells in his focus.

[The Clown]

(Bump)