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View Full Version : A new kind of arcane spellcaster



Jibar
2006-03-05, 04:58 AM
This is mostly just an idea that came into my head, but I think it could work.
Basically, you have a wizard, who writes spells into their spellbooks, but then I tried this variation.
Everytime the spellcaster learns a new spell and writes it in their spellbook, they make an intelligence to see if they memorise it. If they do, they would be able to cast it without any preparation with the system below. The DC for the check could be 10+spell level, so to learn fireball, you would need 13.
Instead of having to prepare their spells every morning, they have no spells per day and instead cast every spell via a skill check of spellcraft.
The DC to cast a spell would be equal to 10+spell level+targets level
So, if you wanted to cast fireball at a fourth level fighter, it would be 10+3+4, so you would need 17.
The downside to all this is that casting spells becomes so much more than the odd concentration check.
I'm not sure if it would work, but I would like some feedback.

Darkie
2006-03-05, 05:41 AM
Uhh, what if you were casting it at a CR9 HD6 creature?

Further, wouldn't that rely on knowing what you're fighting then? You'd immediately find out the power of the creature you were fighting.

In anycase, from what I understand...

Let's take Fireball and Lightning Bolt as an example.

The level 5 wizard picks up the two spells, and rolls a DC13 int check. With a +3 or +4 int mod, they have roughly a 50% chance of learning the spell. If they fail to learn it - what then? When they level up, they get anoher two spells, as well as the chance to learn the spells they'd failed to learn before?

Now, we cast. Spellcraft's max rank is lvl+3. At level 5, he has a +8. Casting a fireball at a CR5, he's have a DC18. A 50% chance of firing off a spell?

It's... sort of odd. I can't really refine it...
I was pondering using just a base DC of 10+spell level on a caster check. That means a level 5 wizard has a 60% chance of casting a level 3 spell, a level 13 wizard has a 100% chance of casting a level 3 spell. But then that means a DC17 check on a level 7 spell, which only needs a 4 or higher. Hmm...

A DC 15+lvl spellcraft check would mean 8 ranks at level 5, for a 50% chance of casting a level 3 spell without int modsl, and 16 ranks at level 13 for a 90% chance, and a DC22 on that level 7 spell 70% chance.

I mean, I can see you put in the target level in so that the DCs rise proportionally, but using the enemy stats makes it very difficult to put into practice...

And for learning spells, at level 12, you'd have a +5 or so to int (start with a 16-17, with three stat points, you'd have 19-20, and 18 would become 21).
At level 13, you get access to level 7 spells... DC17 to be able to use the spell, that'd mean a 40% chance of being able to use it, even without the difficulty in casting it.

I don't think it'll work out very well without some major refinement...


Actually, this gives me an idea about free spell mastery... anytime a level is gained, a DC15+level int check, and you get spell mastery for that one spell!... or maybe not. Nifty, though.

Dhavaer
2006-03-05, 05:47 AM
There's a class on the Wizards boards called the Arcanist. I has spells known like a wizard, but casts spontaneously. The tradeoff is that to cast a spell they need to spend a full round remembering it. They can make one of their spells always remembered every level.
Sort of a sorcerer/wizard combo.

Credit goes to Jaerom Darkwind.