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View Full Version : Inspired by Wizard of Sun and Moon...



Zovc
2009-09-17, 06:26 PM
How would you feel about a specialist wizard inspired by Dungeonscape's Wizard of Sun and Moon?

What I mean is, the wizard was basically designed to have Darkness when in (nonmagical) daylight, and Daylight when in (nonmagical) darkness. This character would be designed with similar mechanics in mind, although to a different extreme.

This wizard would know Daylight, but could spontaneously cast a prepared Daylight as Darkness. This wizard would know Haste, but could spontaneously cast Haste as Slow. In other words, if there are spells that specifically cancel one another out, the wizard knows both, and can spontaneously exchange it for the other. He's tailored to "answering" things, and would likely have abjurations in addition to these spells.

Perhaps an ability would be to spontaneously counterspell with his own spells as if they were Dispell Magics of appropriate levels?

Interesting class idea or too obscure of a concept?

The Neoclassic
2009-09-17, 06:35 PM
I'm not familiar with the original source of inspiration, but I think it's a cool idea. I could see two different directions; either focusing on the light/darkness and sun/moon portion of it, or going for the more general opposites/"answering." Either could be nifty, and if you do the latter, I may actually eventually make a tangent class with the former... Anyway, if you decide to work on this, I'd be happy to help with suggestions and feedback.

AlistairThorne
2009-09-17, 08:07 PM
I think it is a cool concept but I am a bit...biased. Right now I'm putting together ideas for a CS with many variants of a single religion. That religion has two gods being divided into two separate but equal parts. (E.g. Winter vs. Summer, Cold vs. Fire, Life vs. Undeath, Good vs. Evil)

So the Drow may lean towards 'Winter' but they are essentially worshiping the same set of gods as their 'Surface Cousins' they just call them by different names.

I also was debating about providing a specific set of feats and/or base classes for both sets to replace some of the relevant classes (e.g. Paladins, Cleric, Archivist).

Mongoose87
2009-09-17, 08:40 PM
Interesting idea, but it would be a nightmare to write out all the possible combinations.

The Demented One
2009-09-17, 09:46 PM
Neat mechanical bit, but really not enough to base a whole class around. I could see it as a feat, or maybe a 3-level prestige class.

PairO'Dice Lost
2009-09-18, 12:14 AM
Your concept certainly has plenty of precedent. In 1e (and possibly 2e, though my memories of the two blend together), many spells were simply reversible; there was no such thing as an inflict light wounds spell, for instance, because a cleric would simply prepare the reversed version of cure light wounds.

Is it enough to base a class around? I'd say no; a feat, PrC ability, or ACF, however, would work perfectly.

Zovc
2009-09-18, 08:36 AM
Interesting idea, but it would be a nightmare to write out all the possible combinations.

Well, most spells that can be canceled out by a specific other state it the same way as the others. "Haste dispels and counters slow." "Bane counters and dispels bless. " (Although, peculiarly, I didn't see that clause on Bless.) You can use that as the framework of the "ability's" wording (which also gives it "upward computability").

I'll see about getting some mechanical concepts over the course of the day. How do you feel about this class also having Cleric/Druid spells in its spell list in addition to Sorcerer/Wizard spells?

PairO'Dice Lost
2009-09-18, 09:08 AM
How do you feel about this class also having Cleric/Druid spells in its spell list in addition to Sorcerer/Wizard spells?

Sounds good to me; if you just include all possible reversible spells with very few of the amazing spells from either the wizard or the divine casters, it shouldn't be unbalancing.

Zovc
2009-09-18, 09:10 AM
Sounds good to me; if you just include all possible reversible spells with very few of the amazing spells from either the wizard or the divine casters, it shouldn't be unbalancing.

I would also include Shield and other spells made to trump other spells (but not necessarily counter/dispell them). Dispel Magic would find its way into this list and there's no reason other protective spells couldn't show up (Endure Elements, etc).

Should this be arcane or divine casting? I was thinking arcane with the addition of Armored Mage (Light) at level 1, possibly (Medium) and (Heavy) later on.

(EDIT: Also, Detect Magic at will as a class ability, what level should that show up?)