About master specialist (transmuter)...

[Seth1221]

So I was reading through this prestige class and one thing struck me as really wierd. The 10th level feature "major school esoterica".

So we have fast healing for the undead (necromancy), quickened conjuration spells for free, stilled and silenced ilusion spells and so on and so forth. Comparing to those features the transmutation major esoterica (damage equal to the spell level) seems really weak. Unless I'm misreading it somehow?

Any thoughts?

[Gorbash]

It's terrible?

[npc revolution]

What kind of goodies do the other schools get?

[Eldariel]

Few good ones:
- Conjuration auto-Quickens 3 Conjurations per day. Real nice.
- Illusion auto-Silences/Stills/etc. 3 Illusions per day. Again, nice.
- Abjuration gets to cast 3 Personal spells as non-Personal. Quite handy.
- Divination has free True Seeing on Divinations you cast. Kinda useful given it normally has material components.

Others are...more or less unimpressive. Evocation deals double damage next turn to creatures that failed their save, but only 3/day and only working on failed save and only working one turn later is meh. Transmutation deals damage equal to the spell level on successful save; makes it absolutely worthless since 9 damage (from level 9 spell) isn't exactly worth an action on level 17. That's the kinda damage a free action can do.

Necromancy is...yawn? A low-level spell effect as capstone 3/day? Bleh. And Enchantment would be better if the saveability were the worst about the school; though +5 means the second save is very hard to fail.

[Sinfire Titan]

Few good ones:
- Conjuration auto-Quickens 3 Conjurations per day. Real nice.
- Illusion auto-Silences/Stills/etc. 3 Illusions per day. Again, nice.
- Abjuration gets to cast 3 Personal spells as non-Personal. Quite handy.
- Divination has free True Seeing on Divinations you cast. Kinda useful given it normally has material components.

Others are...more or less unimpressive. Evocation deals double damage next turn to creatures that failed their save, but only 3/day and only working on failed save and only working one turn later is meh. Transmutation deals damage equal to the spell level on successful save; makes it absolutely worthless since 9 damage (from level 9 spell) isn't exactly worth an action on level 17. That's the kinda damage a free action can do.

Necromancy is...yawn? A low-level spell effect as capstone 3/day? Bleh. And Enchantment would be better if the saveability were the worst about the school; though +5 means the second save is very hard to fail.

The Necromancy one is an NPC thing. The Transmutation one is horrible, but Transmutation is the second best school in the game. Which makes it odd that they didn't do the same to Conjuration.


The real question is what happens when a Changeling Tansmuter/Illusionist takes levels in Master Specialist. Does he get both Esoterica?

[AmberVael]

The real question is what happens when a Changeling Tansmuter/Illusionist takes levels in Master Specialist. Does he get both Esoterica?

I think it could actually be argued that a Changeling with that substitution level doesn't qualify for Master Specialist at all.

The way the dual specialization is worded says directly that your option to have standard specialization- that is, to be a Specialist Wizard, is replaced by the option of Dual Specialization, which allows you to have two specialty schools. You have specialty schools, but you're not a specialist wizard, which is what Master Specialist requires.

It appears a bit shaky, but I think by RAW it might actually be the case. Still, it's arguable.

The counter argument would likely be along the lines that the way Dual Specialization is worded says that it replaces "Standard Specialization," thus implying that you're still a specialist.

[Seth1221]

It's terrible?

Ow yeah - compared to the others it is. As people has already told:smallamused: Compared to conjuration it is just pathetic.

Anyway maybe you have some ideas how to improve it?

[Gorbash]

Don't take the 10th lvl. :smallbiggrin: