alchemyprime
2010-08-23, 12:11 AM
Hey there folks. Alchemyprime here again, wondering aloud to anyone who is willing to listen and comment.
Metamagic
Metamagic is weird. I personally want to do away with raising spell levels without raising the DCs, and turn Metamagic into a pool of Metamagic points that you can burn to gain more out of a spell. The feats will simply be the metamagic abilities you can use your points on. Want to extend a spell? Spend the X amount of points when you cast. Also, each metamagic feat should grant twice the points it requires.
Note: I use Power Ratings instead of Caster Levels. So bard levels and wizard levels satck for Caster Levels for spell effects, but not for gaining spells. But Cleric and Wizard wouldn't stack ,because Aracne and Divine aren't the same type of spell.
So
Enlarge Spell
Metamagic Feat
Cost: 1
Prerequisites: Power Rating 1 (Arcane, Divine)
Benefit: You may alter a spell with a range of close, medium, or long to increase its range by 100%. An enlarged spell with a range of close now has a range of 50 ft. + 5 ft./level, while medium-range spells have a range of 200 ft. + 20 ft./level and long-range spells have a range of 800 ft. + 80 ft./level. Spells whose ranges are not defined by distance, as well as spells whose ranges are not close, medium, or long, do not have increased ranges.
You gain 2 Metamagic Points.
Maximize Spell
Metamagic Feat
Cost: 3
Prerequisite: Power Rating 5 (Arcane, Divine)
Benefit: All variable, numeric effects of a spell modified by this feat are maximized. Saving throws and opposed rolls are not affected, nor are spells without random variables.
You gain 6 Metamagic Points.
That'd be about the size of it. Yeah, there is abuse potential, but anything could have abuse potential. One line of flavor text has abuse potential.
Evokers
Another idea was energy types. We have Fire, Acid, Cold, Electricity, Sonic and Force. I want to add in Necrotic, Radiant, and Psychic from 4e. But how do we make these forms of damage unique? I think evokers are the answer.
Evokers should be all about energy. Yeah, conjurers can summon a ball of acid. The evoker should go beyond that. The evoker knows acid damage, he knows necrotic damage. He knows it all. Yes, the necromancer uses negative energy with finese. A raise dead is perfect, you have a skeleton that lasts a long time.
But why can't an evoker know how to surge a body with Negative energy from a blast to grant a temporary zombie? Or make a lightnign bolt not ground itself til the second or third person?
Essentially, let's give the evoker free metamagic uses in his own sphere of expertise.
Alchemy
Alchemy is thing magic. Matter magic. Alchemy is the power of stuff. How so? It's chemistry with a slightly different rule book.
Want to be blind to some zombies? You have two options: Hide from undead, or covering yourself in a substance from the alchemist. Yes, the substance is putrified eyeballs, ambergris, soy bean oil and giant sweat. But it works, even in an antimagic field, because alchemy only needs magic to make the product, not for it to work.
But what about the fact that normal people can do it? It's that alchemy is the magic of things, not magic on things. I'm not adding magic to the equation, it's already there, a sort of sixth force (alongside Electromagnetic, gravitational, strong, weak and dark).
Now what would this mean? Alchemy as a skill can be used untrained like Knowledge. Anything under DC 10 can be done by anyone with some luck. But above that you need training in the skill. What can alchemy do? It can be magic when magic isn't a good option or an option at all, like you all know.
So I say we expand the alchemical items list and make it so any Joe Schmoe can, in a pinch, try to whip up a little bomb. But only the trained Alchemists will be MacGuyver.
I can easily see this leading to rogues training in Alchemy. And I'm okay with this.
Metamagic
Metamagic is weird. I personally want to do away with raising spell levels without raising the DCs, and turn Metamagic into a pool of Metamagic points that you can burn to gain more out of a spell. The feats will simply be the metamagic abilities you can use your points on. Want to extend a spell? Spend the X amount of points when you cast. Also, each metamagic feat should grant twice the points it requires.
Note: I use Power Ratings instead of Caster Levels. So bard levels and wizard levels satck for Caster Levels for spell effects, but not for gaining spells. But Cleric and Wizard wouldn't stack ,because Aracne and Divine aren't the same type of spell.
So
Enlarge Spell
Metamagic Feat
Cost: 1
Prerequisites: Power Rating 1 (Arcane, Divine)
Benefit: You may alter a spell with a range of close, medium, or long to increase its range by 100%. An enlarged spell with a range of close now has a range of 50 ft. + 5 ft./level, while medium-range spells have a range of 200 ft. + 20 ft./level and long-range spells have a range of 800 ft. + 80 ft./level. Spells whose ranges are not defined by distance, as well as spells whose ranges are not close, medium, or long, do not have increased ranges.
You gain 2 Metamagic Points.
Maximize Spell
Metamagic Feat
Cost: 3
Prerequisite: Power Rating 5 (Arcane, Divine)
Benefit: All variable, numeric effects of a spell modified by this feat are maximized. Saving throws and opposed rolls are not affected, nor are spells without random variables.
You gain 6 Metamagic Points.
That'd be about the size of it. Yeah, there is abuse potential, but anything could have abuse potential. One line of flavor text has abuse potential.
Evokers
Another idea was energy types. We have Fire, Acid, Cold, Electricity, Sonic and Force. I want to add in Necrotic, Radiant, and Psychic from 4e. But how do we make these forms of damage unique? I think evokers are the answer.
Evokers should be all about energy. Yeah, conjurers can summon a ball of acid. The evoker should go beyond that. The evoker knows acid damage, he knows necrotic damage. He knows it all. Yes, the necromancer uses negative energy with finese. A raise dead is perfect, you have a skeleton that lasts a long time.
But why can't an evoker know how to surge a body with Negative energy from a blast to grant a temporary zombie? Or make a lightnign bolt not ground itself til the second or third person?
Essentially, let's give the evoker free metamagic uses in his own sphere of expertise.
Alchemy
Alchemy is thing magic. Matter magic. Alchemy is the power of stuff. How so? It's chemistry with a slightly different rule book.
Want to be blind to some zombies? You have two options: Hide from undead, or covering yourself in a substance from the alchemist. Yes, the substance is putrified eyeballs, ambergris, soy bean oil and giant sweat. But it works, even in an antimagic field, because alchemy only needs magic to make the product, not for it to work.
But what about the fact that normal people can do it? It's that alchemy is the magic of things, not magic on things. I'm not adding magic to the equation, it's already there, a sort of sixth force (alongside Electromagnetic, gravitational, strong, weak and dark).
Now what would this mean? Alchemy as a skill can be used untrained like Knowledge. Anything under DC 10 can be done by anyone with some luck. But above that you need training in the skill. What can alchemy do? It can be magic when magic isn't a good option or an option at all, like you all know.
So I say we expand the alchemical items list and make it so any Joe Schmoe can, in a pinch, try to whip up a little bomb. But only the trained Alchemists will be MacGuyver.
I can easily see this leading to rogues training in Alchemy. And I'm okay with this.