How do you think this will affect gameplay? (Sorc issue)

[Dusk Eclipse]

For a game I am considering making a few adjustments to the Sorcerer class, to make a bit more powerful.

I was considering upping the HD to d6 (Sorcs don't spend all their time cooped up reading, so it seems natural they are bit tougher than Wizards)

Also giving them access to new spell levels at the same level as wizard do (3rd level spells at 5th level for example)

And finally either giving them the Favoured Soul spell known table or just giving them an extra spell known per level.

How do you reckon this will work?

[Yora]

It will all make them more powerful. It will reduce the gap to wizards, druids, and clerics, but will widen the gap to any other classes.

[Dusk Eclipse]

It will all make them more powerful. It will reduce the gap to wizards, druids, and clerics, but will widen the gap to any other classes.

I am not really concerned about that to be honest; I am quite comfortable with that power level and my players know how handle it (they optimize enough so they matter if playing a lower tier class or the reign in their optimization if it is a higher tier class).

I am more concerned on what should I choose in the spell known issue

[Gondram]

I would just change the bonus spell chart to have them learn their pertient ability modifier as extra spells for each level.

16 CHA is a +3 modifier, so with that score you'd give them three extra spells each level.

[Dusk Eclipse]

I would just change the bonus spell chart to have them learn their pertient ability modifier as extra spells for each level.

16 CHA is a +3 modifier, so with that score you'd give them three extra spells each level.

I considered it a bit; but since it is pitifully easy to pump ability scores (more if you are only focusing on one) at higher levels sorcerers could get a ridiculous amount of high level spell known.

18( base) +2 (racial) +3 (age) + 6 (enhancement bonus) + 5 (level up bonus) + 5 ( inherent bonus from tomes)= 39 which amounts to 14 extra spells known per level (If I am understand you correctly)

[Gondram]

I considered it a bit; but since it is pitifully easy to pump ability scores (more if you are only focusing on one) at higher levels sorcerers could get a ridiculous amount of high level spell known.

18( base) +2 (racial) +3 (age) + 6 (enhancement bonus) + 5 (level up bonus) + 5 ( inherent bonus from tomes)= 39 which amounts to 14 extra spells known per level (If I am understand you correctly)

That's pretty much it. I figured you wouldn't mind the power creep considering the other changes. In normal circumstances you still only cast one or two spells a turn.

[Dusk Eclipse]

That's pretty much it. I figured you wouldn't mind the power creep considering the other changes. In normal circumstances you still only cast one or two spells a turn.

One thing is a few extra spells; but I feel that is too much TBH, and while you are right I still feel it is more than what I want.

[Jack_Simth]

That's pretty much it. I figured you wouldn't mind the power creep considering the other changes. In normal circumstances you still only cast one or two spells a turn.
That's less power creep, and more making Wizard's redundant. A spontaneous caster, using the same list as the Wizard, with more spells per day than the wizard, and who will fairly quickly end up with more spells known per spell level than most Wizards? That's probably not a good idea, unless maybe you're bringing a rookie into a group of optimizers and wanting to give the rookie a nice boost to keep up.

[agahii]

I modify the class to actually give them class features. One of my favorites is at level one they get eschew materials, at level 3 they get still spell on all sorc spells for +0 to spell level, at level 5 they get silent spell for +0. Some more stuff as they go on, and some more sorc only spells or lower level versions of spells ect. I Give the option to get rid of the familiar for any of the powers like abrupt jaunt that wizards can choose from. I fill in the levels where they don't get a decent mechanical benefit with some semi good fluff abilities like detect magic 2/day or prestidigitation at will ect. I also remove the extra time needed to apply metamagic.

[Dusk Eclipse]

I modify the class to actually give them class features. One of my favorites is at level one they get eschew materials, at level 3 they get still spell on all sorc spells for +0 to spell level, at level 5 they get silent spell for +0. Some more stuff as they go on, and some more sorc only spells or lower level versions of spells ect. I Give the option to get rid of the familiar for any of the powers like abrupt jaunt that wizards can choose from. I fill in the levels where they don't get a decent mechanical benefit with some semi good fluff abilities like detect magic 2/day or prestidigitation at will ect. I also remove the extra time needed to apply metamagic.

At that point I would be homebrewing more than I want to; for now I want to focus on this issues.

(I already give them Eschew Materials for free at level 1, make more sense to me)

[Jack_Simth]

At that point I would be homebrewing more than I want to; for now I want to focus on this issues.Well, the specific stuff you mentioned in the first post will likely be fine in a group of optimizers. As long as, you know, it doesn't end up in the hands of a better optimizer, who also wants to pump spells known with the Dragon Compendium Bloodline feats, that alternate class feature in... was it Complete Divine, or Complete Champion ... that removes two spells known but gives an entire domain as spells known in return, or the Mother Cyst feat from Libris Mortis, and then tack on a few levels of Mage of the Arcane Order for the random utility spells.

The Favored Soul's Spells Known table mostly works out to +1 spell known per spell level overall... however, they also get them in a different grouping (three at a new spell level, but it doesn't go up the next), and the pattern of spells known is a bit more consistent than the Sorcerer's spells known (FS spells known for a given spell level all look like 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, ... for every spell level - progression starts when you first gain access to that spell level, and the 8th and 9th level spells known get a truncated progression due to the table capping at level 20). While the Sorcerer has a similar progression, it caps at different numbers of spells known at different levels - 9 for cantrips, 5 for 1st & 2nd, 4 for 3rd-5th, 3 for 6th+ ... and the 9th level progression is accelerated slightly to accommodate having three 9th level spells known at 20th level.

Really, though, only you can know your group. If, in your group, the Sorcerer-players seem to be falling a little behind, this is a good thing. If they're on par with everyone else, this is unnecessary. Is it a boost to Sorcerers? Yes. Is it going to be game-breaking? Likely not, as for the most part, it just increases the number of tricks the Sorcerer can pull off, rather than making their tricks better.

[Dusk Eclipse]

The game has not started yet; so I am just brainstorming a bit, to decide what is going to be on the Houserules print out I am going to give my players.

Another thing that is starting to worry me, is that I may have a new player joining for the campaign, and I intended this game to be "hard mode" to challenge my players and give myself the opportunity to bring out the big guns; but if the new player joins (which the most likely situation) I am not sure what I am going to do... between me and my group we could teach him the basic of optimization and help him build the character I guess; but I am still unsure of it.

[The Dark Fiddler]

I would just change the bonus spell chart to have them learn their pertient ability modifier as extra spells for each level.

16 CHA is a +3 modifier, so with that score you'd give them three extra spells each level.

Instead of this, how about giving them extra spells known equal to bonus spells per day? It's a smaller boost, and has a basis in the already existing bonus daily spells.