Rogue Shadows
2011-08-15, 12:31 AM
I think that the sorcerer class, as presented in the Player's Handbook, is a fine, functional, and well-crafted class. I, personally, always run sorcerer over wizard.
It is also duuuuuuuullll...
Well, that's not entirely true. A problem I have with the sorcerer, though, is that there isn't really much to distinguish it from the wizard. Spontaneous casting. Woo. It was novel at the time, back when 3.0 was released, but a decade-and-one-years later, the problem occurs to me that the for two classes with radically different approaches to arcane magic, there isn't really much to distinguish them.
More to the point, the sorcerer...doesn't seem to get a lot of love. It's easy to find variant builds for wizards, or alternate class features. Heck, Unearthed Arcana included nine or so. Sorcerers? Battle sorcerer, and that spell shield variant from Dungeonscape. That's largely it, unless you want to blow precious, precious feat slots on heritage feats.
So, the below. This sorcerer is meant to take the big difference between sorcerers and wizards - less spells more often - and run with it. But...well, I'm not sure if it's very good. Also, I want to give it some kind of capstone, but can't think of one. Any help would be appreciated.
A note on saves: the Star Wars Revised d20 RPG included a "medium" save, which I have always liked.
A note on casting: This sorcerer uses two ability scores - Constitution and Charisma - to cast spells. It is meant to be run in a world where all medium and primary casters (bard, druid, wizard, beguiler, etc) use two stats to cast spells, so take that into account.
Once again, this is not intended as a fix, per se - just another road.
http://i55.tinypic.com/v3kexj.png
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the sorcerer.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Sorcerers are proficient with all simple weapons. They are not proficient with any type of armor or shield. Armor of any type interferes with a sorcerer’s gestures, which can cause his spells with somatic components to fail.
Cantrips: At 1st level, a sorcerer learns extremely simple spells, called ‘cantrips,’ which are essentially 0-level spells. Cantrips function just like other spells, except that they are useable at-will.
A sorcerer learns an additional cantrip at 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th levels.
Spells: A sorcerer casts arcane spells which are drawn primarily from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time, the way a wizard or a cleric must (see below).
To learn or cast a spell, a sorcerer must have a Constitution score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a sorcerer’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the sorcerer’s Charisma modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a sorcerer can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table 2-15: The Sorcerer. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Constitution score.
A sorcerer’s selection of spells is extremely limited. A sorcerer begins play knowing a single 1st-level spell, and he gains an additional spell at each additional sorcerer level thereafter. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a sorcerer knows is not affected by his Constitution score). These new spells can be common spells chosen from the sorcerer/wizard spell list, or they can be unusual spells that the sorcerer has gained some understanding of by study. The sorcerer can’t use this method of spell acquisition to learn spells at a faster rate, however.
Unlike a wizard, a sorcerer need not prepare his spells in advance. He can cast any spell he knows at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his spells per day for that spell level. He does not have to decide ahead of time which spells he’ll cast.
Eschew Materials: The Sorcerer gains this feat for free at 1st level.
Bonus Feats: At 2nd level and every four levels thereafter, the sorcerer gains a bonus feat. This may be any of the following feats: Augment Summoning, Combat Casting, Greater Spell Focus, Greater Spell Penetration, Improved Counterspell, Magical Aptitude, Spell Focus, Spell Penetration, or any metamagic feat. The sorcerer must still meet all prerequisites for the chosen feat.
Relearn (Ex): At 3rd level and every three levels thereafter, a sorcerer can choose to learn a new spell in the place of one he already knows. In effect, the sorcerer “forgets” the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level can be of any level that the sorcerer can cast. A sorcerer can swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains a new spell known for that level.
A note on this. A sorcerer over his career can learn 20 spells. As the table is written now, these spells would, without relearning, be two spells of each level 1-8, and four level 9 spells. This system allows a sorcerer to potentially ditch their 1st and 2nd (and some of their 3rd) level spell entirely as they level up. Assuming that a sorcerer ditches a lowest-level spell for a highest-level spell each time they can relearn, a sorcerer will end up with the following number of spells per level:
1st: 0
2nd: 0
3rd: 2
4th: 2
5th: 3
6th: 3
7th: 2
8th: 3
9th: 5
This might be overpowered, but the thought was to make up for the fact that a sorcerer in this system learns only about half as many spells as the default sorcerer.
Anyway, it was just a thought, and I'm not married to the idea.
Arcane Familiarity (Ex): The 5th-level sorcerer gains a +2 competence bonus to all saving throws against spells and spell-like and supernatural abilities (including magic items) due to an innate understanding of how magic works and how to subvert it. Further, he gains a +2 competence bonus to Armor Class against spells requiring attack rolls.
The bonuses from Arcane Familiarity increase to +4 at 11th level, and +6 at 17th.
Adept Sorcery (Ex): At 7th level, a sorcerer is adept at maintaining their arcane power when confronted with the possibility of wasting it. A number of times per day equal to half the sorcerer’s level (rounded down), whenever a targeted spell the sorcerer casts fails to penetrate a creature’s spell resistance or is countered by another spellcaster, he can reabsorb the arcane energy as an immediate action. They regain the spell as though they had never cast it. However, doing this taxes the sorcerer’s body, and they take 1 point of nonlethal damage per spell level they reabsorb. This damage is internal and bypasses damage reduction and resistances the sorcerer might possess.
Spell Resistance (Ex): At 9th level, the sorcerer gains spell resistance equal to 11 + their sorcerer level.
It is also duuuuuuuullll...
Well, that's not entirely true. A problem I have with the sorcerer, though, is that there isn't really much to distinguish it from the wizard. Spontaneous casting. Woo. It was novel at the time, back when 3.0 was released, but a decade-and-one-years later, the problem occurs to me that the for two classes with radically different approaches to arcane magic, there isn't really much to distinguish them.
More to the point, the sorcerer...doesn't seem to get a lot of love. It's easy to find variant builds for wizards, or alternate class features. Heck, Unearthed Arcana included nine or so. Sorcerers? Battle sorcerer, and that spell shield variant from Dungeonscape. That's largely it, unless you want to blow precious, precious feat slots on heritage feats.
So, the below. This sorcerer is meant to take the big difference between sorcerers and wizards - less spells more often - and run with it. But...well, I'm not sure if it's very good. Also, I want to give it some kind of capstone, but can't think of one. Any help would be appreciated.
A note on saves: the Star Wars Revised d20 RPG included a "medium" save, which I have always liked.
A note on casting: This sorcerer uses two ability scores - Constitution and Charisma - to cast spells. It is meant to be run in a world where all medium and primary casters (bard, druid, wizard, beguiler, etc) use two stats to cast spells, so take that into account.
Once again, this is not intended as a fix, per se - just another road.
http://i55.tinypic.com/v3kexj.png
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the sorcerer.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Sorcerers are proficient with all simple weapons. They are not proficient with any type of armor or shield. Armor of any type interferes with a sorcerer’s gestures, which can cause his spells with somatic components to fail.
Cantrips: At 1st level, a sorcerer learns extremely simple spells, called ‘cantrips,’ which are essentially 0-level spells. Cantrips function just like other spells, except that they are useable at-will.
A sorcerer learns an additional cantrip at 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th levels.
Spells: A sorcerer casts arcane spells which are drawn primarily from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time, the way a wizard or a cleric must (see below).
To learn or cast a spell, a sorcerer must have a Constitution score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a sorcerer’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the sorcerer’s Charisma modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a sorcerer can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table 2-15: The Sorcerer. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Constitution score.
A sorcerer’s selection of spells is extremely limited. A sorcerer begins play knowing a single 1st-level spell, and he gains an additional spell at each additional sorcerer level thereafter. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a sorcerer knows is not affected by his Constitution score). These new spells can be common spells chosen from the sorcerer/wizard spell list, or they can be unusual spells that the sorcerer has gained some understanding of by study. The sorcerer can’t use this method of spell acquisition to learn spells at a faster rate, however.
Unlike a wizard, a sorcerer need not prepare his spells in advance. He can cast any spell he knows at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his spells per day for that spell level. He does not have to decide ahead of time which spells he’ll cast.
Eschew Materials: The Sorcerer gains this feat for free at 1st level.
Bonus Feats: At 2nd level and every four levels thereafter, the sorcerer gains a bonus feat. This may be any of the following feats: Augment Summoning, Combat Casting, Greater Spell Focus, Greater Spell Penetration, Improved Counterspell, Magical Aptitude, Spell Focus, Spell Penetration, or any metamagic feat. The sorcerer must still meet all prerequisites for the chosen feat.
Relearn (Ex): At 3rd level and every three levels thereafter, a sorcerer can choose to learn a new spell in the place of one he already knows. In effect, the sorcerer “forgets” the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level can be of any level that the sorcerer can cast. A sorcerer can swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains a new spell known for that level.
A note on this. A sorcerer over his career can learn 20 spells. As the table is written now, these spells would, without relearning, be two spells of each level 1-8, and four level 9 spells. This system allows a sorcerer to potentially ditch their 1st and 2nd (and some of their 3rd) level spell entirely as they level up. Assuming that a sorcerer ditches a lowest-level spell for a highest-level spell each time they can relearn, a sorcerer will end up with the following number of spells per level:
1st: 0
2nd: 0
3rd: 2
4th: 2
5th: 3
6th: 3
7th: 2
8th: 3
9th: 5
This might be overpowered, but the thought was to make up for the fact that a sorcerer in this system learns only about half as many spells as the default sorcerer.
Anyway, it was just a thought, and I'm not married to the idea.
Arcane Familiarity (Ex): The 5th-level sorcerer gains a +2 competence bonus to all saving throws against spells and spell-like and supernatural abilities (including magic items) due to an innate understanding of how magic works and how to subvert it. Further, he gains a +2 competence bonus to Armor Class against spells requiring attack rolls.
The bonuses from Arcane Familiarity increase to +4 at 11th level, and +6 at 17th.
Adept Sorcery (Ex): At 7th level, a sorcerer is adept at maintaining their arcane power when confronted with the possibility of wasting it. A number of times per day equal to half the sorcerer’s level (rounded down), whenever a targeted spell the sorcerer casts fails to penetrate a creature’s spell resistance or is countered by another spellcaster, he can reabsorb the arcane energy as an immediate action. They regain the spell as though they had never cast it. However, doing this taxes the sorcerer’s body, and they take 1 point of nonlethal damage per spell level they reabsorb. This damage is internal and bypasses damage reduction and resistances the sorcerer might possess.
Spell Resistance (Ex): At 9th level, the sorcerer gains spell resistance equal to 11 + their sorcerer level.