[3.5] Fun with Spell Thematics

[Cardea]

So, from Magic of Faerun, there's a feat called Spell Thematics. It gives you two benefits.

The first, is that it increases the DC for any Spellcraft check to recognize any spell you cast by 2. This is the boring part.

The cool part is that you select one theme (The examples they gave was fire, ice or screaming skulls). All your spells are modeled after this theme afterwards.

What fun could you have with this, as a spellcaster?

[Vizzerdrix]

So it's a feat tax for fluff? :smallconfused:

I'm rather sure you can already theme your spells without it.

[Slipperychicken]

So it's a feat tax for fluff? :smallconfused:


Just go up to your GM and ask about reskinning your spells. If you're asking for something reasonable, and the GM isn't an absolute tool, you can probably get it without wasting a feat.

[Jeff the Green]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure this is allowed without the feat. And if not, basically any reasonable DM would allow it.

That out of the way, I like the idea of a shamanistic wizard (either with his spellbook tattooed, carved in bones, etc., or with the eidetic wizard ACF) who has a nature them. So his magic missiles are birds made out of force, his haste spell creates the brief impression of the subjects becoming cheetahs, his fear spells are him roaring like a lion...

Another interesting one is a battle mage whose spells are weapons. So magic missile is daggers, his mage armor briefly looks like armor, his fireball is throwing a grenade (or using a catapult)...

I also think it's a great tool for DMs to screw with their players a bit. If the bad guy fires bolts of black, oily energy at them it gives a very different feel than just magic missile.

[demigodus]

I think this might be for making some sort of stupid theme that your DM might not agree with. That, or even if the DM allows refluffing normally, I could see myself taking this in a low power game if playing a wizard.

Because it is freaking awesome.

I would love to play an evil evocation wizard, who blasts everything with rainbows, hearts, butterflies, and just about anything that falls under the "fluffy friendship" theme.

[Feralventas]

Take the silly feat. Then create your spell-list around it to make the most of it.

Thematic Multi-colored spell list
0th
-Dancing Lights (PHB)
-Flare (PHB)
-Light (PHB)
-Prestidigitation (PHB)

1st
-Color Spray (PHB)
-Silent Image (PHB)
-Guiding Light (SpC)
-Light of Lunia (SpC)
-Luminous Vision (SpC)
-Dawnburst (CM)
-Lantern Light (BoED)


2nd
-Glitterdust (PHB)
-Invisibility (PHB)
-See Invisibility (PHB)
-Mirror Image (PHB)
-Blinding Color Surge (PHB2)
-Light of Murcuria (SpC)
-Luminous Swarm (CM)


3rd
-Daylight (PHB)
-Luminous Assassin, Lesser(PHB2)
-Prismatic Mist (PHB2)
-Light of Venya (SpC)
-Rainbow Blast
-Wall of Light
-Ghost Lantern (CM)
-Stars of Arvendor (BoED)

4th
-Rainbow Pattern (PHB)Light Fascinates 24HD of creatures
-Greater Invisibility (PHB)
-Halucinatory Terrain (PHB)
-Illusiory Wall (PHB)
-Greater Mirror Image (PHB2)
-Blistering Radiance (SpC)
-Radiant Fog (BoED)
-Celestial Brilliance (BoED)

5th
-Seeming
-Luminous Assassin (PHB2)
-Radiance (PHB2)
-Prismatic Ray
-Lucent Lance (PHB2)


6th
-True Seeing (PHB)
-Veil (PHB)
-Brilliant Blade (ScP)
-Prismatic Aura (CM)
-Starmantle (BoED)

7th
-Prismatic Spray (PHB)
-Luminous Assassin, Greater (PHB2)
-Radiant Assault (SpC)
-Brilliant Aura (SpC)
-Tomb of Light

8th
-Prismatic Wall (PHB)
-Sunburst (PHB)
-Scintillating Pattern (PHB)
-Superior Invisibility (SpC)
-Prismatic Bow (CM)
-Deadly Sunstroke (Look up)

9th
-Prismatic Sphere (PHB)
-Blinding Glory (BoED)


Take the silly feat. Be the Blindingly Brilliant Battle Mage. Bully.

[Jeraa]

Or you could take the updated 3.5 version (in Players Guide to Faerun). It raises the spellcraft DC to identify your spells by +4, and you can choose 1 spell per spell level to e a thematic spell, and you get a +1 bonus on your caster level when casting those spells. (Say, "Fire" is your theme. If you choose magic missile as a thematic spell, the missile may look like bolts of fire, and you get a +1 caster level boost.)

[Qwertystop]

Thing is, this is specifically allowed with no cost, exact theme can be different for each spell, in either the PHB or DMG (I forget which). The specific example of "allowable" is a Magic Missile that fires dragon heads. The specific example of "not allowable" is a Magic Missile that causes the fist of Pelor to crush an enemy from above.

[Jeff the Green]

Or you could take the updated 3.5 version (in Players Guide to Faerun). It raises the spellcraft DC to identify your spells by +4, and you can choose 1 spell per spell level to e a thematic spell, and you get a +1 bonus on your caster level when casting those spells. (Say, "Fire" is your theme. If you choose magic missile as a thematic spell, the missile may look like bolts of fire, and you get a +1 caster level boost.)

I didn't know about that version. That's actually something one might take, if not exactly optimal.

[Lactantius]

Besides the fluff, there is also an important crunch-part:

by inceasing the Spellcraft DC by 4, you can work against identifying your spells and therefore make them harder to counter at the first place.

Together with eschew materials, you raise the difficulty to recognize your spellcasting Mo-Jo.

I wouldn't spend my feats generally on it, but if I build a thematic wizard or just for certain wizard NPCs, it can ge handy.

Anyways, it is the same as with many other prestige classes and feats:
some are just made for NPCs. Period.

Red Wizards, Spellguards of Silverymoon, Craft Contingent Spell and many other tools were designed with NPCs in mind.

[Slipperychicken]

by inceasing the Spellcraft DC by 4, you can work against identifying your spells

IIRC, you can't ID a spell without observing verbal/somatic components, so playing a Beguiler with Eschew Materials basically means you won't get counterspelled, and no one will try to interrupt your spellcasting, because they don't know if it's happening or not.

[Necr]

I think this might be for making some sort of stupid theme that your DM might not agree with. That, or even if the DM allows refluffing normally, I could see myself taking this in a low power game if playing a wizard.

Because it is freaking awesome.

I would love to play an evil evocation wizard, who blasts everything with rainbows, hearts, butterflies, and just about anything that falls under the "fluffy friendship" theme.

carebear stare!

[eggynack]

Y'know, despite the whole thing about being able to do this naturally, I've always kinda liked the idea of taking this feat, because that'd really cement the underlying theme of the character more than just saying this is happening would. It's about more than being able to give spells a cool theme. It's about having the ability to give your spells a cool theme. And my theme, incidentally, would be fanciness. And I'd summon bears wearing top hats and monocles, maybe a suit or tuxedo too. I dunno what the theme would do to non-summoning spells, but bears with monocles is really enough to be worth a feat, as far as I'm concerned.

[zergling.exe]

Guuuuys, check the dates before you post! This thread is from June of 2012!

[Inevitability]

carebear stare!

Your username is most appropriate.

[AnachroNinja]

Crazy thing is I was just reading this thread last week. I love using this feat to make it harder for party members to identify my spells on certain kinds of casters.

[Âmesang]

Say, "Fire" is your theme. If you choose magic missile as a thematic spell, the missile may look like bolts of fire, and you get a +1 caster level boost.
Alternatively you could go back to 2nd Edition's DRAGON Magazine #241 and update Keraptis' flaming missiles, which "…is identical to the 1st-level spell, magic missile, except that the missiles are fiery in nature." :smalltongue:

[Sliver]

carebear stare!

I imagine someone registering with this nick a couple of months ago, going over really old threads, waiting for the perfect moment to post... This!

An odd choice for a first post, tbh.

[Erit]

Someone I play with actually came up with a Wizard concept who uses Spell Thematics (Charlatan), where all his spells seem to be utterly mundane replications. Burning Hands is a Molotov, Magic Missile is a bunch of darts, and other such things. Where he would basically be a Wizard who, even in the midst of his mojo, could just be mistaken for a man with access to hammerspace.

[Darkweave31]

Others have already said that you don't need a feat to theme your spells... but otherwise fluffing your spells as magical arrows is the best and easiest way to make an "arcane archer" in 3.5

[Name1]

You could choose "Darkness" as your theme and cast Daylight...

[Blackhawk748]

I've always seen it as this spell giving you even mroe leeway in how you theme your spells. Want you Magic Missiles to look like the fist of Pelor coming down from the sky? This feat lets you do it.

Personally im a big fan of using this with Fireball (which i usually substitute to Cold) and having a Spectral White Dragon form around me and shoot the Iceball out of its mouth.

[Inevitability]

You could choose "Darkness" as your theme and cast Daylight...

That sounds like a reliable way to become a vestige.

[SangoProduction]

You could choose "Darkness" as your theme and cast Daylight...

roflmao. That's awesome.

[Chambers]

Mod of the Broken Pattern: I took Spell Thematics: Locked Thread.