Deepbluediver
2012-06-25, 10:17 AM
This is part of my ongoing project to rework the 11 core classes so that they are a little more balanced in terms of both power and versatility. In addition to changing each character class, I've also reworked the functionality of magic and am currently in the process of redoing individual spells. I'm addressing most of the big "nukes" from the magic lists as I come to them, on a one-by-one basis. I have included a brief summary of the changes to magic in the spoilered text here. The full version can be found in my extended sig.
Magic in 3.5 was too easy to use, in the sense that there was little if any chance for a spell to fail in the way that an attack or skill check might. Added to this was the fact that many full spellcasting classes could rely largely on a single attribute. To fix these, I made Spellcraft a non-skill stat, like Base Attack Bonus. Your BSB is the inverse of your BAB (i.e., poor BAB characters like wizards and sorcerer get the best BSB, equal to their level).
Each and every time you want to cast a spell you need to make a Spellcraft check. Spells have a chance to fail or critically succeed, and the chance varies by what kind of magic the caster is using. Wisdom adds to a player's Spellcraft bonus, similar to Strength and BAB.
Intellect determines bonus spells for all casters, and it is easier to get bonus spells at low levels.
The range (distance) for spells has been reduced.
Every player and monster will have a basic level or Spell Resistance, like they have a basic level of AC. Your various save bonuses add to your SR against spells from certain schools. The DC to cast a spell increases with a spells level (stronger spells are tougher to cast), but targeted and non-targetting spells scale slightly differently so spells that check against SR stay relatively similar in functionality.
My overall goal is to aim for about tier 3, while also not losing the the flavor and fun and individuality of the seperate classes. Some well-played characters might still feel like low tier 2, while other poorly built classes might drop to tier 4, but hopefully the difference will be less. For my sorcerer fix, there is almost no part of this that I can claim as my own. The Pathfinder update took the class from 3.5 with the lowest number of features, and added a ton of flavor and customization options; it's one of their best achievements, IMO. Even the Magic Adaptations class feature that fills in those last few levels was inspired by fellow poster Yitzi's sorcerer fix.
All I've done is adjust spellcasting progression so the sorcerer is similar to the wizard, and smooth out the distribution of class abilities because I hate HATE HATE dead levels.
Sorcerer
Alignment: Any, though most are non-lawful
Hit Points at each level: 1d3+3
Class Skills: The sorcerers class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) Χ 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier
Table: The Sorcerer and Spells Per Day
{table=head]Level|BAB|BSB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special |0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|9th
1st|+0|+1|+0|+0|+2|Eschew Materials, Bloodline Power|4|2||||||||
2nd|+1|+2|+0|+0|+3|Magic Adaptation I|5|3||||||||
3rd|+1|+3|+1|+1|+3|Bloodline Spell|6|4|2|||||||
4th|+2|+4|+1|+1|+4|Bloodline Power|6|5|3|||||||
5th|+2|+5|+1|+1|+4|Bloodline Spell|6|6|4|2||||||
6th|+3|+6|+2|+2|+5|Bloodline Feat|6|6|5|3||||||
7th|+3|+7|+2|+2|+5|Bloodline Spell|6|6|6|4|2|||||
8th|+4|+8|+2|+2|+6|Magic Adaptation II|6|6|6|5|3|||||
9th|+4|+9|+3|+3|+6|Bloodline Spell|6|6|6|6|4|2||||
10th|+5|+10|+3|+3|+7|Bloodline Power|6|6|6|6|5|3||||
11th|+5|+11|+3|+3|+7|Bloodline Spell|6|6|6|6|6|4|2|||
12th|+6/+1|+12|+4|+4|+8|Bloodline Feat|6|6|6|6|6|5|3|||
13th|+6/+1|+13|+4|+4|+8|Bloodline Spell|6|6|6|6|6|6|4|2||
14th|+7/+2|+14|+4|+4|+9|Magic Adaptation III|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|3||
15th|+7/+2|+15|+5|+5|+9|Bloodline Spell|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|4|2|
16th|+8/+3|+16|+5|+5|+10|Bloodline Power|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|3|
17th|+8/+3|+17|+5|+5|+10|Bloodline Spell|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|4|2
18th|+9/+4|+18|+6|+6|+11|Bloodline Feat|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|3
19th|+9/+4|+19|+6|+6|+11|Bloodline Spell|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|4
20th|+10/+5|+20|+6|+6|+12|Bloodline Power, Magic Adaptation IV|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|5
[/table]
Sorcerer Spells Known
{table]Level|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|9th
1st|3|1||||||||
2nd|4|2||||||||
3rd|4|3|1|||||||
4th|5|4|2|||||||
5th|5|4|3|1||||||
6th|6|5|4|2||||||
7th|6|5|4|3|1|||||
8th|7|6|5|4|2|||||
9th|7|6|5|4|3|1||||
10th|7|7|6|5|4|2||||
11th|8|7|6|5|4|3|1|||
12th|8|7|7|6|5|4|2|||
13th|8|8|7|6|5|4|3|1||
14th|9|8|7|7|6|5|4|2||
15th|9|8|8|7|6|5|4|3|1|
16th|9|9|8|7|7|6|5|4|2|
17th|10|9|8|8|7|6|5|4|3|1
18th|10|9|9|8|7|7|6|5|4|2
19th|10|10|9|8|8|7|6|5|4|3
20th|10|10|9|9|8|7|7|6|5|4
[/table]
All the information for various Bloodlines can be found here (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/sorcerer#TOC-Bloodline); I'm not going to reproduce it just for this post.
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Sorcerers are proficient with all simple weapons. They are not proficient with any type of armor or shield. Armor interferes with a sorcerer's gestures, which can cause her spells with somatic components to fail.
Spells
A sorcerer casts arcane spells drawn primarily from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. She can cast any spell she knows without preparing it ahead of time.
Like other spellcasters, a sorcerer can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Intellect score.
A sorcerer's selection of spells is somewhat limited. A sorcerer begins play knowing three 0-level spells and one 1st-level spell of her choice. At each new sorcerer level, she gains one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: Sorcerer Spells Known. These new spells are chosen from the sorcerer/wizard spell list.
Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even-numbered sorcerer level after that (6th, 8th, and so on), a sorcerer can choose to learn a new spell in place of one she already knows. In effect, the sorcerer loses the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell's level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged. A sorcerer may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that she gains new spells known for the level.
Unlike a wizard or a cleric, a sorcerer need not prepare her spells in advance. She can cast any spell she knows at any time, assuming she has not yet used up her spells per day for that spell level.
Eschew Materials
At first level, a sorcerer gains eschew materials as a bonus feat.
Bloodline Powers
A sorcerer recieves special ablilites and features from her unusual heritage; at 1st, 4th, 10th, 16th, and 20th level, the sorcerer gains a power related to her bloodline.
The levels on some of these have been adjusted upward slightly, assume that you gain the closest level power to what is described in the pathfinder SRD.
Bloodline Spells
At 3rd level, and every two levels thereafter, a sorcerer learns an additional spell, derived from her bloodline. These spells are in addition to the number of spells given on Table: Sorcerer Spells Known. These spells cannot be exchanged for different spells at higher levels.
Bloodline Feats
At 6th level, and every six levels thereafter, a sorcerer receives one bonus feat, chosen from a list specific to each bloodline. The sorcerer must meet the prerequisites for these bonus feats.
The levels on these have been adjusted downward slightly, otherwise it functions exactly the same as described in the pathfinder SRD.
Magic Adaptations (Sp)
Starting at first level, a sorcerer gains a special technique that draws on the power of her innate magical talents. A sorcerer may call upon this magic adaptation once per day, plus a number of times per day equal to her Charisma bonus, if any. At levels 8, 14, and 20, a sorcerer learns another magic adaptation, and gains an additional use per day. The range of this ability is the same as for a medium spell of her level (50 ft. +5 ft./level)
The sorcerer must declare if she is using this ability before any other spellcraft rolls are made.
Unless otherwise stated, during any round in which a sorcerer uses this ability, during her next turn she may take only a move action or a standard action.
Magic Adaptations
Absorb Magic: The sorcerer may make an opposing spellcraft check against any spell cast within range. If the sorcerer's check exceeds the spell caster's check, she absorbs the spell, healing herself for 1d6 per spell level (1d4 for zero-level spells). This healing cannot exceed the sorcerer's maximum hit points.
Learn Spells: The sorcerer may make a spellcraft check against any spell cast within range (DC equal to 10+twice the spell's level). If she succeeds, she may add the spell to her list of spells known, and may cast it if she has spell slots of that level available. If the spell is a Divine or Elemental spell, it remains on her list for 2d6 minutes. If the spell is an Arcane spell, it remains on her list for 1d8 hours.
Any metamagic effects or other modifiers applied to the spell are also included in the learned spell, which must be cast at the increased metamagic level.
Redirect Spell: The sorcerer may make an opposing spellcraft check against any spell cast within range. If the sorcerer's check exceeds the spell caster's check, she may choose a new target for the spell within the spells original range. The target must still be an appropriate target for the spell, as if the sorcerer had cast it herself.
Explosive Counterspelling: The sorcerer may make an opposing spellcraft check against any spell cast within range. If the sorcerer's check exceeds the spell caster's check, the spell fails violently, dealing force damage to anyone within range. The damage and radius increase with the target spells level, as given on the following table.
{table]Spell Level|Radius of Effect|Damage
0-1|2.5 ft. (1 square)|1d6
2-3|5 ft.|1d10
4-5|10 ft.|2d6
6-7|15 ft.|2d8
8-9|20 ft.|2d12
10+|30 ft.|3d10
[/table]
Spell Recharge: The sorcerer may make an opposing spellcraft check against any spell cast within range. If the sorcerer's check exceeds the spell caster's check, the spell is nulified, and the sorcerer regains one spell slot of equivalent level of the targeted spell. The sorcerer cannot exceed her normal daily number of spell slots in this manner; if the sorcerer has not yet used any spell slots of the targeted spells level, she instead regains one spell slot of the next lowest spell level for which she has used spell slots.
Warp Magic: The sorcerer may make a spellcraft check against any spell cast within range, including her own (DC equal to 10+spell's level if it is the sorcerer's spell, 20+twice the spell's level for anyone else). If she succeeds, she may alter the effective type of magic (arcane, elemental, or divine) that the spell is being cast as. The caster applies all benefits or penalties for the new type of spell, including critical success and failure chance.
Magic Detonation: The sorcerer may make a spellcraft check against any existing magical effect or magic item within range (DC equal to twice the spell's level, or equal to the item's SR if held by a creature). If the sorcerer succeeds, the magic effect is dispelled or the item is destroyed, dealing 1d4/level force damage to anyone within 15 ft. (Reflex save for half, DC equal to 10+ the sorcerer's level). If the sorcerer fails the check by 5 or less, the magic is not destroyed, instead merely surpressed for a number of minutes equal to 1d10+ the sorcerer's Charisma modifier.
Conclusion
As I said before, I stole borrowed most of the magic adaptations from Yitzi; you can view his original post here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=216120&highlight=sorcerer) if you're interested. I'd love to add a few more if anyone can come up with good ideas.
Overall, the sorcerer has recieved a slight boost to the number of spells she know's (including the bloodline spells), and can keep up with the wizard for spell levels available, addressing most of the complaints about the class (relative to the wizard, that is). Most the decrease in power comes from the alterating of the way magic works in my fixes, and the reworking of most "nuke"/game-ending spells.
Magic in 3.5 was too easy to use, in the sense that there was little if any chance for a spell to fail in the way that an attack or skill check might. Added to this was the fact that many full spellcasting classes could rely largely on a single attribute. To fix these, I made Spellcraft a non-skill stat, like Base Attack Bonus. Your BSB is the inverse of your BAB (i.e., poor BAB characters like wizards and sorcerer get the best BSB, equal to their level).
Each and every time you want to cast a spell you need to make a Spellcraft check. Spells have a chance to fail or critically succeed, and the chance varies by what kind of magic the caster is using. Wisdom adds to a player's Spellcraft bonus, similar to Strength and BAB.
Intellect determines bonus spells for all casters, and it is easier to get bonus spells at low levels.
The range (distance) for spells has been reduced.
Every player and monster will have a basic level or Spell Resistance, like they have a basic level of AC. Your various save bonuses add to your SR against spells from certain schools. The DC to cast a spell increases with a spells level (stronger spells are tougher to cast), but targeted and non-targetting spells scale slightly differently so spells that check against SR stay relatively similar in functionality.
My overall goal is to aim for about tier 3, while also not losing the the flavor and fun and individuality of the seperate classes. Some well-played characters might still feel like low tier 2, while other poorly built classes might drop to tier 4, but hopefully the difference will be less. For my sorcerer fix, there is almost no part of this that I can claim as my own. The Pathfinder update took the class from 3.5 with the lowest number of features, and added a ton of flavor and customization options; it's one of their best achievements, IMO. Even the Magic Adaptations class feature that fills in those last few levels was inspired by fellow poster Yitzi's sorcerer fix.
All I've done is adjust spellcasting progression so the sorcerer is similar to the wizard, and smooth out the distribution of class abilities because I hate HATE HATE dead levels.
Sorcerer
Alignment: Any, though most are non-lawful
Hit Points at each level: 1d3+3
Class Skills: The sorcerers class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) Χ 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier
Table: The Sorcerer and Spells Per Day
{table=head]Level|BAB|BSB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special |0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|9th
1st|+0|+1|+0|+0|+2|Eschew Materials, Bloodline Power|4|2||||||||
2nd|+1|+2|+0|+0|+3|Magic Adaptation I|5|3||||||||
3rd|+1|+3|+1|+1|+3|Bloodline Spell|6|4|2|||||||
4th|+2|+4|+1|+1|+4|Bloodline Power|6|5|3|||||||
5th|+2|+5|+1|+1|+4|Bloodline Spell|6|6|4|2||||||
6th|+3|+6|+2|+2|+5|Bloodline Feat|6|6|5|3||||||
7th|+3|+7|+2|+2|+5|Bloodline Spell|6|6|6|4|2|||||
8th|+4|+8|+2|+2|+6|Magic Adaptation II|6|6|6|5|3|||||
9th|+4|+9|+3|+3|+6|Bloodline Spell|6|6|6|6|4|2||||
10th|+5|+10|+3|+3|+7|Bloodline Power|6|6|6|6|5|3||||
11th|+5|+11|+3|+3|+7|Bloodline Spell|6|6|6|6|6|4|2|||
12th|+6/+1|+12|+4|+4|+8|Bloodline Feat|6|6|6|6|6|5|3|||
13th|+6/+1|+13|+4|+4|+8|Bloodline Spell|6|6|6|6|6|6|4|2||
14th|+7/+2|+14|+4|+4|+9|Magic Adaptation III|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|3||
15th|+7/+2|+15|+5|+5|+9|Bloodline Spell|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|4|2|
16th|+8/+3|+16|+5|+5|+10|Bloodline Power|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|3|
17th|+8/+3|+17|+5|+5|+10|Bloodline Spell|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|4|2
18th|+9/+4|+18|+6|+6|+11|Bloodline Feat|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|3
19th|+9/+4|+19|+6|+6|+11|Bloodline Spell|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|4
20th|+10/+5|+20|+6|+6|+12|Bloodline Power, Magic Adaptation IV|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|5
[/table]
Sorcerer Spells Known
{table]Level|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|9th
1st|3|1||||||||
2nd|4|2||||||||
3rd|4|3|1|||||||
4th|5|4|2|||||||
5th|5|4|3|1||||||
6th|6|5|4|2||||||
7th|6|5|4|3|1|||||
8th|7|6|5|4|2|||||
9th|7|6|5|4|3|1||||
10th|7|7|6|5|4|2||||
11th|8|7|6|5|4|3|1|||
12th|8|7|7|6|5|4|2|||
13th|8|8|7|6|5|4|3|1||
14th|9|8|7|7|6|5|4|2||
15th|9|8|8|7|6|5|4|3|1|
16th|9|9|8|7|7|6|5|4|2|
17th|10|9|8|8|7|6|5|4|3|1
18th|10|9|9|8|7|7|6|5|4|2
19th|10|10|9|8|8|7|6|5|4|3
20th|10|10|9|9|8|7|7|6|5|4
[/table]
All the information for various Bloodlines can be found here (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/sorcerer#TOC-Bloodline); I'm not going to reproduce it just for this post.
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Sorcerers are proficient with all simple weapons. They are not proficient with any type of armor or shield. Armor interferes with a sorcerer's gestures, which can cause her spells with somatic components to fail.
Spells
A sorcerer casts arcane spells drawn primarily from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. She can cast any spell she knows without preparing it ahead of time.
Like other spellcasters, a sorcerer can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Intellect score.
A sorcerer's selection of spells is somewhat limited. A sorcerer begins play knowing three 0-level spells and one 1st-level spell of her choice. At each new sorcerer level, she gains one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: Sorcerer Spells Known. These new spells are chosen from the sorcerer/wizard spell list.
Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even-numbered sorcerer level after that (6th, 8th, and so on), a sorcerer can choose to learn a new spell in place of one she already knows. In effect, the sorcerer loses the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell's level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged. A sorcerer may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that she gains new spells known for the level.
Unlike a wizard or a cleric, a sorcerer need not prepare her spells in advance. She can cast any spell she knows at any time, assuming she has not yet used up her spells per day for that spell level.
Eschew Materials
At first level, a sorcerer gains eschew materials as a bonus feat.
Bloodline Powers
A sorcerer recieves special ablilites and features from her unusual heritage; at 1st, 4th, 10th, 16th, and 20th level, the sorcerer gains a power related to her bloodline.
The levels on some of these have been adjusted upward slightly, assume that you gain the closest level power to what is described in the pathfinder SRD.
Bloodline Spells
At 3rd level, and every two levels thereafter, a sorcerer learns an additional spell, derived from her bloodline. These spells are in addition to the number of spells given on Table: Sorcerer Spells Known. These spells cannot be exchanged for different spells at higher levels.
Bloodline Feats
At 6th level, and every six levels thereafter, a sorcerer receives one bonus feat, chosen from a list specific to each bloodline. The sorcerer must meet the prerequisites for these bonus feats.
The levels on these have been adjusted downward slightly, otherwise it functions exactly the same as described in the pathfinder SRD.
Magic Adaptations (Sp)
Starting at first level, a sorcerer gains a special technique that draws on the power of her innate magical talents. A sorcerer may call upon this magic adaptation once per day, plus a number of times per day equal to her Charisma bonus, if any. At levels 8, 14, and 20, a sorcerer learns another magic adaptation, and gains an additional use per day. The range of this ability is the same as for a medium spell of her level (50 ft. +5 ft./level)
The sorcerer must declare if she is using this ability before any other spellcraft rolls are made.
Unless otherwise stated, during any round in which a sorcerer uses this ability, during her next turn she may take only a move action or a standard action.
Magic Adaptations
Absorb Magic: The sorcerer may make an opposing spellcraft check against any spell cast within range. If the sorcerer's check exceeds the spell caster's check, she absorbs the spell, healing herself for 1d6 per spell level (1d4 for zero-level spells). This healing cannot exceed the sorcerer's maximum hit points.
Learn Spells: The sorcerer may make a spellcraft check against any spell cast within range (DC equal to 10+twice the spell's level). If she succeeds, she may add the spell to her list of spells known, and may cast it if she has spell slots of that level available. If the spell is a Divine or Elemental spell, it remains on her list for 2d6 minutes. If the spell is an Arcane spell, it remains on her list for 1d8 hours.
Any metamagic effects or other modifiers applied to the spell are also included in the learned spell, which must be cast at the increased metamagic level.
Redirect Spell: The sorcerer may make an opposing spellcraft check against any spell cast within range. If the sorcerer's check exceeds the spell caster's check, she may choose a new target for the spell within the spells original range. The target must still be an appropriate target for the spell, as if the sorcerer had cast it herself.
Explosive Counterspelling: The sorcerer may make an opposing spellcraft check against any spell cast within range. If the sorcerer's check exceeds the spell caster's check, the spell fails violently, dealing force damage to anyone within range. The damage and radius increase with the target spells level, as given on the following table.
{table]Spell Level|Radius of Effect|Damage
0-1|2.5 ft. (1 square)|1d6
2-3|5 ft.|1d10
4-5|10 ft.|2d6
6-7|15 ft.|2d8
8-9|20 ft.|2d12
10+|30 ft.|3d10
[/table]
Spell Recharge: The sorcerer may make an opposing spellcraft check against any spell cast within range. If the sorcerer's check exceeds the spell caster's check, the spell is nulified, and the sorcerer regains one spell slot of equivalent level of the targeted spell. The sorcerer cannot exceed her normal daily number of spell slots in this manner; if the sorcerer has not yet used any spell slots of the targeted spells level, she instead regains one spell slot of the next lowest spell level for which she has used spell slots.
Warp Magic: The sorcerer may make a spellcraft check against any spell cast within range, including her own (DC equal to 10+spell's level if it is the sorcerer's spell, 20+twice the spell's level for anyone else). If she succeeds, she may alter the effective type of magic (arcane, elemental, or divine) that the spell is being cast as. The caster applies all benefits or penalties for the new type of spell, including critical success and failure chance.
Magic Detonation: The sorcerer may make a spellcraft check against any existing magical effect or magic item within range (DC equal to twice the spell's level, or equal to the item's SR if held by a creature). If the sorcerer succeeds, the magic effect is dispelled or the item is destroyed, dealing 1d4/level force damage to anyone within 15 ft. (Reflex save for half, DC equal to 10+ the sorcerer's level). If the sorcerer fails the check by 5 or less, the magic is not destroyed, instead merely surpressed for a number of minutes equal to 1d10+ the sorcerer's Charisma modifier.
Conclusion
As I said before, I stole borrowed most of the magic adaptations from Yitzi; you can view his original post here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=216120&highlight=sorcerer) if you're interested. I'd love to add a few more if anyone can come up with good ideas.
Overall, the sorcerer has recieved a slight boost to the number of spells she know's (including the bloodline spells), and can keep up with the wizard for spell levels available, addressing most of the complaints about the class (relative to the wizard, that is). Most the decrease in power comes from the alterating of the way magic works in my fixes, and the reworking of most "nuke"/game-ending spells.