On Wizards and adjustments. A question.

[Asheram]

Me and a friend was playing with a thought the other day.

How would you feel if the Wizard was given the Bard spell progression but with the same spells per day (Adjusted to the bard spell progression) as a sorcerer?
(This means that the wizard would be capping at 6'th level spells)

We haven't playtested but we think that, as two guys in a bar trowing a question back and fourth, it'd be interesting play.

[Prof. X]

I think that would screw up the wizard class and ruin all their power, after all, wizards are primary spellcasters and thus if they are capped at 6th level spells and have bards spell progression even sorcerers would be a better deal than that

[Draz74]

It's a fairly reasonable nerf at most levels, but it's certainly miserable at Level 1. You're like a Bard, but with a familiar instead of 1/day Inspire Courage and a buttload of skill points.

[Deepbluediver]

What is your overall goal with this fix? (or adjustment, if you prefer)
If you optimize really well, there are spells at nearly every level that can make life hard for your DM or other party members. This slows down the rate at which the wizard acquires them a little, but it doesn't entirely solve the issue.
The balance issues in 3.5 can be so aggregious that under the proper circumstances, wizards and other tier 1 classes can win against straight melee even with a hefty level disadvantage.

Also, without access to high level evocations and conjurations (the most direct-damage schools) it seems like wizards would be even more reliant on save-or-die, transmutations, and other control-style tricks, which is where many of the problems pop up.

[Roderick_BR]

As pointed out, at first level you can do amost nothing, and at higher levels you don't get the cool stuff that you should for starting low.

As an option, you can add that "ritual" casting idea: You have the normal 1-9 spells levels aside from your 1-6 ones, and those can only be cast with 10 minutes per spell level's preparation.
So, if you want a mage armor spell, you can cast it if you have 10 minutes available, or cast a flight spell with 30 minutes, but on-demand spells give you the smaller progression.

This idea, at the same time, slows down omnipotent wizards from doing everything all the time, but still lets them do everything, just not all the time.

[Heian]

If you want a simple, flavorful, fix try following this lines:

-New Spell level at (3*spell level) -2 Class Level
(1 at level 1, 2 at level 4, 3 at level 7, 4 at level 10, 5 at level 13, 6 at level 16, 7 at level 19)

-Casting spells from the Higher spell Slots you own make you fatigued on a failed fortitude save, DC 5+2*spell level

-Saves against your save or suck (not damage other than disintegrate) are thrown two times if you haven't a Sympathetic link to the creature (truename, blood, hairs, nails (the material links are expended when you cast the spell))

-Once a day at level 3 and once more at level 6 and so on a Wizard can cast a single spell he prepared in place of any other spell he hasn't already cast (same level or upper)

Obviously the fourth isn't a nerf, and more obviously this isn't the perfect nerf and more more obviously (XD) partially applies to the sorcerer and other casters.

Another Idea, which requires serious players although, is that the first time you cast a spell you haven't gained in the "two every level" you pay
25*spell level xp :)