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Alias
2013-03-18, 11:28 AM
This still hasn't been playtested, and I'm worried a bit. My own comments in blue text.

Magi
In the World of Carthasana it is far more common to encounter wizards which study magic according to its alignment instead of its school. These wizards are known as magi. Unlike schools, each alignment of magic is intrinsically opposed to two others - you can't choose your opposition alignments. Further, your character's personal alignment must match his spells.

A magi cannot prepare spells of his opposition alignments at all. In exchange for this restriction he can prepare spells that are of his alignment regardless of the class the spell normally belongs to without needing a divine focus (though other components must be met and certain spells have components that cannot be met without multiclassing, like the song component of some bard spells). These spells occupy two spell slots instead of one. For example, a Valran magi can prepare cure wounds or perform the raise dead ritual, but fireball is forever barred to him because it is a
Shunran spell.

Each alignment has, roughly, 300 spells. In all cases the character is losing about twice as many spells as he's picking up. I'm not sure the double slot requirement is necessary on the home alignment but out of class spells.

As with school specialization, each alignment gives the character a number of powers gained as the character advances. Also, the character receives a bonus spell slot to prepare spells of their own alignment in - and this slot can hold an out of class spell by itself instead of requiring a second slot.

These are patterned after the specialist wizards in the Core Rules - three abilities, one always on, one limited use and one picked up at around 8th level.

Aboran
The spells of nature and growth, Aboran magic heavily overlaps with the druid and ranger spell lists. These wizards are unable to use Balcran or Sodran magic. The most painful spell lost is dispel magic and similar effects, and while most all necromancies are also lost characters of this order wouldn't be likely to use such spells anyway.,

Abora is almost entirely in the druid list. A green magi is a better spellcaster than most druids, but a much physically weaker one without the ability to go CoDzilla.

Wild Empathy: Aboran wizards share this trait with druids and rangers. Survival is a class skill for wizards of them.
Nature's Boon: You can bolster the attack strength of an willing creature you touch, or yourself, to deal extra damage equal to your level. The boon persists for 1 minute or until the attack lands.

I noticed I omitted the exact bonus here. suggestions?

Wild Shape: At 8th level you may assume wild shapes as a druid four levels lower than you.

This seems fair, but I do hesitate on it some.

Balcran
Wizards of this alignment are master diviners and illusionists and understand the workings of magic perhaps better than any other character. Balcran wizards do not have access to the fiery magic of Shunra which contains most of the overt naked force spells in wizardry. They also have no recourse to Aboran magic which holds enhancement and bolstering effects. However, their own magic is notorious in its subtlety and powerful ability to dispel magic or
counter it.

A Balcran wizard loses more than he gains. Shunra is the offensive bite of the wizard, and without it the Balcran wizard feels and plays like a 1st edition illusionist with a healthy compliment of dispelling magic. Loss of Abora means loss of personal enhancement spells like bull's strength et al, but this isn't as painful as the loss of shunra.

Vast Knowledge: Like bards, Balcran mages horde knowledge. While the bent of their knowledge is likely to be more scholastic than personal experience or story based, the end result is the same - these wizards can attempt any knowledge check untrained and add half their level to all their knowledge checks.

A bard adds his full level. There's also a roleplaying difference in how the knowledge was gained, but little mechanical difference

Spell Breaker: You can counter any spell with any spell that matches the target spell in school or descriptor and is the same level or higher.

Spell duel Mastery: Beginning at 8th level You may use an immediate action in response to an immediate action, usually to
counter a counterspell. (It is well known that a spell duel with a Balcran mage is usually a losing proposition).

Because Balcra wouldn't be blue without a mother-may-I streak. That said, Pathfinder has a key leveling factor to tamper down counterspells - counterspell must be done at relatively close ranges, while most attack spells can outrange them. Then again, Balcra has the best mobility spells so this isn't as much of an issue as it can be.

Shunra
Few wizards are a chaotic or trigger happy as Shunran Magi. Even evokers tend to be taken aback at their aggression and power. This comes at a cost - without Valran and Balcran spells these magi have next to no wards or dispel abilities to speak of.

Shunra is the other half of the lion's share of wizard classics. Here we get a burn wizard that lacks the mobility and subterfuge, both of which Balcra would have provided, and stripped of most protections at low level. At mid level the Shunra mage picks up stoneskin which makes for an expensive alternative to most Valra wards.

Intensified magic: The damage dice your spells employ increases a step - magic missiles using d6's, fireballs with d8's, and so on.

I'll flat out say this ability scares me, but I'm willing to playtest it.

Energy bolts: You may evoke bolts of fire, ice, electricity or force and propel them at foes as a touch attack. If they hit they deal 1d6 damage + your intelligence modifier. The bolts fly out to medium range. You have a base attack bonus with these bolts equal to a fighter of your level, and throw multiple bolts if you have multiple attacks. This ability is useable at will.

This sounds better than it is. 1d6 after all can be dealt with a bow. It still might need toning down though - removing the 'fighter of your level' part.

Greater Pyroclastic Burst: At eight level you can convert any spell preparation you have into a fireball that deals 2d6 damage per level of the spell and takes an energy form of fire, ice, or electricity.

Pyroclastic Burst is a 2nd level spell that requires the dropping of another spell to determine its effect. This seems comparable to wall of fire for the evoker.

Sodra
Sodra is the magic of the self and the concerns of the self. It's practioners are most notorious for necromancy, but they also have considerable skill with mental compulsion. The are unable to use Valran and Aboran magic, but since many of those spells are druidic and clerical respectively that doesn't represent a significant change to the selection of spells the
character has as some of the other magi possess.

Sodra is the necromancer of the bunch, and being able to use the clerical and wizard undeath spells together will draw people to the specialty. That said, the loss of protective magic in Valra hurts. Abora not so much because not many wizard spells fall into Abora.

Life Magic: Sodran magi often resort to using their own life force to bolster their spells. For every 4 points of damage they are willing to take they can apply one level worth of a metamagic feat to a spell. Damage taken this way can't be healed magically for 24 hours.

This will probably needs to be scaled back.

Inflict Wounds: Sodran wizards can spontaneously cast inflict wounds at any of its levels.

Puppet Strings: At 8th level you can animate any corpse or skeleton with temporary necromatic energy as a standard action and direct its actions. It falls disanimate when you cease directing it. You can perform this action any number of times during the day. Every four levels past 8th you can direct an additional corpse in this manner.

I flat out don't like this ability and would like suggestions to another.

Valra
Valran magi have a great deal of overlap with the spell selection of clerics, without the bother of being answerable to a god, but without the benefit of armor or weapons. Worse, the better wizard offensive spells are forever denied to them.

When reading the below keep in mind a Valran wizard loses almost all arcane attack spells. This class is dangerously close to a cleric without armor.

Increased Vigor: Your hit die is a d8.
Common Cause: Allies within 20' of you that share your alignment gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls, skill checks and saves. This bonus increases to +2 at 4th level and again each 4 levels thereafter to a maximum of +5.

Warding Circle: At 8th level you can create a magic circle of protection around yourself that lasts a number of rounds equal to your level and your intelligence modifier. Raising the circle is a swift action. The rounds of protection need not be consecutive.

And that's all for now. This is a first draft - tear at it like one please.

Amechra
2013-03-18, 12:10 PM
We're going to have to see spell lists before we make assessments.

I'm assuming that it's going to be about 33 spells per level for each of the lists?