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Cheiromancer
2013-07-04, 02:03 PM
A perennial board topic is how to "fix" the upper tier classes. Short of wholesale banning of classes there is no easy way to do this. I was thinking, however, of ways in which a high tier class - the wizard, say - could be given certain weaknesses.

For example, wizards could be given taboos similar to those of a Wu Jen. Well, not exactly similar, since many of those taboos have no game effect. (Who cares if your wizard cannot wear the color yellow?) But rather taboos that actually limit wizards and give them exploitable vulnerabilities. For example:

1. Cannot rest or regain spells in an extra-dimensional space such as a rope trick or magnificent mansion. (The wizard cannot attune properly to magical energy in such magically confined spaces.)

2. Cannot cast spells while in the air. (Magic requires that the wizard be 'grounded'. This would be especially appropriate to dwarves and gnomes.)

3. Cannot become immune to mind affecting effects. (The character's mind is so powerful and sensitive that it is impossible to effectively shield by mind blank and similar effects.)

4. Cannot cast spells during a surprise round. (The wizard's magic takes a few moments to gather.)

5. Must empty their spell repertoire before resting. (The wizard can only prepare spells on a 'blank slate', and so is vulnerable when resting.)

6. Is immune to potions (including alternative forms (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20041105a&page=4) of potion.) (Magic has altered the wizard's metabolism.)

7. Cannot use spell completion items (like scrolls) or spell trigger items (like wands or staves). (The wizard has developed an allergy to 'preserved' magic.)

And so on. I was thinking that each wizard would have one taboo, plus one per five levels. They might also be handed out as flaws. The effect of breaking the taboo might vary. Take #2 - cannot cast spells while flying. If this were a wizard's 15th level taboo, it might mean that 8th and 9th level spells could not be cast while flying. After all, if the wizard had been casting spells while airborne since level 5, it would be hard to explain why this was suddenly impossible. Not that such an explanation would be impossible; maybe the wizard made a pact with a powerful Dao to no longer do so.

Thing is, 7 taboos isn't enough. 20 would be better, so that they could be randomly assigned via d20, and so not every 20th level wizard would have overlapping taboos. Any ideas?

Jormengand
2013-07-04, 02:17 PM
8. Must choose an additional school to ban (now objects to this school on moral grounds)

9. Can only take half the normal amount of healing from Cure X wounds and heal. (Body rejects magic slightly)

10. Cannot be resurrected. (Body rejects magic after death)

11. Cannot teleport with own spells (Magic locks the wizard in place)

Eldan
2013-07-04, 02:50 PM
I remember that the Wu Jen has one about not touching corpses. Extend that to body parts of anything dead and suddenly, a lot of spell components become quite problematic.

ForzaFiori
2013-07-04, 02:59 PM
12 - cannot cast elemental spells (those with the Air, Earth, Fire, or Water descriptors) without being near that element/away from it's opposite - you couldn't cast earth spells in the air, or air spells while on the ground, or to cast a water spell you can't be in the desert. Might work better than the "no spells in the air" since why would an air spell need you to be grounded?

TuggyNE
2013-07-04, 06:30 PM
8. Must choose an additional school to ban (now objects to this school on moral grounds)

The funny thing is that almost any school can plausibly be objected to on moral grounds, or similarly defended. So this works well.


10. Cannot be resurrected. (Body rejects magic after death)

That's extremely painful at high levels. Maybe tone it down a bit, so that the various spells are valid for a shorter window of time?

Cheiromancer
2013-07-05, 09:15 AM
10. Cannot be resurrected. (Body rejects magic after death)

That's extremely painful at high levels. Maybe tone it down a bit, so that the various spells are valid for a shorter window of time?

Maybe the raise dead line of spells always function as reincarnation instead?

13. Unalterable form. The wizard cannot voluntarily change shape; spells like alter self, polymorph self and shapechange cannot be used. This gives no benefit to spells like baleful polymorph.

14. Strong self-image. The wizard cannot be affected by magical disguise or concealment. No disguise self, displacement or invisibility magic. (Effectively this is a semi-ban of the Illusion school, but extends to items as well.)

15. Already perfect. The wizard is immune to enhancement bonuses.

Basically I am thinking of features associated with powerful wizards (flying, invisible, mindblanked, shapechanged, etc.) and making some of those features off-limits. Speaking of which, #1 should also include the smaller sort of demiplanes. Maybe those with a diameter of a mile or less?

Arkhosia
2013-07-19, 05:32 AM
16: Dracophobia: cannot cast any spells of a chosen dragon element (I.e. bob cannot cast fire spells).

17: Cryptozoology: obsessed with undead: take a -2 penalty to attack rolls against undead

18: Insecure: refuses to take part in social interaction unless a buff is active on them.

19: Uncovered Caster: has strong aversion to casting shielding spells of any kind.

20: Entangled Mind: so many spells memorized causes caster to occasionally mix spells up: if you roll a 7 on an attack roll, roll to determine effect on chart below.

1:backfires and does damage to party member instead
2: buffs target for +2 damage
3: target gains invulnerability to spell casted for 1d6 turns
4: wand/staff breaks
5: teleports target to the nearest city
6: polymorphs target to either giant spider (level 1-5), dragon (6-10), giant (11-15), Titan (16-20), Or Tarrasque (21-30).

Vadskye
2013-07-19, 11:43 AM
15. Already perfect. The wizard is immune to enhancement bonuses.

I absolutely adore the fluff of this.

Network
2013-07-19, 11:53 AM
17: Cryptozoology: obsessed with undead: take a -2 penalty to attack rolls against undead
How can the study of supernatural, living creature affect how you react to the undead? The penalty should probably apply to Magical Beasts instead.

GrokMyJive
2013-07-20, 01:51 AM
Mana Eater: The caster cannot easily wear or use magical equipment - their ensorcelled body disrupts and devours the arcane energies of the magical items carried on their person, reducing all enhancement bonuses by 2. they Gains UMD as a class skill and must umd all spell completion and spell trigger devices.

AsteriskAmp
2013-07-20, 02:04 AM
20: Entangled Mind: so many spells memorized causes caster to occasionally mix spells up: if you roll a 7 on an attack roll, roll to determine effect on chart below.

1:backfires and does damage to party member instead
2: buffs target for +2 damage
3: target gains invulnerability to spell casted for 1d6 turns
4: wand/staff breaks
5: teleports target to the nearest city
6: polymorphs target to either giant spider (level 1-5), dragon (6-10), giant (11-15), Titan (16-20), Or Tarrasque (21-30).Reach Spell Metamagic and spamming any buff that is also touch... suddenly you are an even better buffer.

Cheiromancer
2013-07-20, 07:55 AM
Purity. You cannot use touch spells on yourself.

Eclectic. Cannot prepare more than one copy of a spell at a time. (If a spontaneous spellcaster, cannot cast the same spell twice in one encounter.)

Own Worst Enemy: You count as an enemy, not an ally, for your spells. Thus spells that affect 'allies within 30 ft.' do not affect you, but spells that affect 'enemies within 30 ft.' do.

I like Arkhosia's idea that there should be a taboo for those obsessed with the undead, but I'm not sure of the mechanic. Also 'morbid' would be a better name. Cryptozoology would be magical beasts and maybe aberrations.

EdroGrimshell
2013-07-20, 11:04 AM
Purity. You cannot use touch spells on yourself.

Eclectic. Cannot prepare more than one copy of a spell at a time. (If a spontaneous spellcaster, cannot cast the same spell twice in one encounter.)

Own Worst Enemy: You count as an enemy, not an ally, for your spells. Thus spells that affect 'allies within 30 ft.' do not affect you, but spells that affect 'enemies within 30 ft.' do.

I like Arkhosia's idea that there should be a taboo for those obsessed with the undead, but I'm not sure of the mechanic. Also 'morbid' would be a better name. Cryptozoology would be magical beasts and maybe aberrations.

Aberration would be Xenozoology, Undead would be Necrozoology.

Arkhosia
2013-08-03, 12:55 AM
Purity. You cannot use touch spells on yourself.

Eclectic. Cannot prepare more than one copy of a spell at a time. (If a spontaneous spellcaster, cannot cast the same spell twice in one encounter.)

Own Worst Enemy: You count as an enemy, not an ally, for your spells. Thus spells that affect 'allies within 30 ft.' do not affect you, but spells that affect 'enemies within 30 ft.' do.

I like Arkhosia's idea that there should be a taboo for those obsessed with the undead, but I'm not sure of the mechanic. Also 'morbid' would be a better name. Cryptozoology would be magical beasts and maybe aberrations.

I was thinking in pun-term. (Undead. Crypts. Please don't hurt me.)