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Zaydos
2013-10-18, 10:49 PM
MAGE
This is an attempt at a nerfed wizard. As such I am not writing its fluff because it is essentially the same as a wizard’s fluff. I will note that this is not intended to act as a specialist wizard, you can already play specialists through the use of Warmage, Dread Necromancer, and Beguiler, this is an attempt at a generalist. Due to a wizard’s weak low levels the Mage is actually stronger at low levels (though with its inability to specialize and a removal of Grease and Color Spray it loses some of the wizard’s strongest low level tricks; Sleep was retained due to its casting time of 1 round which allows enemies to disrupt it by attacking you). The main nerf is in spell progression, a mage does not gain 2nd level spells till 4th level, 3rd level spells till 7th, 4th till 10th, and only gains 7th level spells at 19th (although some 5th level and higher spells have had their spell level reduced). This should hopefully make them play nicer with tier 3 characters such as Beguiler (a mage gets more variety of tricks and most of theirs but gets them later so once you reach 6th level you will always have tricks the mage doesn’t) and warblade and the like. They can still theoretically do many of the mid-level tricks of a wizard’s but they do so at a later level when hopefully other classes have neater tricks than they have at the level a wizard would gain the trick for example they can still get Charm Monster (wins social), Fly (kites), and Black Tentacles (battle-field control), but cannot do so until a level before a Warlock can have all these tricks usable continuously/at-will.

Hit Dice: d4.
Class Skills: The mage’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Knowledge
(all skills, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha). See
Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) × 4 and 4 ranks in Spellcraft.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier and 1 rank in Spellcraft.



Level
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Special
0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th


1st

+0

+0

+0

+2
Mage Blast (1 shape, 1 energy), Scribe Scroll
2
1
-
-
-
-
-
-


2nd

+1

+0

+0

+3
Detect and Read Magic, Summon Familiar
3
2
-
-
-
-
-
-


3rd

+1

+1

+1

+3
Mage Blast (2 energies)
4
2
-
-
-
-
-
-


4th

+2

+1

+1

+4
Bonus Feat
5
3
1
-
-
-
-
-


5th

+2

+1

+1

+4
Arcane Sight
6
3
2
-
-
-
-
-


6th

+3

+2

+2

+5
Dispel Magic (2/day)
7
4
2
-
-
-
-
-


7th

+3

+2

+2

+5
Identify, Mage Blast (3 energies)
8
4
3
1
-
-
-
-


8th

+4

+2

+2

+6
Bonus Feat, Mage Blast (2nd shape)
9
4
3
2
-
-
-
-


9th

+4

+3

+3

+6
Cantrips
*
4
4
2
-
-
-
-


10th

+5

+3

+3

+7
Greater Dispel Magic (2/day)
*
4
4
3
1
-
-
-


11th

+5

+3

+3

+7
Mage Blast (4 energies)
*
4
4
3
2
-
-
-


12th

+6

+4

+4

+8
Bonus Feat, Mage’s Counterspell 1/day
*
4
4
4
2
-
-
-


13th

+6

+4

+4

+8
Greater Arcane Sight
*
4
4
4
3
1
-
-


14th

+7

+4

+4

+9
Spell Shield
*
4
4
4
3
2
-
-


15th

+7

+5

+5

+9
Mage Blast (Sonic), Mage’s Counterspell 2/day
*
4
4
4
4
2
-
-


16th

+8

+5

+5

+10
Bonus Feat, Mage Blast (3rd shape)
*
4
4
4
4
3
1
-


17th

+8

+5

+5

+10
Metamagic Mastery
*
4
4
4
4
3
2
-


18th

+9

+6

+6

+11
Mage’s Counterspell 3/day, Mage’s Dispelling 2/day
*
4
4
4
4
4
2
-


19th

+9

+6

+6

+11
Mage Blast (Force)
*
4
4
4
4
4
3
1


20th

+10

+6

+6

+12
Bonus Feat, True Mage
*
4
4
4
4
4
3
2



Spells: A mage casts spells as a wizard, beginning with the same number of spells in their spell book and gaining them at the same rate (2 spells to their spell book at each level beyond first). There are two exceptions: a mage cannot specialize in a specific school of magic; a mage may only know spells of a level equal to their Intelligence score without enhancement bonuses minus the spell level and while they may prepare spells from borrowed spell books doing so puts a strain on their mind inflicting a -1 penalty to attack rolls, ability checks, skill checks, saving throws, and armor class for each such spell prepared these penalties persist for 1 minute after such a spell is cast.

Mage Blast (Sp): As a standard action you may evoke a mage blast, a blast of powerful magical energy. At 1st level you must select one energy type other than sonic and either burst, line, or ray. If you select ray your mage blast is a ranged touch with a range of 20-ft + 10-ft per mage level. If you select burst it is a 5-ft radius burst within 15-ft, this radius increases by 5-ft per 4 mage levels and its range increases by 5-ft per mage level. If you select line it is a 10-ft line +5-ft per mage level. If you select burst or line a successful Reflex save (DC 10 +1/2 mage level + your Intelligence modifier) halves the damage, this is in place of the normal save DC that would exist for such an effect. Regardless of your selection your mage blast is considered a 1st level evocation spell with the same descriptor as the energy type chosen, which despite being a spell-like ability requires a somatic component (and has arcane spell failure) and deals 1d6 damage of the chosen energy type. This damage increases by 1d6 at 3rd level and every odd Mage level thereafter. This ability is usable at-will.
At 3rd level you may select a second energy type other than sonic, your mage blast now can be used to deal damage of either the energy type you chose at Lv 1 or this new energy type and has the descriptor appropriate to the chosen energy type. At 7th level, and 11th level, you may choose yet another energy type other than sonic. At 15th level you may now have your mage blast deal sonic damage instead of one of the other energy types, and at 19th level you may now have it be a blast of pure force dealing force damage and acting as a force effect.
At 8th level you may select a second of the three possible shapes (ray, line, or burst) and whenever you use your Mage Blast you may have it be the original shape or the newly selected one. At 16th level you may use any of the three shapes interchangeably.

Scribe Scroll: You gain Scribe Scroll as a bonus feat.

Detect and Read Magic (Sp): A mage is a student of the arcane, learning to observe it at all times, beginning at 2nd level you may use Detect Magic and Read Magic as spell-like abilities at-will.

Summon Familiar: As sorcerer/wizard ability.

Bonus Feats: At 4th level, and every 4th level thereafter, you gain a bonus feat that can be selected from the following list or from any Metamagic , Item Creation, or Reserve feats. You must still fulfill the prerequisites of the chosen feat.
Feats: Ability Focus (Mage Blast), Alacritous CogitationCM, Arcane DefenseCA, Arcane MasteryCA, Bonded FamiliarPHBII, Cloudy ConjurationCM, Combat Casting, Combat FamiliarPHBII, Dampen SpellPHBII, Dazzling IllusionCM, Elven Spell LorePHBII, Energy AdaptationCM, Extra SlotCA, Fearsome NecromancyCM, Greater Spell Focus, Greater Spell Penetration, Improved Counterspell, Lurking FamiliarPHBII, Magical Aptitude, Magic Item AttunementCM, Metamagic School FocusCM, Obtain FamiliarCA, Piercing EvocationCM, Practiced SpellcasterCA, Reckless Wand UserCA, Spell Focus, Spell Penetration, Spell-linked FamiliarPHBII, Touch Spell SpecializationCA, Toughening TransmutationCM, Unsettling EnchantmentCM, WandstrikeCA.

Arcane Sight (Sp): A mage studies the flows of arcane energy like no other, and may observe it as it passes before them. You may use Arcane Sight as a spell-like ability at-will.

Dispel Magic (Sp): A mage can end magic as easily as they create it. Twice per day a mage of 6th level or higher may use Dispel Magic as a spell-like ability (using your mage CL).

Identify (Sp): A mage has observed the flow of magic and studied it thoroughly and may recognize it in magic items. A mage may use Identify as a spell-like ability at will, but doing so requires 1 hour of studying the item.

Cantrips: A mage is a master of magic and their most minor powers are always available to them. Beginning at 9th level you may cast cantrips at-will, though you may only prepare 8 different 0-level spells per day but you may use each of these at-will.

Greater Dispel Magic (Sp): The magic of foes vanish before a mage’s will. Beginning at 10th level twice per day you may use Greater Dispel Magic as a spell-like ability (using your mage CL).

Mage’s Counterspell (Ex): Those who master magic must master means to combat against it. Beginning at 12th level you may counterspell as an immediate action once per day, doing so still requires the use of an appropriate spell or a use of your Dispel Magic, Greater Dispel Magic, or Mage’s Dispelling (which function as normal for using Dispel Magic to counterspell a spell). You may also counterspell spell-like abilities as if they were spells (this has no daily limit).

At 15th level you may use this ability twice per day, and at 18th level you may use it 3 times per day.

Greater Arcane Sight (Sp): Beginning at 13th level a mage may use Greater Arcane Sight as a spell-like ability at-will.

Spell Shield (Su): A mage can wrap themselves in a field of protective magic that has a chance of absorbing incoming spell effects. As a standard action you may generate a spell shield which remains active indefinitely until discharged or dismissed as a free action. While your spell shield is active you gain spell resistance 10 + your mage class level. Once this spell resistance blocks a spell the spell shield is discharged and a new one must be constructed as a standard action.

Metamagic Mastery (Ex): A mage is a master of the workings of magic. Beginning at 17th level you may reduce the final metamagic cost on any spell you apply metamagic to by 1 (to a minimum of 0). For example you could apply Silent, Still, and Empower to one spell at a metamagic level increase of +3, or apply Silent Spell to any spell you cast at no increase to its spell level if you did not apply any other metamagic effects to it. In addition for 1 spell each day you may instead reduce all +1 spell level metamagic applied to that spell to +0; you may only have one spell with this reduction prepared at a time.

Mage’s Dispelling (Sp): A mage’s mastery of magic is supreme, and they are able to rend through the magic of their inferiors. Beginning at 18th level you may use Mage’s Dispelling as a spell-like ability twice per day. This functions as a targeted Greater Dispel Magic on all applicable effects within a 20-ft radius burst within medium range except that you gain an additional +10 to your dispel checks and any item dispelled by this effect is suppressed for 1 hour. This is a 9th level Abjuration effect and may dispel effects that normally require the use of Mage’s Disjunction.

True Mage: Your understanding of the arcane ways is complete. Twice per day you may cast any Mage spell 6th level or lower which is not from one of your banned spells as a spell-like ability. You must still provide any expensive material components and pay any XP costs of the spell.

Mage’s Spell List: This only includes spells from the Player’s Handbook. DMs are encouraged to add any sorcerer/wizard spells from other books that they do not flat ban at the same level they are gained for a sorcerer/wizard, but are encouraged to add spells from other sources very carefully. Bolded spells have had their spell level changed, many 8th level spells have become 7th level spells.

Lv 0: Resistance, Acid Splash, Detect Poison, Detect Magic, Read Magic, Daze, Dancing Lights, Flare, Light, Ray of Frost, Ghost Sound, Disrupt Undead, Touch of Fatigue, Mage Hand, Mending, Message, Open/Close, Arcane Mark, Prestidigitation.

Lv 1: Alarm, Endure Elements, Hold Portal, Protection from Chaos/Evil/Good/Law, Shield, Mage Armor, Mount, Obscuring Mist, Summon Monster I, Unseen Servant, Comprehend Languages, Detect Secret Doors, Detect Undead, Identify, True Strike, Charm Person, Hypnotism, Sleep, Burning Hands, Magic Missile, Shocking Grasp, Floating Disk, Disguise Self, Magic Aura, Silent Image, Ventriloquism, Cause Fear, Chill Touch, Ray of Enfeeblement, Animate Rope, Enlarge Person, Erase, Expeditious Retreat, Feather Fall, Jump, Magic Weapon, Reduce Person.

Lv 2: Arcane Lock, Obscure Object, Protection from Arrows, Resist Energy, Fog Cloud, Glitterdust, Acid Arrow, Summon Monster II, Summon Swarm, Web, Detect Thoughts, Locate Object, See Invisibility, Daze Monster, Hideous Laughter, Touch of Idiocy, Continual Flame, Darkness, Flaming Sphere, Gust of Wind, Scorching Ray, Shatter, Blur, Hypnotic Pattern, Invisibility, Leomund’s Trap, Magic Mouth, Minor Image, Mirror Image, Misdirection, Blindness/Deafness, Command Undead, False Life, Ghoul Touch, Scare, Spectral Hand, Bear’s Endurance, Bull’s Strength, Cat’s Grace, Darkvision, Eagle’s Splendor, Fox’s Cunning, Knock, Levitate, Owl’s Wisdom, Pyrotechnics, Spider Climb, Whispering Wind.

3rd: Dispel Magic, Magic Circle against Chaos/Evil/Good/Law, Non-detection, Protection from Energy, Phantom Steed, Sepia Snake Sigil, Sleet Storm, Summon Monster III, Clairaudience/Clairvoyance, Tongues, Deep Slumber, Heroism, Hold Person, Rage, Suggestion, Daylight, Fireball, Leomund’s Tiny Hut, Lightning Bolt, Wind Wall, Displacement, Illusory Script, Invisibility Sphere, Major Image, Gentle Repose, Halt Undead, Ray of Exhaustion, Vampiric Touch, Blink, Flame Arrow, Fly, Gaseous Form, Haste, Keen Edge, Greater Magic Weapon, Secret Page, Slow, Water Breathing.

4th: Dimensional Anchor, Fire Trap, Lesser Globe of Invulnerability, Remove Curse, Stoneskin, Dimension Door, Black Tentacles, Secure Shelter, Minor Creation, Summon Monster IV, Arcane Eye, Detect Scrying, Locate Creature, Scrying, Charm Monster, Confusion, Crushing Despair, Lesser Geas, Fire Shield, Ice Storm, Shout, Wall of Fire, Wall of Ice, Hallucinatory Terrain, Illusory Wall, Greater Invisibility, Phantasmal Killer, Rainbow Pattern, Shadow Conjuration, Animate Dead, Bestow Curse, Contagion, Enervation, Fear, Mass Enlarge Person, Mnemonic Enhancer, Mass Reduce Person, Stone Shape, Break Enchantment, Cone of Cold, (Tenser’s) Transformation.

5th: Greater Dispel Magic, Dismissal, Private Sanctum, Cloudkill, Secret Chest, Major Creation, Faithful Hound, Summon Monster V, Teleport, Wall of Stone, Prying Eyes, Telepathic Bond, Dominate Person, Feeblemind, Hold Monster, Mind Fog, Symbol of Sleep, Interposing Hand, Sending, Wall of Force, Dream, False Vision, Mirage Arcana, Nightmare, Persistent Image, Seeming, Shadow Evocation, Blight, Symbol of Pain, Waves of Fatigue, Animal Growth, Baleful Polymorph, Fabricate, Overland Flight, Passwall, Telekinesis, Transmute Mud to Rock, Transmute Rock to Mud, Permanency, True Seeing, Chain Lightning, Circle of Death, Undeath to Death.

6th: Antimagic Field, Globe of Invulnerability, Guards and Wards, Repulsion, Summon Monster VI, Wall of Iron, Analyze Dweomer, Legend Lore, Geas/Quest, Power Word Blind, Greater Heroism, Mass Suggestion, Symbol of Persuasion, Forceful Hand, Contingency, Freezing Sphere, Mislead, Permanent Image, Programmed Image, Shadow Walk, Veil, Create Undead, Eyebite, Symbol of Fear, Mass Bear’s Endurance, Mass Bull’s Strength, Mass Cat’s Grace, Control Water, Disintegrate, Mass Eagle’s Splendor, Flesh to Stone, Mass Fox’s Cunning, Mage’s Lucubration, Move Earth, Mass Owl’s Wisdom, Stone to Flesh, Finger of Death, Greater Scrying, Delayed Blast Fireball, Control Weather.

7th: Maze, Mind Blank, Dimension Lock, Meteor Swarm, Power Word Stun, Power Word Kill, Banishment, Sequester, Spell Turning, Instant Summons, Magnificent Mansion, Phase Door, Plane Shift, Summon Monster VIII, Greater Teleport, Teleport Object, Vision, Mass Hold Person, Insanity, Grasping Hand, Forcecage, Mage’s Sword, Prismatic Spray, Mass Invisibility, Project Image, Greater Shadow Conjuration, Control Undead, Symbol of Weakness, Waves of Exhaustion, Ethereal Jaunt, Reverse Gravity, Statue, Limited Wish, Protection from Spells, Clenched Fist, Greater Shout, Horrid Wilting, Create Greater Undead, Clone, Temporal Stasis, Sunburst.

Just to Browse
2013-10-19, 07:40 PM
I would knock down that list a lot. The mage can still auto-win a lot of encounters with the best of SoDs and the strongest of utility. Blasting is even less useful than ever before because you get an at-will blast ability and the evocations weren't brought down to compensate.

The spellbook can range from 6/lvl to all/lvl depending on how you play it, which is something that has always bothered me about the wizard and something I urge you not to do. I'd rather you give it fixed spells, or make access to all spells easier.

Mage Blast could use some better formatting (perhaps a table, or a list) and the energy availability is just kind of boring. Woo, force damage at level 19. Give them 1 or 2 at the beginning, and let players take the rest as feats if they want them. Likewise, at-will cantrips could come a fair bit earlier--these are things like "+1 to hit for 1 attack" and "clean your robes" (the exception to this being daze, but you seem to have a lot of SoDs here already.)

Seeing magic is a good thing. I like it. I'd honestly put read magic on the at-will list too.

Zaydos
2013-10-20, 05:11 PM
I would knock down that list a lot. The mage can still auto-win a lot of encounters with the best of SoDs and the strongest of utility. Blasting is even less useful than ever before because you get an at-will blast ability and the evocations weren't brought down to compensate.

The spellbook can range from 6/lvl to all/lvl depending on how you play it, which is something that has always bothered me about the wizard and something I urge you not to do. I'd rather you give it fixed spells, or make access to all spells easier.

Mage Blast could use some better formatting (perhaps a table, or a list) and the energy availability is just kind of boring. Woo, force damage at level 19. Give them 1 or 2 at the beginning, and let players take the rest as feats if they want them. Likewise, at-will cantrips could come a fair bit earlier--these are things like "+1 to hit for 1 attack" and "clean your robes" (the exception to this being daze, but you seem to have a lot of SoDs here already.)

Seeing magic is a good thing. I like it. I'd honestly put read magic on the at-will list too.

Removed Stinking Cloud and Resilient Sphere (only Lv 4 or lower SoL they had that I don't think Beguiler has access to without any feats), which save or lose effects in particular seemed a bit much? Overall their access to SoL effects is worse than an Arcane Disciple Beguiler's with the right domain (if not worse than a vanilla Beguiler's flat out till 16th level) I think. The utility is a bigger problem and a harder one what with being the natural result of being a generalist.

I'm am thinking about figuring out a better way to limit maximum spells known while still maintaining the wizard aspect of hunting down spells to add to your book (I liked that).

At-will cantrips I can see putting at a lower level, but prestidigitation's mundane utility makes me not want to put it as at-will for world building reasons until decently high levels. This way a skilled mage can demonstrate it by flippantly using minor magic, ghost hand to bring a drink to him, but you don't have 3rd level mages going cleaning the entire town with prestidigitation, or using it to become a master chef by reseasoning food (I actually got away with that on a sorcerer one time, got like 10 gold from a party member and free meals from the inn keep).

Also added at-will Read Magic at 2nd level.

ArcturusV
2013-10-20, 05:53 PM
Well, a natural limiter I think would be in how they acquire spells. I do like Wizardry spell gain myself, so I understand where you're coming from. I suppose one option that comes to mind would be the following, and to me this kinda makes sense and gives Wizardry less of a "SCIENCE!" feel and more of a mystical aspect to it.

Crux of the Idea:

Magic, is personal. The reason why memorizing spells from someone else's spell book is harder is because their magic is written to their persona. You are literally wrapping your mind around someone else's thought processes, personal connections and assumptions that you normally wouldn't make. It's hard to adapt to, not impossible, but hard.

For a Mage to research a new spell, this hurdle has to be overcome. You can't just learn a spell by copying someone else's spell book or scroll. Magic being personal often includes various "obvious connections", short hand, and missing steps that a mage fills in quite automatically and unconsciously. Due to this being personal, even two mages who trained under the same master, with the same methods, will still have widely different arcane theories and formulas for their spells.

For a mage to make a spell "Personal" and pen it into their spell book, they need to do enough research to bridge the gap in these personal differences. A mage must find (... I'm thinking 2 or 3...) different instances of a spell written down, by different mages. The overlap between multiple mages, their methods, and what they record down, will help cover the mechanical aspects the Mage needs, find out where people have skipped steps, or intuitively filled in processes. It provides a basic framework for working a spell that the mage can grasp. Once the Mage has that, they must spend (... standard spell research metrics...) time and money in testing and theorizing, crafting this skeletal standard to their own mind and personality. If successful they have figured out how to adapt the spell, and add it to their spellbook.

... something like that. Crazy idea perhaps. Maybe not something you want. But eh. At the very least it prevents a Mage from just spending WBL to buy a scroll to scribe into his book. He'd have to find two or three scrolls penned by different mages, requiring perhaps adventure hooks. Traveling to distant lands to find other mages. Or making friends with some guild or organization where he could get spells form different sources to compare, and having to deal with their internal politics. Hooks aren't a bad thing in my book.

Just to Browse
2013-10-20, 06:18 PM
You really shouldn't use an optimized beguiler, or even an unoptimized beguiler, as your starting point. Beguilers are the strongest of Tier 3 classes and can even play nicely with sorcerers and favored souls.

If you don't like specific spells (e.g. prestidigitation) then remove those from the spell list and add them as SLAs.

Zaydos
2013-10-22, 10:39 PM
You really shouldn't use an optimized beguiler, or even an unoptimized beguiler, as your starting point. Beguilers are the strongest of Tier 3 classes and can even play nicely with sorcerers and favored souls.

If you don't like specific spells (e.g. prestidigitation) then remove those from the spell list and add them as SLAs.

I was mostly using unoptimized (as the only feat mentioned comes in at Lv 17+ and is comparing the mage to a 14th level beguiler) but I can see where you're coming from (my personal experience with beguilers is that they tend to be stronger than sorcerers, though this is especially at Lv 6). That said I feel that if you're making a wizard fix the goal ought to be that it plays nice with Beguilers, Dread Necromancers, and to a lesser extent Warmages (which I always thought ought to get an eldritch blast ability) and Warlocks. So would you say it does that?

The thing is I have problems with some being at-will at Lv 5 or so, and especially a great number but maybe I will let trade a slot to get a specific cantrip at-will at Lv 5 and then get 8 changeable cantrips at Lv 9, allowing you to show a special mastery in one element.

Just to Browse
2013-10-23, 12:11 AM
First, beguilers/necros do not play nicely with warmages and warlocks without significant encounter crafting and/or sandbagging. I'd pick one point in that range and stick your design goal there.

Right now I don't know where to put it. It's still got the winsauce spells and enormous flexibility, which makes me want to peg it as a weak t2, but the fact that it also gets those spells later makes me feel like it probably outputs the same as the beguiler.

I hate to say that it's in between 2 and 3 because that's super not-concrete, but the biggest tier gulf is between 2 and 3, so I feel like my intuition probably isn't lying to me. Probably.