(PF Need some help penalizing some classes, but not mechanical.

[Zeikstraal]

Hello once again Playground,

I need some help with this Setting me and a friend are brainstorming over.
It is a giant flying city, bassically it's own country, that is free to enter but not free to leave. Criminals can come to this city to sit out the rest of their lives as a "free" man.
The leader of the city is a prophet of some unknown religion, and he basically ruled that his religion is the only one that is allowed to worship. The city is miles ahead in terms of technology in comparison to the world below. But magic is rare. Guns are more common here than Magic items.

Now because of this, there are some classes that will getting some hits. The melee classes that rely a lot on magic items don't have them. The Cleric will not have a holy symbol, and when does find it, can not cast in public if he wants to live. The Wizard can not buy spells that easy, and has to do it mostly with his 2 spells a level. Same for the magus.
But the sorceror, summoner, Druid and Oracle are free to go.

Now I want to make sure these classes get some hits too, and not making them more OP than they already are.
Could you help me giving them some nerfs? Nerfs that would have to do with the city, and not just mechanical nerfs.

If you have any questions about it, or have some other ideas for the city, be my guest!! :D

[Toliudar]

Well, you're already establishing serious penalties for the casting of clerical magic in public. Why not make it more general, and fine people for public displays of spellcasting?

[Zeikstraal]

I have thought about that, and that option is always open ofcourse. But it would be my last option, hope there are some other ways. But this will work if i can not find anything else.

[Psyren]

I would use the bardic progression for all casting classes.

- Replace Wizard with Staff+Hex Magus. (Suggestion: you can replace Quarterstaff Master and Quarterstaff Defense with Spell Blending x2 if you want them to have more of a primary caster feel.)
- Replace Sorcerer with Magician Bard. (Suggestion: Let them get two spells from Expanded Repertoire instead of one, but the second spell must be evocation, transmutation, or abjuration.)
- Replace Cleric with Warpriest from the playtest
- Replace Druid with Hunter from the playtest

[Toliudar]

Since you're already starting with 'floating city', you can also start to mess with epic magic that changes the way the universe works within the city itself. That way, if the adventure takes them out of the city again, you haven't permanently altered the way the characters work.

You might check out things like the impeded magic effect here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/planes.htm). Or simply say that all spell effects within the city walls are at -4 caster level (minimum 1) and -2 DC to resist.

[Spore]

t is a giant flying city, bassically it's own country, that is free to enter but not free to leave. Criminals can come to this city to sit out the rest of their lives as a "free" man. The leader of the city is a prophet of some unknown religion, and he basically ruled that his religion is the only one that is allowed to worship.

This sounds like Bioshock: Infinite to me. Have you played the game?

Other than that: Make the city guards mostly clerics or paladins. Make the paladins (spell guards) have a minor spell resistance instead of Aura of Good (6+paladin level should be okay; like Drow). Give them Detect Magic instead of Detect Evil and a Smite that works on everyone that uses spells or SLAs (maybe cut out the bonus damage since it works on so many things).

I am thinking big. Like police state, with an Orwellian vibe. An average "police squad" would have 3 spell guards ("spell paladin 2") and a voice of the prophet (cleric 5). If you need something more subtle, use only 2 paladin, 1 inquisitor (spellbreaker 3) and 1 cleric.

This is enough to keep a party at bay until 7th level. By then they either are the largest enemy of the prophet or have a license to cast within the city. I am already making quite powerful NPCs here, you shouldn't push it.

[schoklat]

I think you need to decide in which way you want to limit casting.

Social pressure?
Don't worry much and let the players run it as they see fit. From "dumb mooks" to "wary neighbours" to "paladin enforcement squad" there's many different threat levels of detection. They can counter this with smart spell selection, silent/still spell, False Focus (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/false-focus), etc etc.
Let them be creative, let them choose their own risks...

Mechanical enforcement?
Psyren already suggested some knacks, and my mid-tier hack (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=320205) for PF might be right up your alley.

[Taveena]

You could have some fun with a group of elite Secret Police all wielding Magebane weapons.

[Neknoh]

Have animals illegalized. Only birds are allowed, no other form of animal, they carry disease from the world below, disease into this city of freedom and light.

The above idea about some sort of magical inquisition with magebane weapons is a good one.

Sniper rifles with silencer bullets of some sort?

A pair of twins randomly showing up and arguing about schrödinger thingies?