Anybody used Words of Power before?

[Chaosvii7]

Really interested in using it, so I was curious if anybody has any experience with Pathfinder's Words of Power? It looks like a more engaging way to make spells, if not a more fun one. I also like the flavor behind it quite a bit.

If you've used it, are there any hard and fast changes you and your table use with the system, or do you just use it vanilla? Any insights into the system would be nice.

[Spore]

It's actually quite hard to come up with spells. I'd recommend a Sorcerer to cut down on the prep. time (because you can make up spells during the turns instead of having to write essentially an essay in word of power every morning like a wizard). You can recreate your typical spells although most of the time they are weaker but sometimes they are better than the original. You really need to be creative in order to pull ahead of classical casters though and several options are plainly not available.

Good ideas for a WoP caster:
- creating undead (because it's free)
- creating personalized buffs (no more enhancement buffs that you already have!)
- using spells on levels not available previously (Magic Missile for d6 on 2nd level)
- write spell effects on your own based on existing words (the system lends itself to a better feel of what spell would be appropriate on which level)

[CockroachTeaParty]

I dived pretty deep into Words of Power; there's a link to the guide I wrote in my sig.

I played a WoP sorcerer in a Kingmaker game. We only had a 3-man party: me, a bomb-focused alchemist, and a archery-focused fighter, so I didn't really use buffs very much. We pretty much just shot/blasted things into oblivion at range.

With this in mind, WoP is fun for blasting. The free-form, spontaneous area effect shapes are fun to play with, and there's good effect words for most of the various elemental damage types.

I also did quite a bit of summoning. Even though WoP is not as good at getting multiple summons up, their biggest advantage is that all the summoning words are a standard action, rather than a full-round action.

I didn't play with metamagic much either, relying more on meta words.

The biggest problem with WoP is that it simply doesn't have as much support as traditional casting. We're probably never going to see any new words published. I'm actually considering a side project: making a custom word list for the Shaman and Bloodrager classes.

[Red Fel]

I haven't personally used WoP (I don't typically play casters) but I have read fairly extensively on it. CTP's guide is an excellent resource. I would also recommend Thus She Spoke (https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5kvBvq2DEHjY2pwRUNXcG5Ybjg/edit?pli=1), which rather thoroughly goes over the system (but focuses on the WoP Sorc).

The big merit of WoP is taking ordinary spell concepts and making them function in new ways. For example, a Fireball that deals Acid damage and targets the Will save. Or, and this I really love, Boosted Repulse + Boosted Blizzard, which does incredible battlefield control (without save) and spares your party.

The big downside is just how much knowledge it requires. Casters ordinarily require enough system knowledge to know which spells to have available and which situations make them useful. WoP gives you more versatility, but also requires you to understand and track more moving parts.

[Spore]

Fel pointed this out but I feel this needs more exaggeration. You can pull a will-save Fireball and kill a rogue with it. Screwing with saves won't get you that infamous balor kill but boy. I'd LOVE to see the face of a rogue trying to dodge a fireball that targets his worst save.

[DarkSonic1337]

Accelerate is so good that I actually spent a feat to get it on my non wordcaster Magus.

Borrow time is a nerfed celerity...which is still amazing because it's freaking celerity!

The servitor line is nice as it's standard action summons.

Also note that Words of Power don't have material components...so things like undead minionmancy and reviving your allies become more attractive.

[Gemini476]

Borrow Future is a nerfed celerity...which is still amazing because it's freaking celerity!

"Nerfed celerity"? Use the Boost metaword to turn it into a 4th-level Greater Celerity that staggers rather than dazes. (Get this ring (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/rings/ring-of-ferocious-action), by the way.)

It's pretty crazy.

[CockroachTeaParty]

I just discovered the ring of ferocious action... drool.

[NightbringerGGZ]

Words of Power are just more limited, as they don't cover all the effects you can get from standard spell casting. It also isn't being supported by new books, so this gap will continue to grow over time.

I do find the the system to be very good for blaster builds. You can wind up with some very powerful spells if you play a Magus for instance.