jqavins
2014-10-13, 12:25 PM
Paradoxically, I'm working up a new class in an effort to reduce the number of classes in use in my world without the ability to customize one's characters' abilities. (More on that in another thread.) To that end, I want to combine aspects of the sorcerer and wizard into a single class, keeping most of the best of both, and hopefully replace them both with this new one.
The sorcerer accomplishes something I and my friends tried a few times to do back in the age of 1st Ed, which was to replace the Vancian spell slots with spontaneous casting from a limited pool of power that gradually regenerates over time (like casting from fatigue in GURPS or from Power Points in Villians and Vigilantes.) We never got it right. The sorcerer comes closer than we ever did.
So, this is my (latest) attempt to combine the spontaneous casting sorcerer and the spell book toting wizard.
The Easy Parts:
BAB, Saves, and HP are the same for sorcerers and wizards, so they will be the same for MUs as well. Sorcerers and wizards have ridiculously few class skills (and I'm thinking about mostly or completely doing away with cross-class penalties in my world anyway) so MUs have all the class skills of sorcerers and wizards combined. MUs get no armor and shield proficiency, and all simple weapons (as sorcerer.) Intelligence is the key attribute for a MU's casting. The number of spells cast per day is the same as the sorcerer.
The New Part:
Like wizards, MUs can have any number of spells in their spell books, but like sorcerers they have a limited number of choices available to cast at any given time. The spells in his book are the spells he has mastered and can potentially cast, but only a subset of those are prepared. He can cast any spell he has prepared just as a sorcerer can cast any spell he knows.
The MU normally takes some time each morning to peruse her spell book, as a wizard does. She is not preparing spells slot by slot as the wizard does, but simply refreshing the spells prepared for spontaneous casting through the day. Also, at this time, she may choose to change one* spell in the prepared set. Thus, the MU is always on the lookout for new spells to master or create, but still has limited range of spells to cast at any given time.
The ability to change the list of spells prepared is a substantial increase in the MU's flexibility as compared to the sorcerer. To compensate, I've made the number of spells prepared smaller than the number of spells known by a sorcerer. His ability to pick from a much larger range of spells in the long term is thus balanced by his smaller set in the short term.
MU's Spells Prepared
Level
0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
1st
4
2
2nd
5
2
3rd
5
3
4th
5
3
1
5th
6
3
2
6th
6
4
2
1
7th
7
4
2
2
8th
7
4
3
2
1
9th
8
4
3
2
2
10th
8
4
4
3
2
1
11th
8
4
4
3
2
2
12th
8
4
4
3
3
2
1
13th
8
4
4
3
3
2
2
14th
8
4
4
3
3
3
2
1
15th
8
4
4
3
3
3
2
2
16th
8
4
4
3
3
3
2
2
1
17th
8
4
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
18th
8
4
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
1
19th
8
4
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
20th
8
4
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
A MU who can't review her spell book in the morning does not lose all her spells, but does risk losing them eventually. Each day, for each spell prepared, a save is made, DC 8** + twice the spell level vs. 1d20 + class level + Int. mod. A failed roll means the spell is no longer prepared, and she has fewer prepared spells to chose from. She also can not change prepared spells until she has access to her spell book again. Once she has access to her spell book, she can prepare one* new spell per day until the maximum is once again reached.
* This is one per day at low level. I may raise it slightly at higher levels, but certainly no more than a second at level 5, and third at level 9, etc., to a maximum of 5 at level 17+.
** I'm not sure this is the right DC. The idea is to lose prepared spells an a slow but noticable rate, so that not having the spell book is a problem, but a minor one if it's only for a little while.
The sorcerer accomplishes something I and my friends tried a few times to do back in the age of 1st Ed, which was to replace the Vancian spell slots with spontaneous casting from a limited pool of power that gradually regenerates over time (like casting from fatigue in GURPS or from Power Points in Villians and Vigilantes.) We never got it right. The sorcerer comes closer than we ever did.
So, this is my (latest) attempt to combine the spontaneous casting sorcerer and the spell book toting wizard.
The Easy Parts:
BAB, Saves, and HP are the same for sorcerers and wizards, so they will be the same for MUs as well. Sorcerers and wizards have ridiculously few class skills (and I'm thinking about mostly or completely doing away with cross-class penalties in my world anyway) so MUs have all the class skills of sorcerers and wizards combined. MUs get no armor and shield proficiency, and all simple weapons (as sorcerer.) Intelligence is the key attribute for a MU's casting. The number of spells cast per day is the same as the sorcerer.
The New Part:
Like wizards, MUs can have any number of spells in their spell books, but like sorcerers they have a limited number of choices available to cast at any given time. The spells in his book are the spells he has mastered and can potentially cast, but only a subset of those are prepared. He can cast any spell he has prepared just as a sorcerer can cast any spell he knows.
The MU normally takes some time each morning to peruse her spell book, as a wizard does. She is not preparing spells slot by slot as the wizard does, but simply refreshing the spells prepared for spontaneous casting through the day. Also, at this time, she may choose to change one* spell in the prepared set. Thus, the MU is always on the lookout for new spells to master or create, but still has limited range of spells to cast at any given time.
The ability to change the list of spells prepared is a substantial increase in the MU's flexibility as compared to the sorcerer. To compensate, I've made the number of spells prepared smaller than the number of spells known by a sorcerer. His ability to pick from a much larger range of spells in the long term is thus balanced by his smaller set in the short term.
MU's Spells Prepared
Level
0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
1st
4
2
2nd
5
2
3rd
5
3
4th
5
3
1
5th
6
3
2
6th
6
4
2
1
7th
7
4
2
2
8th
7
4
3
2
1
9th
8
4
3
2
2
10th
8
4
4
3
2
1
11th
8
4
4
3
2
2
12th
8
4
4
3
3
2
1
13th
8
4
4
3
3
2
2
14th
8
4
4
3
3
3
2
1
15th
8
4
4
3
3
3
2
2
16th
8
4
4
3
3
3
2
2
1
17th
8
4
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
18th
8
4
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
1
19th
8
4
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
20th
8
4
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
A MU who can't review her spell book in the morning does not lose all her spells, but does risk losing them eventually. Each day, for each spell prepared, a save is made, DC 8** + twice the spell level vs. 1d20 + class level + Int. mod. A failed roll means the spell is no longer prepared, and she has fewer prepared spells to chose from. She also can not change prepared spells until she has access to her spell book again. Once she has access to her spell book, she can prepare one* new spell per day until the maximum is once again reached.
* This is one per day at low level. I may raise it slightly at higher levels, but certainly no more than a second at level 5, and third at level 9, etc., to a maximum of 5 at level 17+.
** I'm not sure this is the right DC. The idea is to lose prepared spells an a slow but noticable rate, so that not having the spell book is a problem, but a minor one if it's only for a little while.