Malapterus
2017-12-09, 06:11 PM
Toying around with an idea for a base class. It's be a spontaneous caster that takes the main benefit of spontaneous casting away in favor of being thematic & really good at one thing.
Basically, you'd only be able to learn spells with an energy descriptor (Fire, Cold, Acid, Electric, or Sonic).
At level 1, you pick a single energy type, and when you learn a spell you learn an alternate version that is of your chosen type. I.E. if you picked sonic, and learned 'fireball', you'd actually cast it as a 'thunderball' that has the Sonic descriptor instead of Fire & does Sonic damage instead of fire.
You'd start out with a resistance to your energy type and work up to an immunity to your type of energy and strong resistances to all others. You'd also get improvements to your caster level & spell save DCs when casting a spell of your chosen element.
In addition to spellcasting, there would be metamagic-like class features to let you modify or enhance your spells with a use-per-day limit, a different tree of abilities for each energy type. For example, perhaps a limited number of times per day you could invert an AoE sonic spell so the sound crashes in toward the center instead of out, crushing the targets within and dealing bonus bludgeoning damage like a thermodynamic grenade @w@, or you could have a few uses per day to make a ranged-touch cold spell freeze your target to the floor like Ray of Ice.
Eventually, I think you could pick a second type of energy. You could pick one of the five and unlock the tree (though perhaps without the caster level and save bonuses), OR, pick something more exotic - like Positive Energy or Negative Energy or Force. These exotic energies probably would not have special features like the others, but would be a benefit all their own. Maybe one for each option, I like the idea that a Force effect would push everything to the edge of its area. Don't cast it indoors, kids!
I'm thinking D4 hit die and same basic skills/saves as a Sorcerer, no familiar.
I'm looking for opinions on Spells Known and Spells per Day. Should it have more of each than a sorcerer? Maybe less spells known and more spells per day?
This class is more for fun than for power. You wouldn't play it to be a mega-powerful spellcaster; a regular Wizard would be better for that, and a Sorcerer would have more versatility. This is more for the guy who wants to be "Lo, I am Crynok, Lord of Ice! Enter not my domain lest your nipples turn to iron!" Looking for a playable power level, not an optimized one.
As always, any input is appreciated, and all hail Lord Crynok.
Basically, you'd only be able to learn spells with an energy descriptor (Fire, Cold, Acid, Electric, or Sonic).
At level 1, you pick a single energy type, and when you learn a spell you learn an alternate version that is of your chosen type. I.E. if you picked sonic, and learned 'fireball', you'd actually cast it as a 'thunderball' that has the Sonic descriptor instead of Fire & does Sonic damage instead of fire.
You'd start out with a resistance to your energy type and work up to an immunity to your type of energy and strong resistances to all others. You'd also get improvements to your caster level & spell save DCs when casting a spell of your chosen element.
In addition to spellcasting, there would be metamagic-like class features to let you modify or enhance your spells with a use-per-day limit, a different tree of abilities for each energy type. For example, perhaps a limited number of times per day you could invert an AoE sonic spell so the sound crashes in toward the center instead of out, crushing the targets within and dealing bonus bludgeoning damage like a thermodynamic grenade @w@, or you could have a few uses per day to make a ranged-touch cold spell freeze your target to the floor like Ray of Ice.
Eventually, I think you could pick a second type of energy. You could pick one of the five and unlock the tree (though perhaps without the caster level and save bonuses), OR, pick something more exotic - like Positive Energy or Negative Energy or Force. These exotic energies probably would not have special features like the others, but would be a benefit all their own. Maybe one for each option, I like the idea that a Force effect would push everything to the edge of its area. Don't cast it indoors, kids!
I'm thinking D4 hit die and same basic skills/saves as a Sorcerer, no familiar.
I'm looking for opinions on Spells Known and Spells per Day. Should it have more of each than a sorcerer? Maybe less spells known and more spells per day?
This class is more for fun than for power. You wouldn't play it to be a mega-powerful spellcaster; a regular Wizard would be better for that, and a Sorcerer would have more versatility. This is more for the guy who wants to be "Lo, I am Crynok, Lord of Ice! Enter not my domain lest your nipples turn to iron!" Looking for a playable power level, not an optimized one.
As always, any input is appreciated, and all hail Lord Crynok.