SangoProduction
2021-01-10, 05:44 AM
Know what? Let's look at Casting Traditions. It may be 2 am, but screw it! FREEDOM!
Ranking system:
(S) Superb: You always want this. It's awesome.
(G) Good: You would certainly not complain about having this, especially in the right builds / situations.
(B) Bad: While perhaps better than nothing, you are giving up something for it, so probably shouldn't without a good reason.
(N) No.
<Angle brackets> around a rating indicates situational usefulness, and how good it is in that favorable situation.
- Special Ratings:
(C) Cheese: A talent so broken that it will be instantly banned if you use it as you could.
(I) Impossible: Can't be rated because it is just not defined enough to give a meaningful rating - it depends too much on DM ruling, or personal use. I'll just place it where I guess the average result would put it.
(F) Flavor: This indicates that the main draw to the talent is going to be its inherent fluff or flavor, rather than raw power or utility.
Basics
General Drawbacks: These grant points to either have bonus spell points (roughly 1/5 per level per drawback), or boons, but have sweeping impacts on your casting. With few exceptions, these are chosen at the start of your character's casting career.
Sphere Specific Drawbacks: These grant bonus talents in the sphere, but restrict how you can use said sphere.
Boons: These are mystical bonuses that empower your character in some way.
Ratings: Based on how impactful they are vs their benefit. Unimpactful drawbacks rank highly. Very impactful ones rank low.
Madness Mantra (<S>): As written, this lasts for precisely until the beginning of your next turn...after failing the check at the end of your round. So you're antagonized while it's not your turn. Sure, you don't provide flanking, and might take AoOs, but that's about it. If a DM rules that, that simply doesn't make sense, and extends it by one round, then this is a rather substantial little deal. But probably still G as you can do non hostile actions with no impediment.
Consciousness Linked (<S>): If you focus on instantaneous effects, then this is literally not even a drawback. If you have sphere effects sustaining your life force, this will kill you. For most, it's pretty meh. It's incredibly low impact in low lethality games.
Narcoleptic Casting (<S>): If you have any bit of Con and/or a good fort save class, then...well, I've never had this actually come up as a result of my casting, despite my semi-prolific use of it. And it's worth 2 drawbacks.
Painful Magic (<S>): Just like Narcoleptic Casting.
Focus Casting (G-S): Just like divine foci, this really is not generally something to think about. If you want to be safe, make it something like a worthless family signet ring, which is simultaneously easy to hold onto, and not worth stealing.
Material Casting (G-S): The cost on this is pretty trivial. And if you go through fewer than 100 casts per game month, then the per cast option is superior. But if you just don't like to think about it, then the monthly option is mentally easing, and I love that.
-Think about it this way: If you could pay just 1 gold to let your level 1 wizard cast 10 times in a day, would you? Hell yeah!
Wild Magic / Variant Wild Magic (F): 10% chance of wild magic. Generally none too impactful, even when it goes off. But it's funny when it does.
Mental Focus (G): Generally doesn't come up, and even when it does, it only saps a full round action to restore.
Anemic (G): A very solid, not too punishing little drawback. Don't tell real hemophiliacs, but yeah. Very easily overcome with a single life sphere talent, and not always something you have to worry about.
Incompatible Energies (<G>): If you generally don't run into mages, this is generally not an issue. And most instances where you need MSD aren't all too significant, unless you like your buffs.
Magical Signs (G): This makes little functional difference to most. But it occasionally does come up when you want to be tactful with your casting. The smell of sulfur does tend to give away your stealth, just a little bit.
Innate Curse (I): Pick a good oracle curse, and you generally won't notice. Pick a bad one, and you're just being silly.
Somatic Casting (B-G): It does reduce the maximum possible armor you can wear, but most casters don't get proficiency in heavier than light anyway, so 1 drawback of this isn't really a drawback. 2 might be substantial.
Rigorous Concentration (B-G): Basically guarantees you fail your concentration checks. So don't get your checks forced, and this isn't even an issue. But that requires not getting hit while casting, which can't be guaranteed.
Galvanized (B-G): If you use weapons, this is pretty free. But putting a "I cannot cast" on a disarm check is pretty...ballzy?
Spell Stand-In (B-G): I don't think this is actually all that much of a downside. But when you've been caught out / had your familiars destroyed, then this can suck.
Verbal Casting (B-G): This also generally makes little functional difference, but it explicitly breaks stealth, and can be silenced, preventing you from casting.
Draining Casting (B-G): Realistically, you'll run out of spell points before hit points, but you can't meaningfully negate this, and it is basically just reducing your max HP for the day each time you cast. Even in low lethality games, a prolific caster without high con will get knocked out.
Coy Caster (F): Even sneaks have difficulty never being observed when casting. But you can make it work.
Prepared Caster (B-G): While generally not too much of an impediment. Especially with many spheres have cantrip effects baked in. But it can be inconvenient at times.
Center Of Power (B): This is really not a terrible, or even particularly impactful drawback, but it's exclusive against Focus Casting and Galvanized which are even more trivial, and requires less conscious remembering of the fact that you have this drawback in the 1/20 sessions that you get crit.
Unstable Storage (F): This is actually incredibly impactful, in that it effectively reserves half of your spell point pool, unless you want to start taking penalties. Even if this gave 5 drawbacks, this wouldn't give you half your spell point pool. But the penalties are rather mild, and it's flavorful
Emotional Casting (B): It takes active effort to remember you have this. And then you can't do anything if you are afflicted with a non-harmless emotion effect...which are not uncommon.
Diagram Magic (B): You can't cast without first creating a casting diagram on the ground. This is actually remarkably easy if your caster ability is intelligence, but does soak your first turn, if you don't have any prep. Two drawbacks for this is nice, while granting flavor. The drawback for failure is lower CL, but there are several spheres and talents that mostly don't care about CL.
Skilled Casting (B): Unlike Diagram Magic, you aren't associating with a generally useful skill, and you don't get to take 10, and you must do it for all your spell casts, not simply one single rune, and this doesn't count as 2 drawbacks, without DM discretion. But you don't spend a round on it.
Extended Casting (B): Forcing most spells to be full-round, and having no immediate action spells is rather substantial. But I think the double drawback points is worth it. Taken twice is never worth it unless you cast day-long buffs, and are otherwise just a martial character. But in that case, it's very profitable at 4 drawbacks.
Terrain Casting (B): Basically extended casting, but you have the option either using a spell point or passing off the move action requirement to next round (if you want to cast next round)...if you care nothing for the RP implications...and it grants 1 fewer drawback.
Witchmarked (<B>): Not a horrific drawback. Just exclusive with Magical Signs which actually has almost none of these drawbacks. A particularly Stealth skill-reliant character might want all these penalties over Magical signs telling people you're there.
Charged Spells (N-B):I really don't like this. But I've never been partial to prepared casters, period. Even for 2 drawback points.
Addictive Casting (N-B): The penalty is just far too great for just 2 drawbacks worth. With possible exception for if you have a lot of narrative downtime to burn off the addiction. There is an Enhancement feat which can essentially negate this as a drawback, making it 2 drawbacks for a feat, which is worthwhile at high levels.
Fey-Infused Magic (N): Most armor grants saving throw bonuses, which is horrible for offense. And almost all weapons dispel your effects, which is terrible for defense / buff. My god.
Vulnerable Spellcaster (N-): Dude. The number of attack penalty-granting debuffs out there are immense. Among them are sickened and shaken. And you get a flat out "cannot cast" under certain conditions. For just 1 drawback. Just...don't.
Expensive Locus (N-): While semi-substantial, it won't really break the bank. The problem is just that it's like Focus Casting, but expensive with no additional upside, and Material Casting would take 2000 casts at level 2 in order to equal this cost. Or 20 months using the monthly cost. This drawback is strictly worse.
Area Bound (I): Either you are in a very sedentary campaign, in which case this isn't even a drawback (and will probably not be allowed), or this is literally the worst restriction.
Unsettling Casting (I): Never used sanity rules. Never intend to. I can't imagine it's a good idea to give yourself sanity damage.
Spell Points {1-5} (S+): Spell points are awesome. Doubling your natural spell points per level with 5 drawbacks is well worth it, and ought to be a goal in your drawback plans. But even just 1 drawback does get you an extra spell point, which is half a feat.
Wild Surge (S+): Hell yeah! +2 to CL just for invoking a small bit of chaos? Any day of the week, man. Not for the weak mean, though.
Fortified Casting (C): Con for casting is absurdly good. Even if you were silly and didn't pick up the free drawbacks that use fort saves.
Easy Focus (<S>): If you want to focus on concentrating on spells, then here's something to make your life easier. Especially if you have a mount.
Overwhelming Power (<S>): If you like to debuff folks, this helps, and even the -1 penalty to saves is equivalent to +2 Caster level (for DCs), and it stacks.
Draw Magic (<G-S>): If you have long-duration buffs, or are able to very quickly proliferate debuffs, then this is really cool, and relatively easy to maintain (though you may need to target familiars / companions to gain full bonus).
Overcharge (G-S): Very reliable use of the +2 competence bonus. Only penalty is levels of fatigue. Unclear if collapsing to the ground rids the fatigue. Probably not. But you can cure it magically with Life sphere.
Alien Source (<G-S>): If you know you will need to penetrate spell resistance by the time you pick up a casting tradition, then congratulations, this is equivalent of 2 feats, which is pretty rocking.
Virtuoso (F): Trick people into thinking you aren't even casting. Impressive. Very unique. I love it. Even played with it a couple times.
Sanguine Empowerment (G): Very easy to accomplish with Anemic, and very easy to overcome the drawback with Life sphere. Little pay off though.
Empowered Abilities (B-G): This should only be taken if you're running a high cost casting style, but if you do, then you're likely to get some use out of the +1 CL. And your cantrips get stronger once you run out. I guess.
Deathful Magic (B): It's going to be hard to maintain this in anything but the least lethal of campaigns. So the CL bump is very situational.
Metamagic Expert (I): I've not seen any particularly noteworthy, non-blasting metamagic feats. But maybe they're out there.
Bound Creature (F): You get a neat little pet to follow you around without investing 2 talents into the companion duration thing. And your focus no longer takes an item slot. But it can be killed for a full 30 days, inflicting you with those penalties. Not worth.
Atmoturgy (N-B): Nah. Such extreme weather generally doesn't exist outside of specific campaigns. And the +2 bonus basically requires weather magic in order to come into effect.
Wild Will (N): The one source of stacking caster level, and I can not in good conscience recommend it to anyone.
Embodiment (N): ... No comment.
Drawback Feat (N): God no. Spend 2 drawbacks in order to lessen 1 drawback. Why in the freaking world would you ever...please don't tell me you've thought about the terrain casting feats. Please.
Never Gonna Give You Up.
Never Gonna Let You Down.
Backdoor Arcana (<S>): I've seen a situation where this is useful precisely once in my decades of playing. But casting in a dead magic zone when no one else can is god tier...if you are in a campaign where it's useful.
Witchwarped (<S>): At first, I thought they had to be traits from non-transformation talents, or other some restriction. But no. There is actually no restriction, other than GM sign off. That means you've got a permanent, free, trait (given GM sign off). Sure it reduces versatility in trait choices...but only while applying blank form. Here. Take permanent spell resistance or 100 ft fly speed, or earth glide...or improved initiative if you are feeling particularly boring / have a more limited GM sign off...which is still considered pretty good.
Corrupted Form (<S>): If you've had good GM sign off before, then you can double down on it. If your DM restricted it before, you probably don't have a bunch of really great traits that you'd love to have permanently.
Magic Runes (G-S): A smarter, more flexible Explosive Runes. So it's got all the abuse potential it does, but even more so, as you can have it trigger from anything your character has the intellect of understanding (except for the alpha strike). But it's still got its non-abusive uses, and basically replaces any and all trap-style talents, while having no limit on number prepared at a time.
Magical Focus (G-S): This actually a rather substantial savings on your spell points, if you are a low caster using things like Enhancement sphere to absolutely stack your weapon. It's...not a necessary move, up until you get several levels under your belt, but once you do start doing that, this will save you points.
Terrain Defiler (<G-S>): If you didn't care about the RP implications, then everything here is flavor text except the metamagic cost reduction. Suddenly, with no spell point cost, a lot of metamagic feats become very useful. Extend Spell in particular is great for your buffs. Unfortunately, the flavor text does make it quite exclusive.
Addictive Power (G): By level 4, you gain 2 spell points from 2 drawbacks (Addictive Casting), the equivalent of having spent the feat on Extra Spell Points. That's not a particularly high level. And this feat can effectively negate the penalty, so long as you don't run into anti-magic fields.
Bottled Spells (G): Very neat. Effectively all the benefits of the similar talents in a single feat. I still don't see much point in those talents, but this is fantastic value, comparatively, so long as you use multiple spheres. (Notable uses: Minion actions to use your spells. Party actions to use your spells [not so great, but has niche usage].)
Mystic Choreography (I): Basically using a feat to counteract some drawbacks which you never needed to take. But I guess if you already have the prereqs for some other reason, this can be effectively negating 3-4 drawbacks for 1 feat, which is pretty good. Those prereqs though...I don't have experience with them.
Power of Friendship (G): Strictly speaking, this is a better Combat Casting, so long as you can keep up the feel good vibes. +5 (average) on all concentration checks is better than +4 to most (non-drawback) concentration checks. But like...don't force the use of concentration checks, 4head.
Terrain Focus (<B-G>): One of the few stacking caster level feats. If you are bound to very particular terrain, and so this can be reliable, and are heavily invested in Nature sphere, this is nice. Nature sphere does care relatively little about caster level though, unfortunately.
Power Of Fear (I): I'm not sure why this is a drawback feat and not a boon. But it's basically an intimidate / fear build boon, which is somewhat... eh. You're generally not wanting to fear your friends, so maintaining the +2 isn't really viable. And it doesn't stack with boons. I would probably choose a different, more universal CL boosting boon than this.
Curse Mastery (I): Curses tend to have relatively minor benefits. But it's certainly a thing.
Resistant Veins (B-G): A reflavored Dodge. Neat.
Battlecry (B-G): Intimidate build? Well, this is a neat add on to your casting. Not a large bonus. Not a flexible bonus. And intimidate builds probably have more than enough from more efficient sources, up until high levels, which are more reliable. But it's a bonus.
Careful Magic (B): Getting an effect dispelled isn't all that bad, generally. Even when you do come up against mages. Better they do that than blast you in the face with acid. But this offers rather good protection from that if you're finding it particularly annoying.
Push/Pull Mastery (N-B): Definitely one of the more flavorful of the drawback feats. And definitely quite neat in its effect. But 1 talent in Alteration sphere grants 100 fly speed, and doesn't require associating, at all, with the telekinesis sphere..
Instinctual Skittishness (N-B): Basically, just trying to lessen the penalty for your tradition. But also gains a lesser Skill Focus for the skill most with this tradition would have.
Addictive Power (N-B): This feat really could use some love to make it clearer what the heck it means to do. But: -2 penalty to con isn't worth using on its own. Is it worth it as a rider effect? Definitely. As a rider effect with +1 spell point cost? Probably not. At least not until you're swimming in so many spell points that they mean nothing to you. Unfortunately, past that point is rather pointless with DC going to 10.
Thematic Augmentation (N-B): The one effect that really affects anything is the +1 competence bonus to illusion effects, so long as it's within your theme. So it doesn't stack with boons. You could already reflavor your magic as you pleased.
Poisoned Apple (N-B): What purpose does this serve exactly? I mean... I guess if your party is consistently getting your spells stolen... But I'm not reading that you can simply decide "whenever" for it to switch. You've got to prepare it like this. This is so incredibly minor and costly that this should have been a part of the original feat, if at all.
Insidious Magic (N-B): This...is perhaps one of the most narrow and niche effects I- Oh, not divine casters, Divine sphere. Still, who really cares if they have a 50% chance of not detecting your magic? It's not even a particularly effective defense against Detect Magic. Illusion sphere's aura manipulation can negate it entirely.
Burst of Concentration (N): You force yourself to take near impossible concentration checks, in exchange for 1 successful check. Not a good trade. Even without using a feat.
Powerful Focus (N): Just...take sphere focus instead.
Sanctum Magic (N): This drawback would never be allowed / useful anyway, so...
Unified Focus (N): Spending a standard action on martial focus sucks. Incidentally having both foci down ... probably means you have martial talents and don't really require casting. So you could have just kept doing your thing. But it's interesting... for yet another drawback lessening talent.
Environment Charge / Soul Harvester (N): Interesting, conceptually. But this is ultimately just trying to to negate penalties from something you chose to take, and using a feat to do so.
Fast Focus / Hidden Heretic / Suffer By Proxy / Wild Casting (N-): Not even interesting. Just trying to lessen the penalty with a feat. Just take Extra Spell Points and avoid the drawback instead.
Note: I am ignoring RP implications, as you would be doing so if you chose these feats in the first place.
Agonizing Defiling (S): If you're consistently in excessively close range to your foes, but simultaneously not your allies, then this is quite exceptional as a free rider effect. Upgrading to nauseated for a round at 4 defiler feats is just a plus. They may be immune if they walk onto your already defiled land, since you can't do it again on the same place, but the duration is good enough to nab whomever you wanted.
Defiler’s Channel (G-S): This is...actually incredibly impactful, if you like to use channel energy.
Terrain Defiler (G-S): See Terrain Defiler drawback feat. But gaining even more metamagic cost reduction at 4 feats. That's interesting.
Purging Despoilation (<G-S>): If your enemies consistently apply magical buffs, then cool. Here you go. That's incredibly rare in my experience, but if it is for you, just don't take this.
Distant Defiling (G): If you've got a Defiler feat you'd want to inflict on an enemy, here you go. And on top of that, it basically negates any penalty the drawback provides. (Which is pointless on its own, but when you want to have rider effects, and metamagic cost reduction, then doing so is cool.)
Inhuman Defiler (I): I'm pretty sure this is a good feat, if you want to spend all your feats on this stuff and Necrosis. Especially if you advance it to being Extra Spell Points.
Specialist Defiler (<G>): Stacking caster level, unlike Terrain Defiler. So if you can consistently be within a certain terrain, then have fun.
Intense Defiling (B): The...DC of the blighting effect? Regardless, the effect is really tame, and only really affects your sickened. I would prefer to do something like Sphere Focus (Death) or (Destruction) if that was my aim.
Ruinous Defiling (N-B): Even as a rider effect, the base benefit is really pointless. I would never spend a feat to deal 1 damage / level. At 2 damage / level, you could at least see the appeal of having it as a rider effect. Will negates though.
Broken Earth (N-B): Literally could not care.
Charged Despoilation (N): I mean, considering that you are investing in Defiler feats, why would you spend a feat to try and not defile? Even disregarding that this is just an attempt to lessen a drawback you never needed to take with a feat. Especially when you've got complete negation with Distant Defiling.
Ranking system:
(S) Superb: You always want this. It's awesome.
(G) Good: You would certainly not complain about having this, especially in the right builds / situations.
(B) Bad: While perhaps better than nothing, you are giving up something for it, so probably shouldn't without a good reason.
(N) No.
<Angle brackets> around a rating indicates situational usefulness, and how good it is in that favorable situation.
- Special Ratings:
(C) Cheese: A talent so broken that it will be instantly banned if you use it as you could.
(I) Impossible: Can't be rated because it is just not defined enough to give a meaningful rating - it depends too much on DM ruling, or personal use. I'll just place it where I guess the average result would put it.
(F) Flavor: This indicates that the main draw to the talent is going to be its inherent fluff or flavor, rather than raw power or utility.
Basics
General Drawbacks: These grant points to either have bonus spell points (roughly 1/5 per level per drawback), or boons, but have sweeping impacts on your casting. With few exceptions, these are chosen at the start of your character's casting career.
Sphere Specific Drawbacks: These grant bonus talents in the sphere, but restrict how you can use said sphere.
Boons: These are mystical bonuses that empower your character in some way.
Ratings: Based on how impactful they are vs their benefit. Unimpactful drawbacks rank highly. Very impactful ones rank low.
Madness Mantra (<S>): As written, this lasts for precisely until the beginning of your next turn...after failing the check at the end of your round. So you're antagonized while it's not your turn. Sure, you don't provide flanking, and might take AoOs, but that's about it. If a DM rules that, that simply doesn't make sense, and extends it by one round, then this is a rather substantial little deal. But probably still G as you can do non hostile actions with no impediment.
Consciousness Linked (<S>): If you focus on instantaneous effects, then this is literally not even a drawback. If you have sphere effects sustaining your life force, this will kill you. For most, it's pretty meh. It's incredibly low impact in low lethality games.
Narcoleptic Casting (<S>): If you have any bit of Con and/or a good fort save class, then...well, I've never had this actually come up as a result of my casting, despite my semi-prolific use of it. And it's worth 2 drawbacks.
Painful Magic (<S>): Just like Narcoleptic Casting.
Focus Casting (G-S): Just like divine foci, this really is not generally something to think about. If you want to be safe, make it something like a worthless family signet ring, which is simultaneously easy to hold onto, and not worth stealing.
Material Casting (G-S): The cost on this is pretty trivial. And if you go through fewer than 100 casts per game month, then the per cast option is superior. But if you just don't like to think about it, then the monthly option is mentally easing, and I love that.
-Think about it this way: If you could pay just 1 gold to let your level 1 wizard cast 10 times in a day, would you? Hell yeah!
Wild Magic / Variant Wild Magic (F): 10% chance of wild magic. Generally none too impactful, even when it goes off. But it's funny when it does.
Mental Focus (G): Generally doesn't come up, and even when it does, it only saps a full round action to restore.
Anemic (G): A very solid, not too punishing little drawback. Don't tell real hemophiliacs, but yeah. Very easily overcome with a single life sphere talent, and not always something you have to worry about.
Incompatible Energies (<G>): If you generally don't run into mages, this is generally not an issue. And most instances where you need MSD aren't all too significant, unless you like your buffs.
Magical Signs (G): This makes little functional difference to most. But it occasionally does come up when you want to be tactful with your casting. The smell of sulfur does tend to give away your stealth, just a little bit.
Innate Curse (I): Pick a good oracle curse, and you generally won't notice. Pick a bad one, and you're just being silly.
Somatic Casting (B-G): It does reduce the maximum possible armor you can wear, but most casters don't get proficiency in heavier than light anyway, so 1 drawback of this isn't really a drawback. 2 might be substantial.
Rigorous Concentration (B-G): Basically guarantees you fail your concentration checks. So don't get your checks forced, and this isn't even an issue. But that requires not getting hit while casting, which can't be guaranteed.
Galvanized (B-G): If you use weapons, this is pretty free. But putting a "I cannot cast" on a disarm check is pretty...ballzy?
Spell Stand-In (B-G): I don't think this is actually all that much of a downside. But when you've been caught out / had your familiars destroyed, then this can suck.
Verbal Casting (B-G): This also generally makes little functional difference, but it explicitly breaks stealth, and can be silenced, preventing you from casting.
Draining Casting (B-G): Realistically, you'll run out of spell points before hit points, but you can't meaningfully negate this, and it is basically just reducing your max HP for the day each time you cast. Even in low lethality games, a prolific caster without high con will get knocked out.
Coy Caster (F): Even sneaks have difficulty never being observed when casting. But you can make it work.
Prepared Caster (B-G): While generally not too much of an impediment. Especially with many spheres have cantrip effects baked in. But it can be inconvenient at times.
Center Of Power (B): This is really not a terrible, or even particularly impactful drawback, but it's exclusive against Focus Casting and Galvanized which are even more trivial, and requires less conscious remembering of the fact that you have this drawback in the 1/20 sessions that you get crit.
Unstable Storage (F): This is actually incredibly impactful, in that it effectively reserves half of your spell point pool, unless you want to start taking penalties. Even if this gave 5 drawbacks, this wouldn't give you half your spell point pool. But the penalties are rather mild, and it's flavorful
Emotional Casting (B): It takes active effort to remember you have this. And then you can't do anything if you are afflicted with a non-harmless emotion effect...which are not uncommon.
Diagram Magic (B): You can't cast without first creating a casting diagram on the ground. This is actually remarkably easy if your caster ability is intelligence, but does soak your first turn, if you don't have any prep. Two drawbacks for this is nice, while granting flavor. The drawback for failure is lower CL, but there are several spheres and talents that mostly don't care about CL.
Skilled Casting (B): Unlike Diagram Magic, you aren't associating with a generally useful skill, and you don't get to take 10, and you must do it for all your spell casts, not simply one single rune, and this doesn't count as 2 drawbacks, without DM discretion. But you don't spend a round on it.
Extended Casting (B): Forcing most spells to be full-round, and having no immediate action spells is rather substantial. But I think the double drawback points is worth it. Taken twice is never worth it unless you cast day-long buffs, and are otherwise just a martial character. But in that case, it's very profitable at 4 drawbacks.
Terrain Casting (B): Basically extended casting, but you have the option either using a spell point or passing off the move action requirement to next round (if you want to cast next round)...if you care nothing for the RP implications...and it grants 1 fewer drawback.
Witchmarked (<B>): Not a horrific drawback. Just exclusive with Magical Signs which actually has almost none of these drawbacks. A particularly Stealth skill-reliant character might want all these penalties over Magical signs telling people you're there.
Charged Spells (N-B):I really don't like this. But I've never been partial to prepared casters, period. Even for 2 drawback points.
Addictive Casting (N-B): The penalty is just far too great for just 2 drawbacks worth. With possible exception for if you have a lot of narrative downtime to burn off the addiction. There is an Enhancement feat which can essentially negate this as a drawback, making it 2 drawbacks for a feat, which is worthwhile at high levels.
Fey-Infused Magic (N): Most armor grants saving throw bonuses, which is horrible for offense. And almost all weapons dispel your effects, which is terrible for defense / buff. My god.
Vulnerable Spellcaster (N-): Dude. The number of attack penalty-granting debuffs out there are immense. Among them are sickened and shaken. And you get a flat out "cannot cast" under certain conditions. For just 1 drawback. Just...don't.
Expensive Locus (N-): While semi-substantial, it won't really break the bank. The problem is just that it's like Focus Casting, but expensive with no additional upside, and Material Casting would take 2000 casts at level 2 in order to equal this cost. Or 20 months using the monthly cost. This drawback is strictly worse.
Area Bound (I): Either you are in a very sedentary campaign, in which case this isn't even a drawback (and will probably not be allowed), or this is literally the worst restriction.
Unsettling Casting (I): Never used sanity rules. Never intend to. I can't imagine it's a good idea to give yourself sanity damage.
Spell Points {1-5} (S+): Spell points are awesome. Doubling your natural spell points per level with 5 drawbacks is well worth it, and ought to be a goal in your drawback plans. But even just 1 drawback does get you an extra spell point, which is half a feat.
Wild Surge (S+): Hell yeah! +2 to CL just for invoking a small bit of chaos? Any day of the week, man. Not for the weak mean, though.
Fortified Casting (C): Con for casting is absurdly good. Even if you were silly and didn't pick up the free drawbacks that use fort saves.
Easy Focus (<S>): If you want to focus on concentrating on spells, then here's something to make your life easier. Especially if you have a mount.
Overwhelming Power (<S>): If you like to debuff folks, this helps, and even the -1 penalty to saves is equivalent to +2 Caster level (for DCs), and it stacks.
Draw Magic (<G-S>): If you have long-duration buffs, or are able to very quickly proliferate debuffs, then this is really cool, and relatively easy to maintain (though you may need to target familiars / companions to gain full bonus).
Overcharge (G-S): Very reliable use of the +2 competence bonus. Only penalty is levels of fatigue. Unclear if collapsing to the ground rids the fatigue. Probably not. But you can cure it magically with Life sphere.
Alien Source (<G-S>): If you know you will need to penetrate spell resistance by the time you pick up a casting tradition, then congratulations, this is equivalent of 2 feats, which is pretty rocking.
Virtuoso (F): Trick people into thinking you aren't even casting. Impressive. Very unique. I love it. Even played with it a couple times.
Sanguine Empowerment (G): Very easy to accomplish with Anemic, and very easy to overcome the drawback with Life sphere. Little pay off though.
Empowered Abilities (B-G): This should only be taken if you're running a high cost casting style, but if you do, then you're likely to get some use out of the +1 CL. And your cantrips get stronger once you run out. I guess.
Deathful Magic (B): It's going to be hard to maintain this in anything but the least lethal of campaigns. So the CL bump is very situational.
Metamagic Expert (I): I've not seen any particularly noteworthy, non-blasting metamagic feats. But maybe they're out there.
Bound Creature (F): You get a neat little pet to follow you around without investing 2 talents into the companion duration thing. And your focus no longer takes an item slot. But it can be killed for a full 30 days, inflicting you with those penalties. Not worth.
Atmoturgy (N-B): Nah. Such extreme weather generally doesn't exist outside of specific campaigns. And the +2 bonus basically requires weather magic in order to come into effect.
Wild Will (N): The one source of stacking caster level, and I can not in good conscience recommend it to anyone.
Embodiment (N): ... No comment.
Drawback Feat (N): God no. Spend 2 drawbacks in order to lessen 1 drawback. Why in the freaking world would you ever...please don't tell me you've thought about the terrain casting feats. Please.
Never Gonna Give You Up.
Never Gonna Let You Down.
Backdoor Arcana (<S>): I've seen a situation where this is useful precisely once in my decades of playing. But casting in a dead magic zone when no one else can is god tier...if you are in a campaign where it's useful.
Witchwarped (<S>): At first, I thought they had to be traits from non-transformation talents, or other some restriction. But no. There is actually no restriction, other than GM sign off. That means you've got a permanent, free, trait (given GM sign off). Sure it reduces versatility in trait choices...but only while applying blank form. Here. Take permanent spell resistance or 100 ft fly speed, or earth glide...or improved initiative if you are feeling particularly boring / have a more limited GM sign off...which is still considered pretty good.
Corrupted Form (<S>): If you've had good GM sign off before, then you can double down on it. If your DM restricted it before, you probably don't have a bunch of really great traits that you'd love to have permanently.
Magic Runes (G-S): A smarter, more flexible Explosive Runes. So it's got all the abuse potential it does, but even more so, as you can have it trigger from anything your character has the intellect of understanding (except for the alpha strike). But it's still got its non-abusive uses, and basically replaces any and all trap-style talents, while having no limit on number prepared at a time.
Magical Focus (G-S): This actually a rather substantial savings on your spell points, if you are a low caster using things like Enhancement sphere to absolutely stack your weapon. It's...not a necessary move, up until you get several levels under your belt, but once you do start doing that, this will save you points.
Terrain Defiler (<G-S>): If you didn't care about the RP implications, then everything here is flavor text except the metamagic cost reduction. Suddenly, with no spell point cost, a lot of metamagic feats become very useful. Extend Spell in particular is great for your buffs. Unfortunately, the flavor text does make it quite exclusive.
Addictive Power (G): By level 4, you gain 2 spell points from 2 drawbacks (Addictive Casting), the equivalent of having spent the feat on Extra Spell Points. That's not a particularly high level. And this feat can effectively negate the penalty, so long as you don't run into anti-magic fields.
Bottled Spells (G): Very neat. Effectively all the benefits of the similar talents in a single feat. I still don't see much point in those talents, but this is fantastic value, comparatively, so long as you use multiple spheres. (Notable uses: Minion actions to use your spells. Party actions to use your spells [not so great, but has niche usage].)
Mystic Choreography (I): Basically using a feat to counteract some drawbacks which you never needed to take. But I guess if you already have the prereqs for some other reason, this can be effectively negating 3-4 drawbacks for 1 feat, which is pretty good. Those prereqs though...I don't have experience with them.
Power of Friendship (G): Strictly speaking, this is a better Combat Casting, so long as you can keep up the feel good vibes. +5 (average) on all concentration checks is better than +4 to most (non-drawback) concentration checks. But like...don't force the use of concentration checks, 4head.
Terrain Focus (<B-G>): One of the few stacking caster level feats. If you are bound to very particular terrain, and so this can be reliable, and are heavily invested in Nature sphere, this is nice. Nature sphere does care relatively little about caster level though, unfortunately.
Power Of Fear (I): I'm not sure why this is a drawback feat and not a boon. But it's basically an intimidate / fear build boon, which is somewhat... eh. You're generally not wanting to fear your friends, so maintaining the +2 isn't really viable. And it doesn't stack with boons. I would probably choose a different, more universal CL boosting boon than this.
Curse Mastery (I): Curses tend to have relatively minor benefits. But it's certainly a thing.
Resistant Veins (B-G): A reflavored Dodge. Neat.
Battlecry (B-G): Intimidate build? Well, this is a neat add on to your casting. Not a large bonus. Not a flexible bonus. And intimidate builds probably have more than enough from more efficient sources, up until high levels, which are more reliable. But it's a bonus.
Careful Magic (B): Getting an effect dispelled isn't all that bad, generally. Even when you do come up against mages. Better they do that than blast you in the face with acid. But this offers rather good protection from that if you're finding it particularly annoying.
Push/Pull Mastery (N-B): Definitely one of the more flavorful of the drawback feats. And definitely quite neat in its effect. But 1 talent in Alteration sphere grants 100 fly speed, and doesn't require associating, at all, with the telekinesis sphere..
Instinctual Skittishness (N-B): Basically, just trying to lessen the penalty for your tradition. But also gains a lesser Skill Focus for the skill most with this tradition would have.
Addictive Power (N-B): This feat really could use some love to make it clearer what the heck it means to do. But: -2 penalty to con isn't worth using on its own. Is it worth it as a rider effect? Definitely. As a rider effect with +1 spell point cost? Probably not. At least not until you're swimming in so many spell points that they mean nothing to you. Unfortunately, past that point is rather pointless with DC going to 10.
Thematic Augmentation (N-B): The one effect that really affects anything is the +1 competence bonus to illusion effects, so long as it's within your theme. So it doesn't stack with boons. You could already reflavor your magic as you pleased.
Poisoned Apple (N-B): What purpose does this serve exactly? I mean... I guess if your party is consistently getting your spells stolen... But I'm not reading that you can simply decide "whenever" for it to switch. You've got to prepare it like this. This is so incredibly minor and costly that this should have been a part of the original feat, if at all.
Insidious Magic (N-B): This...is perhaps one of the most narrow and niche effects I- Oh, not divine casters, Divine sphere. Still, who really cares if they have a 50% chance of not detecting your magic? It's not even a particularly effective defense against Detect Magic. Illusion sphere's aura manipulation can negate it entirely.
Burst of Concentration (N): You force yourself to take near impossible concentration checks, in exchange for 1 successful check. Not a good trade. Even without using a feat.
Powerful Focus (N): Just...take sphere focus instead.
Sanctum Magic (N): This drawback would never be allowed / useful anyway, so...
Unified Focus (N): Spending a standard action on martial focus sucks. Incidentally having both foci down ... probably means you have martial talents and don't really require casting. So you could have just kept doing your thing. But it's interesting... for yet another drawback lessening talent.
Environment Charge / Soul Harvester (N): Interesting, conceptually. But this is ultimately just trying to to negate penalties from something you chose to take, and using a feat to do so.
Fast Focus / Hidden Heretic / Suffer By Proxy / Wild Casting (N-): Not even interesting. Just trying to lessen the penalty with a feat. Just take Extra Spell Points and avoid the drawback instead.
Note: I am ignoring RP implications, as you would be doing so if you chose these feats in the first place.
Agonizing Defiling (S): If you're consistently in excessively close range to your foes, but simultaneously not your allies, then this is quite exceptional as a free rider effect. Upgrading to nauseated for a round at 4 defiler feats is just a plus. They may be immune if they walk onto your already defiled land, since you can't do it again on the same place, but the duration is good enough to nab whomever you wanted.
Defiler’s Channel (G-S): This is...actually incredibly impactful, if you like to use channel energy.
Terrain Defiler (G-S): See Terrain Defiler drawback feat. But gaining even more metamagic cost reduction at 4 feats. That's interesting.
Purging Despoilation (<G-S>): If your enemies consistently apply magical buffs, then cool. Here you go. That's incredibly rare in my experience, but if it is for you, just don't take this.
Distant Defiling (G): If you've got a Defiler feat you'd want to inflict on an enemy, here you go. And on top of that, it basically negates any penalty the drawback provides. (Which is pointless on its own, but when you want to have rider effects, and metamagic cost reduction, then doing so is cool.)
Inhuman Defiler (I): I'm pretty sure this is a good feat, if you want to spend all your feats on this stuff and Necrosis. Especially if you advance it to being Extra Spell Points.
Specialist Defiler (<G>): Stacking caster level, unlike Terrain Defiler. So if you can consistently be within a certain terrain, then have fun.
Intense Defiling (B): The...DC of the blighting effect? Regardless, the effect is really tame, and only really affects your sickened. I would prefer to do something like Sphere Focus (Death) or (Destruction) if that was my aim.
Ruinous Defiling (N-B): Even as a rider effect, the base benefit is really pointless. I would never spend a feat to deal 1 damage / level. At 2 damage / level, you could at least see the appeal of having it as a rider effect. Will negates though.
Broken Earth (N-B): Literally could not care.
Charged Despoilation (N): I mean, considering that you are investing in Defiler feats, why would you spend a feat to try and not defile? Even disregarding that this is just an attempt to lessen a drawback you never needed to take with a feat. Especially when you've got complete negation with Distant Defiling.