Neek
2008-02-06, 04:28 AM
[Be aware, this is still in the works. I am only presenting you the idea to see if it is viable or interesting]
The concept of a Wizard is an interesting one: He studies magical texts, and learns to apply those to the world he lives in. However, the structure of D&D only gives access to predefined effects; the inner-workings of spells are hardly brought up. He doesn't study Mordenkainen's Law or how he applies those to his spells, rather, he studies only them in application.
In contrast, I present the concept of the Theorist (I say concept because I don't have much on it yet). The Theorist does not cast magic, rather, he practices the understood theories of Arcana, and with that, applies magical effects. A Theorist is different from a mage in that:
* Gains his effects through a study of arcane concepts, rather than through bloodlines or application of obscurely based arcane tricks.
* Does not rely on Vancian spellcasting or schools of magic.
* Is able to craft magic items from this in a much more direct way (especially in terms of wondrous items).
Rather, the Theorist applies effects from effect pools, a set of effects that have a). a minimum Practitioner Level (akin to caster level, initiate level, &c) to apply, b). a class-specific skill check that is required to be rolled in order to apply an effect, and c). used per encounter, per day, or per week, dependent on the effect.
Hopefully, the end product will not be a nightmare.
It should be noted that this class is not to replace the Wizard or Sorcerer, but provides an original, alternate source for arcane spellcasters. The fluff I will provide will describe this class as being the product of Wizardry and Sorcery. I have no intention of devising a system in which divine effects are applied; Divine spells do not function under the same set of assumptions that arcane spells do, even if the crunch is identical.
I have sketched out the framework of the class here (http://wiki.penguindeskjob.com/Theorist_%28base_class%29#Class_Details) (I will translate it to BBCode later). Coming up soon are the frameworks of basic Theories.
To do:
* Create Theories.
* Fill in the class levels.
* Create a [COMPLETE COMMONER] class that grants the masses a much more limited application of the concept set forth.
Changelog
* February 6, 2008 - First post.
The concept of a Wizard is an interesting one: He studies magical texts, and learns to apply those to the world he lives in. However, the structure of D&D only gives access to predefined effects; the inner-workings of spells are hardly brought up. He doesn't study Mordenkainen's Law or how he applies those to his spells, rather, he studies only them in application.
In contrast, I present the concept of the Theorist (I say concept because I don't have much on it yet). The Theorist does not cast magic, rather, he practices the understood theories of Arcana, and with that, applies magical effects. A Theorist is different from a mage in that:
* Gains his effects through a study of arcane concepts, rather than through bloodlines or application of obscurely based arcane tricks.
* Does not rely on Vancian spellcasting or schools of magic.
* Is able to craft magic items from this in a much more direct way (especially in terms of wondrous items).
Rather, the Theorist applies effects from effect pools, a set of effects that have a). a minimum Practitioner Level (akin to caster level, initiate level, &c) to apply, b). a class-specific skill check that is required to be rolled in order to apply an effect, and c). used per encounter, per day, or per week, dependent on the effect.
Hopefully, the end product will not be a nightmare.
It should be noted that this class is not to replace the Wizard or Sorcerer, but provides an original, alternate source for arcane spellcasters. The fluff I will provide will describe this class as being the product of Wizardry and Sorcery. I have no intention of devising a system in which divine effects are applied; Divine spells do not function under the same set of assumptions that arcane spells do, even if the crunch is identical.
I have sketched out the framework of the class here (http://wiki.penguindeskjob.com/Theorist_%28base_class%29#Class_Details) (I will translate it to BBCode later). Coming up soon are the frameworks of basic Theories.
To do:
* Create Theories.
* Fill in the class levels.
* Create a [COMPLETE COMMONER] class that grants the masses a much more limited application of the concept set forth.
Changelog
* February 6, 2008 - First post.