Baron Corm
2008-09-30, 10:54 PM
A variant on spellcasters which seeks to erase save-or-loses, or no-save-and-loses, with the theory that if you are a powerful enough mage, you should be able to damage a creature to death with a snap of your fingertips. Also given that utility spells in general are harder to do correctly, so you get less of them.
These classes replace all classes with spell progression, but may be reflavored any way you like (as always). So in effect, cleric and druid can still be played. Keep the ranger, paladin, and bard if you desire, though there are numerous rewrites of these classes which bring them to the power levels of the below classes.
I recommend using these mage classes with the bard and hunter classes in my signature, the ToB classes, and many of the skillmonkey classes (rogue, spellthief, factotum, and scout come to mind). These classes were actually made to balance against this sort of power level (and fill in the gap), so keep that in mind while critiquing.
Houserule: Any spell which has an effect other than damage (ability damage is an effect other than damage) may only be used on a creature with an amount of HD equal to (caster level - spell level). Note: this makes caster level more important, so be stringent with increases to it.
Houserule: No spell is allowed which grants a bonus to skill checks or replicates the effect of a successful skill check. For the liberation of skillmonkeys.
Optional Houserule: Any spell which did not offer a save now offers a save, as appropriate to the spell. If the spell required an attack roll, it no longer does. If the spell deals nothing but damage, the save is for half damage. If the spell has other effects, the save negates all effects, and causes any damage to be halved. Examples: Forcecage (Reflex), Orb of Acid (Fortitude half).
Wizard/Witch
{table="head"]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special
1st|+0|+0|+0|+2|Spells, familiar aptitude
2nd|+1|+0|+0|+3|
3rd|+1|+1|+1|+3|
4th|+2|+1|+1|+4|
5th|+2|+1|+1|+4|Personal spell
6th|+3|+2|+2|+5|
7th|+3|+2|+2|+5|
8th|+4|+2|+2|+6|
9th|+4|+3|+3|+6|
10th|+5|+3|+3|+7|Personal spell
11th|+5|+3|+3|+7|
12th|+6/+1|+4|+4|+8|
13th|+6/+1|+4|+4|+8|
14th|+7/+2|+4|+4|+9|
15th|+7/+2|+5|+5|+9|Personal spell
16th|+8/+3|+5|+5|+10|
17th|+8/+3|+5|+5|+10|
18th|+9/+4|+6|+6|+11|
19th|+9/+4|+6|+6|+11|
20th|+10/+5|+6|+6|+12|Personal spell
[/table]
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d4
Class Skills: As wizard
Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) × 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies
Wizards are proficient with no weapons or armors.
Spells
Wizards receive (arcane) spells per day as a PHB wizard, but know all spells of a level they have spells per day in. They do not have a spellbook. They use Wisdom to determine bonus spells per day and Intelligence to determine spell DCs. They cast spontaneously, from the warmage spell list (excluding save-or-dies).
Familiar Aptitude
A wizard is capable of obtaining a familiar via the Improved Familiar feat or similar.
Personal Spell
Every 5 levels, a wizard may add a spell to his spell list. The spell may come from any existing spell list, but must have DM approval. It may not be a spell of a higher level than the wizard can currently cast from.
Spellsword/Duskblade/Eldritch Knight/Whatever
{table="head"]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special
1st|+0|+0|+0|+2|Spells, spellstrike
2nd|+1|+0|+0|+3|
3rd|+2|+1|+1|+3|
4th|+3|+1|+1|+4|
5th|+3|+1|+1|+4|
6th|+4|+2|+2|+5|
7th|+5|+2|+2|+5|
8th|+6/+1|+2|+2|+6|
9th|+6/+1|+3|+3|+6|
10th|+7/+2|+3|+3|+7|Personal spell
11th|+8/+3|+3|+3|+7|
12th|+9/+4|+4|+4|+8|
13th|+9/+4|+4|+4|+8|
14th|+10/+5|+4|+4|+9|
15th|+11/+6/+1|+5|+5|+9|
16th|+12/+7/+2|+5|+5|+10|
17th|+12/+7/+2|+5|+5|+10|
18th|+13/+8/+3|+6|+6|+11|
19th|+14/+9/+4|+6|+6|+11|
20th|+15/+10/+5|+6|+6|+12|Personal spell
[/table]
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d8
Class Skills: As duskblade (not that I actually checked the duskblade skill list)
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) × 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies
Spellswords are proficient with all simple and martial weapons. They are proficient with light and medium armors. They are proficient with light shields.
Spells
Spellswords receive (arcane) spells per day as a sorceror, but know all spells of a level they have spells per day in. They use Constitution to determine bonus spells and spell DCs. They cast spontaneously, from the warmage spell list (excluding save-or-dies). A spellsword is only subject to arcane spell failure from heavy shields, tower shields, and heavy armors.
A spellsword's caster level is equal to his base attack bonus, instead of his class level. This only counts base attack bonus gained from spellsword levels.
Spellstrike
A spellsword may cast a single spell as a swift action any time he attacks. The spell must not have a casting time of greater than a standard action, and the target and area is changed to affect only the attacked target.
Personal Spell
At levels 10 and 20, a spellsword may add a spell to his spell list. The spell may come from any existing spell list, but must have DM approval. It may not be a spell of a higher level than the spellsword can currently cast from.
These classes replace all classes with spell progression, but may be reflavored any way you like (as always). So in effect, cleric and druid can still be played. Keep the ranger, paladin, and bard if you desire, though there are numerous rewrites of these classes which bring them to the power levels of the below classes.
I recommend using these mage classes with the bard and hunter classes in my signature, the ToB classes, and many of the skillmonkey classes (rogue, spellthief, factotum, and scout come to mind). These classes were actually made to balance against this sort of power level (and fill in the gap), so keep that in mind while critiquing.
Houserule: Any spell which has an effect other than damage (ability damage is an effect other than damage) may only be used on a creature with an amount of HD equal to (caster level - spell level). Note: this makes caster level more important, so be stringent with increases to it.
Houserule: No spell is allowed which grants a bonus to skill checks or replicates the effect of a successful skill check. For the liberation of skillmonkeys.
Optional Houserule: Any spell which did not offer a save now offers a save, as appropriate to the spell. If the spell required an attack roll, it no longer does. If the spell deals nothing but damage, the save is for half damage. If the spell has other effects, the save negates all effects, and causes any damage to be halved. Examples: Forcecage (Reflex), Orb of Acid (Fortitude half).
Wizard/Witch
{table="head"]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special
1st|+0|+0|+0|+2|Spells, familiar aptitude
2nd|+1|+0|+0|+3|
3rd|+1|+1|+1|+3|
4th|+2|+1|+1|+4|
5th|+2|+1|+1|+4|Personal spell
6th|+3|+2|+2|+5|
7th|+3|+2|+2|+5|
8th|+4|+2|+2|+6|
9th|+4|+3|+3|+6|
10th|+5|+3|+3|+7|Personal spell
11th|+5|+3|+3|+7|
12th|+6/+1|+4|+4|+8|
13th|+6/+1|+4|+4|+8|
14th|+7/+2|+4|+4|+9|
15th|+7/+2|+5|+5|+9|Personal spell
16th|+8/+3|+5|+5|+10|
17th|+8/+3|+5|+5|+10|
18th|+9/+4|+6|+6|+11|
19th|+9/+4|+6|+6|+11|
20th|+10/+5|+6|+6|+12|Personal spell
[/table]
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d4
Class Skills: As wizard
Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) × 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies
Wizards are proficient with no weapons or armors.
Spells
Wizards receive (arcane) spells per day as a PHB wizard, but know all spells of a level they have spells per day in. They do not have a spellbook. They use Wisdom to determine bonus spells per day and Intelligence to determine spell DCs. They cast spontaneously, from the warmage spell list (excluding save-or-dies).
Familiar Aptitude
A wizard is capable of obtaining a familiar via the Improved Familiar feat or similar.
Personal Spell
Every 5 levels, a wizard may add a spell to his spell list. The spell may come from any existing spell list, but must have DM approval. It may not be a spell of a higher level than the wizard can currently cast from.
Spellsword/Duskblade/Eldritch Knight/Whatever
{table="head"]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special
1st|+0|+0|+0|+2|Spells, spellstrike
2nd|+1|+0|+0|+3|
3rd|+2|+1|+1|+3|
4th|+3|+1|+1|+4|
5th|+3|+1|+1|+4|
6th|+4|+2|+2|+5|
7th|+5|+2|+2|+5|
8th|+6/+1|+2|+2|+6|
9th|+6/+1|+3|+3|+6|
10th|+7/+2|+3|+3|+7|Personal spell
11th|+8/+3|+3|+3|+7|
12th|+9/+4|+4|+4|+8|
13th|+9/+4|+4|+4|+8|
14th|+10/+5|+4|+4|+9|
15th|+11/+6/+1|+5|+5|+9|
16th|+12/+7/+2|+5|+5|+10|
17th|+12/+7/+2|+5|+5|+10|
18th|+13/+8/+3|+6|+6|+11|
19th|+14/+9/+4|+6|+6|+11|
20th|+15/+10/+5|+6|+6|+12|Personal spell
[/table]
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d8
Class Skills: As duskblade (not that I actually checked the duskblade skill list)
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) × 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies
Spellswords are proficient with all simple and martial weapons. They are proficient with light and medium armors. They are proficient with light shields.
Spells
Spellswords receive (arcane) spells per day as a sorceror, but know all spells of a level they have spells per day in. They use Constitution to determine bonus spells and spell DCs. They cast spontaneously, from the warmage spell list (excluding save-or-dies). A spellsword is only subject to arcane spell failure from heavy shields, tower shields, and heavy armors.
A spellsword's caster level is equal to his base attack bonus, instead of his class level. This only counts base attack bonus gained from spellsword levels.
Spellstrike
A spellsword may cast a single spell as a swift action any time he attacks. The spell must not have a casting time of greater than a standard action, and the target and area is changed to affect only the attacked target.
Personal Spell
At levels 10 and 20, a spellsword may add a spell to his spell list. The spell may come from any existing spell list, but must have DM approval. It may not be a spell of a higher level than the spellsword can currently cast from.