Shadowcaster (fixes?)

[Skjaldbakka]

What fixes have people comeup with for the shadowcaster, and do you think it needs to be fixed?

[Yithian]

Yes, it does need to be fixed, as it runs out of slots far-far too quickly. My solution is to have their mysteries reset to full after every encounter. I have not tested it yet, but it might work.

Yithan

[Dhavaer]

Yes, it does need to be fixed, as it runs out of slots far-far too quickly. My solution is to have their mysteries reset to full after every encounter. I have not tested it yet, but it might work.

This is also my suggested fix.

[lotofsnow]

You can find some suggestions of "fixes" from the actual author of the class here.

For fun, here's the text:

Spoiler

Show

Okay, I've been giving this a lot of thought, taking into account what people here have been saying, as well as comments from other folks, and a few other RPG writers. The following alterations are what I'm currently considering. This is not official errata. This is not even unofficial errata. I may well change my mind on one or all of these, before I give my "final" stamp of approval on any tweaks to the class. (And of course, even once I do, it'll have no official weight.)

Now, this doesn't go as far as some of you have requested, but it's where I'd like to start. If some of you would like to volunteer to run a few playtest adventures with these changes in place, I'd very much love to know how it goes.

1) Grant bonus mysteries per day based on Int. These would work just like bonus spells. For instance, if your Int is 14, you can cast one extra mystery of 1st-level equivalent and one of 2nd-level equivalent per day. (Note that each mystery does give an equivalent level, even though you don't learn them by level.)

2) Eliminate the rule that says you have to take mysteries in a given Path in order. If you want to jump around, so as to broaden your versatility, you can. You must still have at least one mystery of any given level equivalent (1st, 2nd, etc.) before you can get a mystery of the next higher level within a type (Apprentice, Initiate, Master), but they need not come from the same Path.

3) Eliminate the rule that says you get a bonus feat equal to half the number of paths you have access to. Instead, you get a bonus feat equal to the total number of Paths you complete. Thus, while you are no longer required to take the entirety of a given Path, there's still encouragement to do so.

4) Allow the shadowcaster to swap out mysteries, like a sorcerer does spells, with the caveat that if you suddenly "un-complete" a Path, you lose a feat as well.

5) Once your Apprentice Mysteries become supernatural abilities, change the save DC from 10 + equivalent spell level + Cha to 10 + 1/2 caster level + Cha. This makes them useful even against high-HD opponents, and follows the pattern for other supernatural abilities.

(And BTW, the warp spell mystery shouldn't say that it allows a Will save. The caster level check determines success or failure.)

Now, be aware that I have not playtested the changes myself. I'm not running a game at present--my last campaign wrapped up a few weeks ago--nor am I currently playing a shadowcaster. I also haven't been able to devote too much time to considering them, as I've just wrapped up a huge gig for WotC, and am about to dive into a short one for Vampire, before (tentatively) starting another for WotC. So I'll be the first to admit, there might be repurcussions to these ideas that I haven't yet seen. I'm quite eager to hear any thoughts you folks have, and any results that might come up in play. As I've said before, the shadowcaster was my first attempt to design anything so fundamentally different from the standard classes, and I won't pretend it's perfect.

So let's make it perfect

Also, check out A Guide to Shadow Magic on the Wizards' Character Optimization boards.

[Fax Celestis]

My solution is a recovery mechanic a la ToB. A standard action of concentration recovers all uses of mysteries from one path, or a full round action recovers all mysteries of one tier (apprentice, initiate, or master).

[Skjaldbakka]

Eliminate the rule that says you get a bonus feat equal to half the number of paths you have access to.

Maybe I just didn't read over the class carefully enough, but I thought you got a bonus feat for each path you entered, not for half of your available paths.

[Fax Celestis]

Maybe I just didn't read over the class carefully enough, but I thought you got a bonus feat for each path you entered, not for half of your available paths.

Bonus feats = # of paths/2

[Ramza00]

You can find some suggestions of "fixes" from the actual author of the class here.

For fun, here's the text:

Spoiler

Show

Okay, I've been giving this a lot of thought, taking into account what people here have been saying, as well as comments from other folks, and a few other RPG writers. The following alterations are what I'm currently considering. This is not official errata. This is not even unofficial errata. I may well change my mind on one or all of these, before I give my "final" stamp of approval on any tweaks to the class. (And of course, even once I do, it'll have no official weight.)

Now, this doesn't go as far as some of you have requested, but it's where I'd like to start. If some of you would like to volunteer to run a few playtest adventures with these changes in place, I'd very much love to know how it goes.

1) Grant bonus mysteries per day based on Int. These would work just like bonus spells. For instance, if your Int is 14, you can cast one extra mystery of 1st-level equivalent and one of 2nd-level equivalent per day. (Note that each mystery does give an equivalent level, even though you don't learn them by level.)

2) Eliminate the rule that says you have to take mysteries in a given Path in order. If you want to jump around, so as to broaden your versatility, you can. You must still have at least one mystery of any given level equivalent (1st, 2nd, etc.) before you can get a mystery of the next higher level within a type (Apprentice, Initiate, Master), but they need not come from the same Path.

3) Eliminate the rule that says you get a bonus feat equal to half the number of paths you have access to. Instead, you get a bonus feat equal to the total number of Paths you complete. Thus, while you are no longer required to take the entirety of a given Path, there's still encouragement to do so.

4) Allow the shadowcaster to swap out mysteries, like a sorcerer does spells, with the caveat that if you suddenly "un-complete" a Path, you lose a feat as well.

5) Once your Apprentice Mysteries become supernatural abilities, change the save DC from 10 + equivalent spell level + Cha to 10 + 1/2 caster level + Cha. This makes them useful even against high-HD opponents, and follows the pattern for other supernatural abilities.

(And BTW, the warp spell mystery shouldn't say that it allows a Will save. The caster level check determines success or failure.)

Now, be aware that I have not playtested the changes myself. I'm not running a game at present--my last campaign wrapped up a few weeks ago--nor am I currently playing a shadowcaster. I also haven't been able to devote too much time to considering them, as I've just wrapped up a huge gig for WotC, and am about to dive into a short one for Vampire, before (tentatively) starting another for WotC. So I'll be the first to admit, there might be repurcussions to these ideas that I haven't yet seen. I'm quite eager to hear any thoughts you folks have, and any results that might come up in play. As I've said before, the shadowcaster was my first attempt to design anything so fundamentally different from the standard classes, and I won't pretend it's perfect.

So let's make it perfect

Also, check out A Guide to Shadow Magic on the Wizards' Character Optimization boards.

This is the old errata, the new errata by the author is here.
[QUOTE=Phoenix00;11537221]Note the creator of the shadowcaster has done an "unofficial errata"

New Errata http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=184955

Old Errata http://www.enworld.org/showpost.php?...9&postcount=76
Old Big Thread http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=167796
(The old threads were discussing how to better balance the shadowcaster)

The best fix is actually not to play a shadowcaster, but to play a shadowcaster/arcane hybrid with Precocious Apprentice (which works unlike normal mystic theurge), improved sigil krau, versatile spellcaster+heighten spell or whatever early entry trick you use to get 2nd lvl spells.

Thus a Wiz 1/Shadowcaster 3/Noctumancer 10/Mystic Theurge 6
or
Sorc 1/Shadowcaster 3/Noctumancer 10/Mystic Theurge 6
will give you 19 Shadowcaster casting, and 17th lvl arcane casting.

[Skjaldbakka]

The best fix is actually not to play a shadowcaster, but to play a shadowcaster/arcane hybrid with Precocious Apprentice (which works unlike normal mystic theurge), improved sigil krau, versatile spellcaster+heighten spell or whatever early entry trick you use to get 2nd lvl spells.

That isn't really a fix for shadowcaster, that's more of a way to USE shadowcaster to break wizard even more. I'm actually interested in replacing wizard/sorceror with shadowcaster, as a way of toning down spellcasters in an upcoming campaign.

I'd like to bring shadowcaster up to Tome of Battle power level.

Bonus feats = # of paths/2

hmm, got that wrong last night running in World's Largest Dungeon. I also didn't have any more trouble than I would have with a 6th level wizard*. Maybe increasing the rate at which you get feats to 1/path +1/completed path is an effective "fix".

*Arguably less, with my 3/day killing shadows, 1/day empowered off of favored mystery and empower mystery. Extended Umbral Hand is nice too.

EDIT-

Thus a Wiz 1/Shadowcaster 3/Noctumancer 10/Mystic Theurge 6

Wait- you can mystic theurge with shadowcaster? Is that from one of those feats you listed?

[Fax Celestis]

Read the paragraph at the beginning of the PrC section for Shadow Magic in ToB. The Shadowcaster can qualify for PrCs that do not require a specific kind of magic (like a warlock can), except in the case of the Mystic Theurge--in which case it can qualify for either side.

EDIT: Flavorwise, Shadowcaster/Shadow Adept/Master of Shadow is a pretty solid mix.