Put together a Wizard class, although I'm having a bitch of a time with the Spell List. After sorting through all the 1st-level SRD spells, I found that I'd rather prefer making about 1/3 of them as Rituals a-la 4e, and what I was left with really wasn't enough to fully stat out the 1st-level list. So, I decided I should also add in SpC spells. Problem with that idea, the two sources combined have some
140 1st-level spells. That, by itself, really isn't enough to justify my laziness, but I'm also looking to put a spin on the Recharge Magic variant in UA and apply that not only to the game, but also to some class and feat mechanics. So, my idea at this point is to kinda fake it and run the class and make up the spell lists as a player-DM collaboration when I eventually have the time to run a game using the sum of my variant rules (and I WILL, eventually, have the time to do so).
Some things to know-
A) My spin on Recharge Magic works as follows: spells can be either ready, discharged, or re-charging. At the beginning of the day, all of a character's spells are ready, and can be cast when the character feels like it. Most spells, when cast, then have to re-charge for a certain period of time before they can be used again, with typical recharge times being as follows:
1) General- as the Recharge Magic variant. This is mostly blasting, healing, and a few spells useful only in extremely niche circumstances like Feather Fall.
2) 5 minutes- basically a 1/encounter spell. Typically includes save-or-suck spells that effect a single target or even a small area, as well as various defensive spells like Resurgence and Restoration and single-round swift buffs like Swift Expeditious Retreat, Swift Invisibility, Rhino's Rush, etc.
3) 2 hours- spells that you really need to think carefully about before using, almost like discharge spells (see below). Short-duration buffs (Bull's Strength), area save-or-suck spells, and even a few single-target no-save-just-suck spells and save-or-lose spells fit in here.
Some spells, however, are true one-shot-wonders and discharge completely until spells are prepared the next day. A number of other effects also exist that can discharge spells for the day (typically powerful Metamagic feats).
B) I intend to use Tome feats, only more broadly applied. Combat feats and Skill feats will be roughly the same, but Metamagic feats will be altered to work as Tome feats. Further, none of Combat, Skill, or Metamagic feats will, under any circumstances, be allowed to be taken as a bonus feat. If you want a Combat feat, then you need to wait until level 1/3/6/9/12/15/18 to take it, and you must use your standard feat given at said level. An example of a Metamagic feat that works this way might be as follows:
Lord of the Uttercold [Metamagic]Benefit: Lord of the Uttercold is a Metamagic feat that grants multiple abilities based on the level of spells a character can cast, as follows:
1st- When you cast a spell that deals energy damage, you can change that damage to cold damage. The spell loses any energy descriptors it previously had, and instead gains the [Cold] descriptor. For example, a fireball altered in this manner by a 6th-level Wizard would deal 6d6 cold damage and have the [Cold] descriptor instead of the [Fire] descriptor.
3rd- When you cast a spell that deals cold damage, half of the cold damage is changed to raw negative energy. This energy bypasses cold resistance and heals undead creatures, although if said undead creatures lack cold resistance then they will, in the end, simply take no damage from the spell.
5th- When you cast a spell with the [Cold] descriptor, you can choose to augment the freezing effects of the spell with the enervating chill of the Uttercold. Creatures who fail their saving throws against the spell's effects are also fatigued. If the spell doesn't normally allow a saving throw, then those affected by the spell are still entitled a Fortitude save (calculate this DC the same way you would calculate the base spell's DC).
When empowering a spell as such, you drain your magic reserves. If the spell had a general recharge, then it must recharge for at least 5 minutes. If it has a longer recharge, then the recharge time is not meaningfully affected.
7th- When you cast a spell with the [Cold] descriptor, you can choose to empower it with pure, unholy energy. Any qualifying creature slain by the spell rises as an undead skeleton or zombie (your choice if both are feasible). If the creature had the Fire subtype, it loses that subtype upon rising as an undead creature. Further, any creature you raise via this method gains the Cold subtype, and deals an additional 1d6 cold damage with it's melee attacks. The undead created by this spell count normally towards your limit of controllable undead via the animate dead spell.
Empowering a spell in this method is severely taxing on your magical reserves, and as such a spell augmented in this fashion is completely discharged until you rest and prepare spells again the next day.
Another slight variation will be that Combat, Skill, and Metamagic feats will often be used as pre-requisites for other feats designed to augment their abilities, as well as to give bonus feats some purpose. For example:
Cold Spell Focus [General]Cold Spell Specialization [General]Reborn of the Uttercold [General]Pre-Requisite: Lord of the Uttercold, ability to cast desecrate
Benefit: The cold around you is permeated by the unholy power of the Uttercold. While within an area with an ambient temperature between 40 deg. F and -40 deg. F, you are surrounded by an unholy aura with 20' radius functionally identical to a desecrate spell. If you are in an area with an ambient temperature below -40 deg. F, the strength of your aura is doubled as if it were centered on an altar dedicated to an evil deity.
As a special benefit, undead created within the aura are not only infused with negative energy, but with the power of the Uttercold. As a result, they lose the Fire subtype, should they have it, and any ability to deal fire damage (not including innate spellcasting ability, but including spell-like abilities with the [Fire] descriptor). They gain the Cold subtype, and deal an additional 1d6 cold damage with their melee attacks. This effect is not cumulative with the Lord of the Uttercold feat.
Now that you have some background, here's my Wizard:
Table: The WizardBAB: Poor
Good Saves: Will
Hit Die: d4
Skills: 2 + Int modifier
Class Skills: Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Knowledge (any), Profession, Spellcraft (using the standard 3.5e skill system)
Class Skills: Alchemy, Arcana, Concentration, Craft, History, Linguistics, Religion (using my still-unfinished skill variant)
Spell Casting- Wizards cast arcane spells which are drawn from the general wizard spell list. A wizard must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time (see below).
To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the wizard must have an Intelligence modifier at least equal to the spell's level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a wizard's spell is 10 + the spell level + the wizard's intelligence modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a wizard can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her daily spell allotment is given on the above table. Certain magic items may provide bonus spells in addition to the above amount.
After 8 hours of rest, typically sleep although any non-strenuous activity during which the wizard does not cast spells, the wizard must choose and prepare her spells by studying her spellbook for 1 hour. While studying, the wizard decides which spells to prepare or changes spells that she had not discharged since the previous time she prepared spells.
Specialization- A wizard can choose to specialize in one of the seven schools of magic (abjuration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, evocation, necromancy, or transmutation). If she does so, she adds the appropriate specialist spell list to the general spell list to determine which spells she can add to her spellbook(s), prepare, and cast (see Tools of the Trade below).
Tools of the Trade- A wizard begins play with a spellbook with four 1st-level spells already copied into it. From this and other spellbooks, a wizard prepares their daily allotment of spells. Every time a wizard gains a level, they can add two spells from their spell list to any spellbook they own, up to the highest level spell they are capable of casting.
Also, a Wizard gains extra benefits with certain Item Creation feats:
Scribe Scroll: Scribing a scroll never takes longer than 1 day for a Wizard. A Wizard that activates a scroll containing a spell on his spell list can use his own caster level and Intelligence modifier for determining the scroll's effects. If the Wizard has levels in other spellcasting classes, then use the appropriate class' caster level and ability modifiers.
Craft Wand: A Wizard activating a wand containing a spell on his spell list can use his own caster level and Intelligence modifier for determining the scroll's effects. If the Wizard has levels in other spellcasting classes, then use the appropriate class' caster level and ability modifiers.
Craft Staff: A Wizard activating a staff containing a spell on his spell list can instead choose to discharge a prepared spell of the appropriate level to activate the staff.
Eclectic Learning- At 2nd level and every 3rd level after that (5th, 8th, etc), a wizard can add a single spell to their spellbook. If she chose not to specialize in a school of magic, they can add any single spell of a level up to the highest level she is capable of casting from a specialist spell list to her spell list. She immediately adds the spell to one of her spellbooks and can prepare and cast that spell normally. If she did specialize in a school of magic, then she can add any spell from any spell list of a level up to the highest level of spell she can cast to her spell list, so long as the spell is of her specialized school of magic. She immediately adds the spell to one of her spellbooks and can prepare and cast that spell normally.
If a wizard loses the spellbook containing spells she added to them via Eclectic Learning, she can still prepare and cast the spell from another wizard's spellbook if available. If not, then she must obtain a scroll of the spell and copy it into a new spellbook, at which point she can prepare and cast it as normal.
Bonus Feats- At 2nd level and every 6th level after that (8th, 14th, etc), a wizard gains a bonus feat. This can be either an item creation feat or a feat whose pre-requisites include at least one item creation or metamagic feat. Often, other feats can also be obtained by specialist wizards depending on their specialization.
Summon Familiar- At 4th level, the Wizard gains the Summon Familiar feat as a bonus feat.
Summon Familiar [General]
Pre-Requisite: Arcane Caster Level 4
Benefit: You are able to summon a small companion: a bat, cat, hawk, lizard, owl, rat, raven, snake, toad, or weasel. It becomes a magical beast when you summon it into service, although it's appearance, hit dice, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, skills, and feats are just as a normal animal of it's type. Because of the special bond shared by the summoner and the familiar, the familiar gains abilities based on it's summoner:
Hit Dice: For the purposes of magical effects such as hit dice, use the master's hit dice instead of the familiar's, if it's better.
Hit Points: The familiar has one-half the master's total hit points, rounded down, regardless of it's actual hit dice or hit points.
Initiative: The familiar has it's own set of actions, but does not make initiative checks. It acts exclusively on it's master's initiative, and, in fact, if either the master or the familiar are allowed an action in the surprise round, then both are allowed an action.
Attacks: The familiar uses it's master's base attack bonus. Use the appropriate ability score of the familiar to determine the final attack modifier and damage.
Saving Throws: The familiar uses it's master's base save bonuses, if better. Use the familiar's ability modifiers to determine it's final save modifier.
Skills: The familiar uses it's master's skill ranks, if better. Use the familiar's ability modifiers to determine it's final skill modifier.
Natural Armor: The familiar gains a bonus to it's natural armor bonus equal to one-half it's master's hit dice.
Intelligence: The familiar's intelligence score is equal to 5 + one-half it's master's hit dice, or use the creature's normal intelligence score, whichever is better. This increased intelligence also allows the familiar to understand any languages spoken by the master, but it cannot speak.
Improved Evasion: When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, a familiar takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage even if the saving throw fails.
Share Spells: At the master’s option, he may have any spell (but not any spell-like ability) he casts on himself also affect his familiar. The familiar must be within 5 feet at the time of casting to receive the benefit.
If the spell or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting the familiar if it moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect the familiar again even if it returns to the master before the duration expires. Additionally, the master may cast a spell with a target of "You" on his familiar (as a touch range spell) instead of on himself.
A master and his familiar can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the familiar’s type (magical beast).
Empathic Link: The master has an empathic link with his familiar out to a distance of up to 1 mile. The master cannot see through the familiar’s eyes, but they can communicate empathically. Because of the limited nature of the link, only general emotional content can be communicated.
Because of this empathic link, the master has the same connection to an item or place that his familiar does.
- At 7th level, as long as the Wizard's familiar is within 30' of the wizard, the Wizard can designate his familiar as the origin of a spell he casts. This requires the wizard to spend the normal time casting the spell, and the familiar to spend a standard action upon completion to aim the spell. Further, the Wizard can cast a spell with a range of personal on his familiar as long as the familiar is within 30'.
Sense Familiar- At 10th level, the Wizard can perceive the world through his familiar by concentrating. Use the familiar's modifiers to Spot, Listen, and other senses. This ability has a range of 1 mile.
Resistant Familiar- At 13th level, the Wizard's familiar gains Spell Resistance equal to the Wizard's arcane caster level + 10. This resistance is completely bypassed by any spells the Wizard casts on the familiar or shares with the familiar.
Scry Familiar- At 16th level, the Wizard's ability to perceive his familiar's surroundings improves. The Wizard's Sense Familiar ability now has an unlimited range, and even functions across planar boundaries. Further, the Wizard can instead choose to observe the familiar and it's surroundings from a third-person perspective, as if casting greater scrying on his familiar.
Arcane Familiar- At 19th level, the Wizard can pass on the ability to cast arcane spells to his familiar. When the Wizard prepares spells, he can choose to grant his familiar some of his own spells per day. Any spells granted to the familiar cannot be used by the Wizard. The spells are treated as if being cast by the familiar, and as such the familiar uses it's own Intelligence modifier to determine the save DC of the spells it casts, and it must have the necessary Intelligence modifier to be able to cast the spells. For example, a Familiar with 15 Intelligence can cast 2nd-level spells, and the saving throw DC of those spells is 14, regardless of the master's spellcasting ability.
