Post by wardragon on Oct 28, 2006 20:43:44 GMT -5
As you may or may not be aware, the Sorcerer is my favorite class in the Player's Handbook, bar none. However, I also believe (and I know I'm not alone in this) that the class was done a grave disservice by the designers, both in power level, and in matching mechanics to flavor. Thus, I bring you the newest addition to a vast array of Sorcerer fixes; my intention is to balance the class, while making it a bit more distinct from the Wizard, and minimizing overhauls for existing Sorcerer (N)PCs. Everything I do not specifically mention is unchanged from the PHB.
The Sorcerer:
Class Skills: Add Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate, and Knowledge (Local) to the existing list.
Eschew Materials: A Sorcerer's magic springs not from arduous study as a Wizard's does, but from within, whether it be his dragon in his family tree, a gift from a god, or simply a random fluke of magic. Regardless of his power's source, every Sorcerer's spellcasting is unique, and he has less reliance on outside aid than his book-learned counterparts. He gains Eschew Materials as a bonus feat. In addition, a Sorcerer may choose to spend experience points inplace of expensive material components, at a rate of 1 xp per 5 gp the component would normally cost. If the Sorcerer does not wish to spend xp, or does not have enough to spend without dropping a level, he may still choose to use the normal material component in its place If a spell requires an expensive focus component, he must still provide it.
Bonus Feat: Unlike tome-studying Wizards, Sorcerers have the time to either focus on their unique heritage, or just gain practical knowledge of the world. At first level, a Sorcerer gains one of the following feats for free: Deceitful, Draconic Heritage, Investigator, Magical Aptitude, Negotiator, Obtain Familiar, Persuasive, Self Sufficient, Skill Focus, Spell Focus, Spell Thematics.
Bonus Spells: At every odd-numbered Sorcerer level starting at 3rd, a Sorcerer gains a bonus spell known. The new spell can be no higher in level than indicated on the chart.
The Epic Sorcerer:
Ignore Material Components: At 21st level, the Sorcerer's reliance on his own power is complete. He no longer has any need for the "crutches" used by other spellcasters, gaining Ignore Material Components as a bonus feat.
Bonus Spell: The Epic Sorcerer continues to gain a bonus spell known at each odd-numbered level. These spells may be of any level that he can cast, but may not be Epic spells.
Bonus Feats: Every third level over twentieth, the Sorcerer gains a bonus feat from the following list (additions to SRD list underlined): Automatic Quicken Spell, Automatic Silent Spell, Automatic Still Spell, Energy Resistance, Enhance Spell, Epic Animancy, Epic Ossimancy, Epic Spell Focus, Epic Spell Penetration, Epic Spellcasting, Epic Voximancy, Extra Sudden Metamagic, Familiar Spell, Improved Combat Casting, Improved Heighten Spell, Improved Metamagic, Improved Spell Capacity, Intensify Spell, Master Staff, Master Wand, Multispell, Permanent Emanation, Spell Knowledge, Spell Stowaway, Spell Opportunity, or any non-Epic metamagic feat.
And some new Sorcerer-oriented feats...
Animancy
The Sorcerer's magic flows from his very soul, holding a touch of the divine.
Prerequisites: Sorcerer level 3rd; Knowledge (Religion) 3 ranks
Benefit: Any bonus spells known that you gain from Sorcerer levels up to 20th may be selected from either the Sor/Wiz or the Cleric spell lists.
Special: If you take this feat, you may never take Ossimancy or Voximancy.
Ossimancy
The Sorcerer's magic has seeped into his bones, fusing with the essence of life.
Prerequisites: Sorcerer level 3rd; Knowledge (Nature) 3 ranks
Benefit: Any bonus spells known that you gain from Sorcerer levels up to 20th may be selected from either the Sor/Wiz or the Druid spell lists.
Special: If you take this feat, you may never take Animancy or Voximancy.
Voximancy
The Sorcerer's voice is infused with magic, letting him cast spells through song.
Prerequisites: Sorcerer level 5th; Perform (Sing) 4 ranks, Light Armor Proficiency
Benefit: All of your Sorcerer spells have a verbal component, even if their descriptions do not list one. However, you may ignore the Arcane Spell Failure chance caused by casting spells in light armor. Finally, Perform (Sing) is considered a class skill for your Sorcerer levels.
Special: If you take this feat, you may never take Silent Spell, and vice versa. You are also likewise barred from selecting Animancy or Ossimancy.
Epic Animancy (Epic)
Your magic continues to blur the line between arcane and divine.
Prerequisites: Animancy, Knowledge (Religion) 12 ranks
Benefit: You may continue to select your bonus Sorcerer spells from the Cleric list.
Epic Ossimancy (Epic)
Your magic's connection to the living world is strengthened.
Prerequisites: Ossimancy, Knowledge (Nature) 12 ranks
Benefit: You may continue to select your bonus Sorcerer spells from the Druid list.
Epic Voximancy (Epic)
Your Sorcery and your powerful voice have blended into a unified whole.
Prerequisites: Voximancy, Bardic Music ability, Perform (sing) 22 ranks
Benefit: Your Sorcerer and Bard levels stack for purposes of spell caster levels, and Bardic Music uses per day.
(NOTE: I strongly recommend that this feat be disallowed in games making use of the Gestalt variant ruleset.)
Extra Sudden Metamagic (Epic)
You have mastered the art of applying metamagic on the fly.
Prerequisites: Sudden Quicken, Spellcraft 23 ranks
Benefit: You may use any Sudden Metamagic feats you possess one additional time per day.
Normal: Sudden Metamagic feats can only be used once per day.
Special: This feat can be taken multiple times; its effects stack. The benefits of this feat apply even to Sudden Metamagic feats you gain after this feat.
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Design Notes
The flavor text in the PHB says flat out that Sorcerers are supposed to be the party "face," yet all the social skills except Bluff are cross-class for them. I have remedied this. I debated giving them extra skill points as well, but decided that would be going too far.
Perhaps the Sorcerer's greatest weakness is lack of versatility; while I realize this is supposed to be a balancing point, it was taken rather too far in my opinion. Hence, the bonus spells. I did consider bonus metamagic/draconic feats, but that would have made them even more similar to the Wizard, which I was trying to avoid. This also gives them a very good reason not to jump into a PrC at the earliest opportunity, something that the PHB version sadly lacks.
Please note that this Sorcerer does not gain a Familiar. This was partly to balance the extra spells (a huge gain), partly to further differentiate them from Wizards, partly to play up the self-reliance bit, and partly because I just don't like Familiars.
Animancy, Ossimancy, and Voximancy are inspired by abilities from Szatany's Ultimate Sorcerer on the WotC message boards, though they have undergone a somewhat radical change. If your campaign uses the Warmage class from Complete Arcane, I see no reason to open Animancy and Voximancy spells to them, for purposes of their Advanced Learning ability (whether or not they're still stuck with just Evocations from those lists is up to the DM).
The Sorcerer:
Level Special
1st Eschew Materials, Bonus Feat
2nd
3rd Bonus Spell (1st)
4th
5th Bonus Spell (2nd)
6th
7th Bonus Spell (3rd)
8th
9th Bonus Spell (4th)
10th
11th Bonus Spell (5th)
12th
13th Bonus Spell (6th)
14th
15th Bonus Spell (7th)
16th
17th Bonus Spell (8th)
18th
19th Bonus Spell (9th)
20thClass Skills: Add Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate, and Knowledge (Local) to the existing list.
Eschew Materials: A Sorcerer's magic springs not from arduous study as a Wizard's does, but from within, whether it be his dragon in his family tree, a gift from a god, or simply a random fluke of magic. Regardless of his power's source, every Sorcerer's spellcasting is unique, and he has less reliance on outside aid than his book-learned counterparts. He gains Eschew Materials as a bonus feat. In addition, a Sorcerer may choose to spend experience points inplace of expensive material components, at a rate of 1 xp per 5 gp the component would normally cost. If the Sorcerer does not wish to spend xp, or does not have enough to spend without dropping a level, he may still choose to use the normal material component in its place If a spell requires an expensive focus component, he must still provide it.
Bonus Feat: Unlike tome-studying Wizards, Sorcerers have the time to either focus on their unique heritage, or just gain practical knowledge of the world. At first level, a Sorcerer gains one of the following feats for free: Deceitful, Draconic Heritage, Investigator, Magical Aptitude, Negotiator, Obtain Familiar, Persuasive, Self Sufficient, Skill Focus, Spell Focus, Spell Thematics.
Bonus Spells: At every odd-numbered Sorcerer level starting at 3rd, a Sorcerer gains a bonus spell known. The new spell can be no higher in level than indicated on the chart.
The Epic Sorcerer:
Level Special
21st Bonus Spell, Ignore Material Components
22nd
23rd Bonus Spell, Bonus Feat
24th
25th Bonus Spell
26th Bonus Feat
27th Bonus Spell
28th
29th Bonus Spell, Bonus Feat
30thIgnore Material Components: At 21st level, the Sorcerer's reliance on his own power is complete. He no longer has any need for the "crutches" used by other spellcasters, gaining Ignore Material Components as a bonus feat.
Bonus Spell: The Epic Sorcerer continues to gain a bonus spell known at each odd-numbered level. These spells may be of any level that he can cast, but may not be Epic spells.
Bonus Feats: Every third level over twentieth, the Sorcerer gains a bonus feat from the following list (additions to SRD list underlined): Automatic Quicken Spell, Automatic Silent Spell, Automatic Still Spell, Energy Resistance, Enhance Spell, Epic Animancy, Epic Ossimancy, Epic Spell Focus, Epic Spell Penetration, Epic Spellcasting, Epic Voximancy, Extra Sudden Metamagic, Familiar Spell, Improved Combat Casting, Improved Heighten Spell, Improved Metamagic, Improved Spell Capacity, Intensify Spell, Master Staff, Master Wand, Multispell, Permanent Emanation, Spell Knowledge, Spell Stowaway, Spell Opportunity, or any non-Epic metamagic feat.
And some new Sorcerer-oriented feats...
Animancy
The Sorcerer's magic flows from his very soul, holding a touch of the divine.
Prerequisites: Sorcerer level 3rd; Knowledge (Religion) 3 ranks
Benefit: Any bonus spells known that you gain from Sorcerer levels up to 20th may be selected from either the Sor/Wiz or the Cleric spell lists.
Special: If you take this feat, you may never take Ossimancy or Voximancy.
Ossimancy
The Sorcerer's magic has seeped into his bones, fusing with the essence of life.
Prerequisites: Sorcerer level 3rd; Knowledge (Nature) 3 ranks
Benefit: Any bonus spells known that you gain from Sorcerer levels up to 20th may be selected from either the Sor/Wiz or the Druid spell lists.
Special: If you take this feat, you may never take Animancy or Voximancy.
Voximancy
The Sorcerer's voice is infused with magic, letting him cast spells through song.
Prerequisites: Sorcerer level 5th; Perform (Sing) 4 ranks, Light Armor Proficiency
Benefit: All of your Sorcerer spells have a verbal component, even if their descriptions do not list one. However, you may ignore the Arcane Spell Failure chance caused by casting spells in light armor. Finally, Perform (Sing) is considered a class skill for your Sorcerer levels.
Special: If you take this feat, you may never take Silent Spell, and vice versa. You are also likewise barred from selecting Animancy or Ossimancy.
Epic Animancy (Epic)
Your magic continues to blur the line between arcane and divine.
Prerequisites: Animancy, Knowledge (Religion) 12 ranks
Benefit: You may continue to select your bonus Sorcerer spells from the Cleric list.
Epic Ossimancy (Epic)
Your magic's connection to the living world is strengthened.
Prerequisites: Ossimancy, Knowledge (Nature) 12 ranks
Benefit: You may continue to select your bonus Sorcerer spells from the Druid list.
Epic Voximancy (Epic)
Your Sorcery and your powerful voice have blended into a unified whole.
Prerequisites: Voximancy, Bardic Music ability, Perform (sing) 22 ranks
Benefit: Your Sorcerer and Bard levels stack for purposes of spell caster levels, and Bardic Music uses per day.
(NOTE: I strongly recommend that this feat be disallowed in games making use of the Gestalt variant ruleset.)
Extra Sudden Metamagic (Epic)
You have mastered the art of applying metamagic on the fly.
Prerequisites: Sudden Quicken, Spellcraft 23 ranks
Benefit: You may use any Sudden Metamagic feats you possess one additional time per day.
Normal: Sudden Metamagic feats can only be used once per day.
Special: This feat can be taken multiple times; its effects stack. The benefits of this feat apply even to Sudden Metamagic feats you gain after this feat.
____________________________________________________________________________
Design Notes
The flavor text in the PHB says flat out that Sorcerers are supposed to be the party "face," yet all the social skills except Bluff are cross-class for them. I have remedied this. I debated giving them extra skill points as well, but decided that would be going too far.
Perhaps the Sorcerer's greatest weakness is lack of versatility; while I realize this is supposed to be a balancing point, it was taken rather too far in my opinion. Hence, the bonus spells. I did consider bonus metamagic/draconic feats, but that would have made them even more similar to the Wizard, which I was trying to avoid. This also gives them a very good reason not to jump into a PrC at the earliest opportunity, something that the PHB version sadly lacks.
Please note that this Sorcerer does not gain a Familiar. This was partly to balance the extra spells (a huge gain), partly to further differentiate them from Wizards, partly to play up the self-reliance bit, and partly because I just don't like Familiars.
Animancy, Ossimancy, and Voximancy are inspired by abilities from Szatany's Ultimate Sorcerer on the WotC message boards, though they have undergone a somewhat radical change. If your campaign uses the Warmage class from Complete Arcane, I see no reason to open Animancy and Voximancy spells to them, for purposes of their Advanced Learning ability (whether or not they're still stuck with just Evocations from those lists is up to the DM).
