Power caster (concept PrC)

[Prime32]

What do you think of this idea? Would it work? If not, how could it be changed to make it work?

Power Caster
Prerequisites: Ability to cast 6th-level spells

(Other stuff as sorcerer)

1   Power casting (6th), Restricted casting (1st)
2   Power casting (6th), Spell power +1
3   Power casting (7th), Restricted casting (2nd)
4   Power casting (7th), Spell power +2
5   Power casting (8th), Restricted casting (3rd)
6   Power casting (8th), Spell power +3
7   Power casting (9th), Restricted casting (4th)
8   Power casting (9th), Spell power +4


Power casting: At each level, a power caster gains an additional spell slot. The level of the first spell slot is 6th, and it increases by 1 at every odd level thereafter.

Restricted casting: At 1st level, a power caster loses access to his 1st-level spell slots. He can never again gain 1st-level spell slots for this class. At every odd level thereafter, he loses access to an additional level of spells. A spellcaster can still use his higher-level spell slots to cast his low-level spells as normal.

[X-Codes]

I think you should just remove the spell slots, but not spells known/etc.  Completely removing a spellcaster's ability to cast bread-and-butter stuff like Improved Invisibility, Enervation, Ray of Enfeeblement, Suggestion, Orb spells, and Magic Circle might prove to be more trouble than it's worth considering how these spells generally scale fairly well.

[woodenbandman]

^Enter Heighten Spell

[veekie]

I think you should just remove the spell slots, but not spells known/etc.  Completely removing a spellcaster's ability to cast bread-and-butter stuff like Improved Invisibility, Enervation, Ray of Enfeeblement, Suggestion, Orb spells, and Magic Circle might prove to be more trouble than it's worth considering how these spells generally scale fairly well.

Agreed on this, also, give this caster free Heighten spell I think. Since it'd have no low level slots to speak of, it's only fair.

[Bauglir]

Hm, I'd still rather take a vanilla sorcerer or wizard. I'll use those low-level slots enough that the bonus high level ones wouldn't always be worth it. Maybe add a caster level bonus every so often? Or something like that?

[bkdubs123]

Maybe add a caster level bonus every so often?

+1 at every even level. Then you've got yourself a deal. It would be interesting to play for sure. I second the notion to eliminate the spell slots, but instead of giving free Heighten just make it part of the requirements.

[syntax_error]

Just a side note, be sure to explicitly mark what is actually being lost, and where... Namely because a Sublime Chord could have a field day at no penalty with this class.

As for what I think of this class, it's an interesting idea. Maybe in return for losing the ability to use your low level spells, you get bonus slots for the higher levels, and a select few "specialty slots" like on a specialist wizard, that can only be used to cast and prepare 1st through 4th level spells, and metamagic adjustment and such still apply.