Author Topic: Practiced Spellcaster variant  (Read 1330 times)

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RobbyPants

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Practiced Spellcaster variant
« on: September 16, 2010, 10:36:36 PM »
I was mulling over the merits of a Practiced Spellcaster variant today.  This might be it's own feat instead of PS, or maybe it'd replace it.


Practiced Spellcaster [GENERAL]

Your training in magic allows you to maintain mastery in your field.
Benefit: You add one to your effective caster level for purposes of spells known, spells per day, caster level checks, and level-dependent variables of spells for one casting class.  You cannot use this feat to raise your effective caster level higher than your total hit dice.  You must have at least one level in the selected class for this feat to have any effect.
Normal: Multiclassing out of a casting class sucks, and you shouldn't do it.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times.  You may either apply it to another casting class or to the same one.  If you apply it to the same class, its effects stack.
Special: You may take this feat before you've taken a level in a casting class to help facilitate multiclassing, but you do not gain any benefit until you take your first level in the casting class.  For example, you could start out as a Fighter at 1st level and take this feat to save it for 2nd level, when you take your first level of Wizard.  This is handy because you would otherwise have to wait until 3rd level for your next feat.


So, what are your thoughts?  All in all, it seems kind of cool.  It makes multiclassing a bit more feasible for casters, but it costs a feat.  In theory, at 20th level, you could blow seven or eight feats all on this, but then you don't get any feats.  Also, a couple of caveats I was thinking about throwing in anyway:

- I want all casters in my game to be spontaneous niche casters like the Beguiler/Dread Necro, so they're on a slower casting progression and this is less makes casting less awesome overall.
- I'm thinking of only applying the +2 "good" save bonus only once per save.  This gets rid of the incentive to take this feat several times and do bullshit like take Fighter 1/Ranger 1/Paladin 1/etc to boost your saves through the roof.
- This may or may not be too powerful with dual casting classes like the Mystic Theruge.

Also, I'd like to make a very similar version for manifesters and invocation-users.  I'm not sure a feat like this would be very useful for martial adepts though, given how they already add 1/2 IL from other classes.  I guess it could still be handy.
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altpersona

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Re: Practiced Spellcaster variant
« Reply #1 on: September 16, 2010, 10:52:50 PM »
if you can only take it three times w/ stacking then it seems just abit better than the regular. ok, it seems much better.

if you can take it 7? times (lvl feats, flaws, what not) then i think it would be pretty popular w/ the multi threats.
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Prime32

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Re: Practiced Spellcaster variant
« Reply #2 on: September 16, 2010, 10:59:47 PM »
if you can take it 7? times (lvl feats, flaws, what not) then i think it would be pretty popular w/ the multi threats.
If it were a fighter feat then you could pull off:

Wizard 1/Psychic warrior 2/Feat rogue 2/Fighter 2
or
Human (2 flaws) Wizard 1/Psychic warrior 2/Feat rogue 2/Fighter 14/? 1
Feats: 7 (normal) + 1 (human) + 2 (flaws) + 2 (PW) + 2 (rogue) + 8 (fighter)
You cast as a Wiz 20, and even have two or three feats left over. :p


EDIT: Sure that's not an issue here, but since it's a psionic feat Practiced Manifester would let you go psion 1/psychic warrior 17.
Feats: 7 (normal) + 1 (human) + 2 (flaws) + 1 (psion) + 7 (PW)
« Last Edit: September 16, 2010, 11:08:35 PM by Prime32 »
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RobbyPants

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Re: Practiced Spellcaster variant
« Reply #3 on: September 17, 2010, 12:07:18 AM »
Well, I don't want it to be a fighter feat for precisely that reason!

Regarding the multi-threats: I might want to just drop all dual-casting PrCs if I were to use this feat.  Everyone already knows Mystic Theruge is ass anyway, and no one takes it seriously unless you do some early-entry shenanigans.  The point of this feat is really to allow some multiclassing without sacrificing casting, but still with a concrete cost.

Plus, remember, I want all casters to be spontaneous niche casters, so I didn't design this with Wizard 13(20) / Cleric 7 in mind.
My balancing 3.5 compendium
Elemental mage test game

Quotes
[spoiler]
Quote from: Cafiend
It is a shame stupidity isn't painful.
Quote from: StormKnight
Totally true.  Historians believe that most past civilizations would have endured for centuries longer if they had successfully determined Batman's alignment.
Quote from: Grand Theft Otto
Why are so many posts on the board the equivalent of " Dear Dr. Crotch, I keep punching myself in the crotch, and my groin hurts... what should I do? How can I make my groin stop hurting?"
Quote from: CryoSilver
I suggest carving "Don't be a dick" into him with a knife.  A dull, rusty knife.  A dull, rusty, bent, flaming knife.
Quote from: Seerow
Fluffy: It's over Steve! I've got the high ground!
Steve: You underestimate my power!
Fluffy: Don't try it, Steve!
Steve: *charges*
Fluffy: *three critical strikes*
Steve: ****
Quote from: claypigeons
I don't even stat out commoners. Commoner = corpse that just isn't a zombie. Yet.
Quote from: CryoSilver
When I think "Old Testament Boots of Peace" I think of a paladin curb-stomping an orc and screaming "Your death brings peace to this land!"
Quote from: Orville_Oaksong
Buy a small country. Or Pelor. Both are good investments.
[/spoiler]