Evocation bonus spells

[MJinthePitt]

I noticed in the Hero's Handbook that Wizard's specializing in Evocation get a bonus Scorching Ray (at 3rd level) and Fireball (at 5th level) according to the Wizard description.

Any chance this is a rule that should actually carry over into the Core Rule Book?!? I'd love to bring this one up to my GM.

[Aiddar]

MJinthePitt wrote:

I noticed in the Hero's Handbook that Wizard's specializing in Evocation get a bonus Scorching Ray (at 3rd level) and Fireball (at 5th level) according to the Wizard description.

Any chance this is a rule that should actually carry over into the Core Rule Book?!? I'd love to bring this one up to my GM.

If I remember correctly, you already get this in the core rules - a specialist (evoker in this case) gets an additional spell of levels he can cast.

Example:- A L1 evoker starts with 1 1st level spell, PLUS a bonus spell (of the evocation school) PLUS bonus spells for INT. As soon as he can cast L2 spells (i.e. 3rd level character), he gets a 2nd level spell PLUS a bonus (evocation) spell, PLUS bonus spells for int.

Pretty sure that is how it works, but I am away from my rulebooks atm....

Good luck

Aiddar

[Jeraa]

Its already in the core rules, for specialist wizards.

Quote:

Each arcane school gives the wizard a number of school powers. In addition, specialist wizards receive an additional spell slot of each spell level he can cast, from 1st on up. Each day, a wizard can prepare a spell from his specialty school in that slot. This spell must be in the wizard's spellbook. A wizard can select a spell modified by a metamagic feat to prepare in his school slot, but it uses up a higher-level spell slot. Wizards with the universalist school do not receive a school slot.

[MJinthePitt]

Jeraa wrote:

Its already in the core rules, for specialist wizards.

Quote:

Each arcane school gives the wizard a number of school powers. In addition, specialist wizards receive an additional spell slot of each spell level he can cast, from 1st on up. Each day, a wizard can prepare a spell from his specialty school in that slot. This spell must be in the wizard's spellbook. A wizard can select a spell modified by a metamagic feat to prepare in his school slot, but it uses up a higher-level spell slot. Wizards with the universalist school do not receive a school slot.

How have I missed this?!? Wow!

Thank you so much!

[Paul Zagieboylo]

I don't know, how have you missed this? It's pretty much the main reason for a wizard to specialize; this is what you're giving up two "opposition" schools to get. Universalists don't get this bonus (this is why universalism sucks). The Beginner Box just restricted it so that all evokers choose magic missile, scorching ray, and fireball, rather than having their choice of any evocations of the appropriate levels, under the general theme of the BB taking away choices that new players could get wrong and thereby screw their character over.

[MJinthePitt]

Paul Zagieboylo wrote:

I don't know, how have you missed this? It's pretty much the main reason for a wizard to specialize; this is what you're giving up two "opposition" schools to get. Universalists don't get this bonus (this is why universalism sucks). The Beginner Box just restricted it so that all evokers choose magic missile, scorching ray, and fireball, rather than having their choice of any evocations of the appropriate levels, under the general theme of the BB taking away choices that new players could get wrong and thereby screw their character over.

I came in at 3rd level and was told how many spells to pick, etc. Apparently I've been casting these bonus spells all along but it was never spelled out why I was casting x-number of spells per level. I hadn't noticed the difference between the PCGen character sheet and the spell chart in the Core Rules.

My fault, I know. But it turns out I have been memorizing the bonus spells. Just didn't know that I was.

[Shalafi2412]

Universalists do not have to give up 2 schools do they?

[Paul Zagieboylo]

Shalafi2412 wrote:

Universalists do not have to give up 2 schools do they?

Correct. Universalists can freely prepare any spells of the appropriate level. The problem is, having fewer spells per day is utterly crippling. One extra spell per level doesn't seem like a lot, but it really is, and opposition schools aren't really as bad as they seem. Usually a specialist can find two schools that he wasn't really going to cast intentionally anyway, so losing them isn't that much of a hardship. For example, evokers can usually get away with restricting necromancy and either enchantment or abjuration, now that mage armor is conjuration. As long as you remember not to restrict divination, conjuration, or transmutation you should be fine; divination includes detect magic and the other two contain far, far too many good spells that you really don't want to do without. Anything else is probably fine. It's even possible to make a perfectly good enchanter or conjurer with evocation restricted; you'll never be much of a blaster, but conjuration has a couple of decent blasts if you really need one, and otherwise you can do all sort of neat non-blasting stuff.

[Shalafi2412]

Paul, I like how Pathfinder changed the specialist. It was pretty bad in 3.0 and 3.5.

[Paul Zagieboylo]

I agree. If you know ahead of time that you will absolutely, definitely need this spell today, even though it's from an opposition school, you can still prepare it. It costs double slots, which is bad (basically eliminating your specialization bonus slot), but you can still do it if you really, really need to. Much better than being completely locked out.

Heck, you can even restrict divination if you feel gutsy. How often do you really need detect magic anyway? (Pretty often, but if your cleric promises to always have it ready you might get away with it.)