Low-magic wizard alternate class

[Thelemic_Noun]

There have been a great many forum threads regarding low-magic games, E6, limiting magic items, and other ways to restrict spellcasters, largely due to their ability to outshine the martials and poke huge holes in numerous classic types of story.

Many responses in these threads come from players upset at the changes, and accuse the DM of being unable to manage a campaign properly within the existing rules.

As an alternative to arbitrarily capping the level of the players to keep game-breaking spells out of their hands, I came up with a rough outline for alternate classes that might solve some of the problems. The first is the wizard.

Design Philosophy: This alternate class is intended to work by keeping the lower-level spells relevant throughout all levels of play, rather than simply replacing them with doomsday spells. In your average game, metamagic rods are strictly better than feats, due to their linear scaling with level as opposed to the quadratic scaling of spell power with level. In a game without ready access to metamagic rods, the metamagic abilities granted by this alternate class feature are an excellent way to keep up.

Likewise, the Spell Mastery and Preferred Spell class features give the caster a bit more leeway, since they aren’t rendered completely useless without their spellbook and can afford to prepare more niche spells, knowing they can trade them for a few things like haste if necessary. This helps make up for the reduced availability of scrolls in a lower-magic world.

Metamagic attunement simultaneously increases the viability of certain feats while also solving the problems with others, such as Dazing Spell and Persistent Spell.

The changes to the spell list make scry-and-fry much more difficult to carry out without removing anything from the game.

The Spellwright (wizard alternate class):

1: Preferred Spell, metamagic attunement, altered spells
2: Metamagic mastery
3: Preferred Spell
4: Spell mastery
5: Preferred Spell, elemental attunement
6: Powerful spells (+1 DC)
7: Preferred Spell
8: Spell shaping -1
9: Preferred Spell
10: Powerful spells (+2 DC), elemental attunement
11: Preferred Spell, Intensify Spell, cantrip mastery
12: Arcane Blast, powerful spells (+2 DC)
13: Preferred Spell
14: Fast Study
15: Preferred Spell, elemental attunement
16: Spell shaping -2
17: Preferred Spell
18: Powerful spells (+3 DC)
19: Preferred Spell
20: Elemental attunement, unbound magic

Spells Per Day:

... 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6
1: 3 / 2 / – / – / – / – / –
2: 4 / 3 / – / – / – / – / –
3: 5 / 4 / – / – / – / – / –
4: 5 / 5 / 2 / – / – / – / –
5: 6 / 5 / 3 / – / – / – / –
6: 6 / 6 / 4 / – / – / – / –
7: 7 / 6 / 5 / 2 / – / – / –
8: 7 / 7 / 5 / 3 / – / – / –
9: 8 / 7 / 6 / 4 / – / – / –
10: 8 / 8 / 6 / 5 / 2 / – / –
11: * / 8 / 7 / 5 / 3 / – / –
12: * / 8 / 7 / 6 / 4 / – / –
13: * / 9 / 8 / 6 / 5 / 2 / –
14: * / 9 / 8 / 7 / 5 / 3 / –
15: * / 9 / 8 / 7 / 6 / 4 / –
16: * / 10 / 9 / 8 / 6 / 5 / 2
17: * / 10 / 9 / 8 / 7 / 5 / 3
18: * / 10 / 9 / 8 / 7 / 6 / 4
19: * / 10 / 10 / 9 / 8 / 6 / 5
20: * / 10 / 10 / 9 / 8 / 7 / 6
* = irrelevant due to cantrip mastery class feature.

Class Chassis:

Hit Die: d6
Base Attack Bonus Poor
Good Saves: Will
Poor Saves: Fortitude, Reflex
Skills: 2 + Int per level
Class Skills: Appraise, Bluff, Craft, Diplomacy, Fly, Heal, Intimidate, Knowledge (all skills, taken individually), Linguistics, Profession, Sense Motive, Spellcraft
Armor and Weapon Proficiencies: As wizard.

Spellcasting:

The spellwright learns and prepares spells ahead of time from a spellbook, just as a wizard does, and from the wizard spell list, with the exceptions noted in the altered spell list entry. Their starting spells and the spells they add to their spellbook at each level are the same as the wizard. Their available spells per day and maximum spell level are different, as shown in the table.

Metamagic Attunement (Ex):

Certain metamagic feats work differently on spellwright spells. When using Empower Spell, Maximize Spell, or Intensified spell on a spellwright spell, the feats are applied in this order: Intensified Spell, then Empower Spell, then Maximize Spell.
However, Dazing Spell applied to a spellwright spell can only daze targets for a maximum of 1 round, even if the level of the spell would ordinarily make it longer.
In addition, when a spellwright spell is modified by the Persistent Spell feat, a target that succeeds on their initial saving throw gets a +4 bonus on their second saving throw.

Altered Spells:

Wizard spells of 7th level and above are not on the spellwright’s spell list for purposes of using magic items. The spellwright adds wind walk, word of recall, and refuge to their spell list as 6th-level spells. The spells scrying and teleport are 5th and 6th level spells for a spellwright, respectively.

When cast by a spellwright, the teleport spell functions like the wizard spell, except as follows: Teleporting characters or objects disappear instantly, but teleportation takes a number of rounds equal to the number of miles traveled (minimum of 1 round). During this time, characters at the destination of the teleport can make a Perception check (DC 20). If the check succeeds, they are aware of the incoming teleport. If the distance of the teleport is a mile or less, characters at the receiving end of the teleport will only have a surprise round in which to take actions before the teleport is completed. Outgoing teleport spells leave a teleport trace during the duration of the teleport. Characters at the source of a teleport can make a Perception check (DC 20) to spot the teleport trace. Teleport spells and similar effects can be used to automatically follow the original teleport, although the caster will not know where the teleport spell goes until they arrive. Spellcasters who are aware of the incoming teleport can attempt to prevent the teleport by casting dispel magic or greater dispel magic on the teleport destination before the teleport is completed. If a teleport is countered, blocked, or otherwise disrupted the character or object being teleported returns to its original location.

Spoiler:

[spoiler=Preferred Spells (Ex)] At 1st level, the spellwright gains Preferred Spell as a bonus feat. The spellwright need not meet the prerequisites in order to receive this bonus feat. At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and every odd level thereafter, the spellwright gains Preferred Spell again as a bonus feat. Whenever a spellwright gains a level, they can exchange one of their Preferred Spells for another spell they can cast of the same level.

[spoiler=Metamagic Mastery (Su)] At 2nd level, you can apply any one metamagic feat that you know to a spellwright spell you are about to cast. This does not alter the level of the spell or the casting time. You can use this ability once per day at 2nd level and one additional time per day for every two spellwright levels you possess beyond 2nd. Any time you use this ability to apply a metamagic feat that increases the spell level by more than 1, you must use an additional daily usage for each level above 1 that the feat adds to the spell. Even though this ability does not modify the spell's actual level, you cannot use this ability to cast a spell whose modified spell level would be more than 1 above the level of the highest-level spellwright spell that you are capable of casting.

Spell Mastery (Ex):

At 4th level, a spellwright becomes so familiar with their spells that they can prepare some of them from memory. This works like the Spell Mastery feat, but the number of spells is equal to ½ the spellwright’s caster level + their Intelligence modifier. At 5th level and every level thereafter, the spellwright can exchange one mastered spell for a different one of any level they can cast.

Elemental Attunement (Ex):

At 5th level, the spellwright gains Elemental Spell as a bonus feat. At 10th, 15th, and 20th level, they gain Elemental Spell again, choosing a different energy type. Using Elemental Spell does not increase the level or casting time of the spell.

Powerful Spells (Ex):

At 6th level, whenever a spellwright casts a spell, the saving throw DC increases by 1. At 12th and 18th level, the DC increases by an additional 1.

Spell Shaping (Su):

At 8th level, the spell level increase of all metamagic feats decreases by 1 for spellwright spells you cast. You cannot reduce the level adjustment below 0. At 16th level, the spell level adjustment decreases by an additional 1.

Intensify Spell (Ex):

At 11th level, the spellwright gains Intensify Spell as a bonus feat. They can apply it to any spell they cast without changing the spell level or casting time. At 16th level, they can apply the feat to raise the damage cap by 10 dice rather than 5.

Cantrip Mastery (Sp):

At 11th level, the spellwright can produce the effect of any spellwright cantrip in their spellbook or the polypurpose panacea spell as a spell-like ability at will, with a caster level equal to their spellwright caster level and an effective spell level of 1st.

Arcane Blast (Su):

At 12th level, the spellwright gains Arcane Blast as a bonus feat. The range of the blast changes from 30 feet to close (25 ft + 5 ft./2 levels), and the damage is 2d6 + 2d6 points of damage per level of the slot sacrificed. The spellwright may power the blast with a cantrip, dealing 2d6 damage.

Fast Study (Ex):

As the wizard discovery. Once per day, the spellwright can prepare a spell in an open spell slot as a full-round action. They must have their spellbook available or have selected the spell for Spell Mastery or Preferred Spells in order to do so.

Unbound Magic (Sp):

At the pinnacle of their magical studies, a 20th-level spellwright can use limited wish as a spell-like ability once per day, with a caster level equal to their spellwright caster level. This power does not require a 1,500 gp diamond, but any expensive material components, foci, or other unusual requirements of a spell are also required to use this ability to duplicate it. Unlike most spell-like abilities, unbound magic has the same casting time as the spell it is meant to duplicate.

[wraithstrike]

If a player makes those complaints then he will still complain about this classes especially since it caps spells at level 6. Those lower level spells mean lower save DC's. Many will probably just for a bard since they also get armor and medium BAB among other things.

PS: I am not saying this class is bad. I am saying for the reasons listed it will meet the same scrutiny if players think they are being "capped".

[Thelemic_Noun]

The save DC issue was already addressed. Their 6th-level spells will have the same DC as a normal caster's 9th level spells by class level 18.

Also, people are inherently more hostile to the idea of E6 than they are to an alternate class, especially if they read the class features.

And thanks to the metamagic adjustments, this class is just as good at blasting as a regular wizard.

[Ciaran Barnes]

Interesting. I've been kicking around a wizard-type who has 4 level casting and wondering what to do about the low DCs. The only strange thing I see this is that the crb wizard is pretty unflavored, meaning the player chooses options that define what kind of caster it is. When I see abilities like elemental attunement and arcane blast, I see something more akin to an evoker.

[Thelemic_Noun]

Another problem with lowered spell progression is gimped summon monster abilities.

If that is a problem (and it may not be), there are two solutions.

1) If you are intent on low magic, give a class feature that duplicates Augment Summoning at 7th level, and increase the bonus by 100% at 13th and 17th level.

2) Adjust the summon monster spell levels on their list as follows:

1st: Summon monster I
2nd: Summon monster II
3rd: Summon monster IV
4th: Summon monster V
5th: Summon monster VII
6th: Summon monster VIII