Idea- Revamping Arcane Schools (Ideas would be loved)


Homebrew and House Rules


I'm kinda thinking of ideas on how to re-do arcane schools to make it both more flavorful, as with Cleric domains. Currently, I'm thinking of this- Level 9 spells cannot be added automatically, but must be scouted for. Secondly, more class features for your arcane school! However, this comes at a price- Drawbacks. An example would be, let's say, the Divination school banned:

Level 3: -5 against scrying effects

Level 5: You can only have 5 ranks in perception.

Level 7: Blinding effects last twice as long.

Level 9: Fail all divinations

Level 11: When you cast a spell, be blind for 5 rounds.

Level 13: Become Blind, permanently

Level 15: When you cast a buff on someone, they must make a DC 20 will saving throw, or become depth for two round

Level 17: When you cast a buff on someone, they must make a DC 20 will saving throw, or become blind for three rounds.

Level 19: You automatically fail all divination, and when one is cast with you the target, take damage equal to the casters hit die.


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I'm not sure where we're going with this. I can't see benefits being comparable to those penalties so far (blinded after casting a spell, etc.).

As for revamping arcane schools, I do have input: I've cut down on the schools by half, and described each school as having two 'aspects'.

Alteration: Transmutation and Abjuration, regains the [Teleportation] sub-school, and gains most force spells and effects (like mage armor, etc.) Transmutation alters existing things, and abjuration often protects against alteration, or the Chaos (mutation) vs. Law (preservation) aspects play an important part in the theme.
Mysticism: Divination and Necromancy are combined under Mysticism, with the duality of soul (divination) and body (necromancy) being a paramount theme. The new [Undead], [Soul] sub-schools help giving distinct character. Also, like many other GMs, I've thrown the [Healing] sub-school to Necromancy--by extension Mysticism. As balancing, I've removed the [Fear] sub-school from Necromancy.
Invocation: By removing the [Teleportation] sub-school from Conjuration, most abilities like creating matter and energy overlap from a physical perspective, and form much of its theme of energy being interchangeable with matter. Thus, I combined them together.
Illusion: Combined Illusion and Enchantment, removed the [Charm] sub-school, and folded its effects to [Emotion] effects, which subsume Fear. Bravery works against charm, fear, and Calm Emotions, etc. The dominant theme is that emotion is an illusion, and although one facet focuses on internal control (enchantment), and one external (illusion), they all see the world as 'part of the greatest illusion; life'.

Universal gains all 'Word' and 'Symbol' spells, and is mostly otherwise unchanged.

When a wizard chooses a school, they can choose a focus, or an aspect to focus upon from within the school.
Of course, this makes barred schools more severe: An illusionist focusing on the illusion aspect gains class abilities as per the Pathfinder Illusionist, and counts all enchantment spells as benefiting from his class abilities, but giving up Invocation and Alteration (four collective schools) may lead to wizards becoming even more focused and specialized.

As for school-specific abilities, I've designed school-specific feats that scale with caster level. I'll add them if I find them.

RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 16

Getting crippled by my own abilities doesn't sound very fun at all, actually.


This mostly sounds like a nerf and downsides without a whole lot of upside. I doubt too many players will want to trade utility for flavor when you can build your own flavor. It's not fun to suffer a crippling downside. I mean blindness in a wizard would be a bit of a disaster with no offset. I would not enjoy these changes.


Create Mr. Pitt wrote:
This mostly sounds like a nerf and downsides without a whole lot of upside. I doubt too many players will want to trade utility for flavor when you can build your own flavor. It's not fun to suffer a crippling downside. I mean blindness in a wizard would be a bit of a disaster with no offset. I would not enjoy these changes.

Yeah- That's the downside to Divination being a banned school- I suppose it really is a fair bit harsh. But that's the primary downside- I'm currently trying to think of, less "Single" school powers, and more Multiple school powers, rather than two or three school powers.

And, yeah, to be frank, it is supposed to be kinda a nerf- Kinda trying to drop Wizard from tier 1 to tier 1.5 or so. UNLIMITED POWER comes at a sizable cost.

RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 16

Vagabond? wrote:
And, yeah, to be frank, it is supposed to be kinda a nerf- Kinda trying to drop Wizard from tier 1 to tier 1.5 or so. UNLIMITED POWER comes at a sizable cost.

Every change should be done to make the game more fun to play. All of these nerfs just feel like punches to face than an attempt to tone down their power.


Cyrad wrote:
Vagabond? wrote:
And, yeah, to be frank, it is supposed to be kinda a nerf- Kinda trying to drop Wizard from tier 1 to tier 1.5 or so. UNLIMITED POWER comes at a sizable cost.
Every change should be done to make the game more fun to play. All of these nerfs just feel like punches to face than an attempt to tone down their power.

Indeed- But the thing is, I'd like for Arcane schools to be more... Flavorful. Not as it is now- More abilities that truly drill home what the arcane school is about. As it is, you gain about three nifty abilities in most arcane schools, but neither really give, to me, at least, the feeling of them being too separate from one another. However, yeah, I made the drawbacks too tough- Though, admittedly, because Divination isn't that useful for most combat-focused wizards. I'll have to think of alternative ideas, though, yeah, the idea, as it currently is, is rubbish.

Verdant Wheel

Maybe design could start with Oracle Curses, in which opting into a Curse grants access to an additional School?

Or, maybe add another Forbidden School to your list to choose from an expanded set of upgraded Specialty Schools?


Here's something I'm working on that I like to put up for review

Wizards must choose five schools or elements, one which becomes their primary, two secondary, and two tertiary. They cannot cast spells from any other schools or learn them. They can cast spells from their primary school up to 9th level, secondary up to 6th level, and tertiary up to 3rd level. If a Wizard choose to be a universalist, he starts off with all schools as tertiary schools and receives the Spell Breakthrough feat as a bonus feat. The Wizard gains one metamagic feat they qualify for for their primary school upon choosing it. Metamagic feats applied to that school have their level adjustment reduced by 1 level (Minimum +0) and casting times are not affected.

Spell Breakthrough
Requirements: Wizard Level 1
Description: Your research has given you the ability to understand new and more powerful spells. When you choose this feat, choose a school of magic, this school becomes a tertiary if you were unable to cast from it before, secondary if it was a tertiary, or primary if it was a secondary.

This feat can be taken multiple times

So now, when you take the Evocation school, you can actually call yourself an Evocationist. Rather than being a little better at evocation and just have to put a little extra effort to cast from your opposed schools.


Arrius: Your combined schools is a pretty nifty concept, and I'm curious about these school-specific feats you mentioned.

Opuk0: I like your idea quite a bit. That feat though seems pointless. Who would want to play a Universalist if they have to invest in a feat to boost one of their schools past level six? I don't know, seems like it needs something else, or just do away with Universalists.


Well, personally I feel like being able to get three levels of advanced spellcasting to be pretty worthwhile


Yes, but since you're forcing the Universalist to choose his higher-level schools anyway, you're better off dumping the universalist and sticking with the eight specialists.

Dark Archive

For those who feel this is too restrictive, please. Wizards have had plenty of utility in the past, even when you had forbidden schools, and any who complain I challenge are you sure it wouldn't just be because you feel 'entitled' to play the wizard that can do anything?

Remember, there is a Wizard Guide titled 'Becoming a God', so really a bit of nerfing should NOT be treated as a bad thing or a punch in the gut. I admit, I much prefer the Arrius's suggestions over that of the original poster on how to go about revamping the wizard but still.

I am actually of the camp that while Paizo did many things write... get rid of forbidden schools and replacing it with opposition school as not a good move. I feel spellcasting as a whole could do with some revision. At the very least I feel DMs shouldn't be quick to encourage wizards blowing all their spells in a single encounter and excepting they be allowed to rememorize their spells right after.
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If I were to revamp wizards I would consider adding a 'tiring' mechanic, which would go up as a wizard casts higher level spells but go down as they go up in class level. With this I would have it that wizards are not SAD, perhaps having it that Constitution is just as important to their spellcasting as Intelligence (with Sorcerers having Constitution and Charisma).

Also, expanding on this revamp have all 'full casters', thus counting clerics and druids, have low BAB and less combat abilities so that Fighters, Rogues, and Monks actually have a purpose in the party. Partial to quarter casters such as paladins, magus, rangers, and bards having more of a middle ground or balance between combat and spellcasting.


@Jonathan: Regarding the tiring mechanic: have you checked the Blackfang Mana system?

Link to my post on the Piazza website

The system by design discourages dumping spells, mostly due to that mana costs do not allow for a caster to go NOVA, and encourages them to apply lower-level spells tactically. A DM may lower spell costs or increase base Mana to tweak the system to their liking, however.

By popular demand, I will post the Magic Disciplines idea and relevant promised feats on a separate thread.

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