I’d like to get the community’s thoughts on a variant I’m considering...I've been playing around with a variant sorcerer for my homebrew setting and I was thinking of having the sorcerer start-off with one of these abilities instead of a familiar: Spontaneous Dark Lightning (Su) or Dark Lightning (Su) which are detailed below. Can't decide which is better as far as balance and flavor. Other aspects of the variant are limited weapons proficiency (club, dagger, light crossbow, and quarterstaff) and possibly one or two spell-like abilities at mid and late level.
Spontaneous Dark Lightning (Su)
A sorcerer can channel stored spell energy in the form of raw arcane power, firing bolts of dark lightning that fill a cone-shaped burst from his eyes or fingertips. The sorcerer can “lose” a spell slot from his highest spell level available in order to fire bolts of dark lightining equivelent to the same spell level or lower. These dark lightning bolts travel a maximum of 90 ft. and deal 1d4 damage per Sorcerer level (maximum 10d4) to each creature within range. The sorcerer can choose to limit the damage of his bolts, by rolling less damage dice than he’s capable of. He must make this decision before he makes his attack. A succesful reflex save against DC 10 + 1⁄2 the sorcerer’s HD rounded down + his Cha modifier, reduces damage by half.
Dark lightining bolts do not emit heat or light, nor do they ignite combustible materials. If the dark bolt stikes an interposing barrier and causes enough damage to shatter or break through it, the bolt may continue beyond the barrier to its full range; otherwise, it stops at the barrier.
...Or...
Dark Lightning (Su)
A sorcerer is able to channel raw arcane power through his body, firing bolts of dark lightning that fill a cone-shaped burst from his eyes or fingertips. These dark lightning bolts travel a maximum of 90 ft. and deal 1d4 damage per Sorcerer level (maximum 10d4) to each creature within range. The sorcerer can choose to limit the damage of his bolts, by rolling less damage dice than he’s capable of. He must make this decision before he makes his attack. A succesful reflex save against DC 10 + 1⁄2 the sorcerer’s HD rounded down + his Cha modifier, reduces damage by half.
Dark lightining bolts do not emit heat or light, nor do they ignite combustible materials. If the dark bolt stikes an interposing barrier and causes enough damage to shatter or break through it, the bolt may continue beyond the barrier to its full range; otherwise, it stops at the barrier.
Dark lightning is physically draining for the sorcerer. Every time the sorcerer uses his dark lightning ability, a saving throw must be rolled to resist fatigue. This roll is a fortitude saving throw against DC 10 + ½ the number of damage dice rolled rounded down. If this saving throw is failed, the sorcerer immediately becomes fatigued. If the sorcerer is already fatigued, he becomes exhausted.
If the sorcerer becomes exhausted he will be unable to use his dark lightning until he is no longer exhausted. In addition, in order to cast spells while exhausted, the sorcerer must suceed on a fortitude saving throw against DC 10 + level of the spell. If the sorcerer fails his fortitude save, the spell fails and is lost, additionally, the sorcerer becomes stunned for 1 round. Recovery from fatigue and exhaustion are as normal.
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I recommend taking a look at the reserve feats from the Complete Mage. I think they do the sort of thing you are looking for quite well. As a replacement for a familiar, you could design a class feature that works like a reserve feat but can use any spell, as opposed to needing one from a certain school or with a certain type.
As written, the first version isn't so hot. They burn a high level spell slot for something less powerful than the spell they could be casting instead. The second version has the opposite problem - too powerful. With a good fortitute save (by boosting Con, etc), the sorcerer has an at-will "eldritch blast" which, coupled with full spellcasting, is too much. You could make the fort save cumulatively more difficult, but that would be a pain in the butt to keep track of during play.
Ahhh...I see, the Reserve Feats do introduce an interesting dynamic there. Thanks for pointing that out.
Durendal,
Where are you that this is th etime you post?
Did you take your Avatar name from French lore or from the, "The King's Blades" novels?
Okay...you've discovered my secret, I'm a notorious night-owl. I stumbled upon Durendal when doing research on famous swords a year or so ago, it's indeed from the French poem...
"Ah! Durendal, white art thou, clear of stain!
Beneath the sun reflecting back his rays!"
Probably sounds better in the original French...
Woo hoo for Le Chanson Du Roland!!! RE the actual topic, this seems a lot like the Warlock, no?
Realized that I didn't answer the question, how sneaky of me: T'was New York City whence I posted...
Back to the post, yeh it does share the blasting caster idea, but I was trying to achieve something more akin to the sorcerous types in some of my fiction...
I guess what I want is a caster who can make somekind of sacrifice for an instant (maybe even desperate attack) - hmmm, what would you think of some kind of temporary Con damage?
Still going over the Reserve Feats.
I guess what I want is a caster who can make somekind of sacrifice for an instant (maybe even desperate attack) - hmmm, what would you think of some kind of temporary Con damage?
Still going over the Reserve Feats.
Taking subdual damage might work well too-- say, do 1d4 damage per HP you sacrifice. (If so, I'd reduce the range-- or say 1 HP for a 30' cone, 2 for a 60', and 3 for a 90'.) That might mirror the "spend your own energy to power an effect" of some fiction.
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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I guess what I want is a caster who can make somekind of sacrifice for an instant (maybe even desperate attack) - hmmm, what would you think of some kind of temporary Con damage?
Still going over the Reserve Feats.
Sounds to me like you're doing something very similar to the way Force powers work in Star Wars d20. A character spends Vitality points (basically HP) to power the use of his Force skills. One of them, of course, is Force Lightning (remember Palpatine in Episode VI?) which does damage to all the foes in a cone (sadly, the Force powers in this system are hideously underpowered, doing 3d6 damage at most I believe).
The obvious difference in the systems is that SW d20 actually has Force SKILLS (i.e. you buy ranks in them and make checks to use them with ability modifiers applied) while this would just be a basic ability. I agree that subdual damage is probably the way to go with this. Maybe say that the sorcerer can take 2 subdual damage for each 1d6 of damage he wants to deal to a maximum of his own HD? Just a thought.
...Maybe say that the sorcerer can take 2 subdual damage for each 1d6 of damage he wants to deal to a maximum of his own HD? Just a thought.
I really like that idea, opens the door for that dramatic turn of battle opportunity with all the risks involved. Perhaps the casters meat-shields...er, allies are felled by something leaving the caster alone and exposed...time to take a chance - although I imagine an experienced caster would have other means to get survive such a scenario...still, I like the flavor of the subdual damage idea.