Partial Spontaneous Casting

[ericthecleric]

What do people think of this variant wizard class ability? Comments, please. (This isn't from any book; I've made it up.)

Partial Spontaneous Casting
By giving up your familiar, you become more flexible in your spellcasting, in that you may spontaneously cast a certain number of wizard spells per day.

Level: 1st
Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not gain a familiar.
Benefit: When you can cast two or more spells of a particular level, one of those spells may be cast spontaneously, just like a sorcerer. When you may cast four or more spells of a particular level, two of those spells may be cast spontaneously, just like a sorcerer.
Spontaneously cast spells take a full-round to cast, but may be chosen from any spells known by the wizard.
For example, a 6th-level wizard with 16 Intelligence may prepare four spells per day each of 0, 1st, and 2nd-level spells, and three 3rd-level spells. With this ability, two 1st-level, two 2nd-level, and one 3rd-level spell may be cast spontaneously.

[KnightErrantJR]

Two things I would bring up.

One, I tend to not like abilities that replace a familiar with an across the board ability, and this is why. One of the thigns that should make it difficult to choose another class is giving up progression in something that gets better in the main class.

So, if a wizard or sorcerer takes a PrC that allows them their caster progression, what they give up is their familiar's ability to gain new abilities and the like as they gain levels. If you replace the familar ability with something that does not get better over time, you have replaces an "ongoing" ability with one that gives one benefit, and thus doesn't really cause any kind of sacrifice if you multiclass from that class.

And yes, before you point this out, there are already a few official options that I feel make this mistake as well.

If you design something to replace the familiar ability, I'd look at the level points where familiars gain special abilities or grant them to their caster, and then try to spread out the benefits of the special ability across those levels, meaning that if someone multiclasses out of their main spellcasting class, they loose some of the benefits of that alternate feature.

As far as the special ability, I think that at most you may want to allow them one spell slot of each level as a "utility" spell, rather than making it more than one slot per level. Otherwise you start to make sorcerers, who outside if the sheer number of spells they can cast are a bit out of their depth with wizards, even more obsolete.

I took a run at alternate class features here, trying to keep in mind what I mentioned above, though I don't know how helpful this might be:

Alternate Class Features for Wizards and Sorcerers (Candlekeep Thread)

[Vendle]

This seems like a neat idea, but the math is a bit long. What if you changed the spontaneous spells to 1 spell-level per caster level /day? Would that still be balanced?

The next question is, since wizards don't have a 'spells known' column, would the spontaneous spells be limited to what they have memorized? Or spells they have scribed? I would expect the former, but if that's the case then some of the versatility of the option is lost. The latter option is far too flexible, even for a few spells a day (imo).

[ericthecleric]

You both raise fair points. I posted the idea on here so that posters could give their opinions on how to balance it, etc. The way I was thinking balancing it was that a sorcerer with the Arcane Preparation feat (FRCS/CArc) can Quicken say, two spells per spell level of spell levels 1-5 at level 20 (using level 5-9 spell slots), and still have four spontaneous spells per day at each level, which is a lot more flexibility than the wizard.
Perhaps the most balanced approach is to let the spontaneous slot(s) be restricted to casting spells that have been memorized already (rather than what's in the spell book).

[Saern]

I don't like it.

1. Many people never get a familiar anyways. You have to burn 100gp for something that may or may not be useful at all, something you may even forget exists from time to time, and if you do remember it and use it a lot, that class feature runs the very real risk of loosing you a ton of XP should something bad happen. Therefore, you're exchanging a class feature that many people never both with and has arguable value to begin with, in return for a class feature that almost every wizard will want, is obviously very practical and useful, and costs "nothing" (as opposed to the 100gp of the familiar). Doesn't seem like a good exchange to me.

2. I don't even like the concept. Note, this objection is purely personal preference, no so much a dispassionate look at game balance. Wizards prepare spells. Want versatility? Learn a lot of spells and make scrolls for backup situations. With proper research of a given situation, a wizard can deck out his available spells for the day much, much more appropriately than a sorcerer.

Sorcerers are versatile in the short-term, inflexible in the long term. Wizards are the opposite: inflexible in the short-term, very versatile in the long-term. I like that class identity and am resistant to attempts to change it.

[Peruhain of Brithondy]

There is a feat in the PH, practiced spellcaster IIRC, that allows a wizard to cast a limited number of spells without preparation. I'd use that feat, and if you make something more powerful, you've got balance issues. Familiars aren't that useful anyway, so giving them up shouldn't give you huge benefits. Another option for giving up familiars is in Dragon 338, an article that allows wizards to imbue a staff with special powers instead. Some of the feats listed there allow the wizard to cast a limited selection of spells from his staff as spell-like abilities, which also accomplishes roughly the thing you are trying to do with this feat.

[Saern]

Peruhain of Brithondy wrote:

There is a feat in the PH, practiced spellcaster IIRC, that allows a wizard to cast a limited number of spells without preparation.

Practiced Spellcaster raises one's arcane caster level by 4, to a maximum ammount equal to your HD. It's for multiclassed wizards and sorcerers, mainly. I know there's a feat in the Complete Arcane that allows sorcerers and bards to prepare spells (it was mentioned earlier in this thread), but I'm not so sure there's one to allow wizards to spontaneously cast.

However, Peruhain is onto something. I'd make what you're looking at a feat, not a class feature, and model it off the aforementioned one in the Complete Arcane.

Also, don't forget that you can leave spell slots blank and fill them up later in the day, so long as you have 15 minutes. That's actually a good idea when it comes to utilitarian spells; prepare battle spells that you may want quickly, but leave other spell slots open.

[Jeremy Mac Donald]

Saern wrote:

Sorcerers are versatile in the short-term, inflexible in the long term. Wizards are the opposite: inflexible in the short-term, very versatile in the long-term. I like that class identity and am resistant to attempts to change it.

Especially to morph them together. If one wants to give the Wizard a nice bonus not to take the familiar - something that I think is a bad idea anyway but to each their own, give them a bonus feat. Sure as heck beats out making the classes to similar.

[Jeremy Mac Donald]

Saern wrote:

Peruhain of Brithondy wrote:

There is a feat in the PH, practiced spellcaster IIRC, that allows a wizard to cast a limited number of spells without preparation.

Practiced Spellcaster raises one's arcane caster level by 4, to a maximum ammount equal to your HD. It's for multiclassed wizards and sorcerers, mainly. I know there's a feat in the Complete Arcane that allows sorcerers and bards to prepare spells (it was mentioned earlier in this thread), but I'm not so sure there's one to allow wizards to spontaneously cast.

There is a feat that allows one to take a spell and make it a Supernatural Ability, which is kind of similar. Though way more powerful.

[ericthecleric]

Last night I had a look at the Dragon article Peruhain mentioned. It seems a good idea, but while it mentions enhancing a staff using Craft Staff, it doesn't mention using Craft Magical Arms & Armor. For those who haven’t seen or don’t remember the article, at 3rd-level both ends of the staff are +1 weapons, and this improves so that by 20th-level both ends of the staff are +3 weapons with a free +1 special weapon effect (from a limited choice). I think the weapon abilities gained by imbuement should count towards the total weapon enhancement. So, a wizard with CMA&A might enhance either (or both) ends, but they must pay the cost of the next enhancement bonus and/or special weapon effect, minus the existing cost of the weapon (like improving any other magic weapon). For example, improving the enhancement bonus to +2 after 3rd-level would cost 3,000 gp per head; that is half (8,000-2,000).
Another thing: how have some of you handled the costs of cold iron weapons for staves and clubs (which are free)? Normally, the cost of a cold iron weapon is double the base cost of the weapon.

Saern: I’ve been bouncing these ideas because the wizard player in my game is a newbie, so I’ve been trying to think of ways to help him out. I think that your suggestion (of leaving a few slots blank, and preparing a few battle spells) makes a great deal of sense; I’ll remind the player of that.

[TWARIE]

Wizards can leave their spell slots blank to prepare later in the day, taking 15 minutes, so perhaps the ability could be used to shorten that preperation time so that given a couple of minutes a wizard could fill those slots.

Alternativly the ability could give the wizard an opportunity [int modifier per day times] to remove a spell that he has prepared and then spend 15 minutes to refill the slot. this way the wizard still has to Study and prepare, but gains some flexability without threatening sorcerers.

[Arctaris]

Why not just play a Sorcerer? You get more spells per day and you can cast them all spontaneosly.