To answer the original question, a Universalist sacrifices flexibility in their bonus spells. This allows them to better arm for a situation within their specialty than the Universalist.
Could you clarify this? As far as I can see, they don't sacrifice anything as they have much greater flexibility in selecting their bonus spells.
I'm still of the idea that the Universalist should not get any bonus spells at all...
They already have the better Supernatural abilities of all the schools at 8th and 20th level(and in most cases, even at 1st level), giving them also the same number of bonus spells of Specialists is overkill...
Plus, a Sorcerer would have LESS 1st-level spells per day than an Universalist and almost the same number of 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th-level spells. Compared to a Specialist, this is something reasonable; compared to an Universalist... sorry, this is something I don't like very much.
Universalists need to either lose the "school" abilities or lose the bonus spells. I'm in favor of losing the bonus spells. The way things are now, Universalist would still be extremely competitive even with just the bonus spells; getting to choose from any wizard spell at all, even ones they don't have in a spellbook, is an incredibly massive benefit. It allows them to cherry pick from the best spells and take the important spells that you generally only need to cast once a day (mage armor, mind blank, mansion, etc) as their spell-likes, leaving their spell books and spells memorized more open for spells that they may or may not need on any given day.
Adding Metamagic Mastery and Mastery Of All Schools on top of that is just silly.
Mastery of All Schools needs to go, by the way. It's utterly stupid that a Universalist (by definition a jack of all trades) is better at affecting targets with any arbitrary spell than a specialist at that spell's school.
Universalists need to either lose the "school" abilities or lose the bonus spells. I'm in favor of losing the bonus spells. The way things are now, Universalist would still be extremely competitive even with just the bonus spells; getting to choose from any wizard spell at all, even ones they don't have in a spellbook, is an incredibly massive benefit. It allows them to cherry pick from the best spells and take the important spells that you generally only need to cast once a day (mage armor, mind blank, mansion, etc) as their spell-likes, leaving their spell books and spells memorized more open for spells that they may or may not need on any given day.
Adding Metamagic Mastery and Mastery Of All Schools on top of that is just silly.
Mastery of All Schools needs to go, by the way. It's utterly stupid that a Universalist (by definition a jack of all trades) is better at affecting targets with any arbitrary spell than a specialist at that spell's school.
I would like to offer respectful disagreement with our post. Mastery of All schools is something the universalist SHOULD excel at. If the powers that be absolutely have to depower the universalist. I do not believe that it is needed in my opinion. However IF they have to then lose the bonus spells not the metamagic because of all the mages uni's make more sense to be better at metamagic because they do STUDY and cast from ALL the schools. They do not focus on just one nor are they the magical mutant x-man that a sorcerer is. If sombody is going to get a metamagic break in the game then the universalist is the best and most logical answer.
If you think that something is too powerful in your game then house rule city but don't depower the whole game just to try and keep balance. My point is, it's easier to restrict than it is to enhance.If you think the other casters are being short changed then add to them. I personally would love to see free item creation feats for all spellcasters like they did in 2nd ed AD&D. Clerics were better at potions so they could make them earlier than wizards but clerics couldn't make wondrous items. stuff like that can make for great flavor in your game. Does anybody else remember the class restriction on druids not being able to ever use any scrolls/ paper items. that made them use rune sticks as their one shot spell storage device, which only druids could use and it didn't take near as long to make.
In summation I hope pazio DOES NOT take anything away from universalist mages because I feel it is not needed.
I would like to offer respectful disagreement with our post. Mastery of All schools is something the universalist SHOULD excel at. If the powers that be absolutely have to depower the universalist. I do not believe that it is needed in my opinion. However IF they have to then lose the bonus spells not the metamagic because of all the mages uni's make more sense to be better at metamagic because they do STUDY and cast from ALL the schools. They do not focus on just one nor are they the magical mutant x-man that a sorcerer is. If sombody is going to get a metamagic break in the game then the universalist is the best and most logical answer.
You're talking about Metamagic Mastery.
I'm talking about Master of All Schools.
The two are completely different animals. Metamagic Mastery makes it easier for Universalists to use Metamagic'd spells. I approve of this. Mastery of All Schools gives Universalists the effects of greater/spell focus for all schools and greater/spell penetration (18 feats, effectively - except that they stack with the feats, too).
Like I said, it's utterly stupid that a generalist wizard has higher DCs and Spell Penetration rolls for ALL of his spells than a specialist wizard gets for even his specialized school.
i still don't get why this change was made from 3.5? I'm afraid the PF beta has fixed something that was not broke, and in the process - broke it.
IF the reason was to add more special flavor to the specialist, I would argue there is less - for instance in 3.5 50% of your automatically gained spells had to be in your focus school. now 0% have to be. I could be an evoker, and never put an evocation in my spell book. it's crazy. If I wanted, I could be an evoker, with no evocations, opposed to transmutation and only use polymorph spells all day. it's silly, and I don't like it.
so, I am a player who plays wizards most, and always specialized... in pf beta I plan to run a univeralist and just "specialize" myself.
My understanding of 3.5 wizards was that Specialists traded entire schools of magic for bonus spells. Univeralists had all schools, but no bonus spells.
In Pathfinder RPG Beta, it appears that Specialists lose a minor power for preparing certain schools. All Wizards, including Universalists, receive bonus spells (or their PF equivalent).
I think that is the true heart of the problem here. Giving bonus spells to the Universalist kind of puts the Specialist "out of business."
Prohibited schools are less of a sacrifice in PF, but the Universalist went from an obvious choice to an even more obvious choice.
You are understating it.
The Universalist when from being the obvious choice to the "Grossly Overpowered" choice.
HotA and the universalist school powers are just too good to get for free, when other casters must make sacrifices.
Actually, I think that the Lvl 1 and Lvl 8 abilities would be okay if the univeralsit did not also get bonus spells. The capstone (Lvl 20) ability - which should be powerful - still is a might overpowered in the Universalist's case.