Hi all,
After lurking on these boards for a while, I thought I'd throw something out and get some of the good advice I see passed around.
Inspired by the character of Silent from Glen Cook's Black Company series, I'm looking to create an arcane caster of the Wizard variety, with a twist: he never uses verbal components. I know this is possible through the Metamagic Feat Silent Spell, but obviously it's not practical to have a reasonable wizard memorize all his spells with that. Instead, what I'm looking to do is make a class who casts all spells silently. Since this is a significant advantage, what disadvantages would you suggest to balance it out? I should add I'm looking to create a single caster that does this (at least in my current game) and since he's intended to be a mysterious figure the players will likely never learn any of his magic or be able to take a class in his level. He will be a recurring character, however, and so I want to know his details mechanically and have him on a sound footing. So, thoughts?
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
|
Hi all,
After lurking on these boards for a while, I thought I'd throw something out and get some of the good advice I see passed around.
Inspired by the character of Silent from Glen Cook's Black Company series, I'm looking to create an arcane caster of the Wizard variety, with a twist: he never uses verbal components. I know this is possible through the Metamagic Feat Silent Spell, but obviously it's not practical to have a reasonable wizard memorize all his spells with that. Instead, what I'm looking to do is make a class who casts all spells silently. Since this is a significant advantage, what disadvantages would you suggest to balance it out? I should add I'm looking to create a single caster that does this (at least in my current game) and since he's intended to be a mysterious figure the players will likely never learn any of his magic or be able to take a class in his level. He will be a recurring character, however, and so I want to know his details mechanically and have him on a sound footing. So, thoughts?
Short answer: Psionics
Long answer: Give him a feat that allows him to subvocalize his spells, with some level of a concerntration check.
Hi all,
After lurking on these boards for a while, I thought I'd throw something out and get some of the good advice I see passed around.
Inspired by the character of Silent from Glen Cook's Black Company series, I'm looking to create an arcane caster of the Wizard variety, with a twist: he never uses verbal components. I know this is possible through the Metamagic Feat Silent Spell, but obviously it's not practical to have a reasonable wizard memorize all his spells with that. Instead, what I'm looking to do is make a class who casts all spells silently. Since this is a significant advantage, what disadvantages would you suggest to balance it out? I should add I'm looking to create a single caster that does this (at least in my current game) and since he's intended to be a mysterious figure the players will likely never learn any of his magic or be able to take a class in his level. He will be a recurring character, however, and so I want to know his details mechanically and have him on a sound footing. So, thoughts?
For a quick fix, I'd consider use the curse mechanic currently in play for the Oracle,from the current APG playtesting, (Caster is deaf, with all the appropriate penalties, but all spells are cast with silent spell applied automatically).
Take a look at the oracle, they're a divine caster that has the option of casting all spells as modified with silent spell (and being deaf).
It should give you something to work from.
Interesting, that sounds like a good place to start.
well silent could talk and just didn't ... and wasn't a spell caster... a great concept but it will be hard to implement without breaking things ... I would give advice but I am not sure i have any
|
Since this is just for a single character in one campaign who is going to be handicapped by the inability to speak, why not just house rule the Silent Spell feat to not increase the spell level by one?
BTW, just finished "She is the Darkness" and I am waiting impatiently for "The Many Deaths of the Black Company" to come out. Must read novels IMO.
Since this is just for a single character in one campaign who is going to be handicapped by the inability to speak, why not just house rule the Silent Spell feat to not increase the spell level by one?
BTW, just finished "She is the Darkness" and I am waiting impatiently for "The Many Deaths of the Black Company" to come out. Must read novels IMO.
This is interesting. I've thought about letting take other classes take the Oracle curses as first level feats. It'd be interesting to take a "mute" curse that made it so you couldn't talk, but made all your spells affected by silent spell automatically.
Require Silent Spell, but have it actually heighten the spell as well. (Normally, a Silent Burning Hands would take a 2nd level slot but only be a 1st level spell; with this, it counts as 2nd level. This boosts save DC, remember)
The character may cast spells without applying Silent, but such spells can only be cast out of combat.
(The problem with just waiving the Silent requirement is that Silent is pretty damn useful at times.)
Require Silent Spell, but have it actually heighten the spell as well. (Normally, a Silent Burning Hands would take a 2nd level slot but only be a 1st level spell; with this, it counts as 2nd level. This boosts save DC, remember)
The character may cast spells without applying Silent, but such spells can only be cast out of combat.
(The problem with just waiving the Silent requirement is that Silent is pretty damn useful at times.)
Wouldn't that prevent ever casting a 9th level spell?
|
|
You could just Pick Pockets. From Races of Stone:
"SLEIGHT OF HAND
(DEX; TRAINED ONLY)
Sleight of Hand is a well-known skill of rogues, thieves, and street magicians everywhere. It also has a practical use to the magic-using world, allowing spellcasters to cast their spells while avoiding the notice of others.
Check: When casting a spell, you may make a Sleight of Hand check to make your verbal and somatic components less obtrusive, muttering magic words under your breath and making magic gestures within your sleeves. Your Sleight of Hand check is opposed by any observer's Spot check. The observer's success doesn't prevent you from casting the spell, just from doing it unnoticed.
Action: None. You make the check as part of your normal spellcasting.
Try Again: Yes, but after an initial failure, you take a -10 penalty on a second Sleight of Hand attempt against the same target (or while the same observer who noticed your previous attempt is watching you)."
Wouldn't that prevent ever casting a 9th level spell?Require Silent Spell, but have it actually heighten the spell as well. (Normally, a Silent Burning Hands would take a 2nd level slot but only be a 1st level spell; with this, it counts as 2nd level. This boosts save DC, remember)
The character may cast spells without applying Silent, but such spells can only be cast out of combat.
(The problem with just waiving the Silent requirement is that Silent is pretty damn useful at times.)
yeah
Yeah, that's a pretty big disadvantage. I'd never do it personally.
|
Wouldn't that prevent ever casting a 9th level spell?Require Silent Spell, but have it actually heighten the spell as well. (Normally, a Silent Burning Hands would take a 2nd level slot but only be a 1st level spell; with this, it counts as 2nd level. This boosts save DC, remember)
The character may cast spells without applying Silent, but such spells can only be cast out of combat.
(The problem with just waiving the Silent requirement is that Silent is pretty damn useful at times.)
That might be a fair trade off. Especially if it heightens the spell as suggested.
Wouldn't that prevent ever casting a 9th level spell?
? No it wouldn't. Please read ALL of what I said.
Skill Focus(Magic Use) seems to be your answer, as per the write up of the wizard Silent in the 3.5 Green Ronin Black Company setting.
Skill Focus(Magic Use) seems to be your answer, as per the write up of the wizard Silent in the 3.5 Green Ronin Black Company setting.
I had forgotten about that... that might be a great place to start... *slaps forehead*
I know this is possible through the Metamagic Feat Silent Spell, but obviously it's not practical to have a reasonable wizard memorize all his spells with that.
Well, look on the flip-side -- is it "reasonable" to have a character that is completely silent? That can be accomplished easier with other classes, but it's definitely hard for wizard/sorcerer -- hardest for the bard (who cannot use Silent Spell at all). I think you're asking for a reasonable way to do something unreasonable q:
In terms of game balance, requiring Silent Spell on all your spells indeed would require some very fancy spell preparation choices and interesting game play. If you rely on the wizard's spell-like abilities (no verbal components required) between level 1 and 2, then I think this is possible. Consider being an evoker -- that gives you a magic missile clone around 7-8 times a day. That should get you through the first 2 levels. With second level spells, you can take silent magic missiles (which don't scale poorly -- at 4th level 2d4 + 2 + 2 from intense spells, equivalent to 2d8 damage). Also consider being an elf/half-orc/dwarf and using your longbow/greataxe/warhammer proficiency and a high Dex/Str score.
Note that you can't use wands/staffs (or any command word/spell trigger item), can't cast spells from scrolls, can't communicate with your team normally. . . it would be a big challenge. But I think it's possible to do it -- but it's like playing a wizard on "hard mode".
Edit: the oracle ability is a bit of a stretch (I personally wouldn't allow non-oracle spells to be cast as Silent Spells -- regardless of Jason's ruling), but it's clearly the best way to go to achieve this concept mechanically.
Another possibility after a few levels would be to look at getting one of the Reserve Feats (from Complete Mage).
These provide a Supernatural ability to do ... something (damage, fly, etc.) based on spells, as well as providing a CL bonus for one sort of spell.
The effect is about half as strong as spells, but the effect can be used indefinitely (as long as you 'reserve' spells), it doesn't have a casting component (thus, silent!), and also has the nice advantage of ignoring SR.
making him mute, in exchange for being able to cast his spells silent in exchange for a feat and provided he always uses a somatic component for his spells seems reasonable.
If you do not want him to be mute, well a magic item as a metamagic rod possibly, as wizards can form an arcane bond with an item it could be a wand, staff or amulet he uses and enchanted only usable by himself.
I havent read the book though so I have no clue on what the character is supposed to be like exactly.
|
|
can't cast spells from scrollsWhat if the scroll is prepared with the metamagic feat Silent Spell?
What if the spell on the scroll has no verbal component?
The rules don't say "read the scroll out loud". They don't even say "move your lips while reading the scroll". Now, I can see that, if the scroll has a verbal component, that must be provided, but if not, then it is perfectly valid to cast spells from scrolls, is it not?
Zandari
I agree with the liberal use of the Sleight of Hand skill. Still uses a verbal component but characters have to use Perception to beat his Sleight of Hand to notice. Or maybe Bluff instead of Sleight of Hand would be more appropriate for verbal and Sleight of Hand for hiding somatic components.
-10 is probably a good adjustment for his skill check.
If he's mute then maybe he's taught himself how to overexaggerate the somatic component or create a somatic for purely verbal spells (or they're beyond his grasp). I was thinking of a mute character casting with big glowing sigils traced in the air, big bold gestures, and maybe even increasing the casting time by one step (standard to full round say) to balance the loss of a component. If he takes Silent Spell then he doesn't suffer the penalty to his casting on spells that he uses it on without having to use it on everything.
well silent could talk and just didn't ... and wasn't a spell caster... a great concept but it will be hard to implement without breaking things ... I would give advice but I am not sure i have anyIt's been years since I read the Black Company books.. but wasn't silent one of the company wizards along with Goblin and Pig Eyes (if I'm recalling their names right)?
-James
Wow, thread necromancy FTW!
Yeah, Silent was a spellcaster along with Goblin and One Eye. And he could talk but didn't. I think it would make a good, balanced Oracle curse (all spells get the Silent metamagic feat without increasing level, but the character CANNOT talk) and an interesting roleplaying challenge...
Hi all,
After lurking on these boards for a while, I thought I'd throw something out and get some of the good advice I see passed around.
Inspired by the character of Silent from Glen Cook's Black Company series, I'm looking to create an arcane caster of the Wizard variety, with a twist: he never uses verbal components. I know this is possible through the Metamagic Feat Silent Spell, but obviously it's not practical to have a reasonable wizard memorize all his spells with that. Instead, what I'm looking to do is make a class who casts all spells silently. Since this is a significant advantage, what disadvantages would you suggest to balance it out? I should add I'm looking to create a single caster that does this (at least in my current game) and since he's intended to be a mysterious figure the players will likely never learn any of his magic or be able to take a class in his level. He will be a recurring character, however, and so I want to know his details mechanically and have him on a sound footing. So, thoughts?
The reason those Black Company wizards work so well on a theme is that on the average magic is far more restricted than the average D+D setting.
I'd be willing to let a spellcaster do all his spells silently. The catch? Standard spells become full round actions and spells that take a full round action or longer double the casting time. Immediate cast spells (like feather fall) simply don't exist for such a caster.
That's a pretty good idea. It would be a significant disadvantage to balance his significant advantages. He just needs to stay away from the edges of tall things...
well, i realize this thread is old and you probably already used your npc, but i like this idea.
i would say go with a regular wizard and make him prep everything with silent spell as the normal rules require. i'm going with the ol' silence equates to stealth idea here, so i envision the following free benefits in exchange for the npc's vow of silence. i would also make him unable to communicate via telepathy or anyway except hand motions and writing.
lvl
1 highlander (as per the regional trait in the apg)
2 stealthy (as the feat)
4 skill focus stealth
6 fast stealth (as the rogue talent)
8 silent hunter (as per the elven alternate racial trait)
10 stealthy sniper (as the rogue talent)
12 camouflage (as per the ranger ability, all terrains considered favored)
14 nondection (as per the spell, continuous, caster level=character level)
16 hide in plain sight (as per the ranger ability, all terrains considered favored)
18 nondetection DC improves to 20+caster level
20 penalty for sniping, running, or charging drops to zeronow i dunno that i'd offer this to a PC, but i think it would work well for an NPC like you described.
Interesting...I like that. I never did use the NPC, but he will see life in another campaign I'm running. Muahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!