In one of my regular groups we are playing AD&D2. A traditional houserule allows spellcasters total flexibility in choosing spells. Think of it like a sorcerer, but with full access to all spells on the spell list resp. spell book.
Now, if we were to play 3.x, this rule would make the sorcerer pointless. To avoid this, I´ve been thinking about a houserule that would be a middle way between the total flexibility and the RAW memorizing.
I would allow wizards, clerics etc. to either memorize spells as per RAW, or leave the slot open in the morning, and have them roll if they want to cast a spell. This roll would be d20 + 1/2 caster level + ability modifier against a DC of 10 + spell level. If they don´t make the roll, the slot is not wasted, but they have to try again. If a "1" is rolled, the slot is wasted (and I´m thinking about using the Critical Fumble Deck). I´ve set the roll and the DC to achieve a good chance to succeed - otherwise, why bother - but also a chance to fail. Also, a higher level caster has an easier time to cast low-level spells successfully, but still no guaranteed success, which is the way it should be IMO. The ability mod is more added for flavor, as I think it important that a "better" caster should have a higher chance of succeeding.
I know that this flexibility is somewhat unbalancing, that is why I introduced a failure chance. And I think that the sorcerer is still a viable class that way.
I see the dilemma. Looking at the math, a 10th level wizard with an 18 Int would have a chance equal to ((1/2*LVL=)5+4+1d20) 19.5 against a DC ranging from 10 (0 level spell) to 15 (5th level spell). With that +9, they will succeed in recalling the 5th level spell on a 6 or better. Similar equation for the cleric.
What you're really doing is introducing a chance to use the Critical Fumble deck by allowing PCs to attempt to cast a non-prepared spell, and on the roll of a 1 guaranteeing a wasted slot. Under this method, would a sorceror get to try for spells not on his spells known list? If not, then the only thing that happens is that the wizard, druid and cleric have increased breadth of spells available, for a risk. More fun for the DM, of course. :D
Sorcerors would still be powerhouses of throwing out fireballs, but the wizard would have even more flexibility. IMO, one could double the amount of spells known to a sorceror and there would be no "loss" to balance. They would just blow through them faster.
The most flexible spell caster in 2.0 was in Al-Qadim the Sha’irs
CLASS FEATURES
Spells: Sha’irs do not memorize and cast spells in the same way that elemental mages and saher do. Instead the Sha'ir uses his gen familiar to retrieve an arcane or divine spell from extra-planar sources. This power is described fully in Arabian Adventures.
Sha’irs may send their gen to look for any spell, Arcane or Divine, but the time it takes the gen to search and the DC for the gen to locate the spell very depending on the spell’s type. Gen may only hold one spell at a time.
If the Sha’ir requests an Arcane spell that a Sorcerer of his level and Charisma could normally cast (according to PHB, Table 3-16), then the gen searches for 1d6 rounds plus 1 round per level of the spell.
If the sha’ir requests an Arcane spell that a Sorcerer of his level and Charisma could not normally cast, then the gen searches for 1d6 minutes plus one minute per level of the spell.
If the spell is not native to the Land of Fate or is a Priest, Druid, Bard, Ranger, or Paladin spell, the gen searches for 1d6 hours plus one hour per level of the spell.
Table 3-3 shows the DC of a given spell search and factors that modify the spell search roll.
Table 3-3: Spell Search
DC
Spell Type
10
General Knowledge (i.e. 2nd level or lower) Arcane spell
12
Other sorcerer/wizard spell
18
Divine, Cleric, Druid, Bard, Paladin, Ranger, or Outland spell
Modifiers to the Spell Search Roll
Each level of the Sha’ir: +1
Each level of the spell being sought: -2
Repeating a failed search of the same day: -2 (cumulative)
The Sha’ir’s Charisma bonus
The sha'ir can cast a spell in the same round that the gen returns with it as a movement equivalent action without provoking an attack of opportunity. Sha'ir may choose to "take ten" but this means the gen will be gone for the longest possible time (6 rounds/minutes/hours plus one per spell level). Sha’ir may not "take twenty" for spell search rolls.
Sha’irs who request divine spells have a chance of attracting the unwanted attention of the gods who grant such spells. There is a risk of ten percent per level of the divine spell that “divine retribution” will result from the attempt. This is fully described in “The Perils of Priest Spells” on page 99 of Arabian Adventures.
Basically for what you want in your game is essentially eliminate the wizard and sorcerer as they exist in your game and run something along the lines Montgomery Cook did in his Arcana Evolved and and what was done for the WOW d20 settings. (this was used for divine magic as well)
Casters essentially can prepare a given number of spells per spell level. They can then use spell slots to fire off those prepared spells as they choose.
How about something like Cleric's spontaneous casting? The Wizard can select INT mod spells that they can sacrifice a memorized spell of equal or higher level to cast.
The DC itself in the OP is ok. It stacks well with levels. Honestly, I would make the DC a bit harder, since the character WILL have a high int mod. 15 + spell level is more like it.
I would prefer to see spont casting from a wizard who took Spell Mastery. That's a feat the gets too little use, and would make a wizard for more versital.
As an aside, i would like to see sorcerers get the their int mod to bonus spells known at each level. Increases MAD and gives them more versatility as well.
The Sha´ir was even converted to 3e in one issue of Dragon. While still a very interesting concept, this is too far away from a regular wizard for my purposes. (I love the Al-Qadim setting, it captured that arabian feel just great IMO.)
The relatively low miss chances are by purpose - if they were much higher, the risk would outweigh the benefits IMO. If you go for 15+spell level, it is basically a 50/50 chance at a +4 ability bonus. OTOH, if just missing the DC does not make you lose the slot, it is probably still ok.
Keying it to the relevant ability is interesting as well. This could be used for a feat, like "Spontaneous Casting" This feat allows a spell caster who memorizes spells to drop a memorized spell for one spell of the same or a lower level that is cast spontaneously, like clerics casting spontaneous healing spells. The caster can choose one spell per relevant ability bonus point. It needs to be a spell the caster has in his repertoire otherwise. Every four levels after taking this feat, one of these spells can be changed for another one.
Or one could expand spell mastery to cover this as well, and allow other casters to take this feat for that purpose as well.
Using feats for this gives some, but not total flexibility. I think this might be a really good solution.
After considering the issue further, I think I will do the following:
- casters that memorize spells per RAW will still have to do so
- clerics can drop spells for healing spells, again as RAW
- any memorizing caster can drop a spell and try to cast one spell he knows on the fly. Roll d20 + 1/2 caster level + relevant ability modifier against a DC of 15 + spell level. He has to state which spell he wants to cast. The spell can be of lower level than the original memorized spell. It can not be modified by metamagic feats.
If he changes his mind after an unsuccessful attempt, the slot is used up. If he rolls no success, he can try again next round. If he rolls a 1, he fumbles, losing the slot and experiencing a fumble effect. In non-combat situations, this will be "roll once, if it is not a 1, you are fine".
- the spell mastery feat is expanded: any memorizing caster can take it. A number of spells equal to his relevant ability modifier can be spontaneously cast, as above, but without failure. Every four levels after taking that feat, one spell can be exchanged. The feat can be taken multiple times for different spells.
With the changed spell mastery feat, the DC for not mastered spells needs to be higher than in my original idea, I think. Otherwise, the feat would be less attractive.
Thanks again for your input that helped in finding that solution.
I love, love, LOOOOVE point-based systems, so having wizard-as-written plus some metamagic points (ability to cast metamagic without increasing spell level, but spending a limited number of points per day), and allow someone to swap out a spell prepared to cast a spell that hasn't been prepared.
On another note, I think LPJ Design's UndeFEATable line has a feat list for wizards which allows a person to swap out a higher-level spell to spontaneously cast a single level lower that the wizard knows. ++FLEXIBILITY;
After considering the issue further, I think I will do the following:
- casters that memorize spells per RAW will still have to do so
- clerics can drop spells for healing spells, again as RAW
- any memorizing caster can drop a spell and try to cast one spell he knows on the fly. Roll d20 + 1/2 caster level + relevant ability modifier against a DC of 15 + spell level. He has to state which spell he wants to cast. The spell can be of lower level than the original memorized spell. It can not be modified by metamagic feats.
If he changes his mind after an unsuccessful attempt, the slot is used up. If he rolls no success, he can try again next round. If he rolls a 1, he fumbles, losing the slot and experiencing a fumble effect. In non-combat situations, this will be "roll once, if it is not a 1, you are fine".
- the spell mastery feat is expanded: any memorizing caster can take it. A number of spells equal to his relevant ability modifier can be spontaneously cast, as above, but without failure. Every four levels after taking that feat, one spell can be exchanged. The feat can be taken multiple times for different spells.
With the changed spell mastery feat, the DC for not mastered spells needs to be higher than in my original idea, I think. Otherwise, the feat would be less attractive.
Thanks again for your input that helped in finding that solution.
Stefan
Honestly I think adding this kind of flexibility to prepared spell casters makes spontaneous casters completely pointless. Wizards can already cast 1 spell per day spontaneously through a bonded item, there is the illacretous cogitation feat from 3.5, and ofcourse they can leave spell slots open in the morning when they prepare spells, and fill in a new spell there with 15 minutes of prep time later on in the day.
Overall wizards are way more flexible then sorcerors, adding in more then what they already have leaves spontaneous casters out in the cold.
Honestly I think adding this kind of flexibility to prepared spell casters makes spontaneous casters completely pointless. Wizards can already cast 1 spell per day spontaneously through a bonded item, there is the illacretous cogitation feat from 3.5, and ofcourse they can leave spell slots open in the morning when they prepare spells, and fill in a new spell there with 15 minutes of prep time later on in the day.
Overall wizards are way more flexible then sorcerors, adding in more then what they already have leaves spontaneous casters out in the cold.
Hmmm... 1 spell/day spontaneously is not much and won´t harm anything IMO.
Where is this feat from? Is it OGL? What does it do?
I never played with the "leave spell slots open in the morning" rule. To be honest, I don´t think I really remembered it existing at all until you mentioned it. This rule would not part of my game, as it would indeed be too much combined with the other ideas above. Thanks for pointing it out.
My aim is to give casters a little more flexibility without making spontaneous casters pointless, so I´m very thankful for your help here.
I've been thinking about a houserule that would be a middle way between the total flexibility and the RAW memorizing
Rezdave's Houserules for Giving Wizards a Little Flexibility:
I developed a set of House Rules some time during 2nd Edition for Magic-Users and their spells that carried over to 3rd Edition quite nicely. It involved minimal book keeping for low levels, and modest book keeping for higher levels but no dice or failure chance.
Here are the issues the House Rule was designed to address:
At low class levels, a Magic-User has a limited spell selection and even more limited castings, necessitating that the caster maximize the effect of every spell cast;
The requirement to Prepare spells in advance unfairly hinders low-level Magic-Users, who unlike a Weapon-oriented class cannot simply "change weapons" to account for different circumstances or foes than were anticipated at the start of the "adventuring day";
Even at higher character levels where more spell slots are available and a Magic-User can prepare a variety of spells to cover a variety of possible threats that may be faced, the MU's highest-level spells of which s/he can only prepare 1 or 2 per day are still the most valuable and most needed to be "correct" for the calibre of threats to be faced;
Not allowing the MU some degree of flexibility at the time of spellcasting not only hinders the MU but indeed proves a liability to the entire party, given that at higher levels the party increasingly relies upon the immediate damage-output and/or circumstance-control offered by the MU's most powerful spells;
Offering high-level MUs too much flexibility unbalances their already tremendous power;
MUs routinely cast the same selection of spells every day and should be so intimately familiar with them that daily "study" is not necessary; furthermore, they should probably develop an ability to cast them quite quickly or via some "shorthand" method.
In other words, low-level MUs with few spell slots need a lot of flexibility while higher-level MUs need less flexibility, but need it in the right place.
I developed a set of House Rules that covers both sets of circumstances fairly simply. It works like this:
1) Wizards must generally prepare their spells normally per RAW;
2) A Wizard is granted a number of "Free Spell Levels" per day equal to their Character Level, allowing the Wizard to leave slots "Open" and used for spontaneous casting;
3) A Wizard may designate a certain number of spells as "Favored"; spells so designated equal the Wizard's Intelligence/Spell-Level and are determined level-by-level as opposed to across the entire spell selection;
4) A Wizard requires that a spell be studied, prepared or cast every day for 7 days to become "Favored" and thereafter must be studied, prepared or cast at least once every 7 days in order to maintain this status (access to a spell book generally hand-waves this requirement and book keeping ... but if the mage is captured or loses their book it becomes important);
5) A Wizard may change Favored spells at any time; an "outgoing" Favored spell immediately loses its status while an "incoming" spell does not become Favored until it has been studied for 7 consecutive days as per #4;
6) A Wizard may spontaneously cast any Favored spell of a viable level (i.e. equal or lower) through any Open (aka Free) Spell Slot at any time per normal Action rules.
Put into practice, this means:
A 1st Level Wizard gets their single 1st level spell slot completely open and totally spontaneous ... and they need it. A 2nd Level Wizard gets both of their 1st level spell slots Open, and still needs it (Int. or Specialization Bonus spells must be prepared normally);
A low-level Wizard will generally have more Favored slots available than there are spells in their book, meaning all spells are effectively Favored and eliminating low-level bookkeeping;
A 3rd Level Wizard can designate their 2nd level slot and a single 1st level slot open (for a total of 3 Open spell levels, equal to their Caster Level) or can designate three (3) 1st level spells Open if they have a Bonus Spell;
Generally speaking, a Wizard above 1st Level will be able to leave open their highest two (2) non-Bonus spell slots, these being the levels at which they require the greatest flexibility in their casting and at which they have the fewest slots for preparing;
A Wizard with an 18 Intelligence will be able to designate as favored 18 1st level spells, 9 2nd level spells and so forth up to 2 9th level spells, thus allowing them great flexibility with lower level (and presumably basic) spells but not offering high-level casters potentially unbalancing flexibility with top-level (and presumably more complex) spells.
The "overall flexibility" is greatest at low levels, while higher-level Wizards increasingly prepare and cast per RAW.
In over 20 years of using this system I've found it to be pretty straight-forward, but more importantly it offers Mages a fair amount of simple flexibility they (and the party) need without becoming unbalancing or requiring excessive bookkeeping.
I've been thinking about a houserule that would be a middle way between the total flexibility and the RAW memorizing
** spoiler omitted **...
Wow. I have to read it again to fully grasp the concept, but it seems quite workable, and has a nice balancing factor woven into it. THanks a lot for sharing.
it seems quite workable, and has a nice balancing factor woven into it. THanks a lot for sharing.
Thought you might like it. I believe it achieves all the desired goals (flexibility, balance, simplicity, perhaps a certain elegance) and has worked very well for me.
As I stated, it seems to offer flexibility where and when needed, but is inherently self-balancing. At higher levels it will require some book-keeping (my GF's Evoker is about to hit 9th level and, with the defeat of 3 wizards in the last Story Arc resulting in a massively expanded spellbook is for the first time having to seriously consider Favored status), but it works well with existing mechanics without requiring anything particularly new and has no die-rolling to slow things down.
I don't know if anyone has ever taken it away from my game, but the other DMs who Play in my group seem quite content with it.
Best,
R.
P.S. Let me know if you have further questions ... I'll keep checking :-)
Rezdave, I just translated your houserules and did the math regarding favored spells and put together a table with two open spell slot distributions from level 1 to 20. The open slots are really not all that much in higher levels. The number of favored spells decreases sharply with higher spell levels, of course. All in all, it should balance nicely. If I get around to GMing PF, I will use this system.
Do you use the system for clerics also? In the PF rules, 1st level cleric spell number around 30, so a cleric could choose about half of them as favored. Or do you think that the spontaneous healing spells are enough?
It is geared for Hero System, but you might find Killer Shrike's Magic Design interesting reading. Vancian is your typical D&D style magic. He does have some variants of Vancian. Off of the top of my head, I do not think any of them are quite what you are looking for here, however, you might find some inspiration.
Rezdave, I just ... put together a table with two open spell slot distributions from level 1 to 20. The open slots are really not all that much in higher levels.
A 1st or 2nd level Wizard with INT 11 (obviously an NPC who barely made it out of the apprenticeship paid for by his wealthy parents) will have 100% spell flexibility (not counting cantrips). A PC (bonus spells a given) will have 50% or 67% flexibility respectively.
Yes, the overall percentage of flexibility decreases, and as you noticed it basically remains the two highest-level non-bonus slots that are Open. However, because I offer Open slots on a spell-point system, nothing forces a 17th level Wizard to open a 9th and 8th slot. She might have limited spell selections at these levels (particularly with the decreasing Favored issue) or know exactly what opponent she plans to face, and so instead decides to open a 5th, 5th, 4th and 3rd in order to have flexibility at these levels for "control" since she knows what all of her higher-level stuff needs to be.
My GF's Evoker is about to hit 9th level, but routinely opens up lower level slots in case she needs energy or magic missiles or utility and prepares her "big bangs" which she pretty much will use regardless.
Stebehil wrote:
Do you use the system for clerics also?
*Grins*
Rezdave's Completely Different System for Divine Casters:
So when 3rd Edition came out I found Clerical Domains a shoddy substitute for 2nd Edition Spheres of Influence and Specialty Priests. Therefore, I completely re-wrote the system.
It's worth mentioning that I never liked the Cleric conceptually even from 1st Ed. Forcing all divine casters into a Knights Templar/Hospitaller "warrior-priest" stereotype never worked for me. Also, the inflexibility of the LG-only Paladin comme Sir Galahad (though an old Dragon magazine presented a cool "paladins of other faiths" article) and the "Paladin Code" caused problems.
Instead, I dumped both Cleric and Paladin with 3rd Edition. What I liked most about 3.x is the introduction of the Feat/Skill mechanics as integral to the definition of Class and Character (better even than Rogue ability %-flexibility in 2nd) and the idea that now, much like spell selection, everything was based upon "slots" rather than hard-coded into a class (I even went so far as to turn Rogue and Ranger abilities into "slots" so now a Ranger can take an Animal Companion sooner or a Rogue can trade out a Sneak Attack die for something more appropriate, such as a Charisma-Rogue choosing to gain Speak Language and Knowledge, Nobility as Classed skills). I felt that the RAW Paladin was more an "example" of a holy-warrior than a true Class which, like a Fighter's Bonus Martial Feats, should have open slots for different Divine Abilities based upon their deity. Really, a Priest/Fighter multi-class should work just fine, and the Paladin is superfluous.
Anyway, I replaced them with Priest and Templar, resulting in a d6 divine caster (a "divine wizard, if you will) as well as a d8 warrior-priest. One directly wields the power of their gods but is not a strong combatant (though is less bookish than a wizard) while the other wields the weapons of men supplemented by divinely-granted powers to defend the temples and property of the Church and lead its Orders of lay-knights in crusades against its enemies.
Now, here's where it gets really interesting:
Domains as Spheres of Influence
• 3rd Edition Domains become Spheres of Influence per 2nd Edition, and include all Core with select Expansion Domains as well as a handful of "Obsolete" 2nd Ed. Spheres;
• All spells, whether arcane or divine, are keyed to one or more Domains/Spheres depending upon their nature, purpose and effect;
• Domains/Spheres are individually accessible to deities as is appropriate to their Portfolio, with varying levels (usually limited to 3rd, 6th or 9th) and quantity appropriate to both the Portfolio and Divine Rank of the deity in question.
Rules Governing Priest and Templar Casting
• Priests are entirely spontaneous casters of divine spells to which their deities grant them access, allowing a high-level Priest of a deity of Fire so cast fireball dozens times (using higher-level slots) if desired;
• Templar, being primarily combat-oriented, must prepare their limited spell slots per RAW and cannot cast anything spontaneously;
• Both classes utilize a "prayerbook" somewhat similar to an arcane "spellbook", which contains "codified texts for specific prayers that priests have, over the years, found to function best in gaining a deity's attention and maximizing the desired response" though for practical purposes it's more of a book-keeping instrument for Player and DM ... Priests don't actually need access to one, and if they lose it this will not hinder them;
• The size of the "prayerbook" of a Priest or Templar is a factor of their Level and Wisdom, and the exact contents of the prayerbook will vary individually from priest to priest within the spells to which the deity offers access.
The Massive Required Prep-Work for a New Deity to Enter the Campaign
So a Player comes into the game and wants to play a Priest of a deity for which there does not yet exist a codified spell-list ... what's a DM to do?
• First, the entire Spell Library of the game must be placed in a database and all spells Domain-keyed (fortunately, this need only be done once);
• A second, referencial database is then developed for tracking the spells of the Deities (again, only done once, though a new record is created for each new deity);
• Domains and Levels of Access are selected for the deity based upon their Portfolio and Rank, producing within the cross-referenced databases a list of all spells the deity could conceivably grant based upon Domain keys;
• The master "Hit List" is culled to select appropriate and inappropriate spells based upon the "personality" of the deity and "flavor" of the spell;
• Selects are sorted by Level and culled again to a limited number of "unique" spells on a level-by-level basis which depends upon the Divine Rank of the deity as well as a judgement of the "Organization" of the Church (1 = barely-known minor deity with small cults who do not inter-communicate or perhaps even compete ... 5 = a large, continental or world-wide Church that communicates and shares codified spells and doctrine among all member congregations of a widely known and broadly worshipped deity central to the pantheon);
• The pre-determined number of 9th level spells are chosen first, which are then used to designate any "subsumed" spells at lower levels (e.g. Summon Monster IX subsumes all lower-level summon monster spells while Shapechange subsumes Polymorph, Alter Self and so forth;
• Unique, non-subsumed spells are then chosen level-by-level in descending order until the entire spell-list for the deity is chosen;
• Note that different Sects within a single Church might have different doctrines and thus slightly different spell lists (i.e. certain spells being unique or absent from a given order).
Although spells are chosen from top-down, one must assume that they were developed from bottom-up by the evolving Church. A newly discovered god of Healing with a small group of worshippers might only offer them cure minor wounds, detect poison and cure light wounds until his worship has spread beyond a small group of villages. As the faith grows and more people worship the deity and his Priests begin to rise in level the deity is finally able to offer them 2nd level spells (note that a 9th level High Priest of a newly-revealed deity might be running around limited to a handful of 1st level spells and a half-dozen orisons ... though it's hard to get to 9th level with that limitation). When the combination of Deific Rank and Church Organization finally allows the priesthood to cast 2nd level spells, in the case of this god of Healing cure moderate wounds will subsume cure light wounds such that the lower level spell no longer counts against one of the "unique" slots allotted the deity and another spell can be added to the list, in addition to any that were gained by increasing Rank or Organization.
Note that this progression is also the way individual Priests evolve their lists. A Temple might provide an 'up and coming' adventuring Priest with a handful of "prayers" of levels higher than can currently be cast by the individual, assuming that she will rise in level over time and gain them. Otherwise, the only higher level spells she is able to cast are "upgrades" of her current spells until she returns to her Temple for more training.
Needless to say, this is all a lot of work for DM and Player to prepare and manage a Divine Caster, but it can be very rewarding.
Comparing Priests and Wizards
• Priests have complete flexibility in casting the spells within their "prayerboook" while Wizards have increasingly limited flexibility within their spellbook;
• Priests will often have more spells available from which to select, particularly at higher levels as spell-subsumation greatly expands the base of their "level pyramid";
• Priests "automatically" gain new spells as higher levels become available to them via "upgrading" spells within a subsumation chain while Wizards do not automatically acquire new spells as they level;
• Wizards (and in PF even Specialists) can cast any spell for which they obtain the text while Priests can only cast the spells in their prayerbook;
• Wizards have greater "potential flexibility" in their spell casting than Priests because they can prepare any manner of spell to which they have gained access while Priests are limited in the types and effects of their spells by the Portfolio of their deity;
• Wizards can gain new spells over the course of their adventuring via plundered spell books, purchasing or trading spell texts with other Wizards and other sources while Priests can only upgrade spells along "subsumation chains" or by returning to their temple if prayer-texts have not been provided in advance;
• A Wizard can change or adapt the focus of their spell book over time to nearly anything desired while a Priest is limited by the Spheres/Domains of their deity;
• Wizards can operate any plundered arcane magic items (wands, staves, scrolls, etc.) while Priests will generally only utilize divine magic items enchanted by the power of their own deity (or a close ally) and might actually destroy otherwise useful items that were crafted and imbued by the power of a rival deity (this happened recently in our campaign where the party defeated a priest of a Pirate-Patron deity and destroyed all of his magic items, including a powerful Staff of the Pirate Leader that would otherwise have been quite useful in managing their newly-acquired ship and benefiting their crew);
• Priests have great flexibility within a narrow range of options while Wizards have limited flexibility within a wide range of options.
I just came around to read you take on divine casters. I agree with the position that 2e spheres were a good thing, and that the "holy warrior" cleric is not all there should be. A while ago, a few folks on these boards developed a more flexible cleric class, with some options similar to your class ability slot system (I honestly don´t recall everybody involved, I had a small part in that), called the non-generic cleric. Your approach is indeed very involved, but I can see the intent behind it. It is at the moment a little too intricate for my needs, but the idea of re-introducing the spheres of influence might be something I will try to do as well, albeit with less effort. After all, most of the spells from 2e are still there, so it should not be too difficult to do so.
A while ago, a few folks on these boards developed a more flexible cleric class, with some options similar to your class ability slot system (I honestly don´t recall everybody involved, I had a small part in that), called the non-generic cleric.
That effort was led by Grindor, with input from Dragonmann and myself.
You may choose a number of prepared spells per day as stated in the core rules. For each spell level you may not exceed your allowable spell total for that day but you may cast any combination of your prepared spells. ie if you prepare sleep, magic missile, colour spray, and read magic you may cast any combination of those spells up to your allowed total. If your total daily 1st level spells is four: 4 sleep _or_ 2 magic missile and 2 colour spray but not more than 4 spells.
Sorcerer's have more slots per day and they may draw from their entire available spells, as normal. I usually give them another spell known at each level.
Sorcerer's have more slots per day and they may draw from their entire available spells, as normal. I usually give them another spell known at each level.
You need to give them new spell levels at the same time wizards get them for that to work. Wizards get 2nd level spells at 3rd level while sorcerers get them at 4th. Unstagger that and they will have more spells per day. However, they could stand to have a few more slots per day if you're going to let wizards be sorcerers that can change their spells known each day. Or just drop the sorcerer class.
