Wizard Reskins for settings that Restrict ACTUAL Wizards.

[BlueStorm]

So, say one has a setting where Wizardry is a rare thing. Maybe One needs to be born with magic blood, meaning only sorcerers cast arcane magic. Maybe its simply that Nobody invented wizardry. Maybe there is no Magic at all. Maybe Knowledge on using magic is controlled.

Whatever the case, the game calls for a wizard, but a wizard isn't going to fit the situation. What does one do?

Here's a few I'm trying to think up:

Spellslinger: Yeah, I know it's already a wizard archetype, a wizard that uses a gun to cast their spells instead of other methods. All one has to do is fluff it up a bit.
Somantic: swinging the arcane guns around.
Materials: loaded into the cart-rage.
Focus: The Gun itself.
Magical Energy: Built into the gun or, loaded like a bullet.
Spell Preparation: Spell turned into a form of ammunition.

Advantages: Good for settings that are otherwise "Sorcerer only".
Disadvantages: Bad for settings without Magic, or little technology.

Hacker: So, Your world has no Magic, Why not try supper science? All one has to do is note that Data can be "Physicallised" in order to rewrite parts of reality.
Somantic: Tapping out commands on a virtual Keyboard that they programmed into themselves.
Materials: Magnetic Strip Cards with (possibly expensive) code triggers. Gets wiped by the static interference of the program.
Focus: An emitter perhaps? Like a radar dish.
Magical Energy: What Magic? It's a program!
Spell Preparation: Writing out an entire program; most programs would "Transfer" out of their tech influence once executed meaning that it would have to be wrote out all again for the next casting.

Advantages: Good for settings that are otherwise "Sorcerer only", Good for settings Without any Magic.
Disadvantages: Bad for settings without super science.

Woven Wizard:
Assuming that you're using a sorcerer only setting, one could roughly assume that some may have figured out a way to use the parts of Magical beasts or magical plants to work as their preferred source of magical energy when they have none of their own. And they could easily take those parts and craft them into gloves that substitute for their lack of innate magic. Assume it otherwise works like a normal wizard.

Advantages: Good for settings where it's technically "Sorcerer only". Works as a good explanation of wizardry in itself.
Disadvantages: Setting won't stay "Sorcerer only" for long.

...

Well, that does it for me for tonight, feel free to post your own reskins.

[Belle Mythix]

Blur the line between Sorcerer and Wizard.

the Final Fantasy series has some way to look at it.

[Natan Linggod 972]

I was going to do something like that for a game.

How I thought to restrict things was to make 2 new traits that had to be taken at 1st level.

One for wizards, one for sorcerers, that would allow a player to take the class. Without the trait you couldn't cast arcane spells.

Bards in this game were going to be non-casters or a type of sorcerer, I hadn't decided.

[Ciaran Barnes]

If anyone in the campaign world is going to be the rare class, its a PC. You say Wizards exist, right? You have magic in your blood. Enough to cast cantrips anyways. You have studied with wizards and others who know about this rarity and turned your knack into a calling.

[A Ninja]

BlueStorm wrote:

Supper Science

Tasty

[darkwarriorkarg]

Ciaran Barnes wrote:

If anyone in the campaign world is going to be the rare class, its a PC. You say Wizards exist, right? You have magic in your blood. Enough to cast cantrips anyways. You have studied with wizards and others who know about this rarity and turned your knack into a calling.

That's what people seem to be forgetting...

"It's a super rare class!"

PCs and super-important NPCs (Big Bosses) are the ones who should have those

Eberron was constructed in that way. Any super-high level casters or martials were legendary or otherwise out of action. If anyone was going to have legendary skills, it was the PCs.

[Helaman]

Natan Linggod 972 wrote:

I was going to do something like that for a game.

How I thought to restrict things was to make 2 new traits that had to be taken at 1st level.

One for wizards, one for sorcerers, that would allow a player to take the class. Without the trait you couldn't cast arcane spells.

Bards in this game were going to be non-casters or a type of sorcerer, I hadn't decided.

I use this for ALL spell casters with Bards having the options to replace spell casting with a bonus feat for every new spell level and rangers, paladins getting a feat at level 4 to replace casting.

This was for a LOW magic, E7 game.