Who gets custody? Divorcing spell lists and other magical problems.


Homebrew and House Rules


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So for a while now, I've been wanting to divorce the spell lists of the Arcanist, Sorcerer and the Wizard. I don't see why these classes have to share spell lists. It forms a connection that shouldn't be there. They shouldn't use the same list if they are two different classes. It is a holdout from 3.0 that needs to be modified in my opinion. Of course, I believe the same is true for the Cleric/Oracle/Warpriest spell list.

Similarly, I have ideas on divorcing the Hunter from the Druid and Ranger lists. I'll just make a comprehensive list for Hunters based on the other two class lists, at the appropriate levels. To divorce the Skald from the Bard, I'm going to reflavor the Skald a bit and give him a few different spells, including those that deal with spirits and stuff (my Skald is influenced by the spirits of his ancestors).

Now, I've been trying to think of ways to do this. I thought maybe about limiting the Sorcerer's list to more damaging spells, and less of everything else. Wizards would be mostly utility. Arcanists I'm less sure on how to handle. Perhaps an average amount of spells taken from both lists is the way to go on that one.

I've thought about using different magic subsystems to better represent the differences between the spontaneous and prepared casters that use the same list. Specifically, I thought about Words of Power for Sorcerers and the Variable Level Spells for the Wizard. Now, the Wizard is simple. Being a prepared caster, he can choose at the start of the day to prepare a variable level spell at a lower or higher level than normal, provided he can cast spells of that level. I chose to give them Variable Level Spells because I believe that Wizards tinker with magic, tweaking it to suit their individual needs.

But I have a problem with Words of Power. Or a few problems actually.

Problems:

1) If I use Words of Power for Sorcerers, I'd need to either convert their bloodline spells or give them different ones based on the wordspells.

2) Words of Power is lacking in versatility, which I suppose is ok for the Sorcerer since I was going to limit their spell selection anyway. But I'd still like to buff it up with some additional words. I have looked, and managed to find some here. And this post seems to provide some support for what is there. But neither option really fulfills what I'm looking for, even together.

3) The words in Words of Power aren't one word for each spell effect, I'd like to change that. Not a big deal, that's just flavor. I was thinking of tying them to runes and using the Dragon Shouts from Skyrim to determine their name.

4) This presents a problem for Arcanists, unless I wanted to give them a mix of Words and regular Spells. Which I'm not sure how that would work exactly.

5) Words of Power doesn't really fit other spontaneous casters to me, such as the Oracle, so I'd still be at a loss on what to do there.

So unless these problems can be addressed in a way that seems logical to me, I can't use Words of Power as is. But I have some other thoughts on it.

Thoughts:

1) My original idea for Words of Power after discovering the issues listed above was to turn it into a system for players to design their own spells. They pick words as normal, and use them to determine their spell's effective level. They can then name the spell whatever they please (I've always been partial to Bigby's Burning Hands) and flavor it how they want. Would that work? I don't know. It wouldn't tie into the game world that way, but it would still be a use for it.

2) My secondary idea for it is to tie it into a runic language like I mentioned above, and use feats to grant people the ability to cast new spells when they find/know enough of the runes (again, Dragon Shouts). I think this one is pretty cool, especially if each rune has some associated minor power that they can use without the need for others, and has some nice flavor to tie it into the lore of the campaign world. Though I think there might be a 3pp system for this that might work, because I found this.

Now, for divorcing the Cleric/Oracle/Warpriest list, I'm much more at a loss on how to proceed. In my game, I'm getting rid of traditional alignments in favor of this one, so perhaps I could just remove alignment spells altogether from the Warpriest's list. They still exist, they are just reflavored as White (law/good), Red (chaos) and Black (evil) spells. But since White is both law and good (morality), it wouldn't make a lot of sense to allow an evil Warpriest to use them. So I'll just do away with them from the list, and keep the Warpriest list to 6th level spells at the highest.

That leaves Clerics and Oracles. Aside from using Words of Power or Variable Level Spells, I'm at a loss on what to do here. Both of them are full casters, so it's not as simple as cutting the spells off of the one who gets them too high. And I'd like to keep them both full casters too.

Perhaps Clerics and Oracles should be the reverse of Sorcerers and Wizards; Clerics be the one with a smaller list of more fire-power, and Oracles be the utility Divine casters. Clerics in their armor seem more like the ones to blast enemies or stick to the front lines boosting allies rather than the armor-less Oracles. Oracles would instead have more healing and utility based spells, hanging out behind the party ready to help whoever falls.

And I haven't even considered what to do for the Investigator and the Alchemist. They too share a "spell" list. I'm less concerned though, because in my homebrew these classes aren't considered casters in the traditional sense, but rather they are scientists so to speak. They think of ways to duplicate magical effects using mundane means. I'm still debating whether or not dispell magic should effect their extracts/infusions/potions/whatever.

Whew, that's a lot of writing. So, any feedback would be helpful, especially if it involves useful ideas on how to make these spell lists different. You get even more points if you post complete lists for the Arcanist, Cleric, Oracle, Sorcerer and Wizard that are unique from each other.

Scarab Sages

Your idea is, I think, worthy of consideration. I have this much to contribute:

This sourcebook for Arthurian D&D (worth picking up on its own merits, if I may say so) posited that the difference between sorcery and wizardry ought to be that sorcery is more immediate, spontaneous, and spectacular, while wizardry is slower, subtler, and longer-lasting. A Wizard is more disposed to enchant Fighters to better fight the enemy whereas a Sorcerer is more disposed to confront the enemy directly, a Sorcerer would favor dominate person whereas a Wizard would favor mass charm person, a Wizard would favor flesh to stone whereas a Sorcerer would favor disintegrate, a Sorcerer rains fire and brimstone on their foe's village whereas a Wizard blights its crops and cattle, that kind of thing.
If this were to be done, I would harp on this opportunity to revise the one thing I've always hated about the 3.0+ Sorcerer, and that is their Charisma-based, rather than Intelligence-based, magic. I've heard some venture to say that this was done in the hopes of making Sorcerers feel more different from Wizards; if the change you propose was made, this old mistake would be even less necessary.

As for Clerics VS Oracles, I'd venture to say that Clerics get more of the battle magic and blessings, and Oracles get more divinations, curses, and subtle stuff.

The Arcanist I know less about, save that I, quite frankly, am not overly inclined to like it. The hybrid classes in general strike me as profoundly uninspired, and I'd rather they hadn't been published.


That is an interesting viewpoint on Sorcerers vs Wizards, and more or less matches the idea of what kind of spells each one would have on their lists.

I'm glad you agree on the Cleric-Oracle debate. That gives me confidence that I wasn't far off.

Scarab Sages

UsagiTaicho wrote:


I'm glad you agree on the Cleric-Oracle debate. That gives me confidence that I wasn't far off.

Well, an Oracle is an Oracle, isn't it? As for Clerics, I think of how the 2nd Edition Player's Handbook described them by comparing them to various orders of medieval holy knights: They can respect subtlety, but it isn't for them.

Since you brought it up, I'll bother to say something else I'm inclined to feel about Oracles and Clerics, which is that their "casting stats" ought to be switched: The Cleric, who preaches and leads, ought to be Charisma-based, whereas the Oracle, who is more one to observe and contemplate, ought to be Wisdom-based.

As for Words of Power, I haven't looked into them. I don't think I care for them, since all I can think of when I look at them is Truename Magic from the 3.5 Tome of Magic, and what I really pine for is more of all three of the variant magic systems kinds pioneered (however imperfectly) in that book which I so highly regard in most respects.

As for the Magic: The Gathering alignment chart, red and blue struck me as "complimentary Chaos" together (i.e. true Chaos is "purple"), and I'd say that "Good" covers both White AND Green.


I missed your edited post from before.

I rather like the Charisma-based spontaneous magic of a Sorcerer. I'm not going to change that, but if you did, would you keep them spontaneous? Without Charisma casters, Charisma itself becomes much more pointless, only being useful for a couple of skills. The mistake about Charisma in 3.0 was mentioning that it governed a character's physical looks. It should just be the force of their personality. Therefore, Sorcerers use magic based on their sheer will and natural abilities, rather than learning it in a book like an Arcanist or Wizard.

The Arcanist is probably my favorite class from the ACG. Skald is definitely my least-favorite, but I love to give my players options, hence the reflavoring.

I think I agree with you about the Cleric/Oracle swap of casting stats. However, I was thinking of giving Clerics a prayerbook that houses their spells, like a Wizard's spellbook, and still be prepared. After all, they preach right, so they need to prepare their sermon. Oracles may be Wis based, but they remain spontaneous due to their unique and odd connection to the gods above (or below).

EDIT: Somewhere on this site, someone is working on updating the Tome of Magic for Pathfinder, fixing it and expanding on it. A company I think, and there was a kickstarter.

Scarab Sages

UsagiTaicho wrote:

EDIT: Somewhere on this site, someone is working on updating the Tome of Magic for Pathfinder, fixing it and expanding on it. A company I think, and there was a kickstarter.

If you can find it, please send me a private link, would you? I am HAPPY to hear this - I particularly loved Pact Magic, and have not been happy with the direction Dario Nardi et al took it.

Regarding Intelligence VS Charisma: The 3.0 Player's Handbook described Sorcerer magic as being based on "imagination and talent," which I'd no question ascribe to Intelligence, and I am firmly of the mind that arcane magic should require one be at least halfway smart. I have always been inclined to say that Sorcerers should require, or at least benefit significantly from, BOTH scores. One idea I had was that Sorcerers might receive bonus spells known for high Intelligence scores (higher INT = superior imagination = figures out more spells). "Force of personality" certainly does make some sense in the context of Sorcerer-style magic. "Charisma becomes a dump stat if it isn't for magic" is something I've heard before - one thing I'll point out is that I do still support its being the basis for Bard and Summoner magic; the other is that I'm inclined to suggest that Charisma be made more generally useful through other means, perhaps by rerouting the Will saving throw through it (the "liberalization" of which ability scores may govern saving throws, giving individual characters choices in this regard, is possibly the single best thing to come out of 4E). Wisdom is a serious "hodgepodge" ability score, and it might not hurt to streamline its portfolio.


I'm in favor of shared spell lists, although there obviously cases where a class needs their own. The description above of Arthurian D&D's wizard and sorcerer is very flavorful and I like it. However, what if I want to play a genius wizard who pores over tombs to study spells that rain brimstone from the sky and destroy foes with lightning bolts?

I find the diversity of the shared list to be a good thing.


Sent you a message buddy. Had to search through my history to find it. I don't know if it'll be out by Feb or not, but hopefully.


Ciaran Barnes wrote:

I'm in favor of shared spell lists, although there obviously cases where a class needs their own. The description above of Arthurian D&D's wizard and sorcerer is very flavorful and I like it. However, what if I want to play a genius wizard who pores over tombs to study spells that rain brimstone from the sky and destroy foes with lightning bolts?

I find the diversity of the shared list to be a good thing.

Well, there are archetypes that grant additional spells and stuff taken from other lists. Or you could be an Arcanist. The fusion of a Sorcerer and a Wizard will have some of the Sorcerer's firepower and the Wizard's wider selection. Not quite as wide as the Wizard or as booming as the Sorcerer, but still.


I don't think this is a "holdover" from any edition. That implies they blindly went along without giving thought to a supposedly "better" way of doing things.

But this already IS an efficient way of doing things. Magic is either divine or arcane. Simple as that. That this means certain classes share certain lists is just a given, since those classes share the divine or arcane element. The alternative would be a gigantic, encyclopedic mess. Which would not be more efficient.

Rather than reinventing the whole thing, you could just make up new names for spells for each class for your own game, so sorcerers might call a magic missile a "force arrow," or whatever, while wizards call it a magic missile. Because, really, you're talking about fluff. Probably not worth a whole re-haul.

Also, note, some classes actually DO have their own lists, either where the lines between magics blur, or where a spell is unique.

However, your mention of doing away with alignments tells me you're a tinkerer. Which is great. I tinker, too, though not as drastically. I feel a gamer should tinker to his heart's content. For his game. I just thought I'd throw out my 2 cents RE this being a bigger chore than maybe it has to be.


It is probably a huge-sized chore, but at least it isn't colossal. And I am a tinkerer, constantly on the search for ways to improve the game. Currently, I feel that this will improve the game and help divide the line for my homebrew setting on the differences between Sorcerers and Wizards, Clerics and Oracles. These forums have already given me so much new content and so many ways to improve the game, which is awesome. And I've contributed here and there, with a couple races and archetypes.

Unfortunately, it's no longer as simple as magic being divine or arcane. Now there is psychic magic too, and soon the Occult Adventures will give us lots more options for that. If you want to talk about tinkering, I've distilled (for my homebrew) the three areas of magic (arcane, divine and psychic) into seven by adding Fel, Nature, Science and Spirit. Science is a psuedo-magic of course, practiced by Alchemists, Investigators and probably Occultists too.

In this new seven areas of magic, the Sorcerer has left arcane and become a Fel class. So I see a greater need for the division of the Sorcerer/Wizard spell list now. And while both Clerics and Oracles remain firmly together in the divine area, their differing roles makes me want to split their lists too.

Anyway, I'm going to do just that, and any help is appreciated, particularly on the suggesting of which spells belong on which list.

Scarab Sages

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"Fel"...*cringes* are you sure you haven't got a better name for that? I appreciate what you're trying to aim for, and maybe you've got a distinctive aesthetic going on in your mind for which that word aims more precisely than, say, "Dark magic," but I'm afraid I get too much of an icky World of Warcraft feel out of that term. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed that game in my time, but it sadly became the designated LCD of gaming quite some time ago.

I commend your attempts at an innovative and ambitious work.


I actually pulled "fel" from Warcraft III, heh. Other classes that are fel are the Witch, Bloodrager, Summoner and a Warlock that I found on here last year. So yeah, the taint of outsider power is what drives these classes's abilities, be it in their blood or in a pact. Sure, there are Sorcerer bloodlines that come from dragons, aberrations or good-aligned outsiders, but the taint is still there.

Incidentally, the Arcane Bloodline causes the Sorcerer to count as Arcane again. There are archetypes and other class options that do this to all the casters.


I'm Hiding In Your Closet wrote:
"Force of personality" certainly does make some sense in the context of Sorcerer-style magic. "Charisma becomes a dump stat if it isn't for magic" is something I've heard before - one thing I'll point out is that I do still support its being the basis for Bard and Summoner magic; the other is that I'm inclined to suggest that Charisma be made more generally useful through other means, perhaps by rerouting the Will saving throw through it (the "liberalization" of which ability scores may govern saving throws, giving individual characters choices in this regard, is possibly the single best thing to come out of 4E). Wisdom is a serious "hodgepodge" ability score, and it might not hurt to streamline its portfolio.

You have got to stop editing your posts, because I just now saw this. I wanted to address your idea of streamlining Wisdom and giving Willpower over to Charisma. I've been thinking on this for a great long while now, and I'm probably going to do it. A while back I found this houserule that one of our fellow forum posters made. They split Willpower into two saving throws: Defiance is Cha-based and saves against mind control, sleep and anything that affects personality (including alignment shifts); Suspicion is Wis-based and saves against illusions, fear and anything that requires suspending disbelief.

Anyway, I'm thinking about using this myself.

Scarab Sages

Same game mythos. I see what you're aiming for better now, though.

May I suggest the term "Blood Magic?"

Also, would you care to share which Warlock it is you picked up?

EDIT: I'm done editing, I promise.


Drejk wrote:
And here is mine. It is not conversion, instead it is a more of a reinterpretation.

From WAYYYY back in 2011, before I was even informed of Pathfinder's existence. I want to update this with two new Dark Pacts, one for the Fey and one for the Shadow (kytons). I just haven't gotten around to doing it. Or asking permission.

Blood Magic would certainly work for the Sorcerers and Bloodragers, but not for the other three classes. Those guys get their magic from a pact with an outsider of some sort. Which screams pact magic, of course, but I like the idea of them all being tainted together.

Scarab Sages

I had a similar idea to what you mentioned there, where all 6 ability scores had their own saving throw:

Strength - Stamina save: resist the consequences of physical exertion and want, as well as magic that simulates them.

Dexterity - Reflex save: The same as before.

Constitution - Fortitude save: Resist attacks against immune and vital systems.

Charisma - Will save: resist attacks against the will, such as most compulsion effects, as well as against the ego and soul, including most instant-death effects.

Wisdom - Faith save: resist anything that would make you NOT believe something you HAD believed before, or attacks against confidence, like most emotion and fear effects.

Intelligence - Doubt save: resist anything that WOULD make you believe something you HADN'T believed before, like illusions, or possibly spells like overwhelming presence.


I like the name Faith better than Suspicion.

Scarab Sages

Pact Magic had a fantastic, entirely distinctive feel that would be lost if it were carried over to Witches and Warlocks (much as I like them, too). I don't want to lose that, and I feel Warlocks should be something different anyways - after all, "warlocks" are known for breaking oaths, now aren't they?

One of the worst things about the current gaming lingo is how it bifurcates concept and mechanics (to say nothing of the downright terminology favored by the "power-gamer" set). It shouldn't be. Pathfinder/D&D is neither a "pure mechanics" game like chess or cards, nor a "narrativist" game like, say the White Wolf games. The proper way to understand the game and its niche is with a mindset that seamlessly integrates these "two" into a complex and unique whole and I see almost no acknowledgement of that from any corner, and I think it's a real problem, to say the least.

Scarab Sages

UsagiTaicho wrote:

Blood Magic would certainly work for the Sorcerers and Bloodragers, but not for the other three classes. Those guys get their magic from a pact with an outsider of some sort.

Occult bargains involve blood often enough - and in your setting, it sounds like they would as a matter of course. It can be involved in different ways, whether through sacrifice, exchange, or manipulation thereof.


Well, Witches make pacts with some unknown patron in Pathfinder. That Warlock has pacts as well. Summoners make a pact too, with their Eidolon. Anyway, that's why I chose Fel for this group, because their magic comes from a darker and unscrupulous source. Usually anyway, as I said there are exceptions. I chose the name before I assigned them all to it too.

I'm not sure I take your meaning about Pathfinder. I mean, I get that it is half mechanics and half storytelling, but who doesn't see it as a whole? Aside from people who have since abandoned it for other systems?

Scarab Sages

Well, "half X and half Y" makes most people envision a bifurcated pie chart or something, doesn't it? I'm saying it shouldn't even be that separated. I brought it up in relation to Pact Magic because what makes Tome of Magic Binders so special in my eyes cannot be attributed to mechanics or concept alone, but as the unique result of how they were combined - if you took the mechanics or concept by themselves and tried to recombine them with completely different counterparts, then look at me and say, "there, happy?", then I wouldn't be. We're talking about (I believe this is the term, I don't usually talk this way) the whole is strictly more than the sum of its parts - and I sense that being lost in the bifurcated language I hear.


Ah, well I think I understand you know. Pathfinder is more than the sum of its parts. These classes are more than the sum of their parts. Take the Sorcerer for example. I loved the concept in 3.5 but I was disappointed with the mechanics. A Sorcerer who had a dragon for a daddy didn't have any thematic ability that said "look, I got my dad's eyes" back then. Now, the Sorcerer has the Bloodlines, which are just the greatest thing in the world, and what made me fall instantly in love with Pathfinder. Without the "my daddy was a dragon" the Draconic Bloodline would just be some mechanic. Without the mechanic, there's no point in saying "my daddy was a dragon". So it is more than the sum of its parts.

Similarly, Clerics wouldn't be Clerics without their gods and restrictions. They'd just be slightly-armored, less damage dealing Wizards. The Rogue, for all her abilities, wouldn't be that great without the guile and cunning. At the same time, it is one thing to say I have a sneaky character. It's another when the dice and bonuses back me up.

Anyway, back to my original point. I decided that because there aren't that many, Clerics and Oracles both get all the 0-level spells on their list. I'm working my way through 1st level spells now, and there are a couple of differences so far.


So I've decided to work backwards from my original problem, and so I started with divorcing the Cleric/Oracle spell list.

Cleric Level 1 Spells:

• Abundant Ammunition
• Aspect of the Nightingale
• Bane
• Bless
• Bless Water
• Burning Disarm
• Carrion Compass
• Cause Fear
• Compel Hostility
• Comprehend Languages
• Cure Light Wounds
• Curse Water
• Deadeye’s Lore
• Decompose Corpse
• Detect Alignment
• Detect Faithful
• Detect Undead
• Divine Favor
• Doom
• Endure Elements
• Entropic Shield
• Face of the Devourer
• Firebelly
• Hairline Fractions
• Ice Armor
• Inflict Light Wounds
• Ironbeard
• Know the Enemy
• Magic Stone
• Magic Weapon
• Marid’s Mastery
• Might Fist of the Earth
• Moment of Greatness
• Murderous Command
• Protection from Alignment
• Ray of Sickening
• Refine Improvised Weapon
• Reinforce Armaments
• Remove Fear
• Shield of Faith
• Spiked Armor
• Stunning Barrier
• Sun Metal
• Swallow Your Fear
• Tracking Mark
• Unbreakable Heart
• Weapons Against Evil
• Weaponwand

As you can see, I went with primarily in-combat or damaging spells for the Cleric. I also went with any that seemed very god-inspired, like Sun Metal. In my setting, Clerics have gods. Oracles just have some divinely-inspired spells.

Oracle Level One Spells:

• Air Bubble
• Ant Haul
• Abstemiousness
• Bless Water
• Blessings of the Watch
• Clarion Call
• Command
• Comprehend Languages
• Cultural Adaptation
• Cure Light Wounds
• Curse Water
• Dancing Lantern
• Deathwatch
• Decompose Corpse
• Diagnose Disease
• Dream Feast
• Embrace Destiny
• Endure Elements
• Enhance Water
• Entropic Shield
• Fairness
• Forbid Action
• Haze of Dreams
• Hide from Undead
• Inflict Light Wounds
• Karmic Blessing
• Know Enemy
• Liberating Command
• Lighten Object
• Moment of Greatness
• Obscuring Mist
• Poisoned Egg
• Ray of Sickening
• Read Weather
• Recharge Innate Magic
• Remove Fear
• Remove Sickness
• Restore Corpse
• Sanctify Corpse
• Sanctuary
• Stunning Barrier
• Summon Minor Monster
• Summon Monster I
• Swallow Your Fear
• Tap Inner Beauty
• Touch of Bloodletting
• Touch of Truthtelling
• Unbreakable Heart

For the Oracle, I decided to go opposite of the Cleric and focus on out of combat utility. The result was the Oracle has more spells, but fewer ones of damaging power. And it turns out that Oracles and Clerics do have different lists after all, because Embrace Destiny is Oracle only. Well, now my Oracles and Clerics have some slightly more different lists.


I'm Hiding In Your Closet wrote:


The Arcanist I know less about, save that I, quite frankly, am not overly inclined to like it. The hybrid classes in general strike me as profoundly uninspired, and I'd rather they hadn't been published.

See this Hybrid Classes as a Gm´s Classes only.

Me too has an issue with this classes, are so overpower to me. As a villain functions very well and mantains the misticism about which class they were.

My players don´t like those new class to use, because when we test them we kill a chimera at lvl 2 (but wasn´t for classes mechanics, was about the system, rules and the nerfed monsters we got).

For the spell divorcing, im interested too. I absolutly dislike Classes emulating spells from other classes (Alchemist emulating... damn you lazy paizo)


Well, if you want to make full new spell lists then more power to you. The shared spell lists have a practical purpose within the published game, however. If all classes have specific spell lists then new books need to dedicate sections to each class's spell list whenever you decide to introduce new spells to the game.

Moreover, it is easier to remember which spells go to which classes if there are fewer actual spell lists to familiarize yourself with.


i think it's dangerous to start equating law and good.

If you are using mtg colors as alignments, white is lawful while red is chaotic for sure, but Good and Evil are spread out evenly.


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Good and Evil are no longer concepts really. I was just trying to equate the L/G/C/E system to the Color alignments. Spells like Protection from Good and such will be consolidated into Protection from Alignment, where the spellcaster chooses one color when they select the spell, and they gain protection from spells of that color. I'm still debating on including this or not.

Well, in my setting, these classes have different enough roles that their spell lists should be different too.


I'm Hiding In Your Closet wrote:
UsagiTaicho wrote:

EDIT: Somewhere on this site, someone is working on updating the Tome of Magic for Pathfinder, fixing it and expanding on it. A company I think, and there was a kickstarter.

If you can find it, please send me a private link, would you? I am HAPPY to hear this - I particularly loved Pact Magic, and have not been happy with the direction Dario Nardi et al took it.

Regarding Intelligence VS Charisma: The 3.0 Player's Handbook described Sorcerer magic as being based on "imagination and talent," which I'd no question ascribe to Intelligence, and I am firmly of the mind that arcane magic should require one be at least halfway smart. I have always been inclined to say that Sorcerers should require, or at least benefit significantly from, BOTH scores. One idea I had was that Sorcerers might receive bonus spells known for high Intelligence scores (higher INT = superior imagination = figures out more spells). "Force of personality" certainly does make some sense in the context of Sorcerer-style magic. "Charisma becomes a dump stat if it isn't for magic" is something I've heard before - one thing I'll point out is that I do still support its being the basis for Bard and Summoner magic; the other is that I'm inclined to suggest that Charisma be made more generally useful through other means, perhaps by rerouting the Will saving throw through it (the "liberalization" of which ability scores may govern saving throws, giving individual characters choices in this regard, is possibly the single best thing to come out of 4E). Wisdom is a serious "hodgepodge" ability score, and it might not hurt to streamline its portfolio.

The problem isn't the sorcerer, it's the stat names. CHA is how witty and clever you are in conversation. Your character's sense of humor, ability to improvise, and artistic talent are also here. INT is raw memorization. WIS is paranoia: how much you expect traps and ambushes (perception), how much you distrust your own senses (saves against illusions), and how much you distrust the very thoughts in your head (saves against mind effecting effects).

Okay, it's also that WIS is a dumb stat to have in a heroic game and a dumb stat to govern clerical casting unless all "gods" are eldritch horrors that will eat your mind and/or soul if you ever miss an undotted I or uncrossed T. INT and CHA are okay, though, as long as you forget that they're shorthand for the misleading intelligence and charisma.


Wisdom is also common sense I think. So it would make sense for some divine casters to use common sense.


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So I finished the Cleric and Oracle lists. They way I split them up, I tried going with more divine/alignment/damaging spells for the Cleric. Anything that would be super useful in battle. The Oracle got mostly healing and buffs, more post-battle spells. Oracles aren't associated with a god like Clerics are in my setting, they are more of a general divine class. They gain their abilities from a pantheon or some other belief system.

Cleric spells below!

Level 2 spells:

• Aboleth’s Lung
• Admonishing Ray
• Aid
• Align Weapon
• Angelic Aspect, Lesser
• Animate Dead, Lesser
• Arrow of Law
• Bear’s Endurance
• Bestow Weapon Proficiency
• Blessing of Courage and Life
• Blinding Ray
• Blood Blaze
• Blood of the Martyr
• Boiling Blood
• Bull’s Strength
• Burst of Radiance
• Cure Moderate Wounds
• Deadeye’s Arrow
• Death Knell
• Deathwine
• Defending Bone
• Delay Pain
• Divine Trident
• Dread Bolt
• Effortless Armor
• Endure Elements, Communal
• Enemy’s Heart
• Ghostbane Dirge
• Groundswell
• Hold Person
• Holy Ice Weapon
• Imbue with Aura
• Inflict Moderate Wounds
• Instant Armor
• Instrument of Agony
• Ironskin
• Life Channel
• Magic Boulder
• Magic Siege Engine
• Martyr’s Bargain
• Protection from Alignment, Communal
• Reinforce Armaments, Communal
• Resist Energy
• Returning Weapon
• Shard of Chaos
• Shatter
• Shield of Fortification
• Shield Other
• Snow Shape
• Sound Burst
• Spear of Purity
• Spiritual Weapon
• Staggering Fall
• Summon Monster II
• Tremor Blast
• Unholy Ice Weapon
• Unliving Rage
• Weapon of Awe

Level 3 spells:

• Agonize
• Agonizing Rebuke
• Align Weapon, Communal
• Animate Dead
• Archon’s Aura
• Aura of Cannibalism
• Badger’s Ferocity
• Chain of Perdition
• Daybreak Arrow
• Deadly Juggernaut
• Divine Illumination
• Fractions of Heal and Harm
• Helping Hand
• Ki Leech
• Life Shield
• Lover’s Vengeance
• Magic Circle Against Alignment
• Magic Vestment
• Mantle of the Calm
• Meld Into Stone
• Mark of Obvious Ethics
• Monstrous Extremities
• Paragon Surge
• Prayer
• Protection from Energy
• Raging Rubble
• Resist Energy, Communal
• Returning Weapon, Communal
• Sacred Bond
• Sadomasochism
• Searing Light
• Skeleton Crew
• Stone Shape
• Stunning Barrier, Greater
• Summon Monster III
• Summon Totem Creature
• Trial of Fire and Acid
• Vision of Hell
• Waters of Maddening
• Wind Wall
• Wrathful Mantle

Level 4 spells:

• Abyssal Vermin
• Ancestral Gift
• Anti-Incorporeal Shell
• Aura of Doom
• Battle Trance
• Blessing of Fervor
• Bloat Bomb
• Blood Crow Strike
• Chaos Hammer
• Control Summoned Creature
• Control Water
• Crusader’s Edge
• Death Ward
• Dimensional Anchor
• Dismissal
• Divine Power
• Fleshworm Infestation
• Forceful Strike
• Freedom of Movement
• Giant Vermin
• Gift of the Deep
• Guardian of the Faith
• Healing Warmth
• Heavy Water
• Holy Smite
• Magic Weapon, Greater
• Mark of the Reptile God
• Nature’s Ravages
• Order’s Wrath
• Persistent Vigor
• Planar Adaptation
• Planar Ally, Lesser
• Protection from Energy, Communal
• Repel Vermin
• Rest Eternal
• Shadow Barbs
• Shield of Dawn
• Shield of Fortification, Greater
• Soothe Construct
• Spellcrash, Lesser
• Spiritual Ally
• Summon Accuser
• Summon Monster IV
• Summoner Conduit
• Suppress Primal Magic
• Unholy Blight

Level 5 spells:

• Angelic Aspect
• Atonement
• Bone Shatter
• Breath of Life
• Burst of Glory
• Command, Greater
• Commune
• Constricting Coils
• Cure Light Wounds, Mass
• Dispel Alignment
• Disrupting Weapon
• Flame Strike
• Ghostbane Dirge, Mass
• Ghoul Army
• Hallow
• Holy Ice
• Inflict Light Wounds, Mass
• Insect Plague
• Magic Siege Engine, Greater
• Plane Shift
• Planeslayer’s Call
• Raise Dead
• Reprobation
• Righteous Might
• Sanctify Weapons
• Siphon Magic
• Slay Living
• Smite Abomination
• Spell Immunity, Communal
• Spell Resistance
• Spellsteal
• Summon Infernal Host
• Summon Lesser Psychopomp
• True Seeing
• Unhallow
• Unholy Ice
• Wall of Stone

Level 6 spells:

• Antilife Shell
• Banishment
• Bear’s Endurance, Mass
• Blade Barrier
• Bloodsworn Retribution
• Bull’s Strength, Mass
• Chains of Light
• Cold Ice Strike
• Create Undead
• Dispel Magic
• Eaglesoul
• Elemental Accessor
• Hellfire Ray
• Music of the Spheres
• Planar Adaptation, Mass
• Planar Ally
• Spellcrash
• Summon Vanth
• Undeath to Death
• Word of Recall

Level 7 spells:

• Arbitrament
• Archon’s Trumpet
• Bestow Grace of the Champion
• Blasphemy
• Create Variant Mummy
• Destruction
• Dictum
• Holy Word
• Jolting Portent
• Lunar Veil
• Resurrection
• Vision of Doom
• Word of Chaos

Level 8 spells:

• Angelic Aspect, Greater
• Antimagic Field
• Call Constuct
• Cloak of Chaos
• Counterbalancing Aura
• Create Greater Undead
• Divine Vessel
• Earthquake
• Firestorm
• Frightful Aspect
• Holy Aura
• Planar Ally, Greater
• Rift of Ruin
• Shield of Law
• Spellcrash, Greater
• Stormbolts
• Unholy Aura

Level 9 spells:

• Canopic Conversion
• Gate
• Implosion
• Interplanetary Teleport
• Miracle
• Overwhelming Presence
• Polar Midnight
• Storm of Vengeance
• True Resurrection
• Winds of Vengeance
• Wooden Phalanx

And Oracle spells.

Level 2 spells:

• Abeyance
• Aid
• Air Step
• Alchemical Tinkering
• Amplify Stench
• Ancestral Communion
• Ancestral Regression
• Ant Haul, Communal
• Augury
• Blessings of Luck and Resolve
• Blinding Ray
• Blood Blaze
• Blood in the Water
• Book Ward
• Calm Emotions
• Compassionate Ally
• Consecrate
• Cure Moderate Wounds
• Darkness
• Death Knell
• Delay Disease
• Delay Poison
• Desecrate
• Disfiguring Touch
• Eagle’s Splendor
• Early Judgment
• Enthrall
• Find Traps
• Flotsam Vessel
• Gentle Repose
• Grace
• Hold Person
• Inflict Moderate Wounds
• Life Pact
• Make Whole
• Marching Chant
• Masterwork Transformation
• Muffle Sound
• Oracle’s Burden
• Owl’s Wisdom
• Path of Glory
• Pilfering Hand
• Protective Penumbra
• Recentering Drone
• Remove Paralysis
• Restoration, Lesser
• Sacred Space
• Savage Maw
• Sentry Skull
• Share Language
• Silence
• Silent Table
• Soothing Word
• Spell Gauge
• Status
• Summon Monster II
• Surmount Affliction
• Touch of Mercy
• Track Ship
• Trail of the Rose
• Undetectable Alignment
• Web Shelter
• Whispering Lore
• Zone of Truth

Level 3 spells:

• Accept Affliction
• Aggravate Affliction
• Air Breathing
• Aura Sight
• Bestow Curse
• Bestow Insight
• Blessings of the Mole
• Blindness/Deafness
• Blood Biography
• Blood Scent
• Blot
• Borrow Fortune
• Channel the Gift
• Channel Vigor
• Charitable Impulse
• Contagion
• Continual Flame
• Control Vermin
• Create Food and Water
• Cure Serious Wounds
• Daylight
• Deeper Darkness
• Delay Poison, Communal
• Discovery Torch
• Dispel Magic
• Elemental Speech
• Enter Image
• False Alibi
• Glyph of Warding
• Guiding Star
• Hydrophobia
• Inflict Serious Wounds
• Invisibility Purge
• Locate Object
• Nap Stack
• Obscure Object
• Remove Blindness/Deafness
• Remove Curse
• Remove Disease
• Riversight
• Sands of Time
• Share Language, Communal
• Sky Swim
• Speak With Dead
• Summon Monster III
• Symbol of Healing
• Transfer Regeneration
• Water Breathing
• Water Walk
• Wind Wall

Level 4 spells:

• Air Walk
• Ancestral Gift
• Black Spot
• Cure Critical Wounds
• Debilitating Portent
• Dimensional Anchor
• Discern Lies
• Divination
• Enchantment Foil
• Imbue with Spell Ability
• Inflict Critical Wounds
• Neutralize Poison
• Oracle’s Vessel
• Path of Glory, Greater
• Plague Carrier
• Poison
• Restoration
• Ride the Waves
• Sending
• Speak with Haunt
• Spell Immunity
• Spit Venom
• Summon Monster IV
• Suppress Primal Magic
• Symbol of Revelation
• Symbol of Slowing
• Terrible Remorse
• Tongues
• Transplant Visage
• Virulence
• Ward of the Season
• Water Walk, Communal

Level 5 spells:

• Air Walk, Communal
• Ancestral Memory
• Astral Projection, Lesser
• Break Enchantment
• Caustic Blood
• Cleanse
• Contagion, Greater
• Cure Light Wounds, Mass
• Curse of Magic Negation
• Curse, Major
• Fickle Winds
• Forbid Action, Greater
• Geniekind
• Half-blood Extraction
• Hymn of Mercy
• Inflict Light Wounds, Mass
• Insect Plague
• Life Bubble
• Lighten Object, Mass
• Mark of Justice
• Pillar of Life
• Plane Shift
• Raise Dead
• Rapid Repair
• Scrying
• Serenity
• Snake Staff
• Summon Monster V
• Symbol of Pain
• Symbol of Scrying
• Symbol of Striking
• Symbol of Sleep
• Tongues, Communal
• Treasure Stitching
• True Seeing
• Undeath Ward
• Wall of Blindness/Deafness
• Wall of Stone

Level 6 spells:

• Animate Objects
• Blessings of Luck and Resolve, Mass
• Cure Moderate Wounds, Mass
• Dispel Magic, Greater
• Dust Form
• Dust Ward
• Eagle’s Splendor, Mass
• Epidemic
• Find the Path
• Forbiddance
• Geas/Quest
• Glyph of Warding, Greater
• Harm
• Heal
• Heroes’ Feast
• Impart Mind
• Inflict Moderate Wounds, Mass
• Joyful Rapture
• Owl’s Wisdom, Mass
• Plague Storm
• Summon Monster VI
• Summon Stampede
• Symbol Fear
• Symbol of Persuasion
• Symbol of Sealing
• Wind Walk
• Word of Recall

Level 7 spells:

• Circle of Clarity
• Control Weather
• Cure Serious Wounds, Mass
• Ethereal Jaunt
• Hymn of Peace
• Inflict Serious Wounds, Mass
• Refuge
• Regenerate
• Repulsion
• Restoration, Greater
• Resurrection
• Scrying, Greater
• Summon Monster VII
• Symbol of Stunning
• Symbol of Weakness
• Vision of Doom
• Waves of Ecstasy

Level 8 spells:

• Cure Critical Wounds, Mass
• Dimensional Lock
• Discern Location
• Euphoric Tranquility
• Inflict Critical Wounds, Mass
• Nature’s Ravages, Greater
• Nine Lives
• Orb of the Void
• Spellscar
• Spell Immunity, Greater
• Summon Monster VIII
• Symbol of Death
• Symbol of Insanity
• Vinetrap

Level 9 spells:

• Astral Projection
• Cursed Earth
• Energy Drain
• Etherealness
• Heal, Mass
• Salvage
• Soul Bind
• Spell Immunity, Greater Communal
• Summon Monster IX
• Symbol of Strife
• Symbol of Vulnerability

As I got into upper levels, both lists started to dwindle a bit.

Scarab Sages

You asked for help with the Sorcerer/Wizard list, so here's at least a bit to start with.

Wizard 0:
resistance, detect magic, detect poison, read magic, daze, breeze, flare, light, penumbra, ray of frost, scoop, spark, ghost sound, bleed, disrupt undead, touch of fatigue, mending, message, open/close, root, arcane mark, prestidigitation

Sorcerer 0:
acid splash, drench, detect magic, detect poison, read magic, daze, breeze, dancing lights, flare, light, penumbra, ghost sound, haunted fey aspect, disrupt undead, jolt, mage hand, open/close, arcane mark, prestidigitation

Wizard 1:
adjuring step, alarm, endure elements, hold portal, invisibility alarm, line in the sand, peacebond, protection from Evil/Good/Chaos/Law, shield, stunning barrier, sunder breaker, wave shield, winter feathers, abundant ammunition, air bubble, corrosive touch, icicle dagger, infernal healing, mage armor, mount, obscuring mist, summon minor monster, summon monster I, unseen servant, anticipate peril, comprehend languages, cultural adaptation, detect charm, detect metal, detect undead, heightened awareness, identify, technomancy, true strike, charm person, delusional pride, hypnotism, keep watch, memorize page, memory lapse, moment of greatness, sleep, unprepared combatant, burning hands, floating disk, gentle breeze, hydraulic push, magic missile, blend, color spray, dazzling blade, disguise self, disguise weapon, illusion of calm, magic aura, negative reaction, silent image, ventriloquism, bed of iron, cause fear, chill touch, interrogation, ray of enfeeblement, repair undead, alchemical tinkering, alter winds, animate rope, break, crafter's curse, crafter's fortune, damp powder, dancing lantern, emblazon crest, endothermic touch, enlarge person, erase, expeditious excavation, expeditious retreat, fabricate bullets, feather fall, gravity bow, jury-rig, liberating command, longshot, magic weapon, mirror polish, poisoned egg, polypurpose panacea, reduce person, refine improvised weapon, reinforce armaments, stone fist, swift girding, touch of gracelessness, touch of the sea, transfer tattoo, unerring weapon, vocal alteration, youthful appearance

Sorcerer 1:
adjuring step, endure elements, hold portal, protection from Evil/Good/Chaos/Law, shield, shock shield, winter feathers, adhesive spittle, air bubble, glue seal, grease, ki arrow, mage armor, mount, mudball, stumble gap, summon monster I, anticipate peril, comprehend languages, detect metal, detect secret doors, discern next of kin, heightened awareness, see alignment, bungle, charm person, lock gaze, sleep, burning hands, ear-piercing scream, flare burst, magic missile, shocking grasp, thunderstomp, touch of combustion, alter musical instrument, blend, blurred movement, clarion call, color spray, disguise self, magic aura, negative reaction, shadow weapon, silent image, vanish, cause fear, chill touch, decompose corpse, phantom blood, ray of sickening, repair undead, restore corpse, sculpt corpse, animate rope, ant haul, body capacitance, bouncy body, blood money, burning disarm, expeditious retreat, feather fall, forced quiet, jump, lighten object, long arm, magic weapon, marid's mastery, mirror strike, monkey fish, recharge innate magic, snapdragon fireworks, sundering shards, vocal alteration, weaken powder, windy escape


Awesome, thanks Hiding! I'm going to put up the finished lists later, and include a list for the Arcanist too.

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