Magical Disciplines
Each magical discipline subsumes two schools: A feat that improves a previous school, such as Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus is now replaced by Discipline Focus.
Specialist wizards focus on a discipline instead, and choose two disciplines as opposed disciplines. From these disciplines, they count all spells cast from them as if barred or forbidden schools.
As a result, specialist casters become more focused and flavorful, especially with the addition of Focus Feats.
Alteration: Transmutation and Abjuration, regains the [Teleportation] sub-school, and gains most force spells and effects (like mage armor, etc.) Transmutation alters existing things, and abjuration often protects against alteration, or the Chaos (mutation) vs. Law (preservation) aspects play an important part in the theme.
Mysticism: Divination and Necromancy are combined under Mysticism, with the duality of soul (divination) and body (necromancy) being a paramount theme. The new [Undead], [Soul] sub-schools help giving distinct character. Also, like many other GMs, I've thrown the [Healing] sub-school to Necromancy--by extension Mysticism. As balancing, I've removed the [Fear] sub-school from Necromancy.
Invocation: By removing the [Teleportation] sub-school from Conjuration, most abilities like creating matter and energy overlap from a physical perspective, and form much of its theme of energy being interchangeable with matter. Thus, I combined them together.
Illusion: Combined Illusion and Enchantment, removed the [Charm] sub-school, and folded its effects to [Emotion] effects, which subsume Fear. Bravery works against charm, fear, and Calm Emotions, etc. The dominant theme is that emotion is an illusion, and although one facet focuses on internal control (enchantment), and one external (illusion), they all see the world as 'part of the greatest illusion; life'.
Universal gains all 'Word' and 'Symbol' spells, and is mostly otherwise unchanged.
When a wizard chooses a school, they can choose a focus, or an aspect to focus upon from within the school.
Of course, this makes barred schools more severe: An illusionist focusing on the illusion aspect gains class abilities as per the Pathfinder Illusionist, and counts all enchantment spells as benefiting from his class abilities, but giving up Invocation and Alteration (four collective schools) may lead to wizards becoming even more focused and specialized.
I personally recommend for barred schools to forbid a spellcaster from casting any spells from said school, effectively removing them from their spell list. These rules do not assume that, however.
Focus Feats:
Focus Feats Special: A character cannot have more than one focus feat at any time.
Abjuration Focus Prerequisite: Spell Focus (Alteration)
Whenever you cast an abjuration spell, you gain ½ the spell level in a deflection bonus to AC, and resistance bonus to saves, even if you were not the target of the spell. This remains for 1 round. A shimmering aura surrounds you, in the color of your choice.
CL +6: You may spontaneously convert prepared spells to dispel magic, depending on the spell level sacrificed, you may use lesser dispel magic, dispel magic, and greater dispel magic, rounding down to the nearest accessible spell allowable by the spell slot in question.
CL +11: You gain an amount of energy absorption equal to 4 x your caster level per day. Whenever you take energy damage, apply immunity, vulnerability (if any), and resistance first and apply the rest to this absorption as an immediate action, reducing your daily total by that amount. Any damage in excess of your absorption is applied to you normally. Energy damage you absorb can be released as a standard action as a ray with close range, dealing the appropriate amount and type of energy damage on a hit. During absorption, you glow in the color of your shimmering aura.
CL +16: When you counter a spell, you may capture it with a second successful counter check. A captured spell can be kept to scribe later, can be redirected to affect other targets, or can be ‘eaten’ to regain hit points equal to ¼ your Caster Level, or the spell level, whichever is higher.
Conjuration Focus Prerequisite: Spell Focus (Invocation)
After casting any conjuration spell (including Teleportation, Summoning, or Creation), you have an otherworldly or elemental haze that grants you 10% concealment per every 2 spell levels (minimum 10%). This haze is easy to perceive, and it smells like sulfur or the most common material component used in your spells. This can be of a specific scent, chosen by you upon taking this feat.
CL +6: You gain the effect of a lesser Quicken Spell to your summoning spells, reducing casting time with all [Summoning] spells by one time increment; casting Summon Monster and its variants cost only 1 standard action to cast.
CL +11: You may spontaneously convert spells to Conjuration (Teleportation) and/or Conjuration (Summoning) spells of equal level.
CL +16: All your Conjuration (Summoning) spells grant +1 monster of the type you chose. You may also call upon an extraplanar being with an effective CR no greater than 22. You may ask them one favor, subject to referee approval, or gain one attempt to bind it.
This is a one-time ability, and calling upon the extraplanar is a free action (to request favors), which can effectively remove the caster from the scene in which they were in to attend immediate audience with the being. A conjurer may wish for a repeating favor, but a request that is clearly several in one may require the conjurer to utilize Calling rules for extraplanars.
Divination Focus Prerequisite: Spell Focus (Mysticism)
All divination spells that have a casting time more than 1 minute are halved in duration. All divination spells that create mobile sensors gain +10 to their movement speed. All divination sensors that are stationary also have a built-in Alarm to notify you if you (or they) are detected, or if something passes by their range of vision when you are not looking through them. The alarm can be a verbal siren of your design, or a mental alarm.
CL +6: You gain the low-light vision and scent qualities.
CL +11: You may spontaneously convert any spell to Clairaudience/Clairvoyance. If the spell is of 5 level of higher, casting time is further halved. If the spell sacrificed is of 8th level or higher, the casting time is 1 round. You also gain the ability to Extend Spell on any mind-protecting abjurations without increasing the spell level.
CL +16: You may gain a three-use ability to decide on the result of any d20 within 1,000 ft. as a free action, with the referee’s approval. This ability is usually left for campaign-deciding actions, and such an event is usually foreshadowed in visions, dreams, or auguries.
Enchantment Focus Prerequisite: Spell Focus (Illusion)
Whenever a target of a [Charm] or [Compulsion] spell succeeds or fails against one of your spells, they are flat-footed for 1 round, Will DC 10 + ½ Caster level + Charisma negates. A target cannot be affected by this more than once in 24 hours.
You may also replace any class feature that grants a familiar with an enslaved admirer, HD, CR, and class restrictions follow Leadership.
CL +6: You emit an arcane scent that smells different to each person according to their background and interests—anyone within 10 ft. of you who can smell this scent takes -2 to their Will saves vs. any commands you may give them with Diplomacy, Intimidate, or Bluff, unless they pass a save as described above. This is a mind-affecting effect. This does not also apply to Will saves vs. your enchantment spells.
CL +11: Before casting any school spell, as a swift action you may hypnotize any within 30 ft. with your voice, forcing them to roll a Will save as described above or else be fascinated until you finish your spell’s casting. This cannot affect one person twice in 24 hours.
CL +16: Your effective hit dice under Leadership is increased by ½ your Caster Level. You may, as a free action, command any follower to charge and take a direct-damage melee, ranged, or spell effect. They might also provide you partial cover by protecting you. This is a mind-affecting enchantment effect. Each follower you sacrifice this way counts against ‘killed followers’ under Leadership mechanics.
Evocation Focus Prerequisite: Spell Focus (Invocation)
Choose one movement-based combat maneuver (Bull Rush, Drag, or Reposition. This applies this combat maneuver to each target of your spells (or in an area, if able). The bonus is equal to ½ caster level + casting attribute. This does not increase the spell level, and applying the normal metamagic adjustment related to the maneuver increases the bonus by doubling the it.
CL +6: You may ignore up to 1 point of energy resistance per caster level, and gain 1 point of energy resistance to the same element. This ability, called Attunement, can be changed as a full-round action. This effect remains for 1 minute per caster level or until you are rendered unconscious or dead.
CL +11: You may command elementals as if you possess Channel Energy (Elemental) as a cleric equal to your level-2. You may only command elementals that share your attunement descriptor. You are counted as if you have a sub-type of the same element in which you are attuned to. You may also cast Summon Monster spells as Evocation spells, but only when summoning elementals of your attunement type. Changing attunement also changes your descriptor and channel energy ability, and doing so before an elemental opposed to the new element may release it and render it free to do whatever it wishes.
CL +16: You may power your Attunement to great heights; for a number of rounds per day equal to 3 + Caster Level, you may overdrive as a free action. Your attunement can be switched as a free action (1/round), and your effective caster level and DCs of your evocation spells gains a +4 bonus. You take ¼ your caster level in untyped (void) damage per round while in Overdrive, and the cracks that appear on your skin glow with a color you designate (usually typed to your attunement element).
Illusion Focus Prerequisite: Spell Focus (Illusion)
Your illusion spells are unnaturally subtle. You gain the ability to hide any somatic or verbal components with a successful Sleight of Hand or Bluff vs. Perception or Sense Motive. This does not also allow you to avoid attacks of opportunity without defensive casting.
Successive attempts grant opposing watchers +2 to their check per attempt. All your [Figment] spells automatically react to being struck.
CL +6: You may cast [Fear] spells from all spell lists as if Illusion (Phantasm) spells of equal level. Upon casting a [Fear] spell on a sleeping target, you may implant the effects of the spell (namely the fear condition and spell effect) until a certain event has passed or a word has been said. This remains for 1 hour per caster level or until discharged.
CL +11: You gain Spell Resistance vs. any divination or abjuration effects that reveal, weaken, or oppose your illusion spells, equal to your 10 + Caster Level + Charisma. This resistance applies vs. any scrying, true sight, or detection spells that would otherwise reveal you.
CL +16: You may spontaneously convert any spell slot to a [Figment] or [Glamor] spell of equal or less level. All your illusion spells are also under the effects of Silent Spell and Still Spell, with no increase in spell level.
Necromancy Focus Prerequisite: Spell Focus (Mysticism)
Whenever a target of a necromancy spell succeeds or fails against one of your spells, you may sicken them for 1 round, Fortitude DC of 10 + ½ Caster level + Charisma negates. You may also replace any class feature that grants a familiar with an undead of any diminished class, HD restrictions follow Leadership.
CL +6: You gain the ability to channel energy as if a cleric of your level-2. Your channeled energy is negative. You may consume the soul of any creature with your casting of Death Knell or the crushing of a soulstone (which itself acts like Death Knell), gaining +1 to your spell DCs for the duration of the death knell effect.
CL +11: You can spontaneously cast summon monster spells to summon undead versions of said beasts as Necromancy spells. All such castings require body parts of at least 1/2 pound of the creature you wish to summon as a material component.
CL +16: You may perform Soul Consumption, and can consume the souls of any creature that dies or any soulstone crushing within 30 ft. as if you possessed a Death Knell aura. The effects of Death Knell stack, granting you +2 temporary hit points, +1 to save DCs, +2 to Strength and +1 to caster level for each 5 hit dice of dead people.
This caps at 125 hit dice for 50 temporary hit points, +10 to DCs and Caster level, and +20 to Strength for 1 day. This can be dispelled as a spell effect of ½ your caster level. During this, any character can roll a Sense Motive check to assess the flow of life, DC 10 + 1 per mile of distance to sense the wailing of tortured and consumed souls.
Particularly heroic souls (referee’s approval) may fight the consumption with an opposed will save of the dead vs. the necromancer: for each success, they may reduce the effective hit dice as 10 lower, for a minimum of 0.
Transmutation Focus Prerequisite: Spell Focus (Alteration)
Whenever a target of a transmutation spell succeeds or fails against one of your spells, you may entangle them for 1 round, Fortitude DC of 10 + ½ Caster level + Charisma negates, as their bodies revert against your magic.
You may also replace any class feature that grants a familiar with a construct or golem of any diminished class, HD restrictions follow Leadership.
CL +6: You may also alter your surroundings and/or body to create weapons, turning your unarmed attacks to any weapon in which you are proficient. This effect remains for 1 minute per level, and your attacks gain an enhancement bonus equal to +1 per every two spell levels in reserve.
You may also spontaneously cast summon monster spells as Transmutation spells, but they all require a focus of the same size category of the monster you choose. For example, one can cast summon monster III to summon a Hellhound, but they must target a statue, a segment of a wall, or a desk to serve their needs. The focus reverts to its original shape after the spell has ended, and it is otherwise unharmed; the damage dealt destroyed the spell that was binding it. The creature does not benefit from any material-specific qualities of the focus.
CL +11: You may add all cure and inflict spells to your spell list, but count them as transmutation spells of one spell level higher than normal. You may also heal constructs with these spells or harm them as if they were live creatures, but may not target undead creatures or creatures vulnerable to positive energy.
CL +16: You may gain the ability to alter your body like no other. You may grant yourself any template of +1 or less level adjustment as a 1 minute action of chanting. This remains until you dispel the effect or until it is dispelled after 10 minutes (count spell level as the highest level spell in reserve). You may also spontaneously summon golems and constructs, and may add them to your list of summoned creatures.
As it might show, some abilities are permanent, and some have uses that give them limited power over the story's narrative.
Hmm, the only issue I see with this is if I wanted to play a Illusionist... but losing access to teleportation would be frustration if one were to go with barring other disciplines completely. It was a aspect that annoyed me with the Bard, is the lack of access to teleport spells.
Transmutation and Abjuration by themselves are fine it give up, laughs but by you adding teleportation spells to that discipline means giving it up wont be as easy.
If I was to do anything with this idea, have schools allow for all the general standard spell focuses, while diciplines offer stronger varients or upgrades to spells of certain types. One offers a wide spell pool and various utility options, while the other offers stronger magic in focused areas. It does say alternative, like jack of all trades or master of one, with some skill in other fields.
If I was to do anything with this idea, have schools allow for all the general standard spell focuses, while diciplines offer stronger varients or upgrades to spells of certain types. One offers a wide spell pool and various utility options, while the other offers stronger magic in focused areas. It does say alternative, like jack of all trades or master of one, with some skill in other fields.
Do you mean unlocking the Focus feats from Disciplines?
That could be certainly be done. As-is, they can either be feats or outright class features that replace the Specialist Wizard's normal abilities:
Personally, I'd take concealing spellcasting over Blinding Ray for an illusionist, especially since the specialist is more of a stealth-mage when it comes to utility.
@Jonathan:
Quite, but if you'd expand the idea established here of allowing spells to seep across schools with appropriate modifications*, you might get to the idea of Shared Spells:
*As using Transmutation/Necromancy to summon monster, with an appropriately-sized focus/material, respectively.
Shared Spells
Many spells are commonly believed to fall under one school of magic. The lines between such arcane studies blur around specific incantations, and the topic of 'Shared Spells' is born.
A 'Shared Spell' is a spell that belongs to one school of magic, and is not normally accessible by a specialist wizard, or a class that cannot cast spells from said specific school.
Casting the spell as a 'Shared Spell' incurs a penalty, but not only allows access to the spell, but also applies school-specific bonuses to said spell.
All spells must be approved by the DM before they might become Shared Spells.
All Shared Spells are cast as one spell level higher, and suffer additional penalties, usually chosen by the DM between several possible effects.
Opening a small rip in the fabric of the planes, you let in light (or darkness) in from an energy realm. Conjuration: Cast light and darkness spells, with the penalty of being unable to center the light radius on any target other than yourself (or the same square your hands are in).
If not strictly creating light, you can extend your sight to increase the vision radius of you and your allies. Divination: As Conjuration.
Imaginary light is one of the greatest paradoxes of the illusion school. Like many paradoxes, this remains alive and well in the school of illusion. Illusion [Figment]: Cast light and darkness spells, with the penalty of (on a disbelief) the effect outright fails instead of having a lesser effect, even on the caster. Simply seeing the light counts as interaction.
Chemical reactions and the transformation of matter to energy are just the easiest ways to create light. Transmutation: Cast light and darkness spells, with the additional cost is that it takes four times the original casting time within the same time increment (1 standard -> 1 full-round -> 3 full round actions).
Teleport
Teleport spells include the normal [Teleport], [Greater Teleport], and [Interplanetary Teleport].
Replicative Schools: Divination, Evocation, Illusion [Shadow], Necromancy [Soul], Transmutation
A wizard is never late. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to. Divination: Cast Teleport as normal, except that it must be done when no one is watching, and with the caster being Hidden to all eligible targets (if someone is scrying, the spell fails). Creatures with intellect scores less than 3 do not count as ‘watching’.
The range is halved, and the casting time is ½ an hour of wandering back and forth.
Unlike many shared spells, Divinatory Teleport functions at the same spell level as normal.
I now have the power to harness the energy of my corporeal body and the energy of my spirit into one. I will become pure energy-light, if you want to think of it that way— Evocation: Cast Teleport as normal, except that you transform your body into pure energy, and reform where and when you please. This has the added penalty of 1 nonlethal damage per 100 miles traveled, with an additional 1 per Medium creature brought along. You are also [Fatigued] after casting.
The Shadow Realm blankets the world like a heavy dark beast. Your body falls and cracks into bits of shadow-stuff, and fades through the realms, appearing later in another location chosen by you. Illusion [Shadow]: As Divination. It does not require the absence of watchers, but requires the area to be in dim light (the spell so fails if the light level rises or falls during casting, though one can hold the spell until the light level decreases again).
The casting time is spent in meditation, allowing the body to split and crack, and then slowly to fade into one’s own shadow, before fading away.
With a word and a gesture, you disintegrate your mortal shell, and rise as a spirit. Free for only precious few moments, you silently soar around the world, searching for a new body to admit you. Necromancy [Soul]: As Evocation. The new body has the exact same ability scores, features, inventory, and age.
Unlike Evocation, it also has a restriction of requiring an already-dead body to inhibit and transform. This often has teleporting necromancers target a graveyard to spawn.
--And by becoming light, I can travel through the heavens like the rays of the sun, returning to this physical world whenever and wherever I choose!
-Raislin Majare
Transmutation: As Evocation.
Sample Side-Effects from Shared Spells:
1: Nonlethal damage equal to spell level.
2: Minor condition for 1 round.
3: Moderate casting time increase.
4: Shortened range.
5: Lessened damage.
6: Large focus
I like the general idea, but I really dislike how it's implemented. I'd personally group the spells based on similar mechanics and themes. Enchantment spells all work similarly and illusions all work mostly the same, but illusions have nothing to do with enchantments other than sometimes being mind-affecting effects. Thematic-wise, they're not the same either.
Shared Spell is one interesting way to handle the issue I mentioned, I would like use such. Though a lot of work would need to be done to really nail down the mechanics and how it works.
It's interesting that schools have obvious themes to them, but the school often has more to do with the "descriptor" of the spell rather than the actual effect.
Consider: Blindness/Deafness is necromancy, but it could just as well be transmutation.
In this system a spell is not associated with any single school. Instead there are multiple schools for many spells. So schools become wider.
To slightly compensate we restrict wizards such that a specialist choses one single school as his specialisation school and then ALL other schools are his opposition schools.
@Cyrad: Here's my rationale.
The thematic link between enchantment and illusion spells is somewhat emphasized through certain forms of media--the first that comes to mind is Elder Scrolls and its magic system consolidation, in which charm, fear, and invisibility are firmly under the new Illusion Discipline.
In-universe (or roleplay-wise), charming a person can be implanting the illusion of an abstract concept like friendship, or twisting emotions of friendship to be redirected to the caster; heroism could be an illusion of courage, or heroism could be instead the courage of the caster implanted into the subject.
The other way around is also possible to justify; other than the [Figment] and [Shadow] subschools, the [Phantasms], [Glamors], [Patterns] can all be reasonably lined under enchantment: thus it is not sometimes mind-affecting: nearly half the subschools (phantasms and patterns) are mind-affecting.
Figments and Shadow are more difficult to rule, but glamors--if you fudge the wording, you could reasonably replicate Disguise Self as if it is mind-warping any viewer to see what you want them to see.
@Jonathan: Regarding shared spells, the mechanics (as of yet) fall under DM fiat: One would normally say that casting a spell as if it were one level higher would be a high enough cost, but with my experience with wizards (myself favoring one), I'd prefer if we also have a penalty mechanic. So far there is nonlethal damage, casting time, shortened range, and minor conditions.
@Ganryu: Unfortunately, there are not enough descriptors to help bunch spells together. Perhaps by applying the [Soul], [Undead], and [Emotion] descriptors, we might get somewhere with the idea.
As for compensation--how many schools will we end up with under your suggestion?
School-Specific Shared Spell Penalties
Each school, when casting a spell as a Shared Spell also inflicts its own penalties, besides the +1 to spell level.
Necromancy: The caster takes damage equal to the spell level. The damage dealt is negative or positive energy, whichever harms the caster the most. If a conjuration, it requires 1/2 a pound of flesh or bodily organs of the creature.
Transmutation: The caster requires an active focus of a size equal to the effect of the spell (if a conjuration), the type of the spell (a heat source if evocation).
Illusion: The caster suffers the same effects unless they also pass a Will save if an offensive targeted spell, or the spell has a lesser effect if he passes a disbelief check if a beneficial spell. They cannot automatically fail the check. A lessened offensive effect acts like a disbelieved Shadow Conjuration, with 5% reality (not 10%) per spell level remaining. A lessened beneficial effect instead loses 4 points in caster level, to a minimum of 0 (in which case it is dispelled).
Necromancers, thus, will be hauling around body parts in coffins to battle. Transmutors will have statues and large objects in their lairs to bring alive, or must improvise with existing items in their enemies' bases, and illusionists might accidentally sabotage themselves by disbelieving their own spells for a lesser effect.
I quite like the redivision that you've come up with. The feats themselves, however, are far too powerful to be a single feat for all three abilities. I could, however, imagine either splitting each up into a chain of three feats and using them that way.
The only one here that I really dislike is the CL 16 ability for enchantment. It boosts a leadership score, but doesn't grant one, so as written you have to take the leadership feat in order to gain any benefit. Even if you do, leadership doesn't strike me as a particularly interesting synergy (and many campaigns don't use it at all). If you're rolling most of the emotion effects into enchantment, then maybe this is a good place to work with that? I can imagine an ability that makes your emotion effects contagious, for example. Worth thinking about, anyway.
Another thing worth mentioning from a design perspective: by rolling both evocation and conjuration into the Invocation discipline, you've ensured that the evocation specialist already has access to summon monster spells. This makes the second half of the CL 11 ability redundant. Instead, maybe this would be a good place to boost "blast" spells. They are a fun, but typically weak, part of the classic wizard archetype. If anyone could actually be good at them, I'd think the evocation specialist would be the one. Maybe allow the evocation specialist to add one point of damage per damage die or something similar, but only to spells of the element he is attuned to. Actually, adding one point as part of the CL 6 ability, then scaling it to plus two at CL11 and plus three at CL 16 strikes me as a pretty reasonable way to make blasting spells relevant.
@Focus Power:
You make a good point. The CL 1-6 can be a single feat, the 11-16 another (with the CL 11-16 as a prerequisite). Since it requires Spell Focus, it might function quite well.
I originally envisioned the focus feats as replacing school powers, so it shows as being on a higher power level than most comparable feats.
@Enchantment:
A revision may be indeed in order.
Enchantment Focus Modify Ability CL 16 CL +16: You may, as a free action, command any follower under Leadership, any [Charmed] or [Dominated] subject you control to charge and take a direct-damage melee, ranged, or spell effect. They might also provide you partial cover by protecting you, taking half damage and granting you the benefits of Improved Evasion. This is a mind-affecting enchantment effect. This can be done once per round as a free action, and each follower you sacrifice this way counts against ‘killed followers’ under Leadership mechanics.
Every time this ability is used, two subjects (chosen randomly) that are eligible to be used in the next round may roll Will saves with a +4 bonus to break free from any mind-affecting spell you inflicted upon them.
Building on your suggestion, this might also be a useful alternative:
Replace: Enchantment Focus CL +16: When a target is under a mind-affecting spell cast by you, you may extend the spell's effects to any creature it comes in contact with as long as you have line of sight and effect. The spell loses 4 points of a save DC, or Caster Level if it does not have a saving throw, with the benefits of negating the effect entirely on a successful save to the secondary target.
Your scent aura also emits from said target as well in the same radius. The bonus from auras overlap and do not stack.
@Evocation:
Modify: Evocation Focus
Add the following line
CL +6: Once attuned, you may deal +1d6 damage per every two caster levels of the elemental type you are attuned to. This bonus damage is halved towards direct-damage evocation spells that do not share the descriptor, and is not included towards spells that oppose the attunement (cold/fire, electricity/acid).
Remove the following line
CL +11: You may also cast Summon Monster spells as Evocation spells, but only when summoning elementals of your attunement type.
Add the following line
CL +11: When attuned, you may replace the elemental descriptor of any evocation spell, as long as it is not of the completely opposed element (cold/fire), (acid/electricity). For example, a wizard attuned to Fire may replace Lightning Bolt's Electricity damage with Fire damage, but not to Cold damage. If the spell's descriptor cannot be reasonably replicated with another element (as catching fire with cold), the referee may waive the secondary effect.
