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Alright, I have a player who is playing a polymorphing wizard. He is miffed that bracers of armor dont actually help his AC when polymorphed, so he wanted to make a higher level version of Mage Armor. This would be a researched spell, obviously.
His idea was 3rd level, functions just like mage armor, but it provides +4 armor bonus, and an additional +1 for every 4 caster levels, capping at +8. This seems good to me, but I wanted your thoughts. The ONLY change I might make would be a minor costly material component, like a 10-50 gp gem or dust or something.
If it is going to be two full levels higher, it should start with a better bonus.
I would also have it progress faster, as written, he wouldn't get the +8 till level 19...
Maybe have it be +5 to start, with a +1 for every 3 levels beyond 3 so...
6th +6
9th +7
12th +8
Or maintain same rate of improvement, but starting at +5, like so:
3rd +5
7th +6
11th +7
15 +8
Throw a small material component requirement in there (say 10gp) and I would say he's good to go.
Having a large cost attached to it would be cruel, so I would say 10gp or less... cause he has to actually TRACK those ones.
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By way of comparison:
3.5 had Greater Mage Armor as a 3rd level arcane spell with no focus component and it granted a flat +6 AC. Apparently those developers thought this would be a good balance so maybe that might work as a guideline for your game.
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Here's the 3.0 version...which I liked better then the 3.5 version.
You create an invisible but tangible field of force around the subject of the spell. This provides an armor bonus to AC of +3 + 1 per 2 caster levels, to a maximum of +8 at 10th caster level. Unlike mundane armor, this spell entails no armor check penalty, arcane spell failure chance, or speed reduction. Since improved mage armor is made of force, incorporeal creatures can’t bypass it the way they do normal armor.
Material Component: A tiny platinum shield worth at least 100 gp.
This came from the Unapproachable East 3.0
Here's the 3.0 version...which I liked better then the 3.5 version.
Yikes.
100gp per cast.
And at 5th level it gives less AC than the 3.5 version, for that greater cash cost to cast it. In fact, it's not better until 8th level, but it always costs more to cast. By the time I reach 10th level, I might have cast this a couple dozen times - that could have purchased a few pearls or power or wands of mage armor by then.
Not sure I like it better...
Alright, I have a player who is playing a polymorphing wizard. He is miffed that bracers of armor dont actually help his AC when polymorphed,
Are you sure about that?
As permanent on magical items they should still work. At least that's what I thought.
He does know that Mage armor, the spell, remains in effect while polymorphed right?
A wand of it provides a lot of time in mage armor. Or 2 pearls of power once he is CL 8 means mage armor active all day, every day.
The 3rd level spell does work however, making it require a material component counters the reason for the spell. Does not qualify for Eschew Material and thus, is uncastable in polymorph form.
With a duration of hours, presumably he is waking up and casting it...
Or, like every caster i have seen, puts down his component pouch, polymorphs, picks it back up.
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Here's the 3.0 version...which I liked better then the 3.5 version.Yikes.
100gp per cast.
And at 5th level it gives less AC than the 3.5 version, for that greater cash cost to cast it. In fact, it's not better until 8th level, but it always costs more to cast. By the time I reach 10th level, I might have cast this a couple dozen times - that could have purchased a few pearls or power or wands of mage armor by then.
Not sure I like it better...
Ya the cost is a bit much. So do it like PF and have it an F instead of an M.
Edit: I also left out the part where the duration is 1 min/per.....THAT really sucks.
bracers of armor work while polymorphed. If not then no wondrous item works while polymorphed. Actual armor doesn't work while polymorphed, true, (unless it is wild) but bracers of armor arent actually armor, they just provide an armor type bonus. It still operates while polymorphed.
Here's the 3.0 version...which I liked better then the 3.5 version.Yikes.
100gp per cast.
And at 5th level it gives less AC than the 3.5 version, for that greater cash cost to cast it. In fact, it's not better until 8th level, but it always costs more to cast. By the time I reach 10th level, I might have cast this a couple dozen times - that could have purchased a few pearls or power or wands of mage armor by then.
Not sure I like it better...
Ya the cost is a bit much. So do it like PF and have it an F instead of an M.
Edit: I also left out the part where the duration is 1 min/per.....THAT really sucks.
1 minute/level? Garbage. Would never use.
bracers of armor work while polymorphed. If not then no wondrous item works while polymorphed. Actual armor doesn't work while polymorphed, true, (unless it is wild) but bracers of armor arent actually armor, they just provide an armor type bonus. It still operates while polymorphed.
I don't think they do.
Polymorph specifically says that "constant bonuses" continue to work but "armor and shield bonuses" do not.
So it's not limited to physical armor, but to any source that gives an "armor bonus". This includes Bracers of Armor.
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By way of comparison:
3.5 had Greater Mage Armor as a 3rd level arcane spell with no focus component and it granted a flat +6 AC. Apparently those developers thought this would be a good balance so maybe that might work as a guideline for your game.
I think that there was a reason that Pathfinder didn't copy that particular spell.
Polymorph wizards are already stupid powerful - really significant polymorphing is probably one of the half dozen things which should be dropped from the system entirely (and more annoying than most as it directly steps on the toes of martials). You don't need to add house-rules to make it better.
By way of comparison:
3.5 had Greater Mage Armor as a 3rd level arcane spell with no focus component and it granted a flat +6 AC. Apparently those developers thought this would be a good balance so maybe that might work as a guideline for your game.
I think that there was a reason that Pathfinder didn't copy that particular spell.
Polymorph wizards are already stupid powerful - really significant polymorphing is probably one of the half dozen things which should be dropped from the system entirely (and more annoying than most as it directly steps on the toes of martials). You don't need to add house-rules to make it better.
Whether or not that is true, the actual reason Pathfinder didn't copy the spell was because unlike Mage Armor, Greater Mage Armor was not part of the open source material.
And Polymorph in Pathfinder is dramatically weaker than 3.5 anyway...
If bracers of armor won't work, neither will mage armor. They're both armor bonuses. Instead, he should consider an amulet of natural armor or the barkskin spell, which scales with level. These will stack with the polymorph form's natural armor.
If bracers of armor won't work, neither will mage armor. They're both armor bonuses. Instead, he should consider an amulet of natural armor or the barkskin spell, which scales with level. These will stack with the polymorph form's natural armor.
Good ideas.
Mage Armor could be cast after polymorphing. If possible.
Well... if you want to avoid a material component cost, you could make it a 4th level spell. Make it grant a +4 bonus and an additional +1 for every 3 caster levels they possess. So, at 7th level, a Wizard would start off at +6 (+2 for having 6 caster levels) and it would scale up to a max of +10 at 18th level. You could consider making it a 'personal' range spell, simply so it can't be cast on others, or else many characters would want to have such a spell cast on them. Especially dex based characters.
It feels a little weak to me for a 4th level spell. Personally, I might consider something like the caster also gains DR/magic equal to double the armor bonus. Would make it a really good option for casters to avoid being bum rushed by a horde of goblins, or something like that.
Well, if you want to buff wizards... Allow him to pretend to be a psion and to prepare mage armor in higher level spell slots, gaining +1 armor per spell level, to a maximum of +12 when cast from 9th level spell slot.
Another idea: to buff the spell, maybe it could grant light fortification?