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Alternate Wizard: Preview 2
🕑 Added 2024-07-24 16:35:30 +0000 UTCHey all!
Been awhile, since I’ve shared my progress on the Alternate Wizard Class, and I wanted to update you on some changes I’ve made since the preview I posted.
As always (especially with WIP classes), I’m interested in what you think! Leave a comment with your thoughts or drop by the Alt Wizard channel on my https://discord.gg/RrgBruhsSY server.
I think you could safely play this at your table without breaking your game (hopefully)!
Enjoy!
~laserllama
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ALTERNATE WIZARD: PREVIEW 2
Mastered Schools:
I think these are here to stay, but I’ve changed up how restrictive they are. At 1st level, one of your three Cantrips and three of the six spells in your Spellbook must be from your Mastered School. However, whenever you gain a Wizard level, only one of the two spells you learn must be from a Mastered School!
(I’ve also adjusted quite a few spell schools but more on that later).
Spellbook:
For some reason, the Wizard is the only class limited by both the DM giving them things (scrolls, spell books) AND gold. I’ve dropped the gold component of adding spells to your Spellbook to see how it works out. At the end of the day, the DM is still in total control of giving these spells.
This also allows you to make a copy of your Spellbook for free, so more intense DMs can target your Spellbook for destruction without feeling totally evil.
No Spellcasting in Armor:
This was a pretty important change made to balance the Wizard (anticipate similar changes to my other “arcane” casters in the future). I don’t see myself removing this restriction for the base class, but maybe a Feat or subclass could allow you to cast spells in some types of armor…
Studious Recovery:
Toying with this feature a little bit to help encourage more short rests. You can only regain a single spell slot, but there is no limit to the number of times you can do so per day. Help out your Warlock/Monk/Fighter buddies and short rest more!
Arcane Traditions:
This time around I’ve added two more Traditions: the Conjurer and Transmuter. Both of which have been reworked to require more spell slots to function, but their features have been buffed to compensate! (Can you guess my favorite anime?)
Student of the Arcane:
A nice little bump to Wizards so your party Rogue/Bard doesn’t show you up.
Signature Spell:
This has undergone the most significant changes here! You are limited to spells of 2nd-level or lower this time around, and there is no limit to the number of changes you can make to your Signature Spell. However, the more powerful options increase the base level of the spell. Also, no more changing saving throws (sorry). Really interested to hear thoughts on this new version!
Wizard Spell List:
To help Wizards out, I’ve sorted their spell list by Spell School, then Spell Level. I think it will make it easier to decide on your Mastered Schools and what spells to learn when you level up.
There have been a ton of Spell School swaps (too many to list here), but broad strokes are:
Abjuration now includes creations of arcane force (tiny hut, wall of force).
Conjuration now includes sustained elemental effects (all wall of ____ spells).
Enchantment now includes any mentalist/psionic effects (catapult, telekinesis).
Evocation only includes instantaneous explosive effects.
Comments
Jeff Potato
Also, I like the new Transmuter. I've considered that maybe transmutation wizards should be able to keep their mental stats while Polymorphed or something, but the bonus action thing also works well.
Jeff Potato
On one hand, I never liked the GP cost for copying spells. On the other hand, it feels like there should be *some* limitation there, because the Wizard's toolkit just keeps getting bigger and bigger every time the party finds a scroll lying around. I've often wondered if the Wizard spell list should really be *that* much longer than all the others, but you'd probably have to rewrite a lot more than one class to fix the situation.
laserllama
Thank you for taking the time to write this up! I knew that "Signature Spell" was a feature I had to get right to capture the feeling of being a Wizard. Seems like I'm on the right track!
Sean P Havern
A week after posting, but I want to focus on Signature Spell. I think this feature captures what it means to be a wizard better than any other feature I have seen in 5e. Many spells are associated with great wizards and at least in my home setting, lv 7 wizards are fairly rare. The idea that a wizard can plant his/her mark on magic by creating a new spell is great. This is something I have encouraged in my own games but the mechanics provided make it much better. Also, the RP moments that can arise from two wizards using one another's spells is very exciting. Whether its two allies or two enemy wizards, the story potential is incredibly high. Mechanically, I think it is pretty balanced. First, the removal of the ability to change saving throw makes sense from a power and in-game perspective. Generally speaking, charisma is the best saving throw to attack for monsters so an immediate meta forms if you can change saving throw. The same can be said in regard to damage to a certain extent, but spell save is still more impactful than say switching fireball to acid bomb. In-game it doesn't make sense to have a fireball or lightning bolt that is resisted by anything other than Dex (ie getting out of the way). I am sure someone could argue why being charismatic helps you avoid a fireball, but that would require mental gymnastics. For these reasons I heavily support this change. The remaining options allow for a wizard to make completely new spells, and that is good. There are so many options. I am imagining a lv 7 offensively minded norse themed wizard turning Burning Hands into Thormund's Thunder, a spell that unleashes a wave of thunder damage in a cone using a bonus action. Then follows it up with a strike from a quarterstaff. There are just so many options and the feature is compatible with any spell added by other third party books like the book of lost spells or Blackstaff's spells or Deep Magic. I have never played a wizard before, this one feature makes me want to play a wizard whose main motivation is the creation of his own spell that will be remembered and used by other wizards for generations to come. Well done!
