Ken Andrews <gobble.RemoveThis@degook.com> wrote:
> On Tue, 14 Nov 2006 16:34:24 -0000, "Symbol" <jb70.RemoveThis@talk21.com> wrote:
>
>>Equally "one level" PrCs are bad design. It should be done with the
>>standard guidelines in mind (5/10 levels).
>
> Another possibility is to do it as a 3-level PrC, a la the Racial and
> Paragon PrCs. But again, it severely impacts the clarity of the
> design, as you have to add a lot of fluff to make it cover 3 full
> levels, and it adversely impacts epics and further specialization.
If you want to go with a PrC for this purpose, then a 3-level PrC is
probably the way to go. Whether you pursue a three-level PrC or a
one-level PrC three times, you spend three levels getting your multiple
specializations.
Incidentally, how does that work? Even if divination is one of your
specializations, you don't have enough schools to take six barred
schools (3 specialized schools + 6 barred schools = 9 schools... and
there are only 8 schools).
Unless I missed something, of course.
Ah -- specialization in Divination only imposes one barred school. That
would do it.
> Of course, by the fact that you can take it multiple times, and use
> those 2 or 3 times to further focus yourself, effectively it *is* a
> 3-level PrC. Each time you take it, you're gaining a further DC+2,
> Will+2, and hosing another 2 schools. What's the real difference
> between writing it as a 3-level PrC, where each level you select a
> school (same or different) and choose two more victim schools, versus
> simply having it as a 1-level PrC that you can take 3 times?
RAW, the difference is +3 Will (the one-level class gives +2 Will each
time, while a three-level class would be +3 total), -1 BAB (one-level
class, you get +0 each time; a three-level class would give a total of
+1). -1 Fort and -1 Ref (same reasoning).
Unless you use fractional accounting, of course, or my saving throw
rules (levels of 'good saves', 'medium saves', and 'poor saves' stack,
so a WizN/SpecialistM would have a base Will save equal to a wizard of
lever N+M. (And similar for Reflex and Fort, and BAB.)
> (Maybe the above *is* a valid solution. Simply make it a 3-level PrC
> which, each time you advance in it, you select a school you've taken
> Spell Focus for, and you choose two schools to hose. The drawback to
> doing it as the 3-level is that it gets rid of the multi-classing
> drawback that came along with the 1-level version. {The 1-level
> version, if you take the PrC multiple times, you start taking XP hits
> because of having too many classes too far apart.})
PrC don't count toward XP penalties, RAW, so no difference here.
>>You can't specialize until at least 3rd level. I don't think that's an
>>especially important change balance wise but depending on your individual
>>concept of a specialist Wizard could make more or less sense.
>
> In real life, you can't specialize in anything until after you've
> spent a bit of time learning more general forms. You can't specialize
> in Geometry until after you've learned addition and subtraction, and
> you can't specialize in Non-Euclidean Geometry until you've learned
> boring old Plane Geometry.
All of these could be considered part of reaching first level, if you
choose.
Allowing access to the PrC at third level is a little unusual. Most PrC
don't allow access until at least fifth level.
> Spells of the opposed schools can still be memorized and cast, but in
> order to cast them successfully, a DC (25 + spell level^2)
> Concentration check must be made.
Perhaps easier -- each level of specialization increases the barred
spells' slot required. So, if you're specialized in Necromancy and have
Evocation barred, /fireball/ needs a fourth-level slot to cast (but is
still considered a third-level spell for save DC, etc.). When you take
a second level of specialist (Abjuration) /fireball/ requires a
fifth-level slot (but is otherwise a third-level spell). When you take
a third level of specialist (Divination) /fireball/ needs a sixth-level
slot.
Enchanting items with barred spells uses the higher level for cost
purposes. Using spell completion items might require an 'effective
caster level' equal to that you'd need to cast the spell. That is, a
wizard with three levels of specialist trying to use a scroll of
/fireball/ ('sixth level spell', to him) treat the scroll as having a
caster level of at least 11 (so while a *normal* Wiz6 could use a
fifth-caster-level scroll of /fireball/ safely, a Wiz3/Spec3 would need
to make a level check to avoid mishap, but would still get only 5d6
damage from the spell). Simpler might be to treat the item as having a
caster level six levels higher (in this case) -- a 10th-level scroll of
/fireball/ is caster level 16 for the purpose of mishap (and maybe also
increase the DC of the Wis check when the level check fails).
> So, you're right, it can be done as a 3-level Prestige Class. I
> suppose you could increase it to 5-level if you wanted (after all, if
> you're a Diviner you'd still have 4 more schools to burn), but I think
> it wouldn't be necessary.
1. specialization
2. filler
3. specialization
4. filler
5. specialization
Since you're effectively limited to
Spec Barred Normal Total
1 2 5 8
2 4 2 8
3 5 0 8 <-- assumes Divination 'last'
The 'filler levels' could provide another 'specialization benefit' such
as a signature spell (from a specialized school) or some such.
Hmm. *Or* you might do
1. specialization
2. specialization
3. specialization
4. remove barred school
5. remove barred school
You could do it in alternating order, but I think it might work better
this way. If you remove barred schools too quickly it reduces the
'cost' of specialization. I'd rather see that at the *end* of the PrC,
overcoming the costs.
Keith
--
Keith Davies "Trying to sway him from his current kook-
keith.davies.RemoveThis@kjdavies.org rant with facts is like trying to create
keith.davies.RemoveThis@gmail.com a vacuum in a room by pushing the air
http://www.kjdavies.org/ out with your hands." -- Matt Frisch
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