The Schools Arcane

Stargate525 · February 05, 2007, 10:36:15 PM

Quote from: Epic Meepo
Quote from: MithridatesIf you fight a necromancer, you're up against death and inflict spells (and maybe a few undead on the side)... A Transmuter, however, could strike in any number of ways, from polymorphing into a red dragon or turning himself into a golem, to disintegrating you or turning you to stone, to throwing you around the room with telekinesis... or maybe he'll just send his lackeys after you, charged up with buffing spells.
undead[/i] lackeys after you, charged up with buff spells.

ouch... a necromancer who did not specialize in necromancy... PAIN. Pain and shameless use of the evil overlord list.

Polycarp · February 05, 2007, 10:54:33 PM

Quote from: Epic MeepoOr, double your fun as GM by having your necromancer prepare only one necromancy spell per level. The PCs charge in expecting death and inflict spells, but what do they get: a necromancer who polymorphs into a red dragon, disintegrates you, tosses you about the room with telekinesis... or maybe just sends his undead lackeys after you, charged up with buff spells.

Well, obviously all mages have a lot of choice, as specialist wizards don't give up much - but I believe the discussion is about specialist schools, not specialist practitioners. I was just emphasizing a point about the school of Transmutation having several things other schools lacked.

And by the way, how would the PCs even know they were facing a necromancer? I mean, I guess if you go and deck the guy out in a black robe and accessorize him with bone everything, but personally I try not to go the cliche obvious route when I make villains. ;)

Captain Obvious · February 06, 2007, 12:26:07 AM

Quote from: MithridatesAnd by the way, how would the PCs even know they were facing a necromancer? I mean, I guess if you go and deck the guy out in a black robe and accessorize him with bone everything, but personally I try not to go the cliche obvious route when I make villains. ;)

Currently my party in my IRL campaign are fighting necros and are fully aware they are fighting necros (zombies, skeleton mages, advanced gargoyles that make zombie spawn of stuff they kill, specters, morghs, the works) and the leader is a death preist decked out in full bone battle armour necro-regalia. But there's a shadowy figure lurking around who is her liason to her boss, and they have no idea what he is yet.

Gotta love hooded black cloaks and the abbility to easily escape. (he's actually an abbysal ghoul with rogue levels, but they don't know that. he could be a necro, a rogue, a fighter, a random outsider, anything).

Although at this point these are the superiors of one character, employer of 3 more and the uneasy allies of the last (they decide to go evil campaign). The last guy is actually playing an awesome game of intruigue, playing all sides against eachother and getting paid 3 time for the same assasination job, as well as setting up a pawn as ruler of the local town and trying to manipulate the generals of the undead army. I'm actually really looking forwards to seeing where this story will go.

And i'm the one running the campaign.

Epic Meepo · February 06, 2007, 01:53:57 AM

Quote from: MithridatesI believe the discussion is about specialist schools, not specialist practitioners. I was just emphasizing a point about the school of Transmutation having several things other schools lacked.

Didn't mean to sound like I was trying to invalidate your point. I actually agree with everything you said about transmuters. I was just trying to point out that its fun when considering schools of magic to think about how two schools can be woven together into a thematic whole, a la the transmutational necromancer.

Polycarp · February 06, 2007, 04:11:52 AM

Quote from: Epic MeepoDidn't mean to sound like I was trying to invalidate your point. I actually agree with everything you said about transmuters. I was just trying to point out that its fun when considering schools of magic to think about how two schools can be woven together into a thematic whole, a la the transmutational necromancer.

I see what you mean. It makes me wish that specialists were a bit more specialized - often times people take a specialist class for the extra spell slots, not because they actually want to play a dedicated Transmuter or whatever. A few extra spell slots and a Spellcraft bonus doesn't shoult customization to me. I'd like a specialist to be actually able to cast their school spells more effectively, or gain access to them earlier, or something that justifies the loss of schools while still making a specialist... special.

Darkxarth · February 06, 2007, 10:12:30 AM

I sometimes use the Specialist Variants to make my Wizard seem more dedicated. There are three for each school. One that replaces the familiar, one that replaces the Wizard's bonus feats, and one that replaces the extra specialization spell. I don't usually use all three variants, but I always give them a look-over before I finish a specialist Wizard. If you, like me, don't have Unearthed Arcana (which is what I think the book they're in is called) they are available at d20srd.org under the Variant Classes section. Some a kind of dull, but a lot of them I like. They're a nice way to make your Wizard seem like a true master of, whatever it is he's a master of.

Epic Meepo · February 06, 2007, 02:42:24 PM

I actually have Unearthed Arcana (it was just too good for me not to buy it and give the authors their props) and I agree: the specialist variants are a good way to make specialists more diverse. But I can also see Mithridates' point: becoming a specialist doesn't really let you cast the spells of your school any better than anyone else. A necromancer can learn fireball just as soon and cast it just as effectively as an evoker.

Perhaps it would make more sense if specializing in a school worked more like those domains that provide a caster level bump. Evokers get a +1 caster level when casting evocation spells, for example. (In fact, I think there's a trait in Unearthed Arcana that does exactly that: +1 caster level in one school, -1 caster level in all other schools.)

the_taken · February 07, 2007, 10:53:10 PM

speeling of the evil overlord list, anybody have a link. I've lost mine.

Stargate525 · February 07, 2007, 10:55:01 PM

Quote from: the_takenspeeling of the evil overlord list, anybody have a link. I've lost mine.

ta-dah!

the_taken · February 08, 2007, 12:13:49 AM

there it is! Thank you.

khyron1144 · February 08, 2007, 07:34:59 PM

I prefer thaumaturgical schools over philosophical schools.

I have played two of the specialty wizards first introduced in Player's Option: Skills & Powers and elaborated on in Player's Option: Spells & Magic: a geometer, named Euclid Euler Pythagoras e pi i, and an alchemist named, There's Antimony, Arsenic, Aluminum, Selenium, and Hydrogen, and Oxygen and Nitrogen and Rhenium (sung quickly to the tune of "I Am The Very Model of A Modern Major General").

That was back in my high school days and those were fun times.

Stargate525 · February 08, 2007, 08:00:23 PM

Quote from: khyron1144I prefer thaumaturgical schools over philosophical schools.

I have played two of the specialty wizards first introduced in Player's Option: Skills & Powers and elaborated on in Player's Option: Spells & Magic: a geometer, named Euclid Euler Pythagoras e pi i, and an alchemist named, There's Antimony, Arsenic, Aluminum, Selenium, and Hydrogen, and Oxygen and Nitrogen and Rhenium (sung quickly to the tune of "I Am The Very Model of A Modern Major General").

That was back in my high school days and those were fun times.

Thank you. Now I have to go find the whole lyrics to that stupid periodic table song...

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The Schools Arcane

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