WuJen would make for a good Mystic/Sorcerer hybrid.
Why a hybrid? A wu jen's magic is elemental in nature, which would make the spell list good for DL sorcerers. I don't have a copy in front of me, so I don't remember the exact spell list.
If you go from core SAGA material. Shengua would make for a better sorcerer than the WuJen.
Possibly, if you replace the ofuda, set up new schools (i.e. Academy of Sorcery, Thorn Knights, Legion sorcerers) and explain the void spells.
A better application might be to turn the Academy Sorcerer PrC into a full Core Class, with a few minor tweaks. I don't care at all for the DnD Sorcerer in a DL game. As a devoted nut of SAGA, I've disallowed the DnD sorcerer and made my own Sorcerer and Mystic, that better reflect the SAGA origins of those two roles.
Yeah, the D&D sorcerer is by no means the DL sorcerer as presented in SAGA. There are several "fixes" out there for this, including my own Paths of Magic article. WotC sorta determined how the sorcerer would be, and so we've had to explain this change in the RPG.
Why a hybrid? A wu jen's magic is elemental in nature, which would make the spell list good for DL sorcerers. I don't have a copy in front of me, so I don't remember the exact spell list.
Possibly, if you replace the ofuda, set up new schools (i.e. Academy of Sorcery, Thorn Knights, Legion sorcerers) and explain the void spells.
I don't have my Complete books in front of me but couldn't the WuJen do things like enlarge and cast other more Mystic sphere spells? I thought the Shengua was the Earth, Fire, Water, Air spellcaster. This would fit in as a niche specialist for the sorcerer.
Perhaps part of the difference is that when I see "sorcerer" on a DL board, I automatically think SAGA sorcerer role, not the bad xerox of the standard wizard that cast spontaneously. If this were the FR boards that would be completely different. Then the xerox would come to mind. I just don't like the xerox for DL. It just doesn't do it for me in DL.
Yes the shugenja is the spontaneous caster and the wu-jen is the prepared caster. The shugenja also enjoys the element focus ability that gives him the spell focus feat for all spells within his chosen element, but this also prevents him from learning spells of the opposite element (not a requirement of a saga sorcerer, who could learn water spells as well as fire spells). Now the Wu-Jen spells are restricted to earth, fire, metal, water, and wood.
So in a sense they both have some similiarity to the saga age sorcerer.
Shugenja: Spontaneous caster, non-standard spell selection (element specific rather than school), and more spells than the standard wizard.
Wu-Jen: Arcane caster, more elemental focus rather than school focus, better at modifiying spells on the fly than the standard wizard (due to the bonus feat and the spell secret).
I wonder if MWP could change their version of the sorcerer?
No, WotC has mandated that the DL sorcerer be the same as the PHB sorcerer. Otherwise, it would have turned out differently.
Kor, you still run a SAGA based game?
Only for ambient spellcasting. Otherwise 3rd Ed is basically SAGA except that it uses dice and has class skills and class features instead of Advantages/Disadvantages and Trump actions. SAGA introduced the whole Difficulty Rating or Challenge. 3rd changed it from cards to dice.
When SAGA first came out I convinced my group, at the time, to give it 4 sessions and if they didn't like it we would go back to 2nd Ed. During the second session half the group revolted, citing, "It's not D&D without dice!!" and left. That was the end of my SAGA playing days. I've been dying to give it a go again, because the half that did stay had a blast with it and so did I. My current group seems to indicate they night be open to it so maybe we can convert characters and try it out for a session or two.
I played SAGA once or twice with the Marvel Superheroes game. Not too bad, I really liked it.
It's a great system. I liked that there are no fixed classes. What you could do truly only depended upon the limit of your imagination. I didn't like fixed damage.
SRD-wise, I'd just keep them with their current spell-lists and update them as newer spells that fit them become available.