| #1zombiegleemaxJan 24, 2004 3:50:37 | One of my particular additions to the wizard class for my Dark Sun game:
Defiling Repertoire: A wizard is able to whet his arcane spellcasting ability, sharpening it in its versatility and destructiveness. A wizard may expand his defiling repertoire at 6th level and every six levels thereafter (12th, 18th, and so on). Each time, he may choose one of several benefits (see below). Though any wizard is free to expand his defiling repertoire, doing so robs him of the ability to preserve. A defiling repertoire may not be expanded retroactively: a wizard who foregoes his chance to do so at any level may not reverse this choice at a later point.
- Adaptive: The wizard can scribe scrolls with cheaper materials than normal. The cp cost for scribing scrolls is halved.
- Agonising Radius: The penalties for being caught within the wizard’s defiling radius are increased by one (–1 becomes –2, –2 becomes –3, and so on). This benefit may be taken multiple times (up to a maximum of five times). Copied verbatim from the feat of the same name from Dark Sun v. 3 by Athas.org
- Apocryphal Snake: The wizard increases his caster level by 2 for an entire day if he consumes fruit plucked directly from a Tree of Life. This effect does not stack with itself, nor with other effects of its kind. The wizard does not gain access to new levels of spells, though any spells that he casts are duly enhanced.
Conversely, this plucked fruit functions for another wizard, if the plucker can convince one to consume it. Doing so immediately forces a defiler taint check (see above), if applicable.
- Bonus Feat: The wizard gains a bonus feat that is subject to the same constraints as the bonus feats that he receives every five levels. This benefit may be taken multiple times.
- Burn-Breather: As a move-equivalent action, the wizard can cause his skin to absorb all traces of ash on its surface, removing any immediate visible effects of his defiler nature.
- Child of Ash: The wizard is unaffected by the agonising effects of being caught within another defiler’s radius of defiling destruction. He ignores all penalties (but not damage) incurred for his proximity to the effect.
- Defile Deep: By violently reaching deep into the surrounding environment the wizard can immediately increase the potency of his spells. A damage-causing spell can be augmented by up to five extra damage dice. Each such damage dice causes 1 point of temporary Charisma damage to the wizard as the land backlashes against his extreme efforts.
- Defiling Rejuvenation: Once per day, the wizard can drain the health of his surroundings to restore 1 ap per wizard level (maximum of 20) to himself.
- Dire Therapist: The wizard can combat his own addictions by renewing his enthusiasm for his first, and greatest addiction: defiling. By expending 20 arcane power (the equivalent of a 5th level spell) in a spectacular display of destruction, the wizard rejuvenates his ability to fight off an addiction. He receives a second saving throw to throw off the effects of a single addiction that he is currently victim to. For each subsequent use of this ability to fight off the same addiction, the wizard incurs a –2 penalty to his saving throw.
Alternately, the wizard can ‘help’ another wizard throw off his addictions by a recommendation to defile. Though the wizard can benefit from this therapy, the act forces a defiler taint check (see above), if applicable.
- Efficient Raze: The wizard treats the terrain he gather energy in as one category better when he defiles. A spell cast in barren terrain (–1 spell save DC and –1 penalty to caster level checks) is treated as if cast in infertile terrain (no spell save modifier and no penalty to caster level checks). In abundant terrain the bonuses to spell save DCs and spell checks are increased by an additional +1. This feat has no effect in the Obsidian Plains. Copied verbatim from the feat of the same name from Dark Sun v. 3 by Athas.org
- Erratic Raze: The wizard defiles in scattered patches and along bent or curving strips of soil. He receives a –10 penalty (instead of the standard –20) to his Bluff check to conceal his radius of defiling destruction.
- Exterminating Raze: The wizard’s defiling techniques are particularly damaging to plant creatures. Plant creatures caught in the wizard’s defiling radius suffer 4 points of damage per spell level. Copied verbatim from the feat of the same name from Dark Sun v. 3 by Athas.org
- Fast Raze: When defiling, the wizard can extend the casting time of his spells to a full-round action and to gain a +1 bonus to caster level. Spells with a normal casting time of 1 round or longer still require an extra round to be cast in this manner. His defiling radius increases by 5 feet for doing so. Copied verbatim from the feat of the same name from Dark Sun v. 3 by Athas.org
- Quash: The wizard’s defiling techniques harm vermin in addition to plant life. Vermin caught in the wizard’s defiling radius suffer 1 point of damage per spell level.
- Shorthand: The wizard abandons all sophistication when scribing spells. His arcane writing becomes rough, containing several errors that only he can immediately catch. As a benefit, the wizard reduces the time required for all arcane spell scribing efforts—copying spells, scribing scrolls—by one day (to a minimum of one day). However, those copying spells from him require one additional day to decipher his particular style, and scrolls used in combat by wizards other than him require a full-round action to cast (spells requiring more than one round to cast require the same amount of time).
- Smoker: The wizard is more accustomed to caustic and stale surroundings and environments that deprive him of air. He receives a +3 bonus to any saving throws made against such effects and situations.
- Spell Echo: The wizard can leave spells behind that are more difficult to remove from their surroundings. By scarring the surroundings of a spell that is cast on a location or non-mobile object, and expending +4 ap, he receives a +2 bonus to all checks made against dispel magic or similar effects intended to negate the spell.
- Unnatural Aura: The wizard can shake animals with his piercing gaze and low growl. Against them, he receives a +4 bonus to all his Intimidate checks.
- Vegan Health: By consuming plants for all his life, the wizard extends his maximum life span by two years per wizard level. He still incurs the effects of ageing at the same increments as everyone else. The wizard’s vegan diet doubles the daily expense of his meals.
- Volatility: The wizard’s falling ash in his radius of defiler destruction is especially volatile when exposed to fire. When lit, it burns for one round, causing all creatures and objects caught within to suffer 2d6 points of fire damage (Fort saving throw against the spell DC for half). The wizard must expend +2 ap (the equivalent of one additional level) as he casts a spell to produce volatile ash as a result.
Volatile ash lingers in the air for up to 1 round per spell level after a spell is cast.
- Viridian Dreams: In abundant terrains, the wizard reduces his need for rest to replenish arcane power by 2 hours. In fertile terrains, the wizard reduces this need by 1 hour. The efficient raze benefit has no effect on viridian dreams.
And for preservers:
Raze Flesh (Su): A wizard who can preserve can gather energy at the expense of his own health. He can still cast spells in an area utterly devoid of life by drawing from his current hit points, causing 1 point of subdual damage per level of the spell being cast. A wizard may also voluntarily choose to raze flesh instead of drawing energy from the environment. Razing flesh is a free action, and counts against the limit of one free action per round.
Preservers in my game receive other benefits which are specific to my own campaign (is probably unusable for standard Dark Sun games). Note that "ap" or "arcane power" is a spell point system. If you're converting, use 10 + 2 per level as a guide, so 20 ap = 5th level spell.
My changes to defiling in general:
Defiling magic has certain immediate advantages:
- Any spells that cause damage inflict one additional die. Damage from the last die is always considered lethal. The defiler does not incur any benefits from this extra damage that he may normally by causing damage with the spell, however.
- Damage caused by a defiling spell can be maximised if the caster spends one whole round of casting per die above and beyond the standard casting. So a defiler who spends two full rounds and a standard action on a fireball gets to throw 2 maximised dice and 8 normal ones, plus his extra damage die. Up to 5 dice can be maximised in such a manner.
- Defiling spells can be enhanced with metamagic feats with reduced arcane power cost. By extending the radius of defiling destruction by 5 feet, the caster can lower the cost of a metamagic-enhanced spell by 2 ap.
- By extending the casting time of a spell to a full-round action, the caster gains a +1 bonus to caster level. Doing so extends the radius of defiling destruction for a spell by 5 feet. Spells with a normal casting of 1 round or longer require an extra round of casting to be cast in this manner.
ciaran |
| #2jaanosJan 24, 2004 7:28:14 | I really, really like those aditions. Keep it up! I've allways been a fan of caniblizing your own health (ALA Raistlin in DL novels) to power spells. I use a simple formula, HP cost = equivelant PP cost as if the spell were a psion power. In 2e, the spell and option sytem worked nice as well.
When i get the chance, i'll pull out a little power i wrote called rapidity.
Jaan |