Feats; Wizard Feats

author: Soltares
email: not revealed
date: 2003-06-02
status: test

No queefy Bloodline / Scion Feats need apply! These ones are for the guys who read books and stuff, and don't have any dragons, genies, fey or outsiders in their ancestry, just the usual complement of monstrous relations, the impossible-to-please parents, cloyingly-sweet-aunts and uncles-that-one-doesn't-leave-alone-with-the-kids.

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Arcane Flexibility

You can prepare 1 additional spell per day for each level of spells known. You can only *cast* the same number of spells, but can cast from the available prepared options. Any leftover prepared spell for a given spell level is wiped away when the wizard has cast his last available spell of that level for the day.

So a 7th level Wizard with a 16 Intelligence can prepare 1 4th level spell per day, normally. He has both Stoneskin and Ice Storm in his spellbook. With this Feat, he can prepare both spells, and cast either of them, but both are lost when he casts either, as he can cast only a single 4th level spell per day in any event. He also has one additional option for his 3rd, 2nd, 1st and Cantrip level magics, but these extra preparations also take time and are lost when he casts his normal maximum number of spells for those levels.

Prereq: 7th level Wizard or 5th level Wizard with a 16+ Intelligence.

Flexible Specialist

You can prepare 1 additional spell per day for each level of spells known, but this extra preparation must be a spell of your school of specialty. You can only *cast* the same number of spells, but can cast from the available prepared options. Any leftover prepared spell for a given spell level is wiped away when the wizard has cast his last available spell of that level for the day.

So a 5th level Wizard specializing in the school of Illusion with a 14 Intelligence can prepare two 3rd level spells per day, one normally, and one bonus spell from the school of Illusion. He has Stinking Cloud, Major Image and Displacement in his spellbook, and can take extra time in the morning to prepare all three of them. He can cast any two of the three over the course of the day, but loses the preparation of the third option when he casts his second choice, as he can cast no more than two spells per day in any event. He also has one additional option for his 2nd, 1st and Cantrip level magics, but these extra preparations also take time and are lost when he casts his normal maximum number of spells for those levels.

Prereq: 5th level Specialist Wizard or 3rd level Wizard with a 14+ Intelligence.

Spontaneous Mastery

The Wizard can cast up to his Intelligence modifier in Mastered spells spontaneously over the course of the day, even if he has no spells of that type prepared at the time. So a Wizard with an Intelligence of 16 and Spell Mastery covering Magic Missile, Mage Armor and Charm Person, can spontaneously cast up to 3 spell levels per day from that list, in any combination, in place of prepared spells of equal level. If he has multiple instances of Spell Mastery, he can use any Mastered spells, but cannot use this Feat to spontaneously cast a spell higher than 3rd level, as he is limited to spontaneously casting 3 spell levels per day total (unless his Intelligence modifier later increases).

Prereq: Wizard, Spell Mastery

Master of (School Name, so 'Master of Illusion' or 'Master of Necromancy')

A Wizard who has Specialized in a particular school of magic can designate one spell per level of spells to Master. She no longer needs a spellbook to prepare this selection of spells.

Prereq: Specialist Wizard, Spell Mastery (all chosen spells must be from the appropriate Specialty school)

Spontaneous Specialist

A Specialist Wizard with this Feat can spontaneously cast any known spell of appropriate level from her specialty school in any of her bonus specialist spell slots.

So a 10th level Necromancer with Cause Fear, Ray of Enfeeblement and Chill Touch in his spell book can prepare any of them as his bonus spell for 1st level, and then spontaneously cast it as either other option, if desired. He can do the same for his bonus 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th level spell slots (and Cantrips, if that option is used, and more than one Cantrip of that school is available).

Prereq: 7th level Specialist Wizard, Master of (School Name)

Sorcerous Cantrips

The Wizard can mix and match between her Cantrips freely, as a Sorcerer. She still only has the normal number of 'slots' / day appropriate to a Wizard of her level, but she is treated a Sorcerer when casting them. She does not lose the preparation, and may cast a spell that she has only 'prepared' once as many times as she has slots available. She can still choose to prepare different cantrips at any time, unlike a Sorcerer.

Elemental (Energetic) Focus

Stacks with Spell Focus, Greater Spell Focus, Malign Spell Focus, etc. Acts as Spell Focus on spells of one particular energy designator, either Acid, Cold, Electricity, Sonic or Fire. This Feat can also be learned to apply to spells with the Shadow designator. [But not the 'Force' descriptor.]

Penetrating Spell [Metamagic]

A spell memorized with this Feat is treated as if the caster were as many levels higher as his primary spellcasting modifier, but only for the purposes of the level check to overcome spell resistance. So a 7th level Cleric with a 21 Wisdom can modify a spell with this Feat so that he is treated as a 12th level caster to overcome spell resistance. A spell modified with this Feat is treated takes up a slot one level higher than normal. This Feat does not stack with itself, so that same Cleric cannot prepare a spell 2 levels higher than normal to add twice his Wisdom modifier to his caster level.

Prereq: The Heighten Spell Feat *or* the Greater Spell Penetration Feat.

Potent Spell [Metamagic]

Acts as the above Feat, but the spell is increased by 3 slots, and counts as if the caster were higher level for *all* level-based variables, including range and damage, in many cases. This Feat does not stack with itself, but can be stacked with the Penetrating Spell Feat (in which case a 9th level Wizard with a 20 Intelligence would count the modified spell as 4 levels higher than normal, but be treated as a 14th level caster for all level-based variables, and a 19th level caster for Spell Resistance checks!).

Prereq: Requires the Penetrating Spell Feat.

Spontaneous Cantrips

The Wizard can choose a number of Cantrips equal to her Intelligence modifier. She can then spontaneously change any other cantrip into one of her Mastered cantrips. [Can also change any higher level spell into a Metamagic adjusted cantrip, using any Metamagic Feat(s) already known to her. So a Wizard with Daze among her Mastered Cantrips, and the Extend Spell Metamagic Feat, can sacrifice a 1st level spell to throw an Extended Daze.] These cantrips are also treated as Mastered, and the Wizard could prepare them even without the benefit of a spellbook.

Extra Cantrips

The spellcaster gains the use of additional cantrips per day as dictated by the modifier from his primary spellcasting attribute. So a Cleric with a 15 Wisdom gets 2 extra cantrips per day, since she has a Wisdom modifier of +2, while a Sorcerer with a 23 Charisma gets +6 slots per day for the casting of cantrips (but learns no additional cantrips, he just gets to use the ones he knows more regularly).

[Special: a caster will only gain 1 extra cantrip / spell level available, including 0-level spells. So the Sorcerer with a 23 Charisma will have to wait until he can cast 5th level spells to get the full +6 slots / day, while the Cleric with a 15 Wisdom will be able to cast her 2 bonus cantrips / day at 1st level, since she can already cast 2 levels of spells, 1st and 0-level.]

In other Wizardly news, I noticed while surfing Sean K Reynolds site that a Specialist Wizard is supposed to get a bonus Cantrip each day from his School of Specialization in addition to his other bonus spells. Something I hadn't really ever considered, but sensible.

Heck, I'm surprised there aren't Domain Cantrips for Clerics. :)

/ Trickstergod comments /

Just because I'm generally such an over-critical ass (and might still get back to the previous spell thread from before), I'll say that, at the moment, the feats seem more or less balanced, decent feats.

I will say, however, that you shouldn't have two different prerequisites for a feat. It just overcomplicates things needlessly. Just use the Intelligence-based Prerequisite, without the Intelligence modifier. Most Wizards will have a 16 or 14+ Intelligence, and those who don't need all the help they can get. That, or if you don't feel the lower level prerequisites are high enough, just use the higher value, without the lower value plus Intelligence as a second option.