Specialist Casters

[Daedalus4096]

Are there any plans for character options allowing players to further specialize in their chosen caster class?  For example, if I wanted to make a priest of Zeus as a Channeler, Weather would be a key sub-school for that character, since storms and lightning are pretty much his shtick.  Energy and/or Force, on the other hand, wouldn't be quite so important. 

Perhaps a High Magic feat that assisted such specialization might be in order.  Say, something that for one sub-school gave additional spells, an increased caster level, and/or a bonus to Spellcasting checks at the cost of a penalty to all other sub-schools? 

[Morgenstern]

How much of a trade off is a penalty to something you didn't want to be doing anyway ?

The Spell Library feat is a good choice for that sort of specialization, but exchanging somethign that is worth nothing to a character for something that means everything to that character isn't the sort of deal you get real often in Spycraft . I'll give it some thought though.

[Daedalus4096]

Oh, gimme a break, it's an idea I came up with during a quick five-minute break from my thesis work this afternoon.  There's a reason I'm not the professional here.   

[Morgenstern]

Its something I was going to have to look at anyway as I fill in the feats for volume 2. Its just important to note that penalties have only about 1/4 the weight that similar bonuses have, and thats if the penalty is something that can't be shrugged off (i.e. speed +5 is 1 point while speed -10 is -.5 points when doing origins). That means loosely a +1 to one subschool is maybe comparable to a -2 to all other spells. Probablem is said specialist might not have even one non-weather spell and effectively suffers no cost. Penalties of that sort tend to be thematic or decorative more than anything else, but they still might add some flair to a specialist feat . The easiest way to model a specialist is simply pick the spells you want - and not the ones you don't want, since you have a very limited number of spells you can learn at all.

[Mister Andersen]

Well, if you get a bonus for specialising in one school, you should maybe pick up the Achilles Heel quality with regards to being targeted by another school...

[spinningdice]

So don't bother with the penalty to other schools, just give a boost to the main one, or script the feat so that any penalty to others is merely a minor flavour penalty and give it only very marginal offset.
I'd be tempted to offer a hyperspecialisation where you simply cannot learn from other subschools, making you a bit of a 1 trick pony.

[Grunge_Honey]

since hearing about Spellbound my brain as been running on overtime!

I love the idea BUT

it is something that will not please everyone!

Since the burning times we really don't know much about Magic/ the craft and there are now so many different types of Wicca alone. I mean I have seen people mix saxon witchcraft with egyptian gods (Made me have a brain fart!).

Then you have Harry Potter types (I really really dislike Harry Potter is the nicest way of putting it).

Then you have Viking, Greek ect ect

Druids, Ovates and Bards

and this is just a few off the top of my head, I've also been told about prison covens in europe that are not nice at all.

SO it is up to the lads wether they are going to make it super modifyable without spoiling it.

What would be cool is to had a section on 'witch hunter' now I'd like to have some input on that or atleast read THe Malleus Maleficarum before creating the feats.

[Crafty_Pat]

To clarify, is it your worry that Spellbound won't work for lots of different types of mages? If so, you'll want to check out Scott's Vow of Silence product line, coming soon. We talked about it in this year's GenCon seminar.

If that doesn't float your boat, you might want to check out Crucible's effect-driven magic system, which is being specifically developed to emulate tons of different magic systems in tandem. It's a ways off - Halloween 2008 - but it might fit the bill.

[Grunge_Honey]

I will have a look at it once I can get to turn my puter mic on (We have friends in at the moment). I am looking forward to this book to be honest and if you can cater for those that like to make horrible mish mashes of traditions then I will take my hat off to you Pat.

I actually am a  practicing Animistic Druid in rl.

Ironically I'd love to play a Witch Finder General, most other systems that have tried this haven't pulled it off very well but what I have seen of your stuff so far I've been very impressed.

[Desertpuma]

Knowing Pat, I think you'll be astonished at how successful it will turn out.

[Grunge_Honey]

I hope so then maybe I can get some of the girls into this role playing other than Buffy *shudders*

[Crafty_Pat]

Hold up! I'm not a miracle worker! 

[Desertpuma]

"I beg to differ, sir." ... I have tremendous trust in your capabilities, even if you doubt yourself sometimes.

[Valentina]

To pipe up on the Specialist Caster concept...
I was thinking of building Ultimate's Valentina as a Channeler/Avatar, bending Avatar to being "adds to caster" instead of psion, and citing Mjolnir as the access point.
And relevant to the topic is the idea that she only has access to Storm/Weather the subschool.
I'm wondering how that would balance out, basically. Ignoring Rule 0 does that sound balance viable (assuming Mjol's just a really big hammer otherwise, that all the mojo's in the casting access provided. Very different for SFA, appropriate in that given SFA being so different IMHO, and surely causing the channler/wielder to guzzle Thirst levels)? I realize it's slightly wonk to care about mechanics balance in a semi-abstracted character tied only loosely to the actual physics n guts of it all, but...
well, I do. =] I'm not real big on Super Heroes, I prefer it to be consistent and even something like plausible.

I'd like to know how would it work to be a 1-school caster, or if it is really just a case of not taking spells from any other source?