Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl
By the way, Wildcard Colleges must be one of the worst purchases in the game. Either I can spend 24 CP for each College! at (IQ + Wildcard Magery) or I can spend 24 CP for each College at ([IQ + Magery] + 4). Unlike most traits, it actually get worse the more points you plow into the trait, as 120 CP can either give you ([IQ + Wildcard Magery] + 8) for College! or ([IQ + Magery] + 28) for College.
|
You are forgetting that Wildcard Magery eliminates the need for either Ritual Magic or Thaumatology skill from which Colleges must hang. "College skills have the core skill as a prerequisite and may never exceed the core skill." With no Ritual Magic or Thaumatology skill to limit College! the sky (or the points available) is the limit.
Also normally College! means you know
every spell in the College at skill level rather then College - Prerequisite count that Ritual Magic (and Magic!) does and the RAW are nasty in that regard. Even with the
option Power-Ups 7: Wildcard Skills provides you are still looking at a generous 1/2 prerequisite count. Though the default is that unlike Magic! every spell is at the wildcard's skill level.
For example, knowing Enchantment with Ritual Magery still means you have to pony up the points to eliminate the -10 Prerequisite count for the easiest spell in that College, Enchant (that is what that Prerequisite count column in Magic p. 223-237 is for) More over if I am reading B242 correctly Powerstone would still need to be raised from its -11 even if you knew Enchant at College level. There are 21 points right there. Enchantment! by contrast get you every spell at whatever skill level the wildcard is (15 at least obviously) and even with the 1/3 or 1/2 Prerequisite count option it is still cheaper in the long run.
I should mention there is a bit of a conflict regarding Magic! in Magic and Power-Ups 7: Wildcard Skills vs how Wildcard skills work in the Basic Set. Magic and Power-Ups 7: Wildcard Skills state "With that single wildcard skill, he can cast any spell he wants,
at a penalty equal to the spell’s prerequisite count." while the basic set states "
Wildcard skills include and replace all specific skills within their area." (sic)
Interestingly Wildcard Magery has a built in "Each spell defaults to the appropriate college skill at a penalty equal to
1/3 of its prerequisite count, rounded to the nearest whole number." (sic) This actual makes it more balanced than the way College! would normally behave though it is more generous then the 1/2 prerequisite count option of Power-Ups 7: Wildcard Skills.