Sorcerer Class

[hcobb]

The Sorcerer is an additional class for TFT.

They learn talents as a wizard, but their spells are slightly different as they don't learn spells through mundane study, but rather through a pact with a demonic creature that is itself a bit unlike the common demons of TFT. All sorcerers know Sorcerer's Tongue as a bonus language, whatever their IQ.

A sorcerer can't learn any enchantment spells (including Staff) and can't cast spells using his own strength. He can use magic items as a hero would and so has very little use for powerstones. He also can't cast spells from books or scrolls so has no use for a wizard's chest and would only use a lab for alchemy.

Each sorcerer starts with 8 Mana and can spend XPs to increase this up to twice his IQ level for 200 XPs per point. This mana pool isn't bound to any object and recharges one point every 15 minutes whatever the sorcerer is doing. Only this mana pool can be used to power spells and this can't be recharged by any other means.

Whenever a sorcerer rolls an 18 on a spellcasting roll he can either expend a limited wish to reroll, or risk a 4/IQ saving throw. If he falls this saving throw his body is reduced to ash and his hex is a Fire hex (as per the spell) for the next minute.

[Steve Plambeck]

Originally Posted by hcobb

Each sorcerer starts with 8 Mana and can spend XPs to increase this...

Sorry that's the only part of this idea I like, but then I like it a lot.

This is because in my case I'd like to see Mana become a legitimate 4th Attribute with a minimum of 8, advancing at the same XP cost as the other Attributes, and paying for all spell costs instead of ST. In such a system ST becomes a dump stat for wizards, while Mana becomes the dump stat for non-wizards. Thus no single Attribute is a dump stat for everyone (which would be a bad thing in any game).

Low ST wizards that can do a lot of magic... where have I heard that idea before? :)

[larsdangly]

You could accomplish something similar, in terms of its feel in your campaign, by adding no new rules but simply stipulating that the only way you can learn spells is through instruction by a demon. Only wizards capable of demon summoning would have direct control over their own spell lists - everyone else would need to align themselves or serve such a summoner, who would presumably make them do things demanded by the demon in order to let them learn a spell.

[stefanj]

Another sort or sorcerer:


A powerful sorcerer has a rolodex of spirits on call and the force of personality and knowledge to command them. Doesn't cast spells at all. They have skills, and a few spell-like rituals, for binding demons, and the real magic work is done by them.


As they grow in power they accumulate a load of debt and vendettas.

[Senturian]

Lars,
I kinda like your concept. Not as a rule, but as an adventure.

[larsdangly]

You can do so much to shape the way magic, artifacts, technology, wealth, etc. work in your game by simply not playing along with the assumptions that players get whatever they want whenever they want for some nominal rules-book price.

[hcobb]

Your quest is to find the true name of the demon who knows the Spellsniffer spell.

[David Bofinger]

What's your strategic objective here? Why do you want to do this?

• Are you trying to represent a character archetype from myth or fiction?
• Is the sorceror supposed to be better than wizards in some interesting way? They learn a language for free and they can cast spells without compromising their hit points, is that right? Is that fun?
• Is the sorceror supposed to be worse than wizards in some interesting way? Mostly it seems like they lack the incidental wizards-only benefits.
• Who might want to play this class? Perhaps beginners, who don't want to worry about the incidental side abilities of wizards but also don't like finding themself unconscious because they were low on fatigue and got bumped.

Without having some idea what you're trying to achieve it's hard to know how to advise you on how to achieve it.

[David Bofinger]

I tried to write a Druid/Hedge class once, they had some of the spells at 1x cost, the rest at 2x cost, all the nature-related talents at 1x cost, etc. But I realised I was going to have to split all the talents and spells into categories and if I was going to do that it seemed best to make a general class system so a class could be defined by "this character class gets categories A, B and C at normal cost," etc.. I would do that if there were any market for it, but I've not noticed there is.

The alternative would be a classless society where anyone could buy anything. Maybe some prerequisite talents to create small barriers to entry, but generally just laissez faire. I suspect that would work OK, with a touch of tinkering.

[zot]

Originally Posted by hcobb

Whenever a sorcerer rolls an 18 on a spellcasting roll he can either expend a limited wish to reroll, or risk a 4/IQ saving throw. If he falls this saving throw his body is reduced to ash and his hex is a Fire hex (as per the spell) for the next minute.

It's a neat concept except that they depend on wish farming -- there's a 50% chance of rolling an 18 in 150 rolls. If you take this as a PC, you'd absolutely need to farm wishes for this kind of character to work. If you allow wish farming.

Wish farming seems fully within the scope of the rules to me but it does change the world into a much more volatile place, since NPCs should be expected to be farming wishes as well. In such a world, lesser wishes would become commodities, I would think they'd be sold commonly -- if you have a wish farming crew, why not farm a couple more for profit? You could certainly pay the crew with lesser wishes...