LibriumArcana.Games

Something I remembered I had from a while ago. It never saw playtesting, since the group I played with disintegrated shortly after I finished writing. Thoughts, comments, critique, I want to hear it all.

And now, without further ado...

The Blue Mage

I am going to tell you right now that is an overpowered class.

Detail? I mean, whatever you saw wouldn't be obvious to me, or I would have attempted to fix it already.

Offhand, I'd say an arcane spellcaster with 4 skill points and d6 hit points is above the curve to start with. The special abilities seem more suited to a prestige class, rather than a base class.

It also reminds me of a special class I saw in one of the "Complete" books, either Complete Arcane or Complete Adventurer. The Spellthief.

Of course, the classes in those books aren't wonderfully balance.

Drox wrote:Detail? I mean, whatever you saw wouldn't be obvious to me, or I would have attempted to fix it already.

A mage with d6 hitpoints who can cast ANY spell so long as it has been cast at him or someone near him at some point, with a high INT requirement and 4 skillpoints per level? No.

The reason wizards are gimped in the HP department, and the reason they have fewer skillpoints is because their spells easily allow them to make up for the loss.

A cleric hasmore HP because A) they are expected to be on the line with the fighters and B) their desructive spells are a cojple leavels higher than a wizard's which do the same damage.

Comrade Tortoise wrote: A mage with d6 hitpoints who can cast ANY spell so long as it has been cast at him or someone near him at some point, with a high INT requirement and 4 skillpoints per level? No.

I wouldn't anticipate that a blue mage would learn EVERY spell cast near them, especially since they must voluntarily suffer whatever ill effects the spell has to offer. In addition, they can't learn any spells with a personal range, and there are a few restrictions on Divert Magic.

The skill points per level is a typo, it should read 2 per level, to match what they get at 1st.

I don't understand how requiring more INT makes the class overpowered, though. The idea was to give them a decent amount of spells per day, but still restrict use somehow.

Comrade Tortoise wrote: The reason wizards are gimped in the HP department, and the reason they have fewer skillpoints is because their spells easily allow them to make up for the loss. A cleric hasmore HP because A) they are expected to be on the line with the fighters and B) their desructive spells are a cojple leavels higher than a wizard's which do the same damage.

I hardly consider two more HP a massive unbalance, even when you consider that their main class abilities necessitate self-harm, especially at low level. They have no spells without being attacked by spells. Sure, the wizard has less HP because they have fireball, but the blue mage has no fireball without first being fireballed, and for full damage at that.

The other consideration is that blue mages can never learn any spells with a range of personal or self. Quite a few defensive spells, IIRC, have such a range. That they as spellcasters don't get those spells (again, especially at low levels) makes it seem to me like it's fair enough to give them just two more hitpoints.

Another thing to consider, is that, yes, this class is powerful. Rash or excessive usage of it's central ability, however, will get characters killed.

And as to why it isn't a prestige class... well... I hate prestige classes.