How to add Spell Reserve Feats to DDO

[Angelus_dead]

The only thing I'm questioning here is - on the surface, doesn't this continue the trend of removing more of the differences (mostly mitigating the disadvantages) behind the different classes?

Do you mean differences between wizard and sorc, or between mages and others? If the latter, then I think reducing that difference is the intention. I could go into a variety of reasons why that's a good idea.

If the former, then I think the fact that DDO's wizards and sorcs cannot qualify for the same list of specialties (like they can in D&D) provides an easy way for the devs to avoid making them very similar, since they're not presenting the same options to both.

Being very surgical in topic, DDO has a limited variety of spells. Combined with scroll availability, there really is little disadvantage in terms of spell selection to playing a Sorceror versus a Wizard.

That brings up a perverse, but unlikely, possible outcome: sorcerers of a certain elemental spec will have less spells of that element than other sorcs. Fire spec won't learn scorching ray or anything they can free-cast. But there are several ways Turbine can avoid that (such as simply giving Fire Savant knowledge of BH, Scorch, and FB as part of the specialty, freeing his slots to learn something else).

The hint I'm reading is each tier of PrE may be offering a few low level spells to choose. For elemental PrE's, there's likely only one (or maybe two) options in the range of level 1-3.

Yes, although they'd have to come up with new spells because there's only 2 low-level-ish acid or lightning and 1 low-level cold.

Because of other balance choices (enemy HP), getting the option to toss a minimal version of scorching ray or fireball may be the worst option for a caster since it attracts attention.

I think that'd only be a problem for bad players. If you've learned that mini-fireball does the damage of two sword swings, you let someone slash it 3 times and then you can open up. Caster players really already know how to avoid pulling aggro.

The Archmage PrC offers a variety of really neat abilities - one of the more stellar, especially in a DDO environment, would have to be altering the elemental character of a spell. Acid (Fire) Balls anyone?

That's possible for generic D&D casters with the Energy Substitution feat, so I think that if Turbine wanted energy-type swapping they could provide it without waiting for specialties.

Further, the option for spell-like abilities actually allows for high level spells to be in that category at the price of a spell slot, not spell points.

Spellpoints are the replacement for spell slots... there's nothing surprising about that. If the DDO archmage had cost spell slots, it would've been both more expensive for the player, and more work for the developers.

So I'm not assuming we have all the information yet about the exact nature of the PrE's. You didn't explictly say that the Sorceror's will sacrifice spell points for their abilities but that doesn't mean they aren't.

The D&D rules for elemental savant has no kind of precedence to give up spell slots, as Archmage does. That means they almost absolutely won't have to make any payment beyond qualifying for the specialty.

[Riorik]

Do you mean differences between wizard and sorc, or between mages and others? If the latter, then I think reducing that difference is the intention. I could go into a variety of reasons why that's a good idea.

If the former, then I think the fact that DDO's wizards and sorcs cannot qualify for the same list of specialties (like they can in D&D) provides an easy way for the devs to avoid making them very similar, since they're not presenting the same options to both.

What I really meant was, Sorcerors are intended to have a limited selection of spells but to be able to cast them more often. I suppose it's a lot like being a specialist in your current list only. This provides both advantages AND significant disadvantages.

Scrolling spells greatly mitigates that disadvantage.

Especially considering the huge spell point pools available for many Sorcerors, removing minor amounts of spell points isn't really like paying any cost/price to gain access to 1-3 more spells. Admittedly, it sounds like those 1-3 more "slots" are going to be inferior in some fashion to regular cast spells...still, it's 1-3 more slots further mitigating their disadvantages.

By surgical, I really meant I didn't intend to open up a discussion about all the advantages that DDO Wizards gain over DnD.

And, I do still agree that being a Wizard versus Sorceror does still have it's advantages & disadvantages, however, we all know the power-gamer crowd tends to lean towards Sorcerors...which suggests an imbalance. If everyone's doing it...there's probably a reason.