Wizards Can't Specialize!!! Well like this they can....

[Aspenor]

Being a specialist wizard at the cost of giving up two schools of magic is possibly the single most important class feature of the wizard, and we can't do it in DDO.

Well, this is how they should do it:

The specialist wizard chooses two schools of magic, he cannot cast spells from these schools. This includes scrolls, wands, or memorization. In return the specialist wizard gains a second spell point pool reserved for spells from the specialist school. The primary spell point pool stays the same size, the specialist pool serves as the "bonus spell slot" for each level that a specialist wizard gains for specializing. As the wizard casts spells from that school, the dedicated pool subtracts their cost until exhausted. Once gone, the costs for all spells are taken from the primary spell point pool. All spells not from the specialized school are always taken from the primary pool.

Due to our extremely limited spell selection, outlined by barabel below, we should probably only have to ban one school of magic instead of two.

Simple.

[Aspenor]

What, nobody wants to play a specialist?

[Lerincho]

or we know not to get our hopes up.

[Aspenor]

or we know not to get our hopes up.

ZING! +1 rep for Gil!

[Lerincho]

ZING! +1 rep for Gil!

thanks after the backhand someone gave me in another thread i have a lot to go again to hit the 300. not happy at all.

[Thriand]

I'd totally not cast out of the divination spell school

But seriously, would love to see this implemented.

[Lithic]

Instead of an extra spell pool, why not allow specialists to choose 1 spell per level, and have specialization grant them a clickie of that spell to put on their hotbar. For example, an 18th level necromancer would get a clickie of finger of death, chill touch, horrid wilting, wail of the banshee, etc, that acts as if they had cast the spell. Make it 2/day or something and it should be a pretty faithfull translation of the specialist benefits to our DDO system. To save on hotbar space, the devs could program it so that if the perday clickies of finger of death are exhausted (for example), then clicking the icon starts using mana.

This would likely be much easier to implement than a whole new spell pool, especially when you consider monk/specialist wizards/clerics can come into the mix heh.

[Aspenor]

I'd totally not cast out of the divination spell school

But seriously, would love to see this implemented.

Not allowed. Divination is the one school prohibited from being banned (as per the PHB).

[Thriand]

Not allowed. Divination is the one school prohibited from being banned (as per the PHB).

Oh I know, and not to mention it doesn't exist in this game was just joking

[Baahb3]

If I remember the rules right I don't think you can choose Divination as one of your prohibitated schools, Divination and Universal are the two schools that cannot be chosen.

[Aspenor]

Oh I know, and not to mention it doesn't exist in this game was just joking

Technically it does. True seeing and See Invisibility are Divinations.

[Aspenor]

Instead of an extra spell pool, why not allow specialists to choose 1 spell per level, and have specialization grant them a clickie of that spell to put on their hotbar. For example, an 18th level necromancer would get a clickie of finger of death, chill touch, horrid wilting, wail of the banshee, etc, that acts as if they had cast the spell. Make it 2/day or something and it should be a pretty faithfull translation of the specialist benefits to our DDO system. To save on hotbar space, the devs could program it so that if the perday clickies of finger of death are exhausted (for example), then clicking the icon starts using mana.

This would likely be much easier to implement than a whole new spell pool, especially when you consider monk/specialist wizards/clerics can come into the mix heh.

BOOOOOO HISSSSS clickies are annoying!!!!

This would add a total of at least 10 clickies to already crowded hotbars. In addition, DDO is based off the spell point variant of DnD, which allows the wizard to choose which spell he will cast. The clickie-type suggestion here would limit the choices to only the clickied spells. If a necromancer specialist wished to spend all his specialist pool on Finger of Death, he should be allowed to do so.

[barabel]

Due to limited spell selection, I'd say maybe restrict it to eliminating one spell school instead of two (keeping Divination and un-selectable). Here is a chart I built from data on DDOWiki showing the Spell Schools and spells available per level.

School Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Abjuration 3 1 2 3 2 2 1 0
Conjuration 5 5 3 3 3 2 2 3
Divination 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0
Enchantment 3 3 5 2 4 3 4 3
Evocation 4 2 3 5 2 1 1 3
Illusion 3 1 1 0 0 1 0 0
Necromancy 3 4 2 3 1 2 4 2
Transmutation 6 8 5 1 0 6 0 0

[Aspenor]

Due to limited spell selection, I'd say maybe restrict it to eliminating one spell school instead of two (keeping Divination and un-selectable). Here is a chart I built from data on DDOWiki showing the Spell Schools and spells available per level.

This would probably be a good idea, and I will add this thought to the OP. Our extremely limited spell selection is an important factor.

[Lithic]

So in 3.5 you get to choose your opposing schools? Each school is not linked with 2 oposing schools by the rules like in 2.0?

[Aspenor]

So in 3.5 you get to choose your opposing schools? Each school is not linked with 2 oposing schools by the rules like in 2.0?

Yes, the banned schools are your choice, assuming the DM follows the PHB as-written.

[Kriogen]

...The specialist wizard chooses two schools of magic, he cannot cast spells from these schools. This includes scrolls, wands, or memorization. In return the specialist wizard gains a second spell point pool reserved for spells from the specialist school. The primary spell point pool stays the same size, the specialist pool serves as the "bonus spell slot" for each level that a specialist wizard gains for specializing. As the wizard casts spells from that school, the dedicated pool subtracts their cost until exhausted. Once gone, the costs for all spells are taken from the primary spell point pool. All spells not from the specialized school are always taken from the primary pool...

Because mana pots exists, this is not profitable enough.

If I get +2 DC and +20% stackable potency, then maybe. But just more mana is not enough. I can just get pots or roll a sorcerer.

[barabel]

If we are limiting the spells available to cast (via scroll, wands,spell slots, etc.), maybe a simple bonus spells points to the general pool would be a good start for specialization.

Also I was thinking that maybe a bonus to spell DC would be a good boost, but some areas don't get as much out of this. So I think each school should get it's own special bonus ability.

Maybe something like:

• Abjuration Spells: -2 to Extend Spell costs
• Conjuration Spells: +2 sec/level duration
• Enchantment Spells: +1 to DC for Will Saves
• Evocation Spells: +1 pt/Wizard level additional damage (not for DoT spells)
• Illusion Spells: +2 sec/level duration
• Necromancy Spells: +1 temp hit points per level of Necro spell cast (Max = Wiz Level)
• Transmutation Spells: +1 pt/Wizard level for Repair/Disintegrate spells

Just random ideas to throw out. Not sure how balanced these are, but open to suggestions.

[Aspenor]

Because mana pots exists, this is not profitable enough.

If I get +2 DC and +20% stackable potency, then maybe. But just more mana is not enough. I can just get pots or roll a sorcerer.

Then go roll a sorcerer. You can see advice on this in the sorcerer forum in my handbook.

This thread is about being a specialist wizard, and a specialist wizard gets more spells per day of his/her chosen school. It's an important game mechanic missing from DDO. Just because pots are available doesn't mean this mechanic shouldn't be.

[barabel]

Along the lines of the previous data I posted, I thought I'd show this summation of the spells available by school for all spell levels (1-9).

• Abjuration - 14
• Conjuration - 26
• Divination - 4
• Enchantment - 27
• Evocation - 21
• Illusion - 6
• Necromancy - 21
• Transmutation - 26

From this list, you can see Divination, Illusion and Abjuration are on the lower end of the scale. In order to make all Specialties viable (with the exception of probably Divination), these gaps would need to be filled in by the Devs by the introduction of more spells.

I know there have been a ton of separate lists out there of spells DDO:EU should add, however, this one is slightly different.

Here are some proposals to try and help fill these gaps along with some suggestions on how to alter them to fit the game. SC stands for Spell Compendium (3.5 Edition rulebook).

Abjuration:
1 - Protection from Chaos/Law should be fairly easy to implement
2 - Protection from Arrows - Maybe change this spell to offer DR 10/Bludg or Slash as a compromise
4 - Ray of Deanimation (SC265) - Constructs take 1d6 damage/level
7 - Anti-magic Ray (SC269) - Target looses ability to cast spells
7 - Spell Turning - If this is a tough one, have it act like spell absorption. Something like 1d4+Level spell levels absorbed.
7 - Ghost Trap (SC369) - Area effect which blocks Incorporeal creatures from phasing out, making them in essence corporeal.
8 - Mind Blank - If you don't want to add blanked immunities, have it provide a +8 insight bonus to Will based saves.

Divination
1 - True Strike - Add something like Wiz level as Insight bonus to hit for 20 seconds
3 - Clairaudience/Clairvoyance - Adds to target's Spot and Listen skills
3 - Unluck (SC264) - Target remakes all rolls and takes the worst ones for 1 rnd/level
4 - Assay Spell Resistance (SC266) - Caster get +10 to bypass enemy spell resistance for one target. If that is too diffcult to code, what about a blanket +5 bonus, for a short duration, say 20 seconds?
8 - Moment of Prescience - Adds +X Luck bonus to Saves, Skills for a short period of time.


Illusion
1 - Ventroliquism - Add an area burst of sound to distract enemies (using their Listen check). Would be more useful for folks using Ghoste's stealthy Wiz type build.
2 - Phantasmal Assailant (SC263) - Assailant strikes target for 8 WIS, 8 DEX damage
3 - Major Image - Like Summon Monster, though the creature summoned does no damage and lasts a set short duration.
4 - Rainbow Pattern - Similar to Hypnotic Sphere
4 - Sensory Depravation - Converting this to DDO:EU could be non-aggro spell which drops a target(s) Spot/Listen checks.
5 - Nightmare - Causes 1d10 damage and Fatigue
5 - Persistent Image - Similar to Major Image, but image lasts longer.
6 - Veil - Make it so hostile creatures in the area ignore you on a successful Will save. Re-save every so often.
7 - Project Image - As Major Image, but lasts longer and deals minor damage on failed Will save
8 - Invisibility, Superior (SC270) - A proposed DDO:EU variant of this spell would be one that allows users to interact with the environemnt without dispelling it and maybe even adding to the users Move Sliently skill.