Archmage spell-like abilities

[goodoldxelos]

Suggesting adjusting some of them so they are useful and make the other archmages more interesting. (just going down list from ddo wiki)

Abjuration I - Shield: Make this scale with caster level
Conjuration I - Grease: Change for mage armor and scale with caster level
Necromancy I - Chill Touch: Allow it to scale in higher damage
Transmutation I - Jump: Exchange for expeditious retreat and allow it to scale higher to 30-40%

Abjuration II- resist energy: make this version self only and allow it to scale higher
Evocation II- Gust of wind: allow it to effect large enemies
Illusion II - blur: allow it to scale in some way but not better than displacement
Necromancy II - command undead: give a willsave every min instead of every 20 seconds for intelligent undead
Transmutation II - knock: suggest changing this for repair light damage

Abjuration III - protection from energy: allow it to scale higher

Abjuration IV - stoneskin: allow DR to scale slightly, perhaps where dr maxes out at DR 15/Ada at 25
Conjuration IV - dimension door: give 2 effects 1 normal DD effect the other being a longer ranged abundant leap effect but can only be used like DD (once every 30-60 seconds). Locks out DD timer as well.
Enchantment IV -charm monster: Give monsters saves less often
Evocation IV - Fire shield IV: allow the damage to scale
Transmutation IV - Change stone to flesh for tensers transformation and have it penalize spell casting less for this version and possible scale slightly with caster level

Abjuration V - Dismissal: have it deal more damage than standard version
Conjuration V - Cloud kill: the spell damage on this should be able to max and empower (not stat dmg though)
Illusion V - Shadow walk: change this spell to something similar to tensers where you gain bonuses but have it penalize spell casting speed for example and have it scale with caster level more than normal version (as your caster level increases you are "closer" to the plane of shadow)
Necromancy V -Waves of fatigue: allow this version to scale very slightly with caster level

[soulaeon]

Honestly, it's not the spells but the whole cost and benefit of the prestige. All the spells work as intended, but the problem is we get too few for a very large cost in feats and spell points. We should have more spells or a reduced cost to complete a whole line (which is totally not worth it). I guess /signed but only to the extent there should be a better look at this prestige.
Personally, I went with 2 Conjuration SLA and 2 Enchantment SLA (being my third and last wizard life) so I could endlessly cast Web and Otto's, and it works great for being a primary crowd controller. This is marginally acceptable, but I would have hardly anything to show for either school had I mastered all of them, and that not to mention how crappy Grease is.
More spells for the same costs would be a good solution.

[CaptainSpacePony]

I agree this could use a relook. The SP hits for taking them usually outweighs the benefits, esp at higher tiers.

I'd also like to see the arcane bolt get a buff--probably allow metamagic application.

[goodoldxelos]

I'd agree on the arcane bolt.

I feel like nearly all spells should scale with caster level (including protection-like spells) and/or have a save for significantly more damage. At least make some of the archmage ones special with respect to this. Even let the spell point cost be higher (I don't need a 1 sp shield or jump)

[CaptainSpacePony]

Even let the spell point cost be higher (I don't need a 1 sp shield or jump)

Well the point of it being only 1 point is that you paid 50 or so up front (reduced SP pool) so you could get it at a discount later.

[t0r012]

I agree this could use a relook. The SP hits for taking them usually outweighs the benefits, esp at higher tiers.

I'd also like to see the arcane bolt get a buff--probably allow metamagic application.

Yeah heighten would be awesome so it stays useful for more than half a dozen levels but being able to max+empower+heighten for free might be a bit much.
Don't get me wrong my force spec wiz would love it to pieces but might be too much. Sure ther is the option of having to pay for the metas but that kinda defeats the purpose of having a 2sp bolt if you have to spend to heighten to keep it useful.

I'd love to see the cool down on MM and CM get reduced. Not like they are sorc elemental nukes getting jacked through the stars with savant power.

[Kinerd]

The way I see it, there are two fundamental problems:

1. Necromancy is awesome. Any choice to go primary in [Any Other School] is necessarily a choice not to go primary in Necromancy, so the SLAs granted by that need to be enormously powerful.

2. Level 5 SLAs are a huge, insane, prohibitive AP and SP investment. I never take Archmage 5 or any SLA above Web on my wizards. (Not that I am the author of the universe, but still.)

If it were me, I would go for broke. Make Mass Hold Monster the level 5 Enchant SLA. Make Disintegrate the level 5 Transmutation SLA (did you know there's not a single non-Repair Transmutation spell higher than level 6? I didn't!). I'm going to borrow a Bill Simmons remark about a gambling line seeming inordinately high: would you go for the disfavored team? No! I absolutely would not give up 2 Necro DC and all that SP to get a cheap Disintegrate. If someone is so in love with Transmutation, why not salve the wounds of their brutally masochistic choice? Transmutation AM literally cannot be made powerful enough for me to go for it, the options just aren't there.

I believe I understand the concern, especially after the AM Evocation nerf... but with enemy HPs being what they are, Necromancy will always dominate. There's just no way around it, especially when wizards can cast entirely no-save direct damage spells on cooldown. The other schools have to be cranked past 11 to even be considered.

[Brennie]

I think another glaring flaw in the whole Archamge SLA issue is nto the power of the spells being given, but their frequency of use.

Long term buff spells, like Blur, Resist energy etc. are great spells, staples of any caster's repetoire. As SLAs, these become cheap ways to buff up an entire party, which is great! However, the amount of SP you give up to get these maybe often mean you are actually *losing* SP in the long run.

Archmage SLAs should be restricted to spells that will be cast often. Spells with short term durations but desirable benefits (haste, displacement), or straight up offensive spells that are flexible enough to be used against most enemies (Magic missle: sure, disrupt undead: maybe, ooze puppet: probably not). If an Archmage isn't repeatedly abusing their SLAs for cheap, nearly inexhaustible spellcasting, then their SLAs are a net negative to their Spellpoint efficiency rather than a plus.

That and the fact that the higher tier SLAs are generally pretty "meh". I feel the solution to both these problems is "If pre-existing spells are not filling the niche MAKE SOME SH%$ UP". Invent polymorph as a transmutation (it could even be functionally the same as hold monster, except monsters would graphically display as a squirrel or something), Give Illusion some kind of Shadow Magic/Shadow Conjuration (Melfs Acid arrow, but black. Or whatever.) Abjuration could pick up Explosive Runes, maybe without the omgwhyisthistakingsolong cast time. How fun woudl ti be to be able to set up a minefield wherever you go ?