Wild Mage Enhancement Tree

[Zachski]

For Sorcerers and Wizards, natch.

Here's what I'm thinking the core enhancements, as well as some of the regular enhancements, would be. (Bearing in mind that I'm also deriving some inspiration from Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition's Wild Mage)

Wild Mage (Level 1 Wizard/Sorcerer) - You have begun your descent into chaos. You lose three caster levels from wizard/sorcerer, but gain a 1d6 bonus to caster level for each spell you cast. There is a 5% chance with each spell you cast to trigger a wild surge. You cannot go below caster level 1. You count as a Chaotic character for the purposes of items and spells. Anti-Requisite - Level 1 Paladin or Level 1 Monk. Taking a level in either of these classes automatically resets this tree.

Random Deflector (Level 3 Wiz/Sorc) - Toggle - You have further explored chaos. Whenever you are targeted with a spell or ranged attack, there is a 50% chance that it will instead be redirected at one of your enemies or allies within a 20 ft radius of you.

Student of Chaos (Level 6 Wiz/Sorc) - You are now a disciple of chaos. You lose an additional 3 spell levels, but gain another 1d6 bonus in addition to the first. Furthermore, your chaotic spell levels now also apply to scrolls and wands.

Wild Strike (level 12 Wiz/Sorc) - You surround an enemy in chaotic energy. For the next 48 seconds, all spells cast by that enemy trigger a Wildsurge that is weighted towards negative effects aimed at the enemy's allies.

Chaotic Mind (level 18 Wiz/Sorc) - Chaos has infused your mind. You become immune to mind-affecting magic. You also lose another 3 spell levels, but gain another 1d6 bonus.

Chaotic Soul (level 20 Wiz/Sorc) - You have become one with Chaos. Any time Reckless Dweomer would inflict a negative effect on you or your ally, or a positive effect on your enemy, it instead rolls again. In addition, while Reckless Dweomer is active, you gain spell resistance equal to your intelligence or charisma score.

Regular Enhancements:

Reckless Dweomer (Tier 1, 2 AP) - (Metamagic) While this metamagic is active, all of your arcane spells trigger wild surges. Wild Surges produce one of five results. You may expand your results with further enhancements. You cannot assign this metamagic to individual spells.

Roll 1d100 to determine Wild Surge result. Possible effects depend on target. (Dice is rolled per cast, not per target.)

Ally/Self:
1-20 - Spell hiccup - Spell only has half effect and duration. Ignores Metamagic.
21-40 - Colorization - Spell turns target a random color
41-60 - Minor Healing - Heals target 1 hp per spell level. (Heals undead and warforged as well)
61-80 - Spell Exceed - Spell gains 50 spellpower or 1.5x duration
75-100 - Spell casts normally

Enemy:
1-20 - Spell hiccup - Spell only has half effect and duration. Ignores Metamagic.
21-40 - Colorization - Spell turns target a random color
41-60 - Touch of Chaos - Spell deals an additional 1 point of chaos damage (1d4 if target is lawful) per spell level
61-80 - Spell Exceed - Spell gains 50 spellpower or 1.5x duration
75-100 - Spell casts normally

Chaotic Essence (Tier 1, 1 AP each) - Grant a Chaotic boost to universal spell power of all spells cast under Reckless Dweomer by a range of 1 to (10/20/30)

Chaotic Defense (Tier 1, 1 AP each) - Grants a (1d4/1d6/1d8) boost to universal energy resistance while Reckless Dweomer is active. The amount changes every minute.

Improved Dweomer (Tier 2, 1 AP) - Increase Wild Surge possibilities to 10

(Sorry to wimp out on you like this, but it takes a lot of effort to type out two new tables. Let me just put it this way - Everything is more intense from the last table, there's more effects, but the table is still weighted in favor of pointless or beneficial things. Some notes are...

Touch of Chaos upgrades to a 1d4 (1d8 if lawful) per spell level
Minor Healing now works as Cure Light Wounds, but still heals undead and warforged)

Lesser Chaos Bolt (Tier 2, 2 AP) - (SLA) Activate to fire a bolt of chaotic energy that deals 1d4 chaos damage and 1d4 random energy damage per caster level. (Metamagics: Empower, Maximize, Enlarge, Dweomer)

Wild Flare (Tier 2, 1 AP each) - gain a 3/6/9% chance to deal critical hits with your spells, but a 1/2/3% chance to put all spells on a 10 second cooldown. (You cannot crit a spell on yourself.)

Chaos Bolt (Tier 3, 2 AP) - (SLA) Activate to fire a bolt of chaotic energy that deals 1d8 chaos damage and 1d8 random energy damage per caster level. In addition, decrease a random attribute by 1d6 per four caster levels. (Metamagics: Empower, Maximize, Enlarge, Dweomer)

Chaotic Essence (Tier 3, 1 AP each)

Chaotic Sphere (Tier 4, 2 AP) - (SLA) Activate to fire an explosive bolt of chaotic energy that deals 1d10 chaos damage and 1d10 random energy damage per caster level to a group of enemies. (Energy type is decided before impact.) In addition, decrease a random attribute by 1d6 per four caster levels. (Also decided before impact.) (Metamagics: Empower, Maximize, Enlarge, Dweomer)

Dweomer Efficiency (Tier 4, 2 AP) - Reduce the cost of all spells by (1/2/4) spell points while Dweomer is active. Stacks with other improved metamagic efficiencies. (Note that Dweomer doesn't cost extra spell points to begin with.)

Master Dweomer (Tier 5, 2 AP) - Increase Wild Surge possibilities to 20. In addition, Reckless Dweomer adds Quicken to all spells.
(Notes:
Touch of Chaos has been replaced on the Enemy table with Warped Spell, which deals 1d10(1d20 if Lawful) bonus chaos damage per spell level.
Minor Healing is now replaced with Warped Heal, and acts as if it was Heal itself, complete with Lesser Restoration effect. Heals undead and warforged.
The old Touch of Chaos is now on the Ally table, and the old Minor Healing is now on the Enemy table.)

Chaos Shield (Tier 5, 2 AP) - (SLA) Grants a buff to you that reduces the range of each detrimental effect on the Wild Surge table by two, thus increasing the range of each positive by 2. Requires Master Dweomer. (Basically, you have a 5% chance of a spell backfiring (roll of 1-5) and a 5% chance of casting normally (96-100). With Chaos shield, you instead have a 3% chance of a spell backfiring (roll of 1-3) and a 7% chance of a spell casting normally (94-100). This is why a 1d100 system is needed.)

And... there you go. My idea of what a DDO Wild Mage would be like. If I recall, they used to be working on a Wild Mage PrE, but that was before the enhancement pass, and I haven't heard anything of it.

[The_Human_Cypher]

Maybe something like this tree could be introduced for the Warlock class if it is ever released. We currently have 3+ Trees for the Wizard and Sorc classes so it probably wouldn't increase above this amount.

[HatsuharuZ]

Maybe something like this tree could be introduced for the Warlock class if it is ever released. We currently have 3+ Trees for the Wizard and Sorc classes so it probably would increase above this amount.

No, I'd rather have Acolyte of the Skin and Hellfire Warlock. This tree is much too random.

Now, if the amount of caster levels lost were lowered a bit, and the whole 'lose caster levels, but have a chance to gain more caster levels' mechanic were a toggle, I might try it.

[Failedlegend]

Looks interesting so far, I'll give it a more in depth look later but for now you definately need to remove ANYTHING that negatively affects your allies, no one will accept a Wild Mage otherwise...make the risk only to the caster.

[LeoLionxxx]

Nice idea - I want to see a beholder

Defiantly do nothing to reverse benefit (there must be a word for that :\), not buff enemies significantly - we learned that from colors of the queen giving adrenalin and one-shotting players.