Use your imagination to describe where your spells come from. Call yourself a priest and say they come from the gods, call yourself a mage and say they come from the energy of all things around you, whatever. That's character concept and flavor and doesn't impact anything.

Open up all spell lists. When you pick a spell, you can pick anything off the cleric, druid, or sorcerer/wizard lists for that level.

Preparation option: You get 5 new spells every level. You have to prepare them in advance.

Spontaneous option: You get 2 new spells every level. You can cast them spontaneously.

The spells you have constitute your own, personal spell list that grows as you level up. You can use wands and scrolls that contain spells on your spell list.

No ways to learn additional spells. Both options have the same number of spell slots and gain access to new spells at the same speed.


All classes that can gain spells lose that ability. Instead, there is the option to take a level or two of "Generic Spellcaster" and pick up some spells that complement your build.

Thoughts? Am I totally nuts? Should I get a job someplace where they don't let you smoke pot in the office?

A good idea.  It would make it easier to make characters for a particular niche - say your concept of priest is radically differnent or you want a mix or nature and necromancy spells, or whatever.

You could pair this with non-spellcasting paladin and druid, who can just multiclass.

Depending on the campaign, I may not drop all other spell casters, as they each have their flavor.

What about the non-spellcasting abilities of classes with spells?

Quote from: Berger KingWhat about the non-spellcasting abilities of classes with spells?

Like familiars and shit? Most can be relegated to feats. This class should offer bonus feats of "magical flavor" starting at 1st level and every few levels thereafter...

There's a lot to iron out, I'm trying to present it as a general concept.

Quote from: Berger KingWhat about the non-spellcasting abilities of classes with spells?

When I was playing around with a classless D&D, I made many of the abilities into feats, with a prerequisite that you had to have some amount of spellcasting ability.  If the power varied by class level, it operated at your caster level.  Something like this might work well with Namelips idea.

So, you could have a mage-ish character who used a feat to be able to turn undead.  But if he had only 1 level of spellcaster, he wouldn't be very good at it.

That works for me. What are the non-spellcasting abilities?

-familiars
-wildshape
-turn undead
-?

Other than familiars, seems like most of those could be recreated by spells. I like the AE approach to spells with no division of Divine/Arcane. This seems like it would work even better.

You could also recreate bardic abilities through a combo of a feat and perform skill.

Quote from: Berger KingThat works for me. What are the non-spellcasting abilities?

-familiars
-wildshape
-turn undead

Other than familiars, seems like most of those could be recreated by spells.

I think these could all be spells. Call Familiar seems kind of overpowered, since it grants you additional abilities for a low-level spell, but think about it - one of your precious spell slots, gone forever. It works for me.

QuoteI like the AE approach to spells with no division of Divine/Arcane. This seems like it would work even better.

Not familiar with this. Elaborate?

If I would do something like this, I would probably go all the way and use UA's generic Expert, Warrior, and Spellcaster, as shown on http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/genericClasses.htm

Quote

QuoteI like the AE approach to spells with no division of Divine/Arcane. This seems like it would work even better.

Not familiar with this. Elaborate?

In Arcana Evolved, there is only a single spell list, though it is divided into Simple, Complex, and Exotic spells. Most spellcasting classes can cast all Simple spells. The Magister, the most spell-focused of the classes, can also cast all Complex spells. Some classes get access to a subset of the Complex and/or Exotic spells - for example, the Greenbond (nature type) gets all Complex/Exotic spells with the Plant or Positive Energy descriptors, and a Wind Witch would get access to all Complex spells with the Air descriptor (possibly at a later level). You can also take a feat to get all the Complex spells of a certain level, or a single Exotic spell. There are also feats that give you one level of "improved" access (Simple->Complex->Exotic) to spells with a certain descriptor.

There are some other fun stuff you can do with the AE spells (like cast them at a higher/lower level for greater/lesser effect, or add "templates" to them), but that's it in a nutshell.

Oh, and AE spellcasters work sort of like sorcerers who can swap out their spells each day. So if I know there's going to be heavy fighting, I might take fireburst and lesser transfer wounds as my first level spells for the day, and if I know I'm going to be investigating I might take precise vision and object loresight instead.

In AE there is no division between arcane and divine. All the caster classes can choose any of the spells. Instead the spells are broken into simple, complex, and exotic. All of the caster classes can choose from the simple list. Complex spells are a class feature of the Magister (the most wizard-like of the classes) but other classes can take a feat that gives them all the complex spells of a certain level. You have to take a feat to gain one exotic spell, though they seem to be pretty powerful.

The spell system in AE is very flexible. I'd recommend it just based on that, but I think the classes are pretty cool, too.

-edit-gah! Too slow!

Quote from: Name LipsThoughts?

I would go with the Unearthed Arcana generic caster, as suggested.

Quote from: Name LipsAm I totally nuts?

Unknown, but not really relevant to the question.

Quote from: Name LipsShould I get a job someplace where they don't let you smoke pot in the office?

Absolutely not!  Where do you work again? :heh:

Quote from: Name LipsPreparation option: You get 5 new spells every level. You have to prepare them in advance.

Spontaneous option: You get 2 new spells every level. You can cast them spontaneously.

If you have Unearthed Arcana, try looking at Andy Collins's "Daily Spell List" House Rule on page 153.  It'd be a good way to combine the two.

Quote from: CyclotronIf you have Unearthed Arcana, try looking at Andy Collins's "Daily Spell List" House Rule on page 153.  It'd be a good way to combine the two.

UA is fast becomming my favorite WoTC book short of the three core books.

If I ever DM 3.5 again, I'd be greatly tempted to ditch all the 'full' spellcasting classes and just use the 'generic spellcaster' class instead (spellcasters would choose either INT or WIS as their relevant stat).  Bards would stay the same, and rangers and paladins would keep their spells but become 'spontaneous' casters (i.e. innately knowing a number of spells = the number they can cast/day).

Quote from: cnath.rmUA is fast becomming my favorite WoTC book short of the three core books.

If I was only going to use 4 books, it'd be the fourth for sure.  And that's with half of it being things I'd never ever use.  The rest is so good it more than makes up for it.