Planar Wizard Specialists

Good point Rhys

However I do think that a general mage of high enough level should be able to reach those spells initially reserved only for specialists. Perhaps make certain spells lower level for specialists? Though that gets into other problems.

I belive that the best way to handle making core class specialist wizards is to give them bonuses and features based on their school or focus and not all at once. A low level specialist SHOULD look closer to a normal mage than a high level one.

One thing I'd especially like to give enchanters and illusionists and necromancers who often have their spells automatically immuned or resisted out of usefulness(esp the enchanters) are a way around those immunities and barriers that their non-specialist counterparts just can't do.

For Enchanters make the charm spells lower level in at least some cases. Charming someone should be much easier for an Enchanter. That and define "Person" as "another creature of the same type as the caster" as, the way I see it, the reason it is easier to charm people for humans is because they know better how humans think and what they find charming.

I would propose Enchanters get by level: 1st - Charm Person, 2nd Charm Animal or Person, 3rd Charm monster. With the dominate spells also adjusted.

Also I'd add in Enchanter only feats that might allow certain spells and effects to work on elementals, constructs, undead and the like perhaps as metamagic.

The Illusionist's problem is the fact that often at higher levels he loses the selection of spells that he once had at lower levels and those lower level spells really don't work so well anymore against high-level foes. Above sixth level spells an illusionist has five spells to learn. Three seventh and one eighth and ninthe from the PHB(3.0). That and the ninthe level spell only is a repeat of another spell made into an area effect.

The Necro's troubles stem from all those pesky clerics running around. That and a cleric gets the best necromantic spells many levels before the Necromancer specialist. The way to remedy this I belive it to allow the necro to get those necromantic spells at the lower level the cleric does. Other than that there are turn resistence and other things.

A summoner has problems because all the summoning spells are rather short duration and take a full round beyond when they are cast to take effect. This might be remedied with a feat.

As for the elementalists(well also the summoner and other architypes) they dont' even get core classes. As a ball park I'd suggest that they get benefits that would allow them to survive in the respective elemental planes without magical aid around tenth to fifteenth level of the class depending on the element. Also one would be have to be careful to make sure that such benefits would also help out casters who start with some resistence and affinity for those elements.

I would also suggest that part of the balance for some of these elementalist classes would be vulnerabilities to oposing elemental magics. However that would have to be done carefully if done at all.

Some elements such as fire have multipul good spells to fill out a specialist spell list while others like mineral and earth might not have quite the same selection. Thus the benefits should not be equal across the board.

I think it goes with out saying that an Elementalist would be restricted from chooseing spells of the oposing element.

One thing I've thought about is that the energy types don't match up to the elemtent types.

Energies:
Fire
Cold
Acid
Electricity
Sonic
Force
Positive
Negative

Now most of the time they are matched up with elements like this:
Element/Energy
Fire/Fire
Cold/Ice
Acid/Ooze
Electricity/Lightning
Sonic/Air
Force/?
Postitive/Positive/Good
Negetive/Negetive/Evil

Wow Thanks Neumi

I've got a test today so I don't have time to look over what you said thuroughly though I do like the feat suggestions you give. Erg nor do I have time for spell chekers.

Later