So I am working on an OP Sorcerer Prestige Class intended for Legendary NPC's and Villains.
Most notably it would be an option for a 5E version of Merlin as a Sorcerer and Morgan Le Fay.
Basically it takes stuff from one of the old DnD Witch Kits (there are several different Witch Classes in DnD, this one was called Sorcerous Witch).
Essentially these Witches Meditate on the Weave in order to learn Spells, not as written words, but "Patterns" which they prepare Spells from as a Wizard.
Notably Witches (Female) learn Clerical Spells and Warlocks learn Wizard Spells.
They can only learn up to 6th Level Spells, but by forming covens of three or more they get access to the some Wizard Schools (Witches) or Cleric Spheres/Domains which generally cover the rest of what they would need.
It gets really ludicrous in that they can cast any spell without Required Material Components and in larger covens cast Resurrection as a Ritual Spell with the other members of the Coven without GP or EXP Costs for the Casters as well as Wish with the only negative effect being that those who fail their save rolls age one year.
Though those requires a thirteen member coven and requires a casting time 4 times the usual for those and other spells gained at that number of members like Gate and Time Stop.
All are cast as if they were at 18th level.
So yeah that is ludicrously OP.
The No Materials is because they have a Spell Focus which they create in a form that has "sentimental meaning" to them which serves much like a Cleric's Holy Symbol.
Hags also hate this brand of Witches as they not only operate in Covens similar to how Hags can form groupings, but they can generally get larger groups then the treacherous Hags and as such more magical goodies, and the fact that in the Minimum Coven of 3 so long as any two members of the Coven are in the same place they can learn a targets darkest secrets without the target having a save roll.
So this lets them ferret out Hags with ease.
My idea for the tentatively named "Master Sorcerer" is to have them create their Own Spell Focus which grants them a few bonus spells and some bonuses to to certain schools.
0-3 spells only are gained from the Spell Focus and they can be Clerical or Arcane, but are cast as Sorcerer Spells.
The Focus also store spells as the "2nd E Sorcerous Witch Kit" Spellbooks do. However a Master Sorcerer has the "weakness" of only being able to "Prepare" up to 6 of these Spells at a time, which with the Bonus Spells based on the type of focus brings them up to Ten Additional Spells.
Even then 6 spells of any Level are rather broken.
These "Prepared Spells" can be of any level and are cast the same as Sorcerer Spells, but they must be prepared by the same rules as a Wizard with a Master Sorcerer meditating while holding their Focus.
I am considering having all the spells they learn need to be in a Domain but that is undecided.
Modifying the Reveal the Weave of this Kit into a Spell Like Ability would be they way to go.
Essentially it works like this.
The user must meditate for an uninterrupted Thirty Minutes to "see" the Weave or Local Equivalent and scribe a Spell Pattern. It then takes 2d6 plus 1 hour per spell level to "know" the Pattern and add it to their Spell Foci if they succeed on a Saving Throw.
If they fail new attempts take 1d6 hours to try and require another Saving Throw.
However an additional Saving Throw is required for them to get whatever Spell they desired in the first place. If that fails they get a random spell of the Level they wanted and the DM decides what it is.
So basically this Witch Kit allows one to learn any spell one has already seen, if they fulfill the requirements to cast it and succeed on Rolls, and that would be used as the basis for this Spelllike Ability.
Further Modifications would be that it can only be used once a week, and if they Spell Pattern they have drawn is not learned in a week they loose the progress from that attempt and the Spell Pattern they have scribed vanishes.
Now I have settled on four Spell Foci.
1. Amulet/Ring: enhances Illusions and Enchantments, or Healing and Support Spells on self and others. This is decided at the start.
2. Wand: enhances Damage Dealing Spells.
3. Staff: focuses on increasing the amount of Metamagic feats the character gains access to and lowering the Sorcerer Point requirements for any power that needs them.
4. Athame: a magical dagger that can be transformed into a bladed weapon as a free action and back. The Transformation can only be done once per round, and while the blade can be ehanced as they level it's design cannot be changed once created and can only be a one handed weapon.
What 0-3 Level Spells should be assigned to these Spell Foci?
Finally there is the biggest Advantage and Disadvantage of the Prestige Class.
So long as the Foci is on the same Plane the Spirit of a dead Master Sorcerer cannot pass on. They can however be revived with an Raise Dead type Spell or something similar and suffer the same penalties as if they were brought back regularly. As long as the one bringing them back has the Spell Focus they do not need the Master Sorcerer's remains, there connection to the Weave or Local Equivalent provides the Raw Magic to shape them a new body while destroying the remains of the old one.
There is no "time limit" like with most such spells, but say a Master Sorcerer who has been dead for over the 200 Year Limit of True Resurrection probably is not right in the head anymore to say the least.
However if their Spell Focus is destroyed they automatically loose 50% of their Maximum HP with no Save Throw. They also lose 1 Level from Sorcerer and Master Sorcerer and a random Skill.
I have not decided how they can reverse these effects and gain a new Spell Focus, but it should not be easy.
Lastly if say a Necromancer gains a dead Master Sorcerer's Spell Focus they can force them to become their slave as a Unique Ghost Type Enemy.
And of course if a Master Sorcerer does not have their Spell Focus they can then only rely on their powers as a Sorcerer until they get it back.
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So again this is meant primarily to be an OP NPC or Villain Class for "Legendary Figures" like Merlin, Morgan Le Fay, or anyone else who can be slotted in as a Sorcerer.
Remember while Merlin has been statted as a Wizard/Druid before I think Sorcerer fits him better.
He has been the son of an Incubus or a form of Fey varying by the version of the story after all.
How does it sound in that regards?
