Add a sorcerer-style divine caster class or kit

PugPug

I'd imagine some developer-folk have already seen this thread:

If you can pick priest and druid spells like a sorcerer, which spells will you pick? (link pops)

But I'd like to make it official with a feature request thread.

There are the Favored Soul and Spirit Shaman classes from 3rd Edition to draw from already.

In the above-linked thread, I also suggest combining the two, perhaps explained as some sort of missionary bringing temple-style priesthood to the wilds and/or nature-style priesthood to the cities.

Mykra

PugPug said:

There are the Favored Soul

I like the idea of the Favored Soul kit as it meshes very well with the main plot of the BG games.

I wonder how hard that would be to do mechanically? Would you have it considered a Sorcerer kit, but flagged to cast Divine spells instead of Arcane, and use the same spell progression, while just adding the clerical allowed/disallowed arms and equipment?

bigdogchris

This a pretty good idea.

One of the hard parts about playing a healer in BG is that you have to memorize a lot of healing spells that you don't need.

3rd Edition allowed you to memorize utility/support spells as a priest, then spontaneously cast a healing spell.

Point is, a Sorcerer style casting healer in BG would be nice as you would have a lot more flexibility with memorizing spells.

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ZanathKariashi

If reversible spells were properly implemented, you could decided to cast them as inflict spells at the time of cast, if it looked like healing wouldn't be necessary. (Or change raise dead into slay living, or resurrection into destruction, or greater restoration into energy drain, and a few others).

It's discussed further in my request for reversible spells.

It wouldn't be quite as free form as a sorcerer-ish based one, but would actually be PnP accurate for 2nd edition.

PugPug

ZanathKariashi said:

If reversible spells were properly implemented, you could decided to cast them as inflict spells at the time of cast, if it looked like healing wouldn't be necessary. (Or change raise dead into slay living, or resurrection into destruction, or greater restoration into energy drain, and a few others).

It's discussed further in my request for reversible spells.

It wouldn't be quite as free form as a sorcerer-ish based one, but would actually be PnP accurate for 2nd edition.

I think the framework for that sort of exists in the game. For example, Spell Immunity lets you select a spell school after casting and before the effect is determined.

I think people might cure a lot more than they harm, though. Would selecting cure over and over become cumbersome?

ZanathKariashi

To an extent, however, DnD healing isn't something you do very often in the heat of battle, the healing spells just take too long to cast and don't really heal that much, unless you have access to Heal or mass cure wounds of some sort, which can recover enough health to be worth it. Otherwise, you're only restoring one or two average attacks worth of damage for enemies that aren't just low level PC fodder, and even Xvarts or Gibberlings can deal hefty damage on a good hit, easily enough to cancel out a light healing spell. (and then you get people like me who don't even use healing spells, since potions provide all the healing I need, and having offensive options is simply more applicable to my play style, since I find killing the enemy before they hurt my party is just plain easier then killing them slower and then patching things up. (my Clerics never memorized anything but Command for their first level spells since Command is just that good, later in BG2 replacing 1or 2 with AoF once the bonus/duration becomes high enough to be useful, and maybe a Doom or two if I have a lot of save based spells memorized)

This would be a pretty massive boost to druids, who are otherwise lacking in offensive options at early spell levels and end up memorizing mostly cures simply due to a lack of anything better.


My biggest issue is, I'd much rather them work on rebalancing the kits and classes currently in game before they go too crazy adding new kits. While most of the non-kit classes (except sorcerers) are working more or less as they should (aside from the Dual-wielding Nerf Rogues are currently suffering from, and Bard song not really working as it should, limiting their usefulness), but the kits have a lot of issues and imbalances. The Berserker being the worst offender, though the Swashbuckler and barbarian is also ridiculously overpowered by comparison to what it should be (the Barbarian is mostly due to all the immunities their rage gives, if it just gave a +4 to all saves instead of immunities, it would be more or less correct). There's also the various issues around proficiencies that were working PnP accurate in BG1, but were changed in BG2 and EE, that greatly alter how the classes interact with each other.

I'd also very much like to see specialist receive their proper bonuses and penalties (And the addition of the shadow magic line of illusion spells, the lack of which sorely under powers some classes, especially if proper school restrictions were implemented)


Others like the Wizard Slayer and Shapeshifter are horribly underpowered from what they should be. I'm fine with them scaling the Shapeshifter's immunities/abilities for werewolf form till it reaches the stats it should have around 10-ish, like they did with Totemic Summons, but Greater Werewolf comes so late, it should gain it's full strength immediately, instead of that half-assed implementation currently in game.

Other classes, like Beastmasters or Skald are roughly accurate to PnP and just need a few minor tweaks to bring them more in line with the spirit of the class, within the limitations the BG system allows.

PugPug

I've been disappointed with the lack of kit rebalancing thus far, and I wish we knew whether it's even something that's on the table. I thought I read that a long time ago, but I haven't been able to find the post since.

Madhax

I would love to see a kit like this implemented. I'm pretty sure I can do without Shillelagh on my priests =P

trinit

I also support more versatile choice of divine spellcasters. But even before that, i think we need more speell choices with interesting effects or at least some more flavour in offensive and defensive magic.
Priests are very diverse bunch and i think (available) spells should reflect that.
Divine remix mod was great gor example, but there is too few spells to make integration of speheres viable