Sponsored Magic Houserules

[Hick Jr]

Is this reasonable? Sponsored Magic people not getting the ability to specialize always cheesed me off, so I houserule that they can take that with refinements. I kind of feel like it could be a little game-breaking, and I'd like an impartial opinion.

[Haru]

People with sponsored magic only are kind of like focused practitioners, and I think the same rules should apply there. Specializations come from a deeper and broader understanding of the material, that simply isn't there for someone who is only focused on one application. Especially, if he doesn't even have to fully comprehend what he is doing, if the sponsor is doing part of the job.

Regardless, if you want to grant someone specializations, keep in mind, that they need to be in the same column order that skills have to be in. Since you only have power and control for one element, that means you'll only get a maximum of 3 points of specialization as a focused/sponsored practitioner, which gets you +1 on control and +2 on power, or the other way around. Hardly game breaking, but as I said above, not really fitting, in my opinion.

[Hick Jr]

I generally do it so players who pick Channeling or Sponsored Magic and feel it would be inappropriate to branch out into full Evocation get to power up without having to carry around a houseful of foci, but I understand your grievance. I adress the column problem by ignoring it. If the player wants to deliberately handicap themselves, I make allowances.

[Haru]

If you don't want to limit yourself to channeling, but don't want to go full evocation either, you could adopt "flavored evocation". Basically, you take evocation, but you flavor your 5 elements by your original element, splitting the applications into subsections.

Sponsored magic can already be cranked up as high as you want by tapping into your sponsors power. If you don't like the debt mechanic, you should think about taking channeling/ritual instead, I think.

If you remove the column from the equation, specializations will get absurdly powerful, which you were worried about in the first place, that's why I mentioned it. 3 refresh will grant you a maximum of +3 on one application in the column system, but a +6 at best without them. That's the big difference between focus items and specializations. Specializations have to stack up in the column, but they can grow as high as you like. Focus items don't have to stack, but they are limited in their number, and you have to divide your points into offensive/defensive. If you take away the column limitation of specializations, they will pretty much always outweigh focus items in terms of bang for your buck. You can, of course, still do that, just keep in mind, that this is what you are dealing with, then.

[Wyntonian]

If you don't want to limit yourself to channeling, but don't want to go full evocation either, you could adopt "flavored evocation". Basically, you take evocation, but you flavor your 5 elements by your original element, splitting the applications into subsections.

Can you give an example of this? It seems interesting.

[Haru]

Well, let's say you've got channeling (aeromancy), and you decide that while air magic is awesome, you don't like the inherent limitations that come with the channeling power. Flavored Evocation elements could look like this (but do not have to):
- motion (moving things with air, almost telekinesis)
- cyclone (creating effects by moving air in a circle and creating a sort of twister)
- wind (your run of the mill gale of wind)
- pressure (increasing the pressure of air can do all kinds of things.
- speed (more of a metaphysical application, air is not only the element for motion, but speed)

Evocation grants you 3 "elements", and from how you've used your aeromancy before, you can decide which would best suit your needs. You could do a shield spell with pressure, similar to how Harry describes his shield as a disc of hardened air. Speed could give you a hyper-awareness style shield. Wind could attack someone by throwing them in the air. Create a sort of tube in the air with cyclone and send a poisonous gas through it. Those are all things you could do with channeling as well, but by splitting it up and turning it into an evocation style power, you have all the access to upgrades that evocation allows you, including specializations.

For some channeling elements, it might be a bit tricky to find 5 elements, for others it might not be enough. In that case, just take 4 or 6, which will slightly alter the power curve, but in most to all cases, that shouldn't be a problem.

[InFerrumVeritas]

I'm okay with what is essentially built in foci that have to follow a pyramid.

So your Offensive Fire Control, Defensive Fire Control, Offensive Fire Power, Defensive Fire Power all have to follow a pyramid. 

For Ritual, your Ritual Control, Ritual Power, Crafting Strength, Crafting Frequency all have to follow a pyramid. 

You're giving up the pyramid-less bonuses for the fact that you can't be disarmed of these.  They're not as good as specializations with evocation, but they're not bad.

I'm not sure if I would let them also have focus items and let that stack...That could be game breaking, but I'm struggling to see how it could be more game breaking than how Evocation already works. 

[Sanctaphrax]

Probably a little game-breaking. But only a little.

If you play a crunchy, high-optimization game with people who care about mechanics, then it could be a problem. But otherwise I wouldn't expect an issue.

[Hick Jr]

@InFerrumVitas
In the immortal words of Sgt. Detritus, dat's der bunny. It was basically a weakened Focus Item that you couldn't get taken off you. Sorry if I didn't make that clear, Haru. And i feel like anyone who looks at Channeling and says, "You know, for only 1 refresh more I could get something ten times better than this but nah" deserves to have a little game-breaking capability.

[JDK002]

If you're looking to give focused prectitioners a little more "omph" but still wanna keep the specialized feel, the custom power Superior (blank)omancy fits nicely. 

IIRC it gives evothaum, the ability to take sponsor debt, and an internal specialization.  They still have to keep to the elements theme, but can do things standard wizards can't.

[Hick Jr]

It's in the Sponsored Magic thread, and requires Evocation and Thaumaturgy. It's easily houseruled in as an upgrade but it's still kind of expensive for a Focused Practitioner.