Help! Scholars...Spells... How many?

[Anonymous]

Ok,

The rules seem to be clear - if you have the prereq's for a spell, you can learn it. From a game play point of view, that means they have to find it or have someone teach them. I'm ok with that as well.

Given the above....what does a Bonus Spell mean??? This almost implies there is a limit to the number of spells a scholar can know (since Power points limit what he can cast) but I can't find this information anywhere!?

(while I'm at it, where is the rule that emphatically states the extra skills for Intellegence) Secondary examples seem to imply 4* int mod for these, but I'd love to see the rule in print...

Thanks in advance

Ark

 

[InsomNY]

The bonus spells are a benefit of high Intelligence and concerted effort. On p. 60 you will find a table that explains it. Cross-reference the scholar's level with his Int bonus. If there's an entry on the chart other than "-" the scholar receives, for free, a spell that he meets the prerequisites to learn.

For example, let's consider a Khitan mystic, Long Wang. He starts with Int 15, thus having a bonus of +2. When he reaches 3rd level as a scholar, he may pick any spell he could cast and learn it – his experience and research have revealed an arcane secret.

Long Wang continues his career, eventually reaching 7th level. If his Int was still only 15, he would not receive the benefit he did at 3rd level. However, his stats have increased. Even if he chose to allocate his one discretionary stat point from 4th level someplace other than Int, he also got a blanket increase to all stats at 6th level. We look at the chart again, and see that a 7th level scholar with an Int bonus of +3 or higher once again makes a research breakthrough, learning yet another new spell.

 

[Anonymous]

ok, so the scholor gets 1 base spell, plus 'advanced spells per each level benefit PLUS a bonus spell(s) for high INT at certain levels...

Thanks

 

[Arkobla Conn]

After re-reading this thread and the answer...this really means a very slow progression for scholar types. At levesl 1-6, they might know what? 2 or 3 spells max?? I'm concerned that my player will be bored. I know that they are used to d&d and this isn't d&d but I wonder nonetheless.

Anyone else concerned about the slow progression?

BTW - My friends Scholar chose Prestidigitation and Divination for his styles. The first's base spell offers up some chance to do different things, but the other is clear cut and pretty much off camera.

 

[Deathdealer]

This is Conan!

Wizards are for killing!

 

[argo]

After re-reading this thread and the answer...this really means a very slow progression for scholar types. At levesl 1-6, they might know what? 2 or 3 spells max?? I'm concerned that my player will be bored. I know that they are used to d&d and this isn't d&d but I wonder nonetheless.

You're right, this isn't DnD and the first thing your player needs to learn is that a scholar is a spelcaster but he most certainly isn't a spellslinger! A scholar should not spend the adventure trying to figgure out how he can apply his spells most effectievly. No, he should spend the adventure trying to figgure out how he can apply all his abilities (including spells) most effectievly. A good scholar needs to be the trickiest, slipperiest, most cunning character in the group. He needs to manipulate other people for his own benefit and always have a back-up plan or three.

Look at all the non-spellcasting abilites he has. 8 skill points per level (EIGHT!) and a skill list that includes Bluff, Intimidate, Sense Motive, Heal, Move Silent, Listen and Search. And that is before his bonus points from Int which can be spent on any skill. The Scholar class feature will ensure he has a lot of Knolwedge ranks and the Knolwedge is Power feature will fill in the rest of the gaps. He has Craft (herbalism) and Craft (alchemy), use them! You can help out on that note by importing some low-level alchemical and herbal items from other d20 sources to round out the items already in Conan (just be careful to not let in any blatantly "magical" alchemical items: I would allow a player to make Alchemist fire, maybe even a Smokestick but never a Tanglefoot Bag or a Thunderstone). Let him brew his own poisons and keep a small clutch of poisioned arrows ready. Speaking of which, he has a 3/4 BAB, grab a bow and PBS and go to town (especially good for those Stygian scholars). Steely Gaze is a good feat to improve a Scholar's usefulness in combat, so is Light Footed if he has sneak attack from someplace else like being a Zingaran or having a few levels of Thief (taking 1 or 3 levels of Thief is just about the only good multiclassing option for a Scholar, the other being 4 levels of Noble (Khitai and Stygian Nobles get a bonus to MAB)). The point is that he needs to be creative with his non-spelcasting abilities, which he has a lot of. I ran a 10 level scholar against an 8 level party the other night and he got nearly as much mileage out of Steely Gaze and a couple of orbs of Acheronan Demon Fire as he did out of his Dominate spell. I had all the players (not just PC's, the players) practically wetting their pants at just the sight of him when they probably could have rushed him and killed him if they had tried :twisted: Be devious, use laterial thinking and lie, lie a lot. Lie all the time, even to yourself.

That is how you need to play a scholar.

 

[Elfman]

After re-reading this thread and the answer...this really means a very slow progression for scholar types. At levesl 1-6, they might know what? 2 or 3 spells max?? I'm concerned that my player will be bored. I know that they are used to d&d and this isn't d&d but I wonder nonetheless.

The 2 or 3 spells max you're talking about are the spells the sorceror gets FOR FREE.

He can still try to find spells from:
- Other sorcerors, such as his master if he has one
- Demons
- Arane tomes he finds in his adventures

Basically as GM you get to really make him *pay* (and I don't mean with silver!) for other spells. Make him owe favors. Make him link himself to his master. Make him become corrupt as he consorts with demons. make him take the party on adventures into the jungles of Khitai in search of lost tomes.

There's lots of ways you can do it. Have fun, but make your player really work for spells, and he'll appreciate the free ones that much more.

and that's the truth.

EDIT:
My above assertions are wrong!
See argo's post below. There is a rule in the Scrolls of Skelos supplement that clarifies this, saying that while a scholar can find new spells, he can't actually learn them until he gets a new bonus spell from class/intelligence.

 

[Arkobla Conn]

sooo...he can HAVE more spells to cast if he finds them...That I didn't appreciate...I thought there was a limit...

And to the previous poster...NICE...VERY Nice

 

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, Scrolls of Skelos seems to suggest the opposite.

From p. 46:

"A Note on Spellbooks
It is always important to remember that spell books do not instantly grant the knowledge of a new spell. Rather, a spellbook that has been successfully deciphered allows the reader to learn the spell (or one of the spells) discovered next time he is eligible to choose a new spell anyway, instead of having to make a Knowledge (arcana) check (if an independent) or simply being forced to learn the next spell his coven or magical order wishes to teach him."

I'm not certain I like that rule, as it seems blatantly artificial, but that does seem to be the rule.


Deadstop

 

[argo]

sooo...he can HAVE more spells to cast if he finds them...That I didn't appreciate...I thought there was a limit...

There is a limit. You can't ever know more Advanced Spells than the number indicated by you Inteligence and Scholar class level, so 18 advanced spells for a 20 level Scholar plus any due to a high intleigence.

I'm sorry but Elfman was confusing the various scholar backgrounds (lay priest, demonic pact, etc.) with the Independent background. The only thing a spellbook does for you is make it easier to be an Independent.

As a house rule I might consider letting a scholar cast a spell he does not know but has a copy of in a spellbook (or other, similar source) as a Power Ritual with double the PP cost and triple the normal casting time. In addition I would make him make a Concentration check: DC 20 if it is from a style he knows, DC 30 if from a style he does not know and if he fails then I would treat it as a Mighty Spell that has already been cast once before this week. (Hmmm, might have to throw some PC's in the middle of something like that.... :twisted: )

And to the previous poster...NICE...VERY Nice

Glad I cold help

 

[Arkobla Conn]

Yea, that is what I understood...you can know only what you can know. I might consider your houserule because I think I might want him to be able to do a *bit* more than he's allowed. Then again, it may not be an issue as he has stated he wants to use the bow too.