Designing Reserve Feats

The Complete Mage book introduced the concept of reserve feats and it detailed many of these reserve feats. Reserve feats are feats that give extra magical powers to spellcasters as long as those spellcasters keep a related spell of a minimum spell level in “reserve” (in other words they haven’t used a particular spell yet that day.) Reserve feats also include a secondary benefit which is typically a +1 bonus to the spellcaster’s caster level for the reserve feat’s spell type.

For example, the “Aquatic Breath” reserve feat gives the spellcaster the ability to breath underwater if the spellcaster has a 2nd level or higher water spell memorized. If the spellcaster did not choose an appropriate spell for the day or he has already used it, he still has a +1 bonus to his caster level when casting any water-based spells.

With that background out of the way, what makes a good reserve feat?

More Powerful Than Just a Feat

Because a reserve feat has two costs (it uses up a feat selection and to use the primary power the spellcaster has to keep a spell in reserve) it is reasonable that it can be slightly more powerful than a normal feat. On the other hand, the feat’s secondary benefit must be considered when you place a value on the feat.

Uniformly Useful

Like most good feats, they should be useful to a character at any level, once he meets the prerequisites. For example, a reserve feat that allows a spellcaster to basically cast summon a lowest level creature at-will wouldn’t be useful at all as the spellcaster rises in level. On the other hand, a game master doesn’t want to let a spellcaster teleport essentially as often as the spellcaster wants at first level, so in some cases a prerequisite is necessary. The pattern for reserve feats is to make the prerequisite the ability to cast spells of a certain level.

One way to make reserve feats uniformly useful is to relate the primary benefit to the reserve spell’s level.  An example of this is an enchantment related reserve feat that improves the spellcaster’s willpower saving throw based on the spell level of an enchantment spell held in reserve.  When the spellcaster has a 2nd level enchantment spell he would get a +2 on their will saving throws.

Another example is a feat that allows some spells to be laced with a particular type of energy based on the number of dice used for the damage. This effect could even cause slightly more damage, say +2 per die. Perhaps with a reserve feat like this, a spellcaster’s magic missiles could have a fire aspect to them and cause an extra +2. Even fire based spells might burn a little hotter causing that extra damage. By choosing a small bonus per die, the reserve feat stays balanced for low or high level casters because most damage spells do a number of dice of damage based on the spellcaster’s level. One can even write into the reserve feat that the bonus is equal to the highest level fire spell the spellcaster still has available, although at high levels idea this may break by allowing too much damage.

Amount of Damage

The existing reserve feats that cause direct damage to a foe typically do 1d6 per spell level of the highest qualifying spell the spellcaster has in reserve. Therefore, unless one adds some other significant drawback to the new reserve feat, new reserve feats should follow the 1d6 per spell level guideline.

Secondary Benefit

Next, based on the example in the introduction we know reserve feats need some minor bonus that applies even if the spellcaster does not have any spells memorized that fit the reserve criteria. As mentioned above, the reserve feats in the Complete Mage book all grant a +1 competence bonus to the caster level for the type of spell the reserve feat uses.

Reserve Spell

The final major component of a reserve feat is the reserve spell. To help everyone “suspend their disbelief” the reserve spell should be related to the reserve feat’s powers. In the introduction’s example a reserve feat that allowed the spellcaster to breath water required a water-related spell.

All the reserve feats in the Complete Mage book require spells of a certain time of at least a certain level. (Second level is the lowest required level for these reserve feats.) For many reserve feats, the reserved spell can be fairly broad such as “any water related spell.” On the other hand, some reserve feats that may be a bit more powerful should have more specific requirements.

Compare the New Feat to Existing Reserve Feats

Another key step to designing a reserve feat is to compare it to other reserve feats and make sure it balances with any similar reserve feats. In the simplest case, if there is another feat that is basically the same but it does cold damage while your feat will do force damage then your new reserve feat should have similar prerequisites and do a similar amount of damage. Going back to the “Aquatic Breath” example, if your feat will allow the spellcaster to exist where there is no atmosphere then your feat must have a higher prerequisite and it needs to have other limitations or else it would be out of balance with the perceived value of reserve feats.

Would A Spellcaster Always Pick the New Reserve Feat First?

A final check for balance is, “Would a spellcaster always pick the new reserve feat before any other one?” If the answer is yes, it is too powerful and needs to be toned down or a limitation must be added.

Keep in mind that it may be ok that a particular type of character specializing in a particular type of magic would find one feat in particular very effective.  Playtest the new feat and adjust it between game sessions if necessary.  But if you are unsure you should weaken the new reserve feat and make it better if circumstances warrant a change.

Reserve Feat Critiques

Unless your group is playing with many additional sourcebooks with new spells, it can often be difficult to find many spells that fit a reserve feat’s requirement.  Game master and players need to work together so a character has at least a couple of the spells required for the feat available.

All the reserve feats in the Complete Mage book require at least 2nd level spells in reserve.  Some players and game masters may want to make a few of these reserve feats (or new reserve feats) available to some 1st level spellcasters.  A few of the reserve feats may be weak enough and useful enough (Magic Sensitive, maybe Invisible Needle and Mystic Backlash, according to some experts) for 1st level casters.  However, the secondary benefit needs to be considered.  Even these may seem marginally useful, but the caster level benefit may make them more worthwhile, especially for a 1st level spellcaster who may now cast some spells more effectively.

Example New Reserve Feats

Inspired Willpower: Your willpower saving throw is improved by +1 for each spell level of an enchantment spell held in reserve.  As a secondary benefit, you gain a +1 competence bonus to caster level when casting enchantment spells. Prerequisite: Ability to cast 2nd level spells.

Entwined Fire: Your damage spells are laced with fire energy, causing them to do two additional points of damage per die of damage. This can not apply to any cold based damage spells. To use this ability you must have a fire based spell in reserve. As a secondary benefit, you gain a +1 competence bonus to caster level when casting fire spells. Prerequisite: Ability to cast 2nd level spells.