Fixing Wizard: War Caster: Power Surge

[Gix]

Planning on replacing the RAW War Caster Power Surge with the below (in quotes) as I find the existing "power" to be super weak and pointless. Constructive criticism or unbelievable pandering appreciated :)


War Caster: Power Surge (Revised)

Starting at 6th level, you can store magical energy within yourself to later empower your spells. In its stored form, this energy is called a power surge.

You can store a maximum number of power surges equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of one). Whenever you finish a long rest, your number of power surges resets to one. Whenever you successfully end a spell with dispel magic or counterspell, you gain one power surge, as you steal magic from the spell you foiled. If you end a short rest with no power surges, you gain one power surge.

Once per turn, when you cast a spell you can modify the spell as per the Metamagic sorcerer class feature. PHB p.101-102

This means that at most the War Caster could have up to 5 "sorcerer points"...and he'd have to be pretty active to get them, burning spell slots dispelling magic to get them. At lvl 20 a sorcerer gets 20 points, so I don't find 5 points, that are difficult to get, in any way competes with 20 free points.

Thoughts on balance? I mean, I'm cool with things being a little imbalanced, but I don't want the only viable option to become just such a build.

[lostsanityreturned]

My only real issue with this is it means that once a day the wizard gets once a day guaranteed access to ALL of the sorcerer metamagic options, where the sorcerer does not.
With the wizard's much larger spell pool I can see it getting a bit out of hand versatility wise.

And that is before later levels when the wizard is generally going to be casting counterspell frequently.

Outside of that I am not a fan of boosting the 6th level feature to being stronger than most other 6th level wizard archetype features.

Personally I would swap the feature to "by spending a point you can make a spell you cast immune to the effects counterspell". Still very powerful but less versatile and thematically in line imo.

[Gix]

My only real issue with this is it means that once a day the wizard gets once a day guaranteed access to ALL of the sorcerer metamagic options, where the sorcerer does not.
With the wizard's much larger spell pool I can see it getting a bit out of hand versatility wise.

And that is before later levels when the wizard is generally going to be casting counterspell frequently.


The intention is not ANY metamagic, but to follow the same rules as listed in the Sorcerer's Metamagic Class Feature. That feature forces you to pick two from the list when you get it, and then later on (10th and 17th levels) you get to pick one more you have access to.

That means that once per day you could (if you had selected it as one of the two) increase your spell's range. But if you wanted to take a Metamagic option that required multiple sorcery points you couldn't use it at all until and unless you successfully counter spelled multiple spells. Until you did that your ability would be useless.

Not sure if the above changes your general opinion at all, but that specific worry should be assuaged.

[Stiggie]

Made an account to reply to this as I am playing a warwizard myself.

My solution to fix the power surge is this, combine the old power surge with the new.

Old: Power Surge
Starting at 6th level, you can empower your spells that unleash harm on groups of foes. When you force multiple creatures to make saving throws against the damage of one of your spells, you can increase the spell’s damage by rolling two more of its damage dice. This increase occurs only on the turn you cast the spell.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

New: POWER SURGE
Starting at 6th level, you can store magical energy within yourself to later empower your damaging spells.
In its stored form, this energy is called a power surge. You can store a maximum number of power surges
equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of one). Whenever you finish a long rest, your number of power
surges reset-s to one. Whenever you successfully end a spell with dispel magic or counterspell, you gain one
power surge, as you steal magic from the spell you foiled. If you end a short rest with no power surges, you
gain one power surge. Once per turn when you deal damage to a creature or object with a wizard spell, you can spend one power
surge to deal extra force damage to that target. The extra damage equals half your wizard level.

Revised:
Starting at 6th level, you can store magical energy within yourself to later empower your damaging spells.
In its stored form, this energy is called a power surge. You can store a maximum number of power surges
equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of one). Whenever you finish a long rest, your number of power
surges resets to one. Whenever you successfully end a spell with dispel magic or counterspell, you gain one
power surge, as you steal magic from the spell you foiled. If you end a short rest with no power surges, you
gain one power surge.
As a bonus action, you can spend a power surge in order to empower your spells for that turn, if, before the end of your turn you cast a damaging spell, add an extra die of damage to the damage roll.
(this effect only applies to damage done on the turn the power surge is used, subsequent damage caused by the same spell does not receive this increase).

[Nylanfs]

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