Splitting Up the Fire Template in Arcana Evolved
Introduction:
'One of the problems I have with the Arcana Evolved game is that it has two feats that give access to the same template - the fire template. As written, there is no reason to take the Energy Mage (Fire) ceremonial feat, as the Elemental Mage (Fire) ceremonial feat provides all the same benefits, plus the following:
"Fire elementals conjured with this template gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class, attack and damage rollls, and a +1 hit point bonus per hit die."
I, therefore, decided to split up the fire template into the following sub-templates: the flame and heat sub-templates. With this optional rule, the Elemental Mage (Fire) ceremonial feat (now renamed Elemental Mage (Flame)) now provides access to the flame sub-template, while the Energy Mage (Fire) ceremonial feat (now renamed the Energy Mage (Heat) provides access to the heat sub-template. The revised feats are listed below:
Elemental Mage (Flame)
Once you complete a ceremony involving large amounts of flame, you gain increased control of spells that generate or manipulate flame.
Prerequisite: Truename (or the Energy Mage (Heat) ceremonial feat).
Benefit: The caster can apply the fire template to all spells that do elemental damage, such as sorcerous blast (but not energy bolt or energy sheath). Further the caster can cast complex spells with the fire descriptor as if they were simple spells, and exotic spells as if they were complex spells, as longs as the spell involves flame. Furthermore, fire elementals conjured with the flame sub-template gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class, attack and damage rollls, and a +1 hit point bonus per hit die.
Example:The character could learn identify with flame as a complex spell, but would not be able to learn conjure energy creature I, unless the character had access to 1st level complex spells (or the Energy Mage (Heat) ceremonial feat).
Energy Mage (Heat)
Prerequisite: Truename (or the Elemental Mage (Flame) ceremonial feat).
Once you complete a ceremony involving large amounts of heat, you gain
increased control of spells that generate or manipulate heat.
Benefit: The caster can apply the fire template to all spells that do hit point damage. Further
the caster can cast complex spells with the fire descriptor as if they
were simple spells, and exotic spells as if they were complex spells, as
longs as the spell does energy damage.
Example: If The character above gains this feat, that caster could learn the conjure energy creature spells as if they were simple spells, but would only be able to conjure fire-based energy creatures, unless he (or she) has access to complex spells (or the Elemental Mage (Flame) ceremonial feat).
Note: To encourage this optional rule, I decided that if a character had access to one of those feats (he or she) would be able to gain the other as a general feat, instead of as a ceremonial feat. (hence the expanded prerequisites for both feats).
