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Improved cantrips
After I played for a while, I decided that cantrips become unnecessary very soon and that fact didn't sit right with me. So I resolved to improve them, trying make them useful even on higher levels. The balance... is up to you to decide.
Changes:
Acid splash - from 1d3 to 1d3*caster level;
Cure minor wounds - from 4 points to 4*caster level;
Daze - the maximum hit dice is increased to 50 (5 in base);
Electric jolt - from 1d3 to 1d3*caster level;
Flare - -from 1 penalty on attack rolls to -1*caster level;
Inflict minor wounds - from 1 point to 1*caster level;
Light - no changes;
Ray of Frost: 1d4+1 to 1d4*caster level+1;
Resistance - from 1 point to all saving throws to 1*caster level to all saving throws ;
Virtue: from 1 point of HP to 1HP*caster level (effects stack, you can cast many Resistance-s and get multiple HP)
Installation:
There are two versions: for players and for builders.
For players: unpack archive CCO.zip, copy all scripts to the ''override'' directory in your game folder;
For builders: unpack archive ccerf.zip, copy .erf file to your ''erf'' folder in your game folder (if you can't find one, create it), open toolset and module, file - import - ccerf.erf, select how many scripts you want to overrite, (ncs and nss file for each script), press OK.
Thanks to Bioware for the game and toolset.
Please give feedback. I approve constructive criticism.
Later I'll add .tlk file with changed descriptions.
Make your own edits, if you want, I'll be glad.
P.S.: There's a possibility that I'll ''upgrade'' other spells too.
These look interesting. Will give them a look-see. Thanks!
While I agree cantrips are useless on all but the lowest of levels, I think you overdid it with Cure Minor Wounds. At 40th level (and actually sooner than that) it will be better than some other healing spells, which is just not right, especially given how low of a slot a cantrip spellslot is.
I agree that I overdid it. I simply corrected them for myself and released my work. I didn't deliberately think about balance.
You are right. It is an experiment, a template to see what can be I do. I didn't think about balance, though I did realise that I make cantrips gamebreaking.
I think making cantrips and orisons scalable is a great idea, one which has been many times over the years in PnP campaigns. This is also an opportunity to make the spells v3.5 compatible (except for the scalability). It's also an opportunity to be precise with each spell, e.g. counting caster levels correctly rather than taking DM shortcuts. Please consider the following:
First, some of the cantrips/orisons are not v3.5 compatible, so here's your chance to make them. For example, Flare should impose a penalty of -1 to search and spot skills in addition to the attack. Also, sightless and blinded creatures are immune to the dazzle effects of Flare but BioWare forgot to include that.
Second, caster level should be the sum of all classes that can cast that particular spell + prestige class levels that raise class levels. In PnP it's easier to just add up all caster levels but in a script we can take the time add up only those class levels which actually get the spell and we can count ranger and paladin levels correctly.
Third, to make the damage scalable instead of 1d3 change it to 1d2 + caster level or 1d3 + 1 for every 2 caster levels, etc.
Fourth, consider increasing the range of the cantrips/orisons in spells.2da from medium to long.
Fifth, go for AD&D and OD&D compatibility instead! For example, Burning Hands in AD&D was 1 point of fire damage/level of caster to each creature in the area of effect with no saving throw.
Sixth, consider increasing the # of cantrips that can be cast per day. High level casters won't care and low level ones won't have to rest as much.
Seventh, for the ultimate challenge: change the saving throw system from DC = spell level + ability bonus to DC = caster level + spell level + ability bonus.
Just my 2 farthings....
And please comment your code. It's very helpful when looking at the code to identify 1) what the change was, 2) why the change was made, 3) when was the change made, and 4) who made the change. To this end, I strongly encourage you to comment out the original code block and write a new one for your code. That way anyone can choose to revert to the original BioWare code if one block proves to be buggy.
I commented on Xan's Alternate Cantrips some years ago (https://neverwintervault.org/comment/37922#comment-37922); I felt the need of giving cantrips another shot but that one came as an erf file, suitable for builders, not for players.
Just to let the game be balanced I would use them on enemies I, more likely, would attack with such spells low level enemies only.
Just to give it a shot I restarted an OC game and to my surprise I was hit by a frost ray of damage 10 by one of the sorcerers in the academy (great!). Moreover my frost wand (the one you get for free at the academy) hit almost with a damage of 5.
Loved it
Thank you for posting this one!
EDIT: I tested it out. Ray of Frost comes very powerful indeed. Things can get unbalanced but anyway it is better than the basic one (which is almost useless).
I would rather go for 1d4 + X (where X is the caster's level), just a suggestion.