This is in regards to character creation, where wizards are able to specialize in various schools of magic at the loss of the ability to cast from another. I dislike how the NWN system makes one school of magic intrinsically the opposite of another, even stopping some schools of magic from being opposed schools (evocation as an example).

My question is this, what are the DMs' opinions on taking one school of magic (Enchantment for example) and RPing a practitioner of another school of magic (Necromancy), since virtually the only difference is the opposed school (aside from spellcraft checks). If I was a "necromancer" with spell focuses in necromancy, but my school of magic was actually enchantment, with my opposed school of magic being illusion instead of divination, would the DMs frown on this?

If you're RPing a necromancer and want to take a spell school, it would need to be Necromancer spell school to avoid being lame.

You can take SF's in whatever you like.

EDIT

The more I think about this the more complicated it seems! I'll let other DMs weigh in <_<

My question is this, what are the DMs' opinions on taking one school of magic (Enchantment for example) and RPing a practitioner of another school of magic (Necromancy)

This is basically using the engine to work around mechanics to give your character an advantage for spells you want to have a really cool caster, and gain the additional spell slot per level. This to me is the same thing as having an 8Int 8Wis 6cha Half Orc Barbarian be a sound tactician and natural born leader. If you are focused and study in one particular area of magic (necromancy) then you should be a necromancer.

To me atleast, it's also pretty lame to take the specialty school for the extra spell slot and then take SF (whatever else that's not your speciatly school) for added uber bonuses on the spells you really want to use. If you want to be an enchanter, be an enchanter and RP it up, and so on and so forth.

Skill Focus represents your character focusing extra hard on one spell school so that after a time you become more effective at casting those spells. It makes little sense to have a necromancer (specialist school) have GSF: Enchantment and no spell focus in Necromancy. This is pretty obvious!

My point was that the speciality schools chosen at creation offer little bonus to the actual focus school, and merely decide the opposed school. I've been in RP situations where we were discussing how to best kill a certain necromancer, and others have exclaimed IC "He can't cast divination magics, he's a necromancer!". It's always irked me in NWN that all necromancers cannot cast divination magic, all enchanters cannot cast illusion magics, all transmuters cannot cast conjuration magic, all conjurers cannot cast transmutation magic and so on.

I don't understand what you're saying here...do you want specialist mages to be able to cast all spells?

No, not at all. I was merely wondering what was DM opinion on taking different spell schools at character creation and RPing a specialist of a different kind, since it only determines the opposed school of magic and has virtually no effect on the use of the selected school. As I said, I find it distasteful that all necromancy specialists cannot cast spells from the school of divination instead of not being able to cast from a different school of magic. What is wrong with taking the school of enchantment at character creation and taking GSF:Necromancy, so that you're RPing a necromancer who cannot cast illusion spells instead of a necromancer who can't cast divination spells? I would find it to be a lot more character defining if a specialist could be customized in what school they cannot cast.

If the DMs are opposed to this, then is it IC knowledge that all necromancers cannot cast divination spells, all conjurers cannot cast transmutation and so on? "He told me he was a necromancer, they can't cast 'See Invisibility' we can exploit that by attacking, disappearing, and attacking again, he'll be helpless against us!"

Every school of magic has an opposite school.

If you choose to become a specialist in one school of magic, you become much more proficient (extra spells slots- a major bonus).

Because you are so proficient (have this advantage) it makes sense that all the time you devoted to becoming so proficient is time you never spent studying a diametrically opposed school of magic (you get a disadvantage to offset the excellent advantage).

So, for your example-

You took Enchantment as a specialist school at start up. You should RP being an enchanter, not a necromancer. Its not hard. :P

If the DMs are opposed to this, then is it IC knowledge that all necromancers cannot cast divination spells, all conjurers cannot cast transmutation and so on?

NO. (highlighted for effect)

It is OOC information and metagaming unless another player is a mage and has the spellcraft ranks to both know this information and be able to identify the spells actually being cast. Beyond this entirely it is uniformily known (among wizards) that not all mages and wizards can cast the same spells becasue they may just not have that spell in their spellbook. How are you going to tell?

You can't. People who do the "He can't cast see invis, he must be a necromancer" are metagaming. If this happens please let us know in game so we can correct the player who is in error.

Every school of magic has an opposite school... it makes sense that all the time you devoted to becoming so proficient is time you never spent studying a diametrically opposed school of magic

People who do the "He can't cast see invis, he must be a necromancer" are metagaming. If this happens please let us know in game so we can correct the player who is in error.

I'm getting a bit of mixed messages here. If every school of magic has a diametrically opposed school of magic to it, how is it that this is not IC knowledge? This is part of the reason I loathe NWN's way of handling specialists and why I asked if choosing to specialize in enchantment at creation and taking GSF:Necromancy, in essence RPing a necromancer was frowned upon, as choosing to specialize in a certain school only determines the opposed school, and has little to no affect on the actual specialized school.

Here is what I say:

Your wizard may spec in enchantment, then foc in necromancy, and practice necromancy mostly. Your wizard has not made the necessary sacrifices (giving up his divination) to further his studies of necromancy. Your necromancer will therefore always be worse than a necromancer who has spec'd in necromancy and made the proper sacrifices.

Do what you like, as far as specs and focs go, but remember, you're essentially dicking yourself in the long term if you don't do uniform spec and foc, as the school of magic you practice from primarily will be weaker than if you had spec'd and foc'd in the same school. Also, if you ever decide you want to, say, raise a legion of the dead and storm someone's ass, the DMs will ensure that your incompetence (lack of spec) will be reflected in the amount of dead you could animate, for example. This would also have a negative effect on all necromantic rituals you might like to perform, and so forth.

In short, yes, go ahead and make the incorrect sacrifice of spell schools, but your necromancer won't be as dedicated to their art, and will suffer for it. I wouldn't recommend it, even if I was playing from a purely leetx0r mechanics point of view with no consideration of RP and it making IC sense.

Lastly, you'll have to figure out a reason why your necromancer would be consciously specialising in enchantment and consciously forgoing study in illusion rather than any other schools. This is probably the most difficult part, and what many people might see as unjustifiable and "lame".

Nickless, it's not an opposing message at all. In my post I state that it is IC knowledge if you have the spellcraft to back it up. A character with no ranks in spellcraft is not going to know the inner workings of the specialist schools, how mage spells are choosen, or how basic spellbooks are organized and added to.

The first quote is directed at you (you the character), who would have that knowledge since he is a wizard and went through the school.

The second quote is directed at people who have no spellcraft to back it up. If you read my entire paragraph it is clear and in context.

It is OOC information and metagaming unless another player is a mage and has the spellcraft ranks to both know this information and be able to identify the spells actually being cast. Beyond this entirely it is uniformily known (among wizards) that not all mages and wizards can cast the same spells becasue they may just not have that spell in their spellbook. How are you going to tell?

Unfortunately, in NWN selecting a spell school gives no advantages whatsoever other than a +2 bonus to spellcraft for the purposes of identifying spells of that school - which is a pretty worthless bonus. Some people in this thread seem unclear on that point, so I thought I would get it out of the way. The way to go mechanically is thus to pick the school with the opposed school that you least mind losing but take the Spell Focus feats in whatever school of magic you intend on concentrating it (thus, people taking the abjuration school but enchantment feats).

However, although I am aware that in PnP you can choose whatever school you want to be opposed to, in EfU it is asked that people pick the school that their character does specialize in (and if they take spell focus feats - not all wizards do - that they take the feats in their school). It's a somewhat clumsy aspect of the way NWN implements things, but until further notice we basically go along with it.

A knowledgable character with lore/spellcraft may well be aware about how the opposed schools work.