[RPG] How to fix sorcerors getting shafted by spell point variants

The main issues with Polymorph are:

• Monsters aren't designed for PC use. Many monsters have abilities that are overpowered or disruptive in the hands of PCs, as they were designed primarily as opponents and weren't balanced with polymorph in mind.

• Versatility is power. Polymorph is by far one of the most versatile spells in the book. A more versatile character is actually more powerful, since he's more likely to have the most effective solution to any given problem. Polymorph gets more versatile for free as you add new monster books.

• Polymorph isn't as broken as it used to be, but there are still loopholes. Because not all monsters were written with polymorph in mind, polymorph has numerous, very specific limitations. However, some forms have powerful or disruptive abilities which aren't covered by these limits.

Some particular uses for polymorph:

• Annis hag (7 HD): Large size with 10 ft. reach, +10 natural armor, Str 25, and can still use weapons, cast spells and wear humanoid magic items. Two claws, bite, rend, improved grab and rake.
• Mind flayer (8 HD): Four tentacle attacks and Extract (Ex). A good grapple can instantly kill any opponent. Alternatively, a rogue can use all four tentacles to make sneak attacks.
• Dark naga (9 HD): Poison sting, DC16 or fall asleep for 2d4 minutes. Sleeping opponents can be hit with a coup de grace.
• Roper (10 HD): Large size, 14 natural armor, 19 Strength, 50 ft. reach with ranged touch attack that inflicts 2d8 points Strength damage (Fort 18 negates). A full attack allows six strands, plus a bite with 10ft. reach and 2d6 damage.
• Guardian naga (11 HD): Poison (bite, or ranged touch spit), DC 19 and initial and secondary damage 1d10 Con. 7 natural armor, Str 21 and Con 19, too.
• Cornugon (15HD, requires Outsider type from planetouched race or Otherworldly feat): Large size with 10 ft. reach, 19 natural armor, flight, 31 Str, 25 Dex, 25 Con. Can still use weapons and wear equipment.

There are a few ways to curb the excesses of polymorph without banning it outright.

1. Limit the players to assuming forms of creatures they've actually encountered. This prevents cherry-picking the most broken options from monster books.
2. Don't allow armor to resize when the character assumes Large size. The rules don't strictly say that armor resizes (although it does suggest that "Size should not keep characters of various kinds from using magic items"). This prevents Large forms with high natural armor from being too powerful.
3. Pay close attention to which forms the polymorph rules actually allow. For example, you cannot assume the form of a templated creature, or a creature of a size more than one larger or smaller than your own.
4. Take a look at Pathfinder's version of polymorph.

These are bascially listed in order from “smallest and easiest” to “biggest and hardest.”

Step One: Eliminate the lost spellcasting level at 3rd

There’s literally no reason for it. At the time, it may have been believed that there were advantages to spontaneous casting that demanded it as a balancing factor, or, as rumored, Monte Cook may have just hated sorcerers (see here for a search for the real reason), but experience and hindsight have demonstrated it to not be the case.

Step Two: Rapid Metamagic

One of the natural and fitting advantages that spontaneous spellcasters should have is the ability to apply metamagic on the fly, but the increased casting time for this ruins that. So eliminate that.

Step Three: Consider More Spells per Day

This is the advantage that spontaneous casters have, but the difference isn’t all that large: usually about 1 spell per day per spell level. It could be bigger, to make it worth a little more. That said, spells per day is rarely a meaningful limitation on spellcasters past level 7 or so (and even that might be generous).

Step Four: Consider More Spells Known

It definitely reduces a major stumbling block for them, and considering that prepared spellcasters have spells known of “all the spells,” they aren’t likely to be threatened by it. For example, sorcerers know spells in a distribution very similar to the wizards spells per day, which means that the sorcerer has to “prepare” the same number of spells as the wizard, he just has to prepare for the rest of his life while the wizard only has to prepare for the next day.

Bonus: Sorcerer specifically

The sorcerer really deserves a better chassis and class features. 2 + Int skill points, on a Cha-based class? That’s just mean. For that matter, a Cha-based class, with only Bluff as a Cha-based class-skill? Why? Give them Intimidate, at the least. Some more knowledges would not be amiss. And some class features, even if it’s just Eschew Materials at 1st and bonus feats as the wizard gets. Some of Pathfinder’s bloodlines are ridiculous, but some of them are fair enough.