Arelith

The suggestion is to add various things to make specializing in a wizard school worth it, as well as creating a larger gap between how simular each wizards is given that at epic levels they'll all know every spell.

Here's just a few ideas I had
All: +2 Spell DCs from choosen school, -4 saves against spells from opposing school.
Illusion: Invisibility lasting Turns/levels
Enchantment: Bonus to enchanting items
Abjuration: Bonus to Dispell checks/resistance, small DR scales with levels
Evocation: Auto empowered Evocation spells
Divination: AC bonus (1 per 5 wizard levels?)
Transmutation:
Necromancy:
Conjuration:

I know Abjuration and Evocation may seem a bit crazy, but keep in mind the prohibitted school is Conjuration. No Summon Creature, No Raise Dead, No healing potions, No Mage Armor, etc.

I'd like to see more of a mechanical roleplay bonus, than a mechanical mechanical bonus.

I.e., it would be interesting if there different staves restricted for specialist wizards, and then variation of the restricted staves between the spell schools. Like wands in Harry Potter but cooler. Stuff like that.

That would be very neat too! Basicaly, I want to see the specialty schools getting some love, so that there's more variation between wizards, as well are more ways people can roleplay without feeling like they are severely weakening their character.

I came up with mechcanical ways to improve it, because it's a mechanical thing that weakens it. Anything is fine by me though, if the end result is achived.

Transmutation: Shapeshifted forms get +1 AC / AB per 5 levels
Necromancy: Summoned undead get +2 to all stats
Conjuration: Summoned Creatures get +1 to all stats

I think a signature ability for each Arcane School Specialist would be a neat touch, and yes, could be a mechanical one, much like Paizo added to the Wizard in the Pathfinder RPG. They were minor mechanical advantages, but add flavor, and they also scale which makes for a nice incentive to pure class more. They are:

Abjuration - Gain resistance 5 to any one energy type. This resistance increases to 10 at 10th, 20 at 20th, and 30 at 30th. Energy type could be chosen using a console command enabled for Abjurers.

Conjuration - The duration of all summons, spell or otherwise, is treated as automatically extended with no change in level, as the Healing domain does to healing spells. At 20th level, they can have two creature summons active simultaneously.

Divination - You can always act, even when you would be otherwise surprised. Gain Uncanny Dodge I as a class ability. At 20th level, you automatically roll a 20 for initiative.

Enchantment - You gain +2 on all Bluff, Intimidate and Persuade checks, increasing by +1 every five levels to a maximum of +6 at 20th level.

Evocation - Your evocation spells penetrate Spell Resistance as if you had the Spell Penetration feat. At level 20, all your evocation spells are auto empowered without the feat or spell level increase.

Illusion - All durations of your Illusion spells are increased as if you had the Extend Spell feat. At level 20, the duration is doubled. At level 8, gain the Improved Invisibility ability as per the Assassin ability.

Necromancy - Gain the Turn Undead ability at level 1. All summons created through the Necromancy school have their durations extended.

Transmutation - No good way to approximate the PFRPG ability in code. I like Barradoor's suggestion of added AC and AB for shape shifts.

I too like this idea, though I can't decide if I agree with all details. Still ... most people do not specialize in a spell school at creation BECAUSE the cons far outweigh the pros, so I'm all for a boost.

Casters don't need to be more ridiculously empowered. A lot of these are just too much mechanical power where it's unnecessary.

We need more boons that provide variation through "non-power" mechanics, whatever those may be.

Characters gain a SF in their selected school, that sound good?