Rob

Yeah, Savant is neat and probably necessary.

For Faith Magic- I suggest keeping healing at a minimum. I like less healing in a system... don't let the cleric just regenerate the party to full every day. Taking time to heal slows down the game and keeps it more real... 1st level cure for 1d4 is fine.

Maybe focus on summoning divine entities, necromancy and undead, and what I was calling 'Martial magic'- spells like Enthrall and Bless, that rally the troops. And divination, which could be spiced up from what it was in D&D. Decide between Faith and Ritual for the curses, damnation, devil worship... maybe make a gritty version of infernalism for Ritual, and a more sleek high-brow version for Faith. Maybe go heavy into undead- things like Create Mummy and Become Dracula and Summon Avatar.

...

I'm wondering if, just like we have optional races in the GM's section, there should be optional abilities. The Magic abilities I just posted are good candidates, as are the more powerful weapon profs, like Improved Armor Use, Advanced Counterattack, and Berserker. I think it's a good idea. Actually, the GM's section could exactly parallel the 'Players Section'- in terms of bonus races, skills, weapons/armor, and spells.