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hiryuu
2009-12-02, 02:20 PM
Our long-running D&D campaign ended last Saturday. My roommate has since come up with a new campaign and has changed the spellcasting rules rather dramatically.

Here we go:

There's maybe one or two spellcasters in a given country at any time.

To use magic, you must bind yourself with a spirit. Choose a vital body function or organ, such as a heart, ears, eyes, lungs, liver, etcetera. Your familiar is a spirit/demon that has removed this function and its very presence replaces it. Should you lose your familiar, this function is removed/greatly reduced (it can't kill you), and you can't cast spells until you make another bargain, which costs a second function/organ, and your new familiar upkeeps both.

Use the sorcerer spells known and per day. You can choose from any of the base class lists, except the paladin and ranger (though some with approval). You can, should you encounter scrolls or other spell sources "scribe" spells as if you were a wizard, but without a spell book. Transmutation is a stupid "common" school to have.

We are first level. You automatically know and can cast these spells at will:
Ghost Sound
Disguise Self
Magic Aura
Silent Image
Ventriloquism
...plus these:
Dead End
Net of Shadows
Serene Visage

At fourth level, you'll get these:
Blur
Hypnotic Pattern
Magic Mouth
Minor Image
Mirror Image
Misdirection
Phantom Trap
...and!
Delusions of Grandeur
Reflective Disguise
Shadow Radiance
Wall of Gloom

Other illusion lists will come later.

Casting a spell with a spell slot takes a Will save (DC 5 + the spell's level). Trivial, yes, but failure costs 1 point of Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma burn. You can cast any spell that you know of from anywhere, no matter what level the spell is without using a slot, but doing so takes a Will save (DC 15 + (2*the number of slots you've used that day) + the spell's level). Success casts the spell and costs 3 points of Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma burn. Failure costs 6 burn to those ability scores and no spell is cast. The spell is cast at your current caster level.

As far as skills, Knowledge (all), Profession, Craft, Perform, and pick a few others (run 'em by me). To make up for the fact that at the very least, you'll take ability score burn 5% of the time for using your class features, and because I am a general bastard, get 6 + Int mod skill points and light armor proficiency, and pick one martial weapon. Oh, yeah, and a d6 hit die, for what it's worth.

Magic Item Creation feats are banned. You want magic items, you've got to make a deal with a spirit (or your spirit), and they're made out of an organ/body function you give up. Yeah, this means it's bad news to get it stolen (It's also bad news to steal magic items, because of what people are willing to go through to get their normal eyesight back).

I'll explain the ranger, paladin, and classes with supernatural abilities later. For now, just avoid them. Use Scout for Ranger, Warblade for fighter, and so on. Ignore any maneuver that is supernatural and the healing maneuvers.

Oh yeah, and if you're a spellcaster, everyone hates and fears you.

...my question here is, what sort of things should he watch out for? Any way to tighten these up a little?

JeenLeen
2009-12-02, 03:26 PM
1. Is this only for wizard/sorcerer, or all full spellcasters (druid/cleric/other base classes)?
It sounds like you are eliminating most/all full casters and creating a Spellcaster base class, using your rules. If this is the case, are you dropping any access to wildshape and turn undead?

2. How easy is it to loose a familiar? Are there spells or rituals that banish or disjoin a familiar from a person?

3. I don't follow what you mean by "Transmutation is a stupid "common" school to have." It is common because it is useful, like Conjuration.

4. What other base classes are allowed? Is it just revamped Paladin, Scout/Ranger, Warblade/Fighter, and Spellcaster?
Either way is fine, but what other base classes are allowed will impact critique of the Spellcaster class.

hiryuu
2009-12-02, 03:39 PM
1. This is the only way to use magic. That is what he said. There is no other variety of magic, no psions, no meldshapers, not anything. There are no druids or clerics, only this "spellcaster." Undead do not feature prominently into the setting's cosmology and apparently the ones that do aren't powered by negative energy anyway.

2. No. Not anymore than there is a spell or ritual that disjoins your personality from your memories or (IRL) that you could disjoin matter from the effects of gravity. You've got to kill the familiar (or the spellcaster), as it is literally a physical manifestation of your ability to use magic (it used to be a free-floating spirit no longer joined to its original source due to the source's destruction or age, like a fey creature or demon, but is now bound to you. It is, quite literally, a spirit of you).

3. He said "common" in that, in the setting, spellcasters are not common in the slightest, and are, in fact, quite rare.

4. No other classes that use magic or (Su) abilities are allowed ((Su) abilites are going to be replaced by some other abilities.).

JeenLeen
2009-12-02, 04:16 PM
The limitation on creating magic item sounds fine. Can non-spellcasters have magic items, or use ones that are stolen as if they are their own?



Casting a spell with a spell slot takes a Will save (DC 5 + the spell's level). Trivial, yes, but failure costs 1 point of Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma burn. You can cast any spell that you know of from anywhere, no matter what level the spell is without using a slot, but doing so takes a Will save (DC 15 + (2*the number of slots you've used that day) + the spell's level). Success casts the spell and costs 3 points of Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma burn. Failure costs 6 burn to those ability scores and no spell is cast. The spell is cast at your current caster level.

As far as skills, Knowledge (all), Profession, Craft, Perform, and pick a few others (run 'em by me). To make up for the fact that at the very least, you'll take ability score burn 5% of the time for using your class features, and because I am a general bastard, get 6 + Int mod skill points and light armor proficiency, and pick one martial weapon. Oh, yeah, and a d6 hit die, for what it's worth.

This sounds workable. Assuming Arcane Chance Failure no longer exists, you gain some combat ability with d6 HD, light armor proficiency, and a martial proficiency.
Are your saves still Good Will/Bad Reflex and Fort?
Is the BAB still poor?
What determines bonus spells and the DC of spells? Given that Will saves are crucial, I would recommend making Wisdom the spellcasting stat.

Casting a spell at low levels sounds very risky, but if that's what you want, fine. Once you hit mid levels and get a decent Will save, you only have to worry about failing on a natural 1. Which is bad, but not horrible, and perhaps a viable balancing mechanic for spellcasting.

The ability to cast spells when you are out of spells/day is nice for an emergency.

To clarify spells known:
1. You automatically know spells as a sorcerer, but you can add to your spells known through 'scribing' a spell into your memory.

2. Are the spells given as what you know at level 1 and 4 examples of spells known, or are those extra Illusions spells casters get for free?

3. Currently, are all books open for spells (excluding Ranger/Paladin list, as noted)? I imagine there will be some banning of particularly overpowered schools, but this is mainly asking if any books or schools are banned.

hiryuu
2009-12-02, 04:26 PM
Non-spellcasters can make use of found or stolen items; they remain magical after you die, by the way, since they're the product of old deals. So if you can find a caster and pop him, you can take his stuff, or you can get him to lead you to where another caster may have died, etc.

I think base attack is still poor. It'd make sense to me. Charisma is the primary score for spells/day and DC. He's trying to increase MAD just a little bit for right now. This may change.

1. Yes.

2. Yeah, he's passing out those illusion spells known for free. He wants casters to have this sort of dreamy/surreal feel and wants spellcasters to throw around illusions a lot, thus he's giving out a bunch of free ones whenever a caster gets new spells per level.

3. No spells are really banned at the moment, I don't think. I'll ask when I get some time.

Anonymouswizard
2009-12-02, 04:44 PM
Are casters able to make deals with spirits, giving them something in exchange for a period of servitude? If so, then I suggest looking at the Bartimaeus trilogy for ideas, but if not that's fine to.

This sounds like a good idea, but the penalties for failing a spell makes me believe we need no more MADness. Tell him to make wisdom the spellcasting stat, or let them choose as channelers can in Midnight.

Zovc
2009-12-02, 04:46 PM
You should check out the "Generic Spellcaster (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/genericClasses.htm#spellcaster)."