Eldan
2014-08-13, 02:54 AM
I was thinking about arcane magic again. I know, what a shocker.
In theory, Vancian magic, which I like very much, should limit the caster as compared to a more spontaneous one, such as a sorcerer. They have to prepare their spells ahead of time, so they have to know their opposition and prepare the right magics.
As we know, it does not work that way. There are many problems with this. Spells are too versatile and wizards just have too many of them. I have previously fixed the wizard by restricting the number of spells they could know and nixing the most versatile spells. But then, I had a different idea.
What if spells were a bit more open, but had to be prepared in very, very specific ways? What if a wizard had to prepare not only a general spell effect and then apply it but actually choose a list of variables ahead of time? Write out a finished spell, as they would cast it, while preparing?
In effect, something like this.
A current wizard prepares fireball. It is defined as a sphere of fire that deals a certain amount of damage in a certain radius. But the wizard, when casting, can choose the direction and distance he throws it at.
In this system, the wizard would not prepare fireball. He would prepare a combination of the variables "effect: fire damage" "delivery method: spherical burst" "radius: 20 feet" "point of origin: fifty feet away from me" "direction: due north".
As such, the wizard can only cast the spell at a distance exactly fifty feet away from himself to the North. Perhaps a bit too restricting, so my idea was that when casting, the wizard could change variables during battle, at the cost of some time.
Another example.
Current wizard: finger of death.
Programmer wizard: "Effect: death" "Delivery method: touch attack, single target" "Target type: evil outsider"
So, some quite specific variables like that.
How does that idea sound? Far too complicated? Impractical? Not fun at all?
In theory, Vancian magic, which I like very much, should limit the caster as compared to a more spontaneous one, such as a sorcerer. They have to prepare their spells ahead of time, so they have to know their opposition and prepare the right magics.
As we know, it does not work that way. There are many problems with this. Spells are too versatile and wizards just have too many of them. I have previously fixed the wizard by restricting the number of spells they could know and nixing the most versatile spells. But then, I had a different idea.
What if spells were a bit more open, but had to be prepared in very, very specific ways? What if a wizard had to prepare not only a general spell effect and then apply it but actually choose a list of variables ahead of time? Write out a finished spell, as they would cast it, while preparing?
In effect, something like this.
A current wizard prepares fireball. It is defined as a sphere of fire that deals a certain amount of damage in a certain radius. But the wizard, when casting, can choose the direction and distance he throws it at.
In this system, the wizard would not prepare fireball. He would prepare a combination of the variables "effect: fire damage" "delivery method: spherical burst" "radius: 20 feet" "point of origin: fifty feet away from me" "direction: due north".
As such, the wizard can only cast the spell at a distance exactly fifty feet away from himself to the North. Perhaps a bit too restricting, so my idea was that when casting, the wizard could change variables during battle, at the cost of some time.
Another example.
Current wizard: finger of death.
Programmer wizard: "Effect: death" "Delivery method: touch attack, single target" "Target type: evil outsider"
So, some quite specific variables like that.
How does that idea sound? Far too complicated? Impractical? Not fun at all?