What are the fluff differences between spells and spell-like/supernatural abilities?

[The Insanity]

Well, the titular question isn't a general one, it applies to a situation from my games and is more a request for ideas than for a definitive answer. Here's an explanation:
In my games, to cast spells, you need to have something special in you. What exactly it is, no one knows yet, even after millennia of studing magic. Some people have it and some don't. If they have it, great, they have the capability to use spells and thus can study spellcasting if they choose so. Those that don't have it are out of luck, no amount of talent, learning or training will do them any good. (That also includes psionic manifesting, BTW.)
However the above doesn't mean that "non-caster" people can't use magic at all. Supernatural and spell-like abilities are still available to them, as well as other magical subsystems that aren't spells (Incarnum, Shadow Magic... Truenaming, etc., although some of those also aren't open to just anyone).
I'm making such a character. He's very intelligent, wise and charismatic, and very interested and eager to learn magic, but he was born without spellcasting ability. He didn't know it though, so he tried out multiple different magic paths before realizing what was wrong. Mechanically he's a Factotum.
Now, using the above fluff, how would you explain the differences between spells and spell-like abilities?

[Talionis]

It seems to me that you are describing the difference between sorcerers and wizards. Sorcerers are connected to the power that spells come from while Wizards have to learn a way to tap into that power.

Spell Power in your Universe may come from any number of places. So it could be a different source of energy. It could be that Factotum's tap into the same power source but in an abridged dirty way that could explain why they have limitations on casting the same spell more than once a day. Its kind of like a short cut or trick that allows them to tap into that reservoir, but its more limited because they don't have the natural talent for them. Maybe the Factotum goes through some sort of ritual to add a link to source of spell energy.

Three quick thoughts off the top of my head.

[Phelix-Mu]

Spells definitely have more of a science to them, including a whole chapter that talks about spells. While SLAs inherit much of this, they do it spell-by-spell, and always omitting some things (like components...SLAs can, I believe, be cast with a thought, spells cannot). Su stuff is even less restricted; even less components (there are one or two exclusions to SLAs not having components, I believe), can't be countered, no SR, etc.

So it's more of an exclusion-type thing. SLAs and Su mimicking spells are everything spells are mechanically, minus given exclusions.

Now, fluff-wise, SLAs and Su are much more prevalent in the world than spellcasting. Spells are a product of class levels (and a few creatures that get it as a racial ability, most famously dragons). Meanwhile, SLAs and Su are all over the place, and thus can be powered by all manner of supernatural mechanisms, internal power sources, connection to Plane of X, powerful beliefs, or some other special class feature (like invocation-users, that have a science a la spellcasting, but operating by different parameters).

Thus, while fluff around spells is almost always tied to class levels and their fluff, SLAs and Su are much more versatile from a design standpoint, as you don't even know necessarily what is powering a pixie's SLAs (aside from...I dunno, is fairy dust implied or actual?). It could be whatever the setting/plot demand, and can be done with almost no refluffing. Is the magic of pixies derived from an ancient pact with an Elder Evil, by which the pixies act as its eyes and ears in exchange for some stealth/trickster effects? Only time will tell!

[holywhippet]

I'd say that full spell casters have something in their blood or soul that lets them fully tap into extra planar power. Arcane types can tap into the magical weave, divine type can tap into the plane their patron resides on to channel their power or the plane where energy resides that druids can use.

Non-full spell casters that have supernatural abilities have a more limited access. They can't access the power fully, but have something built into them they can trigger which lets them pull off a particular ability. Effectively it's like they have a spell built into their body, they can just draw on a power source to power it up.

Other caster types would be using rituals and items. So if they do this, this and this just right they make something happen. Basically they are taking advantage of supernatural laws to redirect some magical energy in order to do what they want.

[The Insanity]

It seems to me that you are describing the difference between sorcerers and wizards. Sorcerers are connected to the power that spells come from while Wizards have to learn a way to tap into that power.
In case it wasn't clear, basically every spellcasting class works similar to Sorcerer fluff-wise, and that includes Wizards.


Spell Power in your Universe may come from any number of places. So it could be a different source of energy. It could be that Factotum's tap into the same power source but in an abridged dirty way that could explain why they have limitations on casting the same spell more than once a day. Its kind of like a short cut or trick that allows them to tap into that reservoir, but its more limited because they don't have the natural talent for them. Maybe the Factotum goes through some sort of ritual to add a link to source of spell energy.
I guess it would make for an easy and simple solution, but it doesn't look very interesting to me. I might just be thinking way too hard on this, though.


Now, fluff-wise, SLAs and Su are much more prevalent in the world than spellcasting. Spells are a product of class levels (and a few creatures that get it as a racial ability, most famously dragons). Meanwhile, SLAs and Su are all over the place, and thus can be powered by all manner of supernatural mechanisms, internal power sources, connection to Plane of X, powerful beliefs, or some other special class feature (like invocation-users, that have a science a la spellcasting, but operating by different parameters).

Thus, while fluff around spells is almost always tied to class levels and their fluff, SLAs and Su are much more versatile from a design standpoint, as you don't even know necessarily what is powering a pixie's SLAs (aside from...I dunno, is fairy dust implied or actual?). It could be whatever the setting/plot demand, and can be done with almost no refluffing. Is the magic of pixies derived from an ancient pact with an Elder Evil, by which the pixies act as its eyes and ears in exchange for some stealth/trickster effects? Only time will tell!
Except in my games class spells are basically like a racial ability. Yes, you learn them and improve on them by studying and training (thus class levels), but you still need to have that inherent ability to use spells.


I'd say that full spell casters have something in their blood or soul that lets them fully tap into extra planar power. Arcane types can tap into the magical weave, divine type can tap into the plane their patron resides on to channel their power or the plane where energy resides that druids can use.


Non-full spell casters that have supernatural abilities have a more limited access. They can't access the power fully, but have something built into them they can trigger which lets them pull off a particular ability. Effectively it's like they have a spell built into their body, they can just draw on a power source to power it up.

Other caster types would be using rituals and items. So if they do this, this and this just right they make something happen. Basically they are taking advantage of supernatural laws to redirect some magical energy in order to do what they want.
Basically what you're saying it that full spellcasters take magic power from outside sources (and that's why it's generally more potent), but they aren't connected to the source (or a better analogy - their power cords are missing entirely), while spell-likes and supernaturals are powered from within (and thus generally have smaller power), so their power source is always available?
Didn't think about it this way. Cool idea.

[Phelix-Mu]

Well, perhaps this inherent ability is keyed to some natural phenomena (or supernatural one) that happens during gestation/birth/youth. Like born under a convergence of stars, lived as a child near a fey-infested wood, or something of the like. It would have to be complicated and likely varied if it has been researched for centuries without the research yielding anything.

So, take the convergence of the stars. If you are born under a full moon as a certain constellation is at its zenith, then you will gain the ability to cast spells. But maybe if you are born under a different moon phase, but the right constellation-orientation, then you get the watered-down version. For a full-user, the ways of magic are like detailed instructions on building something out of LEGO blocks. For the SLA-user, it's more like having a bunch of LEGO blocks and a vague idea of what you want to create; less precise, but maybe a bit more creative license, since you aren't caught up in the highly-complex ways of the instructions.

Such environmental effects can be big and cosmic, or maybe it's more intimate. Unbeknownst to spellcasters, a cabal of time-traveling witches/hags/sybils move around the Prime, traveling back and forth with their fluid- time trait plane of origin. Occasionally, these (probably shapeshifting) women happen across a child in their wandering, and exchange words with the youth. However, their language is charged with a power the traveler is unaware of; the simple hearing of this language unlocks the spellcasting ability within the heart of the caster.

In this last example, perhaps an SLA-user would have been witness to the exchange of words, but not the one addressed. The full caster hears echos of the mystical language of the woman in everything, and channels power into the language of magic with great accuracy. The SLA-user doesn't remember the words, but can evoke similar sounds, close enough to fool reality into cooperating and forming the magical effect.

Finally, maybe it's all part of a mechanistic control system. All full-users are part of some scheme by [cosmic force/elder evil/Pun-Pun], even unwitting, and are gradually helping some destiny unfold. SLA-users are fakes, kind of like an Ur-Priest, and actively detract from the scheme by smuggling away some of its power without being part of the unfolding of the destiny. Vague inspiration from Exalted here, lol.

[Hecuba]

Spells represent a basic capacity for interacting with magic that has been honed by practice and study (and is aided with external accoutrements).

SLAs would represent a group of beings having unusual capacity for interacting with a specific sort of magic (ex: a silver dragon with certain kinds of air-related spells) such that it does not require the practice/study/accoutrements but rather comes naturally as part of the creatures normal conscious interaction with their environment.

Supernatural abilities represent ways in which a creature interacts with specific sorts of magic as part of its normal biological processes. The user may be able to control it to some, but the basic interaction that underpins the ability should be close to autonomic. A ghost can manifest, but its natural state is ethereal. A silver dragon doesn't breathe cold with every breath, but perhaps the magical interaction that allows it to do so on demand is part of its normal respiration process.

[Starmage21]

At the end of the day, your fluff should probably match the crunch to a degree or another.

The crunch is fairly simple: Spells and Spell-like abilities are effectively the same. Spell resistance applies, the verbal and somatic components apply, and any casting time applies. They are excepted from any material (costly or otherwise) components, and any XP components specifically. Any other exceptions are on a monster-by-monster basis.

Supernatural abilities, even if they replicate spell effects, are specifically NOT spells. They are not subject to spell resistance. They do not function in an anti-magic field either. This means that dragon's breath doesnt affect you in AMF, because its (Su).

[The Insanity]

Spells represent a basic capacity for interacting with magic that has been honed by practice and study (and is aided with external accoutrements).

SLAs would represent a group of beings having unusual capacity for interacting with a specific sort of magic (ex: a silver dragon with certain kinds of air-related spells) such that it does not require the practice/study/accoutrements but rather comes naturally as part of the creatures normal conscious interaction with their environment.

Supernatural abilities represent ways in which a creature interacts with specific sorts of magic as part of its normal biological processes. The user may be able to control it to some, but the basic interaction that underpins the ability should be close to autonomic. A ghost can manifest, but its natural state is ethereal. A silver dragon doesn't breathe cold with every breath, but perhaps the magical interaction that allows it to do so on demand is part of its normal respiration process.
But both spell-likes and supernaturals can be trained for.


At the end of the day, your fluff should probably match the crunch to a degree or another.
It does. But there's more to it than just what the crunch says.


The crunch is fairly simple: Spells and Spell-like abilities are effectively the same. Spell resistance applies, the verbal and somatic components apply, and any casting time applies. They are excepted from any material (costly or otherwise) components, and any XP components specifically. Any other exceptions are on a monster-by-monster basis.

Supernatural abilities, even if they replicate spell effects, are specifically NOT spells. They are not subject to spell resistance. They do not function in an anti-magic field either. This means that dragon's breath doesnt affect you in AMF, because its (Su).
I know the rules, thank you.

[Arbane]

"It's like the difference between having the talent to play a sonata and having the talent to play a CD." (No idea what a good quasi-medieval simile would be...)

[The Insanity]

"It's like the difference between having the talent to play a sonata and having the talent to play a CD." (No idea what a good quasi-medieval simile would be...)
Well, in this case some musicians lack the proper instrument to play that sonata, while the CD can be played easily in many electronic devices.

[Malroth]

I'm thinking you have that analogy backwards, Anyone can play a sonata with 2 or 3 years of intense training but if you're in a world where the CD player hasn't been invented that Disc is going to be a shiny paperweight forever if you don't already have one from somewhere else.

[Dalebert]

Spells and Spell-like abilities are effectively the same. Spell resistance applies, the verbal and somatic components apply, and any casting time applies.

Not quite. SLAs don't have verbal or somatic components (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#spellLikeAbilities).

[Starmage21]

Not quite. SLAs don't have verbal or somatic components (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#spellLikeAbilities).

Holy crap! I dunno how I forgot that.