Spell Preparation Failure

[Turgon9357]

I've had an idea kicking around in my head for a while, and I haven't seen anything like it on the SRD. It's a sort of a spell failure mechanic, except it applies during spell preparation. Although this could apply to any spell caster, I specifically had the wizard in mind based on how wizards prepare their spells.

Ordinarily, wizards need an environment free of distractions to prepare spells. Should such an environment be unavailable, the wizard can still try to prepare spells, although doing this involves a degree of risk. The player (or the GM, secretly) makes a concentration check. The precise difficulty of the check is known only to the GM, but generally depends on how distracting the environment is (bad weather, vermin infestation, etc.)

If the roll is successful, the spells are prepared as normal. If the roll fails, however, any number of things can go wrong. The GM makes a series of rolls to determine the number of spells that have been prepared wrongly and what will happen if these botched spells are cast. The new spell effects should be similar to the intended effect (e.g., a fireball spell veers off-course or detonates before arriving at the intended destination).

I confess that I spend more time thinking about playing and game mechanics more than I do actually playing, so I welcome ideas from those more experienced, especially with casters. Possible problems that come to mind include GM access to the spell list, the player feeling like they are just being trolled, and a strong dedication to roleplaying (with the players suspecting that the wizard has turned into a time bomb).

[Zale]

DM: "I can screw with the only way you contribute to anything at anytime in anyway that I please! :D"

That doesn't sound very.. fun.

I prefer fixes that actually reduce a Wizard's ability to screw with things, rather than just being annoying.

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

I've had an idea kicking around in my head for a while, and I haven't seen anything like it on the SRD. It's a sort of a spell failure mechanic, except it applies during spell preparation. Although this could apply to any spell caster, I specifically had the wizard in mind based on how wizards prepare their spells.

Alright. First thing first: state a goal. What's this supposed to accomplish, mechanically?

Ordinarily, wizards need an environment free of distractions to prepare spells. Should such an environment be unavailable, the wizard can still try to prepare spells, although doing this involves a degree of risk. The player (or the GM, secretly) makes a concentration check. The precise difficulty of the check is known only to the GM, but generally depends on how distracting the environment is (bad weather, vermin infestation, etc.)

Generally, if Skill Check A going wrong is going to make a player unable to use his or her class features, you'll find that player going to inordinate lengths to get every bonus to Skill Check A possible. This rule, if implemented, means one of two things: either every caster will just cast rope trick each morning and prepare spells in a pocket dimension, or casters will just maximize Concentration and pass the check every time.

Regardless, having randomized magical effects potentially occur and turn spells into unpredictable, potentially harmful things when you might need them most isn't something that most D&D players enjoy having happen to them. I'd tend to steer clear of it, because I currently don't think this is anything CLOSE to worth the trouble it causes, and I'm not sure what your reasoning behind implementing it is.