Not entirely my idea, I read it somewhere and added a little twist.
Here it goes: the MU gets one spell per level.
To cast, roll 1d20 equal/under Intelligence.
Failure means one of the following (PC's choice):
- The spell fails.
- You lose 1 HP per spell level.
- You cannot cast the same spell until tomorrow.
Failure also means you must make a spell saving throw - a new failure means that the GM randomly chooses a second consequence from the list (alternatively, he may create a spell fumble if you're exhausted enough that losing HP means death. This is because otherwise no one would ever want to learn magic).
A natural 20 could mean all three things happen, but a natural 1 means your next casting gets a bonus.
Clerics: maybe they need to roll under wisdom and only get half as many spells. "Cure" spells are always a problem with HP-based spells, so that might need some consideration.
Consequences:
- The system is a bit harsh, especially at lower levels, if you're using 3d6 in order*.
- Clerics are somewhat safer casters because of their HP and better saves. Good.
- Level is taken into account through HP and saves.
- Low-level MUs can cast high-level spells but they risk their lives or a magical mishap. Neat!
- Other classes can cast spells, maybe with a penalty?
- Spells in combat become more dynamic, with failure and even death being possible consequences.
* Come to think of it, maybe memorized spells are rolled with "advantage" or whatever - provided you're rolling 3d6 in order for PCs. If using AD&D methods, this is probably unnecessary (give a penalty to non-memorized spells instead).
"Here it goes: the MU gets one spell per level.
ReplyDeleteTo cast, roll 1d20 equal/under Intelligence.
Failure means one of the following (PC's choice):
- The spell fails.
- You lose 1 HP per spell level.
- You cannot cast the same spell until tomorrow.
Failure also means you must make a spell saving throw - a new failure means that the GM randomly chooses a second consequence from the list (alternatively, he may create a spell fumble if you're exhausted enough that losing HP means death. This is because otherwise no one would ever want to learn magic).
A natural 20 could mean all three things happen, but a natural 1 means your next casting gets a bonus."
Why would you need the 2nd paragraph? 2 rolls seems like too much, if it could be 1 roll. The MU's spell save is 15 from 1st to 5th, 12 from 6th to 10th, and 8 from 11th to thereafter
"- Level is taken into account through HP and saves."
Why not remove complexity by removing the offending paragraph? It doesn't make that much difference.
Yeah, this is a bit more complex than I'd wish.
DeleteDo you mean I should remove the Int check or the save?
I like BOTH Int and level to affect spells. Maybe a spell save would suffice (so Wis becomes more important here, or add Int in this particular check).
Will probably write a second version.