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Monday, February 26, 2024

Minimalist roll-to-cast

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).

2 comments:

  1. "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."

    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.



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    Replies
    1. Yeah, this is a bit more complex than I'd wish.

      Do 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.

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