Clerics and Spell Acquisition

DungeonmasterCal · Oct 1, 2004

Ok, I'm sure this question has been brought up here before, but being at work, it's hard to spend the time searching. But here goes.

I have NEVER liked the fact that clerics have access to the complete cleric spell list while wizards and sorcerers are limited to the ones they either have written in spellbooks or added to their repertoire and stored in their memory. Has anyone houseruled that clerics have to keep "prayerbooks" and acquire new spells like wizards do? If so, did this work out in your campaigns? I'm really leaning toward this, and am curious to know how your players reacted to it and how well it functioned.

Pbartender · Oct 1, 2004

dungeonmastercal said:
Has anyone houseruled that clerics have to keep "prayerbooks" and acquire new spells like wizards do? If so, did this work out in your campaigns?

Yes. In fact, I implemented the rule for all spellcasting classes, except spontaneous casters (bards and sorcerers). I've had no problems game-wise or player-wise.

Your players may react differently.

One note... I also rule that spellcasters automatically know any spontaneous spells (cleric's cure/inflict or druid's summons) and any domain spells or specialty spells in addition to the two spell they normally get every level. That means specialty wizards get two freebies and one specialty spell, instead of one freebie and one specialty spell.

DungeonmasterCal · Oct 1, 2004

Thanks...I guess I just wanted validation for my ideas...lol..

Something else along I've thought along these lines; druids don't carry armfuls of spellbooks or scrolls. How did this work out for you where they are concerned?

I've considered, that if I do force my players to switch to the prayer book method, still allowing domain spells to be just called upon "at will" (but not exceeding the level and spells per day limits) and the spontaneous casting of healing by swapping out memorized spells. That still allows some of the original cleric ability (and a big bonus for them where 3e is concerned) in the game.

Li Shenron · Oct 1, 2004

I had some sort of the same idea before, to limit the cleric known spells, in spite I was playing a cleric

If it's not too extreme, the spontaneous divine casters from UA know very few spells

sdt · Oct 1, 2004

Don't do it; It's hard enough to get people to play clerics already.

DungeonmasterCal · Oct 1, 2004

sdt said:
Don't do it; It's hard enough to get people to play clerics already.

Not in my campaign. I have a player who'll play whatever I ask him to play. No kidding. When starting a new campaign, or if starting a new character, he actually gravitates toward clerics, but if the party is short one, he will always play one if I ask him to.

Lord Pendragon · Oct 1, 2004

I usually play a Core game, then only allow supplemental material by approval. As far as clerics and druids are concerned, I use a system I discovered somewhere on these boards. For every non-core spell a cleric or druid wants access to, he has to give up a core spell, so that the total number of spells available to him does not increase.

shilsen · Oct 1, 2004

Lord Pendragon said:
I usually play a Core game, then only allow supplemental material by approval. As far as clerics and druids are concerned, I use a system I discovered somewhere on these boards. For every non-core spell a cleric or druid wants access to, he has to give up a core spell, so that the total number of spells available to him does not increase.

Ditto. Thanks for saving me the typing, Lord Pendragon.

Liquidsabre · Oct 2, 2004

Lord Pendragon has got it.

Pbartender · Oct 2, 2004

dungeonmastercal said:
Something else along I've thought along these lines; druids don't carry armfuls of spellbooks or scrolls. How did this work out for you where they are concerned?

I've made it understood that a 'spellbook' need not necessarily be a book. It can be any portable object that works exactly like a spellbook...

A perfect crystal with one hundred facets, each of which is equivalent to a page in a spellbook; the spellcaster gazes into the appropriate facets to gain the knowledge stored within. A staff carved from the heart of a lightning-struck oak; one hundred carved runes spiral down it's length, each rune representing the content of a single spellbook page. A fetish bag containing one hundred charms, each one a key to unlocking arcane power.

dungeonmastercal said:
I've considered, that if I do force my players to switch to the prayer book method, still allowing domain spells to be just called upon "at will" (but not exceeding the level and spells per day limits) and the spontaneous casting of healing by swapping out memorized spells. That still allows some of the original cleric ability (and a big bonus for them where 3e is concerned) in the game.

Spntaneous spells and domain spells should not change in any way, and should be automatically available at each level.