Irresponsible use of magic and other WMDs

[steeldragons]

Good stuff - I've been taking the traditional approach in my 1e AD&D campaign, the only time an M-U player gets a free choice spell is one common spell, on level up, while in an arcane research facility, IF they make their chance to know % and IF they haven't already maxed out their 'known spells' limit.

Edit: Also I'm keeping the massive destructive magics rare, most NPCs will have more or less random spells in their books.

Very cool.

I do the same in my games too. Finding things like Fireball, Ice Storm, the Polymorph Other spell (which I still have/use in my world) and the like are simply...potentially too rampantly destructive or dangerous for an organized "responsible" mage's guild to give out to just anyone. Lightning bolt is far more common among wizards (given the, was it a 5' radius bolt? Which I basically flavor/narrate as a series of smaller/thinner bolts all branching off and rejoining that streak to the same target/limited targets).

But yeah, finding another mage's spellbook is likely to just have a random array of spells and highly destructive spells being among them is uncommon.

 

[DragonLancer]

In 2nd edition I had a player who would love to cast sleep but always ended up sending his own party members to sleep instead.

 

[S'mon]

Very cool.

I do the same in my games too. Finding things like Fireball, Ice Storm, the Polymorph Other spell (which I still have/use in my world) and the like are simply...potentially too rampantly destructive or dangerous for an organized "responsible" mage's guild to give out to just anyone. Lightning bolt is far more common among wizards (given the, was it a 5' radius bolt? Which I basically flavor/narrate as a series of smaller/thinner bolts all branching off and rejoining that streak to the same target/limited targets).

But yeah, finding another mage's spellbook is likely to just have a random array of spells and highly destructive spells being among them is uncommon.

For low level NPC M-Us the 1e DMG random starter spell table is great! I've been using it for the brigand mages in the bandit gangs the PCs have been hunting.

 

[Ahnehnois]

I had one player accidentally kill himself with a corrupt spell that caused him Con damage. That was just dumb.

And then another who just haphazardly fireballed, seriously harming the other PCs on occasion. Tactically wise? No. Fun? Yes.

The abuse of power is a good theme to explore in D&D, actually, if you can get it right.

 

[Lwaxy]

Fireballs in close quarters. Ugh. Fireball in a large barn full of dust. Double ugh. Meteor Swarm ending up obliterating a village. Speechless.

And the best of all, more or less accidentally (with a bit of thought it would have been obvious) nuking a red mana point and almost blowing up the planet. And all the party.

Player made a simple barbarian next game.

 

[ghostcat]

Fireballs in close quarters. Ugh. Fireball in a large barn full of dust. Double ugh. Meteor Swarm ending up obliterating a village. Speechless.

And the best of all, more or less accidentally (with a bit of thought it would have been obvious) nuking a red mana point and almost blowing up the planet. And all the party.

Player made a simple barbarian next game.

Don't forget fireballs in 1E , which (IIRC) were 33,000 cubic feet. Watch out for those low ceilings; ouch.

 

[Aramax]

I gave my son a wand of unlimited unseen servants,thinking what harm could it do,he can only have one at a time.
He proceeded to kill them.Repeatedly.Always.Constantly.
It drove the rest of the party nuts.

 

[Keenberg]

We were fighting a basilisk, and one of the PC's got petrified from a bite. The druid used Stone Shape to turn him into a ball.

Stupid, stupid, STUPID.

 

[was]

used to know a mage who loved using delayed blast fireballs on 'uppity' shopkeepers

 

[Akaiku]

OTHER WMD's huh? Once my party found a cool floating fortress that was about a mile in diameter and had an optical cloak from the bottom that reflected the top so it didn't cast a giant shadow.

We messed with it and made it a mile wide magnifying glass. We then found out a location where a low-level cleric of a sun god was, spied on him till he tried to turn a vampire, then blasted the vampire with a 15' pillar of sunlight-based instant death that burned a hole half a mile deep.

The cleric was surprised.