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New Legend and Lore is up! Magic Systems as DM Modules
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<blockquote data-quote="mlund" data-source="post: 6025077" data-attributes="member: 50304"><p>This is an excellent response. The primary benefit is that it gets around the "Wizard as Sacred Cow" problem by divorcing the class and name from the casting mechanic choice. Putting the choice of including mechanics firmly into the hands of the DM is also a nice hedge against the shift in game balance or world-building fluff that might come from having spontaneous casting Wizards vs. power points vs. prepared spell slots.</p><p></p><p>Yet even with these wide varieties in spell quantification the core of the Wizard is right there: his casting progression, his spell book, etc.</p><p></p><p>It'll be interesting to see how the systems play out against the spell book. The limit on the Sorcerer was that his spell variety was extremely limited compared to the Wizard. A mana-point or spontaneous slot Wizard is going to be very unbalanced if he can pull anything out of his book that he wants at any time. In all likelihood even the point-based and spontaneous slotted Wizards are going to still need to prepared spells out of their book every day - probably a more limited number than a caster who individually locks in his spell slots for the day.</p><p></p><p>If we used the play-test Wizard as a baseline for slots per level per day we'd probably see the Individual Prepared (1E Magic-User) variant getting the most slots (maybe +1 per level over baseline), the Spontaneous Slotted (3E Sorcerer) variant getting less spells than slots (-1 prepared spell per level under baseline, but full progression of spells per level, per day), and the Mana Point (3E Manifester) variant getting less slots and less spell levels per day (-1 prepared spell per level, -1 spell slot worth of points per level).</p><p></p><p>So for example:</p><p></p><p>Magic-User Style:</p><p>Level 1 - 4</p><p>Level 2 - 5</p><p>Level 3 - 5/3</p><p>Level 4 - 5/4</p><p>Level 5 - 5/5/3</p><p></p><p>Sorcerer Style:</p><p>Level 1 - 3 (2 prepped to choose from)</p><p>Level 2 - 4 (3 prepped)</p><p>Level 3 - 4/2 (3/1 prepped)</p><p>Level 4 - 4/3 (3/2 prepped)</p><p>Level 5 - 4/4/2 (3/3/1 prepped)</p><p></p><p>Manifester Style:</p><p>Level 1 - 2 power points (2 prepped to choose from)</p><p>Level 2 - 3 power points (3 prepped to choose from)</p><p>Level 3 - 5 power points (3/1 prepped to choose from)</p><p>Level 4 - 7 power points (3/2 prepped to choose from)</p><p>Level 5 - 12 power points (3/3/1 prepped to choose from)</p><p></p><p>The Point-based option is probably going to be the hardest to balance because that sort of Wizard can basically eschew low-level spells to cast more high-level spells per day. His power-progression might be out of whack. If so perhaps putting a hard cap on how many max-level spells you can cast a day (no more than 4 or 5?) would reign that in a bit.</p><p></p><p>Whatever your Arcane Energy Management System as a Wizard, though, you uses your Intelligence to cast and you prepared all the spells you can cast each morning out of your spell book. You didn't steal them from an Archfiend. You didn't inherit them from having his sire cuckolded by a dragon. You got your magic the old fashioned way - study, experimentation, and a whole lot of practice.</p><p></p><p>Hah! If arcane power comes from Blood, Sweat, and Tears then the Wizard gets his from the sweat of his brow pouring feverishly over tomes and lab tables. The sorcerer gets it from his blood, while the warlock's path surely ends in tears. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /></p><p></p><p>- Marty Lund</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="mlund, post: 6025077, member: 50304"] This is an excellent response. The primary benefit is that it gets around the "Wizard as Sacred Cow" problem by divorcing the class and name from the casting mechanic choice. Putting the choice of including mechanics firmly into the hands of the DM is also a nice hedge against the shift in game balance or world-building fluff that might come from having spontaneous casting Wizards vs. power points vs. prepared spell slots. Yet even with these wide varieties in spell quantification the core of the Wizard is right there: his casting progression, his spell book, etc. It'll be interesting to see how the systems play out against the spell book. The limit on the Sorcerer was that his spell variety was extremely limited compared to the Wizard. A mana-point or spontaneous slot Wizard is going to be very unbalanced if he can pull anything out of his book that he wants at any time. In all likelihood even the point-based and spontaneous slotted Wizards are going to still need to prepared spells out of their book every day - probably a more limited number than a caster who individually locks in his spell slots for the day. If we used the play-test Wizard as a baseline for slots per level per day we'd probably see the Individual Prepared (1E Magic-User) variant getting the most slots (maybe +1 per level over baseline), the Spontaneous Slotted (3E Sorcerer) variant getting less spells than slots (-1 prepared spell per level under baseline, but full progression of spells per level, per day), and the Mana Point (3E Manifester) variant getting less slots and less spell levels per day (-1 prepared spell per level, -1 spell slot worth of points per level). So for example: Magic-User Style: Level 1 - 4 Level 2 - 5 Level 3 - 5/3 Level 4 - 5/4 Level 5 - 5/5/3 Sorcerer Style: Level 1 - 3 (2 prepped to choose from) Level 2 - 4 (3 prepped) Level 3 - 4/2 (3/1 prepped) Level 4 - 4/3 (3/2 prepped) Level 5 - 4/4/2 (3/3/1 prepped) Manifester Style: Level 1 - 2 power points (2 prepped to choose from) Level 2 - 3 power points (3 prepped to choose from) Level 3 - 5 power points (3/1 prepped to choose from) Level 4 - 7 power points (3/2 prepped to choose from) Level 5 - 12 power points (3/3/1 prepped to choose from) The Point-based option is probably going to be the hardest to balance because that sort of Wizard can basically eschew low-level spells to cast more high-level spells per day. His power-progression might be out of whack. If so perhaps putting a hard cap on how many max-level spells you can cast a day (no more than 4 or 5?) would reign that in a bit. Whatever your Arcane Energy Management System as a Wizard, though, you uses your Intelligence to cast and you prepared all the spells you can cast each morning out of your spell book. You didn't steal them from an Archfiend. You didn't inherit them from having his sire cuckolded by a dragon. You got your magic the old fashioned way - study, experimentation, and a whole lot of practice. Hah! If arcane power comes from Blood, Sweat, and Tears then the Wizard gets his from the sweat of his brow pouring feverishly over tomes and lab tables. The sorcerer gets it from his blood, while the warlock's path surely ends in tears. ;) - Marty Lund [/QUOTE]
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