'New' Vancian Magic

[ggboostrom]

When it comes Vancian Magic in D&D, saying it’s a ‘hot topic’ is an understatement - there are those who can’t live with it and those who can’t live without it. But if the D&D playtest process has taught me one thing, it’s that when something is so divided, it isn't finished.

When D&D creators Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson decide to borrow from Jack Vance’s Dying Earth series to create the magic system for their new game, what they created was a mechanical expression of a narrative design. The Arcana Wiki describes that narrative design as:

• Each magic spell does exactly one thing, you generally can't improvise a new effect.
• Spells must be prepared in advance. Wizards can prepare only a fixed number of spells, and can use each one only once before having to prepare it again. Spells are like magical ammunition, and you have to reload.

Now I know we’re accustomed to old-school ‘Vancian Magic’ in D&D, but who’s to say that we can’t take the essence of Vancian magic and find newer, better ways to express it mechanically? If we put our collective mind together, I know we’ll surprise ourselves - so what do you think?

 

[ggboostrom]

Here are some concepts that attempt to stay true to the essence of Vancian Magic, but balance the mechanical issues we’ve encountered with the traditional magic system in D&D:

• One-to-One Spell Preparation - Using the traditional spell list and level designation, spells take a number of rounds to prepare equal to their level and casters may only cast spells that are 1/2 their level or lower.

• Spell Preparation equal to your 1/2 Caster Level - Using the traditional spell list and level designation, a spell caster is able to prepare a number of spell levels up to or equal to 1/2 the caster’s level during a short rest.

• One-to-One Spell Preparation equal to your 1/2 Caster Level - Using the traditional spell list and level designation, spell casters may prepare spells as an action at a rate of one level per round to the limit of 1/2 their caster level.

 

[ggboostrom]

I wanted to explore these systems in a little more detail to see if they had real potential. Here’s what I’ve come up with:


One-to-One Spell Preparation

In this system, level 0 spells would be essentially ‘at-will’, but a Level 1 spell would require spell casters to take a ‘spell preparation’ action before casting; Level 2 spells would require 2 ‘spell preparation’ actions; Level 3 spells, three actions; etc.

This system would take the pressure off of the DM to make sure that spell casters aren’t taking advantage of the 5-minute work day, and it integrates game balance into the casting of the spell itself. It further typifies spell casters into their ‘artillery’ role and encourages critical thinking since players will have to work together and decide how to protect their spell caster as he prepares to deliver his devastating attacks in combat.

This system would also allow Wizards easier access to their more obscure spells outside of combat and allow them to really ‘spread their wings’ in exploration and interaction in a much more satisfying way.
A potential drawback to this idea is that high level spells will cause spell casters to be essentially absent for many rounds if they decide to cast a high level spell in combat, but there are plenty of ways to mitigate this. Here are some ideas:

• Spell casters move at half their speed during spell preparation or can move at their full speed, but risk spell disruption.
• Sorcerers prepare spells 2x as fast but, as usual, have access to fewer spells.
• A spell can be prepared and ‘held’, so a spell caster can enter combat with his first spell ‘loaded’.
• Wizards’ spells from their school of specialization count as one level lower for determining casting time.
• Clerics may perform healing spells and spells from their domain 2x as quickly.
• At certain character level designations (i.e. 6th, 12th, and 18th), all spell casting time is reduced by one round.

 

[ggboostrom]

Spell Preparation equal to 1/2 your Caster Level

In this system, a spell caster would need only a short rest to prepare his or her spells, and could prepare any combination of spells or spell levels available. That is to say, a level 6 caster could prepare three Level 1 spells (1+1+1=3), a Level 2 spell and a Level 1 spell (2+1=3), or one Level 3 spell (3=3).

This system removes the need for the DM to balance the potency of spell casters throughout the adventuring day, allows spell casters easier access to their obscure spells, and better balances spell caster abilities. This system seamlessly blends ‘spell-slot’ style spell preparation with 4th-edition ‘Encounter Powers’ in an extremely satisfying way.

One potential drawback to this system is that spell casters no longer have the same ability to ‘nuke’ enemies in an encounter. Here are some ways to counter this:

• Level 0 spells may be cast ‘at-will’.
• Sorcerers’ spells do not require preparation and Sorcerers are able to cast a number of spell levels equal to their caster level before a short rest, but still may only cast spells who’s level are 1/2 half the caster’s level or lower.
• Wizards may prepare one extra spell level for a spell from their school of specialization.

 

[timASW]

I wanted to explore these systems in a little more detail to see if they had real potential. Here’s what I’ve come up with:


One-to-One Spell Preparation

In this system, level 0 spells would be essentially ‘at-will’, but a Level 1 spell would require spell casters to take a ‘spell preparation’ action before casting; Level 2 spells would require 2 ‘spell preparation’ actions; Level 3 spells, three actions; etc.

This system would take the pressure off of the DM to make sure that spell casters aren’t taking advantage of the 5-minute work day, and it integrates game balance into the casting of the spell itself. It further typifies spell casters into their ‘artillery’ role and encourages critical thinking since players will have to work together and decide how to protect their spell caster as he prepares to deliver his devastating attacks in combat.

This system would also allow Wizards easier access to their more obscure spells outside of combat and allow them to really ‘spread their wings’ in exploration and interaction in a much more satisfying way.
A potential drawback to this idea is that high level spells will cause spell casters to be essentially absent for many rounds if they decide to cast a high level spell in combat, but there are plenty of ways to mitigate this. Here are some ideas:

• Spell casters move at half their speed during spell preparation or can move at their full speed, but risk spell disruption.
• Sorcerers prepare spells 2x as fast but, as usual, have access to fewer spells.
• A spell can be prepared and ‘held’, so a spell caster can enter combat with his first spell ‘loaded’.
• Wizards’ spells from their school of specialization count as one level lower for determining casting time.
• Clerics may perform healing spells and spells from their domain 2x as quickly.
• At certain character level designations (i.e. 6th, 12th, and 18th), all spell casting time is reduced by one round.

I really like this idea, including all the extra factors. Might try it out the next time I do a one shot.

 

[ggboostrom]

Spell Preparation by Class

In this system, each class has slightly different rules regarding spell casting and preparation. The greatest benefit of this is that each class’s casting and preparation are defined using common mechanics, but each is unique in it’s style and flavor.

This system is by far my favorite, because it takes the best ideas from the previous described systems and applies them specifically in a way that distinguishes each class from the others.

Wizards

• Wizards may prepare spells during combat, but they move at half their speed while doing so or can move at their full speed, but risk spell disruption. ‘Spell Preparation’ is an action.
• Wizards prepare spells at a rate of one round per level.
• Wizards may preparing a number of spell levels up to 1/2 their level.
• Wizards are able to cast spells who’s levels are 1/2 their caster level or lower. Spells from a Wizards school of specialization counts as one level lower when determining if it can be cast.
• Wizards may prepare one extra spell level for a spell from their school of specialization.

Sorcerer

• Sorcerers are able to cast a number of spell levels equal to their caster level.
• Sorcerers are able to cast spells who’s levels are 1/2 their caster level or lower.
• Sorcerers cast spells without preparation, but require a short rest to regenerate their spell casting ability.
• Sorcerers have a limited repertoire of spells.

Cleric/Druid

• Clerics/Druids are able to cast a number of spell levels up to 1/2 their level.
• Clerics/Druids are able to cast spells who’s levels are 1/2 their caster level or lower. Spells from the Cleric/Druid’s domain and healing spells count as one level lower when determining if it can be cast.
• Clerics/Druids cast spells without preparation, but require a short rest to regenerate their spell casting ability.
• Clerics/Druids may cast two extra spell levels for a healing or domain spell.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

When D&D creators Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson decide to borrow from Jack Vance’s Dying Earth series to create the magic system for their new game, what they created was a mechanical expression of a narrative design.

From what I've read, Dave A built a magic point system, which GG tossed out to substitute his version of Vancian magic at more or less the last minute before the rules were published. But is what I've read true? Who can say at this late date?

 

[ZombieRoboNinja]

This would essentially make every out-of-combat spell at-will, which might be fine with most of the current spells but would obviate rogues when or if spells like spider climb, fly, invisibility, and knock are introduced.

 

[Neonchameleon]

When it comes Vancian Magic in D&D, saying it’s a ‘hot topic’ is an understatement - there are those who can’t live with it and those who can’t live without it. But if the D&D playtest process has taught me one thing, it’s that when something is so divided, it isn't finished.

When D&D creators Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson decide to borrow from Jack Vance’s Dying Earth series to create the magic system for their new game, what they created was a mechanical expression of a narrative design. The Arcana Wiki describes that narrative design as:

• Each magic spell does exactly one thing, you generally can't improvise a new effect.
• Spells must be prepared in advance. Wizards can prepare only a fixed number of spells, and can use each one only once before having to prepare it again. Spells are like magical ammunition, and you have to reload.

Now I know we’re accustomed to old-school ‘Vancian Magic’ in D&D, but who’s to say that we can’t take the essence of Vancian magic and find newer, better ways to express it mechanically? If we put our collective mind together, I know we’ll surprise ourselves - so what do you think?

How about putting in three other parts of Jack Vance's work.

1: The greatest archmages can only hold half a dozen spells in their head at once.
2: The heroes are generally very competent at a wide range of things.
3: You need a library and a lot of time to prepare spells. An overnight rest won't cut it.

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

I've always liked the fluff of spell preparation. Spells take a long time to cast, but if you prepare a spell beforehand, you can basically finish casting it quickly during combat. I could easily see a wizard that can't have a lot of spells prepared at a time, but who can prepare spells multiple times in a day.

This works well conceptually, but some spells would seriously impact the game if they could be cast more than once or twice per day.

A Possible Solution

The wizard has a number of spell slots equal to his level. Preparing a spell requires a number of slots equal to the spell's level and takes an amount of time noted in the spell's description.

Some spells, such as Burning Hands or Elemental Weapon take only a couple of rounds to prepare. Others, like Fireball or Tenser's Floating Disk take minutes, while powerful spells like Wish or Power Word Kill might take days or weeks.
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@ggboostrom - How are you generating the blockquote for your rules? *Someone Answered this for me.