TaranTheWanderer
Legend
I’ve had an idea bouncing in my head for a while. Dangerous Journeys had a really rich magic system and it would be nice to have something similar:
with the official books out, there are around 506 spells. If you broke them up(or made new spells - you’d have to to make the lists even) you could have 16 distinct spellcasting lists if you put 30 spells per list. (I suggest less)
(this is just brain storming)
illusion
White (healing and buffing)
Dark (necromancy and death)
General
Divination
Abjuration
Etc…
Each list has 3 or 4 spells per level: one utility, attack, defence maybe crowd control. Some lists will lean more to specific types: divination might have more utility while elemental might have more attack. All lists go to 9th level. Or 8th or whatever.
a wizard starts with General magic which has a good mix of offence and defense and utility but can only access 4th or 5th level spells at most.
at 3rd, as a class feature, they take a specialty (a major)which allows them to pick from one of the other lists and a spell level cap of 9th in that school and grants them access to some powers as they level. They take a minor which allows them access to a 3rd list but can only access, at most, 3rd level spells from their minor school. So a 20th level wizard might have up to 5th level General spells, 9th level dark magic spells and 3rd level elemental spells. And access to NO other spells.
another mage might have White and illusion. So, as they level up, wizards really look different.
a generalist, on top of whatever powers you give to them can access minor spells from any list and gets access to 9th level general spells, including Wish.
Spellsinging (for bards)
clerics have own spell list with small lists based on the portfolios of their gods. Or portfolios gave access to some of the spell lists above. It would be cool if they had long religious ceremonies that did cool stuff.
warlocks just take spells from whatever list is thematically appropriate for their patron.
way less overlap.
with the official books out, there are around 506 spells. If you broke them up(or made new spells - you’d have to to make the lists even) you could have 16 distinct spellcasting lists if you put 30 spells per list. (I suggest less)
(this is just brain storming)
illusion
White (healing and buffing)
Dark (necromancy and death)
General
Divination
Abjuration
Etc…
Each list has 3 or 4 spells per level: one utility, attack, defence maybe crowd control. Some lists will lean more to specific types: divination might have more utility while elemental might have more attack. All lists go to 9th level. Or 8th or whatever.
a wizard starts with General magic which has a good mix of offence and defense and utility but can only access 4th or 5th level spells at most.
at 3rd, as a class feature, they take a specialty (a major)which allows them to pick from one of the other lists and a spell level cap of 9th in that school and grants them access to some powers as they level. They take a minor which allows them access to a 3rd list but can only access, at most, 3rd level spells from their minor school. So a 20th level wizard might have up to 5th level General spells, 9th level dark magic spells and 3rd level elemental spells. And access to NO other spells.
another mage might have White and illusion. So, as they level up, wizards really look different.
a generalist, on top of whatever powers you give to them can access minor spells from any list and gets access to 9th level general spells, including Wish.
Spellsinging (for bards)
clerics have own spell list with small lists based on the portfolios of their gods. Or portfolios gave access to some of the spell lists above. It would be cool if they had long religious ceremonies that did cool stuff.
warlocks just take spells from whatever list is thematically appropriate for their patron.
way less overlap.
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