Arcana Evolved

[Aldarc]

I personally like how the change of the magic system to a universal list has allowed for casters to be defined by what else they do and not how they cast. For example, the difference between sorcerer and wizard in D&D is very superficial at best. The only discernible difference is that one spontaneously casts from a smaller list and one fires and forgets from a spellbook. Monte Cook takes the two flavors that people want to play with sorcerer and wizard and gives them greater defined flavor. So the studious wizard becomes the magister and he goes up to level 9 spells, gains access to the simple and complex spells, and has a staff required as a focus. Meanwhile, the sorcerer becomes magically innate witch, and gains more skills, only goes to level 7 simple spells, but can spontaneously cast certain powers or rather manifestations based upon what sort of innate path the witch selected (iron, mind, sea, wind, winter, wood). Or the runethane, it also only goes to level level 7 simple spells, but is defined not by the spells, but by the runes that it is able to create. Besides you have to admit that it is easier to make a new spell for a universal spell list than it is to try to make one for the Ranger, Paladin, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer/Wizard spellist.

This is what AE has learned from D&D, it addresses the power curve that some classes have faster than others. In addition, many of the classes are defined by the flavor that people want to play and not by any particular "must have" function that a party requires. So the fighter has been split into its common two playstyles: the swashbuckling unfettered and the heavily armored warmain. The specific nature of the paladin has become different causes of the champion (death, darkness, light, life, freedom, magic, justice, knowledge). The barbarians and rangers, the wilderness warriors, have simply become "you select" totem animals for the totem warrior.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

The one thing that I think could make AU/E magic truly superior would be to have spellcasting levels measured in halves...so instead of a mageblade 1 casting spells as a mageblade 1, he'd cast spells as a caster 1/2. And a magister 1/mageblade 1 would cast as a caster 1 1/2. Elements of Magic does it like that, and it's incredible how much of a difference it makes.

I believe that Gez did something like that for regular D&D magic.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

I think my point was that it opens up the possibility that some players will say "wauw, he's so much cooler than in D&D! AE is so much kewler!"

So? A game has to have something to draw players in. Setting the numbers a fraction higher - "turning it up to eleven" - is one way of doing that.

Monte could have taken the Exalted route and turned it up to a billion . . .

The one thing that I think could make AU/E magic truly superior would be to have spellcasting levels measured in halves...so instead of a mageblade 1 casting spells as a mageblade 1, he'd cast spells as a caster 1/2. And a magister 1/mageblade 1 would cast as a caster 1 1/2. Elements of Magic does it like that, and it's incredible how much of a difference it makes.

I actually disagree. I like the way the mageblade is restricted in power - splitting the spell lists into simple, complex, and exotic is much more interesting and fun than giving classes a "base caster progression".

 

[Staffan]

I actually disagree. I like the way the mageblade is restricted in power - splitting the spell lists into simple, complex, and exotic is much more interesting and fun than giving classes a "base caster progression".

I think both could be used. The "base caster progression" thing would be used instead of the slower spell progression tables (both readied and castable per day), whereas the limit on spell availability would be a separate issue. Basically, classes that get access to other than simple spells would get that stated as a class feature (e.g. Magister 5: "Get access to 3rd level complex spells"). That way, something like a magister 6/mageblade 2 would be able to cast 4th level spells, but only up to 3rd level as complex spells.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

Ya, I wasn't saying that the simple/complex/exotic should be trashed. Both would be used.