% Chance to Learn New Spell

[Let's Greenfield]

...always the worst part of levelling-up a wizard. Now it bit me again-hard-, and I'm having a hard time recovering.

I've just turned 7th, have been holding onto Falrinth's books since ToEE, oh so long ago. I have a 65% (!!!) percent chance of learning any spell, and I flubbed them all. Of 7 spells I've been lugging across Oerth, I learned Fire Trap. Wheeeee....

Them's the luck of the dice, I suppose. But, in 2e, is there ANY clever way of boosting rolls like this? I couldn't find one. I had a scroll of Read Magic, and I decided (I'm the DM, too...) that it would give me a strong boost to learn. But I didn't count on my % rolls being astronomically high. It was just terrible bad luck. "Dimension Door...Nope. Extension I....bye....oh cool...Fire Trap...">

So, again, is there any creative was (Guidance...?)that one could get a better chance of learning spells? Is there an Incense of Arcane Thought, or something. I've never been so bummed out when levelling up. The hit points roll even stank....

Thanks.

 

[RhaezDaevan]

My only experience with 2e was a one-off with pregen characters, and playing the 2e CRPGs Baldur's gate and Icewind Dale (which aren't 100% accurate to 2e). Chance to learn spell is based on intelligence score, so my suggestion is to find potions or other items that increase intelligence and tell the dm that you use it during level up.

An apothecary or equivalent could exist in-game that sells potions, or perhaps you could ask for potions to show up more often as treasure. You could also ask the dm if your character could try crafting some potions, though that may be a higher level ability (again, I'm not very familiar with 2e).

 

[E A]

(Please delete this post.)

 

[WheresMyD20]

BTB, you get a chance to learn each spell as soon as you find it, then again at every level up. If you fail to learn a spell you really want, you might be able to use spell research to make up your own custom spell that does something similar, like creating a frostball or acidball spell if you fail to learn fireball.

 

[Let's Greenfield]

"you get a chance to learn each spell as soon as you find it, then again at every level up"

This is true. The "problem" with spell research imc is that we play very pressed-for-time in the game: we're always heading to the next scene. Niceties (that I typically kind of enjoy)-like training to level-up-have been given a pass in order to keep the momentum in the game. We're involved in a pretty operatic story-line, so I have to meta things like research.

But that's a good point, and one I skip over. "Creature Beckoning II", ahoy!

 

[Celebrim]

It's one of the mechanics that in theory kept Wizards from having a solution to every problem, which is as much to say it is one of the mechanics that kept wizards from being a Tier 1 class.

When all these little annoyances and hindrances were dropped in 3e, the result was a very large gap in utility between casters and non-casters.

That said, most of the time you aren't playing a Wizard with less than 16 intelligence and preferably 18 intelligence. High intelligence is the best way around the 'chance to learn' restriction.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

"you get a chance to learn each spell as soon as you find it, then again at every level up"

This is true. The "problem" with spell research imc is that we play very pressed-for-time in the game: we're always heading to the next scene. Niceties (that I typically kind of enjoy)-like training to level-up-have been given a pass in order to keep the momentum in the game. We're involved in a pretty operatic story-line, so I have to meta things like research.

This is not a problem with spell research itself but a problem with the DM. If the DM runs a game that allows no downtime to do spell research or pursue other concerns and interests that a PC might have that aren't directly tied to an active/ongoing adventure then it is reasonable to expect that compensation be provided in some fashion. If a PC's backstory has a missing family member but they are never given any time to actually look for that family member then clearly the DM is not interested in backstory - unless it suddenly becomes the actual ongoing adventure for the whole game. If a spellcaster never has time to research any spells that they might have missed with a comprehension roll or which they might have an original idea for, then the DM is denying the player a significant aspect of a wizard characters development. The more that campaign events are oriented around endless time-critical events the more important it is for the DM to ensure that PC's are allowed "time to breathe".

There's a difference between "momentum" and "pacing" in RPG's. Relentless focus on maintaining momentum eventually becomes TIRESOME. PC's need time to rest, recover from injuries, investigate information they've discovered, identify magic items (with or without the spell), undertake activities that don't involve the entire party and even have significance ONLY to an individual character or class, time to SPEND THEIR MONEY that they work so hard to acquire (even if it's just spent on ale and whores), opportunity OUTSIDE of an ongoing adventure for the DM themselves to plant rumors and hooks for new adventures, etc., etc.

All that is a matter of PACING the events of the campaign, which means managing alternating periods of intense and relaxed activity, not setting one blistering rate of game events and ensuring that it doesn't change. To BUILD UP momentum to a crescendo like a big showdown with a powerful opponent, but then to relax/slow events again before building up to a new set of climactic events. One of the biggest advantages of training time for advancing levels is not just to avoid computer game-like leveling where PC's suddenly and instantaneously gain new powers out of the blue, but to allow characters that are NOT actively engaged in leveling the time to also do other things. It is a means built-into the game of ensuring periodic downtime.