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<blockquote data-quote="Brother MacLaren" data-source="post: 1605878" data-attributes="member: 15999">As I discussed on another thread some time back (&quot;How to make magic feel like magic,&quot; or something like that), the first house rule I will implement next time I run a game is that this does not apply.&nbsp; Any PC will be able to take levels in a spellcasting class.&nbsp; This will not apply to NPCs; you cannot take a random 20 of your subjects with 11+ Int and turn them into wizards through training.&nbsp; The gods of magic decide whether or not someone has The Gift; it just so happens that any PC who wants to can have it (and any NPC who needs it for plot reasons, such as a BBEG or village adept).&nbsp; If the players ask why that is, the answer is simple - their characters are special.&nbsp; NPCs do not get max HP at first level, nor do they have elite ability score arrays.That one change alone can do a lot to make magic feel special without hurting the PCs.&nbsp; You could also say that NPCs without The Gift can learn spells, but they have a chance of wild surge or similar effect.&nbsp; Or, you could say that most NPC magic is done through incantations, not spells.If you say, &quot;Without rarer NPC wizards/clerics, there will be fewer checks on PCs and they will be more powerful in the world.&quot;&nbsp; Okay, fine.&nbsp; They're heroes.&nbsp; And &quot;checks&quot; can still come in the form of powerful monsters rather than NPCs. Just a few ideas.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Brother MacLaren, post: 1605878, member: 15999"] As I discussed on another thread some time back ("How to make magic feel like magic," or something like that), the first house rule I will implement next time I run a game is that this does not apply. Any PC will be able to take levels in a spellcasting class. This will [I]not[/I] apply to NPCs; you cannot take a random 20 of your subjects with 11+ Int and turn them into wizards through training. The gods of magic decide whether or not someone has The Gift; it just so happens that any PC who wants to can have it (and any NPC who needs it for plot reasons, such as a BBEG or village adept). If the players ask why that is, the answer is simple - their characters are special. NPCs do not get max HP at first level, nor do they have elite ability score arrays. That one change alone can do a lot to make magic feel special without hurting the PCs. You could also say that NPCs without The Gift [I]can[/I] learn spells, but they have a chance of wild surge or similar effect. Or, you could say that most NPC magic is done through incantations, not spells. If you say, "Without rarer NPC wizards/clerics, there will be fewer checks on PCs and they will be more powerful in the world." Okay, fine. They're heroes. And "checks" can still come in the form of powerful monsters rather than NPCs. Just a few ideas. [/QUOTE]

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