Enhancing Spell Casting With SpellCraft

[Psion]

In my game, I have ley lines and nexuses that can be tapped for power. Properly trained spellcasters can use this to power spontaneous metamagic or otherwise improve their spells in the right areas. The rules for this use concentration and spellcraft checks.

 

[Umbran]

I guess I was thinking that failing the DC would mean the spell is cast without the intended meta-magic effect.

Well, it's a little more complicated than that. In general, a meta-magic feat increases the level of the slot the spell takes. So, on a failure, there's some issues.

Wizards prepare their spells ahead of time. If the roll fails, do they know before they try to cast? Do they end up with the spell prepared as it's normal level, or at the higher level but without the intended effect? If the former, what happens if they'd already prepared all their spells of that level for the day?

Sorcerers don't prepare ahead of time. When they fail, do they use up a spell slot as if it were the normal spell, or the higher level slot. What happens if they've cast all their 2nd level spells that day, and try to cast a stilled invisibility, but fail on the check?

 

[Centaur]

I guess I was thinking that failing the DC would mean the spell is cast without the intended meta-magic effect. And a roll of "1" would mean loss of the spell.

Stikes me as lacking consequence for failed actions. Allow your player to make the spell craft check at some DC, if he makes it, the the spell goes off with the enhancement. If he fails, he looses the spell altogether. Just like failing a concentration check to cast defensively to avoid AoO.

 

[Harker Wade]

Let me clarify. Using Spellcraft replaces the level adjustment that normally accompanies a spell altered thru meta-magic. In my idea wizards prepared there spells normally. If they wished to alter a spell(s) with a meta-magic feat they could and I calculated the DC as

(level of spell w/ meta-magic boost - actual level of spell) x 3 + base DC of 10. Double the number from the formula for secondary meta-magic added on.

On the fly it's
the same except x 5 initially.

This was for wizards. It's little different for Sorcerers, Druids and Clerics. I have a table at home that has the whole thing nearly done, with a couple of situational modifiers. I going to Chicago for Mother's Day (The Good Son) so I can't get on the board till probably Monday. But the formula is the basics.

Gotta get back to work!

 

[Paragon]

I would like to see that very much wade. i think the meta magic system as is sucks. period. imho

Paragon

 

[Mark Chance]

This variant would mean that all casters have access to the entire list of the same powers. Blandness ensues.

That's just a bald assertion. There's no obvious justification for it. It may even seem counterintuitive. IOW, more choices for everyone means a larger number of combinations which yields more variety.

 

[Umbran]

That's just a bald assertion.

It's an opinion, backed by simple logic.

There's no obvious justification for it. It may even seem counterintuitive. IOW, more choices for everyone means a larger number of combinations which yields more variety.

Oh, I do have a justification.

Homogenization of abilities may allow a given character more options on a particular action, but it tends to make any two characters more alike. Under such a system, all spellcasters have access to the exact same set of meta-magic abilities. When any two people can generate the exact same effects, they are more similar to each other - a distinct drop in variety.

I feel that making the characters choose which powers they'll have access to makes them more distinctive. If you prefer giving individuals more options of the moment, fine.

But, by extension, why don't all the fighters get a similar acess to all the martial feats? And why do rogues have to choose among powers at higher level. Heck, why have character classes at all - giving everyone access to all class abilities with skill checks would increase options, right?

Reductio ad absurdum, but it illustrates the point. Even in classless systems, you don't have everyone always having access to all powers for a reason. Your character is supposed to have things he's good at, and things he's not. What he chooses to be able to do helps define him as somethign different than everyone else.

 

[Mark Chance]

Homogenization of abilities may allow a given character more options on a particular action, but it tends to make any two characters more alike.

I still don't see it as being necessarily the case.

If my wife and I go to dinner together, we both have the exact same options available to us. We are both ordering from the same menu, after all. So then, we are going to end with the same orders?

 

[tarchon]

There are innumerable ways to add die resolutions to spell casting which would make the magic system more interesting, but the problem with them is that it's (at fewest) one more die roll, one more die roll modifier, and one more target DC to work out, which means spellcasting will take even time than it already does. I'd tend to stay away from any such mechanics unless the game is spellcaster-oriented so that there aren't any non-casters sitting around getting bored with the 5-10 minute wait per casting.
I've always got the impression the D&D magic system is what it is mainly for the sake of streamlining it.

 

[BelgarathTAO]

I am toying with a system that uses the spellcraft skill to determine number of spells you can cast per day, rather than some arbitrary table. Also, it allows for spell DC checks once you have exceeded that number.

Here are the basics:

You can cast a number of spells per day where the total of the levels of spells you cast are equal to your spellcraft skill.

In other words, with a spellcraft skill of 4, you can cast up to 4 1st level spells, or 2 2nd level spells, or 1 3rd and 1st, etc. This is limited that you can still only cast spells that are equal to (spellcaster level +1)/2.

Once you have cast this number of spells, you can continue, but you need to make a skill check vs. spellcraft with the DC being 10 + the level of the spell you are going to cast + the sum of the levels of the spells you have already cast past your max. Failed DC means no spell is cast.

So, if you have spellcraft 4, and you have cast your 4 1st level spells, the next one will be DC 11, the next one DC 12, 13, and so on.

It may seem like a lot of paperwork, but we have fond that you can just tally the spells as you cast them, similar to HP damage, and then it is rather simple.

You can find out more by using the link below.

Belgarath the Ancient One