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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CapnZapp" data-source="post: 8208403" data-attributes="member: 12731">And therein lies the challenge.D&D spellcasters are balanced. Just making life harder on them doesn't work, since that results in players sensitive to optimizing to avoid those classes. I mean it kind of works, in that, sure, you can ask a player playing a caster to suck up the fact his spell selection is considerably worsened by making sure to play up the awe and fear that character evokes.But ideally, you would offer spellcasting classes with the same balance compared to the rest of the classes as regular 5E, only differently implemented to support the notion magic is unreliable and dangerous instead of as reliable and uncontroversial as a tool.In 3E spellcasters were very strong (overpowered even), but that's not the case with 5E. (At least not in games allowing all RAW feats)(This has nothing to do with which classes your setting offers. I think I remember already discussing whether to allow most existing spellcasting classes, only tweaked to fit in)This is to say that if anything, your magic needs to be stronger, not weaker, if you make it dangerous or unpredictable. Removing spells and cantrips might be needed, but isn't helping with this.---I would probably go with the themes of blood and corruption. Blood points let you cast stronger spells than the RAW game, so you're tempted to use that. (This compensates for the nerfs elsewhere) Your blood... or someone else's...? (The simplest implementation is to allow you to cast your spell cheaper rather than more powerfully, using a lower slot, though possibly even above your regular max level)Corruption accrues by casting spells. Too much magic in too short a time period and you risk... things. (Things that deserve a thread of its own)The intent here is to let the player have complete control over the risks involved. Narratively the character takes risks by accumulating corruption, but the player needs to be able to predict how much corruption each spellcasting action yields.Any given spellcasting action remains totally predictable just like in the core rules. Except the accumulated result of much spellcasting is not necessarily safe. Simply letting the player see the raising and falling of these scores help empathize the wicked nature of sorcery, even if there seldom is any practical consequences.Again, the point isn't to make the game unplayable for the caster, just give off the illusion of just that <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />If you include such a system in your product, Xoth, you will have added value for everybody interested in such magics, not just fans of S&S.</blockquote>

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