Hi!
First of all, I'd like to thank Wulf Ratbane for this wonderful product! I just got my copy of Grim Tales yesterday and I already love it to death. I shall advise all 7 players in my group to purchase a copy ASAP!
In regards to the magic system (which really rocks) I have a couple of questions:
1) The Master Eldritch Flow talent (p.79) indicates that, with this talent, the magical adept may lower or increase the burn die. Why would you want to increase it?
2) The magical adept may apply burn to Strength instead of Constitution. My question is: can he choose how much burn to apply to each stat? I ask because, if my adept has CON 16 and STR 10, his spellcasting ability is determined by the weakest stat. Granted, he'll have less chance of killing himself, but he'd be incapacitated at 10 burn, instead of at 12-15 which he could stand with his high CON. Could he cast a spell with 6d6 burn and say: I'll apply 2d6 burn to STR and the rest to CON, or otherwise fraction the dice between abilities? If not, it seems that the most powerful adepts will all look like Arnold Schwartznegger.
3) Though the setting specifies Low Magic, enemy (NPC) spellcasters are a staple of the Genre (Conan, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, etc). How do you handle those enemy casters? Same rules as for PC's? Action dice or fudge rolls to cast spells (it would be anticlimactic if the enemy wizard offed himself in the final showdown...) ? House rules?
In the same vein, I would be interested to know if anyone uses any slightly higher powered variant of the GT spellcasting system for homebrew games. I picked up the term 'scarce magic' from these boards, in opposition to 'low magic', meaning that really powerful magic spells are possible, they are just way more scarce than the standard DnD rules imply. I'd be interested in running a scarce magic game where a PC could play a wizard, using the GT system of spell burn, but with easier spellcasting rolls, to allow a little more magic.
I think having fewer spellcasters fixes the overabundance of magic in regular DnD. The fixes in GT take care of the magic dependency of other classes in DnD. No more spellcasting paladins and rangers, though they can still smite, turn undead, track and fight.
For scarce magic wizards, the spell burn would still make them think twice before wading into combat throwing fireballs left and right... I liked Yuan-ti's suggestion of using the ability modifier to casting rolls. It's either that or lowering the casting DC to 5 + spell level. I also thought of using incantations from the Unearthed Arcana book, and adding a Background such as wizard's apprentice, giving access to the Spellcraft, knowledge (arcana), concentration, research, decipher script and Use unknown device skills. Perhaps, items such as books could add bonuses to casting checks for certain spells (e.g. for example spells of the same school. )
Dunno, still thinking... Anyone care to comment?
Eloy
First of all, I'd like to thank Wulf Ratbane for this wonderful product! I just got my copy of Grim Tales yesterday and I already love it to death. I shall advise all 7 players in my group to purchase a copy ASAP!
In regards to the magic system (which really rocks) I have a couple of questions:
1) The Master Eldritch Flow talent (p.79) indicates that, with this talent, the magical adept may lower or increase the burn die. Why would you want to increase it?
2) The magical adept may apply burn to Strength instead of Constitution. My question is: can he choose how much burn to apply to each stat? I ask because, if my adept has CON 16 and STR 10, his spellcasting ability is determined by the weakest stat. Granted, he'll have less chance of killing himself, but he'd be incapacitated at 10 burn, instead of at 12-15 which he could stand with his high CON. Could he cast a spell with 6d6 burn and say: I'll apply 2d6 burn to STR and the rest to CON, or otherwise fraction the dice between abilities? If not, it seems that the most powerful adepts will all look like Arnold Schwartznegger.
3) Though the setting specifies Low Magic, enemy (NPC) spellcasters are a staple of the Genre (Conan, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, etc). How do you handle those enemy casters? Same rules as for PC's? Action dice or fudge rolls to cast spells (it would be anticlimactic if the enemy wizard offed himself in the final showdown...) ? House rules?
In the same vein, I would be interested to know if anyone uses any slightly higher powered variant of the GT spellcasting system for homebrew games. I picked up the term 'scarce magic' from these boards, in opposition to 'low magic', meaning that really powerful magic spells are possible, they are just way more scarce than the standard DnD rules imply. I'd be interested in running a scarce magic game where a PC could play a wizard, using the GT system of spell burn, but with easier spellcasting rolls, to allow a little more magic.
I think having fewer spellcasters fixes the overabundance of magic in regular DnD. The fixes in GT take care of the magic dependency of other classes in DnD. No more spellcasting paladins and rangers, though they can still smite, turn undead, track and fight.
For scarce magic wizards, the spell burn would still make them think twice before wading into combat throwing fireballs left and right... I liked Yuan-ti's suggestion of using the ability modifier to casting rolls. It's either that or lowering the casting DC to 5 + spell level. I also thought of using incantations from the Unearthed Arcana book, and adding a Background such as wizard's apprentice, giving access to the Spellcraft, knowledge (arcana), concentration, research, decipher script and Use unknown device skills. Perhaps, items such as books could add bonuses to casting checks for certain spells (e.g. for example spells of the same school. )
Dunno, still thinking... Anyone care to comment?
Eloy
