Help: How does ritual magic work in different books?

[RangerWickett]

Though I'm a great fan of magic (my ex-girlfriend jokes that I don't play Dungeons & Dragons; I play "Spellcasters Are Cool"), I don't own many d20 books about magic, so I'm a little clueless about which one has the best rules for ritual spells.

By ritual spells, I'm talking about those spells that involve multiple spellcasters working in tandem to create a more powerful effect, or possibly the type of magic where you spend a long time casting a spell for some greater effect. I'm pretty sure Relics & Rituals and Magic of Faerun both had systems like this, but I'm not too familiar with them. How do they work, and how do similar systems work?

 

[Nightfall]

It depends on which ritual types you're talking about for Relics and Rituals. There is augmented ritual magic (which you add to the casting time to decrease the cost of using metamagic feats on a spell), combined ritual magic (this is probably what you're talking about) What you do there, is you determine the number of casters used. You can even use non-spellcasters (though they don't add much) First to determine the casting time, you figure out the spell's normal casting time, and then look on table 3-2 in the book to see how that work. Basically you add them all up and you put them in various effects (such caster level effects, duration, etc.) If you want more detailed description, you must give me 5 dollars. No seriously I'll do a write up if you wish...but it will take a while.

True rituals on the other hand are another source of spellcasting entirely. Most are of ONE particular spellcasting class (druid, cleric or wizard. (Sorcerers can cast them but they need a feat to cast wizard true rituals). They have their own set forumla but they often take a LONG time to cast. However their effects cannot be dispelled normally. The casting can be disrupted however if done in time.

 

[Planesdragon]

By ritual spells, I'm talking about those spells that involve multiple spellcasters working in tandem to create a more powerful effect, or possibly the type of magic where you spend a long time casting a spell for some greater effect. I'm pretty sure Relics & Rituals and Magic of Faerun both had systems like this, but I'm not too familiar with them. How do they work, and how do similar systems work?

Neither R&R nor MoF had very good systems for spellcasters working in tandem.

In As Above, So Below, I've got the following bits worked out:

Ritual Magic
(CON)
The character has learned to ritually cast magic. This includes both the knowledge of how to alter a spell to cast it ritually, as well as the endurance to withstand the rigors ritual magic requires.

Check: Whenever a character takes part in a ritual, they must make a check. Each time a character moves, is attacked, or is threatened while ritually casting magic a check must be made, in addition to any Concentration check required for any damage taken.

Ritually cast magic may be used only by casters who use the same spell list, and follow the same magical tradition or religion (as appropriate.) Ritually cast magic can have one of four effects:

Bestow Metamagic Effect: A spellcaster with access to a metamagic technique may apply that effect to another spellcaster’s spell. Doing so requires a check with a DC of 10 + the level of the spell if the metamagic effect was applied through increased spell slot. The time to cast the modified ritual is equal to the spell’s original casting time multiplied by the levels increased. (Ex: If the Maximize Spell metamagic effect is applied to a fireball, each caster must make a Ritual Magic Check with a DC of 15 and they must spend three standard actions casting the spell.)

Prepare Metamagic Effect: Spellcasters that prepare their magic may share metamagic feats. All spellcasters must prepare their spells at the same time, and all casters attempting to prepare a metamagic effect must use the same effect for the same spell. All spellcasters attempting to apply a metamagic effect that they do not possess must make a Ritual Magic check with a DC equal to 15 + twice the spell slot change of the metamagic feats they are attempting. Failing this check loses the spell slot for the day.

Enhance Power: Assistant casters may take a full round action, and transfer some of their magical abilitiy to enhance the power of another spellcaster’s spell. Each power point spent increases the lead spellcaster’s effective caster level by one level. (prepared spells may be abandoned for their power point cost in this manner.) The main caster has to make a ritual casting check equal to 10 + the spell’s modified level. Each additional caster has to make a check equal to 10 + the levels they are adding. A character can transfer no more power points than they have ranks in this skill, and recieve no more power points than they have ranks in this skill.

Combine Durations: Several casters may work the same spell upon the same target (or targets), and have the spell last for a duration equal to the combined sum of their spell’s individual durations. Each spellcaster must make a Ritual Magic Check with a DC of 20. The casting time of a combined duration ritual is equal to the lesser of the base duration of the spell as cast by the highest level caster, or ten minutes per the spell’s level.

Cast Grand Magic: See the “Grand Magic” magical feat.

Retry: None.
Special: If you have 5 or more ranks of Concentraiton, you gain a +2 synergy bonus on Ritual Magic checks.


Prepare Grand Magic
Prerequisite: Spellcaster Level ½ or higher, Ritual Magic skill.

Benefit: You may prepare and then cast a spell that is far beyond your ability to do so. You and any number of additional spellcasters may combine your efforts to power this spell, although only the lead spellcaster must possess this feat.

In order to prepare this spell, each spellcaster must learn a “spell part” of a lower level than the final Grand Magic. Each spell part has an identical casting time, and variable spell level and mana cost.

Two spell parts of an equal spell level and mana cost combine to work as one spell part of the next highest spell level with a mana value of 2 more than the spell parts had. You designate how many parts to divide the spell up into; these parts may be multicast as any other spell, though metamagic feats may not be applied to spell parts.
To complete preparation, each spellcaster must make a ritual magic check with the DC equal to 10 + the Grand Magic’s spell level.
Metamagic effects known by the lead spellcaster may be applied to the final spell, as normal.

To cast the spell, each participant must make a Ritual Magic check (DC 15 + level of the final spell) and then the lead spellcaster determines all choices necessary for casting the spell. A grand magic has a caster level equal to twice the level of the final spell slot, and uses the ability modifiers and bonus feats of the lead spellcaster.

Example: Three wizards, of 5th, 4th, and 3rd levels, decide to collaborate on a 4th level polymorph other spell to use on their master. The 5th level caster is chosen to be the lead spellcaster, and therefore must possess this feat and successfully learn the spell. He prepares a 3rd level spell part, and the 4th and 3rd level casters each prepare a 2nd level spell part. The two 2nd level spell parts combine into one 3rd level spell part, which combines with the 3rd level spell part to make a single 4th level spell.

All three wizards must make Ritual Magic checks (DC 18) to prepare the spell. When time comes to confront their master, they all must wait until the last caster’s initiative, and then make Ritual Magic checks (DC 15) to cast the spell as a single combined action, which will be cast as if the 5th level caster had a spellcaster level of 8.

The above takes bits and pieces from R&R. The Ritual Magic rules in that book were OK, but not all that impressive if you wanted a cabal of wizards that actually worked together.

The ones in MoF, IIRC, aren't much more than a pseudo-metamagic effect that, like most metamagic effets, is over-compensated for.