How do you keep your mages in check?

[AbeTheGnome]

If you want to keep tight control on which spells you want your mages to be able to learn, do you do it mechanically (with house rules), or do you fluff it with RP reasons, or a combination of both? I've been trying to put together a spell-prerequisite house rule that forces casters to be a bit more specialized, but I'm starting to think that it would just be easier to do it through in-game stuff. "Wizards must belong to a guild. Some spells are jealously guarded by each guild, and they won't teach those spells to anyone outside the ranks." Of course, this would require a house rule that mages must learn spells from copying scrolls or spellbooks, and that they don't learn spells automatically at a new level.

 

[Janx]

Key question. Why do you want to restrict mages spell selection?

If there's spells you think are too powerful, either nerf the spells, or ban them from your campaign as "they don't exist on this world"

If you want flavor, as in certain spells aren't heard of in this area, then making custom spell lists for "what can be learned" from local wizard's ain't a bad idea. In some ways, I'd assume the the new spells by leveling up come from talking to the local wizards/being taught.

Since PCs can eventually design their own spells, they can in theory invent spells (from your campaign's perspective) that come from the PH (ie. spells you didn't want them to have). So you kinda put yourself in a bind on banning spells being heavy handed.

In any case, you should always have a fluffy RP reason to explain the rules, especially for "by the RAW, you can do this, but in my game you can't". It helps suspend disbelief, and it acts as a decent litmus test for the rules-change (if you can't rationalize with something plausible, it may be a bad change).

 

[el-remmen]

This is my house rule:

Learning More Spells: Wizards are not guaranteed more spells as they gain each level. Instead, it is dependent on these characters to find more spells to learn more (either through discovery or trading), or to apply their experience over time to research spells they know of that are of the same magic schools as others of the wizard's spells.

Beginning at character creation the wizard may choose one spell he does not already know, of a school of a spell he already knows (or of his specialty school) and of a level he can already cast or lower and declare he is developing it over time. After gaining his 2nd level, he may roll to successfully learn/develop the spell (Spellcraft check against a DC equal to 15 + the spell’s level). Whether the roll succeeds or fails, the wizard may then declare another spell to develop that would be rolled for when gaining another 2 levels. In the case of a failure, the wizard may choose the same spell again, if he likes.

Failing to learn a spell from a scroll (or other spellbook) means you cannot try again until you have gained at least one more rank in the Spellcraft skill or one more wizard level. A spell that is copied from a scroll vanishes from the scroll whether the attempt to learn succeeds or fails.

Also, I will be moving this to the house rules forum. . .

 

[Shemeska]

Generally I don't restrict spells, and PC spellcasters are free to research and develop their own given enough time and effort. The exception is for spells developed by specific individuals or groups and not openly shared or commonly known.

For instance a PC mage from some random world on the prime material is rather unlikely to know 'Shylara's Wasting Kiss' which was a personal 8th level spell developed by a minor yugoloth archfiend, nor would a PC from the nation of Calimshan on Toril be likely to learn a spell known only to the Seven Sisters and a handful of other Chosen of Mystra. Some spells of a known, specific origin, aren't going to be commonly accessible, but PCs can in theory get them if they track down someone who does know it, or purchase the knowledge from its creator, or gain their trust and learn it that way.

The more obscure and tightly regulated the spell is, the more RP it will take, if it's possible at all.

 

[AbeTheGnome]

Key question. Why do you want to restrict mages spell selection?

Mostly flavor. The spells I think are entirely too powerful I'll just disallow.

Generally I don't restrict spells, and PC spellcasters are free to research and develop their own given enough time and effort. The exception is for spells developed by specific individuals or groups and not openly shared or commonly known.

In this campaign, no spells are openly shared or commonly known. It's a wich-burning society. Wizards' guilds are secretive by necessity.

This is my house rule:

Nice.

 

[Torment]

Generally I don't restrict spells, and PC spellcasters are free to research and develop their own given enough time and effort. The exception is for spells developed by specific individuals or groups and not openly shared or commonly known.

For instance a PC mage from some random world on the prime material is rather unlikely to know 'Shylara's Wasting Kiss' which was a personal 8th level spell developed by a minor yugoloth archfiend, nor would a PC from the nation of Calimshan on Toril be likely to learn a spell known only to the Seven Sisters and a handful of other Chosen of Mystra. Some spells of a known, specific origin, aren't going to be commonly accessible, but PCs can in theory get them if they track down someone who does know it, or purchase the knowledge from its creator, or gain their trust and learn it that way.

The more obscure and tightly regulated the spell is, the more RP it will take, if it's possible at all.

I really like that. I don't use unique spells enough when I DM.

 

[WayneLigon]

Of course, this would require a house rule that mages must learn spells from copying scrolls or spellbooks, and that they don't learn spells automatically at a new level.

Well, I look at it as mages don't automatically learn new spells at a new level; they finally understand or piece together information that they've been reading about in those books they carry around with them. So, if you have a guild technically restricting certain knowledge, then they still can only learn new spells from an approved list because that forms the basis of what they've been reading about all that time.