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Message: <blockquote data-quote="bloodymage" data-source="post: 169877" data-attributes="member: 4381">WOW!Sounds like a whole lotta work at the table and away from the table! Don't know about all these fancy magic systems. I'm a long-time D&D player and DM and long ago wondered why it was that fighters could fight all day, pilferers could filch all day but my spellcasters would sputter out after one heavy session and turn into useless baggage the rest of the day. Not fair, said I! I threw out spell slots for both my wizards (making sorcerers redundant) and clerics. My clerics have a failure chance based on a lot of things, including the fecklessness of their deity, and can basically attempt casting any spell their god will grant them all day long. My wizards operate on mana. I've copied the details here.Wizards: Wizards are automatically literate in draconic, the language of magic. Mana: A wizard utilizes mana to cast spells. The amount of initial mana is equal to I + D modifier + 1d4. Mana increases every level the wizard gains a new level spell at the rate of 1d4 + I modifier. [A 1st level wizard has an I=17 and D=16 and rolls a 2 on a d4. Mana =21 (17 + 2 + 2). At 3rd level a 4 is rolled on a d4. Mana is now 28 (21 + 4 + 3).]  It costs 1 mana/spell level + 1 mana to cast a spell (Fireball costs 4 mana.).  Certain spells cost mana to maintain, usually 1/round When a wizard exceeds ½ his mana he loses 1 temporary point of CO with all adverse effects of such a loss. Exceeding ¾ mana causes the loss of another point. If a wizard hits 0 mana, he loses another point and he goes unconscious. If at any time during this progression the wizard loses enough hit points due to CO loss to drop his hit point level to 0 he loses consciousness immediately. If the hit point loss is great enough, the wizard will die. It takes 1 full rest cycle to recover mana, and consciousness. This applies to any mana recovery; it’s all or nothing. Temporary CO loss is recovered at the same rate as the loss. One point after ½ a “night,” another after ¾. Because of the use of mana, most spells no longer require a material component (exceptions: valuable components or components used in the actual crafting of the dweomer) for casting, though material components are required to research any new spell and some existing spells may be improved through research utilizing power components. A wizard may lose mana permanently if he fails a Fortitude Save when casting a spell which has an xp cost. Consequently, these spells no longer actually cost xp but do run the risk of permanently losing the mana expended on the spell. Spellbooks: Arcane spells are memorized from a spell book. Spell books are heavy, so are not normally carried with the wizard, though low-level wizards usually carry their first with them to keep it secure. Traveling spellbooks are also available. Wizards have a base 1d4 1st level spells in their spellbooks to start with. A d4 is added for every point of I bonus (our wizard started with 4d4 1st level spells in his spellbook). Additionally, wizards do not have all cantrips to start with. Roll 2d8 and add your I bonus.  It takes time to inscribe a spell into a spell book and memorize it. A wizard may memorize only spells that he has inscribed. Reading spells: A spell may be read from a scroll, but is permanently lost. A spell may also be read from another’s spell book without being lost, but cannot be memorized until time is taken to inscribe the spell into the wizard’s own spell book. A spell read from a scroll costs no mana. A spell cast from a book costs the level of that spell + 1 in mana. A spell may be overcast when read (higher than what the wizard can use) with a 15%/level over chance of failure modified by I. [Our wizard has a 12% chance of failure overcasting by one level.] Beware, sometimes failures are catastrophic! Memorization: A wizard is capable of memorizing as many spell levels as he has mana to cast. [Our previous 3rd level wizard (with 28 mana) might memorize 4 cantrips (4 mana), 6 1st level spells (12 mana) and 4 2nd level spells (12 mana) from his spell book.] A spell needs only to be memorized once to be used multiple times. A wizard loses all spell memory upon reaching 0 mana. Acquisition: Wizards must acquire their spells. They do not automatically gain spells when increasing in level. They have to come from somewhere, treasure, mentoring, purchase, or…? Specialization: Wizards may specialize. It costs 1 less mana to cast spells from a specialty school and DC for that school increases by 2. A specialist is not proscribed from any other schools, however he still must choose proscribed schools per the rules in the PHB in order to apply a –2 to his DC for spells from those schools. Additionally, a specialist has a base 50% chance to forego the opportunity to inscribe any spells encountered from any other school in his spellbook increasing by 5% for every point of I bonus (representing the intelligent wizard’s greater focus in developing his specialty). There is even a 5% chance (same roll, 01-05) that the wizard will refuse to use the spell at all, discarding it, decreasing by 1% for every point of I bonus. If the scroll is not left behind, sold or given away (a successful roll), the specialist may use it normally even if he’s not inclined to inscribe it in his spellbook. A specialist may change his mind, as reflected in a new dice roll, about acquiring the same spell if it is encountered again. A specialist also has a base 50% chance of rejecting a charged item which is primarily magicked with spells from another school. However, an intelligent wizard has less of a chance of discarding such an item (the same 5% per). Specialties may also be developed from several schools. An Animator, for instance, might specialize in animating non-living things such as objects, undead, constructs, etc. Elven Wizards: Arcane spellcasters who are elves can pour the same sacrifice of life force (CO) into their spellcasting and in the same manner as elven druids (see above). A wizard who ignores the rest requirement suffers a permanent loss of 1 mana/day.A couple of final notes. In order to encourage creativity and diversity in the magic of my world I encourage my spellcasters to research new spells, even new schools of magic. Consequently. I have 1 NPC wizard and 2 PC wizards who have completely unique and unknown portfolios of magic. Those experience in arcana who are on the receiving end of one of these spells are invariably surprised and perplexed. It's fun. The other note has to do with balance. I can hear all the purists out there screaming about game balance. Having played and DM'ed tons of wizards I gotta say there's no other class so vulnerable no matter how powerful they get. You get a swordswinger anywhere close to them and they're rotheburger! Stories are told of epic battles between mages. That's cause it's damned hard to kill a wizard with magic. Of course the battles are epic! Ever hear of an epic battle between a warrior and mage? Not likely. One of 'em's toast! More often than not, if the hulk is tough enough, it's the mage. End balance problem. Anyway, rbg, hope this helps.</blockquote>

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