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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Laurefindel" data-source="post: 9649696" data-attributes="member: 67296">I like Vancian casting and prefer it over other types, especially for D&D’s kind of magic. Things is, spell slots are a secondary concept in Vancian magic; the three main principal concepts of Vancian magic apply in many RPGs, some of which use spell points.1) magic is finite - someone can « run out » of magic until their font of magic is replenished. Many RPG use this for balance.2) magic is not free-form - magic is performed in specific and limited packages of effects called spells. Some spells are more difficult than others, usually bringing bigger effects (spell levels). Many RPG use this for simplicity.3) magic is slow - casting a whole spell is too long to be practical in everyday life, so spells are « pre-cast » and their effect is hung until the final step is triggered. This part is only vestigial in modern D&D and can easily be circumvented in 5e.The more experienced the Vancian magician, the more complex of a spell they can pre-cast, and the more spells they can hang at once. Hence the analogy of a mage packing spells like a loaded gun. Experienced mages have guns of higher caliber and with larger magazines.Spell points are more versatile than spell slots but they can serve a Vancian system just the same. A lot of people have issues with spell slots but that part isn’t Vancian; it’s Gygaxian. And the « memorizing » part of Vancian magic is almost completely out of D&D already.</blockquote>

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