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<blockquote data-quote="mmadsen" data-source="post: 5030608" data-attributes="member: 1645">Unusual mishaps are fun.When we look back at older editions, where a 1st-level magic-user has one spell, does that capture the feel of a sorcerer's apprentice?&nbsp; No, of course not.&nbsp; What makes a sorcerer's apprentice is that his spells never quite work as planned.Sure, you can try that fireball spell from your master's spell book.&nbsp; It might not go exactly where you planned.&nbsp; It might not go off exactly when you planned either.&nbsp; It might not be as big as you planned either.&nbsp; Or as small.&nbsp; So maybe fireball isn't your go-to spell for a while.&nbsp; Maybe turning folks into toads is more your speed...The old modules often assumed something similar.&nbsp; Of course, the old-school game didn't pretend to present the rules for how magic worked in the game world, just some rules for how some magic worked.3E went half-way, providing some specific spells for sacred and profane spaces, without implying something similar for other environments, something&nbsp; simply tied to their nature.It seems almost wrong in D&amp;D the first time you see it though, doesn't it?&nbsp; Anyone can curse someone?&nbsp; Anyone?This is one of the key distinctions between a magical world and a magic-as-science world.&nbsp; In a magical world, context is very, very important, because you're not dealing with the immutable Laws of Nature; you're dealing with Nature Spirits, who are capricious and spiteful.Yes, that is a wonderful element of GURPS' item-creation system to borrow: things generally go slightly wrong, so an item isn't exactly what its creator intended.&nbsp; That explains all the quirky items out there.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="mmadsen, post: 5030608, member: 1645"] Unusual mishaps are fun. When we look back at older editions, where a 1st-level magic-user has [i]one[/i] spell, does that capture the feel of a sorcerer's apprentice? No, of course not. What makes a sorcerer's apprentice is that his spells never quite work as planned. Sure, you can [i]try[/i] that fireball spell from your master's spell book. It might not go [i]exactly[/i] where you planned. It might not go off exactly [i]when[/i] you planned either. It might not be as [i]big[/i] as you planned either. Or as [i]small[/i]. So maybe [i]fireball[/i] isn't your go-to spell for a while. Maybe turning folks into toads is more your speed... The old modules often assumed something similar. Of course, the old-school game didn't pretend to present the rules for how magic worked in the game world, just [i]some[/i] rules for how [i]some[/i] magic worked. 3E went half-way, providing some specific spells for sacred and profane spaces, without implying something similar for other environments, something simply tied to their nature. It seems almost [i]wrong[/i] in D&D the first time you see it though, doesn't it? [i]Anyone[/i] can curse someone? Anyone? This is one of the key distinctions between a magical world and a magic-as-science world. In a magical world, context is very, very important, because you're not dealing with the immutable Laws of Nature; you're dealing with Nature Spirits, who are capricious and spiteful. Yes, that is a wonderful element of GURPS' item-creation system to borrow: things generally go [i]slightly[/i] wrong, so an item isn't [i]exactly[/i] what its creator intended. That explains all the quirky items out there. [/QUOTE]

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