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<blockquote data-quote="MeiRen" data-source="post: 1989923" data-attributes="member: 27625"><p>What happens to the Wizard if he fails his roll? If the answer is "nothing", why doesn't he just throw a lightning bolt every turn? </p><p></p><p>Basically, here's the problem. Magic can't be common as dirt. If it is, two things happen, which most people don't want to happen:</p><p></p><p>1. The word "magic" conjures up an image of mystery and reclusivness. If its common, it can't very well be mysterious too.</p><p></p><p>2. You need some way to limit a spell casters power, or they'll become more powerful than everyone else in the group. Gandalf is cool and all, but he was a God (really), and far and away more powerful than all the other heroes. (remember that scene in the second movie where he blocked the attacks of Glimli, Legolas, and Aragorn? All at the same time, without even trying? Yeah. That character's cool, but for the story to work, he has to back off and let the main characters do their thing. That's a dynamic that just doesn'twork in roleplaying games. </p><p></p><p>So, you need a way to let wizards summon down the impossible coolness they read about in Lord of the Rings, without making them unbalanced. Limiting their spells is the easiest way to do that.</p><p></p><p>Anyway, uh....sorry I kind of went off on a long tangent. Anyway, I like where you're going, I've been thinking some ideas along the same lines. Probably the easiest variant to use is the "vitalizing rules" from Unearthed Arcana. There are others, but....I dunno. Still brainstorming myself.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="MeiRen, post: 1989923, member: 27625"] What happens to the Wizard if he fails his roll? If the answer is "nothing", why doesn't he just throw a lightning bolt every turn? Basically, here's the problem. Magic can't be common as dirt. If it is, two things happen, which most people don't want to happen: 1. The word "magic" conjures up an image of mystery and reclusivness. If its common, it can't very well be mysterious too. 2. You need some way to limit a spell casters power, or they'll become more powerful than everyone else in the group. Gandalf is cool and all, but he was a God (really), and far and away more powerful than all the other heroes. (remember that scene in the second movie where he blocked the attacks of Glimli, Legolas, and Aragorn? All at the same time, without even trying? Yeah. That character's cool, but for the story to work, he has to back off and let the main characters do their thing. That's a dynamic that just doesn'twork in roleplaying games. So, you need a way to let wizards summon down the impossible coolness they read about in Lord of the Rings, without making them unbalanced. Limiting their spells is the easiest way to do that. Anyway, uh....sorry I kind of went off on a long tangent. Anyway, I like where you're going, I've been thinking some ideas along the same lines. Probably the easiest variant to use is the "vitalizing rules" from Unearthed Arcana. There are others, but....I dunno. Still brainstorming myself. [/QUOTE]
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