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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Zaruthustran" data-source="post: 3665625" data-attributes="member: 1457">More than 3.75: magic systemSeems like another wave of 4E speculation is hitting the boards. In order for such an edition to be acceptable, it's got to be a significant evolution of the current ruleset. It can't be just "3.75E." It needs to be different. Purpose of this thread is to explore changes that preserve D&D's feel but improve its mechanics. It's time we moved on from the tired spell slot system. Magic should be more mysterious, and less like a mail-order catalog. The mechanics of performing magic should be more consistent with the way other classes perform their roles. Instead of picking discrete spells (gaining instant mastery of a single spell, and absolute ignorance of whatever you didn't pick), a wizard's magical abilities should be handled like a rogue's skills or a fighter's combat maneuvers.A rogue can be a "traps rogue", a "stealth rogue", a "social rogue", a "mobility rogue", or a dabbler in all four broad disciplines. A fighter can swing a sword, shoot an arrow, disarm, grapple, sunder or bull rush. All these actions key off of a d20 roll plus modifiers, trying to beat a DC. At low levels, characters can beat easy DCs, but they can also at least make an attempt at hard DCs--especially when aided by tools or allies.What if wizardry worked the same way?Say you a wizard could distribute his skill points (for lack of a better term) into any of the classic schools of magic: abjuration, conjuration, evocation, and so on. Let's take evocation for an example. If you want to hurl a bolt of fire as a touch attack, make a DC 10 evocation roll. Want it to be a guaranteed hit? Make a DC 25 roll. Want it to be a 10' burst? Take the Burst feat, and make a DC 30 roll (increase DC by 5 for every 5' radius increase). For damage, add 5 to the DC for each die of damage. Take feats to increase the size of the die, or gain access to other elemental damage types. Maybe they've got a masterwork wand, and get +2 to rolls. Maybe their buddy helps power the spell, lending another +2. Maybe they took Spell Focus: Evocation and get to add +3. You can see that even low level wizards, if properly equipped and supported, can at least roll for higher level effects. But there's always the risk of failure, always drama, always fun. You're not just flipping a switch. You're rolling a d20 to do your thing, just like fighters and rogues.Under this system you can be a "blaster mage", or a "transport mage", or a "crowd control mage", or "enchanter" or "summoner" or a dabbler in everything. Even if you focus everything in, say, Necromancy you can at least make a roll for the other skills and accomplish minor effects. Oh, and the distinction between divine and arcane magic should completely go away. Needlessly complex, and arbitrary since later supplements gave clerics blast spells. Magic should just be magic, and not "come from" gods. Instead, the divine stuff should be cool extra abilities (such as divinations) granted as feats or class features--not spells.</blockquote>

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