New Magic System [not again!!]

[ocircuit82]

Hello All,

Ive been browsing House rules forum for a while, and im amazed at the quality
of the varients you bunch come up with.. Very inspiring stuff.

At the moment I am working on a GW Warhammer based campaign world for my warhammer obsessed PC's to play in. Changing the magic system has me a little stumped though.

Wizards are very different in this world, the Magic in Warhammer flows around on winds and is 'seen' and controlled by students of the collages of magic. This magic is broken down into 8 different colours, each one a different style of magic. Human minds are only capable of controlling and tuning their minds into one colour of magic. The higher level the wizard is the easier it is for him to draw from the winds to power more spells.

My problem is that each collage only has a small list of spells to chose from, so i am going to have to make up for this, however i am scared of unbalancing the system...

• Each collage can only use thier own colour of magic
• Spell points system from UA
• Spells are gained slowly over time like a sorcerer
• All wizards can cast from a small universal spell list [essential spells for any wizard]
• +4 dispel against own colour
• -4 to dispel opposing colour
• Each wizard is considered a "spelialist wizard" of their own colour

To counter the limited spell selection each wizard will have I has going to give them a d6 hitdice, as well as the ability to draw from the winds of magic to power their spells.

Draw form the winds [EA]
A wizard draws from the winds of magic to power his/her spells. As they grow in power more magic is able to be seen in the winds, and their own power reservoir grows.
Every time a wizard casts a spell they may make a DC 10+spell level check.
d20+wizard level+governing attribute modifier[INT]

Fail by more than 10= Spell costs quadruple Spell Points [round up]
Fail by more than 5= Spell costs double Spell Points [round up]
Succeed by more than 5= Spell costs half Spell Points [round up]
Succeed by more than 10= Spell costs 1/4 Spell Points [round up]

If a 1 is rollled the wizard has failed badley! [loses extra points]
If a 20 is rolled the wizard has casted masterfully [Free spell & Cannot be dispelled]

I am also thinking of adding in easier counterspelling, using the Out of turn dodge varient from UA, and a 1st level Minor Dispel spell.

Below is an example of one of the winds of magic and it's spells, as well as the universal list.

Universal Magic

Level 0
Read Magic
Detect Magic
Arcane Mark
Prestiditation
Light

Level 1
Magic Missile
Mage Armour
Minor Dispel***

Level 3
Dispel Magic

Level 5
Permanancy

Level 6
Dispel Magic Greater


Celestial - The Magic of the stars.
Specializes in Divinations/Lightning/Time Spells. Uses portents and signs to know the future.

Level 1
Shocking Grasp
Comprehend Languages
Detect Secret Doors
Identify
True Strike
Entropic Shield
True Strike
Shield
Lesser Electric Orb*

Level 2
Arcane Lock
Resist Energy [Electricity]
Gust of Wind
Detect Thoughts
Locate Objects
See Invisibility
Misdirection
Cat's Grace
Augury

Level 3
Nondetection
Protection from Energy [Electrcity]
Lightning Bolt
Arcane Sight
Clairaudiance/Clairvoyance
Tongues
Slow
Haste
Darkvision
Locate Object
Summon Elemental Small [Air]

Level 4
Arcane Eye
Detect Scrying
Locate Creature
Scrying
Rainbow Pattern
Air Walk
Discern Lies
Divination
Sending
Mass Resist Elements [Electricity]
Electric Orb*

Level 5
Call Lightning Storm
Teleport
Contact Other Plane
Permanancy
Summon Elemental Medium [Air]
True Seeing
Spell Resistance
Control Winds

Level 6
Greater Call Lightning**
Summon Elemental Large [Air]
Wind Walk
Legend Lore
Cat's Grace, Mass
Chain Lightning

* This Spell is Listed in 3E "Tome & Blood"
** This Spell is listed in 3E "Masters of the Wild"
** This spell is of my own creation and has not been created


I have only been playing PNP DND since 3.5 so I don't have that much history with this stuff. I would love comments on balance, as I have been doing lots of work and havn't asked for feedback yet.


Suggestions? Critisims?

Cheers....

 

[reanjr]

Suggestions? Critisims?

Cheers....

My suggestion to anyone totally revamping the D&D magic system is to TOTALLY revamp it. Ignore the D&D spells and come up with your own or a more fluid use magic to create a desired affect type of system.

 

[mercucio]

Hello All

Hello!

At the moment I am working on a GW Warhammer based campaign world for my warhammer obsessed PC's to play in. Changing the magic system has me a little stumped though.


Ah, the joys of the incredibly cool Warhammer universe =). Did you know Green Ronin’s going to be producing the next edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying? No idea if it’ll be d20, but we can hope .

Anyways, on to your quandry of the 8 colleges. The idea of being a specialist in your college makes sense. However, on that note you’ll also need oppossed colleges. The idea of a small list of interdisciplinary spells (5-8 so per level sounds about right) is also a good one. However, you’re going to have to come up with a pretty comprehensive set of lists for each college.

LORE OF THE BEASTS: Any spell dealing with animals, summon nature’s ally I-IX (no elementals, fey ok), ability enhancement spells (bull’s strength, fox’s cunning, ect), haste, lots of physical enhancement spells, limited selection from druid list.
Opposing Schools: Choose any two from the following list: Death, Fire, Metal, Shadow.

LORE OF DEATH (Amethyst): Necromancy spells, fear spells, inflict spells, spells with the Darkness descriptor, speak with dead, deathwatch, ect.
Opposing Schools: Choose any two from the following list: Beast, Life, Light, Shadow.

LORE OF FIRE (Red): Any spells with the Fire descriptor. Moderate selection of spells with the Light descriptor, Summon monster I–IX, planar binding series as Fire spells only.
Opposing Schools: Choose any two from the following list: Beast, Life, Metal, Shadow.

LORE OF THE HEAVENS (Celestial): Any spell with the Air descriptor, any spell dealing with weather. Summon monster I–IX, planar binding series as Air spells only. Divination magic, including augury and divination from cleric list.
Opposing Schools: Choose any two from the following list: Beast, Death, Life, Metal.

LORE OF LIFE: Any spell dealing plants, any spell dealing with earth or stone, limited (levels 1-4) cure/healing magic, limited weather magic, limited selection from druid list
Opposing Schools: Choose any two from the following list: Death, Fire, Metal, Shadow.

LORE OF LIGHT (Bright): Any spell with the light descriptor, limited (levels 1-6) cure/healing magic, some abjuration; heroism, greater heroism, good hope, remove fear, and similar spells. Limited selection of spells with Good descriptor.
Opposing Schools: Choose any two from the following list: Death, Metal, Shadow.

LORE OF METAL (Gold): Any spell dealing metal, lots of transmutation spells, especially polymorph series, minor and major creation, fabricate, ect.
Opposing Schools: Choose any two from the following list: Beast, Life, Heavens, Shadow.

LORE OF SHADOW (Grey): Any spell with the darkness descriptor, illusions, spells of trickery or deceit, enchantment spells
Opposing Schools: Choose any two from the following list: Beasts, Fire, Light, Metal, Shadow.

NOTE: Opposing Lores are just guesses.

Also, in Warhammer Quest we are shown the the battle-wizard archtype, who is the equivalent of the D&D generalist wizard. You may want to make something like this available to your players as well.

Using spell points in fine, but I’d ditch the winds of magic mechanic. Way to clunky. That or make it a dramatic mechanic and remove it from everyday usage.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Reanjr - it's preferable to only quote enough text to make it clear what you're replying to.

Quoting two pages for a two line response just annoys people

-Hyp.
(Moderator)

 

[ocircuit82]

Thanks so much mercucio. Your lists look great..

I will have to go by descriptors a little more, good tip. That might give me more direction for my lists.

Warhammer quest is the reason I finally bought PNP DND!!!! What a classic game. I am a little suprised noone has done any d20 Warhammer, I have had to make a beistary for all of the monsters I am unsing IMC.
At the moment I have the PC's as a group of Empire champions trying to stave off Archaons Combined armies of the chaos gods from destroying Middenheim.[I have some great PC's, Flaggelants, Nobles, Ulrician Knight & a Witchhunter]

Unfortunatly the next incarnation of WFRoleplay is not going to be d20, but I wont need that with help from this forum!

I see that you are going off the newest edition of Fantasy. I was going to be modelling mine on a combo of both old and new, so that Amythest is actually an enchantment style collage, not a death collage. This leaves room for necromancy. Also the lore of life is Jade, and the lore of light is Light magic. Bright magic being fire magic..

I was going to make both Amber & Jade [Beasts & Life] function as druids, however I am not sure if they should recieve Druid BAB & D8 hitdice. It seems a little unfair if they cast mostly druidic spells and use the wizard, what do you think?

Yeah, the draw from the winds thing is a bit clunky isn't it. I might just skip it.

 

[ocircuit82]

P.S

I wanted the wizards to only be able to cast from their own collage, would it be fair to say that they can then cast with spell points equivilant to a Sorcerer by this logic.

If all of the below statements are true..

8 Schools of Magic
Specializing removes 2 schools
Each Collage will have an ability from UA to sacrifice their extra spells per day
Collage spell lists = Selection Equvilant of 2 schools of DND Magic
Warhammer wizards count as specializing 3 times for the increased selection of specialized spells

If a Wizard can cast 4 spells per level per day at level 20
4 [for being a wizard]
+1 [for specializing]
+1 [for specializing]
+1 [for specializing]
-1 [for ability gained by sacrificing extar spells]
=6 spells per day

 

[Thanee]

Ah, the joys of the incredibly cool Warhammer universe =). Did you know Green Ronin’s going to be producing the next edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying? No idea if it’ll be d20, but we can hope .

AFAIK, it'll (luckily) not be d20.

Making every other RPG in existance into a D&D clone isn't really a good idea.

Bye
Thanee