D&D 4E Obtaining new spells in 4E

[FourthBear]

Yes, it also sounds as if Rituals will be able to be performed by anyone if they meet the requirements. Of course, some of the requirements may involve spellcasting power, but I don't think all of them will. So there might be a ritual that can only be used by the seventh son of a seventh son, or by a character with Arcana +15 or by anyone who chants the right words while sacrificing a goat in the Old Stone Circle.

I do hope that they don't allow spell users to be able to just increase their powers in this way more than the other classes. I always thought it was unfair that Wizards could just up and *buy* more powers. It's like a Rogue going to the thieves' guild and buying a few new Skill Tricks.

 

[Just Another User]

I would agree. Rituals seem to be more along the lines of the "incantations" presented in Unearthed Arcana.

I hope so, I like incantations.
I also hope that wizards can learn spells, or at least rituals, even outside the level progression (i.e not "you find a new spell of a level you can already cast, but you can't learn it until you gain a new level.)

 

[Nikosandros]

Yes, it also sounds as if Rituals will be able to be performed by anyone if they meet the requirements.

I thought that rituals were simply out of combat spells for wizards and clerics. What leads you to think that any character will be able to perform them?

 

[FourthBear]

I thought that rituals were simply out of combat spells for wizards and clerics. What leads you to think that any character will be able to perform them?

Hmmmm, unfortunately now that I review what has been said about them, very little. I've been reading them interpreting them as the equivalent of incantations, which are indeed usable by non-spellcasters. Also, I've been coming up with ideas for stories using rituals in many of the ways I described. However, there's no real data yet to support that.

 

[arscott]

If anything, the opposite seems true. For example, I believe that resurrection was described as a cleric ritual, implying that they're at least class-specific.

 

[Simm]

I susect that rituals might have required caster levels or spells, similar to the restrictions on creating magic items now. At least, I hope that's how it works. If this is thae case it might be possible for a rogue to perform rituals through the use of scrolls or whaterever the equivelent of UMD is going to be.

 

[Zaruthustran]

Man, it'd be so cool if rituals worked as FouthBear described. In other words: some can be performed by anyone who knows the proper technique.

I think the Steven Brust "Jhereg" novels used such a system for witchcraft. It's been years and years, but I recall that the main character wasn't a spellcaster, but he could perform magic view rituals.

 

[Ipissimus]

My guess would be that Wizards still have spellbooks. A spellbook still forming a 'pool' of powers that the wizard selects at the beginning of the day to use until the next morning. That way you could still steal spells.

Rituals I'd restrict by level (like spells) but casting them would be limited by time and monetary expense. Considering that Rituals will include magic item creation, I'd say it's a pretty safe bet that PCs will have access to them.

From the sounds of the short Sorcerer description in Races and Classes, they might have more spells and no spellbook but not the versatility of the wizard. It even sounds like they may require some sort of roll to successfully cast.

So, business as usual.

 

[FourthBear]

Man, it'd be so cool if rituals worked as FouthBear described. In other words: some can be performed by anyone who knows the proper technique.

Frankly, even if rituals are defined as spellcaster-only, I'm going to be making my own class of rituals that work as described. I've always had such things in my previous campaigns, it just never fit very well with the previous editions of D&D and their conception of magic. This way, the well-meaning, but foolish princess *can* accidentally call down a magical disaster without having to be a mid-level spellcaster. This sort of thing happens in fantasy novels all the time, but never has been modeled well by D&D magic.

 

[cincinnati reds]

I thought that rituals were simply out of combat spells for wizards and clerics. What leads you to think that any character will be able to perform them?

It would be cool if they made the Fly spell a ritual, then, and reupped its duration (as, IIRC, the reason the duration was toned down was because of its combat application).