OSR Old school wizards, how do you play level 1?

[Snarf Zagyg]

What's all this got to do with first level magic users?

Thread drift … it’s real, and it’s spectacular!

 

[Micah Sweet]

Thread drift … it’s real, and it’s spectacular!

Nice Seinfeld reference.

 

[cbwjm]

I quite like the way ACKS does 1st level wizards, it's similar to 5e spell preparation but instead is based on spell slots. A 1st level wizard with an intelligence of 13 (+1) bonus can have 2 1st level spells prepared choosing which to cast when needed. If they had 18 intelligence, they'd have 4 spells prepared.

It's all based on spells slots rather than level + int bonus, so a 3rd level wizard with a 9 intelligence would just have two 1st level spells, and a 2nd level spell prepared. With 13 intelligence, they have three 1st level spells, and two 2nd level spells prepared.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I quite like the way ACKS does 1st level wizards, it's similar to 5e spell preparation but instead is based on spell slots. A 1st level wizard with an intelligence of 13 (+1) bonus can have 2 1st level spells prepared choosing which to cast when needed. If they had 18 intelligence, they'd have 4 spells prepared.

It's all based on spells slots rather than level + int bonus, so a 3rd level wizard with a 9 intelligence would just have two 1st level spells, and a 2nd level spell prepared. With 13 intelligence, they have three 1st level spells, and two 2nd level spells prepared.

Yeah, it's a solid, reasonable system, like most everything else in ACKS as far as I'm concerned. That's why it's my favorite set of RPG rules.

 

[Guest 7042500]

That sounds like no fun at all to me. I LOVE having to carefully pick out my spell or spells, and waiting until "the perfect moment" to get maximum utility.

I've never played a magic user past 8th level because by then they have too many spells and the challenge is gone.

 

[cbwjm]

That's fair, but I always felt that with the classic vancian system, many of the spells you'd prepare would be useless during the typical adventure so you tend to go for spells which you know you'll get some use out of, meaning that some which are more specialised are left out. With ACKS or 5e, you can prepare some spells that have more specialised utility while not feeling like you've wasted spell slots.

 

[Guest 7042500]

I also don't play "only one of a class". 2 or 3 first level magic users, I take hold portal, you take sleep.

 

[Lanefan]

That's fair, but I always felt that with the classic vancian system, many of the spells you'd prepare would be useless during the typical adventure so you tend to go for spells which you know you'll get some use out of, meaning that some which are more specialised are left out.

And which also means that despite there being dozens or even hundreds of spells in the PH, only a very few of them ever see the light of play.

For my current game I made all casters work like 3e Sorcerers - if you've got a slot left today of that level and the spell's in your book, cast away until you run out of slots of that level (no up- or down-casting) - and the very pleasant side effect was that I saw spells getting cast I'd never seen used before, especially at low level, and in some very creative ways.

At higher levels it wobbles, to be sure; the answer is I need to be more restrictive on high level slot availability.

 

[Lanefan]

I also don't play "only one of a class". 2 or 3 first level magic users, I take hold portal, you take sleep.

So, big parties? Or all-mage parties? I usually let (and encourage!) players run two characters each if they like; but even then, more than one mage in a party of 8 or 10 is unusual.

 

[Guest 7042500]

Really? What is everyone else?