Once I was researching this spell and I turned into a chicken

[Dreaddisease]

I got better...

Is there any rules or guidelines in any splat books about spell researching? I am trying to incorporate an idea I have about how magic actually works into a researching spells model and have some interesting ideas including failure rates and failure effects even to how the different components, material, somatic, verbal and channeling(my own brew), work together.

Reading in the DMG its 1000 gp/week and 1 week/level. That seems awful easy to research variations of Wish or whatever. I would like examples of failure rates based on character level. Also I thought the DC was rather easy and would up it to DC 15 + (spell level*2). That would be a DC 33 for 9th level spells. Pretty good compared to someone who has a 23+Int on their Spellcraft at 20th level. DC 17 for first level spells. a first level wizard would have 4+Int in their Spellcraft.

So any help would be appreciated.

Failure rates would also indicate that unless you had Dispel Magic and even Contingency+Dispel Magic that most spells would not even be wise to create. Imagine creating stoneskin....

 

[kreynolds]

Failure rates would also indicate that unless you had Dispel Magic and even Contingency+Dispel Magic that most spells would not even be wise to create. Imagine creating stoneskin....

Check out the latest issue of Dragon, #302. The Magical Mishaps article, or something to that effect, might be part of what you're looking for.

 

[rtricher]

If you ask me, the DCs are ok, although they may seem childish when you reach a certain level.. but that's the point, a wizard capable of casting a 9th level spell shouldn't have a problem creating a first level spell heck he should think them up in his sleep.. in a case like that the weeek he takes to write the spell is exagerated.. Besides there should be no way a first level wizard is trying to create spells, nor have the cash for it...

All in all the created spell is always up to the DM and if it's too powerfull then increase the DC at your leisure. Or increase the penalty for failure.. like you say "I turned into a chicken" sounds appropriate and then you would need a wizard of higher level than you to cast a dispel magic on you... that is of course he doesn't have you for dinner..

 

[Skaros]

I'd keep an eye on http://www.badaxegames.com

Their next supplement (on Elves) is promised to include guidelines for new spell creation, which could be interesting.

-Skaros

 

[Momento Mori]

Epic Level Handbook

All of the stuff on creation and research of spells can be found in a chapter in the Epic Level Handbook (Chapter 2: Epic Spells).

 

[Dreaddisease]

rtricher,

In my setup the DC for a first level creation would be 17 all the time. A 20th level caster would have a 23+Int (if he maxed his spellcraft) to figure it out. I don't see how you can miss that one. I'm just saying that the progression of DC for higher level spells gets harder at the same rate as you gain new levels of spells. Not twice as slow. Make sense?

 

[Olive]

Re: Epic Level Handbook

All of the stuff on creation and research of spells can be found in a chapter in the Epic Level Handbook (Chapter 2: Epic Spells).

but isn't that just epic level spells?