Removing some spells from your game

[Tzarevitch]

There are certain spells I do not want to allow in my game. I was wondering if there is a balanced way to remove spells from the list without screwing over spellcasters or a certain school too much. If I do not allow a spell from one school should i take a spell out of the other schools too? Is there any spell that could be removed that would break the game or screw a caster over?

Some spells I do not want in my game:
--Any spell that makes things grow or shrink.
--Polymorph type spells.
--Fly.
--Teleport

There are others but i can't think of them without the book in front of me

There is nothing wrong with altering or removing stuff from your game. I do so all the time. For example I have never permitted VORPAL in any game I run, and I never will. I also severely restrict the return-from-the-dead type spells.

I also despise the shadow descriptor spells and never allow them in my games unaltered. I also don't like the 3.5 Freedom of Movement and Death Ward and since WotC refused to fix Delay Poison, I alter that spell as well.

Honestly, as long as you tell your PCs beforehand, there should be no problem. Just make sure you are aware of potential difficulties caused by banning certain spells. Other than that, feel free.

Tzarevith

 

[Wolffenjugend]

I feel the same way about fly and teleport spells IMC. What I do is to limit such spells' uses by increasing the spell component(s), often dramatically. This drastically cuts down on their usage but still leaves it as an option (b/c there usually comes a time when it would be helpful to have such spells).

 

[Tzarevitch]

You could remove potions entirely. Perhaps it doesn't make sense to "bottle" magic for later use? You could replace healing potions with alchemical substances that double or triple the normal rate of healing for a period of 24 hours.

I'm not quite sure I understand your problem with shapechange type spells. They don't seem any more "out there" than being able to Animate Rope, Animate Dead, Identify magic items, or summon an Ice Storm. But hey, it's your game, and if the players all know about it ahead of time and don't care, then there's no problem. It's possible that some of them will avoid playing a spellcaster, but you never know. Some of them might like playing a spellcaster in a different spelling environment.

I understand where he is coming from. The shapechange type spells are historically some of the most easily abused spells out there. Repeated revisions have cut down the abuse potential a lot so I have much less of a problem with those spells nowadays.

Tzarevitch

 

[Plane Sailing]

In AU, the base healing spell cures HP damage but inflicts half that amount again as subdual damage. The subdual damage, in turn, heals at a much faster rate than hp damage (measured in hours instead of days).

And in Wheel of Time (remember that?) the healing spells directly transformed lethal damage into subdual damage, which could then be healed at the normal rate (level per hour).

 

[Romus]

And in Wheel of Time (remember that?) the healing spells directly transformed lethal damage into subdual damage, which could then be healed at the normal rate (level per hour).

I like that

 

[Emirikol]

I didn't ban them in my game..I just made them less desirable...


Modified Spells
All of the following spells are ONE level higher:
Lightning bolt, Fireball, Delayed Blast Fireball, Imbue spell ability, Meteor Swarm, Entangle, Hold person, Invisibility, Invisibility Sphere, Raise Dead/Resurrection, Create Water, Create Food & Water, Detect Magic, Command, Greater Command, Divine Raiment(R&R)


jh

 

[Nightfall]

You'd probably then be better off using WoT magic then. This way you can get good magic effects BUT there would be heafty tolls to pay for using the "Weave" that way.

 

[Al]

Banning the aforementioned Transmutations changes the game totally, in a way that scrapping the Evocations don't. Getting rid of Teleport means that the campaign scope has to really zero in on one area of the world (unless you can be bothered with 180 days of random encounter rolls...) and Fly significantly changes the way mid and high level PCs can deal with encounters and difficult landscapes (not to mention land-based non-ranged monsters). Your game, your changes- but these two spells are among the most significant in terms of overall game-impact at high level.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Some spells I do not want in my game:
--Any spell that makes things grow or shrink.
--Polymorph type spells.
--Fly.
--Teleport

Grow/shrink covers a few clerical spells - guess a couple of domains would need new spells added in... but that's pretty easy - plenty of other stuff that fits.

As far as it goes, I'd make the changes clear to the players before you start the campaign... could all lead to tears otherwise!

Would druid class and/or its wild shape ability get removed?

Think the changes wouldn't make an enormous difference. Although the lack of fly would make flying beasties somewhat harder to fight - dragons, for example.

I'd echo the above sentiment about checking out the AU magic system. But then I pimp that game whenever I get the slightest opportunity. It's great!

 

[Bagpuss]

I tend to remove all the Raise Dead type spells. Although I keep the ability but only for powerful artifacts that say work once a year on a particular day or are kept at a hard to reach location and can't be moved.

So raising a dead player is a quest in itself, but more often dead is dead.