DogBackward
First Post
I really like the idea of Spell Points, in general, because they fit the more popular fantasy magic idea, and better represent the cool mages we see in fantasy movies andbooks. However, I will admit that they can do strange things to balance, especially the whole Nova concept. And I know that some people actually likeVancian Magic, even if I can't figure out why.
So, I've been trying to work out a way to do spell points that keeps some of the Vancian magic feel, while allowing more flexibility and trying to avoid the Nova effect. I've had an idea, and wanted to run it by you guys.
First, my main problem with Vancian magic is that, while it works well for a mechanical game, it is pretty counter-intuitive, and just doesn't make that much sense as is. So, I tried to set up a way to use Vancian magic, while giving it a new flavor and description that makes more sense. I've come up with two ideas f0or this part.
The first is spirits. The world is full of spirits, invisible and intangible, and probably nonsentient. Though having your summoned spirits talk to you could be interesting... Anyway, the idea is that when a mage "prepares" their spells, they're not doing it in the normal way, but are in fact summoning a spirit of a certain concept, element or idea. It's not a Fireball spell, it's one of the many Spirits of Fire; it's not an Entangle spell, it's a Vine Spirit. You have to lend the spirits some of your own life energy to allow them to cross from the spirit world into the material realm, which is why you have a limited amount of "spells" per day. When you ask or command a spirit to perform its one little trick (the spell itself), they expend this borrowed energy, returning to the spirit realm. And you can have a very flavorful distinction between classes. Clerics don't summon any spirits, they are sent from the higher realms by their god. Druids summon spirits and bargain for their service, while wizards reach out with their power and forcibly bind the spirits to their will, hence the reason arcane magic is less popular and more feared. There would also be new spells that would allow you to see and even attack another person's summoned spirits. Call it a pre-emptive Dispel magic, if you will...
The second is a little more classical, but is still closer to the original Vancian system, and adds a mechanical aspect. You can't just randomly throw spells together, the magical energy must be assembled. The spells themselves take a long time to cast, which is why most mages "cast" their spells in the morning. But doing so actually casts the spell, unless you tie it to a specially prepared object. With carved runes and special dyes and inks, a small object can be prepared to hold the energy of a spell for a time, allowing it to be released later. Only the original caster can release the spell energy. This means that every spell now requires a focus, being the object that the spell is tied to. If you lose this object, you lose the particular spell, which makes for some interesting options in anti-mage scenarios. And also explains why the classical wizard carries a staff; they've got their spells tied into it, and it's large enough that they won't easily lose or misplace it. And explains why they spend so much time and effort making their staff stronger and more powerful; if it's broken or destroyed, their spells for the day are gone. This helps support the idea of the classic robe-wearing, staff-carrying wizard. A cleric could wear a string of prayer beads with a spell on each bead, while a druid would have dozens of small fetishes and charms tied to their outfit, each one with a different spell tied to it.
After that, I wanted to change things to a spell point system that avoided the ability to "go nova" while keeping the flexibility. I haven't worked out all of the minor details yet, but here's the basic idea, and the main reason for this post.
Each spellcaster has it's Spells per Day list changed to Spell Points or Mana. A comparable amount of points to the equivalent psionic class is used; Psion for Wizards, Clerics and Druids, Psychic Warrior for Bards, Divine Mind for Paladins and Rangers, and so on. Spell Points act like Power Points in that one SP equals one Caster Level for the spell being prepares. This includes non-damaging spells as well, and all parameters are based on how many points you spent. This means that if you prepare low-level spells using a low CL, you can have many more spells per day than normal, but they will all be signifigantly weaker.
Finally, to avoid the nova effect, there will be a limit on how many caster levels worth of spells you may have prepared at one time. I'm thinking somewhere along the lines of your Caster Level x1/2 +your primary spellcasting score. This will keep you from preparing a bunch of high power spells to nova with, while still allowing enough spell power to get you through a battle or two. The method of spell preparation would have to be tweaked, though... I'm thinking it takes one full minute to enter a trance state that allows you to prepare spells, then one full round per level of the spell to prepare spells. This allows you to refresh your spells prepared between major battles, but keeps you from doing so in battle, and pulling out the perfect spell every time you need it.
From what I can see, this should both allow a rather simple Spell Point system while keeping the basic idea of Vancian spellcasting, as well as preventing the dreaded Nove Mage. It also allows for more flexibiliyt over the day, and will be a great boon to preparation casters who get seriously screwed over because they didn't prepare the right spells. If you find out you prepared the wrong spells, you've still got some spell points left to prepare more useful ones after this battle, which means you won't be as useless the rest of the day as you normally would. I'm still deciding how unbalancing it would be to allow mages to re-prepare spells that have already been prepared. Letting you spend the minute and 3 rounds to switch that Fireball spell to a Fly spell...
Can anybody see any glaring problems with this system? Would it increase or decrease overall power for mages? I'm thinking a slight decrese in pure power, since they can only have so many spells prepared at one time, but a huge increase in overall versatility. I could be wrong, though.
Also, I don't have a tabletop group, and an online RPG would be too slow to test this out well, so if anybody wants to try using this in their game, any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Edit: This isn't meant for spontaneous casters, which I'd probably just leave out anyway.
So, I've been trying to work out a way to do spell points that keeps some of the Vancian magic feel, while allowing more flexibility and trying to avoid the Nova effect. I've had an idea, and wanted to run it by you guys.
First, my main problem with Vancian magic is that, while it works well for a mechanical game, it is pretty counter-intuitive, and just doesn't make that much sense as is. So, I tried to set up a way to use Vancian magic, while giving it a new flavor and description that makes more sense. I've come up with two ideas f0or this part.
The first is spirits. The world is full of spirits, invisible and intangible, and probably nonsentient. Though having your summoned spirits talk to you could be interesting... Anyway, the idea is that when a mage "prepares" their spells, they're not doing it in the normal way, but are in fact summoning a spirit of a certain concept, element or idea. It's not a Fireball spell, it's one of the many Spirits of Fire; it's not an Entangle spell, it's a Vine Spirit. You have to lend the spirits some of your own life energy to allow them to cross from the spirit world into the material realm, which is why you have a limited amount of "spells" per day. When you ask or command a spirit to perform its one little trick (the spell itself), they expend this borrowed energy, returning to the spirit realm. And you can have a very flavorful distinction between classes. Clerics don't summon any spirits, they are sent from the higher realms by their god. Druids summon spirits and bargain for their service, while wizards reach out with their power and forcibly bind the spirits to their will, hence the reason arcane magic is less popular and more feared. There would also be new spells that would allow you to see and even attack another person's summoned spirits. Call it a pre-emptive Dispel magic, if you will...
The second is a little more classical, but is still closer to the original Vancian system, and adds a mechanical aspect. You can't just randomly throw spells together, the magical energy must be assembled. The spells themselves take a long time to cast, which is why most mages "cast" their spells in the morning. But doing so actually casts the spell, unless you tie it to a specially prepared object. With carved runes and special dyes and inks, a small object can be prepared to hold the energy of a spell for a time, allowing it to be released later. Only the original caster can release the spell energy. This means that every spell now requires a focus, being the object that the spell is tied to. If you lose this object, you lose the particular spell, which makes for some interesting options in anti-mage scenarios. And also explains why the classical wizard carries a staff; they've got their spells tied into it, and it's large enough that they won't easily lose or misplace it. And explains why they spend so much time and effort making their staff stronger and more powerful; if it's broken or destroyed, their spells for the day are gone. This helps support the idea of the classic robe-wearing, staff-carrying wizard. A cleric could wear a string of prayer beads with a spell on each bead, while a druid would have dozens of small fetishes and charms tied to their outfit, each one with a different spell tied to it.
After that, I wanted to change things to a spell point system that avoided the ability to "go nova" while keeping the flexibility. I haven't worked out all of the minor details yet, but here's the basic idea, and the main reason for this post.
Each spellcaster has it's Spells per Day list changed to Spell Points or Mana. A comparable amount of points to the equivalent psionic class is used; Psion for Wizards, Clerics and Druids, Psychic Warrior for Bards, Divine Mind for Paladins and Rangers, and so on. Spell Points act like Power Points in that one SP equals one Caster Level for the spell being prepares. This includes non-damaging spells as well, and all parameters are based on how many points you spent. This means that if you prepare low-level spells using a low CL, you can have many more spells per day than normal, but they will all be signifigantly weaker.
Finally, to avoid the nova effect, there will be a limit on how many caster levels worth of spells you may have prepared at one time. I'm thinking somewhere along the lines of your Caster Level x1/2 +your primary spellcasting score. This will keep you from preparing a bunch of high power spells to nova with, while still allowing enough spell power to get you through a battle or two. The method of spell preparation would have to be tweaked, though... I'm thinking it takes one full minute to enter a trance state that allows you to prepare spells, then one full round per level of the spell to prepare spells. This allows you to refresh your spells prepared between major battles, but keeps you from doing so in battle, and pulling out the perfect spell every time you need it.
From what I can see, this should both allow a rather simple Spell Point system while keeping the basic idea of Vancian spellcasting, as well as preventing the dreaded Nove Mage. It also allows for more flexibiliyt over the day, and will be a great boon to preparation casters who get seriously screwed over because they didn't prepare the right spells. If you find out you prepared the wrong spells, you've still got some spell points left to prepare more useful ones after this battle, which means you won't be as useless the rest of the day as you normally would. I'm still deciding how unbalancing it would be to allow mages to re-prepare spells that have already been prepared. Letting you spend the minute and 3 rounds to switch that Fireball spell to a Fly spell...
Can anybody see any glaring problems with this system? Would it increase or decrease overall power for mages? I'm thinking a slight decrese in pure power, since they can only have so many spells prepared at one time, but a huge increase in overall versatility. I could be wrong, though.
Also, I don't have a tabletop group, and an online RPG would be too slow to test this out well, so if anybody wants to try using this in their game, any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Edit: This isn't meant for spontaneous casters, which I'd probably just leave out anyway.
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