Spell Research: To DMG or Not to DMG

[FunkBGR]

Looking up the spell research rules in the DMG, I'm kind of finding them lacking. Spend a lot of gold, and make a trivial Spellcraft check - unless your DM just doesn't like it, which you fail automatically? Spells should be a collaborative effort between player and DM - the clause about failing shouldn't be there.

I'm looking for an alternative, and was wondering what people use in their games. I'd really like to be able to make it worth their while to do some research, and spend some of that hard-earned downtime that could be used to make potions, scrolls and create spells.

Anybody got anything?

 

[Tequila Sunrise]

Lower the spellcraft DC...or eliminate it?

 

[Nel]

You could do something like that:
-discuss the effect of the spell with your DM and agree on a level, or let him choose the level without telling you, or whatever;
-start researching the spell at the rate of 1 week per level;
-make a spellcraft check at the end of each week, but with a DC based upon the number of (successful) weeks since you've been researching;
-if the roll is successful then advance to the next week/level, if not then you will need to make the same check after another week of studying;
-if it was the last roll then the spell is finished and ready to be used.