Suggestions for a black magic / white magic concept

[Armin]

Might I suggest not bothering with a good v.s evil set of magic. Try making chaotic and lawful instead, because taking away destructive magic from good aligned magic users is, to put it plainly, destructive.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

I wouldn't make either White or Black magic more powerful, at least at the levels the PCs can wield it (for example, the God of Good may be stronger than the Demon King, but their respective spell-slingers are on par). Instead, I'd make it a matter of how the magic is acquired... and at what cost.

Gray Magic is just plain ol' ordinary magic, in d20 terms mostly 0th- and 1st-level spells, going as high as 4th but with a shrinking spell list at each level.

Black Magic is the quick and easy path to power. It goes all the way to 9th level and it goes fast. However, it carries drawbacks equivalent to those in Call of Cthulu d20 (or something similar) - ability damage, madness, eventual descent into evil.

White Magic is the more difficult path to power, walked only by those who can resist the temptation to draw upon evil's readily offered might. It also goes all the way to 9th level, but it goes slow and steady.

At any time, any spellcaster could use black magic. It might even be for the greater good. But every time he does, the cost gets higher, and eventually he won't be able to stop...

Spells/day: Half a wizard's, rounded down, minimum 1 per available level.

However, any mage can cast any number of spells (or apply metamagic to his spells) if he's willing to risk the cost of using black magic, which scales with each daily use.

Many of the best spells for PCs are only available as white magic - like resurrection, heal, true seeing and hero's feast. Not only can these spells not be cast using black magic techniques, a character who has accrued a certain amount of taint from using black magic will find them unreliable at best, sometimes having the opposite effect (use the Pain of Healing rules from the Iron Kingdoms, if you have it)

 

[Belgarath]

an idea

If you can find a copy of the 1st ed dragonlance book somewhere, the had the white, black, and red robes in it. Each type of magic had a set number of schools that they can choose from. Transmutation was in all of them i think. Considering that now, not all offensive spells are of the invocation school it should work out. Not sure if the new edition of Dragonlance follows this. I haven't seen it. Maybe someone on the board has it already and can help you out

 

[Ed Cha]

Aren't there definitions for black and white magic? *looks for my witchcraft books collection*

 

[Turanil]

I'd make it a matter of how the magic is acquired... and at what cost.

At any time, any spellcaster could use black magic. It might even be for the greater good. But every time he does, the cost gets higher, and eventually he won't be able to stop...

Spells/day: Half a wizard's, rounded down, minimum 1 per available level.

However, any mage can cast any number of spells (or apply metamagic to his spells) if he's willing to risk the cost of using black magic, which scales with each daily use.

I like your suggestions. I will try to think about it more closely. Lets say there is only one spellcasting class of "Adept" or "Initiate", with the spells per day of the adept NPC class. This is the number of spells per day one may cast without risk. However, anyone including the Adept can cast spells in the CoC method (no need of class and spell slot, but a cost in sanity and what not). So, casting gray and white magic can only be with spells per day, but casting black magic can go beyond at considerable risks however. Then, gray magic can be cast easily, but white magic requires circumstances and being pure of intent / hert, etc. On the other hand, the level of spells and power remains as in the rules. This could work with more thought.