That Magic Feeling

[/INDENT] I'd be interested in seeing the calamity table. Any links to a good GURPS site that might have it somewhere?
I linked to the description is that previous post:
I doubt this will format nicely, but let's try:
CALAMITY TABLE (3d + Excess/5)
3,4 Nothing bad happens, AND the mage's gets (1d x 5) points of free, instant Recovery!

5-9 Nothing happens - this time.

10 The mage's skin and clothing crawl with strange energies, sparks, or other visual effect for 3d minutes, and his eyes glow bright, making Stealth impossible and frightening small animals and many "mundanes."

11 The mage is struck with violent headaches that prevent any action other than suffering (treat as physical stun) which lasts 3d turns (Or a number minutes equal to the cost of the spell that triggered the calamity, if a HT roll is failed - minimum 5 minutes). Result 10 also applies.

12 The mage becomes horribly nauseous and weak, taking a -4 to DX, IQ, ST and skills. This lasts a number of hours equal to the cost of the spell (minimum 2), after which the mage must make a HT-4 roll every hour to get over the sickness.

13 The mage is cursed with nightmares for 3d days (plus a number of days equal to the spell cost). After the first night, the mage is at -2 to DX, IQ, ST, and skills. The penalties last until the mage gets a normal night's sleep!

14 Any failed casting roll that the mage makes is treated as a critical failure! This lasts for 1d+1 weeks.

15 The mage's mind is bent. The GM should assign one debilitating (15-point) mental disad by fiat. It takes effect immediately, and lasts 1 day. Each day thereafter, the mage may make a Will roll to shake it off. If the spell cost was higher than 25, the disad lasts for (spell cost/25) days, rounded up.

16 The mage has weakened the binding forces around him. His Threshhold for the next 1d weeks is reduced by 2d+5. The mage is aware of a drop, but not of it's severity! Result 10 also applies.

17 The caster gains a 5-point disadvantage. After 3d days have passed, the mage has the option of buying it off (it will simply fade away). If the mage does not wish to, or doesn't have the points, then it becomes permanent. ANY disad is legal; the mage can get ugly, go insane, and so on.

18 The mage's Threshold is reduced by 4d+(the spell cost); the change lasts 1d months, after which the Thresh "heals" back to normal at a rate of 1 point per day. Thresh cannot be reduced below zero. In addition, the mage's spellcasting will be at a -3 penalty for 2d weeks. Result 10 also applies.

19 As per 17, but the disad is worth either 10 or 15 points (50/50 chance of either).

20 The mage is aged 2d+13 years, or a number of years equal to the energy cost of the triggering spell, whichever is worse!

21 Roll again (same modifier) but the result affects a companion of the mage (chosen randomly).

22 The mage gains multiple disads worth a total of (2dx5) points, or a number of points equal to the spell cost, whichever is worse. These are permanent.

23 The mage loses permanently the ability to cast a single spell. The skill is still known, but it cannot be cast. The mage must make a (Will-6) roll. If it is sucessful, he chooses which spell "dies." If not, the spell is chosen at random. On a critical failure, the GM chooses the mage's most useful or favorite spell!

24 The mage loses 1d x 5 points of advantages (or has an attribute lowered). Choose randomly.

25 The mage becomes a wandering Mana-Scar! Spells cost double within a 2d+3-mile radius of the mage, and Recovery is HALTED in the same area! Every mage in the region will be gunning for him . . . The duration, in days, equals the cost of the errant spell, plus one. Result 10 applies for the ENTIRE duration.

26 The mage's skill at spells is reduced by 3d+5, or by a number equal to the spell cost, whichever is worse. The mage must make a Will roll. If it is successful, the penalty will heal at a rate of one per day. If not, the healing rate is one per week!

27 A plague or curse (locusts, storms, etc) descends on the region, lasting for 3d+ weeks. No one will be able to trace this to the mage (-20 to divination attempts on the subject), but the mage will know the fault is his . . . Be grotesque and CRUEL.

28 The spell propagates out of control. Harmful Regular or Area spells will affect everybody and every thing nearby, allies and enemies alike. Beneficial spells will do likewise, but will go "over the top" and cause dangerous side-effects (a healing spell might raise all the local dead, creating a horde of restless zombies out for revenge!) Information magic will overload the mage's mind (Fright Check at -20); Missile Spells will seem normal to the caster, but have so much punch that they drill through their target and through EVERYTHING ELSE FOR MILES beyond, and so on. The GM should be creative and unpredictable with this result.

29 The mage permanently loses the ability to cast spells, (but not the skills - small comfort). At this level and above, the spell that causes the roll fails unless a Will roll is made by the mage. The roll is at a penalty equal to 1/10 the spell cost (round in favor of the mage), and at a bonus equal to the mage's level of Magical Aptitude.

30-39 As per 29, and something happens to the region the mage is in. If the result on this table was an even number, magic itself is changed (the region becomes aspected, certain spells function erratically, or some such). If the result was odd, the change is to the physical world - the weather, birth rate, crops, or something else. Sometimes the result is good, sometimes bad, sometimes just strange - determine the nature of the result randomly, or by fiat, or whatever is deemed most amusing to the GM. The duration of the change is typically equal to the cost of the spell, in days, but some very dramatic effects last only a moment, and some very subtle ones last indefinitely.

40+ As per 30-39, but a GLOBAL change occurs. In addition, the mage must make a HT roll at -6. If this roll is failed, the mage is consumed in a backlash of magical energy, and explodes. The explosion does concussion/burning damage like a grenade doing the mage's (Will+Magery) dice of damage! If the HT-6 roll is made, the backlash is less dramatic; the wizard takes 2d DICE of internal burning damage, and doesn't explode.​
The Calamity Table is also available as a zipped PDF.
 
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……spellcasters should get fewer spells per day?
The problem isn't how many spells they have. It's how many they can cast within a short time span. The thing people like about rituals is that they take long enough that you're going to choose the faster non-spell option unless you really need magic.

It's not about creating a disincentive for mages to cast spells that make them equivalent to what other classes do. Magic should be used for magic situations.
 


The problem isn't how many spells they have. It's how many they can cast within a short time span. The thing people like about rituals is that they take long enough that you're going to choose the faster non-spell option unless you really need magic.

It's not about creating a disincentive for mages to cast spells that make them equivalent to what other classes do. Magic should be used for magic situations.
I disagree with some other things you have mentioned in this thread but the above resonates with me. It allows characters who have invested in certain skills to be able to use them first, otherwise the mage is the backstop with something that will most likely work.

I still think unlimited spells should be possible, but as mentioned, it is the restriction of what can be cast within a certain timeframe or circumstance that can make spellcasting interesting, valid, yet not overpowering.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise
 

Yeah, this. I'm not too keen on the actual Vancian-style mechanics of 3.xE and before, but for me, wizardly D&D spells need to be:

a) formulaic (i.e. not freeform built)
b) specialised (no fire spell that can produce flaming rays, explosions and warm you - just have your scorching ray, fireball and so on)
c) Somewhat quirky or odd in name or appearance, at least occasionally.

These things are defining "D&D magic" for me.

You, sir. speak truth :)
 

I disagree with some other things you have mentioned in this thread……
I have problems expressing myself sometimes, so I probably just said what I meant wrong.
I still think unlimited spells should be possible, but as mentioned, it is the restriction of what can be cast within a certain timeframe or circumstance that can make spellcasting interesting, valid, yet not overpowering.
I think the key is that D&D tried this with the "per day" thing, but their time-frame wasn't short enough to encompass the number of spells that higher-level mages have, as well as their "class-mimic" spells being to convenient.
 

The key elements

1) Vancian naming scheme... adjectives, especially flowery ones, are mandatory, and the name should suggest some concept of what the spell does. The Excellent Prismatic Spray is the archetypal name in this scheme.

2) Resource management. Magic is not simply clicking the X button, spells are strenuous and you only cast so many.

3) Consequence. In Vance's stories, "I have the Excellent Prismatic Spray," is a dire threat, and for wizards to work, each major spell cast should have a significant effect.

4) Incoherence. Each spell does one thing, exactly one thing, and is rarely extremely flexible. But they can be used creatively. Even a simple fireball has a (large) fixed area, making the spell inoptimal in some circumstances.

5) Entities. Planar binding should be the steeple of the magic system, not an afterthought.
 


I suspect players would balk if they failed a save to keep casting. "Sorry, you're done for the day."

S. John Ross actually came up with an excellent alternative mechanic for spellcasting in GURPS, which typically used a standard spell-point ("mana") system. He called it Unlimited Mana:
Fantasy novels that feature such levels of power rarely have mages that get ``tired out'' by magic. Instead, extreme effects threaten the fabric of the universe, creating a situation in which wizards can create true miracles in times of need, but do not use their powers frivolously. When their companions ask for more magic, they will drone cryptically "To draw too deeply on my Gift can lead to madness and death. Do not demand of me what you do not comprehend."

Fantasy writers need character balance as much as GMs do. While it's exiting to establish that a sorcerer can wreak serious havoc when needed, it's boring to let him overshadow the rest of the characters. That cryptic doubletalk exists as a handy plot device, no less than the wizard himself.

This approach to magic has been left untouched in gaming, and for good reason. It's easy for a writer to create a wizard that will be prudent with his arcane wisdom. Trying to get an ambitious fantasy gamer (even a well-meaning one) to do the same is risky at best. GURPS has no such bounds, however. The magic system is flexible enough to permit Unlimited Mana that will balance in ANY fantasy campaign, even the lowest of "low fantasy!"
How does it work?
Every mage has a Threshold (Thresh) score -- this defines the safe limits of his magic. If his tally remains at or below his Thresh, everything is fine. If his tally exceed his Thresh, Bad Things can happen, and the mage must roll on the Calamity Table.
This turns ""Sorry, you're done for the day," into "Are you sure you want to do that?"

I can vouch for the effectiveness of this method personally. My character Kormydigar has the honor of being the first ever spellcaster to actually explode due to magical overload.:lol: That campaign rocked!
 

Every mage has a Threshold (Thresh) score -- this defines the safe limits of his magic. If his tally remains at or below his Thresh, everything is fine. If his tally exceed his Thresh, Bad Things can happen, and the mage must roll on the Calamity Table.
This turns ""Sorry, you're done for the day," into "Are you sure you want to do that?"
World of Warcraft d20 did something similar with Arcane Corruption checks.
 

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