Vancian Magic - Yes or No?

[Numion]

I voted "No."

I would prefer something akin to the Force rules in SW or the Psionics rules in SFA: a system driven by Feats and skills, powered by (in D&D terms) nonlethal damage.

53% yes for vancian, 47% no

That's a bit problematic result. Almost half would like to see vancian magic in further editions. It's worth noting that the other ~50% are pretty divided on the new system - some want mana pool, some want feats'n'skills system like Corinth here, some want freeform.

So 'not vancian' isn't a solution. We would need to see one system that was more popular than the vancian system. Not likely since 50% like the vancian system, and the remaining 50% is divided between gazillion systems.

 

[Agback]

Not likely since 50% like the vancian system, and the remaining 50% is divided between gazillion systems.

I take your point: the Vancian system only needs to defeat each of the alternatives, not all the alternatives combined.

I'd just like to point out that a lot of the people voting for the Vancian system say in their explanatory posts that they don't actually like it. (Though they think it ought to be retained anyway.)

Regards,


Agback

 

[Agback]

Thanks for the advice. Most people just go 'what, you don't like Vance? You must have terrible taste!'.

You must find that so persuasive! Tell them "De gustibus non kick in the nuts".

Regards,


Agback

 

[hong]

You must find that so persuasive! Tell them "De gustibus non kick in the nuts".

SOMEBODY SIG THIS.


Hong "PLEASE" Ooi

 

[Rolzup]

I like the Vancian magic. And in fact, my most eagerly awaited D20 purchase of 2004 is....

http://www.dyingearth.com/article5.htm

Looks wonderful, really.

The Spell of the Ominous Enthusiast, which conjures forth a small blue demon which can perform any single task with the greatest of skill, but then demands and attempts to forcibly acquire the liver of its summoner as payment.

Rolzup

 

[Krieg]

I like the Vancian magic. And in fact, my most eagerly awaited D20 purchase of 2004 is....

http://www.dyingearth.com/article5.htm

Looks wonderful, really.

The Spell of the Ominous Enthusiast, which conjures forth a small blue demon which can perform any single task with the greatest of skill, but then demands and attempts to forcibly acquire the liver of its summoner as payment.

Rolzup

Thanks for the heads-up!

There's a new addition to my "must have" list.

 

[Olive]

I like the Vancian magic. And in fact, my most eagerly awaited D20 purchase of 2004 is....

http://www.dyingearth.com/article5.htm

Looks wonderful, really.

This does look pretty fun. Although trying to convince my players that things like magic should be risky is an up hill battle.

 

[Trevalon Moonleirion]

I don't hate the magic system, but I don't love it either. Since it's really once of the most removable aspects of the game anyway--just look at all of the alternate spellcasting systems out there for my reasoning behind the statement--I really don't think it matters. As such, I don't think I'll add my vote to either side for the moment. (Though I do think that it's the least sacred of the "sacred cows" from D&D).

 

[Nightfall]

(Though I do think that it's the least sacred of the "sacred cows" from D&D).

What is with people and cow slaughtering? I mean come on? Why not sacred dogs or cat slaughtering? That would make more sense. Or Goats even!!

 

[RC Hagy]

Keep it!


Of course someone should make a few alternatives and make them available.

I made a few tweaks to the vancian, one was inspired by the movie The Raven w/Price, Karloff and 'Oh, no! I forgot his name! But he was in the great flick M and I remembered his name! Lorrie!'

Anyhow, another was simple material components. Illusion an eyeball. Phantasm - brain tissue. Summonin - a call of some kind or a piece of the call-ee. So on and so forth.

Another was prep ones spells. So long as one reads from their spell book material components are not required and you do not lose the spell cast. One also gets to cast whatever spell has been prep'd however many times upto ones spells per level.

Nothin' wrong with Vancian magic that a few tweaks cannot fix.


Hagy