What Spells Are Known in Your Setting?

[Loonook]

I was just looking through some of the old 2e materials for some thoughts for a game I'm wanting to run... And then came across the old spell rarity system. I remember spell rarity from one of my first 2e DMs and always wondered why we didn't have such a system in 3.x. I really find it boring to see that 60% of any wizard's spell list is the same as any others... No fun, no fun.

So what is your experience with generating 'special' spell lists? Do you have specific spells that are widely-known, scarce, or even 'extinct' in your game's 'Modern era"?

Slainte,

-Loonook.

 

[Li Shenron]

Interesting idea... I've never known that there was such concept as spell rarity in published D&D books!

Usually I have already a hard time enforcing the fact that higher level spells are naturally more rare than lower level spells, simply because there are less higher level spellcasters, and thus scrolls (or whatever) of such higher level spells are progressively more rare.

Beside that, I've never thought about making some core spells more rare than others, but I guess that non-core spells are implicitly more rare in our games simply because most NPC are designed using at least 80%-90% material from the core. If I add some non-core spells (or feats, or items, or classes...) to the NPC character sheet, it usually is because I want to highlight them and have the NPC use then, so they are always just a few.

 

[Gilladian]

When I updated my campaign world to 3rd edition, I listed the major places a wizard would get his education (ie is he a Red Wizard, a Black Wizard, or a wizard of the House of Ivorr or a Harothan Mage). Depending on where he's gotten his training, he's going to have had different schools of spells more easily made available to him. Also, some origins forbid some types of spells; ie House of Ivorr NEVER teaches necromantic, and is very light on enchantment magics. I didn't break it down into individual spells, though. That sounds like a MASSIVE project, depending on how many sources of spells you allow (I allow a LOT).

 

[Yora]

In D&D games, I usually cap spells at 5th level, as higher level spells are only known to outsiders and dragons. Also all spells that create force fields are out, like wall of force and shield. I like magic to be somewhat insubstential.

 

[khantroll]

In 2e, we had an interesting system. Evocation was easy; those spells up to 5th level were widely known and easy to learn. Anything else, above 3rd level, you had to make. This lead to some very pop culture inspired things (The Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, the Friendship Rainbow, and Show Through the Heart...it was the 80s).

In 3rd...we'd gotten old and lazy. We just pick spells out of the books.

 

[Greg K]

Off the top of my head, when I was running 3e:

Non Existent:
1. Rope Trick
2. Any spell affecting, detecting, or protecting from Law/Chaos
3. Prismatic Spells
4. 95%+ of the spells from WOTC supplements

Rare
1. Any spell raising or resurrecting the dead

 

[Yora]

Oh yes. In addition to no force fields, there is also no extradimensional spaces.

Have fun with your solid gold statue.

 

[Celebrim]

Basically, core spells make up the largest percentage of spells. Very few spells from outside of core are ever allowed.

I consider really carefully before adding new spells. One of 1e's/2e's problems was it eventually had too many spells; if you added all the spells from supplements, 3e had the same problem. If the spell serves the same purpose as an existing spell, but has a slightly different flavor, I generally don't add it. Likewise, if a spell is a reflavored version of another spell from a different school, I never add it. One of the things that broke speciality wizards in 2e was eventually you weren't giving up anything, because every school could do basically everything. It's really easy to imbalance the game with spells.

Most of the relatively spells I add to core I tend to make up myself, mainly to fill niches that I don't think are filled by the existing spell list.

Typical niches:

1) Divination based self-buffs. (Because low level diviners don't have enough offensive options)
2) Cantrips (Because I love low level spells)
3) Low-level shape changing spells. (Because low level shape changers don't have enough non-broken options.)
4) Spells translated from their psionic equivalents where an equivalent doesn't exist in arcane magic. (Because I don't use psionics as a separate system.)
5) Low level telekinetic effects.
6) Low level long term buffs for objects. (Helps create continuity with the real world if low level magical attacks can be more easily defended against.)
7) Low level defensive magic keyed to an area. (As #6)

Conversely, many spells from core are weakened in some fashion, particularly existing shape change (alter self, polymorph self, polymorph other), absolute defenses (death ward, extradimensional space effects (rope trip, mord's mansion), force effects (wall of force, force cage), information finding divination spells (most detects, commune, find the path), and battlefield control spells (entangle, web).

The main 3rd party spells I use are cantrips. Pretty much any balanced and useful cantrip will be added to the spell list.

 

[Lwaxy]

Everything is available, you just have to find it. There are academies to learn those spells at but it requires in game time to go there and learn them. And they don't always accept you.

I don't often have PCs find them in other people's spell books.

 

[Vascant]

I have actually been using this system in my game since, well reading it in 2e. I even developed NPC Designer to create spell lists based off this same idea so it could be of better use to me then just blind generation.

On those occasions spell users can select a spell, I normally only allow them access to "common" spells unless they either have access to or provide means to allow different spells to be added to this list for them. I personally think this adds a lot of depth to the campaign.