Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hellcow" data-source="post: 6311268" data-attributes="member: 15800">One last thought, as I'm going to be off the internet for a while... rituals will have a larger impact on daily life than Vancian magic. Consider a locksmith. If he can cast arcane lock twice a day, he can't really make a serious living providing magical security; does he just close up shop after the second customer? Conversely, rituals are limited only by time and components. If the locksmith has time, he can cast arcane locks all day, charging his clients sufficiently to pay for his components and markup. Suddenly "arcane locksmith" is a valid occupation and arcane locks can replace mundane locks. But when a spell is something you have to prepare in advance and can only do once or twice a day, it's often going to be hard to build an industry around it. In 3.5 Eberron, we explained the power of the dragonmarked houses not actually coming from their Vancian spell-like powers, but rather because their marks allowed them to use dragonmark focus items... essentially, magic items that let them provide ongoing services. A gnome who can cast whispering wind twice per day has a party trick. A gnome who can cast whispering wind a hundred times a day (using a focus item) has the basis for a business.</blockquote>