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Message: <blockquote data-quote="gambler1650" data-source="post: 851963" data-attributes="member: 11033">The title probably sucks for this thread since I didn't know how to summarize the idea.  Let me start by saying I had this idea while comparing how a scientist learns how to be a better scientist, or a computer programmer learns how to be a better programmer.   Each can only learn so much by being taught, or reading, or debugging programs that others have written.  The only way to really advance to another 'level' of understanding is to create your own hypothesis and test it, or create your own program using previously learned methods.Wizards seem to fit this profile best in the D20 setting, though one might throw any Arcane practitioner into this type of idea.  So, what if before you can learn a spell of a higher level than you'd been able to learn before, you have to create a spell at your current level of understanding?  This proves you have a grasp of the foundations before being taught something new and having confidence in using new material.   So, let's say you're a spellcaster that can cast first level spells and you're about to advance a level and be able to cast second level spells.  You have to "create" a new 1st level spell before you can learn a 2nd level spell.  My suggestion for how this actually works is as follows.  In your campaign world, the DM makes a list of all "common knowledge" spells.  This can be as simple as all of the spells in the PHB or any campaign specific list (like Midnight for instance).  Alternatively the DM can add spells from other sources to the list, remove others, etc.  None of these can be 'created', they can only be learned.   When the time comes to create a spell, the player can either create a completely new spell (with the DM's supervision of course) or use a spell from another spell list (again, with the DM's blessing).  Have the player name the spell something unique.  In most cases, newly created spells won't have as much utility to the world as other spells on the list, or word just won't get out and the knowledge of the created spell will die with the Wizard who created it.  But sometimes a spell will be passed on and become part of the lore of the land.  Maybe let a 20th level character see one of his earlier created spells being used by an unexpected ally (or even better, an enemy <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />.  The character can create this spell at any point before gaining a level that allows him to cast new levels, or can take a 'created' spell in place of an automatic spell pick at a new level using all the standard rules.  Obviously the created spell has to come from the same school as one the character knows (which means if the DM wants to allow spells from other schools than the PHB or the campaign setting he's running, he has to either allow that spell to become part of a present school, or allow that school from the very beginning).   Comments.. thoughts.. flames? <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /></blockquote>

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