Work your braincell mojo for me

[Beholder Bob]

I am not pleased with the school division of spells – it produces some results I find irrational. Whatever the reason, though, I am looking for replacement schools.

I do not mind a spell showing up on more then one list (some spells really do belong to more then one school). Below is a rough list I am working with – any good ideas to add to this? Since you do not know my cosmology, some great suggestions will not work, but I figure having them out there will aid someone else working towards similar goals to mine – and they probably do not want my cosmology limiting the brainstorming… Ideally I am looking for suggestions for better definitions of the suggested schools, new schools, and have missing categories of spells pointed out (oops, did I forget to make room for fireball sort of thing).

Khemia: Think alchemy – add the concept that as you can transmute yourself as well Sympathetic magic is essential to these fellows.

Astrology: Some divination, but more. IMG the stars are the source of magic – so astrologers tap into a rather powerful force. I’m thinking of something like create astral construct, changing the nature of objects – not their shape or form, but their purpose.

Cabalism: All things are described by discrete formula, these fellows alter it. Numbers, glyphs, wards, and animation of constructs. Good at figuring out info on others.

Volcanomancy: (called Diabolism in my game) – this is actually based on the fact the underworld provides the heat that keeps the world from freezing! This is elemental earth and fire.

Stratomany: the art of both water and sky, thunder, lightning, weather, and cold. Just as the elements of earth and fire are related, so too are water and air (rain water comes from the sky).

Necromancy: Not the standard of DND, this is focused exclusively on the soul and spirit, the animating force of life, how to manipulate it, and other fell things. Fear, domination, magic jar, etc.

Sarcomancy: Magic of the flesh – with a definite tendency towards magic of the dead. Grow claws, weave bone, animate that road kill.

Mesmerism: Think Svengali – illusions, befuddlement, mental re-direction. You impose your opinion on others, even if you know better

Oneiromancy: The magic of sleep and dreams. Illusions, alter perception, cause sleep (surprise), create the quasi real, and divination and communication.

Shadowmancy: IMG – connection to the fiendish plane, abominations, terrors, evil things that should not be. The sphere of annihilation comes from here, as do the 4th level tentacle spell. Darkness, mirrors, and HP Lovecraft tenderness.

Unseelie Arts: The fey are their own plane, but jutted against our own. Call fey minions (new summon list and fey template), use fey tricks (glitter dust, invisibility, shape-change, etc) – minor mind, illusion, and transformative spells. Bending rules.

 

[Felix]

You want to rename the schools, or create new schools?

How much do you want these schools to have their own spells... seems to me that most illusion spells could fit into 4 of the schools you've posted.

Do you want your schools to be based on Design or by Purpose? (Illusion spells' purpose is to decieve the target, but they are designed differently to do that. Some use shadow stuff, some are just figments, if you see what I mean.)

Is this for flavor or game mechanics?

Maybe if you said what you thought was illogical about the division of the spells I could help you sort them out differently... but I don't know what you think is wrong. Care to elaborate?

 

[Beholder Bob]

My dislike for the current schools is in the arbitrary nature of the spell - how it accomplishes its goal, as well as how it reaches it. For instance: Sending and Demand. One is Evo, the other Ench. A specialist could know Demand (Sending and more), but be unable to cast Sending. Armor is conjuration, shield is abjuration - and both are force spells.

I would like spell groups that have more of a magic 'feal' to them, as well as a more inherent continuity. I do not mind having spells show up in more then one school, but I want the flavor of the school to be consistent.

Mesmerism - tricks you only. No reality to the spell.
Oneiromancy - more open in definition, it has many of the base illusion spells.

Shadowmancy - despite the name, shadowmancy does not use 'shadowmagic' creating pseudo reality. It has more akin to conjuration and necromancy, with the addition of darkness.

Unseelie Arts - makes creatures and places invisible or appear different, but does not create things from thin air - halluc terrain is great, but no illusionary dragons.

This is to replace existing schools - and this type of feedback is exactly what I'm looking for - the illusion redundancy is apparent, but in this case the type of illusion spell is being divided up piecemeal to fit the theme of the different magic types. I'm sure whole categories of spells fail to fit any of my given classifications, as well as great new schools that I just failed to think of.

I want to avoid schools of (Blast/damage), (Protect me), (Divination), (etc.). I'm looking for more of a flavor then a simple catagory.

 

[Khaalis]

Are you seeking just spell classifications or also Magical Tradition groupings? By magical traditions I mean things like spell groupings based on real magcal traditions like the Astrology you list, such as Shamanism, Gypsy Magic, Runes, Wicca, Voodoo, Alchemy, Druidic, etc. Also are these only for Arcane spells or will it cross delineate into approprioate divine spells as well?

Astromancy = Magic based on Knowledge (Astrology). Comprises some Divination with ability to control fortune such as Bless/Bane.

Tarotmancy = Magic based on Knowledge (Tarot). Comprised of Divination, and the 4 tarot Objects and their related elements (Pentacle (Shield) = Earth; Cup = Water; Rod (Wand, Spear) = Fire; Swords = Air)

 

[Spatzimaus]

The current setup is pretty arbitrary. Spells are sometimes put into certain schools just for balance purposes, so that an Evocation specialist doesn't get bored and a Divination specialist doesn't get hosed. Unfortunately, this leads to a bad compromise, IMO. You get specialists that can do all sorts of different things under the umbrella of some school of magic, without the ability to do many related abilities. Someone who can cast Fireball should also be able to cast Flame Arrow, but since they're different schools it's possible right now for you to prohibit one of the two.

---------
IMC, we totally reworked this more along elemental lines. All spells fall into three schools, or 14 subschools:
ELEMENTAL: Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Life, Death, Force, Nexus (teleportation and some vorpal-style abilities), Light (energy), Time. Other than Time (which mere mortals aren't able to use), these are grouped into sets of three: the Law triad (Air-Force-Earth), the Chaos triad (Fire-Nexus-Water), and the Balance triad (Life-Light-Death). The triads don't actually oppose each other; think of them more as the X, Y, and Z axes on a graph.
ASTRAL: Material (enchanting items, making symbols/runes of power), Planar
PSIONIC: Enchantment, Divination
So, basically, you still have seven options for specialization. The three Elemental triads, or the four Astral/Psionic subschools. (The eighth option is Time, but like I said, mortals can't use that subschool). The "which schools are sacrificed" part is a bit more complex, though; in general, it's a 2-for-1 thing.

Anyway, point is, there are ways to make specialization a more open process, so that you won't need to fudge the spell lists just to give each school enough spells to stay interesting.