Stormonu
NeoGrognard
One of the themes I've always wanted to do with D&D magic is the idea that magic has a potentially dangerous cost. Not only to the wielder, but possibly to those around them and the world at large.
While 1E & 2E D&D had some of these drawbacks (such as Shout being able to permanently deafen the caster if used more than 1x/day, Teleport mishaps, Contact other Plane causing insanity, Polymorph possibly killing the target or causing them to "lose their mind", Haste aging the user, etc.), I've never really been satisfied with the drawbacks; they're often either too much or too little to worry about (What worry is aging to an elf? Death from polymorph or a researched teleport is a little *too* extreme)
Dark Sun had defiling magic, which killed plants and could cause some pain to those within a certain distance. But that's not exactly what I was looking for; besides it was possible (and encouraged) for characters to be preservers, who did not have those side effects; I don't want a system that can be circumvented.
3E tried to incorporate some drawbacks with sacrificing XP, or money. Bleh, that's definitely not the way I think things should have gone. (Likewise, entirely removing any negative aspects from spells by 3.5 I feel caused a lot of problems for the game.)
I'm contemplating a system that applies negative conditions to the caster in return for casting a spell. The more powerful the spell, the more dire the consequences. In return though, monsters need to be defeatable without having to pull out the "big guns". It becomes a case of "how much do you want to risk?", leaving (most) of the level of risk up to the player.
Likewise, I'd also like the system to have an effect on the world environment; there isn't only a risk to the caster, but to the fabric of the world around him. Casting a big spell may perhaps cause tremors in the area, drain magic preventing further spell use, perhaps cause even a distant beloved NPC ally to suffer a heart attack or be driven into a coma (if the spell is "big enough").
Have you ever contemplated a drawback system for D&D magic? Would you want such a system? Have you found or made up a system that works for your group?
(P.S.: This isn't meant to make Wizards gods and Fighters peons; the spellcasters should be able to operate at levels on par with the martial characters safely, but they risk maiming or even losing their character if they use "high magic" - say, anything on par with 4th level spells or higher [in 1-3E terms]).
While 1E & 2E D&D had some of these drawbacks (such as Shout being able to permanently deafen the caster if used more than 1x/day, Teleport mishaps, Contact other Plane causing insanity, Polymorph possibly killing the target or causing them to "lose their mind", Haste aging the user, etc.), I've never really been satisfied with the drawbacks; they're often either too much or too little to worry about (What worry is aging to an elf? Death from polymorph or a researched teleport is a little *too* extreme)
Dark Sun had defiling magic, which killed plants and could cause some pain to those within a certain distance. But that's not exactly what I was looking for; besides it was possible (and encouraged) for characters to be preservers, who did not have those side effects; I don't want a system that can be circumvented.
3E tried to incorporate some drawbacks with sacrificing XP, or money. Bleh, that's definitely not the way I think things should have gone. (Likewise, entirely removing any negative aspects from spells by 3.5 I feel caused a lot of problems for the game.)
I'm contemplating a system that applies negative conditions to the caster in return for casting a spell. The more powerful the spell, the more dire the consequences. In return though, monsters need to be defeatable without having to pull out the "big guns". It becomes a case of "how much do you want to risk?", leaving (most) of the level of risk up to the player.
Likewise, I'd also like the system to have an effect on the world environment; there isn't only a risk to the caster, but to the fabric of the world around him. Casting a big spell may perhaps cause tremors in the area, drain magic preventing further spell use, perhaps cause even a distant beloved NPC ally to suffer a heart attack or be driven into a coma (if the spell is "big enough").
Have you ever contemplated a drawback system for D&D magic? Would you want such a system? Have you found or made up a system that works for your group?
(P.S.: This isn't meant to make Wizards gods and Fighters peons; the spellcasters should be able to operate at levels on par with the martial characters safely, but they risk maiming or even losing their character if they use "high magic" - say, anything on par with 4th level spells or higher [in 1-3E terms]).
