Showing posts with label spells. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spells. Show all posts
Monday, 15 July 2019
Monster: Spell Scroll Mummy
A strange mummy wanders the sandy wastes, not bound to a tomb like others of its kind. Even the burning sun seems to dim in its presence. If you choose to go near it, you notice strange symbols on its wrappings. Magic-users immediately recognize these as spell scrolls.
HD 6
AC 15 [descending AC 5]*
Atk #1 touch (1d12 + spell drain)
Mv 60' (20')
Sv 13+ (or as F6)
Al Chaos
XP 500
NA 1 (1d4)
The spell scroll mummy hungers for magic. It can smell spellbooks and spell scrolls and will hunt down and attack anyone carrying them. It will leave alone travelers that have neither and wander back into the desert, unless attacked.
If the mummy decides to advance, anyone who sees it must save vs. Paralysis or be paralysed with terror until they no longer see the mummy or the mummy attacks someone.
The mummy's wrappings contain 8 spells total: three of 1st, three of 2nd, and two of 3rd level.
Each hit die's worth of cumulative damage the mummy takes destroys one of the scrolls. If the mummy takes fire damage, a scroll explodes, casting the inscribed spell at a random target. The scrolls are not harmed by non-physical damage such as magic missile. Clever players may find other ways to disable the mummy and retrieve the scrolls from it without destroying them.
If the mummy's attack hits a magic-user or similar spellcaster, the spellcaster loses one of their prepared spells, if any, starting from the lowest level slot available. A spell slot absorbed in this way heals the mummy for 1 HD's worth and magically scribes the spell into its wrappings.
The mummy cannot absorb divine (i.e. clerical) magic and has no interest in it.
As an undead, the mummy is immune to poison and mind-affecting spells.
* For ascending AC, I use unarmored = 11. This makes converting old material easy: AC = 20-DAC, base attack bonus = 20-THAC0. A normal human attacks at +0, and most monsters' attack bonus equals their HD.
Wednesday, 13 March 2019
Differentiating Spellcasters: Spell Orbs, Elven Mind-Palaces, and more
These are some of the kookier ideas I’m kicking about. The Elven one, I think, is a really flavourful and small change that makes them more Moorcockian/ Melnibonéan, which I dig. The Cleric change is something that makes sense to me fluff-wise, but I’m not sure if it might break the game too much - please let me know what you think. The Magic-User one is the most kooky, and has the biggest impact on how the game plays, so I've saved it for last. Any of these can be implemented separate of each other. As always, nothing is playtested until stated otherwise.
Spontaneous Casting: Clerics no longer prepare spells. They can spontaneously cast any spell they know, which “spends” the corresponding spell slot. As usual, sleep and meditation is required to recover spent spell slots.
Casting: Elves are innately sorcerous. Instead of using Spell-Orbs (see Magic-User), spells simply emanate out of an Elf's hand, though they share the Magic-User's spell list.
Mind-Palaces: Instead of a spellbook, Elves carve their spells into their personal Mind-Palace, which exists in the plane of dreams.
Transcribing a new spell into their Mind-Palace requires a long and deep trance and the use of special incense and potions. In terms of time and gold cost, this is the same as for Magic-Users. However, unlike a spellbook, the Mind-Palace cannot be physically stolen or destroyed (although astral travel into the plane of dreams may enable one to vandalize an Elf’s mind palace, or steal spell formulae). An Elf’s Mind-Palace starts with only the Read Magic spell.
Preparing & Learning: Elves still prepare spells into slots, which is done during their nightly sleep/trance. Each time they gain a level, an Elf learns a new spell of a level of their choice and adds it to their Mind-Palace at no gold cost (though the time requirement still applies).
Preparing: When Magic-Users prepare spells (which requires access to their spellbook), they create a one-use physical object for each prepared spell called a Spell-Orb.
Appearance: Assume a Spell-Orb takes up roughly one "slot" of inventory, or about the same space as a flask of oil. Most Spell-Orbs appear as glass balls with energies swirling inside them. However, they may also be any other sufficiently sized fragile and obviously mystical object: a charm made of sticks and bones, an unstable alchemical concoction in a bottle, or a latticework of herbs and crustacean legs joined with the mixed saliva of birds and the Magic-User. A Spell-Orb may be set into the tip of a staff for convenience.
(The reason Magic-Users often wear long robes is to conceal their Spell-Orbs within the myriad folds and secret pockets, in order to prevent assailants from snatching or destroying them.)
Casting: Using the Spell-Orb requires gesturing with it, which then triggers the spell and destroys the orb. Ranged spells require the orb to be thrown, though they cannot miss; they orbs transform mid-air into magic missiles, fireballs and so on, functioning just the same as any other spellcasting method.
Other characters may also use Spell-Orbs created by a Magic-User. Characters who are not Magic-Users, or Magic-Users of an insufficient level to cast the spell, can attempt to use them with a risk of failure. When you make such an attempt, roll your Arcana skill (1+INT in 6, Magic-Users have +1) with a penalty equal to the spell’s level. Example: if your Arcana skill is 4 and you use a 2nd level spell, you have a 2-in-6 chance of succeeding.
If the Arcana attempt fails with a roll of 6 on the die, the spell is a misfire: it is triggered but with its target or effect reversed (as deemed appropriate by the Referee). If it fails on any other number, the spell is not triggered and the Spell-Orb remains unused. A character who has failed to trigger a specific orb may not attempt to use that orb again, though it is still usable by others. Thrown Spell-Orbs (i.e. ranged spells) that fail to trigger merely fall onto the ground, but when hitting a hard surface have a 1-in-6 chance to shatter. When a fallen orb shatters, it triggers the spell, targeting the space it landed in. Fallen spell orbs can also be shattered by missile attacks (AC 17 to hit).
Unused Spell-Orbs harmlessly disappear out of existence when the Magic-User recovers their spell slots. When the Magic-User dies, each of their active spell orbs has a 4-in-6 chance of dissipating harmlessly, and a 1-in-6 chance of exploding and triggering the spell, otherwise persisting and remaining usable by others.
Gaining new spells: Spellbooks work as before: each time they gain a level, a Magic-User learns a new spell of a level of their choice and adds it to their spellbook at no gold cost (though the time requirement still applies).
(Note that only Magic-Users use spellbooks and spell orbs, though all casters still use the system of spell slots.)
The physicality of orbs will help players unfamiliar with Vancian casting grasp the meaning of spell slots. In Vance’s stories, spells are living things that inhabit a wizard’s head through his concentration and discomfort. Now, they will be concrete things the character can hold. Also, this will make inventory management a factor for Magic-Users (particularly suited to slot-based inventory systems, and those with rules for item breakage). Allowing other characters to use orbs opens up new possibilities, but at a risk. As for shattering orbs, I’ve always liked how in Nethack et al. burned scrolls can explode, broken potions still apply their effects, and so on. It really ties magic into the environment, a real part of the world. (And, honestly, I kind of want to see someone try to jam a fireball orb down a white dragon's gullet.) Also, spell orbs once again harken back to certain concepts in Dave Arneson's early games, though I do not know how the mechanics there exactly worked. If you have good information on Arnesonian spell balls, please let me know.
Many systems try to take out the spellcasting system from D&D and replace it with something else, like spell points. None so far have produced better results in play than the original system.
I currently have no interest in redoing the entire spell system, or writing new spell lists, or most importantly, breaking compatibility with existing TSR & OSR materials. However “slots vs. spell points” is not the only parameter that can be modified in the spell system. There are at least the following parameters, off the top of my head:
It appears to me that the other parameters - how to cast spells, how to prepare spells, and how to learn spells - are a much more fruitful area for modification. Changes to them have a much smaller interface with the rest of the rulebook - although they may still have far-reaching balance consequences during play (such as allowing Magic-Users to cast spontaneously).
With small changes like these to how your spellcasters learn, copy, prepare and cast spells, you can give them unique flavour without invalidating existing spell lists and compatibility with modules. The possibilities are endless. Imagine, for example, a druid’s spell slots each taking the form of an animal spirit when not prepared, or an elf who can only channel spells through weapon attacks, or...
Clerical Miracle-Working
Spontaneous Casting: Clerics no longer prepare spells. They can spontaneously cast any spell they know, which “spends” the corresponding spell slot. As usual, sleep and meditation is required to recover spent spell slots.
Elven Sorcery
Casting: Elves are innately sorcerous. Instead of using Spell-Orbs (see Magic-User), spells simply emanate out of an Elf's hand, though they share the Magic-User's spell list.
Mind-Palaces: Instead of a spellbook, Elves carve their spells into their personal Mind-Palace, which exists in the plane of dreams.
Transcribing a new spell into their Mind-Palace requires a long and deep trance and the use of special incense and potions. In terms of time and gold cost, this is the same as for Magic-Users. However, unlike a spellbook, the Mind-Palace cannot be physically stolen or destroyed (although astral travel into the plane of dreams may enable one to vandalize an Elf’s mind palace, or steal spell formulae). An Elf’s Mind-Palace starts with only the Read Magic spell.
Preparing & Learning: Elves still prepare spells into slots, which is done during their nightly sleep/trance. Each time they gain a level, an Elf learns a new spell of a level of their choice and adds it to their Mind-Palace at no gold cost (though the time requirement still applies).
Magic-Users’ Spell-Orbs
Preparing: When Magic-Users prepare spells (which requires access to their spellbook), they create a one-use physical object for each prepared spell called a Spell-Orb.
Appearance: Assume a Spell-Orb takes up roughly one "slot" of inventory, or about the same space as a flask of oil. Most Spell-Orbs appear as glass balls with energies swirling inside them. However, they may also be any other sufficiently sized fragile and obviously mystical object: a charm made of sticks and bones, an unstable alchemical concoction in a bottle, or a latticework of herbs and crustacean legs joined with the mixed saliva of birds and the Magic-User. A Spell-Orb may be set into the tip of a staff for convenience.
(The reason Magic-Users often wear long robes is to conceal their Spell-Orbs within the myriad folds and secret pockets, in order to prevent assailants from snatching or destroying them.)
Casting: Using the Spell-Orb requires gesturing with it, which then triggers the spell and destroys the orb. Ranged spells require the orb to be thrown, though they cannot miss; they orbs transform mid-air into magic missiles, fireballs and so on, functioning just the same as any other spellcasting method.
Other characters may also use Spell-Orbs created by a Magic-User. Characters who are not Magic-Users, or Magic-Users of an insufficient level to cast the spell, can attempt to use them with a risk of failure. When you make such an attempt, roll your Arcana skill (1+INT in 6, Magic-Users have +1) with a penalty equal to the spell’s level. Example: if your Arcana skill is 4 and you use a 2nd level spell, you have a 2-in-6 chance of succeeding.
If the Arcana attempt fails with a roll of 6 on the die, the spell is a misfire: it is triggered but with its target or effect reversed (as deemed appropriate by the Referee). If it fails on any other number, the spell is not triggered and the Spell-Orb remains unused. A character who has failed to trigger a specific orb may not attempt to use that orb again, though it is still usable by others. Thrown Spell-Orbs (i.e. ranged spells) that fail to trigger merely fall onto the ground, but when hitting a hard surface have a 1-in-6 chance to shatter. When a fallen orb shatters, it triggers the spell, targeting the space it landed in. Fallen spell orbs can also be shattered by missile attacks (AC 17 to hit).
Unused Spell-Orbs harmlessly disappear out of existence when the Magic-User recovers their spell slots. When the Magic-User dies, each of their active spell orbs has a 4-in-6 chance of dissipating harmlessly, and a 1-in-6 chance of exploding and triggering the spell, otherwise persisting and remaining usable by others.
Gaining new spells: Spellbooks work as before: each time they gain a level, a Magic-User learns a new spell of a level of their choice and adds it to their spellbook at no gold cost (though the time requirement still applies).
(Note that only Magic-Users use spellbooks and spell orbs, though all casters still use the system of spell slots.)
Rationale
The physicality of orbs will help players unfamiliar with Vancian casting grasp the meaning of spell slots. In Vance’s stories, spells are living things that inhabit a wizard’s head through his concentration and discomfort. Now, they will be concrete things the character can hold. Also, this will make inventory management a factor for Magic-Users (particularly suited to slot-based inventory systems, and those with rules for item breakage). Allowing other characters to use orbs opens up new possibilities, but at a risk. As for shattering orbs, I’ve always liked how in Nethack et al. burned scrolls can explode, broken potions still apply their effects, and so on. It really ties magic into the environment, a real part of the world. (And, honestly, I kind of want to see someone try to jam a fireball orb down a white dragon's gullet.) Also, spell orbs once again harken back to certain concepts in Dave Arneson's early games, though I do not know how the mechanics there exactly worked. If you have good information on Arnesonian spell balls, please let me know.
Many systems try to take out the spellcasting system from D&D and replace it with something else, like spell points. None so far have produced better results in play than the original system.
I currently have no interest in redoing the entire spell system, or writing new spell lists, or most importantly, breaking compatibility with existing TSR & OSR materials. However “slots vs. spell points” is not the only parameter that can be modified in the spell system. There are at least the following parameters, off the top of my head:
- Casting spells - the actions required to activate a spell, and any restrictions to doing so such as “no armour”, and any side effects of these actions (magical mishaps, etc.)
- Preparing spells - when and how a character chooses the spells available for the adventure, or if they have all the spells they know available (spontaneous casting)
- Learning spells - whether a character knows all spells on their list, or knows a subset of it, and whether there is a maximum on the size of the known subset
- Spell resources - what is spent to use spells: spell slots and spell levels, spell points, HP drain, increasing risks, etc.
It appears to me that the other parameters - how to cast spells, how to prepare spells, and how to learn spells - are a much more fruitful area for modification. Changes to them have a much smaller interface with the rest of the rulebook - although they may still have far-reaching balance consequences during play (such as allowing Magic-Users to cast spontaneously).
With small changes like these to how your spellcasters learn, copy, prepare and cast spells, you can give them unique flavour without invalidating existing spell lists and compatibility with modules. The possibilities are endless. Imagine, for example, a druid’s spell slots each taking the form of an animal spirit when not prepared, or an elf who can only channel spells through weapon attacks, or...
Tuesday, 20 February 2018
LotFP Hybrid Classes Expanded 2: Shamans and Sages
Go to part 1. We continue on the track started by Jackson Malloy's post about hybrid classes at Sword and Scoundrel. This is a separate post because it's a bit more out there than the first, and is hungrily eyeing a couple sacred cows.
Malloy's system starts with the axiom that Clerics and Magic-Users cannot be combined. This seems reasonable. After all, they are of opposite alignments, and have their own niches; traditionally, wizards have not been granted the ability to heal as a check to their power (as well as for thematic reasons).
But... what would happen if we broke those rules? Apparently, James Raggi's recent playtest of the next version of LotFP also combined Clerics and Magic-Users into one class, or at least gave Cleric spells to the Magic-User. What if we went further with the hybrid classes and included a Cleric-MU-hybrid - or even a tri-class-hybrid, a Cleric-MU-Specialist?
With our XP formula from part 1, it would take the Cleric-MU - let's call it a Shaman - 3,000 XP to reach second level, and the Cleric-MU-Specialist - let's call it a Sage - 3,700 XP. For spellcasting, they are half a Cleric, and half a Magic-User, but separately, so their caster level is halved, and they know spells as a caster of half their level. But when combining two casters, it makes more sense to combine the spell slots into one pool, so that they start with spell slots at lvl 1, but perhaps still have to divide their prepared spells between the two lists. For some reason, I'm attracted to the idea of forcing the Shaman to strike a balance between Cleric and Magic-User spells. (That might be just due to the Goblin Shaman class in Warhammer Online, who had a charge-up meter that empowered their their healing magic when they cast damage spells, and vice versa.)
The Shaman has a d6 hit die. But our Sage is clearly a scholarly type, so let's lower its hit die to d4 and limit their skill selection to non-movement skills. In return, we'll reduce its XP costs to 3,000, since the only thing it now has over the Shaman is knowing a bit more about secret doors and languages.
Hit die: d6
Saves: as Cleric
Base XP: 3,000.
You have spell slots equal to a Magic-User of your level. You can cast both Magic-User and Cleric spells, and you are considered a caster of half your character level (minimum of 1). However, when you prepare spells, half of the spells for each level must be Cleric spells, and the other half Magic-User spells. If you have an odd number of spell slots for a given level, you can choose whether to prepare a Magic-User or Cleric spell in the last slot. For example, if you have three 1st-level spell slots, you can prepare one Cleric and two Magic-User spells of 1st level, or two and one.
You can not cast spells if you are more than Heavily encumbered. Like an Elf, you must have one hand free (or clutching a magical focus) to cast spells.
Hit die: d4
Saves: as Magic-User
Base XP: 3,000.
You have spell slots equal to a Magic-User of your level. You can cast both magic-user and Cleric spells, and you are considered a caster of half your character level (minimum of 1).
You can not cast spells if you are more than Lightly encumbered. Like a Magic-User, you must have both hands free (or clutching a magical focus) to cast spells.
Additionally, you have two skill points at 1st level, and gain one more skill point each time you level up. These skill points cannot be used for movement-based skills (Climb, Sleight of Hand, Sneak Attack, Stealth, Tinker), but only mental ones (Architecture, Bushcraft, Languages, Search, and any other ones you may have in your game such as Medicine or Arcana).
In LotFP, Magic-Users learn one random spell of a level of their choice on level-up, and can add spells from scrolls and spellbooks they find. They start with Read Magic and three random spells. Clerics learn all Cleric spells automatically. So, how do we reconcile this for our hybrids? Here is a fine opportunity to add some flavour and differentiate these classes. If you wanted to introduce new mechanics or subsystems, this would be an appropriate place, since it's not something that has to be referenced in every session.
For example, the Shaman might not use a spellbook, instead starting with two random spells from each spell list, learn one spell from each spell list on level-up (of a level of the player's choice), and be unable to transcribe spells. You could add a mechanic for the Shaman to influence the choice of spells learned, or a mini-game - as long as it's something that is quick to resolve since it is only engaging a single player!
The Sage should use a spellbook, of course. They could start with Read Magic, one random Magic-User spell (or Identify) and two random Cleric spells. They would learn one random spell on level up from a spell list and level of their choice, and in addition be able to transcribe Cleric spells (from scrolls) as well as Magic-User spells into their spellbook.
This results in two classes that have more versatility than either of the core casters, through being able to either learn or transcribe a greater number or spells, while casting them at a lower power, in addition to the increased XP costs.
If you decide to use hybrid classes at your table, you may not want to include every one, what with so many redundant spellcasters. Decide based on the flavour you're going for. The Shaman and Sage step on some toes, so you might want to pick only one of them, depending on whether the written or spoken word is more improtant in your setting. Personally, I might only include the Ranger, Paladin, Sage and possibly Assassin for my current medieval setting. For a "Nordic barbarians" vibe, I'd go with the Ranger and Shaman instead. What do you think?
Malloy's system starts with the axiom that Clerics and Magic-Users cannot be combined. This seems reasonable. After all, they are of opposite alignments, and have their own niches; traditionally, wizards have not been granted the ability to heal as a check to their power (as well as for thematic reasons).
But... what would happen if we broke those rules? Apparently, James Raggi's recent playtest of the next version of LotFP also combined Clerics and Magic-Users into one class, or at least gave Cleric spells to the Magic-User. What if we went further with the hybrid classes and included a Cleric-MU-hybrid - or even a tri-class-hybrid, a Cleric-MU-Specialist?
With our XP formula from part 1, it would take the Cleric-MU - let's call it a Shaman - 3,000 XP to reach second level, and the Cleric-MU-Specialist - let's call it a Sage - 3,700 XP. For spellcasting, they are half a Cleric, and half a Magic-User, but separately, so their caster level is halved, and they know spells as a caster of half their level. But when combining two casters, it makes more sense to combine the spell slots into one pool, so that they start with spell slots at lvl 1, but perhaps still have to divide their prepared spells between the two lists. For some reason, I'm attracted to the idea of forcing the Shaman to strike a balance between Cleric and Magic-User spells. (That might be just due to the Goblin Shaman class in Warhammer Online, who had a charge-up meter that empowered their their healing magic when they cast damage spells, and vice versa.)
The Shaman has a d6 hit die. But our Sage is clearly a scholarly type, so let's lower its hit die to d4 and limit their skill selection to non-movement skills. In return, we'll reduce its XP costs to 3,000, since the only thing it now has over the Shaman is knowing a bit more about secret doors and languages.
Shaman
Hit die: d6Saves: as Cleric
Base XP: 3,000.
You have spell slots equal to a Magic-User of your level. You can cast both Magic-User and Cleric spells, and you are considered a caster of half your character level (minimum of 1). However, when you prepare spells, half of the spells for each level must be Cleric spells, and the other half Magic-User spells. If you have an odd number of spell slots for a given level, you can choose whether to prepare a Magic-User or Cleric spell in the last slot. For example, if you have three 1st-level spell slots, you can prepare one Cleric and two Magic-User spells of 1st level, or two and one.
You can not cast spells if you are more than Heavily encumbered. Like an Elf, you must have one hand free (or clutching a magical focus) to cast spells.
Sage
Hit die: d4Saves: as Magic-User
Base XP: 3,000.
You have spell slots equal to a Magic-User of your level. You can cast both magic-user and Cleric spells, and you are considered a caster of half your character level (minimum of 1).
You can not cast spells if you are more than Lightly encumbered. Like a Magic-User, you must have both hands free (or clutching a magical focus) to cast spells.
Additionally, you have two skill points at 1st level, and gain one more skill point each time you level up. These skill points cannot be used for movement-based skills (Climb, Sleight of Hand, Sneak Attack, Stealth, Tinker), but only mental ones (Architecture, Bushcraft, Languages, Search, and any other ones you may have in your game such as Medicine or Arcana).
Learning Spells
In LotFP, Magic-Users learn one random spell of a level of their choice on level-up, and can add spells from scrolls and spellbooks they find. They start with Read Magic and three random spells. Clerics learn all Cleric spells automatically. So, how do we reconcile this for our hybrids? Here is a fine opportunity to add some flavour and differentiate these classes. If you wanted to introduce new mechanics or subsystems, this would be an appropriate place, since it's not something that has to be referenced in every session.For example, the Shaman might not use a spellbook, instead starting with two random spells from each spell list, learn one spell from each spell list on level-up (of a level of the player's choice), and be unable to transcribe spells. You could add a mechanic for the Shaman to influence the choice of spells learned, or a mini-game - as long as it's something that is quick to resolve since it is only engaging a single player!
The Sage should use a spellbook, of course. They could start with Read Magic, one random Magic-User spell (or Identify) and two random Cleric spells. They would learn one random spell on level up from a spell list and level of their choice, and in addition be able to transcribe Cleric spells (from scrolls) as well as Magic-User spells into their spellbook.
This results in two classes that have more versatility than either of the core casters, through being able to either learn or transcribe a greater number or spells, while casting them at a lower power, in addition to the increased XP costs.
If you decide to use hybrid classes at your table, you may not want to include every one, what with so many redundant spellcasters. Decide based on the flavour you're going for. The Shaman and Sage step on some toes, so you might want to pick only one of them, depending on whether the written or spoken word is more improtant in your setting. Personally, I might only include the Ranger, Paladin, Sage and possibly Assassin for my current medieval setting. For a "Nordic barbarians" vibe, I'd go with the Ranger and Shaman instead. What do you think?
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