Magic Introduction: Campaign setting is high magic. House rules are mostly generous to spellcasters. Mages get freecasting, no memorizing. One limitation: Interruption. There is a way for spellcasters to be interrupted thus temporarily preventing you from casting. Spellcasting and acquiring new spells is relatively easy in our system. This is considerably easier and yet more expansive than standard AD&D2 in some areas, and much more advantageous for the spell caster's Player across the board. It may start to look like a lot of rules on the post, but the way it plays actually gives more freedom to the mage and bard players. I'll help you get a handle as we go along, and I'll try to write out the rules as clear and concise. This is all about Arcane magic (Bards, Mage, Wizard, Specialist Mage, Sorcerer), not Divine (not Priest, not clerics). This is the same as we've been playing it all along. Finally getting around to writing it down. This is open for comments & questions. Chance To Learn Spells (How to add spells to your spellbook) 1st write down a list of your favorite 5-10 spells per spell level. WSC Vol. 4 appendix can really help jazz up your choices here! Consult the Wizard's Spell Compendium Volume 4 when making your list of favorites. Read the appendix to find suggested spells for your type of class specifically. It has Bard + Song Mage, and every type of specialist and setting. This will help you to discover rare or unusual spells to bring into the game. I'll walk you through everything else (below) in-game as we go along. The starting point for Players is the above --- Write down the spells that you want from each spell level. Take your time. Enjoy this listing process to get started. Research WSC or PHB, and choose favorite desired spells that fit your character flavor. 2nd announce your % Chance To Learn Spell (modifier based on INT). 3rd Roll the macro called "Learn Spell" in-game in-chat for each spell, running down your list starting with top-favorite. 3A If you roll higher than your percentage chance, you fail to learn that spell for now (you can try again later). Type "failed" into the chat. 3B If you roll successfully within your percentage chance, you succeed to learn that spell -- write that spell name in a list on your BIO TAB and Save. Type "succeeded" into the chat, and say that you have added that spell to your spellbook list. 4th Keep rolling until you have successfully learned at least 3 (Bard), 5 (Mages), 6 (Specialist Mage) spells for each spell level. 5th Stop rolling when you have reached the minimum (above). 6th Stop rolling if you reach your Maximum # Spells Per Level (stat based on INT). To gain more spells in-game as we go along, 1. Each time you cast a spell that the PC has never casted before in the campaign, you earn 1 more "Learn Spell" percentage chance roll. 2. Roll your "Learn Spell" macro on the next spell from your list of favorites. 3. You may choose a previously-failed spell to try rolling again. 4. Stop learning spells when you have reached your Max # Spells Per Level (stat based on INT). 5. If your Max # Spells is higher than 10, that's fine, you can expand your favorite spells list beyond 10 when needed. Generally you do not need scrolls, copying spells, or spell research, to gain new low level spells in this. They are only needed for high level spells (5th-9th spell levels). To cast spells in-game, 1. We have freecasting (bards and mages, works very much like priest/clerics in this way). 2. No memorizing spells! Memorization is out. 3. Keep track carefully of your Number of Spell Slots per day, per level. When you cast a spell write it down. When you rest and replenish spell slots, start a new list for the new day. This is important. Spellcasters get a lot of courtesy in this system. Please be responsible for tracking your proper number of spell slots per day and the number you've actually casted so far each day. Yep! No joke! To recap, when you are ready to cast a spell you can cast whatever spell you want, as long as it is in your spellbook (you have Learned the spell successfully), and as long as you have a spell slot for the day. Remember --- this should give you chances to cast odd and unusual spells ("Protection From Purple Creatures") that you wouldn't normally spend a slot to memorize and prepare, not knowing if that spell would be needed for that day's upcoming adventures. Now you can decide moment-to-moment what is worth spending a spell slot to deal with a scenario! Spell Components in casting, Spell Components are used for the narrative. Please talk about them when you cast your spell. You do not need to "buy" material components, but you should be prepared to narrate how & where you store the material components (that we're not asking you to pay for, nor to weigh encumbrance). Spell components are: S = Somatic = describe how you are moving your hands, arms, body to cast this spell. V = Verbal = describe the sounds , words, utterances that you are using to cast. M = Material = note the necessary material components from the spell description and mention them when you roleplay performing the casting action. Interruption: if you get hit then you can't cast. New Rule: When you get hit for damage, you cannot cast a spell on your next initiative round. The old way: The mage's spell would be lost and ruined (sometimes called "fizzled out" in the lingo), having no effect and still costing you the spell slot and the round's action. In 2E they said your spell was "disrupted". The new way (our campaign, house rule): If you get hit, your next action cannot be a spell casting. Do something else. No spell slot is lost. You can still act, just not casting a spell. It might affect the current round (if you have not acted yet) or it might be the next round (if you already acted in this round), either way it is your next action after getting hit. The new way can be called "suppressing fire" --- if you want to stop a wizard from casting, just keep hitting him every round. Caster Players Remember, and please help take responsibility for this in the game, This is the one main limitation upon mage spell casters when you're getting several new advantages. Any time you take damage, and you are a Bard or Mage. If you nick HP off your HP bar, that means you must do 1 action that is NOT a spell, before you can start casting another spell again. In the new rules we don't have fizzling out, but we still have interruption. This method works with Group Initiative rolls that we tend to use; the old way didn't work and meant interruptions were effectively never possible and did not occur. This method also works with Individual Initiative (if we switch to using that sometimes) without needing to use Casting Time as an Initiative modifier like the old way required. High Level exception: The above rules apply for Mage Spells of Spell Level 1-2-3-4. When you start casting 5th-6th-7th-8th-9th level spells, there may be revised rules with more limitations (such as announcing your memorized spells of the higher levels, while keeping freecasting for the lower level spells; and scrolls or spell research may be required to obtain certain higher level spells).
