Wizards and Clerics and Shit

Army of God, by Draegg

I have never been a fan of “Vancian” magic systems. I’ve never read Vance, and never even heard of him until less than a decade ago. I’m sure some nerd’s head just exploded somewhere. I don’t really care.

Maybe in its original context it was hip and cool and edgy and neat. But Vancian magic hasn’t been any of those things in the 25 years I’ve been gaming. It isn’t fun; it’s an arbitrary handicap. It isn’t balancing, and even if it was, fuck that; balance is bullshit. And the worst part of it is that in spells are written down in spell books and have components you must possess… But you still forget them after casting.

(Yes, I know Gygax or Arneson or some Steven in Dragon magazine explained exactly why this is the case back before I was born. I’m sure that explanation made perfect sense, too. I don’t care. You will not convince me that it isn’t a ridiculously bad system)

So what’s the alternative? Point-based systems? Well, I’ve always preferred point based systems over the, “oops I forgot my livelihood,” spell slot system of Dungeons and Dragons. I’ve looked at many alternatives created by many people over the years, and none of them gelled with me.

The problem with point based systems is that while it offers the player character more choice and freedom, it also makes for more book keeping and an additional stat to keep track of. 

So, I’ve been working on something different.

Wizards and Clerics and Druids and Witches and Sorcerers and Warlocks and Wu Jin and whatever the hell you want to call your magic users all work pretty much the same way.

First step: Choose to be a magic user.
Second step: Choose your hit die.

Waaaaait… what? Choose your hit die?

Yep, choose a d4, d6, d8, d10, or d12.

Third step: Roll attributes, choose equipment, pick spells.

That’s it! You’re done!

Okay, it’s a little more complicated than that. Going back to to choosing your Hit Die, the HD represents what kind of magic user you want to be.

If your hit die is…

• d4, then you start with 1 additional spell, in addition to Ability/Attribute bonus. Spells cost 1 HP per level of spell to cast. Zero level spells cost 0 HP, making them “at will.”
• d6, Spells cost 1 HP per level to cast, Zero level spells cost 1 HP.
• d8, Spells cost 2 HP per level of spell to cast, Zero level spells cost 1 HP, start with 1 less spell.
• d10, Spells cost 3 HP per level of spell to cast, Zero level spells cost 2 HP, start with 2 less spells.
• d12, Spells cost 4 HP per level, Zero level spells cost 3 HP, start with 3 less spells.

You may be asking, “Why?” 

Well, this allows the player to have a sorcerer-supreme type of wizard in the classic sense; few hit points, lots of magic. It also allows for the battle-priest type of the classic cleric. It allows for the tough outdoorsy druid. It allows for a barbarian shaman with a couple of ringer powers. You could choose to be a gigantic muscle man who uses a couple low level spells to help him win body building contests. It leaves a whole lot of room for the player, rather than force them into an archetype.

The higher the hit die, the less practiced of a magic user the character is, so the fewer spells they have and the harder it is to cast those spells. They were too busy working out, hunting critters, punching things, or standing under waterfalls to spend a lot of time practicing magic. Or they just didn’t have an aptitude for it, but Dad paid for the education, so they had to learn a little bit. Maybe they worship a warrior goddess who grants some powers but considers reliance on magic to be for weaklings. 

The backstory is up to the player.

Spell lists are whatever the player wants to fit their character concept. I’m building a spell list combining AD&D, Lamentations of the Flame Princess, and Castles & Crusades, with some Palladium Fantasy thrown in there for the Strathos setting I’m working on.  

Spells costing hit points was something I’ve thought about implementing for a while, and then I bought Maze of the Blue Medusa and the NPCs all spend HP to cast spells, and it sold me on the idea. It gives a point-based feel, without an addtional stat to keep track of, and makes magic more interesting by increasing its rarity due to the personal effects of wielding it.

I don’t like the “Clerics can cast any spell of an available level,” while Wizards can only cast spells they know. That doesn’t make sense to me. A cleric’s life is about their religion and belief system. Their spells should reflect the values of their god(s), religion, or religious sect/order. Since cleric spells are complicated prayers that call upon higher powers to act on the cleric’s behalf, they should be learned and passed on the same as wizard spells. Clerics have hymnals and prayer books and scrolls and prayer beads and holy symbols and altars and incense and drugs and alcohol for the same reason wizards have spell books, laboratories, crystal balls, wands, staves, pointy hats, robes with the cosmos printed on them, etc. It is for studying and recalling knowledge to perform magic.

So, if you choose d4 HD, you get a bonus spell, you get freebie spells, and your spells are very cheap to cast. You are rewarded for playing a weak, easily killed character.
With a d6 HD, you’re kind of like the “average” magic user, with no special bonuses or penalties.
At d8 HD, you’re entering Fighter territory, but with a magical edge.
With d10 and d12, your magic abilities are severely hampered, and you have a lot of potential Hit Points, but what spells you can cast will eat up those HP pretty fast. 

Fighting type characters get their own special abilities, so don’t think of a d12 magic user as a Barbarian bad-ass with magic powers, cause it is not. Far from it, actually.

One thing I forgot to mention was Ability scores for magic users. In D&D, Wizards get extra stuff from Intelligence, Clerics from Wisdom. In Castles & Crusades, those would be the Prime Attributes. Same thing here. If you have a player that wants to be a Bard, and you haven’t kicked them out of your group yet, they can choose Charisma for their Prime Attribute for their bonus spells. 

Let me know if I missed something glaringly bad or something is poorly written.