As I mentioned in my last post, I've been messing around with the Thief. Actually, I've been thinking about character classes generally, and that includes the Magic-User. Magician. Mage. Wizard. Whatever you like to call them.
Which ties neatly in with the December RPG Blog Carnival theme, Beyond Vancian Magic.
I'll be honest, I actually quite like Vancian magic on magic-users1, although I do still need to read some actual Vance to fully appreciate the nuances. But the classic old-school D&D magic-user suffers a little, in my view, from trying to make everything a spell.
Why is that a problem?
Well, when everything is a spell, everything depends on being able to cast spells. Hence the question of what use a Magic-User is without any spell slots. Later editions of the game solve this with zero-level spells that don't require any resources. That's certainly one way to solve the problem. Not necessarily a good way, but definitely a way.
Another is to have the Magic-User do useful but non-magical, as suggested on I Cast Light! several years ago. And I'm sure by countless people who didn't have blogs over the preceding forty-plus years. Which is, again, perfectly viable. And whilst spell scrolls contribute, they don't entirely solve the problem.
But there are a couple of things that Magic-Users probably ought to be able to do, which most OSR games require a spell for, or just don't permit.
Read Magic
Seriously, what use is a magic-user who can't read magic? How are they learning spells, deciphering inscriptions, and so forth otherwise? Just give it to them as a free ability. Level 1, straight out of the gates, no resource required.
Yeah, there's a risk that they can cast their one freaking spell and then move onto scrolls at Level 1. The great thing about scrolls? They're one and done. If it's a problem, stop leaving so many scrolls lying around in your dungeons.
Detect Magic
This one needs a bit more care. It's a bit more powerful than read magic, but it still feels like something that a magic-user should just be able to do. I'm on the fence about whether this should just work, or require a roll. My instinct is that it just works, but it takes an entire exploration turn. Instead of searching for traps, or listening at a door, the magic-user can attune to the ambient magical field to find any magic items within 60 feet.
If that's a bit too powerful, you could make it require a roll - on my 2d6 system, an ability of +3 in Detect Magic, modified by Intelligence, feels appropriate. Alternatively, rule that if any spell is actually cast within 60 feet of the magic-user, the disruption to the local magical field is so intense that the ability is temporarily ineffective. The magic-user might even be rendered incapable through the magical backlash.
Counter Spell
This is, unaccountably, entirely missing from the OD&D and B/X magic-user, yet feels like a core part of the fantasy archetype. A magic-user ought to be able to (or at least have a chance to) prevent the casting of a spell by an opponent. Fortunately, Chainmail2 does have such rules. And with a little tweaking, they work quite well.
When in combat, a magic-user may name a target, and declare that they are going to attempt to counter its spell, rather than cast one of their own. A Counter Spell roll is then called for, with a skill at 1st level of +3. Modifiers to be applied are
- The counterspelling magic-user's Wisdom modifier. Yes, Wisdom.3
- ±1 for each level by which the magic-user's level is above or below the target's level.
Spell Casting
One of the innovations from 5e that's actually quite elegant is the concept of 'upcasting'. Rather than the power of a spell such as fire ball being determined by the level of the magic-user, it is instead determined by the level of the spell slot employed.
For the purposes of adapting to OSR rulesets, I'd suggest determining spell effects as at the lowest possible level (e.g. a 5d6 fire ball), then increasing the effects by two levels' worth for each level of upcasting. This probably needs adjusted with playtesting.
Employed alongside traditional Vancian spell preparation, this weakens the magic-user somewhat at higher levels by directly reducing the power of low-level spells, and increasing competition for higher-level slots.
If you wanted to chuck on some minor magical effects, I don't see why you couldn't. Cantrips with appreciable mechanical effects undermine the resource management aspects of the game. A magic-user should be appreciably less effective once they're out of spells. But something like 'heat a bowl of soup to a pleasant warmth' or 'create a dim glow, similar to a lit match' isn't game breaking.
Oh, and you can't move and cast a spell on the same turn.4 All the gesticulating, you see.
Spell Recovery
There's still the problem of magic-users getting back their spells far too quickly compared to hit point recovery. Allowing one spell to be regained per night's rest works out about right; the magic-user will regain all their spells more quickly than the fighter regains their hit points, but only by a factor of two or so. Here, I'd say that spell recovery should generally respect level progression, with lower-level spells recovered before higher-level ones.
More Linear?
Taken together, I think this gives a magic-user that better embodies the fantasy at low levels, through the Read Magic, Detect Magic, and Counter Spell abilities. The power is reined in slightly at higher levels, resulting in magic-users who are slightly less world-changing.
Yes, it's still basically Vancian. Which feels like a bit of a cop-out. But the flavour of the classic magic-user feels basically just right - just a dash of seasoning and a little garnish needed to make the dish what it needs to be.
1: Clerics are another (more complicated) matter.
2: The counterspell mechanics from newer editions are either uselessly clunky (3.5e) or too powerful (5e).
3: Or Will, when I get around to my take on ability scores.
4: Getting the impression I'm B/Xifying Chainmail and OD&D yet?
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