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| Beware where you prepare your spells! |
In the stories I’ve read, magicians, when they were imparting the spell energies in their minds to cast them later, would make increasingly greater effort to put as many spells as they could in their memory. There was not definite limit. Some could impart more, some less, and this could vary. They could risk filling their minds with spells, but if they pushed too hard, they could lose and release all that energy uncontrollably. Of course some of you might see this differently, but that’s what my imagination has captured out of those stories.
So here is my proposed Alternate Vancian Magic System!
Magic-Users can safely prepare a number of spell levels equal to their own character level plus their Intelligence modifier. So a 1st level MU with a Intelligence of 16 can safely prepare 3 levels of spells safely. This could be 3 1st level spells, a 1st level spell anda 2nd level spell or even a 3rd level spell. They would still cast the spells as a first level character though, so a Fireball would still do only 1d6 points of damage.
These spells would be cast normally as the game system used proposes.
Preparing additional spells beyond the safe limit: A character may attempt to prepare additional spells beyond his level limit, but that is risky. Each additional spell prepare triggers a Saving Throw with a penalty equal to the additional levels of spells prepared beyond the safety level. So if a character has already prepared all the spells within his safety level and tries to prepare a 2nd level spell, he will have to make a Saving Throw with a -2 penalty to the roll. This penalty is cumulative and stacks even if it fails. So if after that the character tries to prepare another 2nd level spell, he would have to repeat the Save with a -4 penalty.
Success means the spell is prepared normally and can be cast as if safely prepared. Failure however prevents the spell from being prepared and triggers a backlash. The character than rolls 1d6 and adds the total amount of spells levels prepared beyond his safe limit and consults the table below.
1d6+ Spell Levels
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Backlash
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2
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Forces a Saving Throw to keep the
lowest prepared spell still memorized.
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3
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The character suffers a number of
points of damage equal to the number of additional spells levels he has
attempted to prepare this day.
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4
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The character must make a Saving
Throw not to release a offensive spell on himself he has prepared right away.
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5
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Character becomes blind as
they only see the infinite energies of magic for 1d6 turns.
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6
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The energies channeled turn against
the sorcerer and cause 1 point of damage per additional spell levels he tried
to prepare today to everyone within 30 feet, as raw energy blasts our
reality.
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7
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The chaotic energies from the planes
beyond our reality impregnate the character and his chances of a rolling a
random encounter are double for a number of hours equal to the total levels
of additional spells he tried to prepare.
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8
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The character is blocked from the
currents of magic, and cannot cast spells for a number of turns equal to the
total number of additional levels of spells they tried to prepare.
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9
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The energies of the many planes that
fuel sorcery assault the character’s mind and they fall unconscious for a
number of turns equal to the total number of additional levels of spells he
tried to prepare.
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10
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The accumulated energy from the
currents of magic is too much for the character and he must make a Saving
Throw to keep his spells prepared. He must make the roll for 1d6+1 spells
determined randomly.
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11
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Crackling entropic energy from the
elemental planes blasts the character and their companions within 30 ft for
1d6 points of damage per total number of additional levels of spells he tried
to prepare. A Saving Throw may reduce this damage to half.
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12
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The energies the character was trying
to impart in their mind actually blocked his arcane channels and now the
character cannot cast any of his spells for a number of hours equal to the
total number of additional spell levels he tried to prepare.
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13
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The energies of the chaotic plane
infuses the character and now all the spells he cast must be accompanied by a
Saving Throw. Failure means the spell turns against him according to the evil
imagination of the referee.
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14
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Every time the character casts a
spell, the planes of magic demands more and more energy, making the allies of
the caster within 30 ft pay the same amount of HP points as the level of the
spell cast. This lasts for a full day.
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15
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The Void drains the life energy of
the caster and their allies within 30 ft range to power their spells.
Everyone affected suffers a points of damage distributed between their
Strength, Dexterity and Constitution for each additional spell level the
character tried to prepare.
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16+
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The character accidentally summons an
entity from the planes, possessing a number of HD equal to the total number
of additional levels of spells he tried to prepare. The entity is determined
to devour them and their allies.
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The Saving Throw penalty resets after a full day of rest. However, if there are still levels of spells prepared beyond the safe limit, that number of levels is immediately applied as penalty to prepare any new spells.
This is, of course, a system still being tested and experimented with. I plan on publishing this im the future together with other things for OSR games. But I wanted to share with you what I am working on and thinking about. What did you think of it?