(c) Dr Paul Kinsler. [Acknowledgements & Feedback]

This material is intended to augment or improve the on the rules in the official manuals, which you will need to make sense of it; although I suppose you might find some of the ideas interesting anyway.

A Spell Point System for AD&D (c) Paul Kinsler 1992 Version 2.0 (A version of this was published in the Queensland Wargamer in 1992) This article is an attempt to make spell casting classes in AD&D more flexible by removing the rigid "spell memorisation" rules, thus allowing characters more freedom to be creative with magic use. No longer will low level magic users curse that they felt forced to take the formidable 'sleep' spell when what they really need now is 'message' - a spell no low level magic user can afford to take down a dungeon. The system is applicable to both first and second edition rules. Instead of memorising a particular subset of their spells, spell casters now study the spells in their spell books, in order to be able to cast spells during the rest of the day. They draw on their knowledge and experience to cast magic, as opposed to storing magical patterns in their head. Clerics still mediate and pray in order to receive the power to cast clerical magic - but can now cast any of the spells they are allowed to. The other changes are the addition of a casting roll to determine if a spell was correctly cast, and fatigue costs. Firstly, I define some terminology to avoid the confusion caused by the AD&D rules use of 'level' for many different things. The level of experience of the character will still called 'level', but I will refer to spell level as 'rank' (thus wish is a rank-9 spell). Spell 'power' is the level of effect at which a spell is cast. This is now variable, as opposed to the standard rules which fix spell power at the level of the spell caster. Spells can now be cast at a lower power than the level of the character. For example a fifth level magic user can cast a magic missile at the same level of effect as a first level magic user (doing 1d4+1 damage at 70'). SPECIALISATION Spell casters also specialise in types of spells. Magic users select spell schools, clerics have spell spheres. The schools for magic user spells are listed just after the title in the spell lists in the players handbook, and the second edition has additional tables listing them separately. The clerical spheres are listed only in the second edition handbook. There are five classes of specialisation: Major, Minor, Other, Minor Opposition and Major Opposition. A first level magic user selects a major school and this choice of major school then fixes their major opposition school to that specified in the 2nd edition rules. For example, a choice of 'alteration' as a major specialisation fixes the characters major opposition school as 'abjuration'. Initially, spells in all other schools are classed as 'other', but upon reaching second and forth level a magic user can select one extra minor school. Choice of a minor school fixes the school in opposition to this as a minor opposition school. Opposition schools cannot be chosen as minor specialisations. Clerics have their major and minor spheres fixed by their deity, although there may some room for choice in their Minor or Other spheres. Opposition spheres should be determined by the DM according to the cleric's deity. For example, 'Stefania', a new first level magic user selects 'divination' as her Major school, thus setting her major opposition schools to be 'conjuration' and 'summoning'. Upon reaching second level she picks 'necromancy' as a minor school, causing 'illusion' to become a minor opposition. When she reaches fourth level she selects 'abjuration' as her second minor, so 'alteration' becomes a minor opposition. Spell casters get bonuses to their chance to successfully cast, depending on its specialisation. A spell cast in a characters Major adds +2 to the casting die roll for success, Minor are at +1, Others at +0, Minor oppositions at -1, and Major opposition spells are at -2. Spells cast in chosen specialisations are also less tiring. CASTING SPELLS Spell casters get a number of 'spell points' equal to their level per day, subject to being well rested, and spending at least ten minutes of study, meditation, or prayer per spell point gained. Unused spell points are not lost at the end of the day, but a character cannot accumulate more spell points than they have levels. Casting a spell of a certain rank uses up an equal number of spell points. For example, casting the rank-3 'web' spell costs three spell points. The chance of successfully casting a spell depends on several factors. The spell works if the spell caster rolls the 'target number' or greater on 1d20. This is called the casting roll. The target number to successfully cast a spell is: 4 +3x(spell rank) +(spell power) -2x(level) The die roll is modified upward by the "normal" STAT bonus according to the following table: STAT Value 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 Normal +4 +3 +2 +1 +1 +0 -0 -1 -1 -2 -3 -4 For magic users, STAT is intelligence, and for clerics it is wisdom. Round fractions down when dividing. Spells that have no listed dependence on the spell caster's level must be cast with a power at equal or greater to its rank. Spells cannot be cast at a power greater than the level of the spell caster, or at a power less than one. Casting spells is a tiring business, costing energy as well as spell points. To reflect this, casting a spell costs a number of points proportional to the spell power. There are two distinct versions of the fatigue rules. The first treats fatigue as a hit point loss, and so the amount of fatigue varies according to the type of hit dice used by the casters class. The second causes a temporary reduction in the primary statistic of the class. In both versions, additional modifications to the fatigue cost occur according to the school or sphere of the spell. The base fatigue cost is given by the hit dice factor from the following table multiplied by the spell power. Hit Dice Type d4 d6 d8 d10 STAT Major, Minor 1 1.5 2 2.5 6/level Other 2 3 4 5 12/level Opposition 3 4.5 6 7.5 18/level If the target roll is made by more than five, the fatigue point cost is half the base fatigue cost; if it is made by ten, one quarter; by fifteen, one eighth; and so on. Round halves up. Furthermore, failing a casting roll by more than five doubles the fatigue cost, failing by more than ten multiplies it by four, and by fifteen multiplies it by eight, and so on. Fatigue costs for spells that restore hit points are treated differently. Examples are cure light wounds, cure serious wounds, and heal, but not cure disease, raise dead, or resurrect. When casting these spells, treat the specialisation as one class better on the table: Minor and Major specialisations cost no fatigue points, Other are treated as Major/ Minor, and Opposition as Other. Option 1: Hit points. These hit points are lost regardless of whether the spell succeeds or fails. Round any fractions less than 1/4 down. The hit points can be regained after a suitable period of rest - at a rate of one hit point per half hour of rest. As a result, a separate total of hit points lost to spell fatigue should be kept. Note that the spell caster will still die if their remaining number of hit points, including the losses due to spell casting, is less than -10. Option 2: Statistic decrease. These STAT points are lost regardless of whether the spell succeeds or fails. Round any fractions less than 1/4 down. They can be regained after a suitable period of rest - at a rate of one point per half hour of rest. The lost STAT points can be regained by any spell that can restore hit points, at one point per three hit points that would have been cured. However, if a spell is used for this purpose then that casting _cannot_ also restore hit points. If the casters STAT drops below 1 they fall into a coma, and lose one point off their STATs value _permanently_. The comatose spell caster then recovers one point of their STAT per day - curative spell have no effect in this case - until it reaches 1, and then it recovers at the normal rate. If the STAT drops below -7 they permanently lose an additional point (ie a total of two) off their STATs value, and die instantly. ADDITIONAL RULES CLERICAL BONUS SPELLS: Under the standard rules, very wise clerics gain extra spells. Including these as bonus spell points will give such a first level cleric too many spell points, so my solution is to treat these spells under the old rules. They are considered to be a gift from the deity or its minions to particularly wise clerics, and as such are chosen by the cleric (or given by the deity) while meditating, for later use. Casting rolls are still made, but fatigue costs are not applied. DISPELLING MAGIC: When casting dispel magic, use the power the spell is cast at rather than the level of the caster to determine success or failure. This applies for both the original spell, and the dispel magic. SCROLLS: Casting spells off scrolls does not cost spell points, and the spell should be treated as being cast by the scribe of the scroll, and not by the reader. The only exception is that the STAT modifier of the reader should be used. Depending on the way the spell was scribed, the power of the spell may or may not be able to be varied by the reader. MAGIC ITEMS: The abilities relevant to spell casting need to be defined for the item, and are at best those of the maker. These are: level, spell points, specialisations, intelligence or wisdom, and fatigue hit points (under option 1). However some items may use the wielders characteristics instead. For example, fatigue casts may be applied to the wielder instead of giving the item a 'hit point' total for accounting purposes. The item then casts spells as specified by those abilities. OPTIONAL RULES CONVERTING FAILED CASTING ROLLS: a failed casting roll can be turned into a success by a reduction in power of the spell. However, it is still treated as a failed roll. If Pring the Conjurer attempts to cast a power-9 fireball, but fails his target roll by two, the result would be a power-7 fireball. If he had failed by six, a power-3 fireball would result, but his fatigue costs are doubled. OVERCASTING IN RANK: DM's who like to play fast and loose with game balance might allow low level magic users to cast high level spells if they take several days to cast. It would take a character as many days to cast as it takes to get the spell points required, but it should be understood that it takes the entire time used to accumulate the spell points as it does to cast the spell. For example, Rufus, the first level Cleric could try to cast the rank-3 locate object if he took three days to do so. However, his chance of success would not be good, even if he could withstand the strain - and the consequences of failure should be dire. This kind of overcasting can be a lifeline for desperate spell casters. OVERCASTING IN POWER: similarly, DM's may allow spell casters to cast spells at a higher power than their level. However, the casting roll is not really designed to cope with this, so if it is used then fatigue costs should be at least doubled when power overcasting. EXAMPLE (1) Imagine Stefania, the sixth level MU, who has intelligence 11 and 10hp, is threatened by a cloud of poison gas and tries to cast a power-4 version of the rank-3 alteration spell Gust of Wind, to disperse it. The spell is in her Other specialisation. (1a) Option 1 - Her spell point total drops by 3 (from 6 to 3) and the effort has a base fatigue cost of 2(other) x4(power) = 8hp. She now has to check if she successfully casts the spell - her target number is 4 +3x3(rank) +4(power) -2x6(level) = 5, which she easily manages, rolling a 13 with a +2 INT bonus to make 15. This is a success by more than 10, so the fatigue cost is 8(base)/4 = 2hp, so her hit point total drops from 10 to 8. The gust of wind generated is 10 yards wide, and 10*4(power) = 40 yards long. Now safe, she rests for half an hour, and regains one of those hit points. (1b) Option 2 - Her spell point total drops by 3 (from 6 to 3) and the effort has a base fatigue cost of 12(other)/6(level) x4(power) = 8 INT. She now has to check if she successfully casts the spell - her target number is 4 +3x3(rank) +4(power) -2x6(level) = 5, which she easily manages, rolling a 13 with a +2 INT bonus to make 15. This is a success by more than 10, so the fatigue cost is 8(base)/4 = 2 INT (rounded up), so her intelligence temporarily drops from 16 to 14. The gust of wind generated is 10 yards wide, and 10*4(power) = 40 yards long. Now safe, she rests for half an hour, and regains one of those intelligence points. EXAMPLE (2) Pring, a 9th level Conjurer with intelligence 18, wisdom of 4, and 20hp is in desperate straits. He has managed to steal a copy of the rank-9 wish spell from Chasark, Iron God of the Northern Hordes, and risks everything attempting to avoid retribution by casting it. It will cost him all of his maximum number of spell points. (2a) Option 1 - His target number is 4 +3x9(rank) +9(power) -2x9(level) = 22. Since he has Conjuration as his Major school he gets a +2 to his die roll, and his intelligence of 18 gives him a +4 STAT bonus to give him a 25% chance of success. Casting the spell costs him 9hp - or 18hp if he fails by 5, 36hp if he fails by 10, 72 if he fails by 15, etc. This may seem too easy, since the standard rules do not allow rank-9 spells to be cast until 18th level, but Pring has the best possible qualifications, and the consequences of failure should be understood to be so horrible that no one would attempt this without good reason. In particular, note that the fatigue rules leave him with a 25% chance of being instantly killed by the strain. (2b) His target number is 4 +3x9(rank) +9(power) -2x9(level) = 22. Since he has Conjuration as his Major school he gets a +2 to his die roll, and his intelligence of 18 gives him a +4 STAT bonus to give him a 25% chance of success. Casting the spell costs him 6/9(level)*9 = 6 points of intelligence - or 12 if he fails by 5, 18 if he fails by 10, 24 if he fails by 15, etc. This may seem too easy, since the standard rules do not allow rank-9 spells to be cast until 18th level, but Pring has the best possible qualifications, and the consequences of failure should be understood to be so horrible that no one would attempt this without good reason. In particular, note that the fatigue rules leave him with a 25% chance of losing one point of intelligence permanently, and being comatose for just over one day. If he is unlucky enough to roll a one he dies instantly, and even if raised his intelligence is now only 16. Note also that if Conjuration was not his Major, but was classed as Other, then it would have cost him at least 18hp or 12 intelligence points. And in this case, a casting roll failed by more than five (65% chance) would kill him on the spot. Senna Flash, a 67th level wizard has two hit points and three spell points left. If she can light the oil trap in front of her, she will be spared a horrible (and embarrassing) death at the hands of the five Kobolds charging at her. She wants to cast the rank-3 lightning bolt spell at power-1 to ignite the oil. Her target number is 4 +3x3 +1 - 2x67 = -120, an automatic success. Invocation is an Other spell according to her specialisations, and the base fatigue cost is 2hp or 12/67*3=24/67. However, even if she rolls a one, she has succeeded by around 120, and the fatigue cost is easily rounds down to zero. Bix, a second level cleric who has wisdom of 16, and worships the deity Foop, casts a cure serious wounds spell from a scroll. The scroll was inscribed by NeNeHa (wisdom 18, level 20, Major in Healing), the renowned cleric of Foop . The target number is 4 +3x6(rank) +6(power) -2x20(scribe level) = -12, an automatic success even without the reader's wisdom bonus of +2. Since the spell restores hit points, and Healing was NeNeHa's Major sphere, it costs no hit points (or wisdom) in fatigue to cast. If the scroll had instead been cast by ReReHa, NeNeHa's evil twin, for whom Healing is in opposition, it would be treated as other, and cost a base of 2x6 = 12hp (or 18/20*6 = 6 points of wisdom). Bix now rolls a 16 on his casting roll, which is a success by 30 ( 16+2 -(-12) = 18+12 ), so the fatigue cost is divided by 2^6 (since 30 = 5x6), and easily rounds to zero. DISCUSSION The greatest possibility of unbalancing the relationship between the various classes by using this system comes from the greater flexibility that spell casters have. They can now cast any spell from their repertoire at any time. This is a great advantage, which corrects for the particular weakness of magic-users at low level. However, to avoid over compensating, I have introduced casting rolls and fatigue costs. In particular, the introduction of varying fatigue costs depending on the chosen specialisation of the spell caster will add more 'colour' to the class. No longer will all magic users seem the same, casting any type of spell with equal facility - they will have to consider the costs of casting an unfamiliar spell. The other major adjustment is that now spell casters can cast spells of higher level than they could under the old rules. This is a dangerous thing to allow, which is why I introduced a casting roll designed to make this difficult to achieve, and increased the fatigue costs for comprehensively failed casting rolls. In addition to these mechanics, the DM should be alert to twist the intended effect of the spell when a cast fails - especially so for spells well out of the caster's league. Note also that high level spell casters will have to undercast most of their spells in power in order to keep their fatigue costs under control - a reduction in power by ten reduces fatigue costs on average to a quarter.

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Date=20040523 Author=P.Kinsler Created=1992

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