advanced spell casting

7/29/2019 Advanced Spell Casting

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Advanced spell-castingAn alternate spell system for use with

Castles and Crusades

By Al KrombachRequires the use of the Castles and Crusades

Players Handbook


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Introduction

Guarding the open corridor in front of him,

Galwarth cursed when he heard the electricsizzling sound behind him. He turned just in

time to see Pela, the dwarf, slump to theground, his skin blackened and charred.Three doors, the dwarven thief had been

investigating, and only one was a safe wayout. Pela had chosen wrong. Muttering a

quick incantation, Galwarth watched as the

unintelligible runes scrawled on the doorsseemed to swirl and reform.

The middle door, eh? Pela was a goner, but

Franze, the Halfling cleric, was only

unconscious, the victim of foul monstrouspoison. He would revive eventually, if

Galwarth could get him out of the dungeon.But even now, guttural orcish voices could

be heard advancing down the corridor

towards him. He would have to drive themoff long enough to get his friends away.

Barking another arcane word, Galwarthcaused a sphere of light to spring into

existence halfway down the corridor,

suddenly illuminating the approachinghumanoids. Guarding himself against theirjavelins with a spell of shielding, he sent one

magic missile after another into the column.

Shrieking, the orcs ran back the other way,leaving two of their number lying dead on

the floor, smoking in the pale yellow

illumination of the light spell.

Knowing it wouldnt be long before the orcs

mustered the courage to advance again,

Galwarth muttered another incantation,though he was running low on strength to do

so. A humming, blue disk of energy

appeared beneath the dead dwarf, liftinghim gently a few feet into the air. Galwarth

carefully put Franzes limp body on the disk

next to him. Then, taking a deep breath, he

reached out and yanked open the middle

door. No trap went off

Offering a silent word of thanks to Istus,Galwarth was through the door, the floating

disk squeezing through behind him. Sunlightshined down from the far end of the corridorahead of him. Shutting the door behind him

and warding it so it would not be easily

opened once the orcs took up the chaseagain, he set off with his hapless

compatriots in tow. It had been a close one,

this adventure, but Galwarth was sure the

knowledge he had gained during it wouldallow him to reach 2

ndlevel at last

ASC (Advanced Spell Casting) is an easy touse system of magic, intended for use with

Castles and Crusades. It is intended as anadvanced alternative to the traditional

Vancian systems (aka fire and forget) used

with most popular RPGs.

ASC features a simple spell-point system,

and three new types of cast spells: PracticedSpells, Known Spells, and Recitative Spells.

Despite the somewhat different mechanicASC uses to determine which, and how

many, spells a magic-user can cast, it still

uses the same standard spells and levels thatyou already know and love! And, being

solidly based on the Vancian framework,

issues like balance and ease of use are

already solved.

ASC covers the following items:

A) Spell Point use and generation-pg3B) Casting Spells-pg5C)New magic items-pg6D) Spell Boosting-pg7E) FAQ-pg8


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Spell Point Use and Generation

What is a Spell Point?

ASC uses the term spell-point to represent

a unit of magical energy that is stored or

expended to cast a magical spell. Spell-point

(or spp for short) is simply a generic termfor ease of use, and GMs can easily use

other terms like power-units or mana to

spice up their individual campaigns.

Casting any standard spell costs a number of

spp equal to 1 + the level of spell being cast.So a 0-lvl spell costs 1spp, a 1

stlevel spell

costs 2spp, a 2nd

level spell costs 3spp, and

so on and so forth. While additional sppcosts can be incurred by Spell Boosting, that

is an optional rule set and not necessary for

use of the basic ASC.

It is important to note that spp use does not

alter casting time in any way.

Determining Starting Spell Points

The amount of spell energy an individual

has is determined both by his bodily healthand his spiritual strength. Thus, Constitution

and Charisma are added together, and the

average (half of the total, rounded down) isthe amount of spell points that individual

has, whether he is a spell-caster or not,

though only a trained spell caster canconsciously use such energy. Non-spell

users tend to use their energy in more

accidental ways, such as seeing a ghost, orgetting a feeling of premonition, etc. So, for

example, Pela the dwarven thief has aConstitution of 13 and a Charisma of 8, sohe has a total of 10spp he will never

consciously use!

Spell casters, be they Arcane or Divine,

know how to use their energy and have a

few more points to start out with, as well as

being able to cast both 0-level and 1st

level

spells.

Arcane spell casters add their Intelligence

modifier and 8 to their natural ability,

whereas Divine spell casters add theirwisdom modifier and 5 to their natural

ability. For example, Franze, the Halfling

cleric, has a Constitution of 10, a Charismaof 14, and Wisdom of 16. So he has a

natural ability of 12 (10+14=24 divided by

2) plus a Wisdom modifier of +2 (for havinga 16 Wisdom) plus 5 for being a divine

caster, giving him a total of 19spp! Galwarth

the Wizard has Con9, Cha13, and Int18, sohe starts with 22spp (11+3+8=22).

With 22spp, Galwarth can cast 11 1st

level

spells, 22 0-lvl spells, 5 1st

and 11 0-lvl, orany other combination he desires, until he

runs out of energy.

Recovering Spell Points

Your body and spirit are constantlyreplenishing themselves, but nowhere near

as fast as they are depleted by using spell-points. A character with no spell energy

whatsoever (0spp) is treated as fatigued until

they get some energy back.

Spell Points are regained at a rate of 1 point

per level of caster every four hours of

normal waking activity. Therefore, a spent1

stlevel character simply traveling around

town for eight hours would regain 2spp.

While sleeping, spp are regained at a rate of

1spp per character level per hour, and while

meditating (or praying), 2spp per characterlevel per hour. Therefore, a spent 1

stlevel

character who sleeps eight hours and

meditates two hours regains a total of 12spp.Regardless of how depleted a character is,

24 hours of undisturbed sleep, meditation,


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and relaxation will yield a complete

recovery of all used spp.

Note that periods of disturbed sleep or

meditation only have a recovery rate equal

to that of normal activity.

GMs may rule under certain harsh

conditions that no spp are recovered, such asperiods of starvation, imprisonment, torture,

disease, etc.

Spell Point Advancement

Characters gain extra Spell Points as theyadvance in level, and can cast higher level

spells, at the following rates:

Arcane (Wizard, Illusionist)

Lvl SPP Can cast2

nd+2

3rd

+3 2nd

lvl spells4

th+3

5th

+7 3rd

lvl spells

6th

+77

th+5 4

thlvl spells

8th

+99

th+11 5

thlvl spells

10th +12

11th

+11 6th

lvl spells12

th+13

13th

+16 7th

lvl spells

14th

+17

15th

+19 8th

lvl spells16

th+18

17th

+22 9th

lvl spells

18th

+2219

th+14

20th

+23

Divine (Cleric/Druid)

Lvl SPP Can Cast2

nd+3

3rd

+3 2nd

lvl spells

4th

+5

5th

+4 3rd

lvl spells

6th

+8

7th

+7 4th

lvl spells8

th+9

9th

+9 5th

lvl spells

10th

+11

11

th

+14 6

th

lvl spells12th

+13

13th

+16 7th

lvl spells

14th

+1515

th+19 8

thlvl spells

16th

+17

17th

+22 9th

lvl spells18

th+22

19th

+14

20th

+14

Spell Point gain is cumulative, and shouldlevel loss occur, simply consult the chart for

the appropriate level to see how many pointswere gained and adjust accordingly.


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Casting Spells

ASC uses three types of spell-casting

methods: Practiced spells, Known spells,

and Recitative spells. These are used inplace of the standard Vancian system of

memorizing a spell, carrying it around in

your head, using it, and then forgetting itcompletely until you can read your spell

book again.

Practiced Spells

Practiced spells are spells the caster knows

well, inside and out. A spell caster can use aPracticed spell at will, with no chance of

spell failure, as long as he has the

appropriate amount of spp available.

The number of Practiced spells a caster has

is equal to 1 plus the casters Intelligence

bonus, if Arcane, or 1 plus the castersWisdom bonus, if Divine, per spell level the

caster is able to use.

For example, a 5th

level Wizard with 16Intelligence has 3 Practiced spells of 0-lvl, 3

1st, 3 2

nd, and 3 3

rd.

Practiced spells must be selected from the

casters Known spells, and once selected,

can not be changed. Optionally, at the GMsdiscretion, the caster may be allowed to

make one change during the leveling-up

process.

Practiced spells may be chosen immediatelyupon gaining access to a new spell level,provided enough Known spells are

available, or the character may elect to hold

off until more Known spells are gained.

Known Spells

Known spells are any spells the caster has

properly learned and inscribed into his spellbook. For Divine casters, all spells on the

standard Players Handbook list are

considered to be Known spells.

New spells are added exactly as per the

standard spell casting rules in the Players

Handbook.

A caster may use a Known spell only if he

succeeds in making an Intelligence (ifArcane) or Wisdom (if Divine) check plus

his modifier and level, using the spells level

times 2 as the difficulty modifier. Forexample, a 3

rdlevel spell has a DL of 6, a 5

th

level spell a DL of 10, and so forth.

If the Intelligence or Wisdom check fails,the caster loses the Spell Points and the spell

fizzles out ineffectively. At the GMs

discretion, a natural roll of 1 on this checkmay result in something calamitous (or at

least amusing) occurring.

Galwarth (Wizard1, Int18) needs to use aComprehend Languages spell, which he

Knows and has in his spell book. He must

pass an Intelligence check of 14 to do so (12for his prime plus 2 for the DL of a 1

stlevel

spell). He rolls a 9, plus 3 for his

Intelligence, plus 1 for his caster level for atotal of 13. He fumbles the spell, and loses

the 2spp he had committed to casting it.

Recitative Spells

If a caster wishes to use a spell that is not

Practiced but is Known, and has the time to

get out his spell book (or prayer beads, etc)he may use the slower Recitative method to

cast the spell without the chance of failure.

To use a Recitative spell, the caster must

commit, uninterrupted, an amount of casting


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time an order of magnitude 10 times greater

than that listed in the Players Handbook.

For example, Dispel Magic would take 10

rounds to cast as a Recitative spell; Identify

would take 100 minutes, and so on and soforth.

If a Recitative spell is interrupted, the casterloses the spp and must start all over again.

New Magic Items

Following are a few new magic items

specifically relating to the ASC system, as

well as suggested revisions for a couple of

standard items.

Amulet of PowerAn Amulet of Power contains a reservoir of

Arcane Spell Points that Wizards or

Illusionists can draw upon at will. Ittypically contains 1d4+5spp, though some

containing more have been rumored. Theamulet recharges itself every 24 hours, at

midnight, at which time it gives off a faint

glow for 1 minute. (GP 5,500; EXP 500)

Charm of FocusThis charm resembles a small silver holy

symbol on a short silver chain. It allows aDivine caster to add +5 to a single Wisdom

check while casting a Known spell. Thecharm may only be used once in any 24 hourperiod. (GP 3750, EXP 275)

Elixir of ManaThis cloudy yellow substance tastes vaguelylike tree sap and quickly numbs the tongue.

When consumed, it doubles the amount of

Spell Point recovery for the next 1d4+4

hours. (GP 350; EXP 100)

Pearl of PowerThese pearls are determined as per normal

rules, but they convey a number of spp tothe wielder equal to 1 plus the spell level.

For example, a 1st

level Pearl conveys 2spp.

Rod of BlastingThis black iron rod can be used by wizards

to direct raw energy at targets. A wizard canchannel up to 5spp at once per round. If the

caster succeeds at a ranged touch attack, the

blast does 1d4 points of damage per sppused, and the victim may make a Charisma

save to avoid half the damage. (GP 6,750;EXP 650)

Shroud of HealingThis shroud is made of pearlescent fabric

that is naturally attuned to Divine energy. ACleric can wrap a person in the shroud and

commit a number of spp up to his level into

the shroud. After 8 hours of rest, the personso enshrouded will regain 1d6 hp per spp

used. (GP 9,500; EXP 800)

Stone of IllusionThese enchanted stones are naturally attunedto an Illusionists arcane energy. If placed

on a stable surface, they will maintain a

Major, Minor, or Silent Image for up to one

hour per spp committed to the stone. Thestones may only be used once, as the energy

stored in them eventually burns them out.

There is no limit to the number of spp anIllusionist can commit to the stone, provided

he has that number available. (GP 1000;

EXP 200)

Ring of WizardryWhen used with ASC, these rings no longerdouble the number of spells a wizard can

cast per day, but instead double the number

of spells they can consider Practiced. These


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additional practiced spells are immediately

considered Known again if the ring isremoved.

Spell Boosting

Spell Boosting is a completely optional

addition to ASC which may only be used at

the GMs discretion. Spell Boosting allowsthe caster to amplify or extend the effects of

his spells by committing extra spp to them atthe time of casting.

The applications of Spell Boosting areconceivably limitless, so a few samples are

provided here, and they may be used as

guidelines for creating Spell Boostingtechniques of your own.

Minor Damage AmplificationBy committing an extra Spell Point to any

damage-causing spell, the caster causes an

additional 1hp of damage per die. Forexample, a 3

rdlevel wizard using Minor

Damage Amplification does 2d4+4 points of

damage instead of 2d4+2, or a 5th level

Wizard would do 5d6+5 points of damagewith a Fireball.

Major Damage AmplificationBy committing an extra 3spp to a damage

causing spell, that spell automatically does

the maximum possible damage. Forexample, a 5

thlevel wizard would

automatically do 30pts of damage with his

fireball.

Minor Duration ExtensionBy committing an extra Spell Point, thecaster causes any non-damage-causing spell

to last double the normal duration. For

example, a Fly spell would last 20min/lvl

instead of 10.

Major Duration Extension

Committing an additional 3spp to a non-

damage-causing spell makes it last for 24hours, instead of the normal duration.

Prolific Summoning

By spending an additional 2spp, the casterdoubles the number of creatures summoned

with a Summon Monster spell. Note that this

does not double the maximum HD thecreatures can be, only the number of actual

creatures.

Lengthy SummoningBy spending an additional 2spp, the caster

increases the duration summoned monstersserve him to one hour per caster level.

Elemental ConversionBy spending an additional 1spp, a castermay change the substance of a damage-

causing spell to a selected element: Fire,

Lightning, Cold, or Acid. Note that this doesnot change the amount of damage done,

unless the victim would normally sustain

extra damage from the new type of energyselected.

Split SpellBy spending an additional 1spp, a caster can

split a damage-causing spell in half, doinghalf damage but affecting twice as many

targets. Any odd damage is rounded down.

For example, a 5th

level wizard could fire off

6 magic missiles for 1d2 pts of damage eachor 2 lightning bolts for 2d6 points of damage

each.

Enhanced LoadBy spending an additional 1spp per person

or weight increment affected, a caster canincrease the number of people or weight he

can lift or otherwise carry with him when

using spells such as Dimension Door,Teleport, Levitate, Telekinesis, etc.

Some other suggested Boosts are:


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Minor Healing Amplification

Major Healing Amplification

Enhanced Turn Undead

Minor Area-of-Effect Amplification

Major Area-of-Effect Amplification

Prolific AnimationProlific Animal Summoning

And so on

FAQ

While this Castles and Crusades version is

very recent, ASC itself has been around, in

one form or another, for nearly fifteen years.It has been ruthlessly play-tested by several

groups and so far has not come up wanting

in any critical areas. Some common

questions Ive fielded from other GMsinterested in using ASC include:

Wont ASC make spell casters too

powerful?

While too powerful can be sort of a

relative thing, I feel no is the properanswer. More effective is a better

description. Keep in mind; players do notget access to higher level spells any faster

than they do with the standard Vancian

system. Players can certainly cast more

spells, but this difference is only noticeableat very low levels. Whatever its current

incarnation, the number of spell points

gained per level is always based on theVancian spells-per-day charts given in each

editions Players Handbook.

Also, though lower level casters get more

spells, this is somewhat balanced by a longer

recovery time. Plus, giving them more spells

and options is the whole point!

ASC is actually a good friend to GMs, as

players dont have to stop and sleep for aday after every encounter (which most GMs

seem to find frustrating) to regain spells and

heal. Also, players are more likely to use

divination spells like Read Magic and Speakwith Undead, spells that allow the GM to

bring more of his back-story and plot into

play, quite a bit of his hard work that canoften get missed or ignored due to simple

lack of spells that arent either blowing

things up or healing PCs.

Will ASC turn clerics into Heal

Machines?

No more so than they already are! The bigdifference with ASC is not that they can heal

that much more, but that clerics willexperiment with other spells more and wont

have to bog down your game with endless

rest stops.

What if one of my players figures out a

way to exploit ASC that seriously

unbalances my game?

Players play to win, and if there is any

way to exploit some part of ASC to break

your game, someone will eventually find it.So far, no one has. If it occurs, simply ban

the exploit, or inform the player he may

choose to either ignore the exploit he has

found or return to the Vancian system.Reverse conversion, btw, is every bit as easy

as converting to ASC in the first place.

Why did you come up with ASC in the

first place?

Mainly to make my favorite RPGs seem

more like my favorite books. While I

enjoyed Vance, there were many otherbooks where mighty mages fired off lighting

bolt after lightning bolt, or chanted for hours

over dusty tomes and weird rituals, and the


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current AD&D rules didnt really support

that unless you were loaded down withwands or other such items.

I also felt like there were a lot of really cool

spells out there that werent getting used dueto the limited number of spells available;

spells that benefited both the party as a

whole and the GMs story-line as well.

There have always been a lot of spell point

systems floating around out there, but theyseemed to be very bizarre and unnecessarily

complicated, so I set out to make sort of a

hybrid; a spell point system based aroundthe Vancian system already provided in the

rule books.

I hope you like it!

2006 Al Krombach

This rule-set is intended for free distributiononly.

Castles and Crusades is a Troll Lord

Games product.Cover art is by Erol Otus and not used with

permission, but because he is the best!

All OGL stuff is explained here:http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/

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