More...More on Mages

So, what keeps mages from taking over the world? Looking over spell lists in nearly any version of D&D, at high levels they can be walking arsenals - and pretty invulnerable to most of what the mundane world can throw at them...

I'm thinking that magic ought to be dangerous - the more powerful, the more dangerous - so there could be very high level mages - but they might get consumed by their own power if they aren't very, very careful about how they use the magic. So, while a mage could conceivably walk around and blow fireballs at everything in sight, what if there's a cumulative danger in unleashing them? (hmmm - 5% for first 10% for second 20% for third 40%, 80%, 99%...chance of something very bad happening - but what? Summoning a hostile fire elemental? That would be in keeping with the notion of summoning a bit of the elemental plane of fire as the fireball spell - assuming that's the fundamental mechanic of a fireball spell).

So, while there could be some generic "spell failure" tables and the like - maybe there should be some kind of specialized mechanics for overuse of magic. I've considered the mechanic of magic costing the mage Constitution points or even Hit Points (because of how I envision magic working in Daen Ral) - but I think I want something more directly applicable to the actual use of magic...

So...maybe there's both the chance of failure (see previous post) as well as the chance of something very, very bad happening, especially as a mage uses more and more magic in a short period of time.

That might make mages less useful in combat, of course, but perhaps they would need to be more creative - or make more use of wands and potions and scrolls and the like (which would not necessarily be under the same constraints as the mage actually wrestling with the arcane energies him/herself).

Image: Public Domain

More on Mages

So last week I mused on mages a bit - here's another post on the class.

So I read chainmail bikini's take on spell complexity and it rattled something in my imagination that I thought might be interesting to explore.

The idea that magic is difficult to master is a given in my world - otherwise, everybody would be doing it (though some very low level magics are fairly common - curses, charms, even potions might be considered "low level" magic in the sense that many people can do these things...). So maybe magic is complicated enough that there's a chance for complete failure, but it's also powerful and just unpredictable enough that there's a chance for wild success.

Chainmail Bikini goes with d12 and spell levels. Here, let me quote it:

Spell Complexity
When a spell is cast, there is a chance that it may fail, it may be delayed by one round, it may be cast normally, or it may be cast and remembered for re-casting.
Roll 1d12 and consult this table:
- if roll = 1, the spell fails and is exhausted from the sorcerer
- if roll <= spell level, the spell will be cast the following roundand exhausted from the sorcerer
- if roll > spell level, the spell is cast immediately and exhausted from the sorcerer
- if roll = 12, the spell is cast immediately and retained by the sorcerer

However, if I'm going to go with spell levels, I'm thinking that d8 or d10 would work better since there's such a wide opportunity for success, even with very high level spells... Alternately, one could use d20 and use the caster's level instead of the spell level (thus, a roll over the caster's level indicates success...wait, that means that as the caster gains levels, he gets LESS likely to succeed...no, that won't work - invert the table?)

CASTER LEVEL

if roll = 1, the spell is cast immediately and retained by the caster

if roll is <>

if roll is > than or = to caster level, the spell is cast the following round and exhausted from the caster

if roll is 20, the spell fails and is exhausted from the caster (alt - additional roll, if 20, critical failure of spell...heh)

Once a mage hits 20th level, there is only a 5% chance of any spell failing. That seems reasonable to me.

I might be inclined to use the Bikini's method, since I like the fact that higher level spells really ARE hard to cast - though, as I said, I'd probably use a d10 (1 always fails, a 10 always succeeds with the spell retention) which makes higher level spells more likely to be delayed (and thus interrupted). I think I'd add a second roll for either a 1 or a 10 for a critical failure or a dramatic success (with subsequent sub tables). I don't worry too much about complexity at this point (see my post on counter spells for some more complexity...).

Just another idea...

Multiclassing and Level Limits

So I'm tinkering with classes - what about multiclassing?

Some abilities should be reserved for only the single classed character - like multiple attacks for fighters, for example. You want to be a Fighter/Magic User - you will never gain multiple attacks. You WILL advance in your ability to attack (THAC0 or whatever), but there will be some benefits to being a straight-on fighter that will be lost to you. Likewise, you will not gain all the mage abilities (maybe the ability to create magic items and create potions and/or scrolls). It's really about balance for me - not balance as it sounds like 4e has established balance - but more about balancing the desire for making every class desirable to play - not all equal, in any sense.

So I like the idea of the single classed character, so I will choose to penalize those who want to multi-class.

Oh - and multiclasses have to accrue the full experience points for every class to gain the next level. So, at 4,500 xp, we have a Level 2 F/MU, and at 6,250 we have a Level 2 F/C/MU/T. Meanwhile, the straight up cleric is already 4th level with this many xp (6,500). Not that big a deal, I guess (I just ported it out - just attain 5th level F/C/M/T at 63,500 xp - everybody else is only at 7th - except the Fighter who's still at 6th - which was a surprise to me...). Taking a quick look at the Thief class, for example, I shouldn't have been that surprised. Since progression is roughly constantly doubling (until high levels), the multiclass is going to lag only one or two levels behind the single class (it does break out at very high levels - 3,565,000 xp for 13th level F/C/M/T - whereas with that kind of xp total, a straight up cleric will be about 24rd level and the Fighter will be about 22nd level - so maybe it works okay - IF we ever get to high levels).

So I'm looking at classes with an eye toward what will make sense as single class only special abilities (with a rationalization that only single classed characters have the time to develop some skills - it's thin, but that's okay with me).

But there's also level limits.

I don't know if I'll have some upper limit. Basic/Expert suggested that 36 would be the upper limit, though the Immortal rules pushed that boundary. In practice, I'm not sure I could enjoy a game with 20+ level characters (we had 'em, back in the day, but we were powergaming/Monty Haul-ing at the time - not sure how much I enjoyed that, even then...). So, there are practical limits - and there are mechanical limits - the practical being what I think I'm comfortable with, the mechanical being some actual ceiling I might place.

And it's all arbitrary - so what do I want? Well, I want there to be some uber powerful magic out there - so probably some uber powerful magic using beings...but as PCs, I don't know.

One idea I had was that ability scores could contribute to level limits in a very concrete way. Say, attribute times 2 indicates the level limit (hmmm, very nicely fitting into the 36 level mold) - or even attribute equals level limit (off the cuff, I like that better - in order to become a super high powered magic user, for example, you'd have to somehow get smarter - VERY, VERY smart, in fact...). That would mean that everybody would likely top out at 15th to 18th level.

So, lets push this a little farther. Multiclass can only attain one-half of attribute as a maximum level - so, F/M with STR 17 and INT 15 would top out at 8 (if I'm rounding down, which I think I would) but would have to gain both F/M experience to go from 7th to 8th level, even though magic ability stops at 7th level... No, too messy. Perhaps half of the least of the attributes? Then the F/MU would be max 7th level. Or just the least attribute - 15th level in the above scenario (thus, xp progression would be the major penalty - and the special ability differences). Or something even more arbitrary like lowest prime attribute MINUS THREE or something... I'll mull this over a bit more.

So - multiclassing doesn't really seem to slow character progression all that much, so there should be some other penalties, in my mind, for the mutliclass.

Stairs of the Lady - Stream of Consciousness First Draft

Because I've always been Mr. "Too Many Irons in the Fire" - I was thinking the other day about a megadungeon that I ponder off and on - the halls and caverns under the tower of an Archmage - not exactly a Mad Archmage (though he's got some artifacts that were created by mad mages...) and certainly not Elminster or Fizban or the like. Damoric started life as a cleric back in our old Monty Haul days - my goodness, I wish I could find that character sheet (or I should say sheets - since his equipment list almost certainly was multiple pages of magical junk hauled out of dungeons). Alas, the character sheet is gone - but the name lives on as a high level mage in the world of Daen Ral.

Damoric is a benevolent sort, though he rarely takes on apprentices these days. He spends a lot of his time down in the depths under his tower doing...well, archmage things. In the dungeons, should anyone have need to delve, are amazing constructs and elemental guardians, imprisoned demons and "deities" (see my post On the Nature of Worshiped Beings for a bit more on that or check out the cosmology of Daen Ral). By the way, the isometric map I posted last week was the very first "megadungeon" map I drew - and it was the dungeons under Damoric's tower...

Anyway, one area of the dungeon is the Stair of the Lady***:

The chamber with the stair is circular, 100' in diameter and rises 300' from floor to ceiling. The stair climbs the wall of the chamber. In the center of the chamber is statue of a robed woman, 120' tall.

The entrance to the chamber is at eye level to the statue, about 100' up. When any living being enters the chamber, the statue's eyes glow. I haven't decided on the effect yet (perhaps it is a "know alignment" spell - red for evil, blue for good, purple for neutral - they would glow with greater intensity the greater the balance of good/neutral/evil in the area of effect - say a 10' square area at the entrance - or it could be a type of charm person - or a bless, curse, cure, hmmm, dunno yet). The point is, this is the entrance to the chamber, PCs cannot avoid the eyes so I don't want to completely hose them, but I do want something cool to happen.

The stairs climb up - with many landings and side chambers radiating off the staircase - leading to an observatory - kind of a strange, magical "you can see almost any place in the world if you know how to look" place - tended by Grey Watchers (new creatures native to Daen Ral - they'll be part of a later post).

Going down the steps leads to other landings and chambers radiating off the staircase as well - eventually coming to the main floor - the statue (which maybe could actually animate if the right circumstances occur) and the Great Bronze Doors (they're always bronze, aren't they?) which lead to the deeper parts of the dungeon.

Damoric would have this area in place as a safeguard - perhaps only certain alignments could pass or only those with certain magical symbols - or even those of sufficient power (read: level) can pass. Maybe even only those with the Mark of Damoric (how about magical tattoos?) can pass - and that might then affect what the Lady's eyes do - and whether or not the statue will animate...

*** So this little area was inspired by an entry in last year's One Page Dungeon Contest - The Dawn Haven:

I was just looking over THIS YEAR'S entries (because I thought it came from this bunch - but it was last year's) and, wow, what a bunch of really great maps - maybe someday I'll actually read the adventures :)

On Clerics

So clerics - not much to change here.

I'm pretty sure it's BtB that clerics get a whole range of prayers (spells) at their disposal. They may only be able to use one first level, but they have the whole list (in theory) of first level spells to choose from. So, that makes sense to me. I'd also like some cantrip like abilities (called orisons in Dragon Magazine) that would be available at will.

Clerics get to turn undead and they have a lot of weapons and armor available. If they don't advance in fighting ability, they need to advance in abilities like turning.

I'm thinking of giving clerics a variation on bless - to increase as the cleric increases in level.

Clerics will also get to make and use scrolls and relics.

I guess the one area that I would houserule on clerics is that they would have a chance to succeed in a prayer/rite/spell that is higher level than they can currently pray/accomplish/cast. With diminished chances for success, of course. So - like one level higher might be at only 50% chance to succeed - 2 levels higher 25% - keep halving it? 3 levels 12%, 4 levels 6%, 5 levels 3% and 6 levels 1%... I'm not sure if the 50% isn't still too generous. I'll have to think more on that.

In Daen Ral I'd like PCs to belong to the Monolithic, Monotheistic church of the Way of the Master, giving them some specific abilities geared toward that faith. Druids and clerics of other faiths exist, though their powers are varied from the standard "cleric" which is of the Church of the Way of the Master... Druids, for example, draw on nature and can accomplish some powerful magic as rituals (especially when combined with other druids), and clerics of the Old Gods or the False Gods will have powers specific to their deities (the Old Gods being elemental beings, the False Gods being demonic beings - the Firstfallen of the Host of Heaven).

So, clerics as a class are generally analogous to Medieval Catholic Priests...sort of...

Oddly, considering the fact that I played a number of clerics in the past, I don't have much to say about specializing them...

Dungeon Mapping

I started gaming in either late 80 or early 81, can't remember (I know that I was in Junior High - yes, not Middle School dagnabbit - Junior High). Anyway, I'm a grognard, I guess... I've been playing this game for...shoot, 2/3rds of my life...

But I came to a realization the other day - it's mostly about maps. Now, I love maps. Maps of anything. But what I realized is that in rpg stuff - what I want is a map that is interesting. So from the classic B2 - I've never been too entranced by the keep itself, but I love the caves of chaos - the map itself just suggests so much.

And I also realize that I will put up with big, steaming piles of really bad module - if the map is interesting - at least a little bit. Case in point, I was looking over a 3.5 ed module, DCC #28 Into the Wilds which has some okay points - but has great maps - the maps were what caught me - then I read the adventure - there's bits in it I could use, of course, but the maps are great.

So - I know that for some the release of DL1: Dragons of Despair spelled the beginning of the end for AD&D (the dawning of the "silver age" or whatever) but that module breathed new life into my gaming. But maybe not for the reasons you might think.

The adventure? Yeah, it was okay. But the maps. That 3D perspective map? It was great. What I really liked about it (and still do today) is that the dungeon is finally in a 3 dimensional space - not just rectangles on a flat paper - but a cavern - with stuff at the top AND at the bottom. And the outdoor maps were just as evocative for me.

So I have a special place in my heart for these, whachacallit, isometric maps. I've poured over what is allegedly one of the worst adventures ever published - XL1: The Quest for the Heartstone - but again, not for the adventure itself (it's of middling quality - not the worst, by far - but won't make anybody's top 50 list...) but the map of the dungeon - working out all the interrelations between the levels. I think it's great (published the same year as DL1 - TSR was obviously moving in a new direction).

So - here's a low res (don't want to violate copyright - I'm pretty sure this is unusable) scan of XL1's dungeon map:

I was so smitten by the map style that I tried my own hand at this isometric stuff - but, of course, I didn't have any of that fancy graph paper - so I made my own. I still remember using a yardstick and drawing all the horizontal and then diagonal lines to make my own isometric graph paper (I was like 15 at the time - so, yeah, I had no life). I've reproduced the 25 year old pencil drawing below - original is on 12x18 inch paper. It was my first attempt at a pseudo-megadungeon. Kind of small, considering, but it has portals to other planes and ridiculously powerful creatures in there - and some as yet uncreated monsters - like the Great Greybat. I think the PCs would have even encountered a demigod or something by the end... I learned to write megadungeons from EX1&2 - so that should tell you something about what my early attempts were like (yes, I know they weren't even dungeons - but I was a kid, okay?).

On Magic Items

So I've been scouring the 'net for magic item descriptions to include in the Daen Ral campaign and I realized that I really like oddball magic items - or at least not your garden variety +1 whatever. I want every item to have some kind of story, even if it is only a sword +1 - I want it to be Aarismar, the Bastard King's sword. Runes carved into the blade glow when the sword is wielded in anger. The Bastard King used the sword to slay his nephew to claim the throne of the Hamlin Kingdom. The sword grants the wielder +1 to hit and to damage.

Not a spectacular sword (it's JUST a +1 sword) but the story gives me some hooks and it has a history and a small special ability that doesn't really add much to the weapon.

In addition, a lot of magic items will only be usable by characters of certain minimum levels - especially artifacts, which may fall into characters hands even at early levels - but they will not be able to use them...

Minor magic items - charms, relics, scrolls, potions, even rings - are somewhat more common, I suppose, than in "normal" campaigns (yeah, okay, is there any such thing as a normal campaign?).

In addition, I'm probably going to give some items multiple abilities - to make them more interesting. There's been a bit of chatter on Old School blogs about how mundane magic items have become in the later editions. A wand of fire is tre cool, so I'm trying to make many magic items as interesting...