Dangerous Magic Supplement

[Mister Rab]

EDIT - r4 uploaded to fix the 12 entry for Clerics so that it was in coherent English!

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Good afternoon everyone.

I've been rather re-energised in my RPG creativity by a combination of the OGL shenanigans, the Dungeon23 challenge, and having a short weekly session to GM for some of my students. The creative juices are flowing again!

I've always found the way that magic is handled (rules as written) in B/X and successor games to be a bit too mundane. I cast a spell, call on a god, and BOOM - it happens as reliably as a sword swing. Perhaps it's because I grew up with Ursula K. Le Guin etc., but I envisage magic to be risky for spellcasters and those nearby. Think Ged and his summoning of the dark spirit when he overreaches himself with a spell he isn't ready to cast, or Raistlin physically collapsing as he draws more and more on eldritch forces, or even just the Ark in Indiana Jones.

I think I've managed to turn my scribbled houserules into something workable, without putting people off playing spellcasters. I even think I've (mostly) managed to follow the style guide for supplements in doing so (I've used r10 as my template), and hope I'm not breaching etiquette by using Gabe Fua's and Al Cook's great art in it.

I'd love to know what you think. Too harsh? Too lenient? Too dull?!

Thanks,
Stephen

Showcase Access

[Mister Rab]

Bother - uploaded the wrong version which had the spellcasting roll calculation written down incorrectly. I've updated the download in the first post to what I had intended and called it version 2.

[Wing_department]

Yeah, that's how you do magic! The old-school fire-and-forget system is classic but for me it makes more sense to roll for casting spells (you have to roll to swing a sword but you don't have to roll to mess with primordial forces of nature?).

The random tables are great. All bad effects are bad and the worst ones can easily destroy the party. It accomplishes what it sets out to do - make magic terrifying. I wish there were even more effects.

Spellcasters can learn and prepare spells more powerful than the Core Rules suggest. This is simple, yet effective addition that I haven't thought of. It doesn't break the game a lot, since most damaging spells in BFRPG scale with caster's level. So a fireball cast by a 1st level Magic-User is powerful but not overpowered. And it can more easily rip a hole in reality, I love it! Spells requiring saving throws could be less balanced, I wowuld need to playtest this.

One thing I would add is to make natural ones always critical failures. Once a spellcaster hits level 2, it's impossible for them to critically fail 1st level spell rolls.

One editing note: Spells known (Cleric): in the second paragraph change "INT" to "WIS".

[Mister Rab]

Yeah, that's how you do magic! ... It accomplishes what it sets out to do - make magic terrifying.

Thanks - exactly what I was going for!

The random tables are great. ... I wish there were even more effects.

I do have some more ideas; perhaps I should expand it to a 2d8 table, or something? I think it's important to have a bell curve so that the REALLY bad effects remain suitably rare.

So a fireball cast by a 1st level Magic-User is powerful but not overpowered.

Yes, and if they try to cast it a higher level (up to INT bonus + Spellcaster level), they might fry their enemy, or turn reality inside out because they've overdone it. It gives a tactical nature to spellcasting, too - how far do you push your luck?

Spells requiring saving throws could be less balanced, I would need to playtest this.

Hmm... not something I'd considered too closely, although my gut feeling is that this goes with the risk-reward approach just as well. None of the spells are new, or previously unobtainable to PCs, and if you want to risk a high level spell on a low level threat... The top level risks are also chosen to have an ongoing narrative influence. Is 'emergent play' the phrase?

One thing I would add is to make natural ones always critical failures.

Already is - top of page 2

One editing note: Spells known (Cleric): in the second paragraph change "INT" to "WIS".

Thanks, added for the inevitable r3...

I really do appreciate your input, Wing

[Mister Rab]

Rather excitingly, I've been allowed to add this to the Showcase!

I've listed this as a playtest version, and I'd really love your feedback if you have a moment. Thanks!

[Dimirag]

Edited first post replacing uploaded files with the link to the Showcase files

[Mister Rab]

Edited first post replacing uploaded files with the link to the Showcase files

A much more elegant way of doing it, and ensures better version control - thanks, Dimirag.

[Mister Rab]

Woohoo! A hundred downloads! I'd love to hear how it went at your table, if you've used them.

[Wing_department]

I've used a very similar system for about a year. I just made the spells work against the spellcasters with the same force, without the random table. The fire wizard of the group would have her fire blasts explode in her face (a homebrew, weaker Magic Missile that sets things on fire).

During the final session, she wanted to lock an evil ghost in a figurine (with another homebrew spell) and rolled a 1. The ghost got locked, sure... but in one of their retainers, who became permanently possessed. The monster eventually escaped and will definitely return when we return to those characters (the fire mage survived, surprisingly).

[Mister Rab]

The ghost got locked, sure... but in one of their retainers, who became permanently possessed. The monster eventually escaped and will definitely return when we return to those characters.

That's beautiful