Spell Points | hurssia

Spell Point System for D&D 3.5 Ed

Introduction :

Under the standard 3.5 Edition rules wizards, priests, bards, rangers or paladins have a very rigid system for casting spells. This system allows a proportionally larger amount of low level spells than high level spells. But what if a first level spell is all that is required, and the caster has run out? Why waste a third level spell? This system allows the caster to choose which spells he wishes to cast just before casting them. It is aimed at removing the limits on level based casting, allowing a larger number of low level spells, or a small number of higher level spells, to be cast. This flexibility is also modified by the caster's natural talent. This system uses the theory that the caster is limited by the amount of magical energy he can wield, not by the amount of information he can remember, as the Players' Hand Book suggests.

Calculating Spell Points :

Spell points are calculated based on the base number of points by class and level, plus the modifier for the character's primary attribute, plus the modifier for race. The former spell point multiplier has been done away with.

Base Spell Points :

The base spell points are calculated from the tables given in the 3.5 Edition Players' Hand Book for each class (3-4, 3-6, 3-8, 3-12, 3-13 and 3-18). They are calculated on a one point per level basis, i.e. a 3rd level spell grants 3 points. Sorcerers have not been included as they do not appear in Hurssia.

From 1st-10th level:

From 11th-20th level:

Bonus Magic Points for High and Low Attributes :

Instead of the original spell multiplier, a new system has been instituted based on table 1-1 of the PHB. This gives bonuses dependant on class and primary attribute. For divine casters the primary attribute is Wisdom. For arcane casters it is Intelligence. Bards and Dragons calculate their bonus magic points Charisma. To this system has been added modifiers for very low attributes. Casters with primary scores below nine can now cast spells, but they lose out on spell points.

Racial Adjustments for Arcane Casters :

In addition to modifiers for attributes, some races are better than others at casting spells. This also varies between the type of magic being cast.

The table below gives modifiers for racial spell casters of the arcane tradition.

Similarities :

Barbarians (Dwarf); Half-Demon (Half-Dragon); Centaurs & Descended (Half-Elf); Lycanthrope as per base race; Demons (Dragons); Goblin & Orc (Half-Orc); Undead Casters (As Base Race); White Elves & half-White Elves (Hobbit); Half-Elf/Orc (Half-Elf); True Elves (Half-Dragon); Brownie (Elf); Half-Ogre (Half-Orc); Wemic (Dwarf).

Racial Adjustments for Divine Casters :

The below table gives racial modifiers for divine spell casting.

Specialist Wizards & Clerics :

Although specialist wizards are allowed more spell points than normal wizards they have to abide by certain restrictions. Due to his specialisation, these wizards must reserve one quarter (25%) of their spell points for their specialised school. These points may NOT be used for any other spell. Note, at least one spell point is always reserved. Likewise 25% of a Cleric's magic points may only be spent on Domain Spells.

Example :

Below is an example of the above process. Ruddle is a Half-Elf wizard with an Intelligence of 16. She is currently fifth level.

Base Spell Points = +10

Primary Attribute Bonus = +6

Racial Bonus (Arcane) = +3

Total = +19 magic points

Knowing Spells :

A wizard or specialist wizard receives her spells through years of study and research. They also learn new spells from other wizardly characters or from finding or acquiring other wizards' books and notes. When a wizard starts her career she only has a few spells, which her master or tutor has taught her. To learn new spells she must either acquire or research them. The former can be expensive or dangerous, whilst the latter is expensive and time consuming.

On the opposite hand to this are the priestly characters, such as clerics, druids, paladins and rangers, who all get their spells from the divine beings. These characters are vessels for their gods who grant them the use of some of their spells. As such a priest character can use any of the spells allowed to her within the restrictions of her level. Thus a first level cleric has access to her deity's first level spells, whilst a fourth level cleric has access to her first and second level spells. A priest gains new spells whenever she gains a level which allows it.

Bards learn their spells from other bards. This tradition is an oral tradition. Dragons pass their spells on in like manner.

Beginning Spells :

Initially a wizard or specialist wizard starts with 3d4 levels of spells, whilst an apprentice starts with 2d3. Bards begin the game with their cantrips (see E-1), but no other spells. Spells are chosen by the player, but have to be rolled for against the character's Spellcraft (see Section C-3). If the player wishes to start by knowing a higher level spell she may. A 2nd level spell costs 2 slots, a 3rd 3 and so on. However, it is dangerous for a wizard to attempt to cast spells of a higher level than she normally can (see D-4). Priests start with access to all the 1st level spells from their allowed spheres.

Example :

Wizard's dice roll : 3d4 = 7

Spells : Alarm (1), Mount (1), Magic Missile (1), Invisibility (2), Levitate (2)

As a 1st level character the wizard would only be able to cast the first three on the list.

Retaining The Knowledge :

Once a wizard or priest knows a spell she can cast it as often as she likes without having to re-memorise it or re-pray for it. Thus a wizard could learn a ‘Light’ spell at the age of eighteen never have to re-read the spell until the day he dies. However, if a character is knocked unconscious or falls into a coma the delicate knowledge of the spells must be re-learnt or re-prayed for. In the case of a wizard she must study her spell book. Priests must pray to their deities for new divine inspiration.

The wizard must have a full eight hours' rest, then she must study her spell book for ten minutes multiplied by the number of spell levels the caster knows. This process must be carried out in a comfortable environment in the peace and quiet. The wizard does not need to re-roll his ‘Chance to Learn Spells’. A priest must also gain a full night's rest, and must then spend a full, undisturbed, day praying at a temple or shrine to his deity.

For bards, retaining magic is more important. Since they cast spells from sheer force of personality and learn them orally, they are more at risk from permanently losing spells. If a bard is knocked unconscious or falls into a coma they must make a Spellcraft roll (DC: 15 + Spell Level) to retain each spell. Any spells lost can only be regained by finding another bard.

Even if Dragons are knocked unconscious, their spells are innate and therefore they do not need to relearn them.

Learning New Spells :

To learn a new spell a wizard must either acquire or research the new spell. Specialist wizards and bards do not automatically gain new spells for advancing levels. When a wizard has access to a new spell she must first have a full night's rest. She must then spend four hours plus ten minutes per level of the spell studying the source of the spell and copying it into her spell book if necessary (when attempting to learn from a ‘primed’ scroll, the character will set the scroll off. The effects of this are up to the DM ). When she has done this he has to roll Spellcraft with a DC of 15 + the spell’s level. If she succeeds she has learnt the spell, if she fails she must wait until she has increased her understanding, i.e. she has gained a new rank in Spellcraft.

When a priest gains certain new levels she automatically receives more spells from her deity. This represents her deity's increased trust in her, and she receives all the spells available to her, but must first spend a day at her temple praying. See section D-1 for the exact levels when a priest gains these spells.

To learn a new spell a bard must find another bard willing to teach her. She must then spend four hours, plus ten minutes per spell level, learning the spell. She must do this after a good night's rest. When this is done the bard must make a Spellcraft roll with a DC of 15 + the spell’s level. If she succeeds he has learnt the spell, if she fails she must wait until she has increased her understanding, i.e. she has gained a new rank in Spellcraft. This is the same procedure for Dragons.

Maximum Spells :

A wizard, specialist wizard or bard must also pay heed to the maximum number of spells per spell level she can remember. This is now defined as their Intelligence Score. Thus a wizard with an Intelligence of 16 may only know 16 spells for each level. Whilst this is unlikely to be a problem with the higher level spells, first to third level spells may prove a problem. Thus, once a wizard has a spell in her book she can elect which spells to learn. This is done in the same way as a wizard would re-learn her spells after being knocked unconscious, see section C-2, except that she may not cast any spells the day before the process starts (her mind must be clear). Bards can only know a maximum of their Intelligence divided by two spells per level. A bard can choose not to remember a spell, but should she later want it, she must find another teacher, as if she had been knocked unconscious (C-2).

The Spell Book :

Spell books come in all shapes and sizes. They are only useful to wizards (although bards share the same kind of spells, they are incompatible). These books are very expensive, and usually the caster's most prized possession. Each spell takes up (1d6-1)+ spell level in pages. Cantrips take up 1 page. Every spell requires at least one page. The table below shows the costs and capacities of the major spell book types:

Starting Spell Books :

An apprentice wizard (1st level) starts with a Travelling spell book. The first pages are taken up with cantrips. Bards and other classes do not automatically start with spell books.

Bards Under 3.5 Edition :

Although bards use arcane magic, they do so by rote learning and not by the study of books. Bardic magic is not written down. Bards cannot exchange spells with wizards and vice versa. Bards use their own spell list as per the PHB, including curative spells. Bardic cantrips are still based on Intelligence. Bards can overcast if they learn a Bardic spell higher than their acceptable level. Bardic magic is incompatible with the Still Spell and Silent Spell Feats.

Casting Spells :

Spells are cast in the normal way, as per the PHB and DMG. However, when a spell is cast a number of Spell Points are temporarily removed. This represents the magical energy being drained from the caster. The number of points removed is equal to the level of the spell. Thus a 2nd level spell costs two points to cast. After a spell has been cast the caster does not lose it from her memory and it may be cast over and over, provided she has the points. When the caster reaches zero spell points she may employ no more magical spells until she has rested. All other constraints for casting time, spell components, etc. are the same.

Spell Level Limit :

The caster is still capped by the maximum castable level of her spells. Letting 1st level Mages loose with ‘Wish’ spells would be disastrous. Therefore, despite the extra freedom of spell casting, the caster still has to obey certain ‘maximum limits’. The table below shows at which Character Level the caster may use each level of spell. If a dash is shown the caster may never use that level of spell. For priests this also shows when they gain access to new levels of spells. Wizards, Specialist Wizards and Bards may cast spells over this limit, but run the risk of causing an explosion, see section D-2.

Overcasting and Powering-Up a Spell :

If the wizard wishes to take the risk she may cast spells above the limit outlined in section D-1. The practice is very dangerous as the caster is not always able to control the magical energies she is summoning. For every level of the spell, over her limit, she has a +20% chance of blowing her brains out in a magical explosion. The caster must have access to the spell she is casting (thus only Wizards and Bards can do this) and must have enough spell points to cast the spell. Once the risk has been calculated, roll percentile dice, with chances of 100% or more automatically failing. If the result is under the percentile chance, or if there is an automatic failure the caster takes xd10 damage, where x is the difference between her spell level limit and the level of the spell. Also, anyone standing within 10’ of the caster takes xd6 points of magical damage from the explosion. These rules also apply to powering up variable spells like Fireball, Lightning Bolt and Burning Hands.

Example:

Ruddle the 6th level wizard finds a spell book with a Wish spell in it. Ruddle successfully learns the spell and attempts to cast it. The spell level limit for Ruddle is 3 and the level of the Wish spell is 9. Ruddle has a 120% of blowing his brains out ((9-3) x 20%), which doesn’t require a dice roll. Ruddle casts the spell, and takes 6d10 points of damage, whilst his companion Erwin the Fighter, who was standing next to him, takes 6d6 damage. Ruddle only has 12 hit points, whilst Erwin has 42. Ruddle takes 37 points of damage and dies instantly, whilst Erwin takes 21 points of damage and isn’t very happy!!!

Regaining Spell Points :

Regaining spell points depends upon the type of caster. Wizards and bards must sleep to refresh spell points, whilst priests and paladins must pray to their deity. Rangers must commune with nature for a period to regain spell points. For every two hours of sleep a wizard or bard has, she regains one quarter of her total spell points (rounded off), similarly for every two hours a ranger spends communing with nature she regains one quarter. Every time a priest or paladin wishes for more spell points she must pray to her deity. This may only be carried out once per day, as most deities get annoyed with pestering priests. The priest or paladin must justify why, or perform some task before she is granted more spell points.

Spell Components :

Spell Casters need to have the components, where noted, available when casting the spell. Casters with the Eschew Components feat do not need components if they cost less than 1 gp (PHB p.94). The Spell Component Pouch .holds 10 of each mundane (non-cost or focus related) component per pound of weight (PHB p.130). The standard pouch (2lb) thus holds 20 sets of components. Each extra lb in weight adds 2.5 gp to the cost and 10 to the capacity.

Cantrips :

All characters have the potential to cast cantrips and orisons. Under these rules a character must have the Cantrip feat. No feat, no casting cantrips or orisons. Aristocrats, Adepts, Clerics, Druids, Paladins, Western Monks and Rangers all cast orisons by default, although they may also cast cantrips (this is a separate feat, usually with a separate cost). Everyone else casts cantrips.

As well as the listed ‘0’ level spells, cantrips and orisons allow a character to do very minor magical effects which are not covered by any other spell (i.e., drying one's underpants instantly).

Casting a cantrip or orison is done by making either an Intelligence (cantrips) or Wisdom (orisons) check against a DC of 12 with a bonus of half the character's spell casting level (rounded down). A natural ‘1’ has resulted in a magical fumble. Cantrips and orisons do not use magic points.

Feat Slots

Cantrips / Orisons Known :

Adepts, Arcanists, Clerics, Druids, Western Monks and Wizards start the game knowing the full range of cantrips or orisons available to them as default. Note that if a cleric etc. also takes the Cantrip feat they do not automatically know all the cantrips (see below). Bards start the game knowing 4 cantrips from their cantrip list. Any character except ranger taking the Orison feat automatically gets the full list of orisons according to the cleric list. Rangers use the druid orison list. Any character not yet mentioned who takes the Cantrip feat begins the game knowing 1d4 cantrips and can learn others subsequently from a wizard or spell book. Cantrips do not require a spell book and are considered always memorised, although they can also be written down.

Metamagic Feats :

These use up an extra magic point per slot used. The table below can be used as a quick reference guide to the permitted feats (Metamagic spells from PHB1/2 and Complete … series not on the list are not allowed) . Each point also adds to the spell’s level. If the spell level, plus the MP cost of the feat, exceeds the safe level allowed in Secton D-1 then the caster has effectively Overcast and applies said rules from Section D-2.

Divine Feats :

These feats are based on a cleric's ability to turn undead. The table below shows which ones are available under this system. Any not listed from PHB1, PHB2 or the Complete series are not available. Since not all clerics can Turn/Rebuke Undead, the list shows which are available to these ‘Non-Turner’ clerics. Clerics who cannot normally Turn Undead can use these feats a number of times a day equal to three, plus their Charisma bonus. Druids have no access to Divine Feats except where noted.

Divine Metamagic :

This feat, from the Complete Divine source book, allows a cleric to use Turn Undead powers to power metamagic feats, such as Quicken. This uses a number of turn checks equal to one, plus the magic points the metamagic feat would use. Thus Quicken would use five checks instead of four magic points. A Quickened Teleport would only cast the Cleric of Tarrak five magic points, not nine. However, it does not circumvent the rules on over-casting spells (See D-2). Thus whilst it only costs five magic points, the cleric would have to make an ‘Overcast’ roll as if she’d expended nine in one go. Likewise, this feat can only be used within the level limits laid out in section E-2.

Modified Spells & Magic :

This section details individual spells and magics which require a certain amount of modification.

Cure Minor Wounds :

Cantrips and orisons in their current form were not in AD&D. They were introduced in version 3.0, and Cure Minor Wounds was one of the spells introduced. The spell heals 1 Hit Point of damage. This works fine under the standard spell casting rules because even a high level cleric can only do this up to 6 times per day. However, under my house rules cantrips and orisons can be cast as many times per day as the caster can make his DC roll. Obviously with Cure Minor Wounds this has major healing implications. Even a fighter with over 100hp could be healed from unconscious to full hits within 10 minutes. Therefore, to bring it back to the power level it is supposed to be, Cure Minor Wounds can only be used once per wound.

Bringing Back the Dead :

Contrary to the standard rules on page 171 of the PHB, it is the deity, not the deceased who decides whether they should return. Raise Dead, Reincarnate, Resurrection and True Resurrection only work if the character's god has work for them on the Prime Material. If they don’t, the spell will fail. Note it is the character’s god, not the casting cleric or druid's deity, which makes the decision (since the soul is being taken from another domain). Attempting to cast these spells is not considered an evil or misaligned act.

This all assumes a character had some form of belief and is in another place. Any character who would be described as an atheist will have gone to Limbo. In which case any of the above spells will work if the character wishes to return (which is highly likely given how boring Limbo is). The spells do require the casting character's deity having a vested interest in the atheist's return though. Limited Wish or Wish can be used to bring back the dead, but the gods will normally demand something of both the wizard and the victim. The price could be very high. These spells can be used to bring back athesits from Limbo without any problems (or divine interference).

Character Class (cantrips or orisons)

Adept (O), Bard (C), Cleric (O), Druid (O), Western Monk (O), Wizard (C), Arcanist (C)

Eastern Monk (C), Paladin (O), Ranger (O), Runecaster (C)

Adept (C), Aristocrat (O/C), Beserker (C), Cleric (C), Commoner (C)

Druid (C), Expert (C), Fighter (C), Paladin (C), Ranger (C), Rogue (C)

Warrior (C), Western Monk (C)