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ALTERNATE MAGIC SYSTEM SUPPLEMENT
Robert Winkel
willie@werple.apana.org.au
This is a supplement to the Spellweaving System. It can be used in
conjunction with the Spellweaving System, or with the standard AD&D magic
system. The original idea came from a Tortured Souls magazine (Great magazine
to buy if you can find it). It involves the notion that there are centers of
magic, magical sources if you will, around the campaign world or playing
area. Note that this is for spells and not magical items, although the DM
might rule that these modifiers effect the creation of magical items in some
way.
The modifiers should not be told to the players in advance, but should be
discovered by them during the course of play; this reflects the acquisition
of similar knowledge by their characters. If the DM thinks that it would be
common knowledge, for mages and priests, where the centers are, then so be it.
There are several general categories of spells, these are:
1. Elemental spells eg. Gust of Wind, Wall of Iron, Fireball, Fog Cloud.
These will typically have centers as such: Air elemental: some tall
mountain range, Earth elemental: some rugged mountain range, the sort
that dwarves love, or a canyon, Fire elemental: some great desert. Water
elemental: the ocean, or the largest ocean around. These are better to be
in the four corners of the playing world, but it is not necessary.
2. Nature spells eg. Charm Plants, Weather Summoning, Warp Wood, etc. These
are druid type spells that call upon the forces of nature in some way.
The typical place for the source of nature would be in the middle of a
huge forest.
3. Divination spells eg. augury, detect magic, etc. This effects priests and
not mages, since it depends on where the god or his/her holy city/temple
etc. is. The source of the magic comes from here in this case.
Alternatively this can effect mages with regards to the information being
divined eg. If a mage is doing a detect magic on a Flame Tongue, he would
receive the same modifier as a Fire elemental spell.
4. Illusion spells eg. Shadow Magic, Phantasmal Force etc. The center of the
source of illusionary magic is the place in the playing world where most
of the intelligence is. This is generally the capital city, or more
generally the city with greatest population.
5. Other spell types. With regards to anti-magic, the defence against magic,
the modifier will change in sign, since it will be easier to dispel or
defend against against a source of magic which is far away, and harder to
defend against a source of magic which is near. eg. if the spell Wall of
Iron is in the area which gives it +3 modifier, there will be a -3
modifier for anyone trying to dispel it. With regards to spells that are
related to another spell type eg. Wish, Glyph of Warding, Permanency,
Nystul's Magical Aura etc. treat them as the appropriate spell type.
Any others: either no modifier, or use your judgement.
Remember that these are only suggestions.
Distance From Modifiers For Modifiers On
Magic Source Supplement Own
---------------------------------------------------------
up to 1000 miles +5 +50%
1000+ - 2000 +4 +40%
2000+ - 3000 +3 +30%
3000+ - 4000 +2 +20%
4000+ - 5000 +1 +10%
5000+ - 6000 - -
6000+ - 7000 -1 -10%
7000+ - 8000 -2 -20%
8000+ - 9000 -3 -30%
9000+ - 10000 -4 -40%
10000+ -5 -50%
Distance From Magic Source: This is best done from the map of the playing
world. An alternative to the distances given above, if your playing world is
a lot smaller or larger, is to divide the length of the playing area by about
15 and use this figure instead of the jumps of 1000 miles.
Another method is to use the above distances informally (eg. within the
elvin forest the modifiers are +2 for a certain magic type, etc.) This eases
the use in campaign worlds.
Modifiers For Supplement: If you are using the Spellweaver System I have
offered in a seperate article, then these are the modifiers added or
subtracted when finding out the spell's effect.
Modifiers On Own: If this system is used on it's own, then these are the
modifiers used. If there is damage or healing involved, then the modifier is
applied to this. If it is a divination spell, then this is the chance of it
not working (if negative), roll this chance again, and get false information.
If it is a positive modifier to divination spells then you can either get
that percentage in extra info, or similar.
Other spells can have, duration, area of effect, or range effected, or even
the chance of the spell working at all. This is up to the DM.
Magic Items: These modifiers will affect all spells, whether they come from
scrolls or come from a magical item that gave the user the spell use. This
is the only way in which magic items will be affected.
This system will tend to bog down spell use a bit, but will make a
campaign more fun and will give a fresh aproach to magic in AD&D. Hope you
enjoy.