But anyway, what can a wiser DM and players do with a mere non-damaging Phantasm? The possibilities are endless, and it becomes a contest of wits between players and DM. As the illusionist here, you are not just trying to create something, but do a psychological bank shot - show a thing that will have an effect on someone or something else. What would a hound made of shadow do when a small fluffy white cat saunters across its field of sight? This is the phantasm a certain gnome conjured up not so long ago in a dire situation, and being on the Faerie Roads (which are halfway already to Toontown) I allowed that a 5+ on d6 would plausibly distract each hound from the combat. I place this spell at first level because it rewards creativity, aids distraction and escape - vital for the puny starting party.
The Harden/Soften spell seems at first glance to be the weakest of the first level lot - a straightforward buff/debuff. But consider that in my system, chain mail plus shield gives AC 16, to which +3 adds a very formidable barrier; kobolds can only hit that 10% of the time.
Consider further that the spell is not just written as a buff/debuff, but as a physical effect. This is crucial to encouraging creative uses. What can you do with an iron flag ... a rope turned rigid ... a rubber sword ... in the name of all that's holy, think of the hairdressing implications!
Finally had the time to read over your entire color system & spell card line of posts. Great stuff, and very inspirational. I run a limited magic, rules-lite homebrew, and something like this is perfect.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you've made changes in both your spell selection and the number of spells per level. I'm sure you'll address this at some point, but how many total 1st level spell card are we looking at here? Total spell cards across all levels?
Thanks for the good word. Right now there are 16 1st level spells and about 4-8 at each other level up to level 8 (keep in mind that level is keyed to level of caster unlike D&D). I pretty much intend the maximum level to be 12.
DeleteGreat, I'm looking forward to the rest of the cards. I think I'll tailor mine to some old Magic The Gathering card sleeves I have laying around.
ReplyDeleteYou probably wrote about this at some point, but why do you prefer to set spells to caster level? Just easier to remember/visualize? I currently use only 5 spells levels, mainly to simplify and smooth out the power curve (much like you did in your earlier posts).
Yes, ease of application plus the ability to get more granular and distinguish between less and more powerful spells, as well as making the even numbered early levels feel like they are rising in power beyond just having more casts.
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