I was thinking this morning about the nature of magic items. I've just started reading (for the umpteenth time) The Annals of the Black Company. In the first book the Company is stalking the wizard, Raker, and uses a bit of his hair to bait a trap. Later on, one of the Company's wizards begins making a fell artifact, a black spear, crafting it over the course of his remaining years, until it finally is used to kill a goddess. Here are two different versions of the magic item: Fire and forget, and the Life's Work. I'm much more interested in the latter, and why even a minor wizard like the Company's might be capable of such master craft.
Let's just suppose, to begin with, that being a wizard is something that "bleeds through" into other dimensions and planes of existence. So, the basic laws of thermodynamics get violated, right? Where does that energy come from? Where does it go? It goes into those Places Between, the Ways, the Traveling Spaces, and those places aren't anywhere in particular, but they are very real and very important to magical beings, and beings that use magic. They also are conduits that can be harnessed in various ways through the use of things existing on the material plane (e.g., henges, sacred groves, arcane circles, ley lines, etc.) to get a better purchase on the world, to make it do things it shouldn't. With me so far? Okay, so here's the twist.
What if being a wizard means that, just by being a wizard, you are constantly "bleeding through" into those empty places, where shadows lurk seeking form, and that your magic signature (like a scent) provides the Ones Who Dwell Between with a way to reach you. This may mean they hunt you, certainly, but more like the more powerful you are, the more magic you use, the more likely it is that an unworldly creature of some kind is going to notice you and find a way to use you for its own purposes (e.g., for exotic food, for easy power, for twisted amusements). That being the case, wouldn't you want to, if you're a wizard, figure out a way to keep that from happening? Here's a neat trick: Make the equivalent of a magical heat sink, something to diffuse those energies.
For example (also from the Annals) we have the Silver Spike. Literally a silver nail, but this time forcefully imbued with the power of the Dominator, the most fell wizard of several eras, corrupted in his death with his own deathless essence. It's not an intelligence, necessarily, but an essence of your Self and Craft. Note: that's another thing about being a wizard: Using magic allows you to hang on to life, perhaps without end, just because it works with Law and Chaos in ways that completely remake a wizard's body, over and over again. Sure it corrupts you, but that also means that you're getting additional life in the bargain. Think about that: Magic is a danger, but you have to use it or you will eventually die. You don't want to die, so you have to get as powerful in the use of magic as you can. Doing so puts you in greater and greater peril from the Powers that Be, so you begin to assemble some sort of device(s) or object(s) to serve as dimensional analogs for the shadows that your power casts in the Spaces Between.
In game terms, maybe that means that wizards are always making magic items. They have to, for self-defense. Magic items aren't made with a single spell, or a ritual. Instead, wizards carry objects they've designated to hold this magical essence, and to keep the heat off, so to speak. In time, those mundane objects become empowered, but in peculiar ways, taking on the character of both wizard and wizard's magical history. This is why your magic sword has an ego, and why it has a purpose. It's also why there are magical items just floating around the game world without anyone to look after them. The wizard gets rid of 'em so the magic can't be traced back. As for those poor bastard what have the the items, well... don't be surprised when you get caught holding the bag (of holding).
Showing posts with label wizards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wizards. Show all posts
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Wizardry is Basic: Why do we even need Detect Magic?
I've been thinking for a while that having Detect Magic as a spell doesn't really make a lot of sense. In my mind (and in a lot of the fantasy literature), when arcane powers are used, they cause disturbances felt by those with arcane affinity of some sort. That is, when a wizard casts a spell, or someone invokes a powerful ritual, or someone taps into a ley line, then those who know magic may have a sense of that thing happening. Because they traffic in arcane power, they somehow can feel when someone uses such power, especially if it's a powerful effect. The distance at which one can feel this effect could be debated, but I'd argue that more powerful effects can be detected a greater distances. So, a little cantrip might go virtually unnoticed, but the spell, Lightning Bolt, would be much easier to detect. A complex and powerful ritual requiring a bunch of wizards would be like a beacon (and in fact, when we think about what might be summoned through such a ritual, it probably very much is a beacon of sorts). A spell that has been cast with more power might be more detectable than the same spell cast with less power.
Fantasy RPGs, in my experience, do a poor job of modeling that element of the fantasy literature. Depending on the system we're paying, if we want a wizard to know if, for example, an object is magical, we cast Detect Magic. If we want to know what kind of magic it is, then we cast Identify. Surely, there are different spells in various systems that are used to achieve these sorts of effects. My point, though, is that wizards actually have to cast a spell to detect this stuff, let alone to identify it.
I'll use DCC RPG ruleset as the basis for what follows. Let's begin with a problem.
What if you're a wizard standing in front of a closed door. You want to know if there's any kind of magical trap. With the rule-as-written, you might have to cast Detect Magic. Depending on the roll for spellcasting, assuming it's successful, you could learn that, yeah, it's magical. Or you might learn how magical it is. Or you might even get some (or a lot) of information about the nature of the magic. However, you can't just be in the presence of the magical trap and say, "Hmmm... this shit's magical, and I can tell that simply because I'm a wizard, and we know that kind of stuff. Maybe I don't want to fuck with it until I figure out what it is and how it works." Why can't wizards just do that?
Option 1: The magic has been hidden in some way (e.g., weaves were inverted to hide them).
Option 2: The magic is of a type not familiar to the wizard, as magic (e.g., divine or demonic power of some kind).
Option 3: The magic has not yet been activated (i.e., some element of the spell has not been completed).
I think all of those options are reasonable explanations.
With Option 1, then, perhaps instead of (or more probably, in addition to) Detect Magic we should have a spell called Hide Magic. Also in that line of thinking, an Identify Magic spell might be complemented by a spell designed to promote misidentification of magical effects. It looks like a simple Hold Portal, but actually is a Fireball spell triggered by opening the door.
With Option 2, there would have to be various flavors of magic in the world, some of which you'd know and some not, and alignment might be a part of that. Your cleric could, for example, tell you if something seems holy or unholy, because she's a freakin' cleric. You need that kind of caster to detect that kind of magic. That's just one example of things in this genre. Another: Maybe a fire wizard would be better able to detect elemental magics, but other types are harder to detect and/or identify.
With Option 3, spells are done in stages. Maybe someone has rigged a door with a rune of some sort. Maybe it's visible or maybe it's not. More importantly, the rune must be activated in some way. Maybe there's a needle trap with a silver needle which must shed some blood. Maybe there's a piece of chalk fixed to the bottom edge of the door. When the door is opened, it will complete the rune and trigger the spell effect. In either case, the spell is not detectable, because it's not yet triggered. There is no arcane power to be felt, at least not yet. There are, however, outward signs of the making of such powers: chalk marks around the doorway or on the floor; a trap with an unusual component (a silver needle engraved with weird symbols, which could be found by a thief, perhaps).
My point is this: I think Detect Magic needs to be expanded a bit. Wizards are magical beings because they are able to cast spells, and/or as a result of such casting. They traffic in the arcane. So, when a strong spell effect is generated, they probably can detect it, unless something is done to hide the effect. Here's a possible mechanic to model this, using the DCC RPG spellcasting roll as its basis.
When a spell is cast successfully, the number generated for the casting roll is proportionate to its power. Thus, the higher the roll, the more likely it is to be detected. My guess is that the person doing the detecting must be a wizard or elf, someone who uses such magic. The judge could look at the base success for that spell, subtract that number from the casting roll, and then roll under that number, with modification by Luck or Intelligence.
Example: The party of adventurers is attempting to enter a wizard's tower via a locked entrance. The Wizard (let's say she's 3rd level and has an Intelligence attribute of 15) casts Knock, getting a roll of 13 on her d20, plus 3 for caster level, plus 1 for the Intelligence mod, for a total of 17. The base success for that spell is 12. 17 minus 12 equals 5. The wizard who owns the tower would have a chance to detect such magic, automatically. That base chance would require her to roll under 5. The roll would be modified, as was the casting roll, by caster level and Intelligence modifier. So, a 5th level wizard with an Intelligence of, oh, 16 would have modifiers of 5 for caster level and 2 for Intelligence. Those would be added to the "5" result for a total of... 5+5+2=12. That would be the "roll under" number to detect the effect automatically.
Now, certainly, range might be a factor. If one is just too far away, it would be difficult to detect magic. That sort of thing still needs to be worked out, of course. Similarly, one could take steps to hide magic use. Maybe you have an artifact that does so. Maybe you cast some other spell that obscures your magic use from prying minds. Those things will be put aside for discussion at some later date. Now, let's look at the spell itself: Detect Magic.
In DCC RPG, the Detect Magic spell is a cleric spell, and is a combination of detection and identification. It allows both detection of magic and, depending on the results of the spell casting, a determination of its potency, its effects, and so forth. While I strongly disagree that, as a clerical spell, the wizard should cast it at a penalty, I'll leave that aside for now. The spell itself, even with the addition of the mechanic I've laid out, above, would still be useful. Sure, the wizard in the tower might have "felt" somebody using magic nearby, but she would still need to figure out some things about it. Maybe Detect Magic would be useful in that regard, so she could cast it. However, she would not just be blissfully unaware that powerful magic had just been used nearby, and that she might actually need to summon the flying monkeys to deal with whatever ruffians might be lurking nearby, or already on the premises trying to kill her and take her stuff.
Further, Detect Magic could be reconfigured as an inversion of the spell-as-written, or it could be used as a kind of saving throw, where the DC is the casting number of the spell she is trying to detect (as is the case with Sleep and other wizard spells). So, let's say the wizard casts Hide Magic before casting whatever other spell she wishes to cast. She rolls a 20 result, say. Perhaps another wizard nearby would have to make a save against a DC of 20 (modified by caster level and Intelligence mod) in order to "feel" whatever that spell was meant to hide.
Example: Chlorimina the 3rd level wizard is attempting to enter a rival wizard's tower, and is accompanied by a thief and a couple of warriors. She finds that the entrance is locked, and the thief can't seem to get it open. Maybe it's locked with a Hold Portal spell. She wants to cast Knock, but knows that her rival, Dementia (a 5th level wizard) would detect that. So, she casts Hide Magic first (which, by its nature, is not detectable by normal means). Her casting roll is 13, and is modified by +3 for caster level and +1 for Intelligence mod, for a total of 17. Dementia, the rival wizard, must save against a target number of 17. So, when Chlorimina casts Knock to open the door she wishes to open, the Judge rolls a d20 for a 9, modified by 5 for caster level and 2 for Intelligence for a total of 16. This doesn't beat the 17 on Chlorimina's Hide Magic casting, so Dementia fails to detect that her rival has used a spell nearby. Her enemies have penetrated her sanctum, but she has no idea that they have. However, should Dementia cast a Detect Magic spell, it may be that she would be able to determine that something has happened, and, depending on the results of the roll, its direction, nature, power level, etc.
Anyhow, these are just a few thoughts on the matter. I'm not yet satisfied that this mechanic is usable in play. I'm sure I'm probably missing something important. However, it does capture to some extent both what I see as problems with Detect Magic as-written, and some ways in which those problems might be addressed. What do you think?
Fantasy RPGs, in my experience, do a poor job of modeling that element of the fantasy literature. Depending on the system we're paying, if we want a wizard to know if, for example, an object is magical, we cast Detect Magic. If we want to know what kind of magic it is, then we cast Identify. Surely, there are different spells in various systems that are used to achieve these sorts of effects. My point, though, is that wizards actually have to cast a spell to detect this stuff, let alone to identify it.
I'll use DCC RPG ruleset as the basis for what follows. Let's begin with a problem.
What if you're a wizard standing in front of a closed door. You want to know if there's any kind of magical trap. With the rule-as-written, you might have to cast Detect Magic. Depending on the roll for spellcasting, assuming it's successful, you could learn that, yeah, it's magical. Or you might learn how magical it is. Or you might even get some (or a lot) of information about the nature of the magic. However, you can't just be in the presence of the magical trap and say, "Hmmm... this shit's magical, and I can tell that simply because I'm a wizard, and we know that kind of stuff. Maybe I don't want to fuck with it until I figure out what it is and how it works." Why can't wizards just do that?
Option 1: The magic has been hidden in some way (e.g., weaves were inverted to hide them).
Option 2: The magic is of a type not familiar to the wizard, as magic (e.g., divine or demonic power of some kind).
Option 3: The magic has not yet been activated (i.e., some element of the spell has not been completed).
I think all of those options are reasonable explanations.
With Option 1, then, perhaps instead of (or more probably, in addition to) Detect Magic we should have a spell called Hide Magic. Also in that line of thinking, an Identify Magic spell might be complemented by a spell designed to promote misidentification of magical effects. It looks like a simple Hold Portal, but actually is a Fireball spell triggered by opening the door.
With Option 2, there would have to be various flavors of magic in the world, some of which you'd know and some not, and alignment might be a part of that. Your cleric could, for example, tell you if something seems holy or unholy, because she's a freakin' cleric. You need that kind of caster to detect that kind of magic. That's just one example of things in this genre. Another: Maybe a fire wizard would be better able to detect elemental magics, but other types are harder to detect and/or identify.
With Option 3, spells are done in stages. Maybe someone has rigged a door with a rune of some sort. Maybe it's visible or maybe it's not. More importantly, the rune must be activated in some way. Maybe there's a needle trap with a silver needle which must shed some blood. Maybe there's a piece of chalk fixed to the bottom edge of the door. When the door is opened, it will complete the rune and trigger the spell effect. In either case, the spell is not detectable, because it's not yet triggered. There is no arcane power to be felt, at least not yet. There are, however, outward signs of the making of such powers: chalk marks around the doorway or on the floor; a trap with an unusual component (a silver needle engraved with weird symbols, which could be found by a thief, perhaps).
My point is this: I think Detect Magic needs to be expanded a bit. Wizards are magical beings because they are able to cast spells, and/or as a result of such casting. They traffic in the arcane. So, when a strong spell effect is generated, they probably can detect it, unless something is done to hide the effect. Here's a possible mechanic to model this, using the DCC RPG spellcasting roll as its basis.
When a spell is cast successfully, the number generated for the casting roll is proportionate to its power. Thus, the higher the roll, the more likely it is to be detected. My guess is that the person doing the detecting must be a wizard or elf, someone who uses such magic. The judge could look at the base success for that spell, subtract that number from the casting roll, and then roll under that number, with modification by Luck or Intelligence.
Example: The party of adventurers is attempting to enter a wizard's tower via a locked entrance. The Wizard (let's say she's 3rd level and has an Intelligence attribute of 15) casts Knock, getting a roll of 13 on her d20, plus 3 for caster level, plus 1 for the Intelligence mod, for a total of 17. The base success for that spell is 12. 17 minus 12 equals 5. The wizard who owns the tower would have a chance to detect such magic, automatically. That base chance would require her to roll under 5. The roll would be modified, as was the casting roll, by caster level and Intelligence modifier. So, a 5th level wizard with an Intelligence of, oh, 16 would have modifiers of 5 for caster level and 2 for Intelligence. Those would be added to the "5" result for a total of... 5+5+2=12. That would be the "roll under" number to detect the effect automatically.
Now, certainly, range might be a factor. If one is just too far away, it would be difficult to detect magic. That sort of thing still needs to be worked out, of course. Similarly, one could take steps to hide magic use. Maybe you have an artifact that does so. Maybe you cast some other spell that obscures your magic use from prying minds. Those things will be put aside for discussion at some later date. Now, let's look at the spell itself: Detect Magic.
In DCC RPG, the Detect Magic spell is a cleric spell, and is a combination of detection and identification. It allows both detection of magic and, depending on the results of the spell casting, a determination of its potency, its effects, and so forth. While I strongly disagree that, as a clerical spell, the wizard should cast it at a penalty, I'll leave that aside for now. The spell itself, even with the addition of the mechanic I've laid out, above, would still be useful. Sure, the wizard in the tower might have "felt" somebody using magic nearby, but she would still need to figure out some things about it. Maybe Detect Magic would be useful in that regard, so she could cast it. However, she would not just be blissfully unaware that powerful magic had just been used nearby, and that she might actually need to summon the flying monkeys to deal with whatever ruffians might be lurking nearby, or already on the premises trying to kill her and take her stuff.
Further, Detect Magic could be reconfigured as an inversion of the spell-as-written, or it could be used as a kind of saving throw, where the DC is the casting number of the spell she is trying to detect (as is the case with Sleep and other wizard spells). So, let's say the wizard casts Hide Magic before casting whatever other spell she wishes to cast. She rolls a 20 result, say. Perhaps another wizard nearby would have to make a save against a DC of 20 (modified by caster level and Intelligence mod) in order to "feel" whatever that spell was meant to hide.
Example: Chlorimina the 3rd level wizard is attempting to enter a rival wizard's tower, and is accompanied by a thief and a couple of warriors. She finds that the entrance is locked, and the thief can't seem to get it open. Maybe it's locked with a Hold Portal spell. She wants to cast Knock, but knows that her rival, Dementia (a 5th level wizard) would detect that. So, she casts Hide Magic first (which, by its nature, is not detectable by normal means). Her casting roll is 13, and is modified by +3 for caster level and +1 for Intelligence mod, for a total of 17. Dementia, the rival wizard, must save against a target number of 17. So, when Chlorimina casts Knock to open the door she wishes to open, the Judge rolls a d20 for a 9, modified by 5 for caster level and 2 for Intelligence for a total of 16. This doesn't beat the 17 on Chlorimina's Hide Magic casting, so Dementia fails to detect that her rival has used a spell nearby. Her enemies have penetrated her sanctum, but she has no idea that they have. However, should Dementia cast a Detect Magic spell, it may be that she would be able to determine that something has happened, and, depending on the results of the roll, its direction, nature, power level, etc.
Anyhow, these are just a few thoughts on the matter. I'm not yet satisfied that this mechanic is usable in play. I'm sure I'm probably missing something important. However, it does capture to some extent both what I see as problems with Detect Magic as-written, and some ways in which those problems might be addressed. What do you think?
Saturday, February 1, 2014
The Vancian Wizard in DCC RPG
I chance to read this excellent post over on The Evil GM, today. Given my proclivity for all things DCC RPG, it drove me to reflect on the magical mechanics of that particular system. It seems to me that magic in DCC RPG, while still "Vancian" in flavor, has been altered sufficiently to ameliorate some of the problems associated with that sort of system. Here are a few of the "fixes" I've noticed:
I must begin with the most important difference: The role (roll?) of chance in the DCC RPG magic system. Those already familiar with my work know that I love dice and the chaos they bring to this game, for good or for ill. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the magic system.
Scaled Randomization of Spell Results
First of all, unlike D&D and its various clones, casting a spell doesn't succeed automatically. And, even if it does succeed, saving throws are still possible. DCC RPG creates the possibility of spell failure through the Spell Check mechanic. Here, the wizard rolls a d20, modified by Intelligence and by Caster Level. At the lower levels, the caster must achieve a "12" result on the die roll for a bare success. Higher results, as I'll discuss presently, mean better (more powerful) outcomes. At higher levels, the caster must achieve higher results for the bare success (18 for 5th level spells). This sort of scaling of the randomized results makes it easier for high level wizards to succeed with lower level spells, but preserves the difficulty logically following from the idea that it is a higher level spell.
Every Wizard is (potentially) a Nuke
Even more interesting, even a low-level wizard is capable of amazing successes. For example, a first level wizard could, with an 18 Intelligence, achieve a result of up to 24 on a spell check roll. Let's look at Magic Missile.
With a "12" result (bare minimum success) he or she would get the following result:
So, any wizard, from 1st level to 10th, has the potential to demonstrate amazing arcane abilities. He or she also can augment those abilities with sacrifices of various sorts.
Spellburn and Luck Burn
Sometimes, sacrifices must be made to ensure (to the extent possible) success. In DCC RPG, the character can do this by two mechanics: Spellburn and Luck Burn. Spellburn allows the wizard to sacrifice Strength, Agility, and/or Stamina to increase his or her casting roll. Those losses are real, though temporary. The lost abilities can be healed at a rate of one point per day of rest. In the mean time, any rolls relying on those abilities would be at an adjusted modifier for the ability in question. For example, a wizard who burns 3 points of Stamina might go from 10 to 7. The new modifier would be a minus-1. The result would make his or her Fortitude Save somewhat less likely. So, the Spellburn mechanic allows wizards to burn vital essence to achieve supreme results, but at a cost.
Depending on what happens later, early use of Spellburn might turn out to be a very, very bad idea. The wizard may find him or herself handicapped significantly in a save-or-die situation. On the other hand, Spellburn might be the thing that turns the tide when things start to go to shit. This, I must say, is one of the best things that this approach makes happen: The noble sacrifice of the wizard can turn a can't-miss TPK into a resounding victory for the party. The wizards Formerly Ian and Jerkal the Blazin' (RIP) have provided good examples of that, in the Metal Gods of Ur-Hadad campaign.
Also, a natural "1" roll (a fumble) while using Spellburn, has additional consequences:
Spell Failure and Spell Loss
When the casting roll doesn't succeed, there are a couple of different things that can happen. The first is simple failure. The spell didn't have an effect. On top of this, the caster will usually lose the use of that spell. This is about the same thing that happens in the "traditional" Vancian spell casting. You use it, you lose it. In DCC RPG, however, the caster may Spellburn to keep a spell that has been lost via a failed casting roll. "If a wizard expends a lost spell’s level in ability score points, he can cast the spell as if he still had it. For example, a wizard could burn 2 points of ability scores to cast a level 2 spell he had lost for the day" (DCC RPG Core Rules, p. 108). Spellburn, though, as I've already suggested, has its own associated problems.
Misfires and Corruption
One of the things I love to see as a DCC RPG judge, is a natural "1" result on a Casting Roll. This means that something fun is probably going to happen. If it does, the wizard (and his or her party) may find themselves, as the bard said, totally fucked.
The wizard in question must make a roll to determine what happens on a natural "1" result. A misfire is an unintended effect. On a Sleep spell, for example, the misfire might result in the wizard (or entire party!) being put into a magical slumber. A Magic Missile might result in untargeted creatures (including the wizard) getting hit by the spell.
Misfires are fun. Misfires can be hilarious. I love, love, love misfires. Then again, I rarely play wizards.
Corruption is another matter entirely. Corruption is when the spell has the unintended effect of altering the wizard. It also, sometimes, could end up altering others in the area of effect of the corruption. In a word, if you mess around with magic, Son, don't be surprised if you get bit. By a viciously toothed maw. The maw that just appeared on your forehead. Look at the little children run away from the hideous freak wizard. Look at the villagers with their torches and pitchforks. And, Lo! Is that a hangin' tree? Is that a rope? Run, wizard, run!
Corruption is also fun. Yay, corruption!
Supernatural Patrons
Finally, wizards have access to supernatural patrons, and these patrons also can grant the wizard new spells (and new corruption results--i.e., "patron taint"). This unnatural congress will (of course) cost the wizard. One doesn't traffic with Angels, Daemons, and Beings Between without an associated risk that it will cost, and maybe cost more than one can bear.
The wizard will rack up obligations to his or her patron(s). The wizard be corrupted into the patron's image. The wizard may, ultimately, become puppet to the patron, with all that implies. These are not nice people. They want just (or even unjust) recompense. They will have it, whether or not the wizard can bear it.
The Dice, The Dice, Oh, Lord, the Dice!
I must begin with the most important difference: The role (roll?) of chance in the DCC RPG magic system. Those already familiar with my work know that I love dice and the chaos they bring to this game, for good or for ill. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the magic system.
Scaled Randomization of Spell Results
First of all, unlike D&D and its various clones, casting a spell doesn't succeed automatically. And, even if it does succeed, saving throws are still possible. DCC RPG creates the possibility of spell failure through the Spell Check mechanic. Here, the wizard rolls a d20, modified by Intelligence and by Caster Level. At the lower levels, the caster must achieve a "12" result on the die roll for a bare success. Higher results, as I'll discuss presently, mean better (more powerful) outcomes. At higher levels, the caster must achieve higher results for the bare success (18 for 5th level spells). This sort of scaling of the randomized results makes it easier for high level wizards to succeed with lower level spells, but preserves the difficulty logically following from the idea that it is a higher level spell.
Every Wizard is (potentially) a Nuke
Even more interesting, even a low-level wizard is capable of amazing successes. For example, a first level wizard could, with an 18 Intelligence, achieve a result of up to 24 on a spell check roll. Let's look at Magic Missile.
With a "12" result (bare minimum success) he or she would get the following result:
The caster throws a single missile that does 1 point of damage. He must have line of sight to the target. The missile never misses, though it may be blocked by certain magic (e.g., magic shield).With a "24" result (maximum without Spellburn or Luck Burn), he or she would get this:
The caster throws a single powerful missile that does damage equal to 4d12 + caster level. The missile must be aimed at a single target to which the caster has line of sight, at a maximum range of 1,000’. The missile never misses, though it may be blocked by certain magic (e.g., magic shield). (Both results, DCC RPG Core Rules, p.145)That's a pretty kick-ass result, comparatively, and some of the ones in between are pretty amazing as well.
So, any wizard, from 1st level to 10th, has the potential to demonstrate amazing arcane abilities. He or she also can augment those abilities with sacrifices of various sorts.
Spellburn and Luck Burn
Sometimes, sacrifices must be made to ensure (to the extent possible) success. In DCC RPG, the character can do this by two mechanics: Spellburn and Luck Burn. Spellburn allows the wizard to sacrifice Strength, Agility, and/or Stamina to increase his or her casting roll. Those losses are real, though temporary. The lost abilities can be healed at a rate of one point per day of rest. In the mean time, any rolls relying on those abilities would be at an adjusted modifier for the ability in question. For example, a wizard who burns 3 points of Stamina might go from 10 to 7. The new modifier would be a minus-1. The result would make his or her Fortitude Save somewhat less likely. So, the Spellburn mechanic allows wizards to burn vital essence to achieve supreme results, but at a cost.
Depending on what happens later, early use of Spellburn might turn out to be a very, very bad idea. The wizard may find him or herself handicapped significantly in a save-or-die situation. On the other hand, Spellburn might be the thing that turns the tide when things start to go to shit. This, I must say, is one of the best things that this approach makes happen: The noble sacrifice of the wizard can turn a can't-miss TPK into a resounding victory for the party. The wizards Formerly Ian and Jerkal the Blazin' (RIP) have provided good examples of that, in the Metal Gods of Ur-Hadad campaign.
Also, a natural "1" roll (a fumble) while using Spellburn, has additional consequences:
Any magic-user who rolls a natural 1 on a spell check while using spellburn suffers the loss of ability points and the associated corruption (see below), and also loses 1 point of ability score permanently (DCC RPG Core Rules, p. 108).Luck Burn, on the other hand, is something that any character class can use. It is, simply, sacrificing points of Luck (permanently, in most cases) to add to a Casting Roll. Luck gets used in a lot of ways, though different judges may have their own eccentricities in this regard. I, for example, have taken to using Luck to determine who will be attacked first, when there is such a determination to be made. Luck also may be used to see if characters notice things, or whether they find more or less treasure, or whether their mounts will bolt or stand their ground when startled. There are lots of reasons to need high Luck, not the least of which is the Recover the Body mechanic:
If a character reaches a dead ally’s body within one hour, the dead character may make a Luck check when his body is rolled over. On a successful check, the dead character was badly injured but is not permanently killed, and the ally is able to keep him alive. The “dead” character was simply knocked out, stunned, or otherwise incapacitated. (DCC RPG Core Rules, p. 93)With a low Luck score, the chances of surviving a Recover the Body check decrease. Low Luck can mean you are Dead, Dead, Dead, pal. Tear up that character sheet, buddy. Better luck with your wizardry next time, champ.
Spell Failure and Spell Loss
When the casting roll doesn't succeed, there are a couple of different things that can happen. The first is simple failure. The spell didn't have an effect. On top of this, the caster will usually lose the use of that spell. This is about the same thing that happens in the "traditional" Vancian spell casting. You use it, you lose it. In DCC RPG, however, the caster may Spellburn to keep a spell that has been lost via a failed casting roll. "If a wizard expends a lost spell’s level in ability score points, he can cast the spell as if he still had it. For example, a wizard could burn 2 points of ability scores to cast a level 2 spell he had lost for the day" (DCC RPG Core Rules, p. 108). Spellburn, though, as I've already suggested, has its own associated problems.
Misfires and Corruption
One of the things I love to see as a DCC RPG judge, is a natural "1" result on a Casting Roll. This means that something fun is probably going to happen. If it does, the wizard (and his or her party) may find themselves, as the bard said, totally fucked.
The wizard in question must make a roll to determine what happens on a natural "1" result. A misfire is an unintended effect. On a Sleep spell, for example, the misfire might result in the wizard (or entire party!) being put into a magical slumber. A Magic Missile might result in untargeted creatures (including the wizard) getting hit by the spell.
Misfires are fun. Misfires can be hilarious. I love, love, love misfires. Then again, I rarely play wizards.
Corruption is another matter entirely. Corruption is when the spell has the unintended effect of altering the wizard. It also, sometimes, could end up altering others in the area of effect of the corruption. In a word, if you mess around with magic, Son, don't be surprised if you get bit. By a viciously toothed maw. The maw that just appeared on your forehead. Look at the little children run away from the hideous freak wizard. Look at the villagers with their torches and pitchforks. And, Lo! Is that a hangin' tree? Is that a rope? Run, wizard, run!
Corruption is also fun. Yay, corruption!
Supernatural Patrons
Finally, wizards have access to supernatural patrons, and these patrons also can grant the wizard new spells (and new corruption results--i.e., "patron taint"). This unnatural congress will (of course) cost the wizard. One doesn't traffic with Angels, Daemons, and Beings Between without an associated risk that it will cost, and maybe cost more than one can bear.
The wizard will rack up obligations to his or her patron(s). The wizard be corrupted into the patron's image. The wizard may, ultimately, become puppet to the patron, with all that implies. These are not nice people. They want just (or even unjust) recompense. They will have it, whether or not the wizard can bear it.
Wizards, of course, are not the only spell casters in the game. Elves function pretty much as wizards do. Clerics, though, have another system entirely. They don't have spell misfires or corruption. They accrue Deity Disapproval. Such disapproval may obligate the cleric (as to a patron) to accomplish particular goals for the deity. It may strip the cleric of particular powers, or make it more difficult to access them.
I will not, at this time, go into the disapproval mechanic for clerics. It's beyond the scope of the current post.
Conclusion
DCC RPG's magic system, while ostensibly Vancian, takes "Vancian" to mean something different than D&D did with its magic system. In fact, one could argue that the DCC RPG magic system is far more explicitly Vancian than the D&D counterpart. Overall, I think it's my favorite system of the two. I embrace the risks and rewards. I like the way that supernatural patrons are incorporated. I appreciate the corruption rules that change the wizard in manner and/or appearance. These features, among others, make the DCC RPG "Vancian" magic system a close approximation of what is suggested by the Vancian literature.
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