[Notebook] Secret Spells!

[Morgenstern]

Secret Spells

Secret spell are a way for spell-wielding characters to enhance their weapons of choice in much the same fashion that more physical, martial characters do – by spending proficiencies to purchase tricks. Each secret spell is essentially an alternate version of the standard spell, but considerably more exclusive (and costly to acquire) than simply spending an additional “spells known” slot.

Secret spell come in 3 levels of potency. “Basic” spell tricks provide small effects and work like normal tricks applied to the spellcasting check. “Complex” spell tricks increase the casting DC by 4, but offer considerable advantage under the right circumstances. “Sophisticated” spell tricks require the caster to either spend an action die or accept a +10 increase to the casting DC. These are by far the most powerful secret spells and can significantly alter how the spell operates. Those able to perform spells without making a Spellcasting check (such as Priests) may still learn and utilize secret spells, but in the case of sophisticated tricks they must pay the action die cost rather than accept a DC modifier that is irrelevant to them.

Introducing Secret Spells

Balancing spellcasters vs. other character types is always a finicky business, so opening up a whole new layer of power to them requires some thought and attention on the part of the setting designer. Two special rules are used to help insure minimal disruption of the balance between player options in generic environments. First, spell tricks apply only to a single spell. Second, PC spellcasters must gain the option to learn any individual spell trick as reward in play or by means approved by the GC before spending a proficiency to actually use it. This may take the form of an expensive silver coin purchase of a lost manuscript, gaining renown with an organization that has such knowledge of such secret spells, undertaking elaborate, multi-check long-term research to “discover” the trick, or other undertakings that help emphasize that the caster has gained finesse with that particular spell well above the norm. Campaign qualities are used to adjust the accessibility of tricks to be simpler or harder from this baseline.

Basic Spell Tricks

Piecing Magic Missile (Basic Magic Missile Trick): Each of your magic missiles gains AP 3.

Complex Spell Tricks

Magic Missile Salvo (Complex Magic Missile Trick): The casting DC of this spell rises by 4. You produce 2 additional missiles.

Sophisticated Spell Tricks

Magic Missile Chaos (Sophisticated Magic Missile Trick): You must spend an action die or the casting DC of this spell rises by 10. Each of your magic missiles also acts as a Trip attempt using your Caster Level + 25 as the opposed check result. You may not target a single opponent with more than one of these missiles.

[Morgenstern]

Just something dancing around in my head. Feel free to comment or suggest additional tricks.

I'll be looking at creating/adding a crafting format for the various grades of tricks (cost, complexity) to give a sense of the baseline diffult of reseaching your own secret spells or unlocking ones the GM has approved as possible in the setting.

[Sletchman]

Interesting stuff.  I was working on something similar (but using a different mechanic), but never made a solid rule governing power or DC adjustment (and was gonna let PCs decide what they wanted and I would tell them the cost).  I like that you have a set structure in mind to tier them - it really is a far better method.  I'm looking forward to seeing what comes out of this thread (also it's funny we both wrote identical magic missile AP options - seems such an obvious thing to want).

[tfwfh]

I certainly like the idea of non-feat ways to improve or alter spells, but this particular way of doing it would take a vast amount of work.  You're talking about quadrupling the number of spells available.  That could introduce a balance problem, although it doesn't have to, but all those spells need to be written.  I would think a more generic system would be the way to go.  Still, I'm interested to see where this is going.

[Morgenstern]

Interesting stuff.

Thanks . In the hardcover Dragon Magazine compilation there was a class presented as a magic missile master. I liked the idea, but presenting it as a class seemed overkill in Mastercraft terms. Next step was looking at it as a possible feat chain, but I found myself uncomfortable with the idea of feats that used knowlege of or ability to cast a particular spell as a prerequisite - its cut too close to using class abilities as a prerequisite, which the game has avoided in all its editions. Tricks seemed a good avenue as they had established costs and a self-limiting mechanism (one per check) that cuts down on the number of wild permutations.
 

I was working on something similar (but using a different mechanic), but never made a solid rule governing power or DC adjustment (and was gonna let PCs decide what they wanted and I would tell them the cost).  I like that you have a set structure in mind to tier them - it really is a far better method.

Yeah. A flat scale makes it easier to sort and shelve possible effects. It also let me cover the mage vs. priest system split in advance of problems arising. One thing it did prompt inthe examples above was not using the casting check as a trip check - because the clerics don't generate a casting check. Something to watch for as we move forward.

I'm looking forward to seeing what comes out of this thread (also it's funny we both wrote identical magic missile AP options - seems such an obvious thing to want).

Indeed. Its a pretty open ended base to insert the many "if only the spell did this..." aspirations and ambitions . I can see tricks that change the NPC type a spell affects as a great way to fleshing in various hunter-type organizations.

[Morgenstern]

I certainly like the idea of non-feat ways to improve or alter spells, but this particular way of doing it would take a vast amount of work.  You're talking about quadrupling the number of spells available.

I don't see how? Its not required that every spell get the full set of basic, complex, and sophisticated tricks OR that each spell could only have one of each grade of trick associated with it. I happened to do three tricks for the same spell in the inital example primarily to show power scaling applied to a common base effect .

In the examples, a basic trick is pretty close to adding a single weapon qulity to the attack. Were magic missile a normal weapon you'd do that with a handful of silver, and you'd do it gladly. The complex example is largely on par with existing tricks that give you a second hit with a weapon if you beat the Defense by 4 (its actually more restrictive than that ins several ways, but its in the same general range). The Sophisticated trick was to illustrate the idea of altering the spell's function - where Magic missile is normally a minor damage spell, magic missile chaos uses the magic missile mechanics to deliver some soft mez (knock down).

It's more of a sorting scheme for ideas as people have them. "oh, it would be great is spell X had tweak Y..." You can then look at tweak Y and decide if the seems like it should have the basic, complex, or sophisticated level of cost associated with applying that tweak.

[tfwfh]

Well, if your intent isn't to make spells++ for every spell in the game, then the scope is a lot more manageable.  On the other hand it doesn't quite map to tricks, either.  Or at least, not the generic tricks like Cheap Shot.

That you mention weapon qualities is interesting, because the AP trick is a lot more like the AP quality than it is attack tricks, and the trip trick is very similar to the Takedown quality from 2.0.  Have you considered a set of "qualities" that can be applied to a range of spells?  Nevermind how you acquire these qualities for the moment.

[Blankbeard]

Are these intended to count as tricks for the one trick limit?  Or can you increase the DC by 14 to apply a complex and sophisticated trick?  Basics clearly count as the one trick but not sure about the other two.

Draw Poison (Complex Neutralize Poison trick): By increasing the casting DC by 4, you also gain one dose of the poison neutralized. (Maybe this should be sophisticated)

Sorcerer's apprentice or Invisible stacker:

Toiling servant (Sophisticated unseen servant trick):  Increase the spell's casting DC by 10 or spend an action die to apply this trick.  The servant's strength increases to 10 and it may carry, drag, clear rubble, or perform Handle Item actions and other tasks.  After creation, the servant may move up to 1000 ft from the caster.

*** Reloads crossbows, gathers treasure, cleans dungeons.  Combine this with Spell Secret (Unseen Servant) to gain a Hunted subplot (local trade guilds)  If your GM allows unseen servants to reload weapons, this is probably only a complex trick.

We all live in an invisible submarine

Mastery of Buoyancy (Complex Water Walk trick): You may walk under water at your normal speed, rising only when you wish.  This trick does not grant the ability to breath water.  Applying this trick to Water Walk or Water Walk, Mass increases the casting DC by 4.

Funky little shack

Haavern's Hidden Hut (Basic Tiny Hut trick): The hut is easily overlooked, benefiting from a Stash check of 10 + your casting level.

Haavern's Helpful Hut (Complex Tiny Hut trick):  If the casting DC is increased by 4, those who sleep a full night in the hut awaken clean and refreshed, just as if they had received a bath. (+1 to Appearance)

Haavern's Healing Hut (Sophisticated Tiny Hut trick):  Apply this trick by spending an action die or increasing the casting DC by 10. Vitality, stress and subdual damage heal twice as fast for the occupants of the hut. 

I'll stop now.

Haavern's Barely Beverage (Complex Create Water Trick):  Instead of water, you create 6 * 1d4 servings of low quality booze or spirits which remain drinkable for 24 hours.  This trick increases the casting DC by 4, can be used once per session, and requires the caster to intone the mystic phrase "It just doesn't get any better than this" while sitting near a camp fire.

[Morgenstern]

Well, if your intent isn't to make spells++ for every spell in the game, then the scope is a lot more manageable.  On the other hand it doesn't quite map to tricks, either.  Or at least, not the generic tricks like Cheap Shot.

That you mention weapon qualities is interesting, because the AP trick is a lot more like the AP quality than it is attack tricks, and the trip trick is very similar to the Takedown quality from 2.0.  Have you considered a set of "qualities" that can be applied to a range of spells?  Nevermind how you acquire these qualities for the moment.

My feeling is that the ability to affect multiuple spells in similar ways has potential -at least where damage dealling spells are involved-, but almost certainly jumps up into the range of feats. The mapping isn't exactly parallel to weapon-based tricks but in practice characters rarely use more than three different weapons (with any give trick thus only being used in three or fewer combinatons) while mages might be using a lot wider range of spells. Blankbeard's examples (whole lotta awesome there BTW) also wonderfully illustrate the advantages of specificity .

[The_Grand_User]

For more general Spell Secrets, you could base them off the School or Discipline. That'd be fairly close to say a sword vs axe trick. The specific spell secrets are, well, very specific to a particular spell, so if I was adding them in I'd probably let my players get two for the price of one regular trick. But only for two different spells.

I like the idea, certainly; now if only it's more fleshed out and I get a player who plays a mage or priest in my game

[MilitiaJim]

Haavern's Barely Beverage (Complex Create Water Trick):  Instead of water, you create 6 * 1d4 servings of low quality booze or spirits which remain drinkable for 24 hours.  This trick increases the casting DC by 4, can be used once per session, and requires the caster to intone the mystic phrase "It just doesn't get any better than this" while sitting near a camp fire.

Are you sure this shouldn't apply to Goodberry and turn the berries into smores?

[Blankbeard]

Haavern's Barely Beverage (Complex Create Water Trick):  Instead of water, you create 6 * 1d4 servings of low quality booze or spirits which remain drinkable for 24 hours.  This trick increases the casting DC by 4, can be used once per session, and requires the caster to intone the mystic phrase "It just doesn't get any better than this" while sitting near a camp fire.

Are you sure this shouldn't apply to Goodberry and turn the berries into smores?

Different trick.  Produces comfort food and requires singing a camp fire song.

There's also one that lets a pipe heal stress damage.  Once all the stress is gone, it also gives you hearty appetite for a scene.  Unfortunately, it can only be cast at 4:20.

For more general Spell Secrets, you could base them off the School or Discipline. That'd be fairly close to say a sword vs axe trick. The specific spell secrets are, well, very specific to a particular spell, so if I was adding them in I'd probably let my players get two for the price of one regular trick. But only for two different spells.

I like the idea, certainly; now if only it's more fleshed out and I get a player who plays a mage or priest in my game

When I did mine, I focused on utility spells because I had some tweaks in mind for them anyway.  A trick that gives AP3 to all your fire spells is probably going to be more popular but that probably belongs as part of a feat.  Secret spells are better for creating magical styles. 

A group of nature-first druidic zealots  might have a trick that makes the Entangle spell do 1d6 edged damage to those caught in it while the reclusive fae might have a trick that makes you save versus sleep if you fail 2 or 3 saving throws in a row against their entangle.  Earth mages might have a trick that grants rocky skin and thus DR when they cast one of the Brawn spells. 

[Antilles]

I gotta say I'm really liking this, it brings the magic system one step closer to the Wheel of Time one, which is thematically my favourite d20 magic system.

[Medwyn]

I really like this idea and will give some ideas to my Magic Using players.