Scribe Wizards and Prophet Clerics

 

Some things about vancian casting for both MU's and Clerics always bothered me and many others. Wizards are supposed to be about their tools in my opinion. The most memorable scenes for me of wizards are of their cluttered and wondrous labs, not their ostentatious spells. Fireball- boring; Fireball cast from a scroll- cool. And Clerics don't cast spells, they are a conduit and a petitioner for miracles (sometimes with their will, sometimes without). So here are rewrites of the two classes to make them centered around what they should be, in my opinion (which is of course objectively true). 

Scribe Wizard

Saves, health, and proficiencies as Wizard, obviously. Starts with a wand, staff, or orb, (10 sheets of parchment, 10 uses of ink, and a quill) or (five alchemical salts, five special herbs, five bottles, and a cauldron or alembic), 2 sticks of chalk, and three spells known.

 

Wizards get +2 Magic Points per level. During a long rest, a wizard regains these points and may make a number of scrolls and alchemicals equal to twice his level and a number of magic devices equal to half his level rounded up. 

 

Scrolls (cards, tablets, paper amulets) use up a sheet of parchment and a use of ink, and can be used by anyone. Before casting, the wizard can imbue the scroll with as many points of magic as he wishes, empowering the spell. Scrolls are used by unrolling them and saying a magic word, which destroys the scroll. Spell scrolls may be bought from other wizards, but understanding them, removing their anti-piracy effects, and memorizing them takes a week.

 

Alchemicals (potions, magic dust, gases, oils) use up one alchemical salt or one special herb and one bottle to prepare, though the wizard may use both the salt and the herb to empower it with a magic point without spending any of his own (other special ingredients may be added to add more power). Just like Scrolls, alchemicals can be empowered with the wizard's own magic points and can be used by anyone. However, when using the alchemical, the wizard or anyone else using it must save or take damage 1d4 damage per point it was empowered with. Bottles may be reused provided they aren't smashed (most attacking spells require the alchemical to be thrown)

Magic Devices (wands, staffs, orbs, trinkets) don't use up any ingredients, but require at least one magic points to be invested (i.e. they won't be regained until you choose to retract your magic from the device). You can use the device to cast a number of cantrip versions of this spell equal to twice (your level + the number of magic points invested) per day. You may cast the normal version of the spell by using magic points, though it will count as though you had empowered the spell with one less magic point (i.e. 1 magic point to cast it at default level, 2 to cast as though it had one, etc). Non-wizards cannot use Magic Devices.

 

Spells may also be cast as rituals. Doing so takes at least ten minutes (every additional ten minutes allows the wizard to empower it with an additional MP) and uses a stick of chalk. The spell is cast with an MP modifier of (MP you spent + your level - hexes away from civilization - depth in a dungeon-(1d3)d6). The dungeon depth modifier can be removed if the wizard finds and reads a dungeon's or dungeon floor's sigil.

If a spell's MP is reduced below zero, its caster must save vs. spell. If he succeeds, the spell is cast as a cantrip. If he fails, the spell backlashes, dealing [MP spent]d4 damage to its caster, or something more interesting if the DM wants. If there is no duration given and it is not ruled instantaneous, assume either caster level rounds or permanent until points are disinvested, DM decides. Components (salts, herbs, ink, parchment, chalk) can be purchased for between 1-10 sp per use, and some may be foraged or synthesized.

 

 

Prophet Cleric

Saves, Proficiencies, health, and turns undead as cleric. Starts with a copy of the scriptures, a divine mission, and either (a weapon of your choice and armor) or (a prophecy about the doom of a nation or world and a dutiful scribe)

When the prophet makes their character, they choose a number between 5 and 20 (this is called their Divine Power). At the start of each day, they roll a d20 and add their level. If they roll higher than their Divine Power, there will be a miracle that day. If they roll no less than five lower than that number, they may pray to their god for assistance safely a number of times equal to their level. Miracles happen at the decision of the DM, but may be influenced by the cleric's prayers, and take the form of whatever the god thinks will best suit his plans (but cannot overreach the effects of a spell of a level equal to half their divine power rounded down). When the cleric prays, they roll a Divine Power check. If they succeed, they gain a minor miracle not overreaching the effects of a spell of a level equal to a quarter their Divine Power rounded down. 

If the cleric prays when he has no safe prayers left, he rolls the same except that on a failure the god does some display to humble him, perhaps incapacitating him with visions, smiting someone or something nearby, leveling a town, or just humiliating him.

(if using the spell system above, use 2 MP in place of level, i.e. if a god does a level 2 miracle it is instead a 4 MP miracle)

 

Divine Power 5 represents very small and accessible gods, like dryads or rock spirits. 10 would represent gods with wider ranging power, like city gods or mountain gods, or gods of a specific concept, like a god of beholders, fishermen, or grief. 15 represents gods of primal concepts, such as the sun, rulership, or the death; or nations and continents (like Marduk or Roma). 20 represents overdeities and creator gods.

12 Common Wizard Spells:

Fire: 

Cantrip - light a candle or torch, warm something, change a flame's color

Spell - Target must make a save vs. breath or take [MP+1]d6 damage, half on success. Alternatively, control a flame [MP+1]*5' in diameter for 2 rounds (can be increased at a rate of +1 round per MP), causing it to flow through the air at a rate of 30 ft per round like the live action AtLA movie.

(other elemental variations are mostly the same)

Magic Missile:

Cantrip - Cause 1 damage to target, nudge something less than 5 pounds

Spell - Taget automatically takes [MP+1]d4+1

 

Shield:

Cantrip - prevent 1 damage, summon a small floating disc, abjure muck and rain

Spell - prevent [MP+1]*6 damage

 

Analyze: 

Cantrip - Identify an otherwise mundane animal or plant, get a feeling of what is on the other side of a door

Spell - Understand piece of magic that is common (default), uncommon (2 mp), rare (4 mp), or legendary (8 MP). By spending 3 additional MP and spending a week examining it, you may learn a spell from it. By spending 1 additional MP you know its current market value.

 

Illusion:

Cantrip - make yourself look more attractive, bedazzle an object, make smoke dragons or shadow figures

Spell - Create an illusion [MP]*5 ft cubed. A wisdom check to recognize it as an illusion equal to 10+level is made for all creatures in 30 ft (can be increased +1 DC per MP). This spell can also create a mirage [MP]*25 ft cubed, which provokes wisdom checks at all ranges and disappears completely within 100 ft.

Light:

Cantrip - cause a glow as a torch, cause an object to sparkle, change a light's color

Spell - cause a dazzling light, which blinds all who behold it (including allies) for [MP] rounds (double if light sensitive), and does [MP+1]d8 damage to shadowy entities.

 

Darkness:

Cantrip - snuff a candle, cause an object to seem dingy or moldy, obscure your face like Black Mage

Spell - Create a cloud of darkness [MP]*10 feet in radius, which lasts for [MP]*2 rounds

Counterspell:

Cantrip - Cause spells and enchantments to flicker noticeably, counter a cantrip

Spell - Remove [MP] MP from a spell being cast or an enchantment that lingers.

Summon*:

Cantrip - make a bug, conjure a immaterial shade with 1 hp who can't talk

Spell - Summon an extraplanar creature with [MP] HD. This creature is tiny (default, 1 damage attack), small (1 mp, 1d4 damage attack), medium (2 mp, 1d8 attack), large (4 mp, 2d8 attack), or Huge (8 mp, 3d8 attack) or Gargantuan (16 MP, 5d10 attack). Stats otherwise as your choice of Elf (for humanoids), Shadow (for spirits), or Bear (for big monsters). Roll a d6: 1-2 it is evil, 3-4 it is neutral, 5-6 it is good. An additional MP may add or subtract one to the roll. When the creature appears, it makes a reaction roll toward the wizard. A good roll means it obeys at least marginally, while a bad means it may attack or go off to do its own business.

Banish*:

Cantrip - banish a tiny creature, allow a possessed person to make a saving throw.

Spell - Banish a creature. Compare [MP/Size catagory**]-HD. If the result is positive, the creature is banished forever, or for a year and a day, either to its homeplane or to some endless labyrinth. If it is negative, the creature is banished for that many rounds. If it is zero, it is banished for a week.

 

Heal:

Cantrip - heal 1 damage, mend an object, or heal mosquito bites, pimples, etc.

Spell - Heal [MP]d6 hp split amongst any number of creatures.***

 

Transmute*:

Cantrip - change the shape of some small object, change an Special Herb into an Alchemical Salt

 Spell - Change the material of something. Costs 2^x MP/cubic foot, where x is (value of raw material - value of intended material), according to the following values: Dirt (1), Ceramic or Glass (2), Stone (3), Metals (4), Semiprecious Stones(5), Precious Metals (6), Precious stones (7). Flesh may be transmuted by paying 2*x MP per Appendage (must start with outer appendage, can't start with head or heart) where x is 4+value of the target material.

*need obvious balancing

**the size category of the banished creature: 1 for small, 2 for medium, 3 for large, 4 for huge, 5 for gargantuan. Some monsters may count as larger than they are for the purposes of banishing.

***The lack of a baseline effect is why you always see healing potions and not healing scrolls

 

[My wizard favoritism really shows through in the focus of this post. Fair warning these are all untested, only somewhat thought through, and made from midnight to 7:30 AM. But if I don't get the ideas out they will die.]