Proposing a Spell

Player characters can research four types of spells: existing spells that they just haven’t had the opportunity to learn, “look-alike” spells that approximate an existing spell that they failed to learn; spells that would exceed the normal maximum number of spells allowed by a character’s Intelligence score; and completely new spells never before seen in the campaign. Note that priests never have to worry about conducting the first three types of research, since they can use any spell belonging to a sphere to which they have access. Priests only conduct spell research to create entirely new spells.

Existing Spells: From time to time, wizards will find that there is a particularly useful or valuable spell that eludes their grasp. There’s no reason that a wizard can’t decide to research a fireball or magic jar if he gets tired of waiting for an old spell book or scroll to fall into his lap. This is fairly straightforward, since the spell description already exists; the PC can go on to Conducting Research .

Extra Spells: By the time most wizards reach moderate levels, the maximum number of spells they may know at any given level may become quite restrictive. For example, a wizard with an Intelligence of 14 may only know nine spells of one level. In order to continue to add to his spell book, the wizard must research any spells above and beyond this limit, instead of simply scribing newfound spells into his spell book. Obviously, this makes adding spells a tedious and time-consuming chore after a certain point, but if the PC is willing to spend the money and time, he may exercise this option. Again, since the spell description already exists, the PC can go on to Conducting Research .

New Spells: The most interesting aspect of spell research, the creation of new spells requires a careful write-up and analysis in order to spot potential problems or abuses. Since the player must generate all the game-effect information for the spell, he must first write up a full description and then submit it to the DM for approval and modification. Note that modifying a new spell (i.e., deleting components, improving casting time or range, or changing the way it works) constitutes a new spell. Creating a “look-alike” spell to mimic a spell the PC is unable to learn is also considered to be new spell research. Go on to Describing a Spell and follow the process of approval and research step-by-step.

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