Vancian Magic

[zot]

Originally Posted by tbeard1999

I’ve always liked the quasi-Vancian system of D&D because it just works. The ornamentation you suggest might be fun, or might not. My initial impression is that I wouldn’t like it, but that’s just a first impression. Since IQ drives a lot of things besides spell selection, I’d be reticent to reduce it when learning spells.

Anyhow, I’d create the least fiddly system I could, then playtest. Once the system is determined to be solid, add ornamentation a little at a time.

One thing I’d do is consider *why* you’re using a different magic system. And if it effectively replicates the existing system on average, why bother? Or to put it another way, prepare a list of pros and cons of the Vancian system.

Pro: Having to prepare spells in advance feels quite different from being able to choose them on-the-fly. I think it's good for flavor to have alternatives.

Con: Spell preparation is quite disadvantageous compared with dynamic casting, you have way fewer options when you have to commit ahead of time.