[DF] Path/Book mages in DF?

[Kromm]

Path/Book magic would work fine in DF. It isn't the system that's unsuitable, but the set of rituals offered in Thaumatology, which aren't meant for dungeons. Create a list of four or five good delving Paths, each with 8-12 solid rituals, and you'd be fine.

Preparation beforehand is hardly out-of-genre. D&D got by for years requiring spellcasters to prepare for hours or days in advance before they could let loose with spells. That's indistinguishable from Path/Book magic, if you think about it. And DF already has a scholar who requires prep time.

A Path/Book caster would enter adventures with charms prepared and use them up, not unlike how an artificer uses his Gizmos. Then he'd need time to set up new charms. The game effect would be a bit like a wizard who does everything via Delay, Hang Spell, and Link. Such a caster's ability to unleash prepared charms instantly and at no FP cost would be amazing, though! He'd just need to have other skills to fall back on after doing so.

Really, I think it all hinges on the rituals. Being able to hit the monster with a dead rat with a knotted string tied to it and have the monster cursed to -1 or worse on all dice rolls, or snapping a twig and unleashing a devastating blast of spirit energy, would be entirely cool. Don't think purely in terms of love charms and the like.