The Spell Point System Normally, wizards, priests, and other spellcasters are limited to a strict spell progression table which lists how many spells of each level they may retain in memory at one time. For example, every 7th-level mage shares the same spell capacity of four 1st-, three 2nd-, two 3rd-, and one 4th level spell, although specialist wizards (or priests with exceptional Wisdom scores) gain a slight advantage in this area because of their bonus spells. When a spell is cast, it vanishes from the caster's memory, and he cannot make use of it again until he has a chance to rest and study his spell books once again.
Spell points work a little differently. Characters no longer receive a standard spell progression table. Instead, they are assigned a number of spell points based on their character class and level. When the character studies his spell books or prays for spells, he uses these spell points to purchase the spells he wishes to memorize, with some reasonable restrictions. Naturally, higher-level spells are more expensive than lower-level spells, but high-level characters have more spell points available. Under the spell point system, a 7th-level mage may decide to memorize five 1st-level spells instead of the four he is normally allowed, at the cost of giving up his higher-level spells for that day. Or, he could choose to memorize four 4th-level spells, giving up all his lower-level spells, or strike any balance between the two extremes that he likes.
Specialist wizards receive the normal amount of spell points allowed to a mage of the same level, but also gain an amount of bonus points. These bonus points must be used to select spells from the specialist wizard's school of specialization, but the specialist can spend them as he sees fit. For instance, a 7th-level invoker normally receives one 1st-, one 2nd-, one 3rd-, and one 4th-level spell as a bonus for his specialization, but with spell points he could choose as many as eight bonus 1st-level spells.
There are three general guidelines the wizard must still obey when memorizing spells by using spell points:
The wizard must be well-rested and have access to his spell books in order to memorize spells. He still may memorize only those spells that he knows and has available at that time. It takes about 10 minutes per spell level to commit a spell to memory.
The wizard is limited in the maximum spell level he may cast, based on his character level (and possibly his Intelligence score). For example, a 5th-level wizard is still limited to spells of 3rd-level or lower. (See Table 17 : Wizard Spell Point Progression.)
The wizard is limited in the maximum number of spells of each level that he can memorize, regardless of how many spell points he has available; for example, a 5th-level mage can't memorize more than four spells of any given spell level. Even 1st-level spells are difficult to memorize, and a wizard can't have more than nine spells of any one level in his memory, no matter how many spell points he has available. See Table 17.
Some of these guidelines are relaxed or ignored for the optional systems of magic described later in this chapter. These systems dispense with the old assumption that spells vanish from memory when cast and use other restrictions to limit a wizard's power.
| Wizard Level |
Max. Spell Level |
Max. Spells Memorized at Each Level1 |
Spell Points2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1st | 2 (3) | 4 (+4) |
| 2 | 1st | 2 (3) | 8 (+4) |
| 3 | 2nd | 3 (4) | 15 (+10) |
| 4 | 2nd | 4 (5) | 25 (+10) |
| 5 | 3rd | 4 (6) | 40 (+20) |
| 6 | 3rd | 4 (6) | 55 (+20) |
| 7 | 4th | 5 (6) | 70 (+35) |
| 8 | 4th | 5 (6) | 95 (+35) |
| 9 | 5th | 5 (6) | 120 (+60) |
| 10 | 5th | 5 (6) | 150 (+60) |
| 11 | 5th | 5 (7) | 200 (+60) |
| 12 | 6th | 5 (7) | 250 (+90) |
| 13 | 6th | 6 (7) | 300 (+90) |
| 14 | 7th | 6 (7) | 350 (+130) |
| 15 | 7th | 6 (8) | 400 (+130) |
| 16 | 8th | 6 (8) | 475 (+180) |
| 17 | 8th | 6 (8) | 550 (+180) |
| 18 | 9th | 6 (8) | 625 (+240) |
| 19 | 9th | 7 (9) | 700 (+240) |
| 20 | 9th | 7 (9) | 800 (+240) |
| 21+ | 9th | 8 (9) | +100 (0) per level |
- 1 Number in parentheses applies to specialist wizards.
- 2 Number in parentheses represents amount of bonus points specialist wizards can add to the base spell points.
Selecting Spells[]
A wizard uses his spell points to choose his arsenal of spells when he takes the time to rest and study his spell books. Most wizards pre-select their spells; if a wizard can memorize two 2nd-level spells, he picks two specific 2nd-level spells from his spell book (say, invisibility and wizard lock) and stores them in his mind. This is referred to as a fixed magick; once chosen, these spells cannot be changed until the wizard casts them and then studies his spell books again.
Some of the systems of magic described later in this chapter allow a wizard to designate free magicks. A free magick is one which the wizard does not place a specific spell into. By keeping the magick open, the wizard can use it to cast any spell of the appropriate level that he has in his spell books. For example, a 3rd-level specialist wizard might spend his spell points to acquire one fixed 2nd-level magick within his specialization (invisibility, for instance) and one free 2nd-level magick (see Table 18: Spell Cost by Level (Wizard) for spell costs). With the free magick, the wizard can cast any 2nd-level spell in his book when he needs it. If the wizard found himself in a situation where he needed to probe someone's thoughts, he could use ESP; if he needed to aid a friend involved in a fight, he could use strength; or, if he needed to distract some pursuers, he could use improved phantasmal force. As long as the spell is known to the wizard and recorded in his spell books, it's available through a free magick.
Obviously, this is a huge advantage for a wizard. Instead of guessing about which of his spells may be useful in a particular adventure, the wizard can have all of his spells of that level accessible. However, free magicks are less efficient than fixed magicks and cost more spell points to fill. Once the free magick has been used to cast a spell, it is wiped from the wizard's memory, just like a fixed magick.
| Spell Level |
Fixed Magick |
Free Magick |
|---|---|---|
| cantrip | — | 1 |
| 1st | 4 | 8 |
| 2nd | 6 | 12 |
| 3rd | 10 | 20 |
| 4th | 15 | 30 |
| 5th | 22 | 44 |
| 6th | 30 | 60 |
| 7th | 40 | 80 |
| 8th | 50 | 100 |
| 9th | 60 | 120 |
Argyth, a 6th-level mage, has a total of 55 spell points with which to purchase his spell selection. He expects heavy combat against tough opponents in the coming adventure. For 10 points apiece, he chooses three fixed 3rd-level spells—fireball, lightning bolt, and haste. Since he doesn't know which of his 2nd-level spells may be most useful, he spends 12 more points to acquire a single free 2nd-level magick, which can be used to cast any of his 2nd-level spells. He has 13 points left over and decides to memorize two magic missiles, one protection from evil, and one free magick cantrip. Argyth has spent his 55 points. He has one less 1st-level and 2nd-level spell than he would using Table 21 from the PHB, but he has an extra 3rd-level spell and the ability to call upon any 2nd-level spell and cantrip he knows once each.
Tierwen is a 3rd-level invoker. She has 15 points available for general selections, plus 10 more points for spells of the school of invocation and evocation. She decides to select web and magic missile for her bonus spells, using up all 10 spell points. For her normal allocation, she chooses jump, light, and stinking cloud, totalling 14 spell points. She has 1 point left over and has purchased exactly what a 3rd-level invoker would normally receive—three 1st-level spells and two 2nd-level spells.
Cantrips[]
The cantrip spell from the Player's Handbook is intended to describe a host of minor magical effects. In this system, a wizard may choose to memorize a cantrip as a 1st-level spell—just as it's described in the PHB —or he can memorize individual applications of cantrip for a cost of 1 spell point each. These one-shot cantrips have the exact same effect as the 1st-level spell, but each application consumes 1 SP and has a duration of one full turn.
All cantrips are free magicks by definition; the wizard can perform any minor magical feat appropriate for the spell, without selecting the precise incantation ahead of time. A wizard is limited in the number of cantrips he can memorize at one time; he can't allocate more than twice his number of spells allowed for each level to cantrips. For example, a 1st-level mage is limited to no more than two spells of each level, so he can memorize a maximum of four cantrips. A 6th-level mage is limited to four spells of any given level, so he can memorize up to eight cantrips.
All normal considerations for cantrips as described in the PHB still apply—they are minor magic, useful in role-playing or grandstanding but generally useless in combat. Of course, clever and resourceful players can create plenty of mayhem, even with magic as weak as this.
Exceeding the Spell Level Limit[]
Exceeding the Spell Level Limit
If the DM agrees, a wizard character may learn and cast spells of a higher level than he would normally be allowed to know. This blurs the line of spell level distinctions, making the character's exact level somewhat less important; there will be spells a character can learn and use easily, as well as spells that will be extremely costly and difficult for the character to use.
Before a character can memorize a spell that's over his head, he has to learn it first. This means that the character must find, purchase, or otherwise stumble across a spell of the level in question and attempt a learn spells check to see if he can master it. However, when a character is dabbling in matters beyond his depth, his learn spells chance of success is halved for a spell one level higher than he should be able to use, and divided by 10 for a spell two levels higher than the maximum normally allowed. If a character does not succeed in learning the spell at this point, then he can try again at the level that he normally gains the spell. Under no circumstances can a character learn a spell three levels higher than his normal maximum—it's just too difficult, and he'll have to study his art for a while longer before he can make heads or tails of it. Also, because the spell is so difficult to learn, the wizard must memorize it as a fixed magick.
If the character succeeds in learning the high-level spell, he can then select it normally by using his spell points to memorize it. However, since the spell is extraordinarily difficult for the character, he must pay twice the listed normal fixed magick cost to memorize it. For many low-level characters, this will make the spell prohibitively expensive in any event; a 2nd-level specialist wizard only has a total of 12 spell points available, so he could just barely memorize a single 2nd-level spell of his specialty school. Note that a 2nd-level mage just doesn't have the points available to even try this feat.
Wizards of medium to high level have a better chance to use a spell that would normally be out of reach for them. For example, a 6th-level wizard normally is limited to 3rd-level spells, but with effort he can learn a 4th-level spell and cast it for 30 spell points, which is twice the normal cost of 15 spell points. Since a 6th-level mage has 55 spell points available, he actually has a few points left over to select other spells—although it's a very costly privilege!
Again, this is an optional rule, and the DM can decide to ignore it for his campaign. Note that all level-based characteristics of a spell depend on the caster's true level, so even if a 3rd-level wizard somehow acquired a fireball, it would only do 3d6 damage. (And he wouldn't have the points available to memorize it, anyway.)
Casting Spells for Greater Effect[]
Another variant rule available with the spell point system is casting spells for greater than normal effect. By “overcharging” a memorized spell (fixed magick only) with magical energy, a wizard can achieve results as if he were a wizard of much higher level. For example, a 2nd-level wizard is normally limited to a single magic missile when he casts the spell, but with this optional rule he can fire the spell as a 3rd-level character in order to create two missiles with the spell. Naturally, the wizard must devote additional spell points to the spell when he memorizes it. The price is 50% of the spell's base cost for each additional casting level stored with the spell.
Rarik is a 4th-level mage who wants to gain the extra damage potential of a third magic missile when he casts the spell. Normally, a third missile is gained at 5th level, so Rarik wants to cast the spell as if he were one level higher. A 1st-level spell requires 4 spell points to memorize, but by spending 6 points (50% more than 4), Rarik gains the ability to cast this one spell as if he were actually 5th level. All level-based variables are affected, including range, area of effect, duration, saving throw modifiers, and any other appropriate factors, so Rarik incidentally gains an additional 10 yards of range with his investment.
Later on in his career, Rarik decides that he'd like a fireball with some extra punch. He's a 5th-level mage now, and the spell costs him 10 spell points. Rarik spends two 50% increments (a grand total of 20 spell points) to cast this fireball as if he were a 7th-level caster. The range increases from 60 to 80 yards, and the damage is 7d6 instead of 5d6.
A character can't invest more than four additional levels into a spell, which would triple its cost, increasing it by 200% above the normal price. Most wizards find that it's more efficient to gain extra spells rather than overcharge a single one, but for spells with important breaks in power level based on the caster's level—like magic missile—one or two steps of increased casting level may be a good idea.
Reducing Spell Cost[]
Just as wizards can allocate extra energy to hold magicks free, cast spells of higher level than normal, or gain additional levels of casting ability, they may also save spell points by memorizing fixed magicks with limitations or reduced power levels. A spell may be reduced in cost by 25% (round up) per limitation selected, to a maximum reduction of 50% for two limitations. Restrictions include the following:
Reduced Spell Power: By investing a spell with less energy than normal, a wizard can save a few spell points. This reduces the caster's level by four, affecting range, duration, damage, and all other level-based variables. In addition, the spell can be more easily dispelled, since the effective casting level is used for this purpose.
If the spell has no level-based variables (e.g., charm person) this limitation cannot be selected. A wizard must be at least 5th level in order to take this limitation.
Prolonged Casting Time: The wizard can store less energy than normal in the spell, hoping to draw energy from his immediate environment when the time comes to cast it. This results in a lengthy period of gathering energy before actually releasing the spell. Spells with a casting time of less than one round require a preparation time of a number of rounds equal to the spell's listed casting time, so a spell with a casting time of 3 would require three full rounds of uninterrupted concentration before the wizard could actually cast the spell. Spells with a casting time of one round require one full turn to cast, and spells with a casting time of more than one round can't be reduced in cost through this limitation.
Special Casting Condition: By narrowing the focus and application of a spell, a wizard can reduce the amount of energy and effort required to commit it to memory. For example, the wizard can memorize a spell that can only be cast by the light of the moon or only affects certain types of objects (such as a shatter on crystal only). If the spell is particularly restrictive, the DM may allow a 50% reduction in cost. For example, a spell that can only be cast while the wizard is standing in one specific place of power in the middle of nowhere might qualify. Naturally, the DM should keep a very close eye on spells with this limitation; if it's not really a limitation, the wizard shouldn't catch a break for it.
Instead of requiring certain conditions to be right for casting, the wizard might have to take special steps to ensure that the target can be affected. For example, his charm person spell might require the caster to know the target's name or spend a turn conversing with the subject. Or, a magic missile might have no effect unless the wizard has touched the subject with his bare hand that day. It's even possible that a wizard may have a spell that automatically fails against a target wearing a certain color or carrying a lucky charm.
A wizard shouldn't have more than one or two casting conditions that he normally observes. It's fine for a shadow mage to have a number of spells that can't be cast in daylight, but if he also has another spell that can't be used while it's raining, and a third that only affects orcs, the character concept is clearly being discarded in favor of game effect.
Bonus Spell Points for High Intelligence[]
Just as priests of extraordinary Wisdom receive greater than normal spell powers, extremely intelligent wizards can gain a few extra spell points to reflect their superior minds and memorization skills. Under this optional rule, wizard characters gain a number of bonus spell points equal to their maximum number of languages, based on their Intelligence score. These spell points can be spent any way the character desires, as long as he doesn't exceed his maximum number of spells per level (see Table 17). The bonus points are shown on Table 19 : Bonus Spell Points for Intelligence.
| Intelligence Score |
Bonus Spell Points |
|---|---|
| 9–11 | 2 |
| 12–13 | 3 |
| 14–15 | 4 |
| 16 | 5 |
| 17 | 6 |
| 18 | 7 |
| 19 | 8 |
| 20+ | 91 |
- 1 Maximum bonus allowed.
As noted on the table , a wizard with an Intelligence of 14 or better gains enough bonus points to memorize one additional 1st-level spell, which is comparable with the traditional priest bonus of an additional 1st-level spell for a Wisdom of 13 or better. A wizard with an Intelligence of 17 has enough points to use this bonus to gain an extra 2nd-level spell, or one extra 1st-level spell with a couple of spell points to spare.
DMs, take note: The cumulative effects of specialist wizard bonuses, signature spells, and this optional rule could allow a 1st-level wizard to begin play with as many as four 1st-level spells memorized at once! Obviously, this is a very significant boost in power for a low-level character. Allowing a character to gain bonus spell points for his Intelligence score is a reasonable optional rule, but it also inflates the game by drastically increasing the power of 1st- to 3rd-level wizards. It's a good idea to strictly enforce the limits on the maximum number of spells of each level (see Table 17) permitted to a wizard character.
Recovering Spell Points[]
Since spell points in this basic system represent the total memorization ability of a wizard character, they are recovered or regained just like spell capability in the standard AD&D magic system. In other words, if a character spends 10 spell points to memorize a 3rd-level spell, those points are “tied up” by holding the spell ready in the character's memory and can't be used to memorize another spell until expended. Spell points used to memorize free magicks are also tied up in the same fashion.
Once a character has cast a spell, the spell points used to hold that magick in memory are gone. The wizard must get a good night's sleep and re-study his spell book in order to regain spell points expended through casting spells.
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