Thought Experiment

[Admin Pete]

Here is the original list of magic-user spells in OD&D Volume I Men & Magic:

SPELLS TABLE
Magic-Users:

Number	1st Level	2nd Level	3rd Level	4th Level	5th Level	6th Level
1	Detect Magic	Detect Invisible	Fly	Polymorph Self	Teleport	Stone-Flesh
2	Hold Portal	Levitate	Hold Person	Polymorph Others	Hold Monster	Reincarnation
3	Read Magic	Phantasmal Forces	Dispel Magic	Remove Curse	Conjure Elemental	Invisible Stalker
4	Read Languages	Locate Object	Clairvoyance	Wall of Fire	Telekinesis	Lower Water
5	Protection/Evil	Invisibility	Clairaudience	Wall of Ice	Transmute Rock-Mud	Part Water
6	Light	Wizard Lock	Fire Ball	Confusion	Wall of Stone	Projected Image
7	Charm Person	Detect Evil	Lightning Bolt	Charm Monster	Wall of Iron	Anti-Magic Shell
8	Sleep	ESP	Protection/Evil, 10' r.	Growth/Plant	Animate Dead	Death Spell
9		Continual Light	Invisibility, 10' r.	Dimension Door	Magic Jar	Geas
10		Knock	Infravision	Wizard Eye	Contact Higher Plane	Disintegrate
11			Slow Spell	Massmorph	Pass-Wall	Move Earth
12			Haste Spell	Hallucinatory Terrain	Cloudkill	Control Weather
13			Protection/Normal Missiles		Feeblemind
14			Water Breathing		Growth/Animal

 

 I have a request (and like most requests it is up to you whether or not you particpate) and what I would like is for everyone to pick one (or more) of the below list of actions and do what is listed in regard to at least one spell (or as many more as you would like) on the above original spell list.

1. Pick one spell (or more) and write something up for what the spell does that is completely different than what is in the rules
2. Pick one spell (or more) and using the existing spell description, think of a way to use it that would not normally occur to most people
3. Pick one spell (or more)  and replace it with a new spell with a new description and note why you replaced it
4. Create one (or more) spell(s) with description(s) to be added to the above list and the level it should be added to

An alternate would be if you have kids that play or young players, do this exercise with them and post the results.

Thank you to all you post!

 

[Admin Pete]

Here is the original list of Cleric spells in OD&D Volume I Men & Magic:

SPELLS TABLE
Clerics:

Number	1st Level	2nd Level	3rd Level	4th Level	5th Level
1	Cure Light Wounds	Find Traps	Remove Curse	Neutralize Poison	Dispel Evil
2	Purify Food & Water	Hold Person	Cure Disease	Cure Serious Wounds	Raise Dead
3	Detect Magic	Bless	Locate Object	Protection from Evil, 10' r.	Commune
4	Detect Evil	Speak with Animals	Continual Light	Turn sticks to snakes	Quest
5	Protection from Evil			Speak with Plants	Insect Plague
6	Light			Create Water	Create Food
7
8
9
10

 Note that the spells in Italics are reversed by an Evil Cleric.

 I have a request (and like most requests it is up to you whether or not you particpate) and what I would like is for everyone to pick one (or more) of the below list of actions and do what is listed in regard to at least one spell (or as many more as you would like) on the above original spell list.

1. Pick one spell (or more) and write something up for what the spell does that is completely different than what is in the rules
2. Pick one spell (or more) and using the existing spell description, think of a way to use it that would not normally occur to most people
3. Pick one spell (or more)  and replace it with a new spell with a new description and note why you replaced it
4. Create one (or more) spell(s) with description(s) to be added to the above list and the level it should be added to

An alternate would be if you have kids that play or young players, do this exercise with them and post the results.

Thank you to all you post!

 

[hengest]

Okay, I'll bite.

...actually, why is this so hard?

Okay.

Light -- 1st level -- allows the caster to gather up nonmagical light in a lit area and transport it to an unlit area. Sunlight, torchlight, all work. Will have to be carried carefully in cupped hands or stored in a suitable container. The light cannot be used directly as a weapon, only for illumination. Once applied to a new area, it will spread out and perform the task of general illumination. "About a room's worth" is the amount that can be taken. The area from which the light is taken is strangely dark for 1 day. The new area is lit for 6 turns.

[Admin Pete]

Jul 15, 2016 15:44:18 GMT -5 hengest said:

Okay, I'll bite.

...actually, why is this so hard?

Okay.

Light -- 1st level -- allows the caster to gather up nonmagical light in a lit area and transport it to an unlit area. Sunlight, torchlight, all work. Will have to be carried carefully in cupped hands or stored in a suitable container. The light cannot be used directly as a weapon, only for illumination. Once applied to a new area, it will spread out and perform the task of general illumination. "About a room's worth" is the amount that can be taken. The area from which the light is taken is strangely dark for 1 day. The new area is lit for 6 turns.

 Sweet, I like it, a unique twist on the spell. And as the first to respond, have an exalt!

[Crimhthan The Great]

Hey this is a really good thread and I will be happy to add to it:

Sleep - The incantation must be sung and then the player rolls 4d8 to see how many fall asleep. Third level M-U's Add the 5th Level Column, 5th Level M-U's add the 6th Level Column, 7th Level M-U's add the 7th Level Column, 9th Level M-U's add the 8th Level Column. The number is a combination of Level and die roll.

Number Rolled on 4d8	Max per Level	1st Levels Slept	2nd Levels Slept	3rd Levels Slept	4th Levels Slept	5th Levels Slept	6th Levels Slept	7th Levels Slept	8th Levels Slept
4-8	1st Level M-U	3	2	1	0	0	0	0	0
9-13	1st Level M-U	6	4	2	1	0	0	0	0
14-18	1st Level M-U	9	6	3	2	0	0	0	0
19-22	1st Level M-U	12	8	4	3	1	0	0	0
23-25	2nd Level M-U	15	10	5	4	2	1	0	0
26-27	2nd Level M-U	18	12	6	5	3	2	0	0
28-29	2nd Level M-U	21	14	7	6	4	3	1	0
30-31	3rd Level M-U	24	15	8	7	5	4	2	1
32	4th Level M-U	30	18	11	9	7	6	4	3

[The Archivist]

I am up for this too. 

Cure Light Wounds

At 6th level this spell is increased from 1d6+1 to 1d8+2
At name level (8th) this spell is increased to 1d8+4


Cure Serious Wounds!
At name level (8th) this spell is increased to 2d8+4

[Admin Pete]

Thank you for posting those guys!! pretty cool stuff!

[Maximum Forest Ranger]

I will give it a go, let's try Dimension Door: Opens a doorway to another dimension, caster can specify an alternate reality, another dimension or another plane of existence. This spell gives the caster and up to 6 additional creatures a 50% chance of transport to the desired target and a 75% chance of returning to the original location on the original world. At 9th Level, the odds increase to 75% and 85% and at Name Level (11th) the odds increase to 90% and 95%.

[Irish Warrior]

Detect Magic
Hold Portal
Read Magic


One of the things that I run concerning magic is that a 1st level M-U is very weak and as he grows in levels his ability to access, to shape and channel the magic energies that permeate the fabric of the world increase through time and experience. Each of these spells (all spell) grow steadily more powerful in the grasp of a M-U who is growing in power. For instance at 1st level Hold Portal will secure an opening against any number of man-sized creatures but it can be broken by an ogre or troll or by the 2nd level spell Knock. But in the hands of a 4th level M-U it can secure an opening against Ogres or Trolls and against a Knock Spell wielded by a 3rd Level M-U.

Read Magic can read spells up to 100 years old when cast by a 1st level M-U, but a 4th Level M-U can use it to read spells up to 500 years old (magical languages are not static and the nuances change from generation to generation), a 7th Level M-U can read spells up to 1200 years old and a 9th level M-U can read spells up to 5000 years old and a name Level M-U can read spells up to 20,000 years old and it grows from their.

In the same way the range and sensitivity of Detect Magic grows as the Magic Users grows and so on for all Spells. At 5th Level, M-U's are able to reverse spells up to the level they have learned to use, at 9th Level there is another such bump and again at name level (11th) and so on all the way up to even the most powerful spell can be reversed when opposed by a greater and more powerful mage, if he is able to respond quickly enough.