Community

First of all, I'm sorry I made this thread, I'm sure there are plenty of others already, I just didn't have the time and energy to read them all.

**

I hate the Vancian Magic System. The whole. It's illogical, it's hard to use, and it's very very limiting. For all our sakes, I want the D&D Next without the Vancian Magic. Why?

The spellcasters in nearly all fantasy settings sacrifice nigh everything. They are weak in body, and their only power is Magic. Magic, which is useless, as it is in D&D now. A first level caster can barely cast anything at all (Altough in the 5e they can deal significant damage with cantrips alone) but even on higher levels, they have very limited capabilities. A few spells per day, yes they are powerful enough... there is nothing wrong with the spells (except the material components. Seriously, why???) but there is a slight problem. They need to know what situations they will face. Yes, for the average dungeon crawler, that is pretty predictable. Some damage, some escape, some utility, and they are done. But what about the people who roleplay, and barely go dungeons? Or what about the NPC-s? What spells does an NPC use? They wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy, and prepare whatever spell they feel like?
Actually, that was just angry ranting above...

Spellcasters, Wizards mostly are very limited. First: they HAVE TO know what's going to happen that day... Call me when you can always predict the future. Second: they have to have expensive, hardly aquireable material components for nearly every spell. Third: They have spellbooks to memorize spells from. No comment needed.

This above is not logical. Why would anyone spend 3d6 YEARS to learn wizardry in exchange to cast cantrips, with such limitations? They can't cast them whenevery they can, they can't cast them as many times they want, it costs them money, and yet again, they have to know which day what will happen.
It's not logical at all. Neither is that they forget the spells once cast. I have serious problem understanding, why is it working this way. Imagine. You are a wizard, quite experienced, let's say you are around your mid 50's, and you learnt your craft for over 2 decades. You wake up in the morning, and you prepare the spells, you've been preparing for long long years every day. Suddenly, after you rise from the meditation, you realize two orc warriors are attacking you. You can dispatch them easily with a spell you prepared just in case, but you didn't really expect anybody to attack you. Later in the day, you get ambushed again. You don't have any spell prepared which is good for the situation. You know a spell which is exactly for the situation you are experiencing right now, and you have prepared ten thousand times before, it could save your life, as it did in the past, you are fresh and apart from the spell in the morning you didn't use any magic all day. You are bursting from magical energies. Yet you die.
Or. Same situation. You have the spell readied. You could use it freely. But you lack the component for it. You die again.
Let's not even mention what happens if you lose your equipment. You lose all your components, your spellbook, everything. In any other game, the most dangerous captive is the magician, because he can wreak havoc without his sword, staff, armor, or bow. Not in DnD. If a wizard loses his equipment, he becomes nothing. You can even let him free, 'cause he won't cause any trouble. He can't. An exotic weapon specialist can still kill a lot of enemies without his favoured weapon, with just a mundane sword, an archer could still use his skills, and feats without his favourite bow... Not a wizard.

I know a lot of reasons are in favor of the vancian magic, mainly tradition, but please please don't let it be....

Sounds like you want to play the sorcerer.

Jan 3, 2013 -- 7:16AM, RufusDaMan wrote:

First of all, I'm sorry I made this thread, I'm sure there are plenty of others already, I just didn't have the time and energy to read them all.

**

I hate the Vancian Magic System. The whole. It's illogical, it's hard to use, and it's very very limiting. For all our sakes, I want the D&D Next without the Vancian Magic. Why?

It doesn't matter why.  It's not for you to take it away from those of us who like it and want to use it.  If you don't like it, you don't have to play with it.  There will be plenty of other casting styles for you to use.

It's not that you forget the spells and have to learn them again in the morning.    The way it works is that you're imprinting the magical tracing in your mind.  It's almost like pre-casting part of the spell.     you don't simply forget something that have you learned.  In fact in AD&D you had to roll to learn the spell and then scribe it into your spell book.    Learning the spell was very different than "memorizing it"   

What they should do in next is explain this a little more clearly and drop the word "memorization".   Call it pre-casting or something like that.  

IMO, the mechanic is great, because it explains why wizards with powerful spells save them for those critical times when they are needed.    It explains why Gandalf didn't just call his Eagles to fly over the mountains earlier in the day and why he saved that spell for when the party needed it. 

One thing I really hate about systems that don't reward those who prepare is that knowledge gained in the adventure means nothing.    If you're party spends time researching the old keep on the hill and learn that it was once the home a powerfull Fire Elementalist.  That knowledge should mean something.   In fact, it might cause the party to prepare spells to protect from and deal damage to fire based creatures.     When the party is always prepared for every situation the game becomes dull.   Even divination magic becomes less usefull.   If there is no reason to find out what is behind the door with evil pulsating runes the game is less challenging.  

As for wizards losing their spell book, that's a good thing.   That's a great adventure based (non-combat) disadvantage to being a wizard.      As a wizard, when you are catpured you're most likely gaged and your hands are bound anyway (along with the cleric).   At that point, you are not the star of the show, the martial classes are and it's their time to shine.     IMO, the best campaings are those in which each character has a chance to shine on their own.