The Gaming Den

SPELLCRAFTING
Modular Magic

• Spellcasters get 2 +1/2 level Craft Slots (1 per even level).
• Spell Effects and Shapes use as many Craft Slots as the spell’s level.
• Effects of the same type can not be redundant, and last 1 minute per Benchmark with a 50% chance for victims to break the effect at the end of each of their turns. If a target fails a save against the same harmful effect at least 3 times in an encounter they are subject to it for an hour, then a day with the 4th, then it becomes permanent with the 5th. Beneficial effects either last a minute, sustained with a Swift action, or are equipped to an Aura slot.

This system of crafting spells is intended for out-of-combat spell creation, which then adds the custom spell to a character’s spells known list. You might be able to adapt an “on the fly” system for this but creating spells during combat would make the game slow.

You can also use this system to make new combat maneuvers. Simply limit the effects to what you and the DM believe are normally accomplished by non-spellcasters.


Level Craft Slots
1 2
2 3
3 3
4 4
5 4
6 5
7 5
8 6
9 6
10 7
11 7
12 8
13 8
14 9
15 9
16 10
17 10
18 11
19 11
20 12

Benchmarks
Level Benchmark
1 1
6 2
11 3
16 4

Optional Rule: Characters have an Aura slot for each Benchmark. These slots extend the effect of beneficial spells cast on them to Permanent (D).


Shapes:
• Chose up to 2 within slot limits.

Spell Level 0____________________________________________
Touch (Touch attack that ignores armor, Damage Effect gets no save)
Strike (make a weapon attack; the related spell effects only target the opponent hit and all related saves are still allowed, can’t be combined with Melee Attack or similar)

Spell Level 1_____________________________________________
Burst (Reflex save, 10’ radius per Benchmark)
Cone (Reflex save, 20’ long and wide per Benchmark)
Line (Reflex save, 30’ x 5’ column per Benchmark)
Ray (60’ range per Benchmark, 1 ray per Benchmark, single-target ranged touch attack with a separate save for each non-damage effect)
Trap (Reflex save, 30’ range per Benchmark, creates an invisible magic trap that triggers by your specification, lasts 24 hours or until triggered)

Spell Level 2____________________________________________
Medium Range

Spell Level 3____________________________________________
Long Range

Spell Level 4____________________________________________

Spell Level 5____________________________________________
1,600 + 160 per level feet (minimum 3,040 feet at L9)

Spell Level 6____________________________________________

Spell Level 7____________________________________________
6,400 + 640 per level feet (minimum 14,720 feet at L13)

Spell Level 8____________________________________________

Spell Level 9____________________________________________
25,600 + 2,560 per level feet (minimum 69,120 feet at L17)



Effects:
• A spell may have no more than 1 Effect plus 1 per Benchmark

Spell Level 1___________________________________________________
Brutal Attack (change save type for one combined Effect to Fortitude)
Burn (Reflex, 1d6 Fire per Benchmark each round at end of target’s turn, move action Reflex DC 15 to put out)
Combo (a specific status effect is chosen; when an opponent is targeted or makes a save against the spell while under the chosen effect, the spell gets +2 attack per Benchmark and +2 save DC per Benchmark; this option may be chosen multiple times but with a different status effect each time and the bonuses to attack and save DC don’t stack)
Cure (heal 1d6 and twice level Hit Points)
Damage (1d6 + twice level for each level after the first, either a physical type or an element, if combined with a Shape that affects more than one target add a Reflex save for half damage; at spell levels 2, 4, 6, and 8 increase the damage dealt by twice level)
Daze (Will)
Death Energy (combined Effects cause Negative energy damage and otherwise won’t work on undead)
Difficult Terrain (creates an area of Difficult Terrain that halves movement speeds of anyone walking through it, no save)
Entangle (Reflex)
Image (effect looks like something else within area, Will save when touched)
Increased Damage (requires Damage effect, add twice level in damage again)
Melee Attack (make a single normal melee attack combined with ability and feat enhancements at any point in time of the effect and within the spell’s area)
Protect (reduce all Energy damage taken by Level x5, once this amount has been absorbed the effect ends with no overlap)
Psychic Attack (change save type for one combined Effect to Will)
Shaken (Will)
Shield (reduce all Physical damage taken by Level x5, once this amount has been absorbed the effect ends with no overlap)
Silent (as the metamagic feat effect)
Slippery (fall down, Reflex)
Special (as spell effect from a named spell of the same level apart from its area and normal delivery method, allows 1 type of save if not already)
Still (as the metamagic feat effect)
Summons (a summoned monster of CR no higher than your level -2 appears to cause the combined attack and Effects; increase related caster level checks for that spell by +4 per Benchmark and any combined attack ignores Spell Resistance)

Spell Level 2___________________________________________________
Ability Boost (+2 Enhancement bonus per Benchmark)
Ability Damage (1d4 per Benchmark)
Blinding (Fortitude)
Deafening (Fortitude)
Dust (reveals invisible within area)
Explosive (Fortitude, movement distance is equal to the difference between the saving throw result and the effect DC, caster decides direction, victims receive 1d6 Bludgeoning damage if they hit a surface for each 10 feet travelled)
Hostile Terrain (creates an area of Difficult Terrain that halfs movement speeds of any non-ally walking through it)
Invisible (effect is invisible)
Move (move caster and any allies within reach to a location within spell area at some point in time during the spell)
Panic (Will)
Sickened (Fortitude)
Silent (effect is silent)
Slow (Will)
Stun (Will)

Spell Level 3___________________________________________________
Animate Skeleton (living beings killed by the combined spell rise as level 1 skeletons at the end of the round, corpses are converted if affected by the spell, caster’s control limit is the same as with the spell Animate Dead)
Barrier (prevent the next effect or damaging source to harm target, then Barrier is removed)
Dispel (cancels either a single target or area depending on Shape)
Melee Swing (as Melee Attack, but your attack affects all opponents within the spell area with AC equal to or less than your attack roll)
Nauseated (Fortitude)
Paralyze (Fortitude)
Slow (Will)
Vampiric (half the damage you deal with this spell is gained as HP to the caster)

Spell Level 4___________________________________________________
Dimension Door (caster and any allies within reach travel through a dimensional gate to any location within the spell’s area either before or after spell ends)
Grapple (STR 19 object, Grapple check = level +8, 1d6+4 damage)
Quick (the spell may be cast as a Swift action)
Twin (spell takes effect as if it had been cast twice)



Limits:
• Some limitations on spellcasting effectively increase your spell craft slot when you use them.
• Only one limit may be applied.

+1 Craft Slot
Cleric Holy Symbol (you must believe in a deity, follow an alignment-based moral code, and use one of their holy symbols)
Wizard Bound Item (you can not cast spells if you don’t hold a specific single bound item, binding a new item takes 8 hours)
Shout (You must yell, making your detection automatic to all creatures that can hear normally within Long range)
Dance (Roll an Acrobatics or Perform (Dance) check vs. DC 20, any armor worn applies a penalty to this check, your spell fails if you fail the check)




Examples:

Magic Missile (Spell Level 1, 2 slots)
• Shape: Ray 1
• Effect: Damage 1 (1d6 + Level x2 Force damage)

Fireball (Spell Level 3, 4 slots)
• Shape: Medium Range 2
• Shape: Burst 1
• Effect: Damage 1 (1d6 + Level x2 Fire damage, Reflex save for half damage)
• Add 1 slot: Effect: Increased Damage 1 (add Level x2 Fire damage)
• Add 1 slot: Shape: Long Range 3 (replaces Medium Range)






UNUSED
102,400 + 10,240 per level feet (minimum 235,520 feet at L13)
409,600 + 40,960 per level feet (minimum 1,024,000 feet at L15)
1,638,400 + 163,840 per level feet (minimum 4,423,680 feet at L17)

http://dnd-wiki.org/wiki/Wordcasting_%2 ... nt_Rule%29
It doesn't slow down combats as much as you might think, since generally players pick a few favorite spells and tweak them to fit the situation.

I know of Pathfinder's Words of Power, although I found out after I wrote this modular spells concept.

This Wordcasting thing seems like an attempt to adapt the Epic rules for spell seeds to lower level casters. It also involves DCs, which mine doesn't.

Speed is essential to good gaming with large groups. That's my target audience.

The DCs stuff is just a more granular version of craft slots, with rolling; the FMA class converts DCs to Strain. You don't have the option to make up spells in combat if you play a Word Wizard.

It may resemble an attempt to adapt the Epic rules for spell seeds to lower level casters, and I definitely learned of their existence before making this latest version. That doesn't mean this isn't better.

The most important improvement of my version, of course, is that you know precisely what sort of silly things you should shout out when playing your character. With the added bonus that other people can understand you.

Updated

Added some house rules about the Auras, but it's optional

Added more low level options.

EDIT: Changed the ranges from factors of 10 x miles, to multiplying the Long range by 4 as a base and increasing from there (in feet)

Originally it capped out at 100,000 miles distance at slot 9 but now it's much closer.

To craft Teleport you'll get a much more limited range, and Greater Teleport is probably impossible with this system.