First, let me spray some thoughts about magic in general regarding Wild Earth, i.e. Furthermoor, Kush & beyond... As I've mentioned before, the Hooded Periscope blog game I have been running for over 1.5 years now has been a Moldvay/Cook/Labyrinth Lord (B/X) game from the outset. I have a binder w/ Moldvay Basic & Cook Expert inside & that is basically what I have used exclusively (plus a few LL additions here & there, like 1st level clerics having spellcasting abilities, plus I have introduced NPCs of various classes/races not found in B/X, etc). The text on that blog in the ruley reference sections for players - Items, Magic, Spell Descriptions, Monsters, etc. - is generally straight from Moldvay, or Cook in some instances. When I started this blog for our Google+ game, I basically just copied & pasted the Spell Descriptions & Magic Items sections from HP into this blog. In other words, what you are seeing
in those sections @ right, due to time-saving reasons on my part, are descriptions from Moldvay (there are a few descripts from AD&D & possibly Holmes, but basically right now what's there is Moldvay by majority). Also, the Magical Items descriptions section only has descriptions for items that have come into play during the HP game, in other words, I was adding that stuff to the blog as the game went along, so these sections are incomplete. Likewise, the spell lists are not complete either. And though they are not straight from Moldvay - I'm about to get to this so please bear w/ me - they currently only include low level spells b/c right now in the game everyone is playing a low level character. So in other words, I just havent gotten to the higher level spell selection yet. All of that said, when the HP game began, back in April of 2010, I was using the Moldvay spell lists as they are printed in that book. It actually was not until we had an elf character join the party that I started fiddling w/ the spell lists, & here is why:
I didnt like the fact that magic-users & elves use the same spell list. In my mind, I felt that the two races would have encountered magic in different ways, or more succinctly, would each have a different relationship to magic. Whether humans existed before elves, or vice versa, wasnt really the issue. In the most basic explanation possible, I just felt that elf magic should be more tied to nature & possibly more inherent in some ways as the elf grows in experience, while human magic was more of a learned, "tapping into something"... I/o/w, there is a reason any ole elf can cast magic, but humans knowing magic are limited to those that dedicate their lives to it.
W/ these thoughts, I began playing w/ the spell list just as the new elf was wrapping up their character. For timeliness, since he would only be choosing two spells for his spell book, I just referred him to the Moldvay MU/elf spell list to get acquainted, while telling him I was working on a separate elf spell list & would give him a few more choices specific to elves. Around this time I saw a discussion taking place in the OSR blogosphere regarding the use of Magic Missile. It began with this enlightening post (which has some sweet ideas for using Enlargement, btw) that came to my attention through this post [I would highly suggest reading through these if you get the time]. And then, of course, I got an email from the elf saying he wants Magic Missile... Though I'd never really liked the idea or image of the Magic Missile, the above posts had me thinking. I never really thought to just remove it from the list altogether! Keep in mind, we're talking about the Moldvay Magic Missile here, the one that is basically a magic, "glowing arrow". The spell that Bargle, in Mentzer Basic, casts on you, or your lady cleric friend, as you go through the tutorial. The hovering, glowing arrow. It just seemed a little hokey then, & still seems sorta silly now. Why an actual arrow? A good discussion of the genesis & evolution of the spell can be found here. I was glad to learn in the comments of these posts that most players abhor the Moldvay image of the "glowing arrow". But now I had even deeper issues w/ it in regard to my elf vs. magic-user. Not to stereotype the elf class, but since in B/X they are fighter/magic-users (they do not have any other class distinctions outside of that), many of them are known to carry a bow-and-arrow. Unless they spend all their starting cash on a two-handed weapon, or whatever, they usually will go for a decent missile weapon. So I couldnt help but ask myself, if your player has a short bow w/ arrows, & you have spellcasting abilities, why would you fill one of those valuable spell slots w/ what is basically just a bow & arrow but flashier? I answered my own question. Magic Missile is flashy. Esp. to a new player when asked to "pick one of these". So anyway, I was in a bit of a quandary. I didnt plan to include Magic Missile on the elf list, but that was the spell from the Moldvay list that the elf wanted. I knew also that to deny its use, now, would surely have adverse effects on the elf player's view of the game I was presenting. So first, I tried trickery! Rolling out the elf spell list, I explained my view of elf magic in the world & then tried to sell him on trading in his Magic Missile for the elfy version, Elvish Spears (a spell I made up, & actually like the idea of, that is modeled after MM). This was a version of MM I could live w/, esp. for an elf. But the elf didnt buy it. He didnt like that to cast it, he would have to be around a tree or trees. So in the end, I let him go w/ Magic Missile. Since it wasnt on the elf list, the conclusion was that the elf was raised by a human magic-user & therefore one of the first spells he learned was Magic Missile. It fit well as he joined the party while they traveled through a hollow hill wizard strondhold called Sunhillow. FWIW, the second spell he chose was Dancing Lights, which was on the new elf list.
So, wiping the slate clean, w/ the Google+ game, I decided to start w/ the same spell list as the HP game, but just remove MM altogether, then add a few spells found in Holmes & AD&D, but not Moldvay. Interestingly, the rule set I decided to reference to you all, Swords & Wizardry: White Box, does not include MM in its lists either. That is b/c MM was not in the first OD&D books. You can read about that here.
That said, since you all are experienced players, & we have already had the conversation about using spells creatively (keep in mind that doing so will earn you XP), while I dont plan to add MM to the 1st level M-U spell list, I am open for discussion in regard to its inclusion in the 2nd level M-U list. It seems clear to me that Amadi is concerned that the power of certain high level monsters may be difficult for the party to overcome if the M-U does not have access to MM & this seems like a valid argument. While I dont totally agree, hopefully my initial exclusion of MM has caused you all to think about other spells in ways you may not have previously. Anyways, as of now, I am sort of leaning toward the Holmes version that requires a "to-hit" roll (thanks for the heads up, Zenopus Archives), & if your magic-user can cast off more than one MM, they would roll a to-hit for each. We can talk about it. But please, oh please, can we lose the glowing arrow?
That said, since you all are experienced players, & we have already had the conversation about using spells creatively (keep in mind that doing so will earn you XP), while I dont plan to add MM to the 1st level M-U spell list, I am open for discussion in regard to its inclusion in the 2nd level M-U list. It seems clear to me that Amadi is concerned that the power of certain high level monsters may be difficult for the party to overcome if the M-U does not have access to MM & this seems like a valid argument. While I dont totally agree, hopefully my initial exclusion of MM has caused you all to think about other spells in ways you may not have previously. Anyways, as of now, I am sort of leaning toward the Holmes version that requires a "to-hit" roll (thanks for the heads up, Zenopus Archives), & if your magic-user can cast off more than one MM, they would roll a to-hit for each. We can talk about it. But please, oh please, can we lose the glowing arrow?
