HOLMENTZER MAGIC-USERS

HOLMENTZER MAGIC-USERS

Humans who elect to become magic-users must not wear armor and can carry only a dagger for protection. They can, however, use almost all magical items, but not magical swords and other magical arms other than daggers. They have the advantage (shared with clerics and some elves*) of being able to work magical spells. At the start, however, they can cast only one spell and must advance a level in experience before they can learn another. Thus the magic-user starts out as an extremely weak character, but if he survives and rises in experience, he becomes increasingly powerful... Magic-users, of course, may be either... lawful or chaotic, and most of their spells remain the same. - Holmes, pg. 6

The magic-user acquires books containing the spells, the study of which allows him to memorize a spell for use. He can then throw the spell by saying the magic words and making gestures with his hands. This means that a magic-user bound and gagged cannot use his magic... A magic-user must concentrate on his spell, so he can not cast a spell and walk or run at the same time, and he certainly can not cast a spell while engaged in combat. Then, after all that, the spell may not work! - Holmes, pg. 13

To learn a spell, the magic-user must be completely rested. A good night's sleep is enough. The character then gets out the spell book and studies the spells to be used, which takes an hour or less... In more advanced games, adventures may last more than a day. In such cases, a magic-user can study spells each morning, if completely rested. A mule should be brought along on long adventures, to carry the spell book^ along with normal equipment. But beware! If the book is lost... - Mentzer Basic PM, pg. 38

Also, from Mentzer:

Magic-users never trade spells, nor do they ever allow anyone (except their teachers) to read their spell books.

Magic-users also have the following abilities, per Holmes:

SCROLL GENERATION

Scrolls are written in magic runes that fade from the page as they are read, so a scroll also can only be used once. Magic users may make a scroll of a spell they already "know" (i.e. have in their magic book) at a cost of 100 gold pieces and 1 week's work for each spell of the first level, 200 gold pieces and 2 weeks for a second level spell (if the magic-user is third level), etc.

MAGIC RESEARCH

It is also possible for a magic-user, through the expenditure of much money for research, to create new spells. The Dungeon Master must agree that the spell is appropriate to the level of the character trying to create it, the magic-user must spend 2000 gold pieces per level of spell and one week of time. He then has a 20% chance of success... [if] the spell research was successful, the magic-user writes it into his book and may use the spell...

Lastly, once more from Mentzer Basic Players Manual, pg. 38:

If a new spell is found on a scroll, it may be added to the magic-user's book - but this can only be done once for each scroll spell, and uses up the scroll in the process. If the spell is of too high a level to be cast, it cannot be put into the book... A spell on a scroll may be saved, to put into a book at a future time. [However] any magic-user can cast a spell found on a scroll as if it were memorized, regardless of the level of the spell.

For info on what spells a beginning magic-user has in his or her 1st level spell book, see HERE.

* In our game, as all PCs are high elves, they have magic abilities. Any elf can multi-class as a magic-user + another qualified class; however, an elf may also choose to be a magic-user only. In this case, they follow the spell book generation rules as a magic-user, except they use the elf spell list. Otherwise, for a multi-classed elf, the DM will let you know what spells are in your book.

^ Still trying to figure out how I want to deal with this "lugging of the spell book bit", see HERE for some thoughts (toward bottom of post), but gonna sleep on it.

MAGIC-USERS & SPELL BOOK GENERATION

From Men & Magic:

Characters who employ spells are assumed to acquire books containing the spells they can use, one book for each level.

This implies that though a first level magic-user can only learn & cast one first level spell per day, they have @ their finger tips all the first level spells in one huge tome. You would not lug this into a dungeon.

With the Greyhawk supplement, Gygax limits this a bit, which is wise. This is the same spell book generation that would later be found in the Holmes Blue Book: percentile dice are rolled for each first level spell to determine whether that spell is in the m-u's spell book or not.

Here's the chart:

INT       % Chance to Know Spell       Minimum       Maximum
3-4          20%                                       2                   3
5-7          30%                                       2                   4
8-9          40%                                       3                   5
10-12      50%                                       4                   6
13-14      65%                                       5                   8
15-16      75%                                       6                  10
17            85%                                       7                  All
18            95%                                       8                  All

Example: Jimmy the Hex Master has an INT of 15. To determine what spells he has in his spell book, I go down the list of first level spells & roll percentiles. Every time I roll a 75 or lower, Jimmy adds that spell to his spell book. Once he has 10 spells, he stops (cuz that's his max on the chart for his INT). If Jimmy makes it through the entire list & has 6, he's done (cuz that's his minimum). But if Jimmy only has 5 after going through the list, he starts again w/ the spells he failed to add the first time, rolling until he can add one more to meet his minimum of 6.

This is the way to do it. Not only does it open up magic-users @ the start of the game, but also, it awards players w/ high intelligence for what we could assume is a lot of time & study done before setting out for fame & fortune.

So how was I doing it before?

From Moldvay Basic:

These spells are stored in large spell books... Each magic-user & elf has a spell book for the spells that he or she has learned. A first level character will only have one spell (a first level spell) in the spell book. A second level character will have two spells (both first level) in the spell book...

I always asked myself, why would a magic-user w/ only one first level spell carry around a mostly empty, massive spell book? My guess was that Moldvay wanted to simplify the spell selection process for an introductory game while also holding on to the classic fantasy image of the magic-user's exhaustive tome. So while Moldvay keeps the description of the "large spell book" within his rules, he doesnt go so far as Holmes to say that Magic-users can not bring their magic books into the dungeon w/ them.

So it's a trade off: OD&D/Holmes equip magic-users w/ exhaustive spell tomes that give them a wide daily spell selection, but the location they can study these tomes is limited. On the other hand, Moldvay severely limits the number of spells a magic-user has access to, but they are free to carry the book about as they wish, even into a dungeon.

There are benefits to both approaches, so I've fused the two: while first level magic-users will start per the Greyhawk rules, I think they should also be able to, down the line, purchase a smaller spell book to copy select spells in for possible overnight dungeon travel. However, if any spell book has more than 5 spells in it, it is only possible to travel into dungeon w/ m-u if they have a STR of 12 or more, & even then, there may be other consequences or limitations.

What about elves?

Elves will not use these same rules. As elves know magic inherently, their magic-use learning is different, @ least starting out. For their spell list, they will choose the Moldvay way (plus additional spell or two for high INT). That is, UNLESS, an elf character decides to be a magic-user only. I/o/w, they will not be a multi-classed elf, they will be an elf magic-user.

YOUR MAGIC-USER IS A WANNABE RANGER

So I wanna speak a bit more in depth about Magic Missile...

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?

SPELL LISTS

Particulars of spells found HERE.

FIRST LEVEL CLERICAL SPELLS
---------------------------------------------

1. Cure Light Wounds*
2. Detect Evil*
3. Detect Magic
4. Light*
5. Protection from Evil*
6. Purify Food & Water*
7. Remove Fear*
8. Resist Cold
9. Speak In Tongues

*these spells can be "reversed" but the cleric must specify their intention to do so when learning/praying...  or be a chaotic cleric - Example: Cause Light Wounds, Darkness, Cause Fear, etc. - Casting reversed spells can ripple your alignment, so keep in mind your character when doing so.

FIRST LEVEL MAGIC-USER SPELLS
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1. Charm Person
2. Detect Magic
3. Floating Disc
4. Hold Portal
5. Light
6. Enlargement
7. Protection from Evil
8. Read Languages
9. Read Magic
10. Shield
11. Sleep
12. Ventriloquism

FIRST LEVEL ELF SPELLS
------------------------------------

1. Charm Person
2. Detect Magic
3. Dancing Lights
4. Entangling Vines
5. Affect Normal Fires
6. Elvish Spears
7. Pass w/o Trace
8. Read Languages
9. Read Magic
10. Comprehend Languages
11. Sleep
12. Speak w/ Animals

SECOND LEVEL MAGIC-USER SPELLS
-----------------------------------------------------

1. Continual Light
2. Detect Evil
3. Detect Invisible
4. ESP
5. Invisibility
6. Knock
7. Levitate
8. Locate Object
9. Mirror Image
10. Phantasmal Force
11. Web
12. Wizard Lock

SECOND LEVEL ELF SPELLS
----------------------------------------

1. Continual Light
2. Cure Light Wounds
3. Detect Invisible
4. Stinking Cloud
5. Invisibility
6. Knock
7. Barkskin
8. Locate Animals
9. Mirror Image
10. Phantasmal Force
11. Crystal Web
12. Warp Wood