OSR: First Law Wizards: Revising Free-Form Magic

seeroftheabyss
9 hours ago
5 min read

I love Wizards and hate putting in more effort than necessary. As such, I implemented the Free-Form Wizards with multiple ideas in mind. I wanted to reduce the burden on myself, free my players to be more creative and allow them to roleplay a Wizard more like the kind in Fantasy Novels and Movies. This worked, to an extent.

The Good:

The Free-Form Wizard feels like a Fantasy Novel Wizards:

They can freely employ wondrous powers to solve problems, hurl terrifying magical blasts and reduce dangerous obstacles to trivialities with a flick of the wrist. It's also really fun.

The Free-Form Wizard acts as a foundation for other magical disciplines:

As the Free-Form System is so simple, creating rules for other types of magic and bolting them onto it is easy. You can have Wizards who build works of Artifice, brew potions and practice rituals that they use to empower their magic even further.

The Free-Form Wizard frees the Player and Referee to do as they wish:

No longer will you have to agonize over a spell-list and try to fit everything you think you will need into it, nor will you groan and struggle with the fact that the players know every single spell in the book and there is nothing you can do to surprise them. The magic is free and dynamic in a way that makes it dramatic and exciting. Instead of "Oh crap, he's going to throw a Fireball", the player reaction to an enemy casting a spell is more like "Oh gosh, what is he doing? Are we dead? We're going to die!"

Similarly, players are free to really use their creativity to solve problems. If they're fighting a Flying Enemy, why not use Flesh Magic to fuse his wings to his body to prevent him from flying? Why not remove all the air in a globe around the enemy Wizard so he cannot cast and suffocates to boot? It's fun and interesting.

The Bad:

It is taxing on the Referee:

As a Referee, you will constantly have to set DCs and make rulings. How exactly do you rule if the Wizard wants to conjure a tiny octopus in someone's throat so they suffocate? What is the DC for turning into a winged horse? Does being drunk affect your ability to cast? If so, how much?

If you start using Free-Form Magic in the hopes that it will make your life as the Referee easier, you are in for a very unpleasant surprise.

Free-Form Magic is too Powerful:

While Free-Form Magic can be powerful in combat, it's actually most useful outside of combat. For example, suppose the party needs to find someone who is in hiding or on the run. In a more normal game, they would have to investigate or come up with some kind of clever plan. In a free-form system, simply cast a tracking spell. Not sure where to go? Cast a Divination spell and peer into the future. Is a particular enemy causing you problems? Just turn him into a snail and crush him.

Also it trivializes many problems faced when Dungeoneering. Pit Traps and long falls aren't very scary when you have a Mage with the ability to freely shape Earth. Poison Gas isn't very dangerous when the Hedge-Witch can transmute it into clean air. This applies to almost all common Dungeon Hazards.

The Solution:

So how do you fix the Free-Form system without simply throwing it out and going back to spell-based magic or switching to another system. Well, the solution is simple. Free-Form Magic is too expansive, so it needs to be limited. And the easiest way to do that is through the Wizarding Traditions.

Instead of being able to cast ANY spell they can imagine, a Wizard PC selects one of the Traditions at Level 1. These Traditions are the GLOG sub-classes. The sub-class determines the limits of that Wizard's magic. A Biomancer can manipulate flesh, heal wounds and control living things. That, however, is the limits of his magical abilities. Ask him to cast a spell to light a fire and he would scoff at you. Controlling fire and flesh are so different it's like asking a mathematician to translate a dead language.

I would also include the distinction between Thaumaturgy, or Ritual Magic, and Evocation/Incantations, or Verbal Magic.

Evocation is quick magic. All you need is mana, a few gestures and some arcane words and BOOM! magic happens. This is what Wizards are known for and this is what they can do based on their Tradition. So a Biomancer is just one quick incantation away from turning someone into a toad.

However, if the Biomancer wanted to use magic for something outside of his Tradition, he would have to use Thaumaturgy. Thaumaturgy is ritual magic and requires set-up, preparations and materials. Additionally, Thaumaturgy can be used by people who haven't a scrap of magical talent, unlike Evocation, which is only for the Gifted.

Actual Rule Changes:

To start, replace the existing Level 1 Ability of 'Spellcasting' with:

Magical Praxis: Select a Wizarding Tradition. As a Mage associated with that tradition, you can cast spells relating to the Aspects that are part of that tradition. As an action, tell the Referee what you wish to do and he will tell you if it is possible. If it is, he will call for a roll. Roll 1d20+COG modifier. If you equal or exceed the DC the Referee has set for the attempt, your spell succeeds. On a failure, your spell fails to accomplish what you wish. Your spell automatically fails if you attempt to cast a spell that does not fall under the Aspects you were instructed in.

For example, if you follow the Tradition of Pyromancy, you know how to control Fire, Heat and Smoke. You can cast spells relating to those three Aspects, but you cannot cast a spell that will allow you to do something not related to those Aspects. Referee's Discretion applies in edge cases.

Traditional Practice: You gain the Power and Drawback associated with the Wizarding Tradition you select.

Then at Level 2, replace 'Ritual Magic' with this version of the Ability:

If you wish to use magic to do anything that isn't covered under your Aspect, you must do so as part of a Ritual. Rituals require preparation and planning and cannot be done quickly. Once you have completed your preparations, make a spellcasting roll as per 'Aspect Magic'. Depending on the extent of your preparations, the Referee may offer you a bonus to your roll anywhere from +1 to +10.

A common preparation might include writing down a spell on a scroll or book, creating a magical circle to contain or channel energies, or to have multiple casters assist with the casting. An extravagant preparation might include ceremonial washings, meditating for days to clear the mind, extensively warding the area to drain off residual magic or utilizing expensive or mana-rich materials to fuel the ritual.

Additional Rule Changes:

- Wands and Staves allow a Wizard to cast a type of magic that he couldn't ordinarily do. A Psychomancer can't control fire, unless he has a Wand of Fire Magic. In the hands of an untrained/untalented person, a Wand causes a static effect. For example, a Wand of Fire shoots fireballs.

- Scrolls are consumable magic items that enable the party to produce a single effect tied to that type of magic. A Scroll of Fire Magic could light a fire, conjure an explosive fireball or create a wall of flame. A scroll's rarity depends on how much power it was imbued with. A 1 MD scroll is cheap and not very strong, while a 4 MD scroll is expensive and powerful.