Three Spell Salad: Levels 2 and 3

In our quest to strip down the classic spells of D&D to the essentials, we have a new contributor, JD Jarvis, whose picks don't change our 1st level selection smuch but get added in to the next 2 levels.

Invisibility is the clear winner for super wizards everywhere, with 4 out of 6 desert-island spellbook compilers choosing it. Behind it we have a pack of four, each tied at two picks: Web, Levitate, Mirror Image and ESP.

Mirror Image is cool ... but it serves much the same function as Invisibility. Some people would give ESP the heave-ho on the grounds it's a plot spoiler. I just nerf it into Detect Thoughts, and if the being fails a Mind save the caster gets to sample one thought from its stream of consciousness. Levitate and Web, together with Flaming Sphere, are the more physical spell effects that would anchor the Day list if I picked three "Day" (straightforward) and three "Night" (arcane) spells. But with Feather Fall being expanded to Weightlessness, Levitate is too much like that and too much like a certain spell coming up next level. So the final three are:

ESP: Overnight recovery at (caster) level 3
Invisibility: Overnight recovery at level 3
Web: Overnight recovery at level 3

By the way, I'd probably pick Knock/Wizard Lock for the third of the level 2 Night list.

I'm not sure of the wisdom of allowing turn recovery for some of these, but the levels in question are high enough that the "Basic" rules don't have to worry about that.

The level 3 spells ... well, Fireball and Dispel Magic are clearly the A-listers, with all 5 contributors choosing them.  This is where the limitations begin to grate; Fly gets 2 votes but there are some other strong contenders, like Haste, Clairvoyance and Monster Summoning. The Day list would really start to shine here with Fireball, Fly and Haste, while for Night effects, the ability to summon a stronger monster, dispel magic and use clairvoyance would have to do. For now, let's go with:

Fireball: Overnight recovery at level 5
Dispel Magic: Turn recovery at level 5 (with no re-tries to dispel any one effect)
Fly: Overnight recovery at level 5

Next: up some comments on how this approach would fit into a class system, plus spell cards!

Brown Magic Supplement

Turns out Brown Magic really needs 4 spells/level at the high levels.

So here are the 4th spells for the first three levels.

All three of these, in my view, really add to the problem solving and creative use potential of this magic school.

Level 1

4	Heat Metal	Brown	30’	6 rounds	None
Metal weapon does 1d3 extra damage; metal armor burns wearer in 1 round for 1d3 damage/round; metal held objects dropped

Level 2

4	Command Wood	Brown	30’	Perm.	None
A non-magical section or piece of wood up to 3’ square is bent or reshaped

Level 3

4	Aid of the Waters	Brown	90’	3 hours	None
Water in 10’ radius rises or recedes up to 10’, supports walking, or becomes breathable

Brown Magic: Levels 1-3

"A strange race of  people ... the Druids ..." Although some of these spells also show up in the clerical lists. The main theme is somewhat different from the other color schools - it is the realm of what is affected, rather than functionally what is done, that unites these spells. This sets up Brown magic to be the primal, original, shamanic form of nature magic, and represent the control over natural forces that's present in many conceptions of magic - from Merlin's ravens to Elisha's bears.

As with sacred magic, the Brown spells are only a core for any possible druid, nature cleric, or hedge witch character class. Certainly there are forms of healing, protective, charm, attack, etc. magic that fit very well into those classes.

Yes, Brown's better in the outdoors ... but I've tried to include more spells of general utility and jettison some of the more notorious clunkers (um ... Shillelagh anyone?)

LEVEL 1

               Name                                Color           Range      Duration       Save

1	Animal Friends	Brown	30’	1 hr	Will (Wis)
Calms 1d6 HD of animals, +1 HD/ level; keep 1 with HD <= level as pet
2	Aid of the Earth	Brown	90’	3 min	None
Plants and earth hide or halve move along 100’ x 10’ trail
3	Speak with Animal	Brown	30’	3 min	None
Hold conversation with normal animal

LEVEL 2

1	Aid of the Meek	Brown	90’	12 hrs	None
Up to 6 tiny animals appear in 1-3 rounds and act as familiars
2	Aid of the Trees	Brown	0	1 hr	None
Caster can merge with a tree, remaining aware, and talk with it
3	Call Animals	Brown	30’	1 hr	None
4 HD of friendly animals appear in 1d20 rounds and follow commands

LEVEL 3

1	Aid of the Sky	Brown	90’	Special	Speed (Dex)
Only open sky, 1 minute to summon clouds if needed, then 1 bolt / round for rounds = caster level strikes for 6d6 damage, save for half
2	Aid of the Stones	Brown	30’	30 min	None
Rock underfoot ensnares or damages (1d4/round of travelling) beings travelling on foot over it in 30’ square area
3	Insect Cloud	Brown	90’	30 min	Body (Con)
Stinging insects make all in 30’ square area take 2 hp damage/round, -2 to hit rolls and no casting, save or flee.

Sacred Magic: Level 2 Spell List

And now, back to magic. A few notes.

Prayer is a less wimpy buff even as a level 2.
Sympathetic Healing is inspired by Meditations on the Tarot (for that matter, so is Constraint/ Break Constraint) and is an attempt at a powerful but more strategic healing spell for level 2.

1	Evoke Auras	Black/White	30’	3 min	None
Causes visible light or darkness to outline holy or unholy beings, places and objects within sight range
2	Constraint	Black	90’	1 min	Mind (Wis)
Stops one being from moving or speaking
3	Drain Light Wounds	Black	30’	None	Body (Con)
Living being takes 1d6+1 hp damage, heal the same amount of caster’s hp damage.
4	Prayer	[Black]/White	30’	3 min	None
Allows target's controller to reroll one die for an attack, save or action within the spell’s duration
5	Restore Object	Gold	0	None	None
Physically mends a broken or corroded object
6	Slow Ailment	Gold	0	1 day	None
Delays the effects of poison or disease
7	Sympathetic Healing	Gold	0	None	None
Heals 3d6+3 hp, caster takes the middle die rolled as hp damage; or transfers poison or disease to caster, new saving throw
8	Break Constraint	White	90’	None	None
Loosens physical or magical restrictions on movement or speech; if magic, 5% to fail per level of difference vs. higher level caster

Level 2 Magic Spells

A couple of notes:

I've done my usual thing of combining spells, making less useful ones more useful, and curbing some spells that can be used in an un-fun way. No more pettifogging legalese question-asking with Augury; no more plot ruination with ESP if you don't want it (Detect Thoughts). Also note that some cleric spells are folded in here. They're not out of reach for clerics, though, depending on the options in your campaign.

The spells with a (+) are not actually spells, but ... what should I call them? Modifiers? Meta-spells (ugh)? Codicils? Pervulsions? You don't memorize them, but they go on your list of known spells. You can roll them when you level up, and learn them out of books. They represent the ability to memorize a spell at 1 level higher and improve its effect somehow. The spell still is the same spell, so by the rules I discussed last time you can't have a level 1 Sleep and a level 2 super-Sleep memorized at the same time. Taking this approach has let me trim a lot from the higher level spell lists, which is good because I go to a d12 table after 3rd level.

I actually like these ultra-brief descriptions. They have that white box feel. They call up the image of a referee ruling on the fly, players thinking up their own uses, wizards experimenting and trying to "break" some spell they only have a scribbled note describing. If you write all of the details down people are going to find their way to them and some of the fun is gone. The fruits of the Internet, I guess, even more ridiculous now than in 1979 to try and forbid your players to read the DMG or Monster Manual.

Any final product I release will probably have more specific notes on implementation, but I expect an experienced game-runner should be able to hold their own with these brief notes, especially with some knowledge of the original and fuller descriptions in O and AD&D.

1	Augury	Orange	30’	3 min	None
Get literal yes/no answer to up to 10 word question, 1/6 chance of being wrong
2	Complex Illusion	Purple	30’	30 min	(Int)
Illusion in 2 senses, with motion/ speech; save if depicting living being
3	Conjure Wind	Red	90’	30 min	(Str)
All in 90' x 30' area save to advance (man size) or hold position (smaller); bipedal beings fall on failed save
4	Detect Thoughts	Orange	30’	3 min	(Wis)
Detect presence of self-aware beings; they save or you overhear 3 random words
5	Fear	Green	30’	3 min	(Wis)
One mammal must save or flee
6	Find Dangers	Orange	30’	None	None
Detect presence of danger from inanimate things in up to 4 10’ squares
7	Flaming Sphere	Red	30’	10 rounds	(Dex)
Rolls at 5’/round doing 2d4 damage in 5’ square
8	Hiding Place	Silver	0	30 min	None
Create extra-dimensional hiding place for up to 6 human-sized beings
9	Improved Spell (+)	Gray	-	-	-
Adding 1 to spell’s level, can triple range, or double effect or duration
10	Invisibility	Purple	30’	3 hr	None
Being or object up to 10’ square stays invisible until it attacks or casts
11	Levitate/Root	Yellow	30’	3 min	(Con)
Raises a willing being 100’, unwilling 30’ (3d6 fall damage); rooted being can’t move legs or be knocked down
12	Lock/Unlock	Yellow	0	1 day	None
Locks an opening magically, or opens a magic or normal lock
13	Multiply Matter	Blue	0	Perm	none
Doubles up to a 3’ cube of raw non-precious mineral or vegetable matter
14	Shatter	Red	30’	None	*
Item up to 1’ thick breaks; save as creator if magic item
15	Locate Object	Orange	90’	None	None
Caster becomes aware of direction of specific object or object type
16	Summon Familiar	Silver	0	Permanent	(Int)
Summons small creature who can communicate with caster, gives 1-4 extra HP while alive, caster permanently loses 1 HP if killed
17	Tonguetie/ Tongueloose	Green	90’	3 min	(Wis)
Strikes victim dumb (no casting) or makes victim babble
18	Triggered Spell (+)	Gray	-	1 day	-
Adding 1 to spell’s level, it’s triggered automatically by event
19	Web	Blue	0	1 day	(Str)
Creates binding webs in 3 10’ cubes or 30’ square sheet; save to move 5’
20	Zone of Silence	Purple	0	30 min	None
20’ radius moving zone that blocks sound coming out