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Can anyone point me to a good Non-Vanacian magic system i can use for my home games.
Can anyone point me to a good Non-Vanacian magic system i can use for my home games.
For 3.5 D&D, but still useable in PAthfinder, there were two options from Unearthed Arcana:
I wouldn't recommend the Recharge Magic rules though. It makes the already powerful spellcasters even more powerful.
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I wrote this awhile ago. I like it.
Spell points are probably more user-friendly, though.
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I had a fairly non-Vancian idea for wizards a while back. It always chafed me that Wizards have to prepare their spells each morning even though they've got the spellbook right there with them and could, in theory, look up another spell if they needed it.
Here's the idea. A wizard can spend a move action to look up a spell in his spellbook. Once the book is open to that page, he can spontaneously cast THAT spell. If he wants to cast a different spell, it's another move action to look it up.
Really, I'm all for doing away with the outdated idea of preparing spells, but I think each class needs to do it in a way that makes sense to that class.
Take the monk's ki pool for instance. I think a similar system could work for paladins, off of their daily uses of lay on hands. If we pretend lay on hands is a spell, then maybe at Level 4 they can spend a LOH use to cast Bless or Magic Weapon. At 6th level they can spend one on Eagle's Splendor or some other notable 2nd-level pally spells. LOH uses effectively become like ki points, and as the paladin levels up he gains new uses for them.
Legends of Sorcery is a skill based system that can be used with the present spells.
There are several 'spell point' systems, all of which (that I've seen) allow players a greater level of versatility. This will hurt the feelings and play style of dms that rely on a casting player expending certain spells and not being able to 're-cast'. If you have the stones to let your players have this kind of freedom, you will have a much more interesting and dynamic game. It took me a bit of time to actually get used to players not running out of the key spells and being able to torque the story line into new directions. It was worth it.
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I love the system presented in the Thieves' World setting (by Green Ronin). Spell points to gather mana mostly "on the spot" from surrounding magic energies - great for high or low magic zones - combined with a spellcaster check based on a level dependant value (think of BAB for combat), split into rituals and "battle" spells.
With a very small custom job you can work it into a high-, medium- or low-magic setting (lowering or increasing the difficulty to gather mana), depending on your whims, and further differentiate wizards and sorcerers.
No extra work needed on spells.
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Vancian spellcasting should of been dropped from the game decades ago. Its stupid. Really, a wizard can lose the capability to cast fireball once he cast the one he memorized, but still be able to rip open holes in the space/time continuum, create demiplanes, summon beings one step below a demigod in power, cause multiple enemies to implode, or rewrite the universe (with wish?)? No, that is stupid. And it makes for a poor story. "Oh, I can't summon a lemure devil (Summon monster 2), as I don't have the power. Here, let me summon a pit fiend instead (Gate)."
The only things outside of D&D that I can think of that uses the Vancian style of magic is well, the books by Jack Vance. But that is to be expected. And not even the D&D novels make use of it - I can't remember any of the spellcasters ever mentioning anything about not being able to cast because they only memorized X copies of a spell. Maybe in a few of the books, but not most of them.
A true spell point system removes that stupidity. You can cast a few big spells, or lots of little spells. You have more versatility. And its why I am going through the trouble of converting the core spells into something closer to the Expanded Psionics Handbook style of points. A point-based system makes a whole lot more sense, both mechanically and story-wise, then the slot-based memorization of the Vancian system.
Thanks everyone for the advice we have tried both spell points and recharge in the past and may go back to spell points recharge takes some work.
Ross I like it and will be trying it in our next game.
Somewhere around here I have the d20 rules for Slayers. The non-Vancian system it had worked roughly as follows.
When a caster casts a spell, they make a save. The DC of this save is a function of the caster's level, the spell's level and a few other things. Shouting the name of the spell as you cast it decreased the DC, explaining why almost everyone in Slayers does so. Fail the save and you're fatigued (and gain a modifier to the dc). Fail again and you're exhausted (and gain another modifier). Fail a third time and you're KO.
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D20 True Sorcery, a system adapted for the Black Company RPG (Both Green Ronin?) uses a skill and 'talent' system. You could spontaneously weave spells you had talents for, or do prep time and 'store' a few bigger spells for instant release. Casting was fatiguing, however, and often took more than one round. Very good system for gritty games where you don't want casters to dominate things (Though the Black Company setting had multiple 30+ level (some 50+!!) sorcerers, they were VERY bad news.
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Vancian spellcasting should of been dropped from the game decades ago. Its stupid. Really, a wizard can lose the capability to cast fireball once he cast the one he memorized, but still be able to rip open holes in the space/time continuum, create demiplanes, summon beings one step below a demigod in power, cause multiple enemies to implode, or rewrite the universe (with wish?)? No, that is stupid. And it makes for a poor story. "Oh, I can't summon a lemure devil (Summon monster 2), as I don't have the power. Here, let me summon a pit fiend instead (Gate)."
Do you find it stupid that you can't shoot your pistol when it runs out of bullets, but can still fire your rocket launcher?
You make a big deal about power while forgetting that the character has invested his power in specific little bundles rather than a raw pool. The sorcerer is the one with the raw pool to shape as needed.
Vancian casting is a spell point system. You just can't use small points for big spells. You can use big points for small spells though.
Any system you come up with is either going to reduce the amount they cast a day, give X casting per encounter so the resource management game is gone, or let them cast their best spells more times. I feel like the system in the book is the perfect balance of all those things.
I agree. The only thing a spell point system does is let a character cast more higher level spells. That is literally the only change.
And if you want that, here is what you do.
Spell points = (Spell Slots X Spell Level)
Spell cost = Spell Level.
E.G. 1st Level Cleric with 3 spells has 3 points, and his spells cost 1 point each.
6th Level Wizard with 4 1st, 4 2nd, and 3 3rd has 21 points, and spells cost 1, 2, or 3 points to cast.
That's it. He can cast any spell level as long as he has the points left. No funky math to deal with. You get X number of spells depending on how you use them.
Done.
Do you find it stupid that you can't shoot your pistol when it runs out of bullets, but can still fire your rocket launcher?
You make a big deal about power while forgetting that the character has invested his power in specific little bundles rather than a raw pool. The sorcerer is the one with the raw pool to shape as needed.
No, because pistols and rocket launchers are two different weapons with two different ammunitions. Spells on the other hand are one thing - the only difference is how much power the caster puts into one.
And the sorcerer has the opposite problem as the wizard. A sorcerer who uses his last 6th level slot to cast a maximized fireball can't do that again that day, but has no problem using his minimum of 17 3rd, 4th, and 5th level slots to cast normal fireballs, doing vastly more damage then any one maximized fireball could do. Why? The sorcerer can't manage another 6th level spell, but has no problem supplying the power for other fireballs totaling 51 spell levels combined?
Wizards have the problem of running out of Xth level spells, but having no problem casting several spells of higher level and more power. Sorcerers have the problem of running out of Xth level spells, but having no problem casting a multitude of lower-level spells that do far more damage and greater versatility then that single higher level spell.
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Every spell IS a different weapon. You have to configure the magical energy in a completely different way. You can't break a HE round down and turn it into a WP round in the middle of combat. When you run out of the little bombs, you can't just make the big ones smaller.
The sorcerer has a whole case of C4. He can mold it into whatever he wants to as the situation develops, but it only has so many different uses. Once you don't have enough C4 to make the big bangs, you have to settle for the little ones.
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I wrote this awhile ago. I like it.
Spell points are probably more user-friendly, though.
Whoa! Ross, I didn't even know you played, never mind created your own rpg material! I'll definitely check your Zelazny-inspired system out!
Every spell IS a different weapon. You have to configure the magical energy in a completely different way. You can't break a HE round down and turn it into a WP round in the middle of combat. When you run out of the little bombs, you can't just make the big ones smaller.
No, but you could of brought along more HE rounds to begin with, instead of bringing both types. The spell slot system is like saying "You can only have 3 HE rounds. You can carry two dozen more different rounds, but you are limited to carrying only 3 HE rounds." Why? Because. There is no good reason for it. There should be no reason why you couldn't carry all HE rounds, just like there shouldn't be a reason you couldn't spend all your spell power on only fireballs instead of being forces to mix it up among all spell levels.
We also see spells differently. You see spells as different weapons. I see the caster as the weapon, with the spell as the ammunition. No, you can't break the ammo down into different types, but you should be able to tailor your ammo loadout to what you want. You shouldn't be forced to have X number of HE rounds, Y number of AP rounds, Z number of tracer rounds, etc. That is what the Vancian system does with spells. You are forced into spreading out your power across all spell levels, instead of only putting it into the spells you want to.
The sorcerer has a whole case of C4. He can mold it into whatever he wants to as the situation develops, but it only has so many different uses. Once you don't have enough C4 to make the big bangs, you have to settle for the little ones.
I see that statement as defining a point-based system, not spell slots. Even if the sorcerer didn't have enough C4 (spell points) to make a big bang (high level spell), he could still shape the remaining C4 into one medium sized bang (mid-level spells) or a multitude of tiny bangs (low-level spells). He has the option to make the bangs however big he needs, up to the limit of C4 he has. That is, he can use his spell points (C4) to tailor the power of his spells (bangs) to what he needs.
A C4 example closer inline with spell slots would be something like: The sorcerer has lumps of C4 in different sizes (different level spells). He can use a lump (a spell)to destroy something of the appropriate size (using the appropriate spell slot), or he can use a lump larger then necessary to do the job (casting a spell in a spell slot higher then normal). However, he can not combine the smaller lumps (multiple lower level slots) to get a bigger blast (a mid-level spell).
Look, you do not forget your spells. You have to invest power into them, and cast them, spells are not cast in 1 round. They are cast that morning when you have your spell book. YOu simply have them on hold and have that power tied up holding a spell ready.
Slots are in a very real since a mana system. You have a pool of power each day per spell level. Each time you master a more complex spell "level" you earn a new pool to draw power for those spells from.
Its not fire and forget. Its cast and hold and burn your mana. You can choose not to use a slot , but again it takes a much longer casting time then you can pull off in combat to cast that spell. You cast it and you hold it ready.
The system really is no better or worse and no sillier then any other magic system. It is however a very defining feature for D&d and adds to the feel.
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No, but you could of brought along more HE rounds to begin with, instead of bringing both types. The spell slot system is like saying "You can only have 3 HE rounds. You can carry two dozen more different rounds, but you are limited to carrying only 3 HE rounds." Why? Because. There is no good reason for it. There should be no reason why you couldn't carry all HE rounds, just like there shouldn't be a reason you couldn't spend all your spell power on only fireballs instead of being forces to mix it up among all spell levels.
You don't have the rack space to carry more than 3 HE rounds. You have multiple racks, but each rack only fits certain types of rounds. Some racks can carry multiple types of rounds, but you can't put two rounds in the same space. To carry all HE rounds, you'd have to change your racks, and the system doesn't allow you to do that.
I see that statement as defining a point-based system, not spell slots. Even if the sorcerer didn't have enough C4 (spell points) to make a big bang (high level spell), he could still shape the remaining C4 into one medium sized bang (mid-level spells) or a multitude of tiny bangs (low-level spells). He has the option to make the bangs however big he needs, up to the limit of C4 he has. That is, he can use his spell points (C4) to tailor the power of his spells (bangs) to what he needs.A C4 example closer inline with spell slots would be something like: The sorcerer has lumps of C4 in different sizes (different level spells). He can use a lump (a spell)to destroy something of the appropriate size (using the appropriate spell slot), or he can use a lump larger then necessary to do the job (casting a spell in a spell slot higher then normal). However, he can not combine the smaller lumps (multiple lower level slots) to get a bigger blast (a...
PF spellcasting IS a point-based system. You have 9 pools of different points. Prepared casting requires you to lock in those points, spontaneous doesn't. The system also has a restriction that you can spend higher points to cast lower spells, but not the other way around.
You're right, the C4 example didn't fit. Allow me to try again.
Sorcerers can call in airstrikes. They don't have to carry their firepower with them, they can call for what they specifically need at the time. But when their support runs out of the big stuff, they have to make do with smaller stuff.
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A create-your-own spell system would be awesome. Something like what was done in Dragonlance 5th Age RPG. Create your spell based on which schools of magic you knew, the spell would cost a number of point, which instead of spending points from a pool, the point cost would basically be the DC you'd have to beat in order to cast the spell.
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In my campaign there are simply only sorcerers and oracles, as well as skirmisher rangers. Doesn't take any additional work or learning new rules, and you can still use any material there is out of the box.
Can anyone point me to a good Non-Vanacian magic system i can use for my home games.
I always point out the HypertextD20 system, but another board visitor has actually updated (and upgraded) it to PathFinder. I like it as an alternate to the Vancian concept and it deals well with problems I never foresaw. Wish I could link the site, but I'm a pseudo-nerd at best.
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A create-your-own spell system would be awesome. Something like what was done in Dragonlance 5th Age RPG. Create your spell based on which schools of magic you knew, the spell would cost a number of point, which instead of spending points from a pool, the point cost would basically be the DC you'd have to beat in order to cast the spell.
Green Ronin's True Sorcery allows for this.
One option you could do, is adapt the (simple, modular, awesome, made-of-win) Magic system from Ghosts of Albion, or develop something similar.
Its on a different power scale, so that would be the part that requires adjusting. Think if D&D/PF was always e6.
A create-your-own spell system would be awesome. Something like what was done in Dragonlance 5th Age RPG. Create your spell based on which schools of magic you knew, the spell would cost a number of point, which instead of spending points from a pool, the point cost would basically be the DC you'd have to beat in order to cast the spell.Green Ronin's True Sorcery allows for this.
One option you could do, is adapt the (simple, modular, awesome, made-of-win) Magic system from Ghosts of Albion, or develop something similar.
Its on a different power scale, so that would be the part that requires adjusting. Think if D&D/PF was always e6.
The problem with these systems is that they really require a lot of math and calculations. You think a combat round takes a while now? Now get a novice player trying to come up with creative uses of their spells and see how long it takes them to calculate the final cost.
I second the desire for more flexibility in spellcasting, but if it's not quick and simple, it's just going to be a pain in the tuckus.
I've been mulling over an idea similar to what TOZ mentioned:
Spell points = (Spell Slots X Spell Level)
Spell cost = Spell Level.E.G. 1st Level Cleric with 3 spells has 3 points, and his spells cost 1 point each.
6th Level Wizard with 4 1st, 4 2nd, and 3 3rd has 21 points, and spells cost 1, 2, or 3 points to cast.That's it. He can cast any spell level as long as he has the points left. No funky math to deal with. You get X number of spells depending on how you use them.
This system has always felt more intuitive to me than the Psionics/Spell point formula of ([level x2]-1).
Since the biggest complaint with spell point systems is the potential for blowing all your points on a few high-level spells, what about a system where you can break down higher-level spells into lower level spells without losing the leftover spell levels? I.e. a 5th-level spell could be broken down into 5 spell levels, which could power 5 1st-level spells or a 2nd- and 3rd-level spell or whatever. Thus, you get the same basic vancian system, but with the added flexibility of the spell point system.
This won't help people who think they should be able to go nova on just a couple of spells a day, but will help those who just want more flexibility out of their spells.
Also, Green Ronin has a number of products that use a skill-based psychic/magic system, which is extremely similar to the d20 Star Wars force powers if you're familiar with that. This is more limiting than the standard d&d magic system, due to the limited availability of skill points (each spell is a different skill in this system), but it could work well in lower-magic or lower-level games.
Whoa! Ross, I didn't even know you played, never mind created your own rpg material! I'll definitely check your Zelazny-inspired system out!I wrote this awhile ago. I like it.
Spell points are probably more user-friendly, though.
I don't play as much as I used to, but I try to keep my hand in.
I took a look at your work. It's kind of interesting but I noticed that there was no adaption for actual Amber spells, like the ones that were exampled in Amber Diceless.I wrote this awhile ago. I like it.
Spell points are probably more user-friendly, though.
I leave that as an exercise for the reader. Or, rather, an exercise for those more interested in the setting.
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A create-your-own spell system would be awesome. Something like what was done in Dragonlance 5th Age RPG. Create your spell based on which schools of magic you knew, the spell would cost a number of point, which instead of spending points from a pool, the point cost would basically be the DC you'd have to beat in order to cast the spell.Green Ronin's True Sorcery allows for this.
One option you could do, is adapt the (simple, modular, awesome, made-of-win) Magic system from Ghosts of Albion, or develop something similar.
Its on a different power scale, so that would be the part that requires adjusting. Think if D&D/PF was always e6.
The problem with these systems is that they really require a lot of math and calculations. You think a combat round takes a while now? Now get a novice player trying to come up with creative uses of their spells and see how long it takes them to calculate the final cost.
I second the desire for more flexibility in spellcasting, but if it's not quick and simple, it's just going to be a pain in the tuckus.
I, personally, would make sure the player(s) with a mage have a few spells already made before combat started.
I've been mulling over an idea similar to what TOZ mentioned:
This system has always felt more intuitive to me than the Psionics/Spell point formula of ([level x2]-1).Spell points = (Spell Slots X Spell Level)
Spell cost = Spell Level.E.G. 1st Level Cleric with 3 spells has 3 points, and his spells cost 1 point each.
6th Level Wizard with 4 1st, 4 2nd, and 3 3rd has 21 points, and spells cost 1, 2, or 3 points to cast.That's it. He can cast any spell level as long as he has the points left. No funky math to deal with. You get X number of spells depending on how you use them.
I agree, and I really like how simple TOZ's system is. I might give it a try sometime.
I've always seen Vancian spell casting like the Richter or Fujita-Pearson scale. Each new spell level is a matter of magnitudes larger. Perhaps more like the orbits of electrons too -- each orbit requires a certain 'umpf' to get too -- you can go to lower orbit with the electron but doing so loses the extra energy it would have held. In the Vancian system each spell is its own electron -- you can only keep so many going at once (much like plate spinning) and if you use lower orbits you simply can't get the same energy out of the electron as you could have if you used the higher orbit.
Wizard's forget the spell not because they forgot all the details but because they don't have the electron to fire it any more. They can't tried out for a different spell on the spot because when they sent the electron spinning (i.e. prepared the spell) they had to determine the general properties of it then... apply the uncertainty principle and they can't really retrieve the electron to reclaim the energy.
So yeah for me the Vancian system is a lesson in atomic physics.
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I, personally, would make sure the player(s) with a mage have a few spells already made before combat started.
At least in ghosts, you dont get to make them up on the spot anyways. There are some sample spells, but the difference is that basically all casters end up researching many of their own spells.
So you still learn your spells. But you get to decide what you want the spell to do.
Also, no spells/day. I really like that part.
You make a spellcasting roll. You can adjust the dc for small alterations, basically metamagic effects.
spells over a certain power level give you fatigue (wherein each spell you cast gives you -1 to spellcasting rolls until you either spend 2h resting or spend an action point).
All actual casters are spontaneous.
You know who casts from a book (instead of memorizing spells from a book and then having unlimited access to them from that point on)?
Your fighter, or monk, or rogue, would cast spells from a book. They would take minutes to cast instead of a standard action, but they can do it so long as they can read the language its in and have the spell components.
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A create-your-own spell system would be awesome. Something like what was done in Dragonlance 5th Age RPG. Create your spell based on which schools of magic you knew, the spell would cost a number of point, which instead of spending points from a pool, the point cost would basically be the DC you'd have to beat in order to cast the spell.Green Ronin's True Sorcery allows for this.
One option you could do, is adapt the (simple, modular, awesome, made-of-win) Magic system from Ghosts of Albion, or develop something similar.
Its on a different power scale, so that would be the part that requires adjusting. Think if D&D/PF was always e6.
Sorry for skipping you! Thank you for the pointer, I'll definitely check it out =)
Vancian spellcasting should of been dropped from the game decades ago. Its stupid. Really, a wizard can lose the capability to cast fireball once he cast the one he memorized, but still be able to rip open holes in the space/time continuum, create demiplanes, summon beings one step below a demigod in power, cause multiple enemies to implode, or rewrite the universe (with wish?)? No, that is stupid. And it makes for a poor story. "Oh, I can't summon a lemure devil (Summon monster 2), as I don't have the power. Here, let me summon a pit fiend instead (Gate)."
Someone should tell all those people that bought those books from Jack Vance and Michael Moorcock how stupid they were to enjoy those books, because that's how casters frequently worked in those books. "Memorize this spell, then break the tablet."
The idea of the game is that wizards should only have delusions of godhood, not the actual article.
When the OP asked for non-Vancian magic, he might not had a thread necromancy in mind...
Just saying...
bah, since we're necro-threading...
Vancian magic is a combination of three things
1) Magic is packaged as "spells" with relatively narrow usage. i.e. you can't downgrade your fireball to light your cigarette, or spread it in a wall-like linear fashion. There are other spells for that.
2) It is possible for a magic-user to "run out of magic". It's not an at-will skill like magic in Harry Potter.
3) Casting a spell is impractical; you've got to pre-cast it in order to trigger it with a few words latter on. Thus a magic-user memorizes spells like a gunslinger loads bullets in a revolver.
3rd ed D&D and Pathfinder (and 5e even more) already took distance with Vancian magic with sorcerers (who do not have to memorize/prepare spells), metamagic (which broadens the effect of a single spell) and at-will cantrips (meaning that a magic-user will never run out of magic).
Some people have issues with spell slots, which is a spell-point system really, while most agree that the three main points are viable concepts from a gameplay/balance perspective.
Oh man....
DYNAMIC SPELLCASTING via BESM D20 MAGIC.
bah, since we're necro-threading...
Vancian magic is a combination of three things
1) Magic is packaged as "spells" with relatively narrow usage. i.e. you can't downgrade your fireball to light your cigarette, or spread it in a wall-like linear fashion. There are other spells for that.
2) It is possible for a magic-user to "run out of magic". It's not an at-will skill like magic in Harry Potter.
3) Casting a spell is impractical; you've got to pre-cast it in order to trigger it with a few words latter on. Thus a magic-user memorizes spells like a gunslinger loads bullets in a revolver.
3rd ed D&D and Pathfinder (and 5e even more) already took distance with Vancian magic with sorcerers (who do not have to memorize/prepare spells), metamagic (which broadens the effect of a single spell) and at-will cantrips (meaning that a magic-user will never run out of magic).
Some people have issues with spell slots, which is a spell-point system really, while most agree that the three main points are viable concepts from a gameplay/balance perspective.
Amber Diceless had an even more extreme type of Vancian Magic. You could only either memorise one spell... (and you had to work to keep it memorised) or you could hang a few on the Pattern/Logrus/ or some kind of object and you had to "maintain" them every now and then until you cast them. It was enough of a pain to explain why most Amberites didn't bother with the spellcasting thing at all.
Amber Diceless had an even more extreme type of Vancian Magic. You could only either memorise one spell... (and you had to work to keep it memorised) or you could hang a few on the Pattern/Logrus/ or some kind of object and you had to "maintain" them every now and then until you cast them. It was enough of a pain to explain why most Amberites didn't bother with the spellcasting thing at all.bah, since we're necro-threading...
Vancian magic is a combination of three things
1) Magic is packaged as "spells" with relatively narrow usage. i.e. you can't downgrade your fireball to light your cigarette, or spread it in a wall-like linear fashion. There are other spells for that.
2) It is possible for a magic-user to "run out of magic". It's not an at-will skill like magic in Harry Potter.
3) Casting a spell is impractical; you've got to pre-cast it in order to trigger it with a few words latter on. Thus a magic-user memorizes spells like a gunslinger loads bullets in a revolver.
3rd ed D&D and Pathfinder (and 5e even more) already took distance with Vancian magic with sorcerers (who do not have to memorize/prepare spells), metamagic (which broadens the effect of a single spell) and at-will cantrips (meaning that a magic-user will never run out of magic).
Some people have issues with spell slots, which is a spell-point system really, while most agree that the three main points are viable concepts from a gameplay/balance perspective.
interesting from a narrative standpoint however...
interesting from a narrative standpoint however...Amber Diceless had an even more extreme type of Vancian Magic. You could only either memorise one spell... (and you had to work to keep it memorised) or you could hang a few on the Pattern/Logrus/ or some kind of object and you had to "maintain" them every now and then until you cast them. It was enough of a pain to explain why most Amberites didn't bother with the spellcasting thing at all.bah, since we're necro-threading...
Vancian magic is a combination of three things
1) Magic is packaged as "spells" with relatively narrow usage. i.e. you can't downgrade your fireball to light your cigarette, or spread it in a wall-like linear fashion. There are other spells for that.
2) It is possible for a magic-user to "run out of magic". It's not an at-will skill like magic in Harry Potter.
3) Casting a spell is impractical; you've got to pre-cast it in order to trigger it with a few words latter on. Thus a magic-user memorizes spells like a gunslinger loads bullets in a revolver.
3rd ed D&D and Pathfinder (and 5e even more) already took distance with Vancian magic with sorcerers (who do not have to memorize/prepare spells), metamagic (which broadens the effect of a single spell) and at-will cantrips (meaning that a magic-user will never run out of magic).
Some people have issues with spell slots, which is a spell-point system really, while most agree that the three main points are viable concepts from a gameplay/balance perspective.
Very much so...it made for some interesting choices, especially when I had to choose between doing such and such or maintaining spells. Got to the point where I would only maintain a couple of them and do other stuff instead, or not bother with any at all.
Another vote for spheres of power.
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Another vote for spheres of power.
Not half the work of art and poetry that the Forms/Technique system of Ars Magica was.
Frosty Breath of the Spoken Lie rocks over "Detect Lies" any day. :)