Adding a New School of Magic

[He Who Seeks Opinions]

I am wanting to allow my PC's to find a new school of magic.... or an Old so to speak. Not sure what i should do for it though. Any Advice? I thought Maybe Divine spells being Arcane (Like Cure light wounds) and just make them higher Level. This would be that the bard essentially taps in to old magic. Anyone Else have any opinions? (They would learn the old magic through going back in time......)

[CE Chef]

Well, could always introduce the words of power from UM. Allow them to switch between the two types of castings? It's quite a tough decision.

[Drothmal]

Maybe pick a 3-4 cleric domains with a theme to them (for example: Death+Darkness+Destruction+Madness or Defense+Honor+Law) and make a school out of the combination?

[Davor]

I would use words of power, but create your own, unique spells and simply say they are a new school of magic. Since they're "Old" magic, they would bear a passing resemblance to modern magic, but with their own effects.

[DM_aka_Dudemeister]

Find a niche current arcane magic doesn't touch. Possibilities include:

Biomancy: healing, plant and animal affecting spells.

Technomancy: spells that create or affect technology like guns, ancient mechs etc.

Chronomancy: Spells that effect space-time. I think a 3pp has a "secrets of chronomancy" PDF here on paizo.

[He Who Seeks Opinions]

CE Chef wrote:

Well, could always introduce the words of power from UM. Allow them to switch between the two types of castings? It's quite a tough decision.

I like this idea the best so far... Im thinking maybe a type of magic anyone could use... Base it off of Con? Inner Magic? -Shrug- Trying to think how i would introduce it... Maybe have an NPC that knows they are from a Time that has not yet come? "Take me with you, and i will teach you my secrets?"

[He Who Seeks Opinions]

So hear is what im thinking... if i can get a few extra opinions...

Words of Magic, Level based off Con... The Idea would be Inner Magic. Like a Cleric or Paladin that selects Domains based off Ideology rather then picking a Divine God. The NPC would teach What spells he feels each PC should know, and they will need to take a Feat to learn more then One Each. I might also Modify the spells abit too.

Cleric: Healing Spell. 1D6 per Level. Self Only, 1/day as a Standerd Action. May preform it on someone else as a Full Round Action, at the Cost of 1D4 Con Damage (this is show that they are forcing the magic out)

Wizard: Dispel Magic: Dispel Magic on Self (bad buffs?) 1/day or on target, at the cost of 1d4 con damage.

OPINIONS??

[Banatine]

Well, the 3.5 Tome of Magic could always be plundered for ideas of 'special magic'

All of the variants in there can be fun, and i believe all of them have at least a feat that allows other characters to dabble in their abilities.

Pact magic in particular has a 3PP sourcebook made for it (Secrets of Pact Magic) that gave wizard great freedom to mix it with them normal spellcasting

[Set]

DM_aka_Dudemeister wrote:

Chronomancy: Spells that effect space-time. I think a 3pp has a "secrets of chronomancy" PDF here on paizo.

Chronomancy is a fun one, and one that has some old school support for ideas. In addition to haste, slow, etc., a bunch of other spells like expeditious retreat (speeding movement) or shield (slowing incoming attacks) or cure wounds (accelerating healing) or inflict wounds (manipulating time to re-open old wounds) could be re-fluffed as chronomantic spells.

A school of 'magic' based off of psychic phenomena, including telekinetic, telepathic, clairvoyant, precognitive, etc. effects could be another choice.

A shamanic school of magic about interacting with and manipulating spirits, using them to possess foes, scout out areas, call up long forgotten lore, or 'ride' willing subjects and empower them from within.

A school of magic entirely based around runes, glyphs and symbols, including all of the normal rune, glyph, sigil and symbol spells, and an assortment of other options swiped from 3rd party or 3.X sources.

Shadow magic or Alchemical magic or Dream magic could also be an option.