The Forbidden Arts: 2015's Controversial Magic Wielders

In the year 2015, a powerful and enigmatic being emerged known as the Magic Wielder. This individual possessed extraordinary abilities and became the focal point of attention and intrigue around the world. With their command over magical forces, the Magic Wielder brought about a wave of change and wonder. **People were captivated and fascinated by the seemingly limitless power of this individual.** The Magic Wielder could manipulate the elements, bend reality, and even heal the sick. Their abilities defied all known laws of science and left experts puzzled as to the source and nature of their powers.

As a final word, there are two common skill archetypes in fantasy role-play that the GM may need to address: Spellcraft and Arcana. These are not present in the Core Rules and in many early versions of Dungeons and Dragons, but they are present in later editions and some of your players – especially ones who have come back to Old School gaming from newer games – may expect to see them in your ruleset. Omer Golan-Joel’s Background Skills supplement does not include either skill. It is probably the closest skills supplement to the spirit of the Old School. Conversely, Ray Allen’s Secondary Skills supplement does include both these skills and using it will bring your game a bit closer to 3 rd edition Dungeons and Dragons. The choice is entirely yours.

It is reasonable to assume that if a caster knows the universal magical language and another caster performs a spell in front of them, the first caster would be able to work out what just happened. This means that skills like Arcana and Spellcraft might reasonably exist, because it would be possible to learn about what other mages have done in times past.

Their abilities defied all known laws of science and left experts puzzled as to the source and nature of their powers. **The Magic Wielder used their abilities for the betterment of humanity, instilling hope and wonder in the hearts of people.** They intervened in conflicts, preventing destruction and bringing about peace.

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Page 39 of the DMG, 'Spells Beyond Those At Start' states:

Naturally, magic-user player characters will do their utmost to acquire books of spells and scrolls in order to complete their own spell books. To those acquired, the magic-user will add 1 (and ONLY 1) spell when he or she actually gains an experience level (q.v.). Therefore, most will be frantically attempting to purchase or cozen spells from non-player character magic-users, or even from other player character magic-users."

I am having difficulty interpreting this - if an MU has a pile of spell scrolls/books, can they only learn 1 per experience level? Or do they GET 1 spell per experience level (perhaps from the training to level up) that is determined by the DM? I tend to the latter, with any additional spells obtained through the collection of scrolls, books, research, etc. However, in such a case, would that 1 spell be subject to the % chance to know roll, or is it 'given' in the same way their 4 starting spells are?

Re: Magic User Spells Beyond 1st Level

Post by ErikT » Fri Jun 25, 2021 11:02 pm

The M-U gets one extra spell every time they go up in level, in addition to any spells they have acquired through looted/purchased/bartered scrolls and spellbooks.
As for the "chance to know" roll, it is not clear exactly when that is rolled - but I would say that all spells learned after character creation are subject to the "chance to know" roll.

Re: Magic User Spells Beyond 1st Level

Post by Xabloyan » Fri Jun 25, 2021 11:05 pm

Let's say you've just turned 5th level. OK. You can learn ONE new spell as a freebie as part of your training.

You've got a 75% chance to know.

You try for Lightning Bolt and roll 87. FAIL. You can't know Lightning Bolt.

You try again for Slow. You roll a 99. FAIL. You can't know Slow.

You try again, this time for Protection from Normal Missiles. 32. Success! Now you know PfNM. That's your free new spell gained at 5th level.

Re: Magic User Spells Beyond 1st Level

Post by ricks03 » Sat Jun 26, 2021 12:08 am

There's no statement anywhere that the newly acquired spell is by choice. It could just as easily be one taught by the teacher (which is the system I've always seen used, YMMV).

One flaw in the system of minimum number of spells one can know is that, if you check with each spell acquisition, you won't know if you're below the minimum knowable until you discover enough spells to learn the mage can't learn enough of them (and thus get to check some of them again).

One approach is, upon gaining the ability for a new spell level, checking ALL of the spells (and keeping that list) of what can't be known, and _could_ be known upon discovery. Then if the number that can be known is too low, there's a path to correcting for it.

Re: Magic User Spells Beyond 1st Level

Post by bargle » Sat Jun 26, 2021 12:55 am

In an early dragon magazine issue Jennell Jaquays put forth an idiosyncratic interpretation of the min/max spell level rules (admitting in the letter that it was her own interpretation and not an official ruling) that each time a new spell level was learned (at 1st level, 3rd level, 5th level etc) the player would be allowed to roll to add no less than the min and up to the max to their spellbook based on their intelligence. Thereby giving each m-u a set unique spell book for each spell level.

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Re: Magic User Spells Beyond 1st Level

Post by Landifarne » Sat Jun 26, 2021 1:04 am

Xab's take on it is pretty much how most people interpret things.

A sizeable percentage of DMs limit the spells you get to choose from to those that the training master has in his spell books. What happens if you fail to learn any of those? Perhaps try the next level down, or engage in more training (costs and time duration equivalent to spell research).

Whatever floats your particular boat.

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Re: Magic User Spells Beyond 1st Level

Post by EOTB » Sat Jun 26, 2021 4:30 am

I interpret it as the player gets the spell of their choice. The DM mostly controls all other spells.

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Re: Magic User Spells Beyond 1st Level

Post by Storm11 » Sat Jun 26, 2021 5:17 am

Xabloyan wrote: ↑ Fri Jun 25, 2021 11:05 pm Let's say you've just turned 5th level. OK. You can learn ONE new spell as a freebie as part of your training.

You've got a 75% chance to know.

You try for Lightning Bolt and roll 87. FAIL. You can't know Lightning Bolt.

You try again for Slow. You roll a 99. FAIL. You can't know Slow.

You try again, this time for Protection from Normal Missiles. 32. Success! Now you know PfNM. That's your free new spell gained at 5th level.

Re: Magic User Spells Beyond 1st Level

Post by OrkoKhan » Sat Jun 26, 2021 5:36 am

What has always made sense to me, and how it has been played in the games and campaigns I have been part of, is that the 1st level magic-user's teacher provides the list of spells that the player's MU gets to choose (or is given) from. Similarly, when they train under a magic-user when leveling up, their new spell is selected from that magic-user's spells from their book. If they are self-training, then they are also researching in a library or from purchased research materials for a new spell as they are also training, and so they can choose what spell they research for their new acquisition.

These are all subject to, as Xab noted, the chance-to-know-spell roll.

What is always done by the DM is to make sure that the magic-user that the PC is seeking training from has a list of spells that would interest and benefit the PC magic-user, if that teacher is an NPC or the local Wizard's Guild.

It stands to reason that known spells from the list come from somewhere, so they either need to be in someone's book, or the formulas for them must be written down to be sussed out by a self-training magic-user through research and development.

However, in my campaign where there was a large number of players who gamed together, even if in different gaming groups, PCs were allowed to train one another if they were of sufficient level, so cooperative spell-resourcing was very often how PC magic-users got their new spells.

The question that needs to be asked is: "Does the effect seem fair and does it enhance the enjoyment of play, or is it being interpreted in such a way to screw over the characters and make the game more difficult in a needless way?"

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Re: Magic User Spells Beyond 1st Level

Post by garhkal » Sat Jun 26, 2021 6:35 am

Wharf Rat wrote: ↑ Fri Jun 25, 2021 10:48 pm Page 39 of the DMG, 'Spells Beyond Those At Start' states:

Naturally, magic-user player characters will do their utmost to acquire books of spells and scrolls in order to complete their own spell books. To those acquired, the magic-user will add 1 (and ONLY 1) spell when he or she actually gains an experience level (q.v.). Therefore, most will be frantically attempting to purchase or cozen spells from non-player character magic-users, or even from other player character magic-users."

I am having difficulty interpreting this - if an MU has a pile of spell scrolls/books, can they only learn 1 per experience level? Or do they GET 1 spell per experience level (perhaps from the training to level up) that is determined by the DM? I tend to the latter, with any additional spells obtained through the collection of scrolls, books, research, etc. However, in such a case, would that 1 spell be subject to the % chance to know roll, or is it 'given' in the same way their 4 starting spells are?

To ME, you learn 1 spell, if training UNDER a master (and its one he has to know), and you must roll your Chance to know for it.
IF you have a captured enemy's spellbook, once you have used RM to understand it, you then just need time and succeeding on your Chance to know, then you can try to copy the spell(s) into your book that you wish.

ricks03 wrote: ↑ Sat Jun 26, 2021 12:08 am There's no statement anywhere that the newly acquired spell is by choice. It could just as easily be one taught by the teacher (which is the system I've always seen used, YMMV).

One flaw in the system of minimum number of spells one can know is that, if you check with each spell acquisition, you won't know if you're below the minimum knowable until you discover enough spells to learn the mage can't learn enough of them (and thus get to check some of them again).

One approach is, upon gaining the ability for a new spell level, checking ALL of the spells (and keeping that list) of what can't be known, and _could_ be known upon discovery. Then if the number that can be known is too low, there's a path to correcting for it.

One of my Former DM's did that. Had you print out the PHB list (blacked out any spells that didn't exist in his world), and you would roll your CTKELS on the list, going through it once (IN what ever order you wanted), til you hit your max # known. IF you were able to learn it (made your roll), you'd underline it. ONCE You found a copy to get into your spell book, or had your mentor teach it, you'd Box it up. IF You failed your roll, you'd line through it (in pencil), so you can try again once you level up/inc your intelligence..

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Re: Magic User Spells Beyond 1st Level

Post by Man in the Funny Hat » Sat Jun 26, 2021 1:41 pm

It's really up to the DM to decide how MU's get their initial spells AND later spells. It can be as difficult or as easy as they want to make it. The DMG indicates that Read Magic is automatically known by every MU and in their spell book. Other 1st level initial spells (one offensive, one defensive, one miscellaneous) are chosen at random or the player might be permitted to choose - but are otherwise also automatically known. At least it sure seems to me that it'd be rather dumb to have to randomly roll a potential spell; then randomly roll again to see if you can know it; then if you fail to know it to randomly roll ANOTHER one. They don't have to be DOUBLE-randomized. Once is quite enough for initial selection of what FOUR spells are going to actually be in the MU's spell book, and the DMG presents the possibility of NOT having to roll randomly, of permitting yet an additional fifth spell. It's really ALL up to the DM at every step.

So then with each level-up the character gains another spell for free. The DMG doesn't say you have to roll to know it, nor does it say whether the spell is randomly chosen or the choice is left up the player. The sensible, default assumption (IMO) is that the spell is left up to the player to choose from among those in the PH but is automatically known - as with the 1st level initial spells. But, again, the DM is free to make this as difficult or easy as they want to. You can limit the spells to what the level-trainer knows, to what the PC has encountered up to this point, to roll randomly, free to choose, requires a roll-to-know and failing that could mean trying again with different spells, or not getting your free spell at all, or maybe it all hinges on how many weeks your training is going to take.

I've never seen ANY reason to complicate any of it. Let the player choose their initial FIVE spells, which they automatically know (four if you think ONE more spell is just being shamefully soft on them). Let them choose one spell at each level-up which they will automatically know. ALL others will require a roll-to-know ONLY AS they are encountered and ONLY IF the PC is attempting to specifically learn them. "Minimum" number of spells known is (and always was) a meaningless number the instant that you acknowledged that a campaign might have more spells than are listed in the PH.

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New Spells Supplement does exactly what it says on the box. Plenty of new spells beyond the basic list to hep you add in new classes or new ideas in your game.

Their presence in troubled areas seemed to radiate a sense of calm and tranquility, quelling tensions and uniting nations. **However, not everyone was enthralled by the Magic Wielder's power.** Some feared the unknown and perceived the Magic Wielder as a threat. Conspiracy theories abounded, with speculations about the true intentions and origins of this magical being. **Despite the mixed reactions, 2015 became a pivotal year marked by the presence of the Magic Wielder.** They challenged the limits of what humanity believed was possible and opened the door to a new era of magical potential. The world was left in awe and wonder as they witnessed firsthand the abilities of the Magic Wielder. **As quickly as the Magic Wielder appeared, they vanished just as mysteriously.** Their departure left a void in the world, as people yearned for their return and the magic they brought with them. The legacy of the Magic Wielder lived on, inspiring future generations to explore the realm of the supernatural and seek answers to the mysteries that had captivated the world in 2015. **In retrospect, 2015 will forever be remembered as the year when the extraordinary became ordinary, and the world was forever changed by the presence of the Magic Wielder.** Their impact on society and the human psyche cannot be underestimated. The allure and power of magic will continue to captivate the imagination of humanity, fueled by the memories of the enigmatic and powerful Magic Wielder of 2015..

Reviews for "From Myth to Reality: 2015's Famous Magic Wielders"

1. Jessica - 2/5 stars - I was really disappointed with "2015 the magic wielder". The plot was confusing and hard to follow. The characters were very one-dimensional and lacked depth. The writing style was also not very engaging and I found myself losing interest quickly. Overall, I would not recommend this book to others.

2. Mike - 1/5 stars - I cannot express how much I disliked "2015 the magic wielder". The story was incredibly predictable and felt like a rip-off of other fantasy novels. The dialogue was cheesy and unrealistic, and the pacing was all over the place. I couldn't connect with any of the characters and found myself skimming through the pages just to get it over with. Save yourself the time and skip this book.

3. Sarah - 2/5 stars - "2015 the magic wielder" had potential, but it fell short for me. The world-building was weak and lacked detail, making it difficult to fully immerse myself in the story. The plot felt rushed and poorly executed, with too many conveniences and inconsistencies. The main character was unrelatable and made questionable decisions throughout the book. I was expecting more from this fantasy novel, and I am disappointed with the outcome.

The Surprising Powers of 2015's Magic Wielders