Eventholders and Magic
Teaching of Spells
Teaching of Spells
When a player learns a new spell they have two options; to learn the spell from another character or from the event. In the latter case, this puts you in charge of teaching the player character the new spell. There are a few ways to approach this. One is to go over the basics of the spell and then give the character the spell.
Another way is to require a quest in order for the character to learn the spell. Often these are specialized quests that have some connection to the spell being learned. This approach has some positives and negatives. Some of the positives are: everyone likes to go on quests, it will be a more memorable experience, it adds to the overall feel of the game as other people witness the quest in progress. Some of the negatives are: some people just want the spell right away and would find a time-consuming quest annoying, creating specialized quests requires additional prep time, what do you do if they fail the quest.
The most important thing about teaching a spell to a character is that you want to make sure they know the proper way to cast the spell. An improperly learned spell has a cascading effect; the person who did not learn the spell and its effects properly may later end up teaching that incorrect version of the spell to another character, who will then teach someone else, etc, until there are a lot of people who are casting the spell wrong. The best way stop this problem is for an eventholder to make sure they and their staff are teaching new spells correctly.
Innovations
I believe the Realms thrives on innovation and the magic system is readily pliable for originality. Changing things up within the magic system at your event will make your event more memorable and exciting. I know there once was a series of events wherein it was possible to combine spell effects to create completely new result. For instance, it was possible to combine the spell Magic Missile with Raise Dead to create a new spell that would allow the caster the raise a dead person at a distance if they hit the corpse with the magic missile prop. Such things as this are good ways to change things up from the norm.
A word of caution if you want to change up some of the fundamental base of the magic system: You do not want to change it too much otherwise you risk losing the players with confusion. Try and it keep it familiar, while adding a twist or expansion on what is already known.
Informational Spells
One set of spells an eventholder has to frequently deal with are the informational spells, such as Vision, Find the Path, Fortune Tell, etc. It is best to be prepared for when this happens…and it will happen a lot. Here are some approaches that will make dealing with them easier.
Read the Spells- Each of the various informational spells all do something slightly different than others. Some only allow yes-no answers. Some do not allow formal names in the casting verbals. If you understand how each spell works you will better be able to respond.
Prepare- While writing up the encounters for your event take a moment and think about how informational spells may affect them. Will someone casting a certain spell severely alter the encounter? This is most possible in puzzle type of encounters. Often the caster is looking for a ready answer when instead you want the characters to figure out the answer for themselves; in effect they are trying to circumvent the challenge. By thinking about how you will react to an informational spell ahead of time you will be ready for when it happens.
Say No- Do not be afraid to say no. Informational spells can be blocked by “unknown powers” or they are “too garbled to make sense of”. Not all spells have to work as expected. If you are in a tight bind and can’t think of an appropriate response then you can deny the use of the spell. An alternative to this is to stall. Let the player know you will get back to them later…like when you’ve had enough time to think of a better response.
Say Yes- Do not look at the casting of these spells as a hindrance. Look at them as opportunities to steer the players onto the correct course of your plot. Often these spells are cast when the characters are faltering and becoming stagnant or confused by your plot. Someone casting one of these spells allows you to get them back where you want them to go. In fact, you do not even have to answer the question they are asking, but instead answer the question they should have been asking-the one that gets the players back on track.
Never Rely on Them- Sometimes an eventholder will be tempted to create an encounter that requires the use of an informational spell in order for the encounter to be accomplished successfully. DO NOT give into this temptation! All too often it will never work out the way you hope it does. There may be no one on site with the required spell. The person with the appropriate spell may not be aware it is required or will simply not ask the correct questions. Informational spells are there to help the character along when they are stuck, not to become lynchpins in plot advancement.