Change is on the horizon.
Every year at the EHC we muck around with the spell system and really screw up the game for some of our beloved players. This year we really decided to spread the wealth and affect everyone. We took out the alchemy path. We made the magic system 0 cost buy downs, and cut out an entire circle. And I'm not even going to mention the poor necromancers we literally hamstrung.
But, like it or not, in the name of growth and forward progression, these changes are here to stay, at least for this season.
So what can you do? Well the good news is that we’ve given you some new tools to make up for all the changes. I’ve outlined some of the points to ponder below.
The alchemy system boasts a lot of flexibility for a character that lost some power in all the change.
Since it's point based, you have the ability to choose the potions you brew as needed, you can brew them all in advance and plan ahead, or you can mix the two, and brew some potions you know you'll need in advance, and bank some for flexibility.
Some nuances I'd like to point out; because of the point economy, power potions effectively become 1 cost buy downs.
So in order to make a power potion for a 2nd circle spell, you need to spend the point equivalent of a 3rd circle spell.
That's a neat thing to know, and it's all well and good, but realistically you probably don't care. But you probably should, because this is an important nuance. It means that if you had a lower circle spell that you used a lot, or had a lot of learnings of previously, you can gain some of those learnings back by taking alchemy in a higher circle.
For example, Repair Item, a second circle spell, costs 4 alchemy points to create a functional power potion. That means the 8 points you get with a 5th circle slot of alchemy is the equivalent of two power potions worth, which can make up for some lost castings, from the new system.
What’s also interesting, is that the point system can work both ways. Your alchemy points can come from anywhere, so you can effectively use lower circle spells to create a power potion for a higher circle spell. For example you can reset a 5th circle spell with a 4th circle and a 3rd worth of alchemy points. 6 and 4 respectively. Now, honestly I'm not sure why you might want to do that. I know there is someone out there that will want to though, so I'd be remiss to ignore it. Personally, I like having more abilities than having a lot of one powerful ability--- which you might find ironic because this whole article is about a spell system where we took a circle of spells away from our powerful casters. I should note that you cannot reset your 6th circle spell with alchemy, while on the topic of resetting higher circle spells.
Not only that but we integrated all those spells into other circles, so now we have two circles that are really dense with power and choices we just don't want to make. Enchant armor or armored cloak, COP? Combat raise? Ugh how do I decide?!
I'm going to make the bold statement that it's okay if you don’t have all the things. A good balanced system encourages diverse characters, and diverse roles. That means that if you have a hard time choosing between two spells, because you want both, then someone else will also have that struggle. And hopefully they'll pick the other one.
But what about the things? Well I already told you some people got hamstrung. ( Sorry necromancers. ) But what if I told you there were new things? Combinations that were impossible before? Zero cost buy downs did that for us.
Now you might sit there and say “well I could have gotten all the things with 1 cost buy downs because you bastards got rid of an entire circle.” Sure, but now there are combinations between 5th ( formerly 6th) and 6th ( 7th ) circle spells, that could have never happened before. For example; it's now possible to get familiar 3 times and still have a 6th circle spell.
Familiar, while somewhat limited in its choices is also a good spell for eking out some of that power lost from the lost circles. Why? Well you can get more combat raises by taking familiar three times, than you can by taking combat raise. Weird right? Similarly, if you like Find the Path, Familiar is a good route to go. Find the Path, a 4th circle spell, gets one use. Familiar a 5th circle spell, can get it twice, and have a point left over, for a raise dead, or a disrupt.
So what can I tell you about the new spell system? It's flexible, it's diverse, it's powerful, and interesting. People can pick and choose spells, and rather be than being constrained by the idea that “x spells make me a wizard, and that's what I want to be.” We can sit back and say “Who am I? What spells fit my play style? What am I designing?”
Or look at it this way. Before we told you that sorcerers wore red. Healers wore white. And so on. I mean, for years many of us have espoused that the spell system is just a gaggle of mechanics and that you can build whatever you want. But the system was always laid out in a way that lead people down a line, more or less. This year, we get to color outside the lines. You can tell me you want to be a healer, but now you have an entire box of crayons to prove it, and sure, some choices will be obvious, but I think we’ll find some really creative builds once people really start rolling up their sleeves. So get to it.
---Keith “Saegan” Cronyn