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SFReader Forums > Book, Magazine, and eZine Publishers > SwordandSorcery.org > Bill King's Sword & Sorcery Toolkit

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Hazimel
Jack of Shadows

Date Joined Oct 2006
Total Posts : 220

Posted 1/15/2008 4:48 PM (GMT -4)

This is very cool. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

I like a lot of these ideas as well. I am about to start a new campaign using the 3.5 rules, but I will be looking at the Toolkit carefully before I start the next one. I especially like variants that use Con as Hit Points to ensure that even high level characters are mortal.

As far as spell casting goes, I am a bit tired of the cast and forget system personally. I like the one he gives. Another variant is to let Sorcerers have an unlimited pool, but each day they can only prepare up to the number of spells they can cast. However, they can cast their prepared spells any number of times, up to the max. So for example, if you can cast 3 -1st level spells per day, you could prepare Magic Missile, Shield and Charm Person. For that day you could cast any combination of those spells, up to a total of three during the day. This gives a little wiggle room at low levels, and a lot of wiggle room at higher levels.

I do like his system, though and gives a lot of flexibility in exchange for the fatigue of casting. I also like any system that lets Sorcerers learn new spells. Even as a DM, I enjoy leaving scrolls and spellbooks around for the PC mages to covet.

I passed this link on to my gaming group, as we are preparing to take turns running games that last a few months each. If anyone uses these ideas, I will report the results here.

Cheers.

"To know what is right and not do it is the worst cowardice." --Confucius

H.P. Lovesauce
Necronomicondiment

Date Joined Jul 2007
Total Posts : 575

Posted 1/14/2008 3:41 PM (GMT -4)

I'd read about the Vancian influence in the 1st edition D&D books. Seems counter-intuitive to me, but I'll withhold judgement until I actually read some Dying Earth stuff.

Bill King should know that, but he was steeped in Warhammer stuff... *shrug*

My commentary boils down to, "You know, you're right." Now I'm going to be an utter fanboy and get excited that King has a Swords & Sorcery toolkit out. :)

cls
Stablehand

Date Joined Jan 2008
Total Posts : 1

Posted 1/13/2008 10:42 PM (GMT -4)

Although I like the overwhelming majority of the ideas Bill King put forth in his Swords & Sorcery Toolkit, I found myself in disagreeing on one mater:

"The fire and forget style of the wizard seems antithetical to the idea of most sorcerers as scholars of ancient lore, and the sorcerer just did not have the flexibility and range of most genre mages."

I think that the "fire and forget" style of the wizard in the standard d20 rules *is* very much in keeping with some Swords and Sorcery material. Jack Vance effectively defined this style of sorcery in his Dying Earth series, and they are indisputably of the Swords and Sorcery genre. The trade-off of Vancian magic, of course, is that the mightiest of magicians can only prepare four or five spells per day, and so most magicians in his stories also have some martial skill, and/or possess magical devices or weapons which which to defend themselves.

I welcome commentary on this.

-- Charlie

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