Magic & spells

[Amberlee]

Well there is the strength spell from cadu.
I would like to see more spells like this.

[Kitriana]

I think for many many of us playing D&D time games... we want the ability of magic on some level. Whether we join a magic guild or not... many of us want that desire somehow met. Its why so many of us are drawn to the genre.... So more opportunities for this is always a plus in my mind.
So whatever minor bit of magic can exist as little buffs, one time use, etc... I'm all for!

[Fourtcoer]

I am in favor of anything that creates function for those skills for those not in magic guilds. It also makes the game look *broken* if I spend money training a skill as a new player that only until after I invest the money in it, I realize I have zero use for it.

I should get as much function from spell skills as a priest does from swords, even if it is as simple as introducing a few rare magic devices (wands, staves, talismans, scrolls, etc) that require knowledge in these skills to use.

Also nominal knowledge in these abilities might enhance use of items.. for example, a complex medicine stick is a polearm, but maybe the healing could trigger with a frequency determined by your life spells ability.

[Laurel]

for example, a complex medicine stick is a polearm, but maybe the healing could trigger with a frequency determined by your life spells ability.

maybe it does? or maybe based on spellcraft? or maybe life-spells, spellcraft, illusion-spells (for the dmg from the stick) and your mentals?
maybe the magic skills you learned are already used by game-mechanics? maybe spellcraft improves your chances to master the JBS? or your skill in death spells + spellcraft + whatever makes you a worse target for MM/necro spells?

I guess you are voicing for a "broader usage of those skills" rather than suggesting right now you would have "zero usage from them"? If I'm mistaken, please tell me how do you know it's 0 now - I don't.

[Fourtcoer]

I suppose that I don't know that it is never used, (and, well, I know for a fact spellcraft is checked in a quest or two) but at least those skills are used minimally enough that it at the very least isn't obvious.

[Strider]

I've tried to differentiate magical skill from magical source. You can have all the skill in the world, but if you don't have access to the source of magic, you won't be able to do anything magical. Without a guild's unique theme, access to a source of magic will be very limited.

Depending on the "theme" of magic, the source of that magic could come from a divine source or a natural source.

Suppose, like other magical items, there was the rare non-specific-use source (or alternatively, a conduit to a source of magic) drop. What forms would they take (godling? deal demon? rift locus?) and what could be done with them? Would they boost magic users or be a threat? Would they be primarily beneficial or overly prone to chaos or failure for those otherwise ungifted? Without a guild's spell repertoire, how would one even go about ordering effects?