How would I play in (Vancian) Dying Earth? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

How would I play in (Vancian) Dying Earth?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
cdeanw
Jul 25, 2009 13:41:33 I want to set up a campaign in Jack Vance's "Dying Earth" world.

As most of you know, "Vancian" magic from (Odnd->3rd edition) was based off of his novels. Any help on how I play DnD 4E in this classic DnD type world that requires the Vancian system of spell casting.
#2
Kaldric
Jul 25, 2009 13:51:43 ... not sure what you mean? You are limited in the number of powers you can use per day already, which is the essence of Vancian casting. You just don't get to pick from a larger group in the morning anymore, except for wizard/swordmage dailies.

If you want, you can just give each magical class the ability to pick from their class's encounter/daily power lists at each level each morning, up to the number they're normally allowed to have, and allow doubling up. That's pretty much all you have to do. It'll lead to some balance issues if people are allowed to munchkin it.
#3
Herrozerro
Jul 25, 2009 13:53:07 I agree with Kaldric. The answer is easy, just choose as he said above from the list.
#4
Seeker95
Jul 25, 2009 14:28:56 You don't need the Vancian magic casting system to play in the Dying Earth.
You need the Dying Earth Campaign Setting
(Yes, the game is no longer in print.)
#5
chryx
Jul 25, 2009 17:17:12 You take taglines from the Dying Earth novels, print them up, cut them out, and pass them to players. Then, you give out XP for using Dying Earth style taglines at opportune moments. Also, in order to take Extended Rests, you would require some form of debauchery.
#6
decivre
Jul 26, 2009 11:04:02
I want to set up a campaign in Jack Vance's "Dying Earth" world.

As most of you know, "Vancian" magic from (Odnd->3rd edition) was based off of his novels. Any help on how I play DnD 4E in this classic DnD type world that requires the Vancian system of spell casting.

Easy, you use it how it's written. At-will spells are cantraps, encounter powers are standard spells, and daily powers are spells which have far too complex a formula to rememorize in a 10-minute period. Players may refresh a daily by spending 1 hour on a short rest.

Myth dispelling time: Magic in D&D up until 3rd Edition did not work like magic in Dying Earth. It was merely based on it.

Case in point: cantraps were the weakest form of magic in Dying Earth, and they were spells you could cast as often as you wished. Things like lighting candles, making your sword float into your hand, and even making a small rock fly at fast speeds toward someone were such simple spells that they did not expend themselves from the mind, and were even able to be learned by those who were not practicing magic users.

Moreover, complex spells in Dying Earth worked similar to arcane magic in D&D, in that you had to memorize the spell in order to cast it at a later time. A person's mind could only hold so many spells to memory, so there was a limit (these are the parts that D&D stole). However, spells in Dying Earth did not drain your mind for the entire day. Rather, they simply dissipated from your mind upon cast, after which you could immediately rememorize the spell and cast it again. There was no daily limit to how many spells you could cast, only on how many spells you could keep within your mind at any given time.

In other words: encounter spells are basically identical to spells in Dying Earth. Just assume that the caster is reading through his book to rememorize during your short rest.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 cdeanw Jul 25, 2009 13:41:33	I want to set up a campaign in Jack Vance's "Dying Earth" world. As most of you know, "Vancian" magic from (Odnd->3rd edition) was based off of his novels. Any help on how I play DnD 4E in this classic DnD type world that requires the Vancian system of spell casting.
#2 Kaldric Jul 25, 2009 13:51:43	... not sure what you mean? You are limited in the number of powers you can use per day already, which is the essence of Vancian casting. You just don't get to pick from a larger group in the morning anymore, except for wizard/swordmage dailies. If you want, you can just give each magical class the ability to pick from their class's encounter/daily power lists at each level each morning, up to the number they're normally allowed to have, and allow doubling up. That's pretty much all you have to do. It'll lead to some balance issues if people are allowed to munchkin it.
#3 Herrozerro Jul 25, 2009 13:53:07	I agree with Kaldric. The answer is easy, just choose as he said above from the list.
#4 Seeker95 Jul 25, 2009 14:28:56	You don't need the Vancian magic casting system to play in the Dying Earth. You need the Dying Earth Campaign Setting (Yes, the game is no longer in print.)
#5 chryx Jul 25, 2009 17:17:12	You take taglines from the Dying Earth novels, print them up, cut them out, and pass them to players. Then, you give out XP for using Dying Earth style taglines at opportune moments. Also, in order to take Extended Rests, you would require some form of debauchery.
#6 decivre Jul 26, 2009 11:04:02	I want to set up a campaign in Jack Vance's "Dying Earth" world. As most of you know, "Vancian" magic from (Odnd->3rd edition) was based off of his novels. Any help on how I play DnD 4E in this classic DnD type world that requires the Vancian system of spell casting. Easy, you use it how it's written. At-will spells are cantraps, encounter powers are standard spells, and daily powers are spells which have far too complex a formula to rememorize in a 10-minute period. Players may refresh a daily by spending 1 hour on a short rest. Myth dispelling time: Magic in D&D up until 3rd Edition did not work like magic in Dying Earth. It was merely based on it. Case in point: cantraps were the weakest form of magic in Dying Earth, and they were spells you could cast as often as you wished. Things like lighting candles, making your sword float into your hand, and even making a small rock fly at fast speeds toward someone were such simple spells that they did not expend themselves from the mind, and were even able to be learned by those who were not practicing magic users. Moreover, complex spells in Dying Earth worked similar to arcane magic in D&D, in that you had to memorize the spell in order to cast it at a later time. A person's mind could only hold so many spells to memory, so there was a limit (these are the parts that D&D stole). However, spells in Dying Earth did not drain your mind for the entire day. Rather, they simply dissipated from your mind upon cast, after which you could immediately rememorize the spell and cast it again. There was no daily limit to how many spells you could cast, only on how many spells you could keep within your mind at any given time. In other words: encounter spells are basically identical to spells in Dying Earth. Just assume that the caster is reading through his book to rememorize during your short rest.