DT&T - First Level Spells

I remember looking at the 1st Level spells in 7.5 - there sure were a lot compared with 5.5. I thought 'Hold That Pose' was ridiculously over-powered for a L1 spell and lampooned it cruelly - but with game application, it became clear that because it lasted just 30 seconds and could easily fall foul of the khrem resistance mechanic it actually turned out to be an excellent addition, along with 'Dem Bones Gonna Rise' - great fun because you never know what will rise up in most locations.

I knew in advance that HTP was booted out (much discussion on the currently-demised Trollhalla where I pitched in to defend HTP) but what else was going to be in the candy jar?

Numerically, we get 11 spells. I think 5.5 was 10 and 7.5 was 20. So, looks like a harder but simpler row to hoe for the fledgling wizard.

The first new spell here is 'It's Elementary'; this seems to replace 'Call Flame' and 'Call water' from 7.5. I like this being rolled into one 'elements' spell and the WIZ cost (4) is better vis a vis other L1 spells ( 8 and 7 for those 7.5 spells).

'Unerring Bllade' is also here (it wasn't in 5.5 and was L2 in 7.5). It costs 3 WIZ and does 1 point of spite damage regardless of defence. As a GM, I've never had a player use it; as a player, I could think of reasons to cast it but that would be rather contrived. I'm voting this one a dud.

What's missing? 'Vorpal Blade'! It's L2 now... Gosh, it was hardly a game-winner at L1 - one combat round with a bladed weapon's attack doubled... As a GM, I liked it when players forgot to cast it. No, this is a L1 spell for me.

Both 'Teacher' and 'Magic Fangs' used to be L1 spells in 5.5 and are now L2. Teacher needed a big revamp, so fair play. 'Magic Fangs' was ejected from the 7.5 L1 spellbook but was hardly a big deal - they are both L2 now and the former I agree needed a change while the latter could easily be L1 still - is a wizard ever going to pay 2000 GPs to learn it at L2?

'Dem Bones' is now a higher level spell and again I think it could have stayed at L1 but I'm not overly fussed; I regret the loss of 'Sparkle' and 'That's a Natty Beard'. Both fun spells, I suppose they are the sort of spells a wizard can make up on the fly under the elaborated dT&T rules (if that's so, I can live with it). 'Know Your Foe' is gone too and was occasionally useful - maybe it's been kicked upstairs. 'Suppress Khrem' and 'Khrem de la Khrem' are likewise departed but maybe they aren't needed now with no khrem resistance.

The ones that I'm including at L1 in my games are:

• Hold That Pose
• Vorpal Blade
• Magic Fangs

 These L1 spells still need a minimum INT and DEX of 10 to cast.

Correction - 'Know Your Foe' is still there - dozy me!

Spirit Mastery Game

...was listening to a shuffle on my iphone when the Stones' "Under My Thumb" came up. Great song and it nudged me to thinking about the Spirit Mastery spell and what an unscrupulous wizard might get up to with it....

Neither the 5.5 nor the 7.5 rulebooks explain it that well - is the victim aware of the foreign control, does he/she remember, what does 'subdue' really mean???

The game idea developed in to being a L2 wizard (Donald Nerf) coming to a town with no powerful wizards and very few at all . Donald had just given up his dungeon delving career as too dangerous, having just acquired a Spirit Mastery ring.

I house-ruled that the victim could not resist while under the spell and, if the wizard, commanded the victim to forget, it would take a higher INT SR by the victim than the level of the wizard for the act of control to be remembered.

We stuck Donald in Cartheph't, a small town I wrote a solo about when my car was stolen, and decided petty crime was the norm there with the only security for wealth being that the banks limited themselves to a 20% rip off.

After some though as to how to misuse his ring (sic), Donald booked a meeting at the bank to ask for a loan. Being a wizard, the bank agreed to see him and was soon in an interview room with the uninspiring assistant manager, Mr. Serpell.

Donald stunned Mr. Serpell while he was rummaging in a drawer for a loan agreement and then used his ring. Next he got Serpell to take a loan out in his own name and then to transfer money into his account from Mr. Serpell's account. Serpell's loan was a at 30% per annum rather than the 20 Donald had been quoted.

He topped things off by telling Mr. Serpell he was very good friends with Donald and this had been a social call. Mr. Serpell did not make a L3 SR on INT so he failed to recall what has happened to him.

Donald know has his sights set on the eligible and nubile daughter of his boss, Michaeldobber...