Magic in my 5e Campaign: Breaking it Down

     Magic is chaotic and horrific in my setting. It's nothing a simpleton tampers with. Wizards call upon The Void for their powers, components are an afterthought for them; however, casting takes more time than other classes since they have to flip through their treasured books. Warlocks are all about chance, essentially testing their luck with their chosen patron each time they cast (there are no nice patrons, they all want to toy with mortals), sorcerers are Blood Mages that can only cast if they harm another living thing directly, and Druids sap the life force off of anything living around them to cast their spells, much like a Blood Mage but indirectly. Divine magic is essentially the same, however, you can over cast and choose to Cast the Bones. I equate this to the Divine caster dipping into the Arcane realm for their magic once their Divine magic is depleted. 

Breakdown of the Systems

Blood Mage

Basic thing to know about blood magic is, you don't memorize spells, and they trade blood with The Void for their magical powers. Blood magic is related to fey, therefore Elves, which is one of the reasons they're ostracized in my setting. Determining their pool of magic and how to cast • Blood Mages have the same spell progression as Sorcerers. • To cast a spell, a Blood Mage must physically harm a living creature. This cannot be done with a spell. It must be a melee or ranged weapon. Choking the life out of something counts too. Don't fuck with constructs or undead, cause it won't work. 1st level spells cost 1 HP, 2nd costs 2 HP, and so on... Where you get the HP from is up to you, a cage full of canaries, the neighborhood cat, etc... fyi, small creatures are worth less than 1 HP. That being said, you can't squeeze blood from a turnip. Some things have less HP than you deal, so with some quick subtraction, the referee will tell you how many points you acquired. Ex: If you want to cast a 6th level spell, and you just did 8 damage, but the mongoloid had 4 HP left, you only have enough for a 4th level spell. This is because 8-4=4 which isn't equal to your 6 spell points you're trying to acquire. • If you don't have any spell points, or you go over the amount you can cast, you can either sacrifice 1d4 hp on the spot as a bonus action, or you can cast the bones. Having components will give you bonuses to that Bones roll.

• Casting the same spell multiple times a day increases the amount its worth by 1 HP per cast. The Void is greedy.

• The limit to the pool of spell points you have available to you is equal to 2 x your charisma modifier + the spell level a Sorcerer could normally cast. Minimum of 1 spell point. Ex: A 3rd level Blood Mage with a charisma score of 14 can have 6 spell points. That's 2 x 2 + 2. Note: you can dump your whole pool into one spell up to its max level. Want to cast magic missile at 3rd level instead of 1st? Dump in 2 more spell points.
• Spell points and the cumulative effects of casting the same spell over and over again reset every dawn. • Using your wild mage powers will cause you to roll a Conduit of the Cosmos roll. Regardless of if it says, it will always succeed. Depending on how well or poorly you roll, tells what happens. You can add in additional spell points and/or use components to give yourself bonuses to your roll. • Sacrificing innocence people will refill your spell points completely. The Void wants fresh souls who had potential in life.

Warlock

The Warlock has 1 free spell per long rest, this increases by +1 free spell every 6 levels. There are no rolls needed. Beyond that first spell, things get a little hairy. To cast a spell after that initial one, the Warlock must first Save vs Magic, meeting or exceeding a roll of a 3 on 2d20. You account for each d20 individually. Both have to fail for a mishap unless a natural 1 is rolled. No spell slots are needed using this system. Whatever spells they know, they can cast as much as they want. However, each time they cast, the save increases by +3 for anything 1st level and above. Cantrips are exempt, they act normally. Both Fail- Conduit of the Cosmos, take a penalty for the variance of the roll. If you fail by 2, you take a -2 to the roll. Single Natural 20- The spells power is maximized, if applicable. Double Natural 20's- Next spell is free, the save reverts back to 1 for their Save vs Magic roll, and as above. Critical Fumble on 1 The referee will Cast the Bones. The spell automatically fails regardless of what the bones say, further to that, figure how far above or below your second d20 is to your spell save. Ex: You roll a 1 and an 12. Your spell save is 6. That means you get a +6 on your bones roll. If you were negative the other way, you'd take a -6. Done fucked up, 2 Critical Fumbles- That Which Should Not Be will automatically be rolled. Schrodingers Cat, 1 and a 20- Demands of The Void will be rolled and the spell is maximized. Furthermore, during a short rest, the warlock must roll a 2d4 to see how much he reduces his save by.

Druidic Magic(Rangers too)

Pulling a little from Dark Sun, Druids in this setting use magic by stealing the life force of living things around them. They're not necessarily tree hugging hippies as they're depicted in the PHB, they only keep life around them for necessity. This includes how Rangers cast spells as well. • To cast a spell, a druid must be around living things: vegetation, humanoids, mold in dungeons, extremophiles in volcanos, etc...
• Casting a spell kills vegitation within 5 foot per spell level cast. One must move to cast again. *Ex: A druid casting a 3rd level spell kills 15ft worth of vegetation in the area. • Further to that, any living creatures within the radius takes 1 point of HP damage per spell level, excluding the druid.

Wizards

I've adapted the Last Gasp rules for Wizards in 5e

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Thing to know: Spell levels are used to account for spell points spent. So a 9th level spell costs 9 points. A wizard can cast whatever level is in his spellbook. Magic is chaotic, you never know what you're gonna get... jenny

• You can pick any spells, 1st thru 9th, at 1st level. You're only limits are the 6 spells that wizards are given at the beginning. Keep in mind, some spells are harder to cast than others.

• There are no spells known or spells memorized. What you have in your book is ready to go. Also, cantrips are gone. This isn't to say wizards can't do little tricks that mimic what you find in the cantrip spell list. Only limitation I'd put on the players truly, is no damaging cantrips.

• Determining Cataclysm Pool: Each long rest the Wizard must beat a DC 17 to feel the magical energies of the void. Every 4 levels, the save reduces by 2, to a minimum save of 4. On a successful save, you roll your cataclysm yourself- 1d6 per level a Wizard could normally cast. Failing, the referee rolls for you- 1d6-1 per level a Wizard could normally cast. So, there's a chance the Wizard could have no cataclysm until the next long rest. If you go over your spell limit, you must Cast the Bones.

Note: Portent and other forms of Divination magic never work with your Save vs Magic. The Void is much too chaotic for you to foresee that part of your future.

• If you go over your spell limit, the referee makes a secret Save vs Magic roll for you. If you succeed, the referee will inform you that something isn't right. If the referee fails the secret roll, see above.

• There is no automatically learning spells, they must either be discovered naturally, or researched. You can research any spell on the list, or make up your own spells. Discovering spellbooks has their own perils.

• When casting, the Wizard must declare the spell he wishes to cast. Doing so incurs a -10 to initiative. You can attempt to cast from memory instead taking no penalty to initiative. However, doing so will cause the referee to roll a Conduit of the Cosmos, taking a penalty per spell level. Further to that, taking damage while you're casting will cause a Cast the Bones roll. This represents you flipping to that treasured spot in your Spellbook.

• Creative Casting: The wizard isn't confined to what the typical formula is to a spell. If the wizard changes the fundamentals of a spell he wishes to cast, the referee will roll a Conduit of the Cosmos. Adding any bonuses or penalties to the roll. The stronger the change, the more the penalties stack up. If you have components, it may give you bonuses. Further to that, exhausting more cataclysm will also give you bonuses to the roll.

     So, that's it. That's how I run magic in my campaign. I'm probably gonna change things around eventually. I may add or take away things, find ways to streamline stuff. But, for the most part, this is it. Hope you enjoy and get some inspiration off of it!

Both Classes must save vs magic for their Cataclysm like a Wizard!!! On a fail, I roll for you.

Eldritch Knights

• No cantrips as per the wizard

• d4 cataclysm per level an EK could normally cast.

• Instead of normal War Magic at 7th level, you instead get Improved War Caster. I'll work on a capstone for 18th eventually.

Arcane Tricksters

• No cantrips as per the wizard

• d4 cataclysm per level an Arcane Trickster could cast

• You just have a mage hand when you get Mage Hand Ledgerman.

Blood Mage, Sorcerer Variant

      The concept itself isn't at all new. I've read blood magic for 5e in other places, but they never really vibe with me right. Also, I've never really liked sorcerers that much in this edition, they weren't interesting to me and they don't really fit my vision of what my campaign setting should be. So, I'm switching it up a bit. This isn't for everyone. As usual, I'm sure I'm messing with some sacred balance that I'm gonna hear about... Oh well.

     Side note: My last blog post, people got REALLLY bent out of shape over the Last Gasp tables I use... Piece of advice, don't use them if you don't like them. They aren't a requirement for this system. I run a brutal, highly lethal campaign so they fit the theme pretty damn well for my Magic-Users. I also reward player ingenuity, so it has an ODND feel about it when I run my games.


Blood Mages (aka Sorcerers) Basic thing to know about blood magic is, you don't memorize spells, and they trade blood with the void for their magical powers. Blood magic is related to fey, therefore Elves, which one of the reasons they're ostracized in my setting. Determining their pool of magic and how to cast • Blood Mages have the same spell progression as Sorcerers. • To cast a spell, a Blood Mage must physically harm a living creature. This cannot be done with a spell. It must be a melee or ranged weapon. Choking the life out of something counts too. Don't fuck with constructs or undead, cause it won't work. 1st level spells cost 1 HP, 2nd costs 2 HP, and so on... Where you get the HP from is up to you, a cage full of canaries, the neighborhood cat, etc... fyi, small creatures are worth less than 1 HP. However, you can't squeeze blood from a turnip. Some things have less HP than you deal, so with some quick subtraction, the referee will tell you how many points you acquired.

Ex: If you want to cast a 6th level spell, and you just did 8 damage to them, but the mongoloid had 4 HP left, you only have enough for a 4th level spell. • If you don't have any spell points, or you go over the amount you can cast, you can either sacrifice 1d4 hp on the spot as a bonus action, or you can cast the bones. Having components will give you bonuses to that Bones roll. • Casting the same spell multiple times a day increases the amount its worth by 1 HP per cast. The void is greedy. • The limit to the pool of spell points you have available to you is equal to 2 x your charisma modifier + the spell level you can cast at. Minimum of 1 spell point.

Ex: A 3rd level Blood Mage with a charisma score of 14 can have 6 spell points. Note: you can dump your whole pool into one spell up to its max level. Want to cast magic missile at 3rd level instead of 1st? Dump in 2 more spell points.
• Spell points and the cumulative effects of casting the same spell over and over again reset every dawn. • Using your wild mage powers will cause you to roll a Conduit of the Cosmos roll. Regardless of if it says, it will always succeed. Depending on how well or poorly you roll, tells what happens. You can add in additional spell points and/or use components to give yourself bonuses to your roll.

• Sacrificing innocence people will refill your spell points completely. The void wants fresh souls who had potential in life.

Warlocks in 5e are boring, mechanically speaking

I'll put this out there to anyone who's reading this: this isn't a complete system yet. I'm still adding/taking away things from it. If you have a suggestion, lemme know.     However, thematically they are really cool. You sell your soul so you can attain powers you normally wouldn’t have. It basically means a farmer or peasant can be a powerful magic user. You could be an illiterate idiot and be able to kick it with some of the best Mages. However, they’re still stuck in that Vancian System of magic, which is painfully fucking boring. I get it, it's safe, tried and true. But before all you neck-beards cry about "muh balance" just hold your horses. I want something a little different for my games. I felt it was a good idea to create something for my Warlocks in the same vein of The Last Gasp. Below you will find my little magic system hack for Warlocks in 5e. It may seem overpowered at first glance, I don’t really give a shit about that.

Spell Casting for Warlocks

The Warlock has 1 free spell per long rest, there are no rolls needed. Beyond that first spell, things get a little hairy. To cast a spell after that initial one, the Warlock must first Save vs Magic, meeting or exceeding a roll of a 3 on a 2d20. You account for each d20 roll separately. Both have to fail for a mishap unless a natural 1 is rolled. No spell slots are needed using this system. Whatever spells they know, they can cast as much as they want. However, each time they cast, the save increases by +3 for anything 1st level and above. Cantrips are exempt, they act normally.

Both Fail- Conduit of Cosmos.
Single Natural 20- The spell's power is maximized. Double Natural 20's- As above, the next spell is free, and the save reverts back to 1 for their Save vs Magic roll.
Critical Fumble on 1- The spell autofails and the referee will Cast the Bones. Compare the difference of your second roll to your spell save. If above the save, you get a bonus to your Cast the Bones roll, if below, you take a penalty.
Ex: You roll a 1 and an 18, your spell save is a 12. That means you get a +6 to the Bones. Done fucked up, 2 Critical Fumbles- That Which Should Not Be will automatically be rolled. Schrodingers Cat, 1 and a 20- Demands of the void will be rolled and the spell is maximized. Furthermore, during a short rest, the warlock must roll a 2d4 to see how much he reduces his save by. A long rest resets it.

My Line of Thinking

I like to think that the patron's powers are limited to a certain degree. That if you cast a shit ton throughout the day, it'll be harder for you to so the more you attempt. These things that grant power to the Warlock don't have a limitless supply of it. Or maybe they don't want you to have that much and they like to toy with you. Either way, that's what this represents. Sure, spell slots represent that limitation in a way, but it doesn't show that you can push your patrons limits beyond what they're capable of, bringing chaos into you and your companions lives. Does this mean you'll have to do a little more book keeping? Yeah, a little more. But this just means that you'll just have a more robust magic system for your game. It'll be a risk to cast a spell each time, which in my eyes is what ALL magic should be. Magic isn't your friend, it doesn't want to be used. It's a living thing. For all intense and purposes, it wants to rip your atoms apart, and spread them throughout the void. You just chose to tamper with it. Knowing that, you accept your fate.

My Setup(not entirely related to dnd)

     The other day I tried getting discord voice to work, which it didn't. This is after I set up my recording equipment and tried making some tunes. I guess when I ran ASIO4ALL it had a conflict with my internal soundcard... lo and behold.... my new setup any time I want to run a game off of my laptop using discord. I could set it up on my phone, I have, I just don't like it. Realistically, I think it sounds better for the players. So it's kinda nice really. I have a pretty good internet connection too, so that helps.  

Also, my girlfriend has a nice camera. So, I hijacked it and took some subpar pictures. 

I'll post some meatiness soon. I'm working on a campaign diary for this week. Should be kinda interesting. My players had a weird magic mishap. It derailed them for about 45 minutes. It was hilarious. That'll probably be posted next week, once I get the tenses worked out... 

Either way, I hope you guys enjoy this post. I'll be doing more "photography" when I actually get a face-to-face game running. Should be about a month or so. 

16 bit Akai interface, standard XLR cables, and an SM57 mic. I typically use it for snare and guitar amps, but it works just as well for this. Eat a dick if you don't like it.


From left to right: Fighter Dude, Steal Dwarf, Flame Hand Guy, and White Wash Man Wizard.


Unrealistic combat scene.