The Truth About Magic-Users II

In this post, I bemoan the suckiness of Magic-Users as presented in original editions of D&D such as B/X and 1e and I offer some ideas for house rules to give those poor bastards a kick in the ass. Some folks thought I was being too harsh or obtuse. Fair enough. I wasn't, but I get it.

Here I'd like to revisit that topic and attempt to save the ole MU without any house rules. I know, right? How in the world can you possibly do it?

First, please understand I'm not shitting on a beloved class because I hate it. I do love a good Magic-User. But one thing I never did or do is run them without house rules. Because I simply find the original rules for most classes to be limiting and obtuse in ways that annoy me and don't mesh with my play style.

Anyhow, here are some ways that I would personally want to run a B/X MU, for example, without necessarily needing house rules. Most of these ideas came from reading or hearing about similar ideas in other games, blogs, and social media over the past decade or so.

1. UNIQUE WIZARDS

I love this one. In B/X it doesn't say you can memorize the same spell twice, nor does it prohibit it (as far as I remember). This leaves the GM to decide which way to go. For this mode of play, go with "no you can't". Each spell occupies the wizard's mind as a single entity and will not or cannot tolerate another version of itself in the same brainspace.

But take that idea to another level. Make a setting in which a spell can only exist in a single book, scroll, or crystal, or wherever you like to put spells. If it is copied to another place, it disappears from the original. If it is read out loud to cast it... the damn thing is gone forever.

Also, make MUs very rare. Within the PC party, you don't have to limit folks. If you wanna be a MU, be one. But in the setting itself just don't include MUs on your wandering monster tables or as NPCs in towns. They just don't exist very frequently. Consider a small world and there are like a dozen wizards in it, period. One of the PCs is an up-and-coming member of the elite.

In that kind of setting, each spell is extremely valuable and precious. You can't just go to another MU and learn a new spell. You have to find spells in abandoned spellbooks, negotiate the purchase of spells, or steal them.

This kind of campaign, though it seems low magic, might be very wizard-centric because so much time would be taken up with your MU seeking power and playing 5d chess with other wizards who are doing the same thing. Could be fun.

2. MIX EDITIONS

Not technically a house rule, I guess. Use B/X and Holmes combined to allow your lowly wimp wizard to make scrolls. I don't believe Holmes explicitly limits when a MU can make a potion, so just lump that in with scrolls. Then the party's riches at lower levels could be poured into the wizard's laboratory so they can make plenty of Sleep and Magic Missile scrolls and Gaseous Form potions. Make extra and sell 'em to other parties. Clean out that ruined tower, set up a shop, defend it from marauders, discover the hidden dungeon that lies beneath. That's some fuckin' fun right there.

3. MAGIC SCHOOLS/GANGS

Typically, a D&D party has no real ties to anything other than each other and the dungeon at hand. But maybe create a rich tapestry of wizard orders and fit the PCs into that framework. Now the PC MUs have in-world goals related to the setting. Perhaps more potent spells can be had by working your way into a coven or cabal. Perhaps secret powers can be offered, magic items bestowed. Now the lowly 3rd level MU with three spells also has a talking skull necklace that spits acid and knows the names of 3 demons and can call on them for favors (dangerous but that's magic, baby).

4. CREATIVE GMING

The players can be creative as hell, trying all kinds of cool things. The MU is out of spells, but the player says they want to use their arcane connections and lore to cause some magical effect anyway. A shitty GM would say "No, you're out of spells. Can't do it." But a clever GM who actually enjoys playing the fucking game could say "Neat idea. Tell me what you're doing and what you hope to accomplish".

So the player, jazzed at having to work for it, works for it. They describe how they call on the names of several imps they knew during apprenticeship in order to barter for a boon. They sacrifice some tiny portion of sanity and the imps cause something freaky to happen, such as a swarm of flies to appear. Hell yeah. The GM decides what percentage chance the PC has of succeeding, based on the Magical Research rules. A roll is made. SUCCESS!

"Now reduce your Wisdom score by 3. You're not doing too well, emotionally. You'll gain 1 point back each day you pass a Save vs. Spells."

I like this because it re-purposes Magical Research to accomplish on-the-fly magical effects. Unlike casting a spell from memory, this type of magic has a price.

And so on.

The Truth About Magic-Users

Here's a truth that many OSR folks do not agree about: low-level Magic-Users in pre-3e editions of Dungeons and Dragons suck. I'm sorry, grog, they just do. You know they do.

A first level M-U gets one god damn spell per motherfucking day. They can't even create magic scrolls to store spells until level 7 (if you use general 1e wisdom). In B/X, a M-U must be level 9 to create a scroll or magic item.

Let's drive home this point a little bit more. A M-U cannot even read a magic scroll without casting the spell Read Magic. Which means, as a first level caster, if you don't take Read Magic as your one and only spell, then you can't read scrolls.

"I'm glad I didn't choose Magic Missile instead of Read Magic. I was able to cast Read Magic so I could read that Magic Missile scroll and save the party from that one orc!"

The pushback is obvious and widely-screamed: If you can't think of anything else to do other than cast spells then you suck at this game.

That's fine. Except it's a fantasy game and I came on my Friday night with but one dream: to be a motherfuckin' wizard. And here you got me casting Read Magic and hiding behind the dwarf.

I beseech you, my OSR friends: don't visit this hell upon players. Unless you know for a fact that the person who wants to be a wizard both understands these limitations and LIKES IT, you gotta house rule that shit. And there's a lot of fine, fine house rules out there you can use to fix this broken-ass setup. For example, Magic-Users in your game can...

• Read any scroll.

• Create scrolls and magic items, per the Magical Research rules, starting at first level.

• Cast 3 additional first level spells per day in addition to what's on the spell slot table. Call it baseline training.

• Use any weapon they care to pick up, but if it's not allowed by the rules-as-written, then they get a -3 to hit. No biggie.

• Detect the presence of magic in a device or an area, perhaps by making a simple Intelligence check. You don't have to tell them what the magic is, just that they "get a vibe" off it.

• Possess one trivial magic item at character creation. It's their signature thing, like a hat that returns to them or an unseen hand that carries their sack. I promise you it will not break your fragile dungeon ecosystem.

Ok, this is all just a little bit tongue-in-cheek. But it's also true. If you can't save the Thief class at least pull the Magic-User up from the darkness.

Up From Hell

Zasto Filistian, wizard of Seapath, returns from a trip to Hell, emerging from a sewer well. His mind struggles to contain the lost spell of immortality, the object of his quest. His imps offer him a special book in which to transcribe the spell (and a towel).

The city of Seapath is one of the five cities of Yria. It is perhaps the most accessible city, especially for the low-minded and adventure-ready. It is sprawled across a mountain pass leading to the western seas and you can see it in all its glory on the cover of Black Pudding #5. Note the angry assault by Url'Armagog, one of the Children of the Worm Witch, his slumber disturbed from the depths of Lake Drowning.

Ah, Yria.

You know how every Dungeon Master worth their salt has a world of their own? It's true. Mine started the day I learned about the existence of D&D. I spent my first few years as a gamer gaming alone. I spent countless hours in my room making D&D characters, writing elaborate histories, drawing them, making ornate character sheets for them, and running them through solo adventures. Eventually I compiled all my notes and ideas into a three ring binder labeled "Midaka", my campaign world.

This morphed over time. Much of the juvenility of Midaka was left by the side of the road on my journey into proper adult elfgamehood. But much of the DNA is still there, along with all the other stuff I've added over the many years.

Sometime around the mid-2000s I had an explosion of ideas that lead to the Pan-Gea comic book and the creation of Yria - my fantasy RPG "campaign setting".

Sometime soon, perhaps in 2022, I hope to create an iteration of the setting for proper use in fantasy TTRPGs. A reference work, a user's manual, a tome of inspiration (or two). Working title has been "Doomslakers B/X" for a while, but I'm not sure what will stick. What makes the most sense is to just call it Yria. Not a D&D Gazetteer style work full of epic levels of detail, but more of a art-before-function work of inspirational material very lightly sketching out a fantasy world. The imagery will do most of the talking. Random tables will fill in most of the detail. The actual prose bits will be more akin to what you see in X1: Isle of Dread... short and high level, more a collection of descriptors than a fleshed out narrative.

But we'll see how it goes.

Doomslakers Project

I've been posting quite a bit about doing a B/X style 64 page book, ala the B/X 64 Challenge. This is part of a continuum of ideas dating back years on this blog. An early example of this project in action was Black Pudding #4 with the OSR Playbook. I was calling it the Yria OSR Reference here.

More recently, The Rock Hardy Book of Dwarfs idea has been on my plate and it is that concept that morphed into the current Doomslakers B/X Playbook. This is how my brain works. One idea evolves until it is a different idea and eventually the cascading ideas coalesce into a book. I've just been a bit slower at it of late. Ideally I like to finish a few books a year but if I can make 1 book happen I'm happy about it. At least I'm not dead yet.

Right now I have a small barrage of commissions I've agreed to do so I don't know when the Doomslakers book will be finished. But progress is happening. I have written some satisfying bits about the 7 core classes that form the backdrop of the adventuring scene in the world of Yria. They are, currently, and in order of frequency among the adventuring population: Fighter, Thief, Dwarf, Goblin, Elf, Wizard, and Botten.

All classes get some kind of tweak from their B/X roots. Dwarf might be the least altered. Goblins are very similar to the version of the class that appears in Black Pudding #4 but with a few tweaks. Botten are machine people who I have written about before and used in a few games.

I'll write more about the classes later. In the meantime, why not do your own B/X 64 Challenge? Create and publish a B/X based book within 6 months. Hashtag it #bx64 and share the process online. It doesn't have to be 64 pages.

BX Wizard Revised

I posted about this before. I've used a version of this class in play and I feel like this iteration is closer to what a B/X wizard should be. So for my B/X games I'll be using the Wizard to replace the ole Magic-User. Why?

More cool options for low level play - which is where most of my gaming takes place.

How is this different from the standard MU?

1. An extra spell at level 1.

2. More versatility in spell levels you can memorize.

3. Ability to use weapons and armor in a sensible way beyond "you can't use that".

4. Putting magical research and potion making front and center so the players will actually USE them.

5. Some immediate weirdness... a minor magical item, reaction roll penalty, etc.

6. Combining MU and Cleric spells because I honestly don't care about Clerics at all. I don't need them.

Note that this Wizard can only memorize a spell once at a time. So they cannot be a healbot with multiple Cure Light Wounds.

I'm open to arguments for why this iteration of the Wizard is broken. I might have a blind spot so I appreciate feedback. This will likely end up in whatever Yria setting book I end up publishing.

Some of this was inspired by Stuart Robertson's old B/X Witch class, which I really adore.

EDIT: A hero in comments pointed out some errors so I fixed 'em. Hopefully better now.

You're a Wizard!

Old school Magic-Users have a tough row to hoe at low levels. The payoff is that when they gain higher levels nobody can fuck with them.

But here's a problem: Most players of D&D (especially classic editions) are playing low level characters almost all of the time. This is especially true for public games where the tendency is to run little dungeon romps for characters in the 1-5 level range.

Wizards in this range are fragile and can't do much. And anyone who argues that you can "still throw a dart" is a fool. Don't listen to them.

Make low level wizards better instead. It's the morally correct thing to do.

To that end, here are some ideas and thoughts I've had about old school MUs over the years on this blog.

In Read That Magic I kind of go off on a rant about using B/X rules as written and how it makes playing a first level wizard kind of lame. I still feel that way. If we assume most games are not going to get into higher levels, then you need to beef up them wizards. Don't be a tool.

In OSE and B/X Spellbooks I talk about three ways you can play B/X rules as written and work it into the fantasy fiction of your campaign. I like these ideas, though I'm prone to just house ruling the shit out of wizards instead.

In Magic-User with Sword I talk about allowing wizards to use weapons other than daggers and to wear armor. Because I detest the notion that they somehow just can't do it. Let your wizard pick up a sword, for crying out loud. They'll suck at using it.

NOTE: One thing I didn't address in that post was just how much emphasis B/X puts on magic swords and just how much benefit that is to the Fighter class. If the wizard can also use a vorpal sword or +3 sword or whatever, then the Fighter's niche is threatened. I get that. And I'm actually OK with the caveat that magic swords want to be used by warriors, not wizards. So a +3 blood drinking sword might simply refuse to function in the hands of a wizard. It's magic, after all.

In B/X Wizard I present a Wizard class for B/X. This was used in my Isles of Rone game and worked quite well, though we only played at level 3. It's actually a little bit more fiddly than I prefer in a B/X class, but perhaps not over the top. It includes the use of other weapons and armor, brewing potions, using both M-U and Cleric spells (I tend not to want Clerics in my games), allows and emphasizes magical research from level 1 forward, and grants the PC one special item.

If I revised this class today I'd do it a little bit differently. I'd open up the Wizard's ability to create magic stuff, including potions, but I'd tie such efforts to time and money more explicitly. It should be no big deal for a Wizard to brew a potion if given a few days to work on it. But of course you don't want the power gamer to convert the 30 days of downtime since the last adventure into 15 potions. But you also don't want overly persnickety potion brewing rules (I still love keeping B/X classes to a single sheet of paper, if I can).

Another idea I'm noodling is to only have 4 house rules for Wizards.

1. You can brew potions, make magic items, and conduct magical research from level 1.

2. You get 2 extra level 1 spell slots from level 1.

3. You can use any weapon but you can't have it ready and also cast a spell and it takes a round to get it out or put it up.

4. You can wear armor, but you have to make a save vs. Spells in order to cast and the armor's AC benefit is a penalty to your save.

Just some thoughts.

Demon and Key

I drew this demon today and it turned out kinda cool. I'm shit with drawing chains so I really tried to do them some justice. Still not perfect but I think better than previous attempts. Chains are hard!

So this guy will go into Black Pudding 7 and I'm not sure exactly in what context yet. The issue is still very wee and hasn't grown into itself so I will probably set him to the side and see where the other pages go before giving him a role. He might be a monster entry, part of an adventure, or art for some cool magic shit. Not sure yet.

I actually have two themes at work right now. The cool wizard cover idea suggests an issue filled with wizardly stuff and this demon on a chain goes nicely with that. But the thing I've worked on the most is a mini-setting for an all-Thief campaign called Low Downs. So who knows...

Here's the doodle that spawned the demon.

BX Wizard

In this post I presented a Wizard class for BX that I'm using in a current campaign. I tweaked it a little and added my own art in this updated version. It is compatible with BX but definitely has more bells and whistles. Still... it's all on one page, with art and an XP table. So it's not too crunchy. I like it. I think this would make the beginning spellcaster more interesting to play. And yes, this class does in fact replace Magic-Users and Clerics in my current BX game.

Lesser Gods Session Zero

Art © Glen Michael Angus, R.I.P.

BX D&D STUFF

We had session zero of Lesser Gods of Rone Monday night. We spent most of it making characters, discussing the setting, and sort of figuring things out. We got into the adventure for about half an hour - long enough that all the PCs are now in the same boat. Literally. Except the Lake Thing swimming near it.

We do have a Wizard in the party, so here's that character class. It's essentially the BX Magic-User with a few tweaks. Unless we run into any serious issues, this class will replace the MU in all my D&D games.

What's different about the Wizard vs. the BX Magic-User?

-Penalty to reaction rolls. Because wizards are weird and nobody should trust them.

-Fewer weapon restrictions. Because it's silly to limit them to a dagger. Just silly.

-You can wear armor, but it makes casting hard. Because it's more interesting that way. Most PCs will avoid it because of the difficulty. But hey... maybe you want to put some on because you're out of spell slots and you need to make it through this risky pass.

-MU and Cleric spells. This is just because I am not using Clerics in this campaign. Cult leaders can be Wizards. Or a special class. I never liked the basic Cleric anyway. (I'm also disallowing the memorization of the same spell more than once. So even if you do have a Cure Light Wounds spell you only have one of them.)

-Potion brewing. With an adequate lab, of course.

-Magical research emphasized (X51 needs love). And no need to wait until level 9 to create magic items.

-You begin play with a cool item. Because it's more fun that way. Show up on day one with a hat that sings.

-Disregard for spell level slots. This is just a house rule that I prefer. You just add up all spell slots and that's how many spells per day you can cast. You can't cast any spell level higher than your class level. Done.

This class was an amalgam of how I tend to treat MUs anyway + some inspiration from Stuart Robertson's BX Witch - one of the most elegant BX classes I found in the OSR circles. I was gonna have Wizard and Witch but decided there's really no need for both when a Wizard class with enough wiggle room can serve nearly all  your wizarding needs.

If you dislike this kind of thing because it makes the fighter less interesting to play, you could just give the fighter some love. I love the barebones BX game as much as anyone, but all of us house rule it. Nobody runs it truly RAW.

So... The party includes a Wizard (Jayne X Praxis), Lake Thing, Medusa (modified Black Pudding version, Dyson Logos), Nightkind (a piece of the night that woke up), and a Mariner (Andy Solberg). I'll post up all the classes eventually.

The Wizard is searching for their lost dad and the Nightkind is accompanying them, perhaps to understand a weird dream power they seem to be manifesting. They got a ride from the Mariner and picked up the Medusa as her island sank into the drink (related to the campaign? hmmmm...). The Lake Thing approaches because someone has been poaching gators from his swamp island and maybe it's this weird bunch in the rowboat.

The session ended with the PCs approaching the island of Knobbybones where a huge harpoon ballista was pointed at their rowboat by some unknown entities.

GOZR: Familiars

 Every wizard needs a familiar!

So here's one thing I'm thinking about for the game. I have structured it so that you can just choose how much of a wizard you want to be. You want a familiar, you got one. My idea is that being a wizard will be a pain in the ass with lots of problems. But so far I'm not sure I've pulled that off so I'm gonna have to revisit the rules and either give non-wizards more bennies or give wizards more flaws.

Because as it stands... you'd crazy NOT to be a wizard. I went a little nuts on the wizard stuff. I guess I am a fan of magic-users after all.

Read That Magic

I mean, you can use Read Magic as written. And I'm sure some people do. That's a hardcore way to play the game, innit? Super hardcore.

I'm a level 1 Magic-User. I get 1 spell per day and I only have 1 spell in my spellbook (if we're rocking B/X). If the DM allows me to pick my spell, I'm going to be super inclined to choose Magic Missile. Because I wanna kill a goblin and maybe defend myself. I signed up to be a WIZARD didn't I? But I understand how this game works and I know for a fact my DM is going to run it RAW. I really badly need Read Magic. So I go with that.

I don't have any scrolls. We're in the dungeon. We're ambushed by goblins. What do I do? Cast Read Magic on his ass?

Aaaaaand cue the groggy response: "I hate it when people play Magic-Users and think they can't do anything when they're out of spells. You can always throw a dart."

Except... the thing is... it's Friday night, someone was running some good old D&D, and I thought it would be fun to be a god damned wizard. I mean yeah, sure, I can get creative and use my chalk and beans and flour and darts. But I'm a WIZARD. And having Read Magic as my only spell is pretty fuckin' lame.

Lots of people house rule this one. They either wave the entire Read Magic requirement or they give first level Magic-Users more spells. Kinda like how Thief skills get house ruled... because the original rule blows chunks.

Look, just because you have wood for OD&D and you want a pure, honest, true game, don't do that shit to your poor players. Unless all of them look at you and say "We wanna play rules-as-written!". Give that first level MU some spells. Make reading magic scrolls a thing people can just DO. Or just wizards, if that's how you wanna game it.

If you absolutely must run RAW (nobody does, there's always a house rule of two), then start your PCs at level 3 and make god damn sure the MU has a fuckin' Read Magic spell. Seriously.

Barbarians of the Ruined Earth Alternate Cover

Here is my finished alternate cover for Mike Evans' Barbarians of the Ruined Earth (check out the Kickstarter).

I'm happy with this. I wanted a comic book vibe with action and spectacle and I think I pulled it off. I'm not sure why the giant robot is spitting liquid fire but I thought it was very metal so I kept it.

Ah, but what is this game you ask?

Barbarians of the Ruined Earth, from here on known as BotRE, is a post-apocaliptic sci-fantasy RPG in the spirit of Thundarr the Barbarian. So basically swords, sorcery, and super-science. It is based on The Black Hack by David Black, which is one of the best and most versatile old-school RPG engines around. If you have played D&D you will recognize many of the tropes of the game system, though it plays quite differently. For example, in BotRE and TBH the players do nearly all the dice rolling. The GM only rolls for things like random tables and whatever madness they have going on behind the screen. They GM doesn't touch dice otherwise. Let the players do the work.

So check it out.

Sketch for Barbarians of the Ruined Earth Cover

Work in progress... pretty metal?

Here's the Kickstarter!

Blue Wizard (finished)

I posted the sketch for this guy a while back. Here's the finished art. The version appearing in The Hole in the Oak is cropped a bit.

Back in my day, sonny, we rolled our only d6 up hill in the snow. Both wa-- well you get what I'm sayin'.

Blue Wizard

A sketch for a drawing that will be in The Hole in the Oak (see here).

Hold Critter

The classic Hold Person spell becomes Hold Critter in a world of talking animals.

B/X Ho!

This Wed at Jarfly, a local brewery, I will be running some good old B/X D&D. With house rules, natch. What house rules, you ask? Not too many. In fact I'm keeping the system-wide house rules to a small number that I just can't live without. Crits, luck, death saves, some stuff about magic-users, fighters using monster attack roll table, and of course THIEVES.

I will be employing Necrotic Gnome's lovely re-indexing of B/X D&D called B/X Essentials. I shall put those little books to the test.

Also, here's the character sheet I'll be using. I'm taking about 20 pregens to the table. Several fighters, magic-users, and thieves. A couple of clerics. And some oddballs like swineriders, neanderthals, witches, and summoners (some from Black Pudding, others not). Stoked!

Attack rolls: Those of you paying nerd level attention will note that a level 3 dwarf in B/X should hit AC 0 with a roll of 19, not 17. I decided that fighters and fighter-based classes such as dwarfs should not be hitting at the same rate as god damned magic-users for three levels. So they will be using the attack matrix for monsters instead.

Character sheets: These sheets are a combination of a few different sheets I have worked on in the past. They combine elements of a sheet I did for Andy Solberg's Tales of the Iron League with some other sheet elements I have used here and there. You'll also possibly note that the "special abilities, skills, and spells" type headers are copy-pasted straight from a Dyson Logos character sheet. This is because I had a whole other set of level 3 pregens that were on his sheets. I wanted to transfer them to my own sheets but I was too lazy to redo those bits so I just copied the necessary stuff. It's a Frankenstein's character sheet!!

EDIT: I swapped out the images on this post because the originals had the ability score list screwed up.

A Bit of Dead Wizards

Every time I circle around to noodling about Dead Wizards, I focus on the setting.

The idea was to make this a standalone game, not a D&D-style game. But I really haven't thought of any interesting mechanics for it. It feels like hacking the core OSR rules platform will work just fine. This might even be a setting for an existing OSR rules set, such as Swords & Wizardry or Labyrinth Lord, with tweaks.

The first tweak is magic. In the first city of Kanebok, where the setting is centered, magic is simultaneously queer and yet woven into daily life. Magic isn't a single thing. There are different kinds of magic. But wizards - those who master otherworldly powers and ancient spells - are not trusted. They are not natural. And hanging over the entire city is the belief that the four greatest wizards from the time of the wizard war still linger in some kind of quasi-living state, subtly affecting the living world with their unending machinations against one another.

(See, that last paragraph was meant to be a discussion of how the magic rules differ from standard OSR rules and yet all I talked about was the mythos of the setting.)

Wizards in this setting would not be limited arbitrarily by spell slots and number of spells allowed per level. Instead, they would acquire their magic however they can. It's an organic process. Players would seek out magic and once they find a spell and figure out how it works, they can cast that spell as often as they like. The limiters would be in the cost of the spell. Each spell would be described in a bit more detail in terms of how it is cast so that spell components, casting time, and other costs are baked right in. There is no need for spell slots when you have to sacrifice blood, treasure, money, or soul to cast a spell.

(Frankly, this is how I'd like to run ALL my D&D style games.)

Another tweak was with weapons. I did a couple of pages of notes and screenshots of various archaic weapons from Egypt and other African regions as well as Persia and some stuff from Southeast Asia. My idea was that each weapon would have it's own perks and maybe a drawback. So your basic d8 sword is the scimitar, for example. A great scimitar would do a d10 or d12 and would require both hands to use. If a weapon has a hook on it, then you'd be able to hook targets, disarm, trap, etc. This is all really just being very specific with the classic weapons list more than anything. Giving the battle options more color as well as more mechanical bits and bobs.

The only other rules tweak I had in mind was to use the attack values table as a basic rule for all mechanics. I posted about it here. I still think that's a boss idea, but I just don't know if it's boss enough to justify using it here.

Bengei the Bright

For a while now I've been playing in an off-and-on Advanced Labyrinth Lord campaign. Our DM, Andy, has been running some classic old UK modules such as Gauntlet and Eye of the Serpent. For this campaign I created a spellcaster... Bengei the Bright, a female dazzler. The dazzler is a character class for LL I created a few years ago, complete with some of their own unique spells. They are basically a light wizard. I created their own spell list, which includes a lot of magic-user and illusionist spells along with the new dazzler spells. I tried to keep the theme to light, illumination, and anti-darkness.

Despite having several interesting dazzler spells to use, Bengei really loves to cast good old Lightning Bolt! She has fried many a critter nice and toasty with that gem.

The campaign is set in Greyhawk and Bengei hails from Keoland, daughter of a jeweler. Below is the dazzler class as written a while back. Apologies for typos... this needs to be edited, I think.

DAZZLER

Requirements: None

Prime Requisite: Cha, Int

Hit Dice: d4

Dazzlers are Magic-Users whose magic centers on light, color, and auditory effects. They are sometimes called “light witches”.

RESTRICTIONS

Dazzlers write their spells in books and on scrolls just like any wizard. They use the saving throws and attack values of a Magic-User. They have the same weapon and armor restrictions that a Magic-User has and can use Magic-User scrolls and magic items.

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Dazzling Light: A Dazzler can produce light, as a Light spell, once per day per level. The radius of this light can be diminished to that of a candle if desired. Dazzlers may use multiple slots of Light spells in order to produce alternate effects.

# of Light slots	Effect
2	Colorful patterns may be drawn in the air.
4	Patterns drawn in the air dazzle onlookers within 30' for 1 round if they fail to save vs. Spells.
6	A burst of light can be issued that will dazzle and blind onlookers within 30' for 1d6 rounds on a failed save vs. Spells.
8 or more	Any 1 of the following spells may be mimicked: Feeblemind, True Seeing, Globe of Invulnerability, Passwall, Magic Missile.

Spellcasting: A Dazzler may learn and cast spells from their own spell list using the Magic-User’s spell progression table.

DAZZLER LEVEL PROGRESSION
Experience	Level	Hit Dice (d4)
0	1	1
2,400	2	2
4,800	3	3
9,600	4	4
19,200	5	5
40,000	6	6
80,000	7	7
160,000	8	8
320,000	9	9
440,000	10	9+1
560,000	11	9+2
680,000	12	9+3
800,000	13	9+4
920,000	14	9+5
1,040,000	15	9+6
1,160,000	16	9+7
1,280,000	17	9+8
1,400,000	18	9+9
1,520,000	19	9+10
1,640,000	20	9+11

Dazzler Spell List

Italicized spells are Dazzler-specific and are detailed below.

LEVEL 1

Allure

Ball of Light

Beam Trick

Charm Person

Color Spray

Dancing Lights

Darkness Globe

Detect Magic

Floating Disc

Hypnotism

Light

Light Daggers

Lantern

Magic Aura

Phantasmal Force

Refraction

LEVEL 2

Blindness

Blur

Detect Magic

Hypnotic Pattern

Invisibility

Mirror Image

Misdirection

Phantasmal Force, Greater

Ventriloquism

White Dwarf

LEVEL 3

Comet

Continual Light (reversible)

Dispel Phantasm

Hallucinatory Terrain

Illusionary Script

Invisibility 10' Radius

Lightning Bolt

Nondetection

Strobe

Rope Trick

Spectral Force

Suggestion

LEVEL 4

Confusion

Drawing the Darkness

Gazer

Glistening Guardian

Implant Emotion

Invisibility, Greater

Mirror Shield

Minor Creation

Phantasmal Killer

Phantasmal Monsters

LEVEL 5

Confusion, Greater

Major Creation

Maze

Phantasmal Door

Phantasmal Monsters, Greater

Project Image

Shadow Evocation

Speed of Light

Summon Shadow

Wall of Sun

LEVEL 6

Phantasmal Monsters, Advanced

Moontrance

Shadow Evocation, Greater

Spectral Force, Permanent

Spectral Force, Programmed

Sunblast

True Seeing

Veil

LEVEL 7

Astral Spell

Limited Wish

Nova

Prismatic Spray

Prismatic Wall

Vision

DAZZLER SPELLS

Ball of Light

Level: 1

Duration: 1d4 hours

Range: 0

This spell creates a palm-sized ball of light that the wizard can hold for up to 1d4 hours. The ball casts light like a torch and gives off enough heat to keep a small party relatively comfortable in cold weather. The wizard may also throw the ball at a target, causing it to explode for 1d6+1 points of damage (treat as a thrown axe for range). When cast by a Dazzler of level 7 or higher the ball will float and follow the wizard, obeying their mental command. The ball cannot be thrown on the same round it is created.

Beam Trick

Level: 1

Duration: 1 turn per level

Range: 180’

Using this spell the wizard can transform a visible beam of light into a solid that can be walked upon, climbed, or bumped into. The beam is still transparent and can only be seen by contrast against a darker background or by shining through fog or dust. The beam will be large enough to accommodate one person at a time or a single file line of people walking or climbing up it. The beam can be hidden behind, providing the same cover offered by a low wall.

Comet

Level: 3

Duration: 1 turn/level +1d6 turns

Range: 0

With this spell the Dazzler may fly in the form of a ball of light at a speed of 180’ per round, leaving a sparkling trail and illuminating the darkness in a 60’ radius. The Dazzler may attempt to fly into a target and deal 3d6 points of damage by making a successful ranged attack roll.

Drawing the Darkness

Level: 4

Duration: Permanent

Range: 40’

This spell will remove all magical darkness from a cube of 10’ x 10’ x 10’ per caster level and replace it with magical light as per a Light or Continual Light spell. Any shadow or darkness-based creatures in the area of effect must save vs. Spells or be destroyed. If the save is made, such creatures are forced from the area and must flee to the nearest darkness for 1d6 hours.

Gazer

Level: 4

Duration: 1 round/level

Range: 30’

The Dazzler’s gaze becomes a brilliant weapon of light and any creature meeting the gaze must save vs. Spells or suffer 6d6 points of searing, laser-like damage as well as being rendered permanently blind (save vs. Spells for half damage and to render blindness for 1d6 rounds only). The glare also burns through non-magical locks, doors, and containers in 1d4 rounds, shattering them.

Gleam

Level: 1

Duration: 1 turn per level

Range: 120’

An dirty object, broken or otherwise run down, is made to gleam like a shiny new thing with this spell. Only those with a reason to be suspicious may make a saving throw vs. Spells to see through this illusion. The spell will make broken armor and weapons look not only new, but positively powerful. Likewise, the spell will make a beaten, battered creature appear to be at the height of health and prowess no matter how damaged they really are. The Dazzler may affect an area as large as 10’ x 10' x 10' per caster level. When cast on a broken castle wall, the area affected will appear to be solid and impenetrable. When cast on a door or chest, any would-be burglar will have to save vs. Spells or else find the task of breaking in completely unrealistic.

Glistening Guardian

Level: 4

Duration: 1d6 turns

Range: 90’

The Dazzler fashions a muscled human figure made of light itself. The figure comes to life on the following round and will obey the caster’s every command (verbal or mental within 90’) to the best of its ability. The glistening guardian has an AC 5 and HD equal to the caster’s level +1d4. The creature’s saving throws are the same as the caster. It has a morale score of 12 and can move and fly at 150’ (50’). The guardian can speak and requires no sustenance or rest. It is immune to non-magical weapons but must pass a saving throw vs. Death or be destroyed if within the area of a Darkness spell. When the spell’s duration is up the guardian will disappear. When the spell is cast, an amount of light equal to a torch will be stolen from its source, snuffing it out. If no such source is available the spell will not function.

Glowstone

Level: 1

Duration: 2 turns

Range: Touch

The Dazzler causes a small stone or rock to glow as dimly as a candle or as brightly as 3 torches. The stone’s light penetrates magical darkness. When cast by a Dazzler of level 5 or higher, the stone will reveal invisible creatures or objects and when cast by a Dazzler of level 9 or higher it will reveal secret or hidden doors.

Lantern

Level: 1

Duration: 1 turn/level

Range: Special

The Dazzler uses this spell to create a lantern of magical light that functions exactly like a real lantern but with the added benefit of penetrating magical darkness. The lantern can be freely carried around, set in a specific place, or blown out at will. If anyone other than the caster carries the lantern the duration is reduced by half. Creatures affected by sunlight must save vs. Spells when in the light of the lantern or else be affected as if by sunlight.

Light Daggers

Level: 1

Duration: Special

Range: 90’

The Dazzler casting this spell hurls 1 dagger of light per experience level at a single target dealing 1d4 points of damage per dagger. The daggers cannot miss their mark, though the target may make a save vs. Spells for half damage. The Dazzler may choose to focus the spell into a single light javelin that deals 1d8 points of damage per caster level. However, the javelin of light requires a successful ranged attack roll with a bonus of +2 to hit.

Mirror Shield

Level: 4

Duration: 1 round per level

Range: 0

The Dazzler creates a round shield that reflects all light, lasers, fire, prismatic attacks, and gaze attacks that are aimed at the Dazzler. These attacks are reflected back to their source, causing all explicit effects to the originator. Attacks coming from behind the Dazzler are not reflected if the Dazzler is unaware and unable to turn. This shield also reflects Magic Missiles if sent by a caster of a lower level than the Dazzler.

Moontrance

Level: 6

Duration: 1 round per level

Range: 120’ radius

This spell will make a visible moon utterly transfixing to all creatures within range that see it and that fail to save vs. Spells. Such affected creatures will stop what they are doing and simply stare at the moon for the spell’s duration (similar to a Hold spell). Beings with more HD than the caster’s level may attempt a save each round.

Nebula

Level: 4

Duration: Concentration

Range: 40’

The Dazzler creates a cloud of light composed of thousands of individual candle-like points of light that float about, shimmering. The cloud is up to 100’ in diameter per level of the caster and is centered on any object or person she wishes. Anyone stepping into the nebula is limned in light and easily seen by any creature within visual range. Invisible creatures are visible, things hiding in shadows are no longer hidden, and entities masked by other magical means may also be detected. Likewise, all secret doors and hidden traps may be easily detected.

 

Nova

Level: 7

Duration: Instant

Range: 40’ radius

This feared spell creates a 40’ blast radius of blinding light in which nearly nothing can survive. All creatures caught in the blast radius of this spell must save vs. Spells or take 1d10 points of damage per level of the caster (save for half). Creatures susceptible to sunlight must save vs. Death or die (save indicates full damage). All creatures caught in the blast who fail the save are blinded for 1d6 days.

Shimmercloak

Level: 3

Duration: 1d6 turns

Range: touch

The Dazzler uses an existing cloak or some other fabric to create a softly glowing, slightly undulating cloak of light. The cloak functions as AC 4 armor and grants its wearer +4 to all saving throws. The soft light illuminates 40’ radius, penetrating even magical darkness. At will, the wearer can pull the light down to that of a mere candle.

A Dazzler of 11th or higher level may create a permanent Shimmercloak magic item with 7 days of work and 5,000 gp worth of components, including a cloak of rare material. Appropriate materials may include silk from giant spiders or the pelts of very rare, magical creatures.

Speed of Light

Level: 5

Duration: 1 round

Range: 500’ per level

The caster of this spell issues a bolt of light that carries their form at light speed to any point within the spell’s range or brings any single item or creature from and to any point within range. This speed is so fast as to be indistinguishable from teleportation.

Strobe

Level: 3

Duration: 1 round per level

Range: 40’

This spell causes a pulsing burst of light to flash on and off and possibly spin or change colors per the Dazzler’s mental command. Those creatures within 40’ of the light who can see it and fail a saving throw vs. Spells are dazzled for 1d6 rounds, unable to look away from the light. Creatures possessing a gaze attack, such as a medusa or basilisk, have a -2 on their saving throw.

Sunblast

Level: 6

Duration: Special

Range: 60’ radius

The Dazzler emits a blinding pulse of sunlight in a 60’ radius. All creatures within this range that are susceptible to sunlight must save vs. Death or die instantly, disintegrated and forever destroyed (save indicates permanent blindness and 1d6 points of damage per level). All other creatures targeted by the Dazzler must save vs. Spells or be blinded 1d6 turns and take 1d6 points of damage per level of the Dazzler. The light from this spell may be blocked by walls, doors, and other solid objects though clothing and armor will have no effect.

Wall of Sun

Level: 5

Duration: 1d6 rounds +1 per level

Range: 20’

The Dazzler creates a wall of fiery sunlight up to 10’ tall and 20’ wide per caster level. The wall radiates heat on the opposite side of the caster up to 40’, dealing 1d4 points of damage per round to all who remain within that range. Touching the wall causes 1d6 points of damage per round per caster level. All creatures susceptible to sunlight will be affected by the wall as if looking into the sun. The wall illuminates an area of 40’ radius per caster level. The wall is only partially solid and any creature attempting to break through it can do so in 2d4 rounds (taking damage each round). Non-magical missiles will burn up when coming in contact with the wall. The wall can be curved or straight.

White Dwarf

Level: 2

Duration: 1 turn per level

Range: 120’

When cast on a living creature smaller than the caster, this spell causes the target to glow brightly with white light and illuminate an area 60’ in radius. This light is not damaging or blinding but is soft and comfortable and impossible to hide. Even if the creature takes cover behind a wall the outline of the creature will still be visible to all within 60’. If the creature becomes invisible while affected by this spell the glow can still be seen even if the physical form of the creature cannot.

Yria Campaign Reference Sheets

I put together a bunch of reference sheets for my own OSR house rules. These rules are generally based on old D&D such as the 1981 version by Moldvay, Cook, and Marsh (B/X). But also on Swords & Wizardry White Box. This is incomplete, but since I am pausing this project for a bit I figured I'd share the whole current series for those who might be interested. Roll some dice!