Custom spellcrafting, libraries and experiments, exploding chickens

[Melzentir]

Playgrounders! I have a dream. A dream about exploding chickens.

Example: a player wizard character wants to create a new spell that allows them to summon chickens that can fly at 40 ft and explode in a 10ft burst of damaging Cold magic that also lowers the enemy's AC. Amazing, right? The character runs off to the city library, leaving behind a mildly amused rogue and a bewildered paladin that keeps uttering "But... why?!". No my friend, the question today is "How?". And that is exactly what we'll be figuring out.

Let's get started!

Spell research and DM-ing it

As you can see, the above mentioned spell is quite complex. That is because it includes many so-called characteristics. One of these being the Exploding Summoned Creature characteristic. Another being the Cold Elemental Aspect characteristic. Characteristics are like a bit like feats, but for spells, and they can be used to form recipes, as you will. To make such a thing work, the player needs to formulate the spell using these characteristics. They can be interpreted rather loosely by both the player and DM, but this provides at least some system to base the following research system on.

After explaining to the DM what the player intends for the spell to do, the characteristics are counted using the Characteristics table. The DM must judge which and how many characteristics are required. Each additional characteristic adds to the spell's complexity, and the the more complex a spell is, the more experienced the spellcaster needs to be to perform it. More on this later.

Per default, each stage of research takes up one full day (8 hours) and players may only make one research roll per day.

Bonuses to this roll include the character's current spellcaster level and also libraries or similar locations. This motivates travel to such locations as well as providing a lore-sensical reason for the party to actually use Ye Olde Mage Towere™ for something other than buying potions and quests. Larger and richer libraries of course constitute bigger bonuses. Dedicated research stations perhaps even allow two research rolls per day, theoretically allowing two stages to be completed in one day. Others may perhaps allow two simultaneous rolls, taking the highest. And the rarest and most precious ones may grant both of those boons.

After spending the day researching or practicing, the DM rolls whether or not progress has been made against a certain DC.

For example:
"You find the autobiography of a Halfling Sorcerer who specialized in conjuring chickens for his hungry family. You're certain this journal will come in useful." (Roll was great, progress is made)
"You spend the day straining your eyes on a promising tome written in Elven. Perhaps finding a translator would allow you to advance your research." (The roll was close to the DC, progress is uncertain, reroll later if the player pursues this lead)
"You collect various tomes, scrolls and manuscripts detailing various processes that should be useful. After digging through all of them however, you haven't found anything remotely useful." (Failure, no progress, try again tomorrow)

If the player fails the stage of research, the time spent is lost. Dedicated research can be as strainful as a full day of traveling. Therefore, the player can try again later, but would typically need a night's rest first.

Characteristics: It's not Magic Missile science...

Range:

• Touch : +0
• 10-40ft: DC +1
• 40-120ft: +2
• 120ft +: +3

Elemental aspects:
(Acid, Cold, Fire, Force, Lightning, Necrotic, Poison, Psychic, Radiant, Sonic)

• First: +1
• Additional: +1 each
• Conflicting: +2 each (conflicting elements would be cold and fire, etc. At DM's discretion.)

Summon creature:

• Origin: Material plane: +1
• Origin: any other plane: +2
• Creature level: +1 per level or HD (apply for each creature, so three level three chickens means +9)
• Twin creatures: +1
• Three creatures: +2
• Additional creatures:

These are just a few of the possible characteristics. Readers, DM's and players are encouraged to come up with their own and are invited to share them in this thread.


Experiments! I need more experiments!
An experiment is needed after every three stages or at the end of research. An experiment is a test-firing of either part of or the entire spell. It is much like a stage, but with the total difficulty modifiers of the past three experiments combined. Thus, the DC for experiments can easily exceed 20 or more.

An experiment must be performed in a suitable environment chosen entirely at the player's discretion. A spellcaster's experiments can go wrong, however, in varying degrees of apocalypse. Some environments can give bonuses to make the roll easier, this must be judged by the DM. The suitability of your rented room at the local not-so-fireproof inn is debatable.
If the experiment is a success, progress up until this experiment is saved. You'll always be able to continue from this point on. If the experiment fails, all progress up until the last saved experiment is wiped. However, if this was just the first (or only) experiment needed that does mean you have to start all over. (Countless hours of research, wasted! I need a new vantage point! Gaston, more chickens!).

An experiment is also needed at the end of the entire research process, dubbed the Master Experiment. It's DC is that of actually using the spell as one would in combat. If the research consists of three stages exactly, pick whichever experiment has the highest DC. This way, the player won't have to do two experiments in a row (because the purpose of this kind of experiment is to figure out if something works or not). If this succeeds, the player has completed the process and now has access to the functional spell.

Failed Experiments: Has Spellcrafting gone too far?
When an experiment fails, the DM has the opportunity to implement events that detail just how wrong things are going. It might be as simple as a sizzle and some smoke, or in the case of high-end spells with characteristics the classic "I accidentally the whole village.".
While players should be rewarded for exercising caution, sometimes the risk of explosive failure can not be eliminated. It is recommended to have a table with various outcomes. Due to the on-the-fly nature of players coming up with ideas, prepping such tables is neigh impossible for the DM and thus I can only provide a general rule of thumb table:

Failure by:
1 to 5: Experiment just didn't work. No terrible consequences, perhaps a poof of smoke.
6 to 10: Experiment failed mildly. The player suffers a minor, temporary inconvenience. Examples: some HP damage, or the character's skin turns blue for three days, or an overwhelming smell of cinnamon fills the area.
11 to 20: Experiment failed harshly. The player suffers a significant non-lethal inconvenience. Examples: loss of a finger, a challenging hostile creature is summoned, or everything in a 10ft radius where the spell hit is turned to stone.
20+: Oh boy. At least you have a compelling plot hook for your next character. (So instead of hunting down the BBEG, you just had to go and bring another one into this world. Great.)

It lives... IT LIVES!

When the required amount of completed experiments and stages is reached, the player's project has achieved success. The spell can then be used by the player like any other known spell. This means that depending on the player's class the spell may need components or daily preparation; DM's are to fluff and adjust to whatever is preferred and needed.

TL;DR

Player comes up with an idea. Formulates spell using characteristics. Count the amount of characteristics. This equals the amount of stages. After each three stages there's an experiment in addition to the stages. An experiment does not count as one of the stages. One stage of research represents each characteristic. Stage DC is 10 + characteristic difficulty modifier. Experiment DC is 10 + all three previous characteristic difficulty modifiers. Add bonuses such as those from libraries and assistance to the player's rolls. Only one stage of research progress can be performed per day unless stated otherwise. Like stages, experiments take a full day (because it also includes preparation and reflecting on the results, documenting findings etc.). Up to 5 allies can use Aid Another checks to help the player with a +1 bonus each. Allies with at least half the researching spellcaster's spellcaster level provide a +2 bonus instead.

It lives on

I also want to add that previously completed research projects can become the basis of new research projects. For example the player successfully researched being able to conjure three burning chickens. If the player opts towards the DM to use that as a starting point for a spell that conjures three burning chickens with fire resistance, that would only require one more stage of research and a new Master Experiment since it adds only one characteristic to something that already works. Perhaps not as intended, but hey, it does what it says on the tin. DM's are encouraged to exploit this be-careful-what-you-wish-for loophole as much as they think is necessary to teach the players to be careful. What's a wizard's career path without a few scorched eyebrows and colleagues (temporarily) turned into toads?

Furthermore, I'd like to add the optional rule of assisted research. Think the Paladin and the Rogue were useless? Think again! Tomes need to be carried around, bits of knowledge must be found within the hundreds of pages, coffee must be poured and reagents must be fetched from the market. Allies can use the Aid Another check which is already implemented in D&D to add +1 to the main character's research rolls. The ally must state how he or she is helping the researching spellcaster, and the DM must approve this would make life easier for the researcher. Up to five allies may aid the spellcaster in total. If an ally has at least half the researching spellcaster's spellcaster level, their bonus by using Aid Another is +2 instead.

Now, this idea may have been thought of a thousand times before and a thousand times again, but I hope this will provide a functional easy to implement system that can be adjusted to various campaigns, settings and rule systems. It would be an honor if you guys would steal this in exchange for recommendations, ideas, adjustments and comments in general. Thank you for reading.