Re: SJ Core Spells - Was: Whatever happened to the 3.5e conversions to the Spelljammer Spells?

----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Loki" <george.williams.iv@?????.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 7:45 PM
> Subject: Re: [SPELLJAMMER] Whatever happened to the 3.5e conversions to 
> the Spelljammer Spells?
>

> My suggestion is this: that we break them up according to waht product
> they originally apppeared in (with another category for new ones). It
> would mae for a more logical division. Personally I would classify the
> ones from CoAS as the "core," spells so useful and common that
> parrallel lines of arcane research have developed them in most SJ
> capable/based societies. Much like cure lt. wounds and magic missile
> are to groundlings.
>
> Just my two greens,
> Loki

That sounds logical. You wouldn't even need the paralel reserch to happen as 
helmsmen, travelling the spheres would take the spells *with* them. Even 
with the reversible CoAS spells being seen as new spells, the SJ "core" 
spell lists are still going to be very short.

Although it is possible to argue that Lost Ships could be considered "core", 
I get the feeling that the contents of the book were all supposed to 
originally be old mostly forgotten or abandoned things. I'd make them "lost 
spells" that a spellcaster could discover in dusty scrolls or spellbooks on 
ghost ships. Once an arcane or divine spellcaster learns one of these 
spells, I'd say they were free to share it (with a wizard school or church 
temple, or even other PCs/NPCs). The question then becomes, how many Lost 
Ships spells are so good that they would race around the spheres and become 
"core".

The other spells seem to be mostly in products or adventures set in 
particular crystal spheres, so I think that they should only be taught in 
*those* spheres. Learning those spells then becomes an objective that makes 
spacefaring spellcasters want to travel the spheres. Alternatively, divine 
spells could be seen as only available to worshipers of the gods of those 
spheres. (I think Realmspace sets some sort of precidence for a spell only 
available in a region of space.)

"Local spell education" can encourage a party to travel to new crystal 
spheres and even groundling worlds, when they wouldn't otherwise have a 
motive to go there.

If anyone is doing a crossover campaign then CoAS spells should be seen as 
"core" to anyone in Wildspace, but reguarded as unavailable "non-standard" 
spells for groundlings. Groundlings would have to visit a spacefaring 
community before they could cast the spells. You could even requre them to 
qualify for BtM's free Spacefarer feat before they can learn them.

I'd also say that the reverse was true - Dragonlance, Greyhawk and Forgotten 
Realms spells should only be available to spacefaring spellcasters that 
travel to their worlds to learn them. Dragonlance spells could be available 
to spacefarers throughout Krynnspace. Greyhawk spells could be available 
throughout Greyspace. Forgotten Realms spells could be available throughout 
Realmspace. Spells could be divided into one of three categories:
1) Spells can be learned by anyone and and taken away (for spells that don't 
have a strong local flavor),
2) Spells are only available, only to worshipers of the local gods or 
members of local magical societies (like Red Wizards, Wizards of High 
Sorcery or Sun Mages) or
3) Spells are linked to the sphere, world, reagion in some way, but can be 
learned by anyone (and used elsewhere with an extra spell componant I'll 
call a "location focus" - "LF").

Option 1 is easy to administer, but would lead to all spells eventually 
being known everywhere. I'd rather each setting (including Spelljammer) 
retained its own specialness.

Option 2 is a great way to give groundlings (and spacefarers born in the 
same sphere as them) an advantage in wildspace (especially if they are 
divine spellcasters who need to constantly cast Contact Home Power).

PCs would need to go to wildspace before they could learn SJ spells. As 
groundling PCs are supposed to be a player option, having additonal spells 
would make up for orignially, not being able to gain "core" SJ spells.

There are a few Spelljamer communities on the core worlds. You could rule 
that a PC from a Spelljammer friendly groundling community has more chance 
to mix with spacefarers. If you made that ruling then small communities can 
be treated more like spacefarers (and PCs from them could start with the 
free Spacefarer feat and learn SJ spells if they wish).

As for groundling clerics/druids/rangers/paladins learning spells, most of 
these serve the gods as divine patrons, so it is the gods that control 
access to spells. (Check the FRCS and DLCS 3e hardbacks for rules on divine 
patrons). I'm not sure that Living Greyhawk have done the same thing, 
especially as the PHB is officially set in Greyhawk. But deities may grant 
SJ spells for certain reasons. The Forgotten Realms campaign setting and 
Living Greyhawk both have a lot of "immigrant" societies and even 
"immigrant" gods. I think divine servants from these wolrds are probably 
more likely to gain SJ spells than characters on Krynn.

Clerics/Druids/Paladins/Rangers from Krynn should *definately* not get any 
SJ spells while on Krynn and *maybe* even not gain SJ spells while in 
wildspace (that seems to match the semi-xenophobic nature of the Dragonlance 
gods). Having said that, any gods worshiped by the Tinker Gnomes must either 
be Spelljammer friendly (or keen to get rid of the entire race - LOL)!

Some (but not all) of the information about Spelljamming socities has been 
put onto BtM's Toril page, but Kynn and Oerth have not been done yet (at 
some point we should really compile a list of all the groundling lands where 
Spelljammers are welcome - and decide if groundlings there can qualify for 
BtM's free "Spacefarer" feat or learn SJ spells).

Option 3 is a way to allow spellcasters to learn spells while controlling 
the spread of them. The location focus I mentioned would be a new spell 
componant needed to cast the spell away from its home region. I divine 
servant of a deity known in that region, who has a divine focus created in 
that region (medallion of faith for the Dragonlance gods) could *perhaps* be 
allowed to use that. (Even divine spellcasters, like paladins and rangers 
could then carry a holy symbol, for this purpose, while away from their home 
sphere.)

Arcane spellcasters could instead use an item that links to the spells home 
region as a location focus. I've looked at the Instant Summons spell and 
that uses a gem to link to an item. If that item was left in the home 
location of the spell it could provide a link (except in the phlogiston). 
The gem has to cost at least 1000gp. Add on the cost of hiring someone to 
cast the spell or write a scroll of it if you can't cast it yourself and it 
makes the gem quite valuable (more valuable than the item they link to). 
Empowered gems *could* become a commodity that could be traded from sphere 
to spheres.

If gems empowered with Instant Summons were used, the gems could also be a 
target for thieves (working for rival spellcasters). They would also be 
vulnerable to the dispell spell as Instant Summons is a permanant spell (not 
an instant one).

David "Big Mac" Shepheard
Housesitting
Watford