On Vancian Magic
2021-12-28
When writing my magic system for Beasts & Barrows, I had two goals: keep it simple and somewhat logical. Towards simplicity, I reused the existing game mechanics: 2d6, attributes and level. I also considered using Necropraxis' fabulous spell dice but simplicity won out.
Making the system logical took a lot more thought.
Several people describe my magic system as Vancian (ie. spells must be prepared daily; have a fixed purpose and finite usage). I did not set out to make my system specifically non-Vancian. This is good because when I think about it, it really is quite Vancian... but with twists.