My Castles & Crusades House Rules: Part 4 - Spell Casting Rules

Dwarves vs Duergar by Brian Paul Thomas

Disclaimer:  Many of the rules below are not original house rules, but rather optional rules detailed in the Castle Keepers Guide.  For those, I'll focus on my rationale for choosing to use those rules more than the specific content (go read the CKG, you bastards).

Allowed Spell Resources

• Players Handbook 
• Adventurers Spellbook

Detect Alignment and Detect Neutrality Works Only on Things, Not People

• The detect alignment and detect neutrality spells do not function in regard to sentient beings.
• The spells do work for insentient entities, such as magic weapons or haunted locations, because such effects are typically a function of magic or supernatural power.
• Higher-level spells and spell-like abilities with similar capabilities function normally.

Rationale: This spell can make interactions with NPCs and monsters too easy (especially for 0 level spells).

Player 1: "Can we attack this guy?"

Player 2: "I cast detect alignment."

CK: "You're picking up evil vibes."

Player 1: "Nice. Let's kill this dude!" 

 

"Necromancer" by Jonathan Chong

Spell Slots (optional rule from CKG)

• Rather than spellcasters needing to memorize/select spells beforehand, the player uses their number of allotted spells per level as "spell slots."

Rationale: I have nothing against the traditional Vancian magic system.  While the flexibility of spontaneous spell casting/selection is a bonus for the players, my primary reason is to keep things moving at the table.  Not always, but daily spell selection can (understandably) result in a good bit of table talk time.  The spell slot approach eliminates that.

"Wizard" by Jonas Akerlund

Spell Casting Focus (optional rule from CKG)

• Spellcasters perform a ritual to charge up a special focus (e.g., a staff, wand, gem, crystal ball, holy symbol, etc.) with the spell components needed to cast that spell.  
• When the spellcaster wishes to cast that spell, they call upon the power of those components from within the focus to do so. 
• The player then tracks the use of the component "charge" from the focus.
• The character then later reloads the focus after acquiring the necessary spell components.
• If a spell doesn't require a material component, the focus isn't required.

Rationale: In almost every D&D-ish game I've run, there has been little-to-no attention paid to spell components.  I like how the focus works like charges in a wand and the element of resource management.  I also like upping the importance of a spellcaster having a cool item. It's a concrete way to bring into play that classic image of a wizard with a staff or wand or cleric holding a holy symbol.

"Hood" by MOONO Illustrations

The Illusionist Makes Healing Rolls, Not the Recipient 

(Formerly an optional rule from CKG; now the standard rule in current Players Handbook printings.)

• One of the unique things about C&C is that the Illusionist class has access to healing spells. 
• The idea is that Illusionist tricks the target into believing that they are healed and the target's body responds accordingly. 
• In earlier printings of the PH, the target had to fail an intelligence save in order for the spell to work.
• Instead of that, the Illusionist has to make the attribute check for the spell to work. 

Rationale: Requiring the target to fail a check to get the benefit was just weird (although I understood the reasoning).  I like the idea of putting the power into the caster's court, rather than the recipient's. Given that the rule was changed, seems like I was not alone.