I had mentioned before in a prior post the strengths and weaknesses to Vancian Magic. While I still defend it I am in no way married to the concept. Certainly I think thee are better magic systems, and those systems will be talked about on this Blog, such as Ars Magica, GLOG, and Mage: The ascension. However I wanted to offer a couple alternative systems one could run in an OSR D&D system that does not require you to uproot the entire Vancian paradigm, but rather shift it’s focus.

“In all of my universe I have seen no law of nature, unchanging and inexorable. This universe presents only changing relationships which are sometimes seen as laws by short-lived awareness. These fleshy sensoria which we call self are ephemera withering in the blaze of infinity, fleetingly aware of temporary conditions which confine our activities and change as our activities change. If you must label the absolute, use its proper name: Temporary.

One point of comparison often brought up in discussion about Dungeons and Dragons in relation to other Fantasy roleplaying games is of course D&Ds magic system. It is one of the more unique aspects of the game that often is one of the first things shed off or replaced when someone makes a heartbreaker or some contrary system, but why? There is a great many reasons for why, some good, some bad, often the complaints are aimed from a position of ignorance to to exactly what is D&D’s magic system.