Revisiting an Old Idea

Honestly, I don't even know why I'm bringing this up. Some time back, like 12 or 13 years, I wrote this post about spell books in DCC. I still like the idea a lot. I wanted to rewrite it a little, maybe make it a little clearer. Hopefully.

One of the things that struck me about the magic system in DCC is the "mythos" of the spells. There are a finite number of "known" spells. They are jealously guarded, and simply knowing that a particular spell exists is a feat. Adding to that is the fact that each Wizard casts each spell in a manner completely unique to himself, through the Mercurial Magic subsystem. Furthermore, each time a spell is cast its effect and effectiveness are determined by the casting roll.

If I ever run a DCC campaign, I have an idea regarding Wizards I plan to put into play. Each wizard player will keep a "spellbook". When the game starts the player will have a full copy of the casting tables for each spell he knows. For spells uncovered and learned during play, he will have a blank sheet, bearing the name of the spell, and blank spaces for all the particulars of the spell. The wizard will have to cast the spell to learn its effects. Certain pieces of information will be known from a single casting. Range, Duration, Casting Time, Mercurial Magic effects will all be revealed by a single casting. Corruption and Misfire should be noted by the player as they occur. Likewise, the player should note the effects of the various casting rolls, as they occur.

For example, a wizard discovers a Sleep spell in a moldering tome. After much study and meditation, he has learned the basics of casting the spell. Yet, only taking it out of the lab and casting it under duress will truly reveal how the spell will behave for our erstwhile wizard. On his first use of the spell in a stressful situation, the player gets a total of 17 on his casting roll. The Judge tells the player the effect of the casting, and the player simply notes the roll. Later, during a break in the action, with the Judge's help, the player records the effect of a casting roll of 17 on his blank spell sheet. He also enters the range, duration, etc, along with the manifestation and mercurial effect. Corruption and misfire are left blank for now, since this casting was successful.

It should be emphasized that these spell sheets are living artifacts of the campaign. The wizard’s player is free to embellish them as imagination dictates—lab notes, marginalia, sketches, or stray observations are all encouraged. Odd smells, eerie sounds, minor mishaps, or fragments of arcane theory can be scrawled into the margins, transforming each page into a record of lived magical experience. In this way, a wizard’s “spell list” ceases to be a static chart tucked on the back of a character sheet. Instead, it becomes a sheaf of dangerous, wondrous pages—a testimony of power earned through risk and reward, scar and triumph.