Author Topic: Are spell casters popular among your players ?  (Read 5599 times)

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Offline Dragonking11

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Are spell casters popular among your players ?
« on: August 11, 2017, 07:02:54 PM »
As the title says

In my 20 years of gaming, i only had a handful of characters created as spell casters

Players in my group were completely burned out by spell casters in our early years of gaming playing D&D. Spell casters were terrible in those times I won't deny it.

I always thought of RMSS spell casters as pretty cool and powerful characters but my players continued to stay away from them ..... even now

What about you guys ?

Offline Sable Wyvern

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Re: Are spell casters popular among your players ?
« Reply #1 on: August 11, 2017, 07:51:15 PM »
Prospective characters in my upcoming RMSS game are looking like:

Barbarian
Rogue
Arcane Elementalist
Warlock
Paladin
Magent
Healer
One undecided

I don't recall anyone voicing the opinion that RM spell casters are best avoided, nor do I think its remotely accepted as objective fact that OD&D/AD&D/BX/BECMI spell casters are terrible.

In general, I'd say that, in RM, semi-spell users are the weakest initially, and the most powerful within their area of specialisation at higher levels. Pure spell and hybrid users tend to have the greatest raw power and can be quite versatile. Non-spell users are the most versatile, although they can be overshadowed by spell users at very high levels.

Offline Dragonking11

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Re: Are spell casters popular among your players ?
« Reply #2 on: August 11, 2017, 08:31:02 PM »
In early D&D years, mage had only a single cast per day and 1 to 4 life points at first level ... they usually got killed in the first game unless they hid the whole fights

In RM, a first level pure spell user is fairly balance by having access to some great utility spells and a semi can at least be proficient with one weapon

But i agree with your assessment of RM casters and think your next roster seems like a very interesting group !

Offline Ecthelion

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Re: Are spell casters popular among your players ?
« Reply #3 on: August 12, 2017, 09:47:32 AM »
In our group Semi Spell Users are the most popular type. Then Pure/Hybrid and Non-Spell Users are the least popular ones.

Offline Dragonking11

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Re: Are spell casters popular among your players ?
« Reply #4 on: August 12, 2017, 11:03:57 AM »
I will definitely have to speak to my players and tell them to stop living in the past :)

I would really like to try a game with a mix and match of professions like Sable next game !

Offline Jengada

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Re: Are spell casters popular among your players ?
« Reply #5 on: August 12, 2017, 11:23:21 AM »
My current starting party in my campaign:
Rogue
Nightblade
Bard
Warrior Monk
Cleric

I'm running RM2, and so the first level characters generally have 1 PP/day, though all of mine ended up with 2 PP/day/level. One thing I also do is put each player through a 1-session solo adventure, through which they reach 2nd level. This brings the spell casters closer to the other professions, in power.
Another way to coax them towards adding a spell caster is, have them encounter a party that is balanced, with a spell caster and fighters. Working together, that party should be able to really give them a run for their money, and someone may decide to go for a caster, next time around.
We ask the hard questions here, because they keep us too busy to worry about the hard questions in the real world, and we can go with the answers we like the best.

Offline Dragonking11

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Re: Are spell casters popular among your players ?
« Reply #6 on: August 12, 2017, 03:09:07 PM »
Another way to coax them towards adding a spell caster is, have them encounter a party that is balanced, with a spell caster and fighters. Working together, that party should be able to really give them a run for their money, and someone may decide to go for a caster, next time around.

I just realized that a I rarely put my players in front of a dangerous spell user.

It is a great idea and I will  absolutely try to use it  ;D

Offline intothatdarkness

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Re: Are spell casters popular among your players ?
« Reply #7 on: August 12, 2017, 08:21:44 PM »
I've usually had a mix, with the bias running more toward semis and arms users. But I also run a fairly gritty campaign and my world is tailored for a more subdued magic style. I also have players roll for origin when they create their characters, and in some cultures spell casters are much less common than they are in others.
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Offline OLF, i.e. Olf Le Fol

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Re: Are spell casters popular among your players ?
« Reply #8 on: August 13, 2017, 09:47:20 AM »
My players tend to avoid pure spellcasters. Whilst they're, on the paper, very powerful, they're also a pain to manage, with lots and lots of spells to know, heavy dependance on spells, PPs, spell-ability boosting items, etc. But for a couple players, a few who tried concluded they implied too much management for what they were worth.
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Offline Peter R

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Re: Are spell casters popular among your players ?
« Reply #9 on: August 13, 2017, 10:43:53 AM »
I told my players I was going to be restrictive with magic by making spell lists harder to learn and making spell bonus items very rare and in spite of that the group they came up with is cleric, sorcerer, warrior mage, elemental warrior and mystic.

In a game were I am a player I am a lay healer and the rest of the party are magician, bard and noble warrior.

So there is a mix of semis, hybrids and pures but no solely arms users.
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Offline Dragonking11

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Re: Are spell casters popular among your players ?
« Reply #10 on: August 13, 2017, 08:58:41 PM »
It seems like there are a mix of opinions

Personally I would take a semi or pure spell user any day but I'm the only GM in my group !

In a game were I am a player I am a lay healer and the rest of the party are magician, bard and noble warrior.

So there is a mix of semis, hybrids and pures but no solely arms users.

I'm wondering how do you build your Lay Healer ? It is hard to come up with something original with that profession as all their spells deal with healing

Online jdale

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Re: Are spell casters popular among your players ?
« Reply #11 on: August 13, 2017, 10:12:29 PM »
Our RMSS game has a fighter, nightblade, mentalist, animist, and two paladins. So, one arms character, three semis, and two pure casters. Our RMU game has a rogue, one semi, two pure casters, and two hybrid casters.

So I would say it is the arms professions that get neglected for us.
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Offline Peter R

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Re: Are spell casters popular among your players ?
« Reply #12 on: August 14, 2017, 01:31:39 AM »
Quote from: Dragonking11

I'm wondering how do you build your Lay Healer ? It is hard to come up with something original with that profession as all their spells deal with healing

That is only true of channelling healers. Lay Healers have a varied mix of open and closed lists and only their base lists are healing centric.
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Offline Dragonking11

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Re: Are spell casters popular among your players ?
« Reply #13 on: August 14, 2017, 09:00:11 AM »
Our RMSS game has a fighter, nightblade, mentalist, animist, and two paladins. So, one arms character, three semis, and two pure casters. Our RMU game has a rogue, one semi, two pure casters, and two hybrid casters.

So I would say it is the arms professions that get neglected for us.

Thats a very good cast of characters. It's been a while since I had a 6 player game ... I usually run at 3. With so much spell casters, are your players good at managing their spells ? (by that I mean do they know their available spells well so it does not slow the game down when choosing their actions in combat)

That is only true of channelling healers. Lay Healers have a varied mix of open and closed lists and only their base lists are healing centric.

Ahh you are right ... It is true that the Lay Healer's realm is not bad if you want to invest in some utility spells

So did you build it more versatile or more healing oriented ?

Offline Peter R

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Re: Are spell casters popular among your players ?
« Reply #14 on: August 14, 2017, 09:26:39 AM »
I am low level at present but I have some healing lists but also sense mastery and detections. The character has an interest in scrying so I want to go in that direction.

He also has adrenal move speed and strength, is armed with a spear which I tend to use from behind the noble warrior.

I think I am a good all round character. As the group healer the rest of the party have a vested interest in keeping me alive which is a good thing. I am capable in a fight, although not the best. If I get adrenal move strength working then the +10OB and double damage certainly helps.

I am a human and spent all my BGOs on the skill at magic table which gave me some very useful stat bonuses and an additional PP per level. I now have 4 PP per level so even without a spell bonus item I do not really feel too starved of power points.
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Online jdale

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Re: Are spell casters popular among your players ?
« Reply #15 on: August 14, 2017, 11:46:35 AM »
Our RMSS game has a fighter, nightblade, mentalist, animist, and two paladins. So, one arms character, three semis, and two pure casters. Our RMU game has a rogue, one semi, two pure casters, and two hybrid casters.

So I would say it is the arms professions that get neglected for us.

Thats a very good cast of characters. It's been a while since I had a 6 player game ... I usually run at 3. With so much spell casters, are your players good at managing their spells ? (by that I mean do they know their available spells well so it does not slow the game down when choosing their actions in combat)

In the RMSS game, I'm playing the nightblade. The mentalist is pretty on the ball. The animist is newer to the group and still learning, but a lot of her spells are healing, so that's mostly outside the battle, and there are fewer to juggle in the thick of things. The paladins have fewer spell lists, and some of them are very focused (e.g. repelling undead/demons) so that's not bad.

In the RMU game, they all do ok, the main difficulty is that I keep tweaking the rules on them. :)
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Offline Dragonking11

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Re: Are spell casters popular among your players ?
« Reply #16 on: August 14, 2017, 12:06:25 PM »
In the RMU game, they all do ok, the main difficulty is that I keep tweaking the rules on them. :)

lol ... My players have said sometimes in the past that I was changing the rules out of the blue (when that put their characters at risk) ... it was never true of course ... but in your case ... I guess they have every rights to complain :D

Offline Cory Magel

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Re: Are spell casters popular among your players ?
« Reply #17 on: August 15, 2017, 12:14:02 AM »
I'd say we typically have 1-2 Pure Arms, 2-3 Semi's and a 1 Pure Caster.
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Offline Druss_the_Legend

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Re: Are spell casters popular among your players ?
« Reply #18 on: August 15, 2017, 04:08:49 AM »
current campaign pcs:
barbarian
burglar
assassin
bounty hunter
paladin

the burglar is actually a semi spell user thanks to getting archmage abilities on a background roll.
the paladin is a bit of a healing specialist, he has a few traits from trait law that boost his healing magic.


Offline Ecthelion

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Re: Are spell casters popular among your players ?
« Reply #19 on: August 15, 2017, 06:22:01 AM »
PCs of the two current campaigns we are running (different sets of players):
1st group:
Ranger
Armsmaster
Healer
Magician

2nd group:
Priest (of Strength)
Warrior Mage
Dabbler
Outrider