Magic-Users Spells
First Level
Hold Portal: many players
immediately called to mind the early part of Gandalf’s
confrontation with the Balrog of Morgoth in Tolkein’s Lord of
the Rings trilogy when they read the phrase a strong
anti-magical creature will shatter it (…).
Read
Magic:
its description reinforces the idea magic scrolls cannot simply be
picked up and read.
Read
Languages:
reinforces the idea treasure maps will not be easily decoded and
their secrets discovered.
Light: why does it specify not equal to
full daylight? Because one
version of the Cleric light
spell is, makng the Cleric’s
continual version of the
spell useful against certain creatures. For example, goblins get -1
from their “to hit” rolls and morale checks when subjected to
daylight (Vol II. p. 7. Goblin description).
Charm
Person:
though a first level spell Charm Person is potentially a permanent
one, depending upon how one chooses to define the term. The spell
duration was revised in Supplement I: Greyhawk.
Sleep:
the only first level spell
clearly intended for offense,
though light could
certainly be
used for offense by an
imaginative caster and charm
person could stop a
monster from attacking and
make him an ally.
Second
Level
Detect
Invisible (Objects):
given the first two words of the spell name, and the description of
the spell effects; why did Gygax choose to parenthetically highlight
objects?
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Phantasmal Forces: led to the way to
heated debates regarding the deadliness of illusory medusas or 30’
spiked pits. A very effective spell in the hands of a clever player.
ESP: because of the way Gygax and many
other referees drew dungeons with 1 foot stone walls? This spell was
effectively limited to scanning one room. Due to the fact it could
penetrate rock up to about 2’ in thickness.
Thus, the spell could penetrate a foot of wall thickness, scan the
room on the other side, but not penetrate the additional foot of rock
wall on the far side of the room.
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Continual Light: here we encounter
the next spell of permanent effect.
Third Level
Fly: a spell of varying duration, with
length of flying ability lasting a set number of round based upon the
level of the spell caster. Add to this an additional time of 10
minutes up to an hour; this additional time being known only by the
referee. Do you feel lucky?
Hold Person:
states this spell is similar to Charm Person but
this is one comparison we feel could us a bit more explanation. We
actually see little similarity between the two, though one finds it
entertaining to try imagine how they might be the same.
Dispel
Magic:
Gygax consistently spells the first word of this enchantment as
dispell. This
variant is changed
to the more mainstream spelling in
the eighth printing. The spell description includes information
useful for setting up spell battles, using a ratio of the difference
between the battling magic-users.
Clairaudience:
a major personal memory was the crystal ball scene in The
Wizard of Oz in which
the crystal ball. We found the need to cast another spell into a
crystal ball to get audio as an interesting idea.
Fire
Ball:
the tactical nuke of the OD&D rules.
Interpretation of this
rules typically comes down to a variation of one of these two
approaches:
Volume:
the referee calculates the volume of the cast fireball. This
is simple in OD&D because unlike
later editions the blast
volume does not change,
only the damage. The result is compared to
the volume of available space. Woe be unto the mage casting fireball
into a 10’ x 10’ x
10’ room if she is standing in the only hallway leading into that
room!
Range:
compare the area of effect to the epicenter of the blast, burn
everything within that radius.
One is accurate, the
other speeds play. We will leave it to individual referees as to
which is best for their campaign.
Lightning Bolt:
another example, others include invisibility and fire ball,
of an unnecessary call-out to CM. The citation is valid, but the
information is repeating here (as it was in the examples).
Invisibility, 10’
Radius: why not 1” radius? Is it to establish the spell area of
effect is only 10 feet whether beneath or above ground?
This spell and the next
(infravision) are improperly formatted, with the descriptions
being joined, in all but the first printing. In the eight printing
the infravision description appears twice: joined to this spell
description and in its own entry; both entries are complete and
identical.
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Slow Spell
and Haste Spell: the latter is listed as exactly
opposite of the former and goes on to point out one will counter
the other. While the interpretation of casting one to cancel out the
other seems rather obvious, we were inspired by this wording and a
magic item (ring of spell turning) to house-rule a spell
combat system.
Protection from
Normal Missiles: we interpreted the spell description
to mean it only bestowed protection versus missiles fired by ordinary
zero-level men-types. Leveled adventurers would be above normal
per our interpretation of the term.
Fourth Level
Polymorph Self:
Constitution influences how well the character can withstand being
paralyzed, turned to stone, etc. Does this include, as it did in
later editions of the rules, being polymorphed? If one interprets the
rule thus, it could make this a risky spell to use on oneself.
Polymorph
Others: a slightly more powerful version of the polymorph
self spell, imbuing the target with more of the innate abilities
of the assumed form. A similar issue exists as with polymorph
self, that is, making a survival roll and a saving throw make
using this spells a risk; especially against lower level or hit dice
creatures. The target would have to fail a save versus polymorph,
then a roll versus Constitution. We personally solved the implied
dilemma by allowing a willing recipient of a polymorph other
enchantment to willingly forfeit the saving throw.
Remove Curse:
remove any one […] evil sending? Would that work by touch,
or would one use it as a ranged spell? We would likely use as the
adjacent to object listed in the spell description, with all
the drawbacks such a position would entail.
Wall of
Fire: one of the four “Wall” (with Ice, Stone, Iron)
spells in the rules. In EGG’s campaign, the spell had to have at
least 2 anchor points. This prevented magic-users from creating a
magical construct over the head of the unlucky target and having
gravity exert its influence.
Confusion:
basically grants an ~28% chance of being attacked by the targets. Of
course, a hostile group typically has a 100% chance of attacking! So,
cutting it by two-thirds is a not a bad thing.
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Growth of
Plants: renamed Plant Growth in later editions.
Amazon Illustration:
we have difficulty imagining the amazon depiction passing the
censors. We have no difficulty at all imagining the resulting outcry,
should this happen.
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Fifth Level
Teleport: this
is a dangerous spell to use if the caster is not intimately familiar
with the destination.
Conjure
Elemental: states [o]nly one of each type can be conjured
by a Magic-User during any one day. Does this mean only earth
elemental (for example) can be summoned anywhere on the planet per
day? The sentence reads that way, though we ran it as an individual
could summon a particular type of elemental only once per day.
Another interpretation
varying from one referee to another is dispelling the elemental. Can
an out of control elemental be dispelled? In our campaign only an
elemental still under the summoner’s control could be dispelled.
Telekinesis:
spelled “telekenesis” in printings before the 8th.
Transmute Rock
to Mud: the spell description implies this spell can be
reversed by chanting it backwards. The third level spells haste
and slow counter each other. Because these appeared first,
we always ran spells as needing to be memorized in standard or
reversed mode by Magic-Users but chanted backward by Clerics to be
reversed on the fly.
Animate Dead:
there would be a nice symmetry if this spell and level title
Necromancer coincided. That is, if the title and the spell
were gained at the same level. Alas, they are not.
Magic Jar:
great spell for the referee and his NPC spell-casters, but we have no
memory of seeing this spell employed, or even memorized, by a PC
Magic-User.
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Contact Higher
Plane: at its safest level, a somewhat unreliable spell. At
its most accurate it carries a high chance of temporary insanity.
Goblin
Illustration: the goblin has a beard!
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Growth of
Animals: for trained or charmed animals. Otherwise, the
targets of this spell could attack the Magic-User’s party.
Sixth Level
Stone to Flesh: another M-U
spell reversed without a separate form.
Reincarnation: a fun reason to invoke the
Alignment Table (I-9). The player returns to life, not as himself but
in the form of monster of like alignment.
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Death Spell: fewer than 7 Hit Dice.
So, up to six hit dice and the toughest saving throw (versus spells).
This is a marked improvement over save versus death ray,
which is one of the easiest saves.
Geas:
a useful spell for clever players, one with a bit more “teeth”
than the Cleric’s quest. Players
will also run afoul of this one while exploring the wilderness, if
they come across a wizard’s tower.
Disintegrate:
makes coming back from the dead more difficult than it already is for
player-characters. Disintegrate is
another spell with a great deal of utility for the resourceful
player.
Clerics
Of Clerics & Their Spells
Clerics spells in OD&D are limited in both
number and power. In our 1975 interpretation of this class, Lawful
Clerics had to use the beneficial spell forms and had the ability to
turn undead. Chaotic Anti-Clerics had to use the reversed baneful
spell forms (p.22: Note that underlined Clerical spells are
reversed by evil Clerics) and were unable to turn undead.
Regarding the latter, it was implied to us by the description for
this ability though we will admit this is not specifically stated.
Some referee ran this as giving Anti-Clerics to command the
undead into service, similar to charming a
monster.
First Level
Cure Light
Wounds: restores lost hit points. Instead of just saying to
everyone or all player-characters, the description included the
following: (including elves, dwarves, etc.). Why? A curious
comment, perhaps a holdover from an earlier edit, or an extension of
resurrection spells not working on certain demi-humans.
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Second Level
Bless: only
works on persons not in combat.
Speak with
Animals: the spell description implies the spell confers
immunity to attack from the spell target whether the spell recipient
in favorably inclined toward the target or not.
Third Level:
Cure Disease:
very handy against curses and mummy rot disease.
Continual Light:
alone among the light spells, this one equal full daylight.
Elf Illustration:
the elf has a beard.
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Fourth Level
Neutralize
Poison: poison in OD&D was typically run as save or
die. When asked about this spell, EGG indicated if cast right
away (within 2 or 3 turns) he would allow it to work on a poisoned
PC.
Raise Dead:
did not work against Halflings. In AD&D it worked to raise
Halflings but not Elves (though it did work for Half-Elves).
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The Finger of Death:
the reverse of raise dead and notable for being the only
reversed spell to have its own listing. The MU spells slow and
haste are separate spells, whereas this is actually the same
spell as as raise dead but reversed.
Anti-Clerics:
since the Cleric class has slightly different abilities depending
upon alignment? It only makes sense this class also has different
rank titles for same.
Magical
Research: again, EGG and DA were encouraging referees and
players to use their imaginations and continue to push the written
rules in unique directions. Newcomers to the rules, such as ourselves
for example, may not have even considered writing their own spells
until reading this section.
Books of Spells:
nothing is stated in OD&D about an MU never traveling with his
spell book. The risk of losing it was typically enough to get a
player to think twice.
Similarly, the rules
merely state: Characters who employ spells are assumed to acquire
books containing the spells they can use, one book for each level.
