OK, I just re-read the rules in question. I understand your issue now.
The intent of the rules is that a character who filled his repertoire of spells, and then lost some, cannot replace the spells except by doing so via the method listed - spending 1 week of game time and 1,000gp for each spell level to replace the spell.
You can explain this in-world as the mage having already annoyed the relevant spirits, disturbed the ley lines, and generally made a mess of things through his negligence and forgetfulness, necessitating a costly and lengthy righting of the situation.
So, what is it that allows you to fill a new slot for free? Is it simply a factor of your power that you can make the bargains and align to ley lines, etc as a factor of your training without costly reagents? But once you’ve ‘disrupted’ the learning, you need expensive drugs, potions, etc to fix it?
Also, can a character refuse their mentor’s randomly generated spell?
Mentor: I’m going to teach you Hold Portal.
PC: Bite…Me…
And finally, this comes back to the question I asked in the other thread, what is the cost of learning a spell from someone if you aren’t willing to learn what your mentor offers?
1. The spell prevents you from moving, but it doesn't paralyze you. (Contrast the description of Hold Person, which says "targets of the spell are aware and can breathe normally, but cannot take any actions, including speech.") Whether you want to allow a spell to be cast or an attack to be made by an entangled character is left to the Judge's discretion depending on the circumstances.
2. Web has a very short range, at 10'. This is really the #1 flaw the spell has. Rarely does a mage want to get within 10' of anybody..
As a general rule, when I run ACKS, I consider any engaged characters to be in superposition, e.g., they are moving back and forth between the engaged spots. So any area of effect spell that would hit the one would hit the other. I never ever allow 3.5-style fireballs which are perfectly placed to hit all the bad guys and miss all the good guys.
Yeah, I hear you on the ‘superposition’ thing. I’ve already ruled that AoE’s effect anyone in melee with each other so that if you hit one side, you hit your mates as well. That actually leads to a friendly-fire death later on…
In this case though they got him by surprise and combat hadn’t started yet. But I see your point, I’ll give it some thought.
His essence is currently weak considering he’s joined with a mortal form but yes Alren has become a Hybrid Demon. I made up a custom class/race for it.
This is the player’s first time playing D&D and is really focused on story and he had no idea what the Wish would do. It just fit his character’s bitterness.
I am going to purloin this and find a way to fit the DoMT into my campaign. Thank you for the reminder: I dearly want to see what the party does with it.
Oh man, re-reading the old session reports today, I had totally forgotten about the Bonecrusher encounter, wow, that was a high tension everyone-is-going-to-die moment, and before that the 2 parties of adventurers with sleep spells have a knock-out fight scene was hilarious to blunder through.
Thanks for the good work on the entertaining read Tywyll
