0 Level Magic

[daryen]

While working on the other efforts I took a minor side-track trip to come up with a different way of doing cantrips and orisons. Basically, instead of trying to list all possibilities, I came up with parameters of what can be done. This means there are no real named 0 level spells. Instead, it is just a power that can be used pretty much at will. The purpose is to prevent the need for lists and lists of low-level spells and powers. Within the limits given, the number of specific uses can be very, very wide.

To keep things limited, the use of cantrips and orisons take a full round to cast, and then only last for a round. They can't be continued; you have to cast it again to keep doing it. However, depending on the effect, the results of the effect will continue past that first round. So, repair a rope, the repairing itself takes a round, but the result is permanent.

Also, it is not possible to perform all of the things seen in other efforts around cantrips and orisons. Those would end up being first level spells in this system, if they are still needed or desired.

Again, this is just an alternative idea to 0 level spells. Hopefully, it is at least interesting to think about. At worst, it is literally only a page long, so you didn't waste much time looking at it. Also, if there is something horrible abusive I missed, please let me know so I can try to close any loopholes.

Added to the Showcase.

[Seven]

I don't see a problem with doing that for the Magic-User. The Cleric version has some minor effects like heal 1 hit point.
Obviously, you need to keep track of how many times you can do that.

I didn't find the list of Magic-User cantrips very interesting, but I don't have anything better in mind.

[daryen]

Do note that this 0 Level Magic is not as capable as all of the cantrips and orisons from 0 Level Spells. It is an alternative using a completely different approach. As such, there will be things that are in 0 Level Spells that won't be possible with 0 Level Magic. That is by design.

So, no, you cannot allow healing 1 point of damage as an at-will ability. As a result, it doesn't exist in 0 Level Magic. Use Cure Light Wounds and move on. What I *did* want to include was a port of Pathfinder's Stabilize. (Which, really, was the entire point of Cure Minor Wound.) But that only matters if you allow negative hit points. So, since neither fit with what I was trying to do, neither are present. Again, that was intentional.

This does mean that if you are trying to cover everything from 0 Level Spells, what you really end up doing is requiring a handful of new first level spells.

[daryen]

One extra note. The list in the document is only meant to be an example list. As long as you stay within the guidelines, you can do anything you can convince your GM of. The point is not to give a definitive list of spells. It is to give parameters and encourage creativity. That's why it's called "Magic" and not "Spells".