Wizards such as Gandalf and Merlin can not be assigned to specific
levels of magic because they were complex individuals. Not only did they
have physical strengths and weaknesses but magical powers and limitations.
Like anyone else, magicians have preferences or specialties which
they perform better than others. For example: Radagast the Brown had
a strong preference for spells that dealt with nature, while Saruman
preferred spells of control and therefore studied and searched for the ‘One
Ring of Power’. The system of magic that is currently in use does not
reflect the wide varieties of magical fields which should logically exist. It
is possible to study any particular field of magic, such as they did, because
spells of different, unrelated characteristics are lumped together into the
same group.

    It is easy to understand why the system of magic follows this illogical
pattern if we remember the manner in which it was developed. Originally
all spells were divided into two groups: Holy and Non-Holy spells. Any
spell that was not a Holy spell, obviously belonging to the Clerics, was
considered a Magician’s spell. Because there was no reason to divide
these spells into groups according to the properties of the spells
themselves. Instead these spells were separated into different levels based
only upon the power of the spell. Later supplements added whole new
classes of characters, capable of using magic, along with entire collections
of spells for their use. As the system grew inconsistencies developed and
as the word implies, the supplements merely expanded the existing
system, rather than revamping it or correcting the illogical division of
spells which had occurred.

The simplest solution to these discrepancies would be a redivision of
the magic spells according to the characteristics of the spells themselves.
This new system would not only provide a real sense of progression but
would also allow a certain degree of specialization. All of the magic spells
now in use fall into one or more of the following catagories: Control,
Summoning, Mental, Time/Space, Attack, Senses, Animation, Illusion,
Knowledge, Transmutation, Defence, Nature and Holy.

Let’s examine the first and second level spells now available to a
magician and determine the types of spells they are according to these
new groupings:
 

1st LEVEL SPELLS	TYPE
Hold Portal	Control
Charm Person	Control
Sleep	Control
Read Magic	Knowledge
Read Languages	Knowledge
Protection from Evil	Defence, Holy
Shield	Defence
Ventriloquism	Senses
Detect Magic	Senses, Knowledge
Light	Senses, Summoning
Magic Missile	Attack

-

2nd LEVEL SPELLS	TYPE
Wizard Lock	Control
Knock	Control
Locate Object	Knowledge
Invisibility	Senses
E.S.P.	Senses
Detect Invisible	Senses
Detect Evil	Senses, Knowledge
Continual Light	Senses, Summoning
Darkness, 5'	Senses, Summoning
Pyrotechnices	Summoning, Nature
Web	Attack
Phantasmal Forces	Illusion
Mirror Image	Illusion
Levitate	Nature, Time/Space
Strength	Transmutation
Magic Mouth	Transmutation, Animation

According to the original rules, a first level magician receives one
initial 1st level spell, such as the Light spell (senses, summoning). His
advancement to the second level is based upon experience points which
are awarded for finding gold pieces and killing monsters. When he
reaches the second level, regardless of his success with his initial spell, he
receives another first level spell such as a Sleep spell (control). The two 
spells are usually from unrelated fields of magic and do not therefore
provide any sense of progression from one spell to the next. It is difficult
to explain how a magic user, who has these two dissimilar spells, can be
accumulating enough gold pieces, suddenly develop the power of another
unrelated spell such as Levitation (nature, time/space). It would be far
more logical for a magic user to master the Rope Trick (time/space,
animation), then Levitation (time/space, nature) and finally develop the
ability to Fly (time/space). Also notice that the last five spells of the
second level belong to the fields of magic that are not available on the first
level. Therefore the old system of magic can not base the acquisition of
these spells upon the prior use of related spells. The two Defense spells on
the first level have no counterpart on the second level.

Here are the magic spells of the Clerics, Druids, Illusionists, and
Magic Users divided into the new fields of magic and rated by level. Some
spells belong to more than one group, such as Reverse Gravity (nature
time/space) and are cross-referenced.

CONTROL (26) 
PRIME REQUISITE: CHARISMA

1	Charm Person	-
1	Hold Portal	-
1	Hypnosis	mental
1	Sleep	-
2	Charm Snake	-
2	Hypnotic Pattern	mental, illusion
2	Knock	-
2	Wizard Lock	-
3	Hold Animal	-
3	Hold Person	-
3	Paralyzation	-
3	Suggestion	-
4	Charm Person	-
4	Domination	-
4	Empathy	-
4	Mind Bar	-
5	Hold Monster	-
5	Hold Plant	-
5	Mind Blank	-
5	Quest	holy
6	Control Weather	-
6	Geas	holy
6	Power Word: Stun	attack
6	Repulsion	mental
7	Charm Mass	-
7	Charm Plants	-

SUMMONING (35)
PRIME REQUISITE: CHARISMA

1	Darkness	senses
1	Faerie Fire	-
1	Light	senses
2	Create Water	-
2	Darkness 5'	senses
2	Obscurement	-
2	Produce Flame	-
3	Call Lightning	nature
3	Continual Darkness	senses
3	Continual Light	senses
3	Monster Summoning I	-
3	Pyrotechnics	-
4	Animal Summoning I	-
4	Insect Plague	holy/attack
4	Monster Summoning II	-
4	Produce Fire	-
5	Animal Summoning II	-
5	Conjure Air Elemental	-
5	Monster Summoning III	-
5	Weather Summoning	-
6	Animal Summoning III	-
6	Conjure Animals	-
6	Conjure Fire Elemental	-
6	Conjure Water Elemental	-
6	Monster Summoning IV	-
6	Move Earth	-
6	Summon Invisible Stalker	-
7	Aerial Servant	-
7	Creeping Doom	attack
7	Earthquake	-
7	Fire Storm	attack
7	Monster Summoning V	attack
8	Conjure Earth Elemental	-
8	Monster Summoning VI	-
9	Monster Summoning VII	-

MENTAL (27)
PRIME REQUISITE: WISDOM

1	Aura Alteration	-
1	Body Control	-
1	Hypnosis	control
2	Energy Control	-
2	Hypnotic Pattern	control, illusion
2	Telepathic Projection	-
3	Clairaudience	senses
3	Clairvoyance	senses
3	Fear	-
4	Body Equilibrium	-
4	Confusion	-
4	Emotions	-
4	Empathy	knowledge
4	Mind Bar	-
4	Molecular Agitation	-
5	Body Weaponry	-
5	Chaos	-
5	Molecular Manipulation	-
5	Suspended Animation	animation
5	Telekinesis	-
6	Astral Projection	-
6	Feeblemind	senses
6	Mind Over Body	-
6	Molecular Rearrange	-
6	Repulsion	control
7	Astral Spell	-
7	Mind Blank	-

TIME/SPACE (27)
PRIME REQUISITE: WISDOM

1	Reduction	-
1	Rope Trick	animate
2	Expansion	-
2	Levitation	nature
3	Fly	-
3	Haste	animate
3	Slowness	animate
4	Dimension Door	-
4	Extension I	-
4	Plant Door	nature
5	Contact Higher Plane	holy/knowledge
5	Extension II	-
5	Magic Jar	-
5	Pass Plant	-
5	Pass Wall	-
5	Teleport	-
6	Extension III	-
6	Teleport via Plants	nature
6	Word of Recall	-
7	Gate	-
7	Limited Wish	-
7	Phase Door	-
7	Reverse Gravity	nature
8	Permanent Spells	-
8	Time Stop	-
9	Maze	-
9	Wish	-

ATTACK (20)
PRIME REQUISITE: STRENGTH

1	Heat Metal	animate
2	Warp Wood	animate, nat.
2	Magic Missile	-
2	Web	-
3	Fireball	-
3	Lightning Bolt	-
4	Ice Storm	nature
4	Insect Plague	holy, summoning
5	Cloud Kill	-
5	Finger of Death	-
5	Turn Wood	nature
6	Death Spell	-
6	Disintegrate	-
6	Fireball, Delayed Blast	-
7	Creeping Doom	summoning
7	Firestorm	summoning
7	Power Word: Stun	-
8	Meteor Swarm	-
8	Power Word: Blind	-
9	Power Word: Kill	-

SENSES (27)
PRIME REQUISITE: STRENGTH

1	Darkness	summoning
1	Detect Evil	knowledge
1	Detect Invisible	knowledge
1	Detect Magic	knowledge
1	Detect Pits/Snares	knowledge
1	Gaze Reflection	-
1	Light	summoning
1	Ventriloquism	-
2	Blindness	-
2	Continual Light	summoning
2	Darkness 5'	summoning
2	Deafness	-
2	Detect Invisible	-
2	E.S.P.	-
2	Invisibility	-
2	Misdetection	knowledge
2	Silence 15'	-
3	Clairaudience	mental
3	Clairvoyance	mental
3	Continual Darkness	summoning
3	Infravision	-
3	Invisibility, 10' r	-
3	Non-Detection	knowledge
4	Improved Invisibility, 10' r	-
4	Wizard's Eye	-
5	Feeblemind	mental
5	Mass Invisibility	-

ANIMATE (25)
PRIME REQUISITE: DEXTERITY

1	Heat Metal	attack
1	Rope Trick	-
1	Warp Wood	-
2	Cure Light Wounds	-
2	Magic Mouth	transmutation
3	Cure Disease	holy
3	Explosive Runes	transmutation
3	Haste	time/space
3	Slowness	-
3	Speak with Dead	knowledge
4	Animate Dead	-
4	Cure Serious Wounds	-
5	Raise Dead	-
5	Suspended Animation	mental
6	Animate Objects	-
6	Move Earth	nature
6	Part Water	holy, nature
6	Reincarnation	-
6	Sticks to Snakes	transmutation
7	Animate Rock	-
7	Raise Dead Fully	-
7	Restoration	-
7	Simulacrum	-
7	Symbol	-
8	Clone	-

ILLUSION (18)
PRIME REQUISITE: DEXTERITY

1	Change Self	transmutation
1	Phantasmal Forces	-
2	Hypnotic Pattern	control, mental
2	Mirror Image	-
2	Phantasmal Forces, Improved	-
3	Hallucinatory Forest	-
3	Hallucinatory Terrain	-
3	Spectral Forces	-
4	Massmorph	transmutation
4	Minor Creation	-
4	Shadow Magic	-
4	Shadow Monsters	-
5	Create Spectres	-
5	Demi-Shadow Magic	-
5	Demi-Shadow Monsters	-
6	Major Creation	-
6	Projected Image	-
6	Summon Shadow	-

KNOWLEDGE (23)
PRIME REQUISITE: INTELLIGENCE

1	Detect Evil	senses
1	Detect Invisible	senses
1	Detect Magic	senses
1	Detect Pits/Snares	senses
1	Locate Animals	-
1	Locate Object	-
1	Read Languages	-
1	Read Magic	-
2	Find Traps	-
2	Locate Plants	nature
2	Misdetection	senses
2	Speak with Animals	-
3	Non-Detection	senses
3	Speak with Dead	animate
3	Speak with Plants	nature
4	Empathy	mental
4	Precognition	-
5	Commune	-
5	Commune with Nature	nature
5	Contact Higher Plane	holy, time/space
6	Find the Path	-
6	Legend Lore	-
6	Speak with Monsters	-

TRANSMUTATION (18)
PRIME REQUISITE: INTELLIGENCE

1	Change Self	illusion
1	Purify Food/Water	holy
2	Masgic Mouth	animate
2	Strength	-
3	Explosive Rune	animate
3	Water Breathing	-
4	Neutralize Poison	holy
4	Plant Growth	nature
4	Polymorph Others	-
4	Polymorph Self	-
5	Animal Growth	nature
5	Create Food	-
5	Rock to Mud	-
6	Sticks to Snakes	animate
6	Stone to Flesh	-
7	Metal to Wood	-
8	Polymorph any Object	-
9	Shape Change	-

DEFENCE (18)
PRIME REQUISITE: CONSTITUTION

1	Protection from Evil	holy
1	Shield	-
1	Wall of Fog	-
2	Fog	nature
2	Protection from Fire	-
3	Dispell Magic	-
3	Protection from Normal Missiles	-
4	Protection from Evil 10'	holy
4	Protection from Lightning	-
4	Wall of Fire	-
4	Wall of Ice	-
5	Anti-Plant Shell	-
5	Wall of Iron	-
5	Wall of Stone	-
6	Anti-Animal Shell	-
6	Anti-Magic Shell	-
6	Blade Barrier	-
7	Prismatic Wall	-

NATURE (31)
PRIME REQUISITE: CONSTITUTION

1	Predict Weather	-
1	Warp Wood	attack, animate
2	Fog	defence
2	Levitate	time/space
2	Locate Plant	knowledge
2	Obscurement	senses
2	Produce Flame	summoning
3	Call Lightning	summoning
3	Fly	time/space
3	Plant Growth	transmutation
3	Speak with Plants	knowledge
4	Control Temperature, 10 r.	-
4	Ice Storm	attack
4	Plant Door	time/space
4	Produce Fire	-
5	Animal Growth	transmutation
5	Commune with Nature	knowledge
5	Control Winds	-
5	Pass Plant	time/space
5	Turn Wood	attack
6	Control Weather	control
6	Lower Water	-
6	Move Earth	animate
6	Part Water	holy, animate
6	Teleport via Plants	time/space
6	Weather Summoning	-
6	Word of Recall	time/space
7	Earthquake	-
7	Fire Storm	-
7	Reverse Gravity	time/space
7	Wind Walk	-

HOLY (19)
PRIME REQUISITE: LAWFUL ALIGNMENT

1	Protection from Evil	defence
1	Purify Food & Water	-
2	Bless	-
2	Prayer	-
3	Cure Disease	animate
3	Protection from Evil 10'	defence
3	Remove Curse	-
4	Insect Plague	attack, summoning
4	Neutralize Poison	transmutation
5	Commune	-
5	Contact Higher Plane	knowledge, time/space
5	Dispell Evil	-
5	Quest	control
6	Geas	control
6	Lower Water	-
6	Part Water	nature, animals
6	Sticks to Snakes	transmutation
7	Astral Projection	-
7	Holy Word	-

The rules necessary for employing this new system of magic have
been kept as short and simple as possible but can be expanded to suit your
own particular concepts of magic.

INITIAL SPELLS
A. Lawful characters begin with two 1st level Holy spells.

B. Neutral characters have their choice of one 1st level spell from each
field of magic determined by their highest prime requisite score.

C. Neutral characters with two or more prime requisite scores that tie
for the highest score, have the choice of which prime requisite score
they will use to determine their fields of magic.

D. A character may never possess more than two new spells at any one
time.

MISCAST SPELLS
A. The percentage of miscasting a spell is determined by comparing the
level of the spell to the appropriate prime requisite score of the
caster. For example: A 3rd level spell, such as Dispell Magic, cast by
a character with a dexterity score of 15 would have a 3/15 (one in
five) or a 20% chance of miscasting the spell.

B. The exact side effects of a miscast spell are determined by the
Dungeon Master.

FATIGUE FACTOR
A. The attempt to cast a spell, regardless of it’s success or effect, costs
the caster one point of the effected prime requisite score for each
level of the spell. The six prime requisite scores will therefore
fluctuate to represent the current levels of strength.

B. It is important to remember that the prime requisite scores will now
be used to determine two factors:
1. The ability to cast spells successfully.
2. The character’s actual physical strength (ability to force open
doors), charisma (number of followers), etc.

C. When a character uses part of a prime requisite score, such as
constitution, to cast a spell, it will also effect the character’s physical
constitution. Until they are recovered, the missing points have the
same effect as points lost due to melee or a magic spell/item used
against the character.

RECOVERY
A. For every turn not spent in melee, one point is recovered and can be
added to any one prime requisite score that is below it’s starting level.

B. If all prime requisite scores are at their starting levels, recovery
points are lost because they can not be accumulated for future use.

ADVANCEMENT
A. Advancement in one field of magic is completely independent of the
other fields.

B. A new spell must be successfully cast once for each level of the spell
before the character has the choice of another spell, on the same
level.

C. All the spells on a level must be mastered before the next level is
opened for use, at which time a character has the choice of any one
spell on the next level.

D. To be considered a ‘successful’ spell, as far as advancement is
concerned, the Dungeon Master should ensure that a spell was cast
for a valid reason and not just to fulfill the advancement
requirements.

NEW FIELDS OF MAGIC
A. Only two fields of magic can be studied at one time. However the
ability to advance in one field of magic can be exchanged for the
ability to study/advance in another field, when either of the two
following conditions have been met:
    1. Possession of a magic item from a new field of magic, that has
        been successfully used once for each level of the spell.
    2. Successfully casting a spell that also belongs to a new field of
        magic, at least once for each level of the spell.

B. When a character begins, for the first time, in a new field of magic he
has his choice of any one 1st level spell from the new field.

C. Once three or more fields of magic have been opened for study/
advancement, a character may freely change from one field to
another, at any time.

PLAYING AID
Because the prime requisite scores will fluctuate according to the use
of spells and the replacement of the points used, it would be easier to keep
track of their levels by using a graph similar to the one below. Covering
this chart with plastic and using a marker to circle the current level of
power for each category will give a quick reading of a character’s abilities
and limitations.
 

STRENGTH	INTELLIGENCE	WISDOM	DEXTERITY	CONSTITUTION	CHARISMA
20	20	20	20	20	20
19	19	19	19	19	19
-	-	-	-	-	-
18	18	18	18	18	18
17	17	17	17	17	17
16	16	16	16	16	16
15	15	15	15	15	15
14	14	14	14	14	14
13	13	13	13	13	13
12	12	12	12	12	12
11	11	11	11	11	11
10	10	10	10	10	10
9	9	9	9	9	9
8	8	8	8	8	8
7	7	7	7	7	7
6	6	6	6	6	6
5	5	5	5	5	5
4	4	4	4	4	4
3	3	3	3	3	3
-	-	-	-	-	-
2	2	2	2	2	2
1	1	1	1	1	1
0	0	0	0	0	0