Intelligence & bonus Spells?

[Blood axe]

In AEC a high wisdom score gives you bonus spells as a Cleric. Shouldn't high Intelligence do the same for a Magic-User?

A Thief gets a bonus to Thief skills. A Fighter gets a bonus to hit/damage for high Strength. The Magic-User is kind of left out.

Thoughts??

[elf23]

Yeah it is a bit of a weird disparity. I suppose the idea is that an MU with higher INT can learn more spells more easily, but, yeah, that's not quite as big an advantage as getting bonus spells per day.

[Blood axe]

Im pretty sure this has been discussed before, but it might have been in the old forum.
Its funny that in 3rd edition they changed it & gave the MU extra spells just like the Cleric.

[merias]

I would just house rule some extra spells for the MU based on INT, does anyone actually use the min/max knowable tables? It seems like one of those rules like weapon speed factor in 1e that no one used. The other side to this is that MUs have much more powerful spells to choose from at first level. As a DM, do you really want a 1st level MU with sleep, charm person and magic missile memorized?

As an aside, it looks like the min/max spells knowable for INT comes from greyhawk, and was just carried into 1e (and of course AEC). The bonus spells for clerics with high wisdom was in 1e, but not in greyhawk. In fact in greyhawk, this is explicity stated not to be the case with a note that cleric spells were divinely given and wisdom had no impact on how many spells a cleric could know. Clerics also did not get a spell at first level until 1e (not even in holmes or moldvay basic did they get that spell at first level, I wonder why in LL they get one? I bet there is a story there...).

[Blood axe]

A whole different topic but....


I kind of like the rule of Clerics not getting any spell at Level 1. A t level 1 you are an acolyte trying to prove you are worthy, have faith ,etc.

I quote from the Holy Red book (Moldvay) :
" However, clerics do not receive any spells until they reach 2nd level. (and have proven their devotion to their god or goddess) "

Sweet.

I started a new thread for this. (I know this one has been discussed before somewhere.)

[petespahn]

We house ruled MU spells for high Int the same as Cleric spells for high Wis. It seems to make the MU more relevant at lower levels without unbalancing them (any more than normal) at higher levels. Also meas you can throw a few more baddies at the characters per adventure.

[Black Wyvern]

What about the other way? A magic-user has to roll his learned spells and has a minimum and maximum number of spells per level based on his intelligence. Shouldn't a cleric? I mean Wisdom is their ability to devote themselves to the faith shouldn't it have more meaning that just bonus spells?

[Blood axe]

What about the other way? A magic-user has to roll his learned spells and has a minimum and maximum number of spells per level based on his intelligence. Shouldn't a cleric? I mean Wisdom is their ability to devote themselves to the faith shouldn't it have more meaning that just bonus spells?

I don't ever remember using the minimum/maximum spell rule for Magic-users.

[Black Wyvern]

I have never played an AD&D type game that didn't.

[Blood axe]

I have never played an AD&D type game that didn't.

I had it when a MU gains a level , I have them learn a spell or two. Other than that , they have to be bought, found, pay another MU to teach them, scribed from a scroll.
Just me, I guess.