Magic (POSM)

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Magic in the AD&D game is mysterious and wonderful. It gives the player characters access to superhuman powers of perception, movement, and destruction. With the right spell or magical item, a character can literally do anything. Impassable obstacles can be circumvented, secrets divined or unearthed, unbeatable monsters defeated; even a low-level wizard or priest can accomplish these amazing feats with ease. And, naturally, magic also empowers the enemies of the player characters, giving villains dangerous and unpredictable abilities with which to oppose the heroes.
While the magic system of the AD&D game generally works well, it only models one style or flavor of magical powers. The basic mechanic of learning spells through long study and forgetting them as they are cast is a very distinctive feature of the game system, and players who are seeking a particular fantasy setting may find it to be too pervasive in the AD&D system. For example, the AD&D spell system doesn't allow players to run characters who become fatigued or exhausted through use of spells but instead retain them in memory, a common element of fantasy literature. In other settings, magic comes with a moral or spiritual risk, and characters dare not call upon supernatural powers for fear of their lives or sanity.
In this chapter of Player's Option: Spells & Magic, we'll present an alternate system of acquiring and expending spells based on spell points. At its most basic level, this system simply permits wizards to customize their normal spell progression, but we'll also present optional systems to represent different philosophies or mechanics of magic, including magic systems based on fatigue, sanity, life energy, and spiritual risk or morality.
While the wizard class enjoys the spotlight in this chapter, we'll also take a look at priests and other spellcasters and present versions of the spell point system appropriate for those classes. Last, but not least, we'll discuss incorporating this material into existing campaigns.