[crossfire] Spell idea: Elemental skills

[Mark Wedel]

  I agree that trying to put all the spells into one of the 4 elements probably 
is a bad idea.  I see two real solutions to that:

1) Create a fifth skill, probably something like 'pure magic', which would cover 
the manabolts, detect magic, and other misc spells.  Problem I perhaps see is 
that this dilutes the spell skills even more, and if does include some of the 
bread & butter spells (like detect magic), may be a case that every spell caster 
needs this skill.

2) have these general spells be usable with any of the elemental skills.  In a 
sense, you could think of it as your best elemental skills becomes this fifth 
skill in terms of ability to cast spells.  This means any spell cast would get 
detect magic, detect monster, strength, etc, at appropriate levels.  But maybe 
this goes too much in the other direction of starting to make too many spells 
available to the general skills.

  But some other thoughts come to mind:
-Just because the spell is available right now to players doesn't mean it has to 
be - some spells could be only available in wands, scrolls, potions, etc.

- If we go the route that skills are much harder to gain (getting a spellcasting 
skill requires a quest, etc), then it becomes more likely that most players 
won't have these spells.

  For example, even my dumb fighter or barbarian will often learn sorcery at 
some point in the game, and thus detect magic, which is a first level spell.  So 
instead of using scrolls or whatnot to do detect magic, he can just cast it.

  If the game is changed such that he can't learn magic skills, and thus by 
correlation, detect magic, that would force him to use wands, scrolls, and rods. 
  This may not be a bad thing, making those a bit more valuable/useful.  But 
likewise, the fact that some spell casters don't have detect magic shouldn't be 
as big a deal either - they can also use these other objects to get that work done.

  One issue with a general magic skill is how it interacts or is limited by the 
others.  I said in my first message that the earth/fire/wind/water have 
diametric forces, so one can reasonably limit a character to 3 spell casting 
skills.  One would sort of envision that pure magic is in the middle of that 
circle - does that mean if someone chooses fire as their speciality, they now 
have 4 skills (fire, earth, air, general?)  And what about someone that chooses 
general magic - do they now get all 5, since the skill they take is in the middle?

  A lot of this can perhaps be limited by making the other skills hard to gain 
exp in, etc, but that has to be balanced carefully - if too hard (like 
summoning), it perhaps becomes somewhat pointless.  But if too easy, for 
example, a fire skill in that you can still kill things quickly, then the 
reduced exp may in fact not be much of a penalty.