D&D Spells in HQ Grimoires

[JonL]

I might be running B2: Keep on the Borderlands in HQ next weekend, so I busted out the spell list from Unearthed Arcana and started thinking about how the magic might be grouped thematically. These are the result. They all contain mostly 1st & 2nd level spells with a few 3rds here and there. I figure the more powerful spells will face higher resistance to cast.

A Prestidigitator's Primer
A classic reference tome collecting basic spells geared toward helping a journeyman magic-user survive the dangerous world outside his former master's protection.
--Magic Missile
--Shield
--Light
--Feather Fall
--Protection from Evil
--Shocking grasp
--Mending
--Jump
--Scare
--Locate Object
--Web
--Feign Death
--Dispell magic

Essences of of Motion
A basic text on the application of magical power to force and movement.
--Feather Fall
--Jump
--Push
--Spider Climb
--Run
--Unseen Servant
--Levitate
--Shatter
--Haste
--Slow
--Gust of Wind
--Fly

The Fragile Self
A tretise on effecting the minds of others by the notorious seducer and manipulator, Gavarge.
--Charm Person
--Friends
--Hold Person
--Taunt
--Message
--Sleep
--Forget
--Scare
--ESP
--Tasha's Uncontrollable Hedeous Laughter
--Suggestion

The Burning Hand
The first (and most common) of three volumes on pyromancy by the ancient archmage Xeross, intended to be an introductory work.
--Affect Normal Fires
--Melt
--Firewater
--Burning Hands
--Pyrotechnics
--Flaming Sphere
--Light
--Flame Arrow
--Stinking Cloud

The Peerless Burglar
A collection of spells for stealth and theft
--Spider Climb
--Fools Gold
--Invisibility
--Leomund's trap
--Nystul's Magic Aura
--Locate Object
--Rope Trick
--Knock
--Infravision

On the Malleability of the Three Dimensions
An examination of the magical principles that underlie distance, size, and space.

--Tenser's Floating Disc
--Message
--Levitation
--Enlarge
--Item
--Rope Trick
--Mirror Image
--Deeppockets
--Blink
--Clairaudience
--Clairvoyance

[soltakss]

Looks good. The beauty of HeroQuest is that you don't need anything more than the spell name, you can narrate what the effect is.

I wouldn't make spells easier/harder to cast, personally, as my HeroQuest treats everything the same. 

If you did want to make 3rd level spells only available to more powerful magic users, then put them in separate grimoires which are made available to the more powerful.

[JonL]

Oh, it's still the same as everything else. Climbing a rock face might be Moderate resistance while climbing the same bluff in during a downpour would be Very Hard. So too casting "lower" vs "higher" level spells. That's not the only factor of course, as unless we're zooming in to extended actions we're still talking about overall conflict resolution rather than task-level, but it's part of the overall situation to be considered.

 

More powerful yet spells in more advanced grimoires would definitely be a thing if I did this in a longer campaign. Xeross's second volume for example would have things like Fireball, Explosive Runes, and Wall of Fire, while the third would have things like Summon Elemental, Incendiary Cloud, and Meteor Swarm.