Alternative Rules for Spell Research

It is a truth universally acknowledged that high-level Wizards are cool as hell.

Im sure a few of you will have seen my rules for free magic. For those who havent, they outline a process through which characters can attempt to cast spells which they dont have access to normally. Sometimes this works. Most of the time, things get weird for the characters.

For me, some of the thrill of playing and running D&D is not knowing how a plan is going to turn out. This style of play isnt for everyone. If you prefer your campaigns a little more deterministic, these rules might not be for you.

Essentially, these rules allow the Wizard to learn to do many of the things that Sorcerers can do innately. It is expensive and difficult.

How it Works

When away from adventures, some may wish to engage in spell research. This powerful technique allows advanced magic users to gain a deeper understanding of certain aspects of the Weave, and exploit these to increase the potency of their magic.

Spell Research

During downtime a Wizard of at least 8th level may choose to research spells. They must have access to a (magical) Library for at least 8 hours per day. The procedure is as follows:

The player rolls a d20. The spell to be upgraded should be looked up in the table below. Note that the Wizard must have the ability to cast the chosen spell.

Roll	Researched Spell
1-2	The spell is Prestidigitation.
3-5	The spell is Fireball.
6-10	The spell is Polymorph (or True Polymorph if the caster has access).
11-19	The caster can choose the spell from their spell book. It must not be an already-upgraded spell.
20	The caster can choose any spell from their spell book.

The Wizard must pay the material costs of 1000gp per base level of the researched spell, for research materials. If the caster does not have the funds available, they may pause spell research until they have the money. No other spells can be researched in the mean time.
The Wizard researches, 8 hours per day, for 2 full weeks per base level of the researched spell.
Once complete, the caster will have access to an enhanced version of the researched spell. See Spell Enhancements below to determine how.
The new version of the spell is called [Player Name]s [Enhancement Name] [Spell name]. The spells base level increases by 1, except for the Effortless enhancement.

Spell Enhancements

Roll a d20. The enhancement gained is described in the table below.

Roll	Name	Spell Enhancement
1	Volatile	Casting the spell causes a random Magical Effect to occur¹.
2	Twinned	By casting with a spell slot exactly 1 above base level, the effect occurs twice². The second casting can be retargeted.
3	Illusory	Any creatures who see the spell cast believe that the spell was Fireball centred on them, and act accordingly.
4-5	Innate	The spell no longer requires material, somatic, or verbal components.
6	Vindictive	Saves on the spell have +4 to DC.
7	Unstoppable	Concentration on the spell cannot be interrupted.
8	Permanent	The spells concentration can be maintained indefinitely.
9	Longevious	The spells duration is doubled.
10	Malleable	The school of the spell can be decided at will.
11	Adaptive	The damage type(s) of the spell can be decided at will.
12	Portative	Once per day, an allied character within line of sight can cast the spell on their turn. This expends one of your spell slots of the appropriate level.
13	Protected	The caster is surrounded by an golden shimmer for the casting duration + 1 round. During this time their AC is increased by 6.
14	Empowered	The spell acts as if cast with a spell slot 2 levels higher.
15-16	Quickened	The spells casting time reduces by half. If it was an Action, it is now a Bonus Action.
17-18	Distant	The spells range increases. See the Range Increase table below³.
19	Painless	When cast, the spell expends a spell slot 2 levels below the chosen slot level instead, if one exists⁴.
20	Effortless	The spells base level reduces by 1 instead. If it is already 2 or below, it becomes a cantrip.

If the effect gained is inapplicable, roll again.

Roll(d4)	Range Increase
1	The range increases by 50%.
2	The range doubles.
3	The range triples.
4	The range increases to one mile. If it is already at least one mile, it increases to the nearest power of 10 miles.

##Example

Heres an example of how thisll work in practice.

Taako, our intrepid Wizard, decides they want to research a spell during downtime.
They throw a d20 to decide the spell to research roll a 5 - their spell is Fireball.
They pay the cost of 1000gp * 3 = 3000gp, and spend 6 weeks researching.
They roll a 17 for enhancement. They then roll a 3 on range. This increases the range of their Fireball spell to 150ft*3 = 450ft.
The new spell, Taakos Distant Fireball, is added to their spell book.

##A note on naming

Side note: If the spell is already named, for example Mordenkainens Magnificent Mansion, the pre-names are removed and the spell is named as if it were originally called Mansion. Likewise if the spell is Create Water or something similar, it can be renamed to, for example, Taakos Effortless Water.

Let me know what you think of these variant rules. And if you consider adding them to your own downtime ruleset, let me know!

I recommend the NLRME, but you can also use the canonical Wild Magical Surge table.�
This uses the BASE version of the spell . Bonuses (damage,range) for using higher-level spell slots are not gained.�
This includes spells whose usual range is touch or self - they are considered 10m for the purposes of this calculation.�
The caster must have a level N spell slot available, but an N-2 spell slot is expended. If the spell is cast with a level 2 slot or lower, it does not expend a spell slot.�

[ up a level ]