Learning Minor Magic spells

[HedgeWizard]

In the experience section it says that we can learn new Wizard spells at 20x Magic Point cost and skill (including the magic ones) can be increased by one with 20 experience points.

When you take Minor Magic it says you get three cantraps per point of minor magic to start with and then three every time you increase your Minor Magic skill by one. It also says that you can only have a maximum of three per point of minor magic.

This strikes me as odd. There is no restriction on the number of spells you can have for other traditions but with Minor Magic you are limited to 18 and cannot change them afterwards. Sorcerers start with 47 spells!

I would like to propose the following:

- when starting you pick three cantraps per point of Minor Magic
- Additional ones are learned at a cost of 20 Experience Points for two cantraps (you must have a teacher or spell book to learn them from)
- increasing Minor Magic does not give additional cantraps
- no limitation on the maximum number of cantraps known

Your thoughts?

[Chompy]

I'm handling it pretty much the same way. Though rather than two for 20exp, I just say it's one for 10exp.
Makes for something to spend those last few leftover bits of experience on.

So yeah, I've been using the same four rules you mention here except the second one is:
-additional ones are learned at a cost of 10 Experience Points per cantrip (you must have a teacher or spell book to learn them from, but they're so simple anyone who can cast it can teach it)

[SkinnyOrc]

- Additional ones are learned at a cost of 20 Experience Points for two cantraps (you must have a teacher or spell book to learn them from)

10 XP each has been suggested a few times, which is pretty much the same thing.

- increasing Minor Magic does not give additional cantraps

Yep number of cantrips based on Minor Magic level is then just for character generation. It's still worth improving Minor Magic for the casting roll, although more for a dabbler in magic who doesn't have a very high MAGIC score.

[HedgeWizard]

I just had a look back through the archives and indeed this solution comes up several times. Apparently also in a document from Graham clarifying some points in AFF but which is no longer on the website.

Also found a long list of additional minor magic spells from Sid Lloyd as well which is nice.

I agree about the sense in increasing the skill level as well.

[Chompy]

10 XP each has been suggested a few times, which is pretty much the same thing.

Yah, just a minor tweak since I don't know that there's much benefit in making players save up to buy two at once before they can get any new ones. (:

[SkinnyOrc]

Apparently also in a document from Graham clarifying some points in AFF but which is no longer on the website.

Actually you're right, it is in the errata doc:

Page 56: Experience
The experience cost to acquire a new cantrip is 10 XP.

It doesn't revoke the bit about extra cantrips being learnt automatically if Minor Magic is improved, maybe because it's in a different section of the book (Magic chapter, page 69), but it doesn't make sense unless you remove that too. PM me and I can email over the errata doc.

Yah, just a minor tweak since I don't know that there's much benefit in making players save up to buy two at once before they can get any new ones. (:

Yep it's handy to have another cheap advance, and you'd expect they'd learn them one at a time.