Editing Masque of the Red Death (section)

==The Curse of the Red Death==
As everybody knows, magic in [[Dungeons & Dragons]] has long been an obstacle to DMs wanting to run intrigue or socialization-heavy adventures, never mind campaigns. [[Ravenloft]] came up with a number of rules tweaks to try and force magic into playing nicer, and Masque of the Red Death follows in its footsteps. In all versions, the same basic restrictions on spells from Ravenloft - planar travel doesn't work, divination doesn't work, etc - are reused and casting times are increased to a round per spell level if they weren't already higher.

In AD&D, because Gothic Earth is a "low magic" world, spellcasting requires a skill proficiency check; Spellcraft for Adepts, Spiritcraft for Mystics, with the addition of a -1/spell level penalty unless you spent an extra point to become proficient in that spell's school, and casting time is also elongated compared to standard worlds. Additionally, every time you cast a spell, you need to make a [[Powers Check]] for doing so, with a failure percent chance equal to the spell's level (double that for Necromancy spells) - plus, if you roll a natural 20 when making your spellcasting skill check, the spell goes haywire in some way.

In 3e, the same basic system applies, just with a few tweaks based on the changes to the underlying mechanics - spellcasting requires Knowledge (Forbidden Lore) checks to pull off and spells go haywire on a natural 1, for example. Since 1st level spells could still be cast in a reasonable time, spells like Magic Weapon, Protection From Evil, Cure Light Wounds remained extremely valuable and often mandatory.

The 5e version finally tones this down. All 1st level or higher spells that aren't cast as Rituals warrant a Powers Check, with Evocation and Necromancy spells imposing Disadvantage on the check. That's the downside. On the upside, that's the only hassle you have to deal with. The other major changes to spellcasting are that ritual spells can be performed by just about anyone, provided that they have a reference material for the ritual and can pass the Arcana skill check, and that spellcasters can also choose to "slow cast" their spells, deliberately lengthening them out and having to make the Arcana check in exchange for not having to spend the normal tally of [[Action Points|Resolve Points]] - this version of the game uses a sort of [[mana]] system to cover spellcasting.