learning spells

07 Mar, 2026

How does a character learn a spell? How does a player learn a spell?

In some games, these two questions have the same answer. But not most.

5e

In my 5e game, there are two spellcasters. The first is a wizard, played by a guy who is really into the mechanics and fiction. As per the rules, he simply gains spells every level, with no explanation of how -- this is left (optionally) up to the player or DM. To explain how his character gets the spells he does a little spiel in roleplay -- "Here's something I've been working on for a while!"-- before casting a new spell. There was also a pretty hype moment where they defeated some hobgoblin battle mages and he salvaged each of of their spellbooks to get a dozen fireball and fly scrolls.

The other spellcaster is a cleric. She's more into the fiction, less hot on the mechanics. We simply handwaive the question of how her character is getting these new spells. It's not an important question.

This works fine!

swyvers

Swyvers has a very cool magic system, but we're not here to talk about that. How does a Swyver learn magic?

Well, first of all, only 1 in 4 of them are literate. So it's a hard no unless you pay to put your character through school. Second of all, it provides a smidgen of guidance in the form of the three levels of initiation. Each gives you a further degree of control over spells. This implies that a magically inclined Swyver gains spells by seeking a mentor or studying.

Blue Cheese Left to Rot has a few spells littered around. The implication is that anyone who can read can cast it. I suppose you could also infer that the knowledge of spells was first bestowed by the Despots.

When I was running Swyvers, I had one player who was interested in casting spells. He actively sought out grimoires, so I made sure to include one or two every once in a while. Another player rescued The Warlock, a dire elephant captured from overseas that was actually a servant of one of the Twelve Despots. The Warlock imbued that character with a spell, it was pretty cool.

In this system, nobody gains spells for free. A spell -- or even just information about what a spell is -- is a piece of valuable treasure, or a tempting carrot to dangle in front of greedy players.

troika

Some backgrounds start with spells. They're treated the same as skills, which has some important implications. It suggests first and foremost that anyone can learn a spell. It also suggests that anyone can try a spell.

The way I've always run Troika is that I never call for a flat Skill roll. I always specify something (like underwater fencing) or allow a player to sub in an appropriate skill they already have (like normal fencing, or swimming). This way, if they succeed, they get to tick a new skill. This makes sense to me because it is how we learn real skills: by trying!

So can a player attempt any spell, at any time? I don't think so... a spell can manipulate reality to a greater degree than you would expect a simple skill to. It seems like something you gotta earn somehow.

The few times it's come up, I've ruled that a player needs to either see it done by someone else first, or read it off a manual or spell scroll. In this conception, a spell in Troika is kind of like a martial art skill¹. It also lines up with the short section in the rules on hiring trainers to teach you stuff.

But, yeah, I dunno. It's another one of those questions in Troika that's begging me for an answer, one that shapes the world and play simultaneously.

the vanilla game

My favourite magic system. RAW, the caster simply gains spells every level, and may copy new spells into their spellbooks if they find them. Drawing on its predecessors -- B/X and ODND -- there's scrolls and books lying around in dungeons, and there's sages you can pay extravagant sums to learn spells from as well.

But uhhh fuck all that. There's something way cooler going on:

Do you get why this is fucking epic?

That's right. It's because miscasting can cause you to discover new spells. This has a direct implication in the fiction at large, because it suggests that wizards in the world of TVG are researching new spells through trial and error.

I've had loads of instances where a player tries to cast a spell, fails, rolls a random spell effect, and ends up causing a complete paradigm shift. Walls of fire and ice, mass levitations, you name it.

In future games I plan to allow players some kind of discount or freebie on researching spells discovered via a miscast.

BUT HOLD UP!

Oh shit, guess what other game has a miscast table?

THat's right!

TROIKA!

One of my gripes with the Oops! table is that I've never rolled on it. More generally, players are pretty loathe to cast spells. It's super hard to succeed, and a fail is a null result unless it's snake eyes, in which case it's catastrophic. Compare that to TVG, where players often attempt to cast spells, knowing factually that there is a low chance of success, because they know something is guaranteed to happen, and it might even be good for them.

So... let's see if we can chop up TVG, stick in in Troika, and create a magic system that lets us

• cast more spells
• learn more spells while we're doing it
• explains how characters are learning spells in the fiction

Troika magic (with added swag)

To cast a spell, roll under your Skill Total in the spell you wish to cast. You must know the spell beforehand (e.g. have ranks or at least an advancement tick next to it). On a success, don't forget to put a tick next to the spell for future advancement.

If you fail, lose Stamina equal to the casting cost (number in brackets). Then, roll D66 for a Random Spell -- a wild, untamed version of that spell is released. Roll a Mien for it:

1. Patricidal -- the spell targets the caster.
2. Indiscriminate -- the spell targets everyone nearby.
3. Vindictive -- the spell targets a random person nearby.
4. Obedient -- the spell targets whomever the caster wishes.
5. Maliciously compliant -- the spell targets whomever the caster wishes, plus whomever the caster wishes the least.
6. you done fucked up! roll on the OOPS! table.

And gain a tick in the random spell you just cast.

how about you?

how do characters gain spells at your table? How do their characters gain those spells in the fiction? I'm curious.

As always, if you need me, I'm on my mobile. Peace.