Job Hazards of Magic
Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 9:22 pm
Many a DM dreams of representing magic as dark and dangerous, but we all know the more common pitfalls for such a goal.
What if you have the dangers of magic be longer in scope than a fumble chart? Logging is the most dangerous job in the States, and it's still only a 1 in a thousand chance of any single logger dying in a year. It's often enough that no reasonable person would disagree with the accusation of magic being dangerous, especially since such events are going to be more severe than a falling tree. It's also rare enough that you aren't thinking your PC is some kind of special snowflake for having their 50th anniversary without any workplace accidents. Hell, arcane mortality rate could be 1% per year and you still have half of your risk-loving wizards reaching retirement age.
If you absolutely must, you could include a rule where the PC rolls a 1d1000 during character creation. A natural 1 gives the DM a free "magic accident" plot hook coupon to use at some time during the first year of the game in response to a cast spell.
What if you have the dangers of magic be longer in scope than a fumble chart? Logging is the most dangerous job in the States, and it's still only a 1 in a thousand chance of any single logger dying in a year. It's often enough that no reasonable person would disagree with the accusation of magic being dangerous, especially since such events are going to be more severe than a falling tree. It's also rare enough that you aren't thinking your PC is some kind of special snowflake for having their 50th anniversary without any workplace accidents. Hell, arcane mortality rate could be 1% per year and you still have half of your risk-loving wizards reaching retirement age.
If you absolutely must, you could include a rule where the PC rolls a 1d1000 during character creation. A natural 1 gives the DM a free "magic accident" plot hook coupon to use at some time during the first year of the game in response to a cast spell.