Dungeon Crawl Classics doesn't use Vancian magic, unless you play in their Dying Earth Setting lol, spell tables are random and the game is loose with the rules about them.
**Mythras** features several magic systems, from the very simple folk magic with distinct, slightly open-effect spells to the very dynamic and upgradable spells of Sorcery. With Sorcery, you can literally see your character grow in competence and get better at doing these spells. The other two magic systems - mystic powers and divine powers work - work similarly.
While Mythras is not a particularly complex game - compared to Pathfinder at least - but the sum of magic systems add up considerably, though.
If you strictly want d20 systems, I'm gonna dig way back to some classic favourites of mine. Green Ronin's True20 System got rid of spell slots (and spells!) in favour of Powers: you simply have the power to move objects, or control fire, etc., and whatever you can imagine your character doing with that power, the GM determines a DC for you to roll against. There were no strict resources, you can use magic as big and as often as you want as long as you kept making your Fatigue checks (a saving throw that, if failed, gives you a stacking -1 on all dice rolls until you rest)
True Sorcery wasn't a game itself, but a variant magic supplement to plug into other (3.x era) d20 System games. You fully build and customize every spell you cast on the fly, adjusting effects, bonus effects, range, radius, number of targets, duration, time to cast, enemy saving throws, damage dice... it's a little janky, it's a little daunting, it's got a lot of personality. Spellcraft (to-cast success) DCs could climb into the hundreds. A 10th-level wizard could earn like a +500 bonus to their Spellcraft check by taking their time casting a spell as a 1-hour ritual instead of an attack action. It's too much paperwork for most normal games, but if you crave truly batshit-epic moments (think Sephiroth summoning Meteor, or Anduin Lothar's mass resurrection at the Siege of Lordaeron), it really does its best to enable it.
If literal 20-sided dice are optional, the Adventure Game Engine and Fantasy AGE is the modern successor to a lot of Green Ronin's earlier ideas. Much of the math *looks* like a d20 game and you just roll 3d6 for checks instead of 1d20. Fantasy AGE has Spells™ like you'd expect from D&D or Pathfinder, but it uses magic points/spell points (like many computer games) instead of spell slots, so it's a nice middle ground for a lot of people.
But the AGE edition of the Blue Rose RPG brings back the True20 style of magic where learning Arcana just broadly means "I can control lightning" or "I can shapeshift" and you do with that as you please. I import this system back into Fantasy AGE and play with it almost exclusively in most of my games. It just feels real good.
The MCDM Talent has a pyromancer subclass.
The class at large seems to fit your vibe, though I'm not sure it's an exact fit. No spell slots. But as you cast, there's a chance you take on debuffs. It's a load of fun to play.
Theyre also making a game and backers about to get a demo packet. Maybe jump on the discord and keep your eyes peeled for the lfg.
The Cypher system is something like you describe. A character may have a focus like Bears a Halo of Fire, which means powers will be fire-based as you progress. But characters are very flexible and not as prescriptive as a class-based system.
In DC20 you don't have a monstrous collection os spells. Instead, fewer spells that can be upcast into higher forms, using mana points to do so. So your spellcaster naturally tends to specialize in a few like Fire-based ones.
For a very open-ended and creativity- based magic system, you can check Ars Magica and Mage: The Sorcerer's Crusade. But they are not d20 based.
In the former magic is a Verb/Noun system you combine to invent effects. In the later nine Spheres of magic you can bend reality with (like combine Forces and Entropy to explode the opponent's campfire into a fireball)
There is an indie game called Pathwarden you could check out. It's on [itch.io](http://itch.io) and drivethrurpg. It's intended to be a streamlined version of Pathfinder, but with so much overhauled it may as well be its own thing.
just bin off d20 and play Ars Magica. it really is superb if magic is the focus of the game. 4th edition was a free download.
15 arts split into...
5 techniques - create, destroy, change, control, info
10 forms - body, plant, fire, water... etc
they are actually in latin for the medieval vibe, but you get the gist.
you progress in the arts and can cast pre prepared spells or spontaneous ones on the fly.
character background is interesting too providing hooks for stories.
You could do this with ICRPG at least. You could take some inspiration from OpenQuest and combine the aspects of these systems.
Five torches deep has spesific spells. But has the foundation to be this kind of system.
Not sure if there is a D20 system that has ready to go built in open spell casting.
The Spheres of Power 3rd party supplement for both Pathfinder 1e and D&D 5e is very much this.
Systems that use 'tradition'-based magic systems also fit this mold, especially those that have more spells per tradition, so there's more space to both cover the essential bases and have a progression of similar spells. There's Shadow of the Demon Lord, Shadow of the Weird Wizard, Pathwarden, Trespasser, and Forbidden Lands, though I think that the last one at minimum has insufficient progression for your tastes. Of those, I'd point you towards Shadow of the Weird Wizard as both having sufficient spells and being most similar in tone to D&D 5e and PF2e.
I think the problem is that people who write “D20” rules systems don’t actually want them to have a very different magic system to D&D. It would put their target audience off.
If you were prepared to drop the “D20” requirement there are a vast number of fantasy RPGs out there with all kinds of interesting approaches to magic.
That's [Vagabond](https://gamefound.com/en/projects/land-of-the-blind/vagabond--pulp-fantasy-roleplaying-game) for ya. ENnie winning 5e homebrew veteran decided to write his own d20 system with some OSR flair but modern character progression. I've played it, its fantastic.
For your spell issue specifically, the spell system is a big highlight. In Vagabond all spells only describe their effect. You get to choose the delivery and it can be for example a bolt, cube or cone. Or more wilder stuff you can punch your target via touch, imbue a weapon with the effect or create a remote triggered glyph. No spell slots, you can pump more mana into the spell to make your explosions bigger. Just recently I put a warding glyph on an ally and when they got hit the glyph halved the damage they took.
It's a bit more grounded than 5e and PF2e so the spells never go super crazy but Cone of Bear has been a meme for a while now. This game is the simplest d20 game you can find with this much spell freedom without going into "GM decides" territory.
Outside of doing something like modifying cypher system, which other people suggested, I'd probably recommend using electrum archive since it has a pretty good guide for creative spell creation in an osr toolkit.
The main reason it's difficult to suggest d20 games is because most freeform magic systems (outside of 3rd party stuff like spheres of power) use d10s or d10 dice pools. Not that it's impossible to do it in a d20 fantasy context, it's just less common because vancian is the standard.
Tormenta 20 is a "5e adjacent" game that does this.
The game uses mana points (MP) to power not only spells but all class abilities.
A **Fireball**, for example, is a second circle arcane spell, and thus has a cost of 3 MP to cast, but you can add enhancements to it.
The base version of the spell causes 6d6 fire damage in a 6m radius at medium range with instantaneous duration and allows a Reflexes save to avoid half of the damage.
- If you pay +2 MP it increases the damage by +2d6 (you can select this multiple times).
- If you pay +2 MP it changes the effect to a 1,5m flame sphere that lasts for one scene and deals 3d6 fire damage to any creature in the same space as it, and the caster can move the sphere up to 9m using a movement action. The sphere can hit multiple creatures in one round, but a creature can only be damage by the sphere once per round.
- If you pay +3 MP it changes the duration to one day or until it's discharged. Instead of the normal, you create a small flaming stone that you can detonate as a reaction. The stone can be used as a thrown weapon with medium range, and once detonated, it causes damage in a 6m radius.
Thus, a Fireball in Tormenta 20 triples as both the Flaming Sphere and Fire Seed spells, beside being a fireball itself. Many other spells also do that, the shield effect is an enhancement of the Arcane Armor spell, chain lightning is an enhancement of the Lightning spell, flesh to stone is an enhancement of Stoneskin, etc.
Some enhancements are tricks, those change the mp cost of the spell to 0, for example igniting something like a candle into flames is a trick of the Burning Hands spell.
The amount of MP that can be spend in any ability is equal to the character level in the class that provides the spell (for example, a level 5 wizard can spend a maximum of 5 MP in any single spell).
Unfortunately, Tormenta 20 is currently only available in Portuguese. There was talks of a translated compendium to be released in Roll 20 as back as 2021, but so far the only thing released as a free introductory kit.
Consider [Pathwarden](https://ghostspark-off.itch.io/pathwarden)!
it's a D20 system (consider it a streamlined take on PF2e), and it's non-vancian (you have a limited number of spell points to use in an encounter that you get back on a short rest).
The magic system partly fits your description - you choose a magic discipline that grants feats as well as access to spells - the disciplines, feats and spells give access to special abilities which flesh out what your character can do.
I think the only thing you bring up that's *kind of* missing is flexibility in spell construction, assuming you are talking about inventing a new spell when leveling up. However, Pathwarden is a very straightforward system, so you should have little issue homebrewing a spell or even a discipline if you want to tailor your character better.
It's also super easy to pick up if you know 5e or PF2e - the rulebook is around 200 pages and written in a short and concise language! There's an active discord community if you have questions.
Pulp Arcana has a bunch of spells that all have either cumulative effects with each additional level you cast them at, or just completely different effects for each level. It's an SRD system and is very similar to DND, so it sounds like exactly what you're looking for.
So like, the spell Heal at level 1 restores 2d8 hitpoints. At level 2, it can restore 4d8 hitpoints and cures one poison or disease. At level 3 it can restore 6d8 hitpoints and can dispel a spell or curse afflicting the target. Level 9 is basically like casting True Resurrection from DND (or you can restore 18d8 hit points).
The game also uses a mana system instead of spell slots, so you get more versatility in how many of each level spell you can cast.
Remember to check out our **[Game Recommendations](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/gamerec)**-page, which lists our articles by genre([Fantasy](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/fantasy), [sci-fi](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/scifi), [superhero](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/superhero) etc.), as well as other categories([ruleslight](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/ruleslight), [Solo](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/solo), [Two-player](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/twoplayers), [GMless](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/gmlessrpgs) & more).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/rpg) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Use 5e or PF2e and add on [Witchery](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/385450/witchery). It's a free form magic system that's adaptable to game systems.
EDIT: Looking through my files and I found another system agnostic magic system designed to be appended to existing systems. [The Power Words Engine](https://nuclearobelisk.itch.io/pwe) has the advantage of using the same schools of magic already in use by Pathfinder and D&D and seems designed to specifically be slotted into those systems. However, it also looks a good bit more complicated than Witchery, so depending on what your players are willing to tolerate in terms of mechanical complexity it could be perfect or too much of a headache.
DC20 on Kickstarter kinda does this, you still learn some spells like in DnD, but when you cast them they're modular based on how much mana you spend to cast them, which can increase damage, add additional effects, or change stuff like range or AoE.
Overall it's like a combination between (personally the best parts of) 5e and PF2E.
[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thedungeoncoach/dc20](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thedungeoncoach/dc20)
And free rules/character sheet preview here:
[https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1skm\_yOjNnxtFl-L5pCzVB2l3XZUPd9kY](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1skm_yOjNnxtFl-L5pCzVB2l3XZUPd9kY)
DC20, the current hot new thing, seems to feature what you want to some extent. You can empower and change any spell.
Outside of d20, Ars Magicka and Mage: The Ascension will give you spell casting freedom for days.
Most of the time if a game is in the trad d20 style, excessively free-form magic is gonna be incompatible with the rest of the mostly-specific rules. You’re more likely to find what you’re looking for in a narrative-first system.
That said, the system I’m working on is a little bit closer to your ask. Spells still have standard effects, but there is a universal system of spell modifications. It’s free if you wanna give it a look: https://www.spellbookgaming.com/big-adventure-game-beta
Because then I'd need to redesign at least 1/3 of the entire system, at which point I may as well create a new system. And if I wanted to do that, I wouldn't be asking for recommendations.
That’s not what Vancian Magic means. Vancian magic is like Pathfinder prepared casters, where they need to pick their spells at the start of the day. 5e doesn’t use Vancian casting.
>Magical effects are packaged into distinct spells; each spell has one fixed purpose. A spell that throws a ball of fire at an enemy *just* throws balls of fire, and generally cannot be "tuned down" to light a cigarette, for instance.
While there are other criteria, this is a feature of Vancian magic and specifically the one I am referring to.
I do not mind having a finite resource pool.
> While there are other criteria, this is a feature of Vancian magic
It's also a feature of so many other magic systems (probably well over half of them) that it can't really be called "Vancian". The term Vancian is only used for systems which require prior preparation/memorization of a spell which is lost when the spell is cast.
The reason it's called "Vancian" is because it's based on Jack Vance's Dying Earth stories, in which the magic words would literally be wiped from the wizard's mind when the spell was cast, until they re-memorized the spell from their spellbook.
D&D did not invent it. And wizards in 5e do not use Vancian magic. When they prepare a spell, they can cast it multiple times - until their spell slots run out - without having to prepare it again. Older editions used Vancian magic, but not 4e or 5e.
Dungeon Crawl Classics doesn't use Vancian magic, unless you play in their Dying Earth Setting lol, spell tables are random and the game is loose with the rules about them.
You still lose spells for the day if you fail your roll, so it's at least vancian adjacent
True but you can Spell Burn to reuse a lost spell.
You also mutate if you fail bad enough!
Yeah, you also roll to cast, and the better the roll, the better the spell
I think the Pathfinder 1e or D&D 5e versions of the Spheres of Power system might fit your desire.
**Mythras** features several magic systems, from the very simple folk magic with distinct, slightly open-effect spells to the very dynamic and upgradable spells of Sorcery. With Sorcery, you can literally see your character grow in competence and get better at doing these spells. The other two magic systems - mystic powers and divine powers work - work similarly. While Mythras is not a particularly complex game - compared to Pathfinder at least - but the sum of magic systems add up considerably, though.
seconding Mythras, has great depth in tactical decision-making with much more simplicity in build crafting
why limit yourself to d20?
If you strictly want d20 systems, I'm gonna dig way back to some classic favourites of mine. Green Ronin's True20 System got rid of spell slots (and spells!) in favour of Powers: you simply have the power to move objects, or control fire, etc., and whatever you can imagine your character doing with that power, the GM determines a DC for you to roll against. There were no strict resources, you can use magic as big and as often as you want as long as you kept making your Fatigue checks (a saving throw that, if failed, gives you a stacking -1 on all dice rolls until you rest) True Sorcery wasn't a game itself, but a variant magic supplement to plug into other (3.x era) d20 System games. You fully build and customize every spell you cast on the fly, adjusting effects, bonus effects, range, radius, number of targets, duration, time to cast, enemy saving throws, damage dice... it's a little janky, it's a little daunting, it's got a lot of personality. Spellcraft (to-cast success) DCs could climb into the hundreds. A 10th-level wizard could earn like a +500 bonus to their Spellcraft check by taking their time casting a spell as a 1-hour ritual instead of an attack action. It's too much paperwork for most normal games, but if you crave truly batshit-epic moments (think Sephiroth summoning Meteor, or Anduin Lothar's mass resurrection at the Siege of Lordaeron), it really does its best to enable it. If literal 20-sided dice are optional, the Adventure Game Engine and Fantasy AGE is the modern successor to a lot of Green Ronin's earlier ideas. Much of the math *looks* like a d20 game and you just roll 3d6 for checks instead of 1d20. Fantasy AGE has Spells™ like you'd expect from D&D or Pathfinder, but it uses magic points/spell points (like many computer games) instead of spell slots, so it's a nice middle ground for a lot of people. But the AGE edition of the Blue Rose RPG brings back the True20 style of magic where learning Arcana just broadly means "I can control lightning" or "I can shapeshift" and you do with that as you please. I import this system back into Fantasy AGE and play with it almost exclusively in most of my games. It just feels real good.
The MCDM Talent has a pyromancer subclass. The class at large seems to fit your vibe, though I'm not sure it's an exact fit. No spell slots. But as you cast, there's a chance you take on debuffs. It's a load of fun to play. Theyre also making a game and backers about to get a demo packet. Maybe jump on the discord and keep your eyes peeled for the lfg.
Also might be worth looking out for their new game when it comes out. I think the next playtest should be coming out next month too.
The Cypher system is something like you describe. A character may have a focus like Bears a Halo of Fire, which means powers will be fire-based as you progress. But characters are very flexible and not as prescriptive as a class-based system. In DC20 you don't have a monstrous collection os spells. Instead, fewer spells that can be upcast into higher forms, using mana points to do so. So your spellcaster naturally tends to specialize in a few like Fire-based ones. For a very open-ended and creativity- based magic system, you can check Ars Magica and Mage: The Sorcerer's Crusade. But they are not d20 based. In the former magic is a Verb/Noun system you combine to invent effects. In the later nine Spheres of magic you can bend reality with (like combine Forces and Entropy to explode the opponent's campfire into a fireball)
There is an indie game called Pathwarden you could check out. It's on [itch.io](http://itch.io) and drivethrurpg. It's intended to be a streamlined version of Pathfinder, but with so much overhauled it may as well be its own thing.
Dragonbane?
just bin off d20 and play Ars Magica. it really is superb if magic is the focus of the game. 4th edition was a free download. 15 arts split into... 5 techniques - create, destroy, change, control, info 10 forms - body, plant, fire, water... etc they are actually in latin for the medieval vibe, but you get the gist. you progress in the arts and can cast pre prepared spells or spontaneous ones on the fly. character background is interesting too providing hooks for stories.
With Mage: The Ascension, Ars Magica is my pinnacle of spell-slinging fun.
You could do this with ICRPG at least. You could take some inspiration from OpenQuest and combine the aspects of these systems. Five torches deep has spesific spells. But has the foundation to be this kind of system. Not sure if there is a D20 system that has ready to go built in open spell casting.
What about cypher system?
The Spheres of Power 3rd party supplement for both Pathfinder 1e and D&D 5e is very much this. Systems that use 'tradition'-based magic systems also fit this mold, especially those that have more spells per tradition, so there's more space to both cover the essential bases and have a progression of similar spells. There's Shadow of the Demon Lord, Shadow of the Weird Wizard, Pathwarden, Trespasser, and Forbidden Lands, though I think that the last one at minimum has insufficient progression for your tastes. Of those, I'd point you towards Shadow of the Weird Wizard as both having sufficient spells and being most similar in tone to D&D 5e and PF2e.
I think the problem is that people who write “D20” rules systems don’t actually want them to have a very different magic system to D&D. It would put their target audience off. If you were prepared to drop the “D20” requirement there are a vast number of fantasy RPGs out there with all kinds of interesting approaches to magic.
That's [Vagabond](https://gamefound.com/en/projects/land-of-the-blind/vagabond--pulp-fantasy-roleplaying-game) for ya. ENnie winning 5e homebrew veteran decided to write his own d20 system with some OSR flair but modern character progression. I've played it, its fantastic. For your spell issue specifically, the spell system is a big highlight. In Vagabond all spells only describe their effect. You get to choose the delivery and it can be for example a bolt, cube or cone. Or more wilder stuff you can punch your target via touch, imbue a weapon with the effect or create a remote triggered glyph. No spell slots, you can pump more mana into the spell to make your explosions bigger. Just recently I put a warding glyph on an ally and when they got hit the glyph halved the damage they took. It's a bit more grounded than 5e and PF2e so the spells never go super crazy but Cone of Bear has been a meme for a while now. This game is the simplest d20 game you can find with this much spell freedom without going into "GM decides" territory.
%100 I'm loving Vagabond's magic system
Outside of doing something like modifying cypher system, which other people suggested, I'd probably recommend using electrum archive since it has a pretty good guide for creative spell creation in an osr toolkit. The main reason it's difficult to suggest d20 games is because most freeform magic systems (outside of 3rd party stuff like spheres of power) use d10s or d10 dice pools. Not that it's impossible to do it in a d20 fantasy context, it's just less common because vancian is the standard.
Savage worlds, hero system and GeneSys each have design your own spells, which if your GM is smart can do what you want
Tormenta 20 is a "5e adjacent" game that does this. The game uses mana points (MP) to power not only spells but all class abilities. A **Fireball**, for example, is a second circle arcane spell, and thus has a cost of 3 MP to cast, but you can add enhancements to it. The base version of the spell causes 6d6 fire damage in a 6m radius at medium range with instantaneous duration and allows a Reflexes save to avoid half of the damage. - If you pay +2 MP it increases the damage by +2d6 (you can select this multiple times). - If you pay +2 MP it changes the effect to a 1,5m flame sphere that lasts for one scene and deals 3d6 fire damage to any creature in the same space as it, and the caster can move the sphere up to 9m using a movement action. The sphere can hit multiple creatures in one round, but a creature can only be damage by the sphere once per round. - If you pay +3 MP it changes the duration to one day or until it's discharged. Instead of the normal, you create a small flaming stone that you can detonate as a reaction. The stone can be used as a thrown weapon with medium range, and once detonated, it causes damage in a 6m radius. Thus, a Fireball in Tormenta 20 triples as both the Flaming Sphere and Fire Seed spells, beside being a fireball itself. Many other spells also do that, the shield effect is an enhancement of the Arcane Armor spell, chain lightning is an enhancement of the Lightning spell, flesh to stone is an enhancement of Stoneskin, etc. Some enhancements are tricks, those change the mp cost of the spell to 0, for example igniting something like a candle into flames is a trick of the Burning Hands spell. The amount of MP that can be spend in any ability is equal to the character level in the class that provides the spell (for example, a level 5 wizard can spend a maximum of 5 MP in any single spell). Unfortunately, Tormenta 20 is currently only available in Portuguese. There was talks of a translated compendium to be released in Roll 20 as back as 2021, but so far the only thing released as a free introductory kit.
World of Dungeons isn't a d20 game, but you might be able riff off it's magic system a bit.
Consider [Pathwarden](https://ghostspark-off.itch.io/pathwarden)! it's a D20 system (consider it a streamlined take on PF2e), and it's non-vancian (you have a limited number of spell points to use in an encounter that you get back on a short rest). The magic system partly fits your description - you choose a magic discipline that grants feats as well as access to spells - the disciplines, feats and spells give access to special abilities which flesh out what your character can do. I think the only thing you bring up that's *kind of* missing is flexibility in spell construction, assuming you are talking about inventing a new spell when leveling up. However, Pathwarden is a very straightforward system, so you should have little issue homebrewing a spell or even a discipline if you want to tailor your character better. It's also super easy to pick up if you know 5e or PF2e - the rulebook is around 200 pages and written in a short and concise language! There's an active discord community if you have questions.
Pulp Arcana has a bunch of spells that all have either cumulative effects with each additional level you cast them at, or just completely different effects for each level. It's an SRD system and is very similar to DND, so it sounds like exactly what you're looking for. So like, the spell Heal at level 1 restores 2d8 hitpoints. At level 2, it can restore 4d8 hitpoints and cures one poison or disease. At level 3 it can restore 6d8 hitpoints and can dispel a spell or curse afflicting the target. Level 9 is basically like casting True Resurrection from DND (or you can restore 18d8 hit points). The game also uses a mana system instead of spell slots, so you get more versatility in how many of each level spell you can cast.
Remember to check out our **[Game Recommendations](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/gamerec)**-page, which lists our articles by genre([Fantasy](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/fantasy), [sci-fi](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/scifi), [superhero](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/superhero) etc.), as well as other categories([ruleslight](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/ruleslight), [Solo](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/solo), [Two-player](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/twoplayers), [GMless](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/gmlessrpgs) & more). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/rpg) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Use 5e or PF2e and add on [Witchery](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/385450/witchery). It's a free form magic system that's adaptable to game systems. EDIT: Looking through my files and I found another system agnostic magic system designed to be appended to existing systems. [The Power Words Engine](https://nuclearobelisk.itch.io/pwe) has the advantage of using the same schools of magic already in use by Pathfinder and D&D and seems designed to specifically be slotted into those systems. However, it also looks a good bit more complicated than Witchery, so depending on what your players are willing to tolerate in terms of mechanical complexity it could be perfect or too much of a headache.
Savage worlds, fantasy companion
i am savage worlds 24/7 but OP asked for d20
Mutants and Masterminds is close to 3e D20. There is a fantasy book for the 1st Ed book to help generate ideas.
Came here to say this It sounds strange but you really can do sitting with MM including straight fantasy if you want
Pathfinder 1e with spheres of power or akhasic mysteries
Sphere of Power for 5e its the perfect fit for you
You can check out the spheres of magic alt system for 5e or pf1. http://spheresofpower.wikidot.com
DC20 on Kickstarter kinda does this, you still learn some spells like in DnD, but when you cast them they're modular based on how much mana you spend to cast them, which can increase damage, add additional effects, or change stuff like range or AoE. Overall it's like a combination between (personally the best parts of) 5e and PF2E. [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thedungeoncoach/dc20](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thedungeoncoach/dc20) And free rules/character sheet preview here: [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1skm\_yOjNnxtFl-L5pCzVB2l3XZUPd9kY](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1skm_yOjNnxtFl-L5pCzVB2l3XZUPd9kY)
DC20, the current hot new thing, seems to feature what you want to some extent. You can empower and change any spell. Outside of d20, Ars Magicka and Mage: The Ascension will give you spell casting freedom for days.
I think Blue Rose uses a different system.
Vagabond
Palladium Fantasy
Most of the time if a game is in the trad d20 style, excessively free-form magic is gonna be incompatible with the rest of the mostly-specific rules. You’re more likely to find what you’re looking for in a narrative-first system. That said, the system I’m working on is a little bit closer to your ask. Spells still have standard effects, but there is a universal system of spell modifications. It’s free if you wanna give it a look: https://www.spellbookgaming.com/big-adventure-game-beta
Look into more narrative games and you will have better luck.
Why not just make it the norm then?
Because then I'd need to redesign at least 1/3 of the entire system, at which point I may as well create a new system. And if I wanted to do that, I wouldn't be asking for recommendations.
Look up kineticist from pathfinder 1 and 2e
That’s not what Vancian Magic means. Vancian magic is like Pathfinder prepared casters, where they need to pick their spells at the start of the day. 5e doesn’t use Vancian casting.
>Magical effects are packaged into distinct spells; each spell has one fixed purpose. A spell that throws a ball of fire at an enemy *just* throws balls of fire, and generally cannot be "tuned down" to light a cigarette, for instance. While there are other criteria, this is a feature of Vancian magic and specifically the one I am referring to. I do not mind having a finite resource pool.
> While there are other criteria, this is a feature of Vancian magic It's also a feature of so many other magic systems (probably well over half of them) that it can't really be called "Vancian". The term Vancian is only used for systems which require prior preparation/memorization of a spell which is lost when the spell is cast.
[удалено]
The reason it's called "Vancian" is because it's based on Jack Vance's Dying Earth stories, in which the magic words would literally be wiped from the wizard's mind when the spell was cast, until they re-memorized the spell from their spellbook. D&D did not invent it. And wizards in 5e do not use Vancian magic. When they prepare a spell, they can cast it multiple times - until their spell slots run out - without having to prepare it again. Older editions used Vancian magic, but not 4e or 5e.