Review: A Zero-Level Grimoire

A Zero Level Grimoire can be found on DriveThru RPG.

I saw this one pop up on the Goodman Games store several months ago. At the time it was available in print and had limited stock. I hesitated to get a copy because I live in Australia. Shipping here is insane at the best of times, and Goodman Games in particular seem very expensive in this regard. I almost had it sent to a friend who could ship it to me for cheaper, but alas, I ran out of time and A Zero Level Grimoire ran out of stock.

I was rather disappointed, and I wasn't the only one. Several commenters in the DCC subreddit had their eye on it too. Eventually I noticed that it was for sale again - this time digitally over on DTRPG. Good enough! I just wanted to get my hands on those spells!

A Zero Level Grimoire provides exactly what it says on the tin: 20 spells based on folk magic out of popular media (along with some fun little quotes from source media). All of the spells are just barely useful - which if you ask me is the perfect amount of useful for a 0th-level spell - and they all have a magical effect you could imagine of some sort of hedge magician. Beer Magic in particular is a fun inclusion, which reminds me of medieval women brewers being accused of witchcraft for being too good at beer.

Worth noting is that the opening page says all listed spells take more than an action to cast, though two of them are explicitly only one "round" long, and at 0th level a round and an action might as well be the same thing. Furthermore, these two spells are the ones that might be most useful in combat, so I found this to be initially confusing.

The mechanics given make 0th-level casting an interesting addition to the early stages of a campaign, although most actually scale fairly well into the later game as well. Each spell is given an "adjuvant", a spell component that can optionally be added to grant higher chances of success. Given the success rates and the fact that non-Wizard/Elf characters only get a d10 to cast (which happens to align with my alternate magic skills), these adjuvants are a welcome addition from both a mechanical and narrative perspective.

Something I was left wanting for was a method for 0-level characters in a funnel to have a selection of spells they know. This is A Zero Level Grimoire! However, all it provides is a recommendation that characters need to have learned these spells through study. This precludes brand new funnel characters from having any. My personal recommendation is that if you're going to allow these spells in your game, 0-level characters get their INT modifier (if positive) in 0th-level spells to begin the game, selected randomly. Players with a relevant occupation might be able to argue their case for why they should have a spell of their choice, INT notwithstanding. 

A Zero Level Grimoire delivers on its promise and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to add a little lower-level magic to their DCC games.