From publisher blurb:
For many a seasoned adventurer and explorer, magic can become, whilst still a useful tool, boring. You know what a certain spell is effective for, or how potent you need to be to use the spell found on a scroll.
The Spell Options series is a way of tweaking existing spells without using feats. You can change the colour, make the spell weaker and thus easier to cast or make them more powerful but unstable.
Each volume of the Spell Options series gives you ways of tweaking spells to make them more varied. This edition focuses on Acid Arrow, a simple, low level, yet a rather effective spell.
Inside you'll find:
Basic and simple core rules or tweaking spells
Optional rules for when you want to use this system, but feel it is a bit overpowered
The Spell Options system tweaks spell, but at a cost in spell levels. Assuming you know the spell in the first place you can then customise it in one of three ways: Cosmetic, Beneficial, and Penalties.
Cosmetic Changes change the way a spell looks. These options do not cost SL(spell levels).
Benefits increase the potency of the spell in some way but make it harder to cast.
Penalties reduce the potency of the spell in some way but make it easier or less draining to cast.
These can be combined in various ways to turn an "ordinary" spell into something that makes your opponent go "Wait..just what spell is it they are casting?"
Modify the spell in various ways, such as...
The type of sound the alarm makes
Make the alarm configurable once cast
Make it able to detect fine sized creatures as well
Give it an unstable trigger to help offset any benefit costs