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I'm a newbie DB player and really like what I see so far. While I'm interested in replacing DnD 5E with it, I have a question about restrictions on mage spell selection. As it stands, each beginning mage PC picks one school of magic and their spell selections are limited to that school. However, I'm wondering if allowing for a more "generalist" approach to spell-casting would be possible without destabilizing the game. I'm thinking of one of two potential house rules:

• Throw out schools entirely, and allow free access to all spells and tricks (new PCs are still limited to three tricks and three spells). Have a single "Sorcery" skill for all mages.

• Allow mages to choose one primary and one secondary school. At character creation, a starting mage selects both schools' skills, but they are limited to one trick and one spell from the secondary school.

I really like the lack of divine casters, but want to give mages a more "mage-y" feel than the official rules allow. So, you can have someone who can heal wounds, but also throw fireballs (or fly) as well. Limiting healing magic to a single school that pretty much says "Cleric/Druid" on the box leaves me cold.

And so I put it to more experienced DB players: would these house rules break the game?

If you want a mage to know more than one magic school, he can do so by learning the Heroic Talent Magic Talent. That way you still follow the rules.

If you want the mage to start the game with a second magic school, just let all the PCs start with an extra heroic ability and the mage then picks is second magic school (you can give him a magic trick in the new magic school for free so he has something to cast with this new magic skill). The other PCs choose whatever heroic ability they see fit.

This way the various characters are on the same page so to speak (the same amount of heroic abilities). If you want the mage to start with a third magic school, then let everyone start two extra heroic abilities instead. In order to actually have skill levels in their extra magic schools you can give all characters 5 free advancement marks or 10 if you want them to start with two heroic abilities (it normally cost an advancement mark to learn a new skill to the base chance).

This is what I would have done in order to avoid house rule and to stay fair for all characters. Yes, the characters start with some heroic abilities and experience but it would be the same for all the PCs.

...just let all the PCs start with an extra heroic ability and the mage then picks is second magic school...

Well, I feel foolish for not thinking of this obvious solution to my problem. Thanks, Fenhorn!