Ritual Magic for TD&D

 So, one of the ideas I liked from 4e was ritual spells; spells that could be cast, not with spell slots, but with time and money (representing various herbs, potions, incenses, and other sacrifices that you use to enact magic outside of the norm.

 Like 4e multiclassing, I wanted to introduce this to TD&D (TSR D&D, separate from WD&D, which is Wizards D&D1), so I've played around with this for a while, finally working it into its current form. 

 

 Ritual Casting

 Ritual Casting allows a character to cast certain spells, without memorization, by enacting long and expensive rituals. Not all spells may be cast as rituals, and each ritual must be individually learned, and recorded as if in a spellbook. As might be expected, higher-level rituals are difficult to come by. A character's chance to learn a ritual is equal to their chance to learn spells based on their intelligence (in RC, where spell learning is automatic, this is not necessary). Rituals learned do not count against a magic-user or similar character's maximum number of spells known. 

A ritual has a minimum casting time of one turn per level squared; this is added to the casting time of the spell. Rituals also require 100 silver pieces per level squared, in addition to any required material components. If the ritual involved is clerical in nature, then characters who are not priests of an associated deity increase the level by 2. This penalty can be reduced by 1 if the character has some reason that they would know rituals associated with such a deity (eg a Paladin or Ranger, or a character who has been portrayed as devout). An "associated deity" is one whose priests are capable of casting the spell (a more significant factor in 2nd edition).

Rituals are cast at 1/2 the character's level (round down, minimum 1), unless the spell is one the character would be able to cast based on class, at which case they are cast at full level, even if the character themselves is not currently able to cast those spells; for example, a 3rd level Cleric would cast Remove Curse at 3rd level, despite them not being able to cast that spell until 5th or 6th level. A 3rd level fighter or thief casting the same ritual would only function at level 1. Paladins and Rangers may cast spells available to them at full level, even before they are spellcasters, but RC Fighters are not Paladins or Avengers until they reach the appropriate level. A character of any level can cast any ritual they learn; a 0th level character might cast Gate, provided they have access to the ritual, and to 8100 silver pieces worth of materials.

Many NPCs who sell spells prefer to use rituals where possible; it means they do not have to memorize the spell that day, and they can always charge their client for any expended ritual and spell components.

Learning Ritual Magic
Ritual Casting is a skill available to all characters.

Rules Cyclopedia: General Skill, Intelligence Based, requires the Alternate Magic skill, and sufficient intelligence to be literate. Skill in Ceremony can reduce the non-cleric penalty by 1.
1e: Determined by DM; if NWP are not in use, may require a secondary skill. Requires character to be literate.
2e: Ritual Magic is an Intelligence-based skill in the Wizard and Priest groups, requiring two slots. Characters must also be literate. Proficiency in Religion can reduce the non-cleric penalty by 1.

Spells Available
A DM may determine that other spells are available; these lists only cover the Player's Handbook of each game. For example, while it's not in the Player's Handbook, the Ceremony spell from Unearthed Arcana is completely appropriate to be used as a ritual. As a general rule, the spells involved are protective, divinatory, or transportation, often with a long duration. I am no doubt inconsistent on several points, and probably should have included more "conjure and subjugate creature" type spells.

Rules Cyclopedia

Clerical
1st Protection from Evil
Purify Food and Water
Resist Cold
2nd Bless
Speak with Animals
3rd Continual Light
Remove Curse
Speak with Dead
4th Animate Dead
Protection from Evil 10' radius
Speak with Plants
5th Commune
Create Food
Quest
6th Speak with Monsters
Word of Recall
7th Survival
Travel

Druid
1st Predict Weather
3rd Protection from Poison
Water Breathing
4th Protection from Lightning
5th Control Winds
6th Summon Weather
Transport Through Plants
7th Weather Control

Magic-User
1st Analyze
Detect Magic
Protection from Evil
Read Languages
Read Magic
2nd Wizard Lock
3rd Create Air
Protection from Evil, 10' Radius
Water Breathing
4th Hallucinatory Terrain
Remove Curse
5th Animate Dead
Contact Outer Plane
Magic Jar
Teleport
6th Reincarnation
Weather Control
7th Lore
Summon Object
Teleport Any Object
8th Mind Barrier
Travel
9th Gate
Survival

1st edition

Clerical
1st Bless
Detect Magic
Protection from Evil
Resist Cold
2nd Augury
Know Alignment
Resist Fire
Speak with Animals
3rd Animate Dead
Create Food and Water
Remove Curse
Speak with Dead
4th Detect Lie
Exorcise
Protection from Evil 10' radius
Speak with Plants
Tongues
5th Commune
Plane Shift
Quest
6th Stone Tell
Word of Recall
7th Astral Spell
Control Weather
Gate
Wind Walk

Druidic
1st Animal Friendship
Detect Magic
Invisibility to Animals
Predict Weather
Purify Water
Speak with Animals
2nd Create Water
3rd Water Breathing
4th Call Woodland Beings
Speak with Plants
5th Commune with Nature
Control Winds
6th Transport Via Plants
Weather Summoning
7th Control Weather
Reincarnate

Magic-User
1st Comprehend Languages
Detect Magic
Find Familiar
Identify
Protection from Evil
Read Magic
Tenser's Floating Disk
Unseen Servant
2nd Magic Mouth
Strength
Wizard Lock
3rd Leomund's Tiny Hut
Protection from Evil, 10' Radius
Tongues
Water Breathing
4th Rary's Mneomic Enhancer
Remove Curse
5th Contact other plane
Leomund's Secret Chest
Teleport
6th Control Weather
Enchant an Item
Geas
Guards and Wards
Legend Lore
Reincarnation
7th Cacodemon
8th Mind Blank
9th Astral Spell
Gate

Illusoinist
2nd Detect Magic
Magic Mouth
3rd Non-detection
7th Astral Spell
Vision

2e

Wizard
1st Alarm
Armor
Comprehend Languages
Detect Magic
Find Familiar
Identify
Protection from Evil
Read Magic
Tenser's Floating Disk
Unseen Servant
Wizard Mark
2nd Deeppockets
Know Alignment
Magic Mouth
Misdirection
Strength
Whispering Wind
Wizard Lock
3rd Illusionary Script
Leomund's Tiny Hut
Non-Detection
Protection from Evil, 10' Radius
Secret Page
Tongues
Water Breathing
4th Detect Scrying
Leomund's Secure Shelter
Rary's Mnemonic Enhancer
Remove Curse
5th Animate Dead
Contact Other Plane
Dismissal
Dream
Leomund's Secret Chest
Sending
Teleport
6th Control Weather
Enchant an Item
Geas
Guards and Wards
Legend Lore
Reincarnation
7th Banishment
Sequester
Teleport without Error
Vision
8th mind blank
Screen
9th Astral Spell
Gate
Succor

Priest
1st Animal Friendship
Bless
Combine
Create Water
Detect Magic
Endure Cold/Endure Heat
Invisibility to Animals
Protection from Evil
Purify Food and Drink
2nd Augury
Fire Trap
Know Alignment
Messenger
Speak with Animals
3rd Animate Dead
Create Food & Water
Remove Curse
Speak with Dead
Water Breathing
4th Abjure
Call Woodland Beings
Detect Lie
Divination
Imbue with Spell Ability
Protection from Evil 10' Radius
Reflecting Pool
Speak with Plants
Tongues
5th Commune
Commune with Nature
Control Winds
Plane Shift
Quest
6th Speak with Monsters
Stone Tell
Transport via plants
Weather Summoning
Word of Recall
7th Astral Spell
Control Weather
Gate
Reincarnate
Succor
Wind Walk 

1 This is an example of me trying to make "fetch" happen. Get in losers, we're expanding the vocabulary.