My DCC magic acquisition house rules
Why?
I'm a proponent of the philosophy that you should not introduce house rules without having played the game rules-as-written first. Having played DCC happily for years now, I feel justified in tweaking things here and there to suit my party/campaign and, really, it is in the very nature of DCC that not everything that might come up has been adumbrated in the canon. Rulings > rules.
These house rules then relate, specifically, to the acquisition of magic as a character progresses and I really wanted to fill the blanks and underline the differences between wizards and elves. The core book hints towards Elves trafficking with demons and extra-planar beings for their magic while wizards generally research and experiment for theirs.
Acquiring magic at new levels of experience
Clerics
Clerics gain randomly determined spells from a level for which they are capable of casting to bring them up to their "Spells Known" total, as per Table 1-5 in the DCCRPG Core book. It is available to them immediately, subject to the ever-present threat of disapproval and punishment.
Wizards
Wizards can attempt to learn any spell that they are capable of casting (as per Table 1-12 in the DCCRPG Core book) and that they are aware of through having witnessed it being cast by another. Players should keep records of spells that they have come into contact with for this very purpose.
If the wizard possess the Read Magic spell - and I recommend house-ruling that all wizards have it among their starting quota - they may also attempt to learn any spell they have recovered; either by “obtaining” the grimoire of another or from a magical scroll. The Judge will also provide 1d3 randomly determined spells that they may attempt to learn as an alternative. Of course, wizards may also hear rumours or learn of the location of magical knowledge and seek it out ("Quest for it!"). They can then add this spell to the list of their potential research subjects once obtained - a great way to introduce new adventures!
To learn a new spell, the wizard must spend 1d7 days per spell level in research foregoing all other activities except eating and sleeping; they may spellburn to reduce this time by 1 day per attribute point burnt to a minimum of 1 day. They must then make a trained intelligence check + their caster level against DC10(+ spell level).
Success means the spell is correctly entered into their grimoire, failure means that they cannot attempt to learn that spell again until they reach a new level of experience but, in the meantime, may switch their research to a different spell.
Elves
Elves must invoke their patron (paying the usual cost and accrual of debt) for their magic learning, who will offer a spell randomly determined (or cruelly selected) by The Judge in line with Table 1-16 from the DCC Core book. A period of tutelage, usually delegated by the patron to a minor representative, will then commence lasting 1d7 days per level of the spell. The Elf may spellburn to reduce this time by 1 day per attribute point spent to a minimum of 1 day. The Elf must forego all activities other than sleeping and eating while they submit to the arcane directions of their instructor.
The Elf must then make a trained intelligence check + their caster level against DC10(+ spell level). Success means that they have copied the spell into their grimoire, failure means that the spell has not been learned and that they immediately suffer patron taint. For further attempts, they must beseech their patron for magical knowledge once again via Invoke Patron, incurring the usual cost, further debt and the wicked barbs of supernatural ridicule.