Armitage
Jan 31st, '10, 11:28 AM
So I've been tinkering with a variant magic system, that attempts to capture some of the flavor of D&D-style spell casting without being a direct port, and also emulating some of the flavor in various fantasy novels, movies, TV shows, etc.
Wizards and Clerics both cast their spells through Variable Power Pools, with the Limited Class of Powers Limitation. Wizards are limited to the specific spells that they have in their spellbooks, while clerics are limited to spells that their deities have approved.
(Assume that the D&D spell lists are being used to provide lists of available spells. Clerics may lean more toward the older 2e Spheres.)
Charges aren't used, so it's not Vancian style magic. Instead, the Long-Term Endurance rules are used, so a spell caster who casts powerful spells or lots of lesser spells in rapid succession will wear himself out quickly. This still leaves a place for scrolls, wands, and staffs, since they don't use the caster's Endurance.
The VPPS can be changed in combat with a Power Skill roll. Wizards know all of their spells, it's a matter of recalling and forming the proper magical formulas at the spur of the moment. Clerics are calling on the power of their deity, so it's a question of focusing their faith and offering the proper prayers to channel the energy.
The point I'm getting stuck on is the reliance on studying spellbooks or praying daily.
My first thought was that a wizard has to study his spellbooks for an hour each day to keep his spells fresh in his mind, and a cleric has to pray for an hour each day to maintain his link to his deity. If the required activity is not performed, the VPP ceases to function until it is. A wizard is also limited to using the spells in the books he has available, sort of like the way spellbooks worked in 1e and 2e D&D; big, bulky standard spellbooks containing every spell he knows, and smaller, more durable traveling spellbooks containing the spells likely to be used on an adventure.
I'm thinking that this would be a -1/2 Limitation on the VPP, like the powers only changing when studying or praying.
Suppose Wizard A, whose VPP can only be changed while studying his spellbooks, and Wizard B, who uses my system. Both are deprived of their spellbooks.
Wizard A can't change his VPP, but he can cast the spells that he has until he dies of old age.
Wizard B can change his VPP as many times as he wants, but after 24 hours, his powers completely disappear.
Wizard A is more limited in the short-term, but Wizard B is more limited in the long-term, so they sort-of balance out.
My second thought was to make the loss of powers a Complication, either a Dependence or a Physical Limitation. But with the lower number of Complications for 6e characters, giving every wizard and cleric the same Complication would make characters a little more cookie cutter in design.
But when thinking about the Complication route I thought that maybe instead of complete power loss, spells are gradually lost. Assuming 15 Active Points per "spell level", a wizard or cleric loses 15 AP of spells per day they skip their maintenance activity. They lose access to their most powerful spells each day, until they are eventually left with no magic.
Thought on the basic system?
Alternate ideas for the spellbooks and prayer?
Wizards and Clerics both cast their spells through Variable Power Pools, with the Limited Class of Powers Limitation. Wizards are limited to the specific spells that they have in their spellbooks, while clerics are limited to spells that their deities have approved.
(Assume that the D&D spell lists are being used to provide lists of available spells. Clerics may lean more toward the older 2e Spheres.)
Charges aren't used, so it's not Vancian style magic. Instead, the Long-Term Endurance rules are used, so a spell caster who casts powerful spells or lots of lesser spells in rapid succession will wear himself out quickly. This still leaves a place for scrolls, wands, and staffs, since they don't use the caster's Endurance.
The VPPS can be changed in combat with a Power Skill roll. Wizards know all of their spells, it's a matter of recalling and forming the proper magical formulas at the spur of the moment. Clerics are calling on the power of their deity, so it's a question of focusing their faith and offering the proper prayers to channel the energy.
The point I'm getting stuck on is the reliance on studying spellbooks or praying daily.
My first thought was that a wizard has to study his spellbooks for an hour each day to keep his spells fresh in his mind, and a cleric has to pray for an hour each day to maintain his link to his deity. If the required activity is not performed, the VPP ceases to function until it is. A wizard is also limited to using the spells in the books he has available, sort of like the way spellbooks worked in 1e and 2e D&D; big, bulky standard spellbooks containing every spell he knows, and smaller, more durable traveling spellbooks containing the spells likely to be used on an adventure.
I'm thinking that this would be a -1/2 Limitation on the VPP, like the powers only changing when studying or praying.
Suppose Wizard A, whose VPP can only be changed while studying his spellbooks, and Wizard B, who uses my system. Both are deprived of their spellbooks.
Wizard A can't change his VPP, but he can cast the spells that he has until he dies of old age.
Wizard B can change his VPP as many times as he wants, but after 24 hours, his powers completely disappear.
Wizard A is more limited in the short-term, but Wizard B is more limited in the long-term, so they sort-of balance out.
My second thought was to make the loss of powers a Complication, either a Dependence or a Physical Limitation. But with the lower number of Complications for 6e characters, giving every wizard and cleric the same Complication would make characters a little more cookie cutter in design.
But when thinking about the Complication route I thought that maybe instead of complete power loss, spells are gradually lost. Assuming 15 Active Points per "spell level", a wizard or cleric loses 15 AP of spells per day they skip their maintenance activity. They lose access to their most powerful spells each day, until they are eventually left with no magic.
Thought on the basic system?
Alternate ideas for the spellbooks and prayer?