Magic Skill Roll Based On END

[Derek Hiemforth]

Misterdeath mentioned something in another thread that got me thinking...

Basing a Magic Skill roll on END would have some interesting effects. It would make it easy to cast spells when you were well-rested, and gradually harder and harder as you got tired. Then, as you rested, it would gradually get easier again.

If you based the roll on the usual 9+(CHA/5), then your base Magic Skill roll would never be less than 9- (plus whatever amount you may have bought it up), so your ability to cast would never go away completely, no matter how tired you were. But it might be an interesting way to simulate the fact that it's probably easier to cast that big world-alteration spell when you're bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

And actually, if you used the Mana and Mana Recovery stats from Fantasy Hero Companion II, that might work even better...

Any thoughts?

[slaughterj]

While at first END seeems to be a big # to wedge into 9+CHAR/5 for a skill roll, though I'd say most wizards start with a 13 CON / 26 END roughly, so you're base roll would be 14- when fresh (rather than 13- from an 18 INT). Even though it'd be cheap to bump it up (5pts would give you 10 END, thus 16-), given that it is self controlling due to the ues of the END for each spell, the fact that it is big to start with might be fine. Interesting idea.

[JohnTaber]

Hi Derek,

Couple things come to mind...

Comment #1 - I'm not sure it makes sense when the character is NOT tired. I'm a big burly mage with a 20 CON so I can cast spells easier? Not intuitive.

I can see applying subtractions to the roll based on END but basing the entire roll on END does not make sense to me.

Would you use END to determine the amount of running spells or would that be INT still? It would have to be INT right?

Comment #2 - Most FH mages add to the Magic roll. If the END goes to 0 their roll still might be higher than a 9-. Would that make sense?

Comment #3 - If you want the casting of spells to get harder when END gets low I would consider applying a simple rule like if END drops below 0 they take -1 Magic roll for every 5 end below OR -1 Magic roll every 10 END they spend? Seems like a lot of work...dunno...

In my FH games I use 1 END per 5 active points not 1 END per 10 active points. This makes mages worry about END and makes them strongly consider Reduced Endurance advantages. With a simple active cost limit it keeps things sane without much "confusion". ;-) Granted this does not change the roll...

Enjoy!

[mattingly]

Nah, I'd rather base my Magic Skill on COM. It's the same price as END, plus I can look good while spellcasting.

[MarkusDark]

Although the thought has merit - perhaps even having the "End Roll" be a comp roll to the Magic Skill, I think that it opens up other areas as well. Wouldn't a fighter have an easier time hacking apart a dragon, or a thief climbing a wall and so on if they were fully rested? You do EVERYTHING better with a good night's sleep and not after hiking for 6 hours, running up a hill, battling lil crunchies along the way.

I know that if I was playing a mage, I'd feel a lil 'pissed' about the double standard of no matter how tired a Fighter is, he can still heft his sword and swing as well as a fresh daisy.

[irishspy]

Originally posted by mattingly
Nah, I'd rather base my Magic Skill on COM. It's the same price as END, plus I can look good while spellcasting.

Might be interesting to have spells cost COM: you grow uglier with each spell you cast.

[Derek Hiemforth]

Awright, so it was a dumb idea. It was 7:30 in the morning. I wasn't thinking straight yet.

[Markdoc]

Actually it wasn't a dumb idea - it's different from the standard approach, but it should work. It'd give mages a higher starting skill roll, at the cost of the fact that it would drop off rapidly. It's easy enough to justify if you think of lifeforce/Ch'i as the source powering the spell - a kind of "internal magic". The big guy might start with an advantage but a mage who learns to husband his internal energy (Reduced END) or who builds up his Ch'i (buys extra END or CON).

The fighter analogy is not a good one - the fighter doesn't normally have to make a skill roll to use his sword in the first place, so the mechanism is different.

A similar variant I played around with to model Runequest magic was that spells cost EGO and your magic roll was based off EGO - but also that to "resist" a spell cast on you, you used EGO combat. So the more spells you cast, the easier it was for enemy spell casters to target you... In that game world of course, almost everyone - and certainly every player - has some magic.