Magic System for Critical Review

[Captain Obvious]

I'm thinking most of those guys aren't educated enough to be able to use this sort of magic. I do intend on having some other forms of magic that don't require so much of a basis in theory to cast. I'm calling them Craft Magics right now, and intend to include things like alchemy, herbalism, and astrology, which are precursors to Natural Philosophy. There will also be a few Craft Magics that are somewhat more primitive, like spellsongs and runepainting.

But getting back to the question, these spells are the sort that would have to be learned in a university, or pondered over with a lot of free time for reading and experimentation. Many Mayors and Town Councillors might very well have the education and free time to develop this sort of thing, though. Maybe I should try to come up with a few spells that might help them out...diplomacy spells and such.

Any ideas?

[Captain Obvious]

Some more spells, this time for the gentleman planter (and not to be confused with the small-time farmer doing his best to avoid starvation, but the guy with a big plantation and a bunch of slaves or sharecroppers to do the heavy lifting):

Hybridize - 1d6 Major Transform (pure seed into hybrid seed), Must have plants with appropriate attributes available (-1/2), RSR: Humors and KS: Horticulture -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations -1 1/2) NOTE: by transforming the seed, the difficulty of creating a new hybrid is reduced immensely...it should be possible to create a hybridized mature plant, but would likely be much harder
Active: 15 Real: 4 Skill Roll: -0

Cross-breed - 1d6 Major Transform (pure animal fetus into cross-bred fetus), Must have sire and dam with appropriate attributes available (-1/2), RSR: Humors and KS: Animal Husbandry -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations -1 1/2) NOTE: by transforming the fetus, the difficulty of creating a new cross-breed is reduced immensely...it should be possible to create a cross-bred mature animal, but would likely be much harder; it is assumed that this spell is what was used in the creation of the chimerical alligator-horse.
Active: 15 Real: 4 Skill Roll: -0

Destroy Blight - 1d6 Major Transform (diseased plant into healthy plant), Area Effect 16" radius (+1 3/4), Cumulative (+1/2), RSR: Humors and KS: Horticulture -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations -1 1/2) NOTE: 16" radius is approximately one acre
Active: 48 Real: 17 Skill Roll: -2

Cultivate - Change Environment 1 hex, All weather effects (+1), +/- 3 Temperature Levels, 0 END (+1/2), Costs END to activate (-1/4), Uncontrolled (+1/2), RSR: Elements and KS: Horticulture -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations -1 1/2) NOTE: lasts one season...multiple applications may be necessary depending on local climate and temperament of the plant
Active: 42 Real: 14 Skill Roll: -2

Destroy Pests - 1 pip RKA, Penetrating (+1/2), Area Effect 16" (+2), Only vs invertebrates (-1/2), RSR: Humors and KS: Invertebrates -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations -1 1/2)
Active: 17 Real: 5 Skill Roll: -0

Scarecrow - 4d6 Mind Control, Fear only (-1), Only vs birds and mammals (-1/4), User defined Trigger that resets automatically (+1), Area Effect 16" (+1 1/2), RSR: Anima and KS: Emotions -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations -1 1/2)
Active: 70 Real: 17 Skill Roll: -3

Pedigree - 1d6 long term Aid, Variable effect: any Characteristic or Movement (+1/4), Recovers 5 pts per 25 years (+3), Animals only (-1), Must be cast on a juvenile (-1), Can only be cast once on a given animal (-1), RSR: Humors and KS: Animal Husbandry -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations -1 1/2)
Active: 42 Real: 7 Skill Roll: -2

[Curufea]

Position of authority type spells, for upper-middle-classes could be things like-

Oratory, memory and record keeping, organisation of paperwork, identity validation (ie seals), communication (protection for homing animals?), presence enhancers, lie detection, assessments (people's skills, or item worth/usefullness), comeliness modifiers, limited mind control

[Captain Obvious]

A little change here: Instead of making sciences into magic, this time I've taken a fixture of magic and made it into a quasi-science. Curufea, I'll be taking a serious look at your suggestions next.

Elemental Circle - 12 PD/12 ED Force Wall, Restricted Shape circle (-1/4), Can be broken by any physical material crossing the circle (-1), Only vs elemental magic or spirits (-1), 0 END (+1/2), Costs END only to activate (-1/4), RSR: Elements and KS: Counter-formulas -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations, -1 1/2)
Active: 90 Real: 17 Skill Roll: -4

Pentagram - 10 PD/10 ED/10 Mental Defense Force Wall, Restricted Shape circle (-1/4), Can be broken by any physical material crossing the circle (-1), Only vs Devils, Angels, or their magic (-1), 0 END (+1/2), Costs END only to activate (-1/4), RSR: Anima and KS: Counter-formulas -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations, -1 1/2)
Active: 112 Real: 21 Skill Roll: -5

Counterdivinatory Circle - Darkness vs magical divination 2"r, Can be broken by any physical material crossing the circle (-1), 0 END (+1/2), Costs END only to activate (-1/4), RSR: Metaphysics and KS: Counter-formulas -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations, -1 1/2)
Active: 30 Real: 7 Skill Roll: -1

Counterillusionary Circle - 10 Mental Defense Force Wall, Restricted Shape circle (-1/4), Only to defend against Mental Illusions (-3/4), Linked (-1/2) to +10 PER, Area Effect 1 hex doubled (+3/4), Only to discern false Images (-1/2), both powers with Can be broken by any physical material crossing the circle (-1), 0 END (+1/2), Costs END only to activate (-1/4), RSR: Anima and KS: Counter-formulas -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations, -1 1/2)
Active:37+67 Real: 6+14 Skill Roll: -5

Entrapping Circle - Delayed Effect Naked Advantage for one spell up to 120 active points, Only for magical circles (-2), RSR: Metaphysics and KS: Formulaic Structures -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations, -1 1/2)
Active: 30 Real: 6 Skill Roll: -1

Circle of Power - END Reserve: 20 REC, Recovers only after performing 1 Minute ritual (-1) + 100 END, both powers with Caster must remain within the circle or spell is lost (-1/2), Can be broken by any physical material crossing the circle (-1), Costs END to activate (-1/4), RSR: Metaphysics and KS: Formulaic Structures -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations, -1 1/2)
Active: 20+10 Real: 3+2 Skill Roll: -1

Analyze Circle - Detect Magic Circle, Discriminatory, Ranged, Costs END to activate (-1/4), RSR: Metaphysics and KS: Magic Circles -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations, -1 1/2)
Active: 13 Real: 4 Skill Roll: -0

Focusing Circle - 6d6 AID to INT, Recovers 5 pts per 5 minutes (+1/2), Only to improve spell casting rolls (-1), Can be broken by any physical material crossing the circle (-1), Costs END to activate (-1/4), RSR: Anima and KS: Consciousness -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations, -1 1/2)
Active: 90 Real: 18 Skill Roll: -4

[Captain Obvious]

Last one of these I'll be posting for now. Here is a list of spells inspired by Curufea, for use by diplomats, politicians, and (to a lesser extent) attorneys.

Reasonable Request - 6d6 Mind Control, Can't achieve higher than EGO+10 level (-1/4), RSR: Anima and KS: Rhetoric -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations -1 1/2)
Active: 30 Real: 10 Skill Roll: -1

Shadow of a Doubt - 10d6 Mind Control, Only to make target believe statements (-1), RSR: Anima and KS: Rhetoric -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations -1 1/2)
Active: 50 Real: 13 Skill Roll: -2

A Book by its Cover - 8d6 Telepathy, Only to sense a person's nature and intentions (-1/2), RSR: Anima and KS: Phrenology -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations -1 1/2)
Active: 40 Real: 12 Skill Roll: -2

Sealed Correspondence - Images, Set effect: seal (-1), 0 END (+1/2), Costs END to activate (-1/4), Uncontrolled: broken by opening letter (+1/2), RSR: Elements and KS: Personal seals -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations -1 1/2)
Active: 20 Real: 5 Skill Roll: -1

Trusted Courier - 4d6 Mind Scan, +6 ECV, Cannot attack through Lock-on (-1/2), Only allows a one-way message (-1), Courier must first find the target of the Mind Scan (-2), plus 4d6 Telepathy, Only allows a one-way message (-1), Linked to Mind Scan (-1/4), Courier must be able to speak a language understood by the recipient (-1/4), Can't exceed "surface thoughts" level (-1/2), Visible Power Effects (-1/4), both with RSR: Anima and KS: Memory -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations -1 1/2)
Active: 32+20 Real: 5+4 Skill Roll: -2

Reliable Bird - Invisibility, Only vs raptors (-1 1/2), Usable by others (+1/4), Only usable on carrier pigeons (-2), 0 END (+1/2), Costs END to activate (-1/4), RSR: Anima and KS: Senses -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations -1 1/2)
Active: 35 Real: 5 Skill Roll: -1

Chain of Events - Precognitive Clairsentience, Precog only (-1), Only to see how stated events will pan out (-1/2), Time Modifiers (-1/2), RSR: Astrology and KS: Logical Progression -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations -1 1/2)
Active: 40 Real: 8 Skill Roll: -2

Fashionable - 1d6 Aid to COM, Recovers 5 pts/5 hours (+1 1/4), RSR: Anima and KS: Fashion -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations -1 1/2)
Active: 22 Real: 9 Skill Roll: -1

Moving Speech - 8d6 Mind Control, Area Effect 4"r (+1), Must achieve level where target thinks its his own idea (-1/2), RSR: Anima and KS: Rhetoric -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations -1 1/2)
Active: 80 Real: 24 Skill Roll: -4

Cunning Maneuver - Precognitive Clairsentience, Precog only (-1), Only to determine the best way to outfox an opponent (-1/2), Time Modifiers (-1/2), RSR: Astrology and KS: Logical Progression -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations -1 1/2)
Active: 40 Real: 8 Skill Roll: -2

Connections - Bureaucratics 17-, Costs END to activate (-1/4), RSR: Anima and KS: Local officials -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations -1 1/2)
Active: 19 Real: 6 Skill Roll: -0

Wit - Conversation 17-, Costs END to activate (-1/4), RSR: Anima and KS: Turns of phrase -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations -1 1/2)
Active: 19 Real: 6 Skill Roll: -0

Charm - Persuasion 17-, Costs END to activate (-1/4), RSR: Anima and KS: Rhetoric -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations -1 1/2)
Active: 19 Real: 6 Skill Roll: -0

Grace - High Society 17-, Costs END to activate (-1/4), RSR: Anima and KS: Fashion -1/20 AC (-1/4), (Required Limitations -1 1/2)
Active: 19 Real: 6 Skill Roll: -0

[Markdoc]

Very nice! I like it. The required KS's should keep the spell casters in check, to a large extent. I can just see Thomas Jefferson corresponding with his learned friends in Paris over the precise details of his experiments to cross-breed a horse and an alligator to get a steed suitable for use along the edges of the Potomac....

One possibility (going to some extent with the Alvin Maker thing) is to differentiate what you called craft magics from Natural Philosophy by requiring folk magicians to buy their spells staright (ie: not in a VPP). That would reflect the fact that a gentleman magician works within an intellectual construct with defined rules and that he can take advantage of a body of literature built up over time. It takes longer to learn, but can do more. This is reflected by all the skills you have to buy, and the initial cost of investing in the VPP.

In contrast, Granny Fawkes can teach you to charm warts. It doesn't cost much time (points) to learn - but that's all she can do. Folk magicians would have only a few spells/charms, but it wouldn't cost them much for those few. On the other hand, it would cost far too much for them to master a lot of spells - so they *would* only have a few.

Cheers, Mark

[Captain Obvious]

This is close to what I was going to do, except that I was going to allow Natural Philosophers to pick up a VPP at some point (as opposed to buying all their magic in a VPP), whereas the craft magicians would not have access to one.

But you seem to have the basic idea down. Thomas Jefferson and Granny Fawkes are pretty good exemplars of the division I was going for.