Ars Magica inspired magic

[Alcamtar]

For my part, I'm not really looking to capture the "feel" of Ars Magica. I just like the "college" organization. I'm putting together a FH campaign that's a mix of Swords and Sorcery and High Fantasy, with a bit of Greyhawk fell thrown in.

Mike

[Killer Shrike]

Originally posted by Alcamtar
For my part, I'm not really looking to capture the "feel" of Ars Magica. I just like the "college" organization. I'm putting together a FH campaign that's a mix of Swords and Sorcery and High Fantasy, with a bit of Greyhawk fell thrown in.

Mike

Er....thats pretty much my entire Fantasy campaign as it happens

[Killer Shrike]

OK, looking at FH now. Yes, the Gift (pg 266) is what I was thinking of. This architecture of Magic is ideally suited to Ars Magica w/ just a slight modification IMO.

Instead of the 9 Schools or whatever from the Gift, the 5 Forms and 10 Techniques of Ars Magica are substituted.

As a slight Mod, All Spells must include at least 1 Form and 1 Technique. You add the AP provided by the applicable Form and Technique to determine how many AP are available to the Spell.

Spells cost Personal Endurance, but can also be fueled from Tass, which are treated as little mini non-Recovering END Reserves. All Spells must take a +1/4 Advantage "Personal Endurance or Endurance Reserve" to be able to take advantage of this ability. Theoretically I suppose some Spells could be allocated to only run off of Tass rather than Personal Endurance, but that should be the rare exception and is probably better represented by a FOCI requirement.

The way The Gift is written up seems to imply that the VPP's provided by the Talents are in effect Cosmic, as it states that a character may cast any spell he knows from a particular Arcana. This really begs the question why you would apply any limitations to the Powers as you arent being charged character points for them and you apparantly arent limited by Real Cost either.

To maintain that Ars Magica Feel however, as a default all Spells must take the following Limitations where appropriate:

Incantations, Gestures, Concentration worth -1/2 or more total. Thus Complex Incantations -1/2, Incantations Throughout -1/2, Gestures 2 Hands -1/2, Complex Gestures, Gestures Throughout -1/2, or Gestures & Incantations are all valid.

Extra Time or Extra Endurance worth at least -1 1/2 total. Thus Extra Time: 1 Turn Character May Take No Other Actions -1 1/2, Extra Time: Full Phase -1/2 & Extra Endurance x 3 -1, Extra Endurance x4 -1 1/2, etc

In addition all Ranged Powers must take:
Law of Contagion: 1/4 Range unless Appropriate Foci Used (-1/4)

All Powers must take:
Law of Sympathy: Spell has 3/4 Effect unless Appropriate Foci Used (-1/4)

Since the lack of a FOCI is much less restricting in these circumstances, FOCI take a -1/2 adjustment. Thus an OIF is worth -0, while an OAF is worth -1/2.

In effect, FOCI arent necessary in the normal fashion but are instead boosters to a spell -- if you dont have one the spell is less powerful.

[Delthrien]

It was my impression that the foci listed weren't necessary (unless from House Verditius) and only served as a way to make it easier to cast the spell (rather than make it weaker without its use...).

Of course, it's been many, many moons since I picked up my copy of the AM rules. I must go peruse now...

[Killer Shrike]

Originally posted by Delthrien
It was my impression that the foci listed weren't necessary (unless from House Verditius) and only served as a way to make it easier to cast the spell (rather than make it weaker without its use...).

Of course, it's been many, many moons since I picked up my copy of the AM rules. I must go peruse now...

Thats what Im saying; as a departure from the normal HERO System rules, the FOCI isnt necessary, but the spell works at a lesser rate of power without them.