Max amount of concurrent spells

[mhd]

What's a good way of representing a limit to the spells a caster has "up" at a given time? Don't really want everything to be a multipower slot, and the active points shouldn't really matter (i.e. you get X spells, no matter whether that's a minor cantrip or a massive magnum opus).

 

Simplest way would probably be something like Vancian casting or alchemy do it (Delayed Effect), using a fractional value of an attribute (e.g. INT/2).

[Ndreare]

We have used lots of rules for this such as -2 to skill for each spell already stored, making it harder and harder to store more spells. Eventually you see a curve were they prepare their hardest (highest active point) spell first, then fill in four or five other spells until their skill drops to the point they cannot store anymore.

 

I have considered also allowing a hard limit representing the combined amount you body, mind and soul can retain as (Int+Con+Ego)/5 so a character with a high will power or endurance can store more raw power, while a character with more intelligence can store more through skill. Have not tried it in game though.

[NuSoardGraphite]

I use a multipower spell system which comes with built in limits (one of the reasons i like them) but i would recommend INT/5 or INT/2.

 

The above suggestion of additional penalties for sustaining multiple spells is a good one.

[tombrown803]

You could base it off intelligence. Say INT/3 or 4. This would not effect how many they have, but would limit the number that are active at any time.

[dmjalund]

thre could be different types of magic where

 

Wizardry is based on INT

Divine is based on EGO

Bardic is based on PRE

etc

[NuSoardGraphite]

thre could be different types of magic where

 

Wizardry is based on INT

Divine is based on EGO

Bardic is based on PRE

etc

Yeah, i use the rolemaster method of essence (wizardry-INT) channeling (divine-PRE) and mentalism (EGO)

 

My sustained spell limitations are based on their multi-power pool which can be no more than the governing characteristic times 5. thus if an elemental mage (essence based) has an INT of 18, their spell pool can go no higher than 90 points until they raise their INT. Thus it is more difficult for mages to exceed a multi-power pool of more than 100 without having to increase their characteristic(s) above normal maxima.

[shuddemell]

Here's how I set up my high fantasy magic system:

 

Any spell casting character MUST have a Mana Pool (defined as an END reserve) to be able to cast spells. If their mana pool is depleteted, the END of the spell is doubled. It should also be noted that if a character’s mana pool is drained to zero or suppressed to zero, they CANNOT cast spells until they have at least 1 point back. This is different from it being depeleted by the character, wherein they can still use spells, albeit at double endurance. This isn’t true if the character has innate magical abilities, only if they cast spells. Therefore, for example, a dragon’s flight, though probably magical in nature, does not require a mana pool (it draws from the creatures END as normal). If, however, the dragon knows magic, those spells draw from the mana pool, and from personal END at 2X END Cost. The mana pool is built using a supplied prefab, and the modifiers cannot be changed without my expressed permission.

A character must have the Power Skill - Magery to cast any spells. This indicates their basic proficiency with magic. You may buy familiarity with this skill, but it makes for a poor mage.

Each individual spell is a skill, using the (KS) knowledge skill guidelines. Skill with an individual spell can NEVER exceed the character’s Magery skill. As such your Magery skill determines your maximum proficiency in spell casting.

The aforementioned Mana Pool is built as an END Reserve, which can have no greater than (Magery • EGO/2) points of END in it. Therefore, if a character had Magery of  13-, and an EGO of 12-, then the mana pool would top out at (13 • 12)/2 = 78 points of END. It is afforded a -1/2 limitation that it may only be used to cast spells. You may of course, buy less than the maximum, but never more.

The character may not cast any spell with a real point cost of greater than (Magery + INT). Typically, extra time, components, gestures and incantations can be used to bring the spell to a manageable level, but real cost MUST be less than or equal to (Magery + INT).

Your Magery roll may be used to change certain aspects of a spell, especially if you wish to truncate it somewhat. You may use your Magery skill to eliminate the need for gestures, incantations, and extra time. To do this, your magery skill must be in excess of your skill with the spell, and if it is, for each element you attempt to eliminate, you must subtract an additional -2. This includes casting multiple spells, each new one is at a -2, and failure on the roll requires a reroll for already continuing spells. For example, let us say we have a mage with 18- Magery, and skill with a simple Spellbolt of 15-. Now, as the spellbolt requires both gestures and incantations, and our intrepid mage is bound and gagged, he must somehow manage it with these hindrances.  A spellbolt has 20 Active Points and 10 Real Point cost. So as such he would normally need to roll 15 - 1 = 14-, to cast the spell, but since he is removing 2 limitations, he must roll first 18 - 4 = 14- to make the modification, and then 15 - 1 - 4 = 10- to sucessfully cast under these circumstances. IF you use your magery skill in this fashion, the END cost of the spell will be at FULL value, based on ACTIVE POINTS/5. Reduced END or Zero END advantages notwitstanding.

Cantrips — If a spell has an active point cost less than one-half of the Mages Magery Score, it may be cast as a cantrip, with no endurance cost. The mage still must make a Magery roll, but it is at +2.

Divine magic works in a very similar fashion, substituting Divine Favor for Mana Pool, Power Skill: Priest of Diety X for Magery, KS: Prayer for KS: Spell, and PRE for INT. The primary differences will be the modifiers on the prayers, which will differ somewhat from spell modifiers. Limitations will be things such as “In accordance with dieties will” or “As long as cleric is maintaining proper behavior and ethics appropriate to diety”.
 

[mhd]

Here's how I set up my high fantasy magic system:

Sorry, but where does spell concurrency come into play here?

 

Anyway, thanks to all the posters for the suggestions. I'm using multipowers anyway for themed spell abilities (e.g. "lightning stuff"), but this should work across multiple abilities, and slot "size" shouldn't matter.

 

So going with something derived from a stat should be the best way. Increasing this for just this very purpose would then still be pretty cheap, but I'll just have to make clear that in the game world this is actually more rare than mere points convey (just like immortality).

 

It shouldn't be just tied to the ability, so that you could have "prodigies" who can handle all that multi-tasking without being magical geniuses in general. It's a bit like the magic equivalent of ambidexterity (or SPD). You'll want to recruit those for your armies, as this would probably be much more important there than anywhere else. To make this even more significant there, I'm going to restrict UOO spells to one subject only, so if you want to buff four soldiers, that means that you'll have to keep up four "instances" of your spell. Although that would require four castings, so I just might make this a simple house rule.

[shuddemell]

Sorry, but where does spell concurrency come into play here?

 

Anyway, thanks to all the posters for the suggestions. I'm using multipowers anyway for themed spell abilities (e.g. "lightning stuff"), but this should work across multiple abilities, and slot "size" shouldn't matter.

 

So going with something derived from a stat should be the best way. Increasing this for just this very purpose would then still be pretty cheap, but I'll just have to make clear that in the game world this is actually more rare than mere points convey (just like immortality).

 

It shouldn't be just tied to the ability, so that you could have "prodigies" who can handle all that multi-tasking without being magical geniuses in general. It's a bit like the magic equivalent of ambidexterity (or SPD). You'll want to recruit those for your armies, as this would probably be much more important there than anywhere else. To make this even more significant there, I'm going to restrict UOO spells to one subject only, so if you want to buff four soldiers, that means that you'll have to keep up four "instances" of your spell. Although that would require four castings, so I just might make this a simple house rule.

Sorry, if you look in the fourth paragraph, I allow for -2 for each attempted additional spell. So I don't limit it specifically, but rather let the odds take care of it. Note that the magery score can be made higher to make multiple spells more likely to be successful. I probably included too much info, but wanted to give it some context.

[Tasha]

In older editions of Fantasy Hero you could have Int/5 spells running at the same time. You could add an ability Extra running spells +1 max/ 3 PowerPoints. As a talent it would be basically purchased as ( +5 Int, Only to increase maximum number of spells -1) I guess technically that ability may be closer to +1/2 Power Points, but 3pp per seems to "feel" better to me.