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Different Kinda Dark Magic


Jkeown

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Imagine you have these uncaring, nearly dead gods, imprisioned in various areas around your fantasy world. Got it?

 

Okay, now suppose some folks figure out these Dead Gods are out there, and they begin to supplicate them...

 

The Dead Gods aren't actually aware of this behavior. They just soak up the magic provided by sacrifices, bloodletting and ritual scarification, and return a little power through some mystical "feedback loop."

 

Clearly, these aren't the type of gods who grant spells with the "Only while performing in the god's interest (-1/2)" sorts one finds in other games.

 

You have spells that you like to use, you power them with an END Reserve... that END Reserve is of a given size, and only recharges with a sacrifice of some sort.

 

Act/END Recharge

Human Sacrifice/100

Blood Offering/50

Ritual Scarring/25

Burnt Offerings/13

 

Whatcha Think? (-1)? (-2)?

 

Should I put down my copy of BoVD and get back to Battlestar Galactica?

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Re: Different Kinda Dark Magic

 

A bit like my necromancy system, except only death counts .

 

Sentient/in the bloom of health = most recharge

on down to

Alive, and now its dead (plants would even count, but very, very little!) = least recharge

 

Usually my necromancers also do hemomancy (magic powered by blood, but not requiring death's blood)

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Re: Different Kinda Dark Magic

 

It would be a strange campaign if this were the only way to do magic. It would mean that magic simply could not be used by morally good people because you have to do unacceptable things to do it.

 

If all practicing mages had to perform murderous blood sacrifices to use their powers, one could build a camapign around player-characters who hunt down evil mages, even in cases when the mages are in control of the society and manipulate it to maintain their power. (In which case you have a "rebels against the Witch-Kings" campaign.)

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Re: Different Kinda Dark Magic

 

It would be a strange campaign if this were the only way to do magic. It would mean that magic simply could not be used by morally good people because you have to do unacceptable things to do it.

 

If all practicing mages had to perform murderous blood sacrifices to use their powers, one could build a camapign around player-characters who hunt down evil mages, even in cases when the mages are in control of the society and manipulate it to maintain their power. (In which case you have a "rebels against the Witch-Kings" campaign.)

 

Not quite true - good mages could regain power via ritual scarring or burnt offerings. they'd just be at a disadvantage compared to mages of a more... ah.. flexible ... morality.

 

Which actually soounds pretty cool. There would be a continual temptation to slide over the "dark side" and the "distrust of magic" which is built into many campaigns without any good reason at all, would be well justified here..

 

cheers, Mark

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