"Valdemaran Magic"

[Mordlyth]

I'm in the process of beginning a Hero campaign in a home-brewed world. I've got most of the "mundane" aspects of the campaign worked out, everything from the resources of given lands to who rules what lands and where. The only thing I'm having a spot of trouble with is the magic system.

 

My players and I are rabid fans of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar novels, and I would like to use the Hero rules system to duplicate the magic system used in the novels. Has anyone else ever worked on this particular endeavor? Any assistance would be appreciated.

[SkyKnight]

I'ts been a while since I've read the novels, so I'm working from sketchy memory. Your basic levels of magical power are:

 

Apprentice

Journeyman

Master

Adept

 

Magic doesn't seem to have the huge limitations like Fantasy Hero, so you'll probably need a power structure in order to pay for it. Multipower or VPP are your best options. I'd probably go for the Multipower.

 

As I recall, Apprentices can only draw on their own magical energy. Journeymen can tap into deliberately pooled magic and maybe very low level lines of power. Masters can tap the lines directly and masters can draw on nodes. What does this mean to PC's? I don't know.

 

As a first try, why not make magic a multipower, with the active points determined by the character's skill level. For Instance

 

Apprentice = 15 point reserve

Journeyman = 30 point reserve

Master = 45 point reserve

Adept = 60+ point reserve

 

Then, for some more flavor, use an END reserve, and give the multipower the advantage to take power from either the character's END or the END reserve (+1/4 I think). Make the END fairly large, and both the END and the REC contingent on availability of a power source. For example

 

50 END, 5 REC requires power source

+50 END, +5 REC requires a ley line

+50 END, +5 REC requires a node

 

I'm not sure if this would do what you want, but if you saddle the multipowers with x2 or x3 END you should make mages fairly powerful, but not much use without at least a ley line to recharge the battery. A multipower would allow picking up new spells fairly easily.

 

Does this help?

[AnotherSkip]

Hmm well since im the last guy who brought it up I have a few suggestions that might help. It's good to see others with the same passion! ill keep things to general and not specific characters/items

 

Think of the following suggestions and see what it means to your little fandom:

1. Apprentices and Journeymen can only use personal energies To me at first it says : the characterisitc end.

2. Masters can use lay lines and keyed pools of stored energies

3. Adepts can use Nodes and Heartstones (If keyed)

I would suggest standadrising the End reserves or making them "part of the world(just like equipment)

Magic should be a VPP, favored spells of course but still there is little you cannot do if you know enough and have enough magic. LImitations on creating spells should be based upon Magical skill rolls, with the note that a minimum of a day to make a new spell.

 

Frankly I would do the following on the node Lay lines: End reserve: Costs end(-1/2). it's funky buuut it repersents the thoughts and feelings of the mages who are new to handling the magics(specifically Andesha in the second Storm book and Dar'ian in the third Owl Book.)

frankly my suggestion would be keep track of LTE, or even better have LTE assessed per spell. this keeps the number of spells per day down but not going the charges route.

 

Foci are either rare, usually only for the End reserve mentioned above, or only (for example) a two point skill level, very narrow(like +1 to scrying magics) Kethrie has some items like that.

 

A few notes: unlike other games having "robust" mages is entirely in concept for valdemaran mages: Ma'ar was _very_ fit, most Valdemaran mages are heralds, Vanyel was as fit as any incarnation of Ma'ar, and Firesong spent years with Silverfox putting him through what feels like yoga. Kethrie suffered much in her day and darn well could keep up with Tamara most of the time. Elspeth frequently kills with her knives rather than magics(ex-Princess, Mage and Herald to boot, whew!).

 

ForeSight and Foreseeing (Precog by any other name) allways have the No Consious Control, (-2) limitation. and theoretically speaking this _does_ limit the deities in the game also.

 

There are places that can add bonuses to what is being done (workrooms is the most coomon example).

Blood magic probaly deserves its own mention: Not necessarily evil (Shamanic magic and self spilled blood) but unwilling sacrifical magic

_is_ evil. essentially a different kind of End reserve in the long run.

 

 

Mage Shields desrve special mention: It's not just your ordinary

FF anymore!!! Try to come up with the 8 or so different types of shielding(a near complete list is in the first winds book), the Void grounded shield is a particularly difficult one to come up with, (FF +Absorption to FF is my suggestion).

Mage Sight/OverSight practically deserves it's own notes

 

Mercedes Lackey basically renames things with a passion, Psionics becomes Mind Magics, the northern "barbarian" tribes are essentially Eskimos(or more appropriately tribes native to alaskan area)

 

The country feels like Northern America in some ways, with Haven being Oklahoma/KC, Mexico being Karse. But it is not quite right, there are some paralells but much that is different.

 

That should get you started......