Third Magic System (Please Help)

[Citizen Keen]

Aloha!

 

Looking to make a third magic system for my campaign. Something dynamic and powerful, balanceable, and unique and interesting. I am not above blatantly stealing from other material. I want a system that can definitely do things, and has areas it can't touch (for plausible reason, not metagame "arcane can't heal" reasons). Every racial grouping can use every magic, but each magic system belongs to a racial grouping, and is strongest in them.

 

The first system I have is classic elementalism, and belongs to the races most easily described as elementals and those of elemental bloodlines. Elemental magic is pretty obvious. It consists entirely of summoning elementals to do your bidding (think Valdorian Elementalism, if a little more showy). Magic items are nigh impossible to make with elemental magic.

 

The second system belongs to the races of man - humans, halflings and giants. It is essentially psionics with some mumbo jumbo. It consists of the sfx of telekinesis, empathy and esp - using powers of force to influence the world. You can make force fields and force bolts and all kinds of magic items, but you can't summon lightning or invoke the spirit of the bear or anything like that.

 

The third racial group is all the combinations of man and and animals - elephant men, wolfmen, et cetera. I want a funky and combat useful magic system to go with them...

 

I'm kind of stumped right now and thought I'd hit up the hero forums for help.

[Curufea]

Re: Third Magic System (Please Help)

 

Animal totems? Born under a certain totem means you can become a wolfmen, elephantmen, etc?

Are these shapechangers, or are they permanently of two parts?

 

I'd just create a system of multipowers based on each type of animal - if they're shapechanging, have it linked to shapeshift, so to get eagle eyesight, they actually have to have eagle eyes at the time.

 

But if permanently a conglomerate of human and animal - exaggerate the animal powers to a huge amount. The more powerful the mage, the more they exaggerate the power.

 

I'd attache a price as well though, using animal powers gives animal side effects - loss of intelligence, a need to behave instinctively (ie predators, must hunt down prey afterwards, herd animals must congregate with others of their kind)

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Third Magic System (Please Help)

 

This is a Animal based Magic System:

http://www.killershrike.com/FantasyHERO/HighFantasyHERO/MagicSystems/TotemicShamanism.shtml

 

This one could be adapted to suit, with different animal groups having different "styles":

http://www.killershrike.com/FantasyHERO/HighFantasyHERO/MagicSystems/Metier.shtml

 

This one could be adapted to suit with different animal groups having different Gift:

http://www.killershrike.com/FantasyHERO/HighFantasyHERO/MagicSystems/aeldenaren.shtml

[Citizen Keen]

Re: Third Magic System (Please Help)

 

Animal totems? Born under a certain totem means you can become a wolfmen, elephantmen, etc?

Are these shapechangers, or are they permanently of two parts?

 

I'd just create a system of multipowers based on each type of animal - if they're shapechanging, have it linked to shapeshift, so to get eagle eyesight, they actually have to have eagle eyes at the time.

 

But if permanently a conglomerate of human and animal - exaggerate the animal powers to a huge amount. The more powerful the mage, the more they exaggerate the power.

 

I'd attache a price as well though, using animal powers gives animal side effects - loss of intelligence, a need to behave instinctively (ie predators, must hunt down prey afterwards, herd animals must congregate with others of their kind)

 

Sorry.

 

The fact that they're animals should have nothing to do with their magic, or very little. They're just another permanent species. They don't shape shift, they don't invoke their own beast powers. In fact, certain species even eat their own animal equivalents.

 

I just want a third, interesting magic system. My friends want to start a new campaign, and want to utilize the freedom of HERO and get away from D&D. So, I want a crazy magic system that doesn't resemble the D&D magic system. But I don't want to use Valdorian Age magic - I want the magic to be as combat viable as any other, without the (necessarily) lengthy casting times or the favor system.

 

I just threw the animal race description out their for completeness' sake. The only thing I care about this magic is that it be different from the other two in what it can and cannot do.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Third Magic System (Please Help)

 

Heres a breakdown of all the Magic Systems on my site, and what they are good at:

 

http://www.killershrike.com/FantasyHERO/HighFantasyHERO/shrikeMagicSystemAdvisor.shtml

[Curufea]

Re: Third Magic System (Please Help)

 

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Killer Shrike again.

 

Dang.

 

Anyhow, one not listed is Crobuzon magic. Based on energy such as chemycal, or thaumaturgic batteries manufactured with blood and ritual. Reverbrating sounds/incantations.

Similar to the more common magic systems of FRPGs, but with the aid of mechanical devices, and usually every effect has a side effect inherent to it.

A prime example is the device used to enable the Mayor to converse with the Ambassador for Hell, who lives on a slightly different plane of existance in the room assigned to him at Perdido Street Station. The Carcist (mage of summoning/hell) used a clockwork device, rather than the more usual method of human sacrifice, to power the dimensional movement.

Very similar to the Dwarven magic of Castle Falkenstein - but somewhat darker in context.

[Midas]

Re: Third Magic System (Please Help)

 

There's battlemagic from Runequest. It is a weak but easy system. The adventurer has paid a local temple to teach him a rune, which he inscribes on the back of his shield for example. Whenever he concentrates on that particular rune, he can use its power. So if he concentrates on the "shield" rune, he gets a few points of resistant PD. If he conscentrates on the "flameblade" rune, he gets a DC of flame damage added to his sword damage.

 

Midas

[Markdoc]

Re: Third Magic System (Please Help)

 

There's battlemagic from Runequest. It is a weak but easy system. The adventurer has paid a local temple to teach him a rune, which he inscribes on the back of his shield for example. Whenever he concentrates on that particular rune, he can use its power. So if he concentrates on the "shield" rune, he gets a few points of resistant PD. If he conscentrates on the "flameblade" rune, he gets a DC of flame damage added to his sword damage.

 

Midas

 

And it's been heroified here:

 

http://www.geocities.com/markdoc.geo/Gaming_stuff/Runequest/heroquest.htm

[Markdoc]

Re: Third Magic System (Please Help)

 

And here's a unique and combat-friendly magic system from my current FH game:

 

==========================================

Magic of the Forest Man uses the following rules:

 

Followers of this path do not use "spells" as such - instead they have gifts. All "gifts" must be bought as separate powers. No gift may take the Focus limitation and in general incantations and gestures are not permitted (though some gifts might have them as a required part of the magic - a song of enchantment, for example). Unlike spells, Gifts do not cost Mana - they are a part of the character, in much the same way as a magical creature's powers.

 

All Gifts must cost END. While it is possible to have gifts that have the reduced END advantage, they must at least have the limitation "Costs END to start (-1/4)" in which the END cost is only paid when the gift is used

All Gifts must take the limitation "Extra time" - to at least a full phase level (-1/2).

All gifts must take the limitation "requires a skill roll" (-1/2). Unlike the magic of the Twelve, this is an EGO roll. It is not a power skill, and is not affected by elemental conjunctions.

Finally, all spells of the Forest Man must take the limitation "Independent" (-2). This is a very special aspect of the magic of the Forest Man - when a cult member learns a "gift" from the cult, as part of the ritual, he or she pledges some of their life force, releasing it into the world around them and receives a mark or a Geas from the god. Generally this is related to the gift - a cult member who learned a "Dangersense" spell might receive a geas never to attack a foe from ambush. A cult member gifted with supernatural strength might have the mark of a bull branded on their skin. If the mark is ever lost or broken, or the geas is not obeyed, the gift - and the character points spent on it - are lost permanentl. This is not an extra limitation - it is a way of applying the "universal" limitation without a focus. At the GM's option, a quest might be taken to regain the power, but this is by no means certain. There is one other feature of the Gifts of the Forest Man - just as gifts can be lost, so they can also be stolen, or given away. Again the method varies depending on the gift - a strength spell might be stolen by beating the possessor in a contest of strength - or by killing him and eating his stomach (the source of Strength in cult lore). Finding out how to steal another's gift is rarely easy, though. Although a worshipper of the Twelve might cause someone to lose their gift - by causing them to break a geas, for example - they cannot steal the power unless they are also a worshipper of the Forest Man.

In addition, no Gift can have any ranged effect - every Gift originates within the possessor.

[Nightshade]

Re: Third Magic System (Please Help)

 

How about Theurgy? It would be like a combination of the two you have described, where you are summoning beings to do things, but instead of elemental things, these are more (for lack of a better term) outer-planer in nature - pure emotion, spiritual advisers, holy light (or unholy darkness), spirits of law or chaos, etc.

 

Or, you could do something more based upon the physical world. Something like a combination of alchemy, herbalism, and druidism (using mixtures with incantations to make something useful or deadly, summoning mystic beasts and/or animals, knowledge of useful plants ala Athalas from Lord of the Rings).

 

Perhaps knowing a little more about the cultures would help.

 

Nightshade

[gojira]

Re: Third Magic System (Please Help)

 

Or' date=' you could do something more based upon the physical world. Something like a combination of alchemy, herbalism, and druidism (using mixtures with incantations to make something useful or deadly, summoning mystic beasts and/or animals, knowledge of useful plants ala Athalas from Lord of the Rings). [/quote']

 

Yeah, seconded.

 

I was going to suggest shamanism, a kind of nature based alchemy with medicine man overtones. Works *if* you see your animal based dudes as close to nature and maybe a bit primative. This is naturally limited because it should only do things you'd expect a natural potion to do. So no you can't fly or turn invisible but you might make actual medicine and anti-biotic dressings. (Use honey on an open wound. No kidding, it works.)

 

 

Thinking a bit more here, you could make it "spirit" based. That is, commune with nature spirits (slyphs, undines, minor gods and goddesses), ancestoral spirits (information and possible fighting bonuses), and anti-evil spirit (wards and dispells vs. demons, undead, and other bad spirits). Kinda like Naruto (the monk) on Inu Yasha. Just trying to think outside the box.

 

 

Yes, it would help a bit more if we knew the "tone" of these were-critters that you were looking for.

[prestidigitator]

Re: Third Magic System (Please Help)

 

How about a, "primal," magic system that involves becoming more connected to the beast within? It could involve a close tie to the tides, phases, of the moon, and thrill of the hunt. Surrender to the instinctual could be used primarily to boost physical ability, enhance the senses, and call the beasts of the wild to do your bidding.

[The Monster]

Re: Third Magic System (Please Help)

 

Another possibility is magic centered around sensory phenomena - illusions, light/darkness, enhancing/suppressing natural senses. Distinct from both elementalism and force/psi powers, and quite useful in combat.

 

It also plays indirectly off the animal-human mix since they might be more likely to use natural weapons for actual combat rather than magic blasts or conjured weapons. Plus there's sort of a rock-paper-scissors effect in that the illusions can be trumped by elemental effects, if only you can find a good target.

[Lucius]

Re: Third Magic System (Please Help)

 

Another possibility is magic centered around sensory phenomena - illusions, light/darkness, enhancing/suppressing natural senses. Distinct from both elementalism and force/psi powers, and quite useful in combat.

 

It also plays indirectly off the animal-human mix since they might be more likely to use natural weapons for actual combat rather than magic blasts or conjured weapons. Plus there's sort of a rock-paper-scissors effect in that the illusions can be trumped by elemental effects, if only you can find a good target.

 

Also, if many of these beings have senses that Humans don't they will benefit from flashes and darknesses that effect Human sense but not theirs.

 

LA

p