Mr. R Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 So has anybody (beside Killer Shrike) tried to do this. What I mean is that different countries have different magical traditions that use different magic rules. EX Country one uses a low key magic system where almost everyone has some minor ability (about 10 points worth) but can pool their power to generate impressive effect through rituals. Country two has a cadre of powerful mages but the rest of the people have no powers. Country three magic does not exist at all. Get across the border and it works again. ETC If so how has it worked out? Jerome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 Re: Magic depending on the country I have!...oh...besides me...right.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 Re: Magic depending on the country I had thought about having a world where different regions had varying levels of magic and technology. One of my friends thought it would be too ugly. I don't remember his reasons, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markdoc Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 Re: Magic depending on the country Rather than each country, each culture in my game has a different magic system (or systems). There are common features to magic, which every magic-user has to deal with, but different cultures get around them in different way. In the current game we have 7 different kingdoms, with a shared culture, and three different magic systems - one based on VPP, one based on MP and one based on buying spells as powers outside a framework. All have advantages and disadvantages. I think it gives a bit more flavour, but yes, it's a bit more work to set up cheers, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayapuppies Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 Re: Magic depending on the country Rather than each country, each culture in my game has a different magic system (or systems). There are common features to magic, which every magic-user has to deal with, but different cultures get around them in different way. In the current game we have 7 different kingdoms, with a shared culture, and three different magic systems - one based on VPP, one based on MP and one based on buying spells as powers outside a framework. All have advantages and disadvantages. I think it gives a bit more flavour, but yes, it's a bit more work to set up cheers, Mark This is similar to what I am currently developing. I've always loved this style of comment: "It seems he's using a version of Shalderian Pyromancy. Very interesting technique as well, since it is using a prism matrix similar to the Tharlan Aethermancers." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thia Halmades Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 Re: Magic depending on the country Yes, I have this in my campaign -- although I use a more 'd20 flavor' in terminology, the effect is the same. There are different traditions of magic, based largely on either Race (Dwarven Stoneworking magic is not to be confused with Elven Geomancy, despite the fact that from a mechanical humans tend to say stupid things like 'Hey, that looks like...') or Culture. There are Forgotten cultures who used forgotten practices that I haven't had to model, despite there being some hold overs. I also use law & society to control who uses magic, and how. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 Re: Magic depending on the country Here is a barebones list from my notes for San'Dora, indicating which magic systems are in use where... Magic System List Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curufea Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 Re: Magic depending on the country Yes. Western Shores has different magic for different areas. Mainly because magic is belief based and religion is different in different cultures. Invading armies from differing cultures lead to quite weird magical battles that tend to be a bit unpredictable and chaotic- hence most war leaders rely on standard infantry and other mundane troop types. It's one of the reasons I use to justify actually having any kind of army, rather than just a mage on a battlefield. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 Re: Magic depending on the country "No matter how good the Wizard, a dagger in the back will seriously cramp his style...." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilFleischmann Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 Re: Magic depending on the country My campaign world works this way, but I break it down even more! Every *village or city* has its own style of magic that it teaches its residents (not that they all learn magic). This gives room to the players to invent their own magic styles and home towns. Examples: Kesseltra - personal transformation (mostly ShapeShift with a VPP of associated powers) - they can imitate various animal forms. Pepperrose - herbalism, magic based on plant ingredients, "drug-like" effects, etc. Osai - telepathy, clairsentience, empathic healing Jasser - animal totems - similar to Kesseltra, but each "wizard" has only one animal form, using Multiform, and the transformation is much "truer" and "deeper" than those of Kesseltra. A Kesseltran mage can assume the shape of many different animals, but real animals will know that the mage isn't one of them. Jesserese mages, in their totem forms, can fully integrate and communicate with animals of the same species. Dwarven magic usually focuses on the creation of permanent, or long-term magic items, but the specifics vary between drawven communities Gnomish magic usually focuses on short-term, or single-use magic items, like potions The styles of magic are closely related to the way of life of each region. Olo, for example is a desert community, and their magic deals with survival and withstanding the elements and natural hardships. Holyat is a coastal village whose magic deals with the sea and weather, and is useful to the fishing industry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 Re: Magic depending on the country My Imperium Romanum setting assumes that the underlying physics of magic are the same everywhere, but that the rituals, names given to supernatural entities, and other surface details vary from culture to culture. The Spiritual Kungfu Master, Hindu Mystic and the Priest of Apollo will have very different views of what they're doing, and the limitations, advantages and effects they have access to may vary, but in the end all three are tapping into the same sources of power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Posted February 11, 2007 Report Share Posted February 11, 2007 Re: Magic depending on the country "No matter how good the Wizard' date=' a dagger in the back will seriously cramp his style...."[/quote'] *an approaching army comes towards the castle* King: I dont need an army, I have a supermage *stray arrow hits mage, mage dies* King: Oh crap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battlestaff Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 Re: Magic depending on the country I played in a D&D campaign where, based on the language the spell was inscribed in when it was learned, different effects occurred. There was a current language where things happened as they did from the book, and then four other languages that effected the spells learned from that language. One set would increase the effectiveness of the spell, while another would make the spell harder to resist/dispell. You could only roll to learn the spell once, so if you couldn't learn it in one language, you couldn't learn it at all, but it did make searching for a spell a bit more interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cantriped Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 Re: Magic depending on the country I think it's safe to assume that different cultures would each take their magic in different directions. But really it depends upon how long each culture had to develop it's magical traditions before globalization occurs (which is dependant upon how easily magic allows them to travel great distances). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wcw43921 Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 Re: Magic depending on the country The 7th Sea RPG had different schools of magic for each of its pseudo-European nations. Montaigne had porte-magic, which involved tearing holes in the fabric of reality. Avalon had magic based on fairies. Eisengard had--had Eisengardic magic-- Okay, gimme a break--it's been a long while since I played the game. But you get the idea, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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