Ars Magica

[albin]

I really like the basic ideas about the magic system in that game and since the rest of that rpg sucks, imo, it would be nice to simulate the magic system in Herosystem.

 

For those that dont know which game it is, you have different verbs from latin, like creo, perdo and so on and combine those with different nouns (like fire, water, mind, body). So to cast a fireball, that would be creo ignem and to cast a drain life type of spell would be perdo corpus. You have a skill in each of those verbs and nouns and basicly an endless VPP. Every mage has a potential of casting a, say, 300d6 EB but you have to make the skillroll.

 

Anyone familiar with the Ars Magica system or know of an existing conversion to Herosystem?

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Ars Magica

 

The Gift in Fantasy HERO for 5th Edition is very usable as the basis for an Ars Magica Magic System.

 

Also, do a board search for past threads on the subject.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Ars Magica

 

Here ya go; blast from the past -- my ideas on this circa 3.5 years ago:

 

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=154943&postcount=18

[albin]

Re: Ars Magica

 

Heh... I really should spend more time reading my books. The Gift on page 265 in FH is very close to the Ars Magica system. Cheers!

["V"]

Re: Ars Magica

 

Have you ever heard the old story about the streetsweeper who had been using the same brush for over sixty years. Of course he's had to replace the handle four times and the broomhead twelve times, but it's the same brush...

 

Well I've been running an Ars Magica campaign for several years now - it's a little non standard in that it's set in an otherwise realistic 19th century (centred around London) with the Order of Hermes being a secret subculture.

 

But like the earlier poster I've got to agree that with the exception of the magic system, the rules suck like [something renowned for sucking] on [occasion when even more sucking than usual is required] in [area renowned for sucking].

 

So first I brought in plenty of house rules.

 

Then when AM 5th Edition came out we switched to that.

 

Still sucky, so in came more house rules.

 

Still sucky... so now we're using a system that fuses the Chaosium Call of Cthulhu ruleset with the Ars Magica magic system.

 

It's still the same campaign... we've just had to change the handle and the head a few times.

 

I'll have a look at the Hero alternative just in case we need another switch.

[Blue Jogger]

Re: Ars Magica

 

I did a sort of Ars Magica-Fantasy Hero-AD&D hybrid.

 

All characters get access to a VPP for zero points. Everyone starts with an 8 or less chance of using it properly (5 or less if they didn't have any skills or clue on what they were trying to do). There are horrible side effects for missing your roll by 10 or more (usually a side effect with the active points equal to the effect being attempted). Minor side effects if you missed you roll by 5 (equal to 1D6 Unluck popping up). And there was a -1 for every 5 points of the spell, but there was bonuses for taking time, good materials, good conditions.

 

Anyway, it worked out that minor off-the-cuff effects were easy to do and could be done as a full phase or turn action and sometimes they worked, sometimes they didn't. And other times, you prepare a spell for an hour and you had something ready that could cast that spell as a minor magic item.

 

Then the only problem is making sure they don't get +4 in Creo and +4 in Ignem (or some other combination) unless you want them to cast 40 to 60 active points in, say, Fireball.

[Sir Ofeelya]

Re: Ars Magica

 

I have only played one Ars magica game and it was set in Harn world and was a lot of fun for the short time it ran before the GM went overseas. I found the rules OK, not great - but the magic side I really enjoyed. From my limited experience it was combat-lite game and we never even had anything that resembled a combat in the entire game.

[Vondy]

Re: Ars Magica

 

Have you ever heard the old story about the streetsweeper ....

 

No, but the "King of Sweeps" was a pivotal non-player character in an ongoing fantasy game I ran once...