High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

[Lord Mhoram]

Re: High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

 

Now for some nasties...

 

I like those. I can't believe I didn't think of the int drain one.

[The Monster]

Re: High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

 

 

A 2d6 luck usable on other 2 billion people, megascale to the planet - only affects those that share the same faith, and fades when the reciepient does something he knows is against said faith. Duration is a week (or maybe a month) - the head priest of a religion does this as his special blessing every week (or maybe month).

 

 

As a plot device, you could make this linked somehow to the lifetime of the head of the particular church. When the head dies, the new head's first offical act is to renew the blessing. In the meantime, though, every believer is a little less lucky...

Now, if the electoral process is as involved as the Pope, which can take several weeks, you have a window of opportunity for enemies. And these deaths can be arranged...

[Comic]

Re: High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

 

Hrm. Leap of Faith: Megascale Superleap, UAO, AoE, Megascale Area.

 

Watch that first step, it's a doozy.

 

Not sure how to build it to allow for safe landings, but if you're not overfond of the populace of a place, sending them all a half mile into midair and then letting them fall wouldn't need a safe landing.

[Doc Democracy]

Re: High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

 

It would be a great help using the FH Mass combat rules. Or buy +3 to moral rolls with the same kind of advantages - a mass courage spell or something.

 

tell you what. I'd hate top be a soldier in those magic based times - suddenly everyone is a meat cleaving superman while also believing they are invulnerable and would not run away - what carnage such battles would be!

[Lord Mhoram]

Re: High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

 

tell you what. I'd hate top be a soldier in those magic based times - suddenly everyone is a meat cleaving superman while also believing they are invulnerable and would not run away - what carnage such battles would be!

 

Yeah.

 

I threw the idea out for the thread, and with all the responces, and what that can mean to the world they are in, has really made me examine the world they were going to be in, and what exactly it will be like.

[Doc Democracy]

Re: High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

 

Got another battle oriented one.

 

Fog of War - throws a fog over the entier battlefield that causes visibility to be limited to a few feet. The caster can, with added effort and preparation ensure that his own side are immune to its effects.

 

 

This would be ideal for offence or for getting your people out of there when the battle begins to go the wrong way....

 

 

Doc

[CourtFool]

Re: High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

 

I threw the idea out for the thread' date=' and with all the responces, and what that can mean to the world they are in, has really made me examine the world they were going to be in, and what exactly it will be like.[/quote']

 

Two words for you, Megascaled Dispel.

[Lord Mhoram]

Re: High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

 

Two words for you' date=' Megascaled Dispel.[/quote']

 

I already have one of those written up.

[Blue Jogger]

Re: High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

 

The Wondrous Wheel

 

Once created, this wheel keeps magically turning with the power proportional to the size (although they can be stop and started with a command). Small ones (1.5 feet diameter) have 5 STR, bigger ones are like waterwheels (6 feet diameter) and have 15 STR. Each +5 STR after that requires that the wheel diameter double or another wheel constructed.

 

30 STR TK, 0 END, Persistent. 90 Active Points (48 feet diameter wheel)

[AnotherSkip]

Re: High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

 

Now for some nasties...

Curse of Idiocy: Drain/Suppress INT, large area. As little as 2d6 can reduce normal people to the mental equivalent of cows and sheep. 1d6 is less drastic, costs half as much, but enough to reduce normal people to unusually stupid normal people (No, I won't suggest that another name for this could be "U.S. Public School System." I won't say that.)

 

Curse of Leprosy: Drain COM, Sticky. A single die of "effect" turns into 2d6 of actual COM removed - enough to turn normal people absolutely hideous. The Sticky means you only have to cast it on one person to cause a plague - or even just a panic (especially when medicine and Cure Disease spells fail, since it ain't a disease!). To really get nasty, you cast it on the ground, which makes everything that touches that patch of ground ugly - ugly trees, ugly crops (perfectly edible and nutritious, but disgusting to look at!), (No, I won't suggest that another name for this could be "U.S. Public School System Food." I won't say that.)

Slightly modified your "leprosy quote"....

[AnotherSkip]

Re: High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

 

Looking at all of these cool army spells tells me one thing, which is the first thing you thow out is a Dispell magic Riiiiiight before the opposing armies clash, negating all their superbuff spells....

 

 

now in Hero to the best of my understanding when you throw AOE spells they affect everyone in the area. So throwing AOE spells in the middle of combat (especially armies in combat) isn't a good idea.

So now they have debuffed your army So NOW you have to cast spells in the middle of combat. Take for example AOE CE +1 DCV Linked to an AOE CE +1 OCV, if everyone gets this it will be a null result. If you as a DM allow -0 "disadvantages" like "Only affects the Soldiers of LaLaLa Lands" that's fine and everything but then what happens during a cvil war? or with mind control? (my personal problem has been I and my GM's have allways seen that as an advantage!)

My personal favorite suggestion is Selective. (and using the laws of averages means you only have to roll for those who matter)

This means you don't really know who gets it but it will swing the battle to a more positive result that looks like they have guys who are well trained or vetrans rather than a more dramatic "superhuman army". It also doesn't affect the opposition no matter who they are. with the reverse being true for "curses".

 

Ya know I think i'm rambling a bit too much.

 

Of course I cast Darkness to normal sight 1 hex Megascaled (+1/4), Selective(-1/4) with a 22 point VPP.... which should give the Gm's out there the screaming heebie jeebies.

[Lord Mhoram]

Re: High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

 

My personal favorite suggestion is Selective. (and using the laws of averages means you only have to roll for those who matter)

 

That is how I've run such things in my game for years.

[ghost-angel]

Re: High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

 

Bow Down Before Me! Bow!! +100 PRE, only to make PRE Attacks. plus Images: Sight & Hearing, (a really big area), Set Sight Effect, only a hugely tall image of the caster (I think 1000 feet should do it).

 

(Also known at the "Who's Your Daddy?" spell)

[Lucius]

Re: High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

 

Bow Down Before Me! Bow!! +100 PRE' date=' Area Of Effect: Megascaled appropriately, only to make PRE Attacks. [b']plus[/b] Images: Sight & Hearing, (a really big area), Set Sight Effect, only a hugely tall image of the caster (I think 1000 feet should do it).

 

(Also known at the "Who's Your Daddy?" spell)

 

Presence automatically has an area of effect - it effects anyone who can percieve the character making the PRE attack.

 

So the Area and Megascale are not necessary.

 

In fact, wouldn't they give +100 PRE to everyone in the area?

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary startles everyone by vanishing, thus executing an Absence Attack

[ghost-angel]

Re: High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

 

Presence automatically has an area of effect - it effects anyone who can percieve the character making the PRE attack.

 

So the Area and Megascale are not necessary.

 

In fact, wouldn't they give +100 PRE to everyone in the area?

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary startles everyone by vanishing, thus executing an Absence Attack

 

good point. never mind. remove the AoE.

[Inu]

Re: High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

 

Looking at all of these cool army spells tells me one thing' date=' which is the first thing you thow out is a Dispell magic Riiiiiight before the opposing armies clash, negating all their superbuff spells.... [/quote']

+1/4 'difficult to dispel' on army buffs. For a, say, 150 AP effect, that means you need about 100 dice of dispel in order for it to work. AoE 100 die dispel costs 600+ AP, putting it well out of the price range. Not so much of a problem!

[ghost-angel]

Re: High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

 

+1/4 'difficult to dispel' on army buffs. For a' date=' say, 150 AP effect, that means you need about 100 dice of dispel in order for it to work. AoE 100 die dispel costs 600+ AP, putting it well out of the price range. Not so much of a problem![/quote']

 

Depends on the Limitations, these are epic after all.

 

Make it a Ritual Spell, Incantations, Expendable Focus, Gestures, Extra Time, Spell . . . I'm sure we can think of more. Cut that sucker down in price real quick

[Inu]

Re: High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

 

Depends on the Limitations, these are epic after all.

 

Make it a Ritual Spell, Incantations, Expendable Focus, Gestures, Extra Time, Spell . . . I'm sure we can think of more. Cut that sucker down in price real quick

Yeah, but Mhoram was talking about 150-200 AP spells, not RP. That doesn't mean that bigger spells don't exist (such as a battlefield debuff), don't exist... but it's certainly not just THAT simple. And if spells are getting bigger, then you just put on another +1/4 difficult to dispel and now you need 200 dice of dispel. Basically, it's much easier to make an undispellable spell than it is to make a bigger dispel. =)

[Lord Mhoram]

Re: High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

 

Yeah' date=' but Mhoram was talking about 150-200 AP spells, not RP. That doesn't mean that bigger spells don't exist (such as a battlefield debuff), don't exist... but it's certainly not just THAT simple. And if spells are getting bigger, then you just put on another +1/4 difficult to dispel and now you need 200 dice of dispel. Basically, it's much easier to make an undispellable spell than it is to make a bigger dispel. =)[/quote']

 

If dispels were used, I'd see them with a much smaller area, and increased dice, so they could be specific uses - your line is weakening in one area - hit the opponent with a Dispel.

 

I've loved the stuff I've seen here, can't wait for some time this weekend to fully write them all up.

[Doc Democracy]

Re: High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

 

So now they have debuffed your army So NOW you have to cast spells in the middle of combat. Take for example AOE CE +1 DCV Linked to an AOE CE +1 OCV' date=' if everyone gets this it will be a null result. If you as a DM allow -0 "disadvantages" like "Only affects the Soldiers of LaLaLa Lands" that's fine and everything but then what happens during a cvil war? or with mind control? [/quote']

 

Well, in Glorantha, you have particular regiments with their own totemic spirit guide/protector.

 

If you get into industrial magic then lots of the buff spells would be focussed through those connected to the spirit or have been prepared with the necessary precursors for the magic to work.

 

It does become difficult in civil wars but they are always messy aren't they.

 

Mind control is another way to get around a better army than your own - you steal their soldiers to work for you.

 

Essentially I see these armies being the playthings of the mega-magicians...not a nice place to be and a good place to find yourself in a major mincing machine...

 

 

Doc

[Inu]

Re: High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

 

Well, in Glorantha, you have particular regiments with their own totemic spirit guide/protector.

 

If you get into industrial magic then lots of the buff spells would be focussed through those connected to the spirit or have been prepared with the necessary precursors for the magic to work.

 

It does become difficult in civil wars but they are always messy aren't they.

 

Mind control is another way to get around a better army than your own - you steal their soldiers to work for you.

 

Essentially I see these armies being the playthings of the mega-magicians...not a nice place to be and a good place to find yourself in a major mincing machine...

Armies might even work better if you just summon them. Draw power from the natural terrain in your realm, focus it towards your magic which you aim at your enemy...

 

"Hey, after that army attacked, why did it wheel about to turn its flank to the enemy?"

[The Monster]

Re: High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

 

To pre-select friendlies, you could have them carry or wear markers or foci - amulets, helmets, or even tattoos. Then design your spells so that they only affect people who have that particular focus.

Of course, this means that a significant "special ops" mission is to discern and obtain those items from the enemy for your own use and study (or to prevent the theft thereof). Another "special op" might be to mark enemies for a magical strike - kind of like "painting" a target like they did in the Iraq war, where specforces infiltrated to mark advance targets for the airstrikes (especially SAM sites, IIRC - analogous to taking out magical personnel or prepared ritual sites?).

And civil wars would get really nasty. All the markers would be available to both sides, at least until the war went on long enough to make new ones. Of course, this might also mean that people just don't make markers for everyone; just their chosen personal/elite forces. These things would also be tightly controlled by higher-ups (kings, emperors, archbishops, etc.).

 

My thought for a long time has been that high-magic worlds would have a lot less emphasis on massed armies, but I've never really hacked seriously at the issue. My initial thought is that there would be a lot more raiding-type activity, since any large concentration of force would invite magical hits. Large armies would still have an advantage, since they can cover more places and areas than small armies, but most battles, even sieges, wouldn't be the mass assaults so delightfully depicted in most fantasy books and movies.

There's be a lot more emphasis on maneuver and sustainability; the ability to get to the critical point, and assemble potent strike forces from among scattered components, would count for a lot. And sustainability - the ability to keep pressure on an enemy position, with multiple waves and directions of attack - would take advantage of the typical limitations on most fantasy magicians: limited ammunition. Sure, the wizards can cast fireballs at you, but after three or four waves, they're gonna start running low on mana/charges/spells. A grim arithmetic, to be sure, but when isn't it?

[Shadowsoul]

Re: High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

 

Hmmm. Perhaps something like transform, megascale, turns target landscape or geographical feature, (forest, mountain), into a living being with extra limbs and multiform, plus various other appropriate abilities such as life support breathe under water and so on. This would be why the Elven forest seems particularly eery and is capable of informing its inhabitants that there are trespassers about or 'disappearing' said trespassers without any pointy eared help at all, also the kraken island or the insanely immense rock troll.

[Lord Mhoram]

Re: High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

 

My thought for a long time has been that high-magic worlds would have a lot less emphasis on massed armies, but I've never really hacked seriously at the issue.

 

I remember the desingers of Battlesystem for AD&D (way back in the day) commenting that really huge battles looked more like modern warefare with air support (Dragons, Griffon mounted troops ect) and no pike squares or lines of infantry because spells would blow them to pieces.

 

This thread has been really interesting for looking at the social dynamics of what would happen with really high power magic.

[Lord Mhoram]

Re: High power magic (Brainstorming welcome and requested)

 

While flipping through Mythus Magic (before getting ready to convert spells for my FH game) I saw something that led to this idea:

 

Curse of Bable - Drain 2d6 (standard effect 6 pts) vs all language skills +2, delayed return rate (at least an hour, as long as months), area effect, megascale, selective.

 

Cheesy, but it makes a great effect - all of a sudden no one on the enemies side can communicate with each other. Hit that at the start of a battle... whoo boy.