Make a Zodiac based Magic System

[Killer Shrike]

Re: How Much of a Limitation

 

If you arent locked into an existing cosmology, you should consider coalescing your gods into the zodiac and kill two birds with one stone. It would also make this more of a divine magic system than an arcane one -- powers arent learned, they are granted or attuned with.

[mayapuppies]

Re: How Much of a Limitation

 

Unfortunately the cosmology for the area in question is predominantly figured out. However, that does not mean that I can't fold this into a divine style of magic.

 

The Kingdom of Tursh was formed by conquering many different tribes of humans. Several other races also make their homes within the kingdom, though all of them tend to follow the religions of their homelands.

 

Having one of the tribes of humans believing in the zodiac pantheon, could easily be written in and form the root of how this magic started, perhaps it continues in a thamaturgic (sp?) fashion...

 

hmmm

[Thia Halmades]

Re: How Much of a Limitation

 

It would make sense for some groups to associate Zodiac signs with deification; especially if they receive tangible, measurable power. It also depends on the association; let's say a spell requires Gestures and Incantations. Nothing says that Tribe A's gestures & incants are the same as tribe B's. In fact, it may even come with a penalty if you attempt to analyze the casting (Alien Tribe Bonus: -2 to decipher spells).

[Markdoc]

Re: How Much of a Limitation

 

You simply did not make war in the winter - you waited out the winter' date=' ransported your armies and equipment in the spring, battled in the summer, and moved your armies and equipment back in the fall to hunker down for the winter.[/quote']

 

Depends where you are. In most of Europe, war was an all-year round business (Caesar, for example led his army across Southern France and into Italy to kick off the civil war over December/January). Multiple invasions of Roman territory were launched in winter - the Franks, Alans, Suebi and Vandals all launched their invasions in either December or January, taking advantage of the freezing of the Rhine and the fact that their harvests (and those of the romans!) were gathered.

 

Same in England, where the first large viking army wintered over on Thanet, continually raiding nearby towns and attacking Wessex in force in December. They later met their match in Alfred at the battle of Ashdown (8th January) and that campaign continued throughout January, Febuary and March. The same was also true for the the war for the crown in Henry I's reign (where Mathilda famously escaped the siege of Oxford across a frozen river during a snowstorm) and for the First Baron's war. In 1215, the fighting continued into December- and then through December/January, the troops were redeployed to halt the advance of the French and their allies. The climax of the fighting in second phase of the war was again winter (the next year) - with the siege of Hertford in mid December and the battles around Berkhamstead just before Christmas, with the retreat of the royal armies in January. And the story was the same in the Wars of the Roses, where the crucial battles in the second/third year of the war (Sandal Castle, Second Battle of St Albans, Mortimer's Cross and Towton) took place in December, January, Febuary and March, respectively, with the weather (particularly snow) playing major role. And we're not talking small forces, either - this large campaign led to the largest battle ever on English soil and one of the bloodiest battles in the history of English arms.

 

In northern Europe, warmaking often (but not always) stopped in late fall/early winter for the harvest and because it was cold, muddy and wet, then started again in late december/january, when the frozen rivers made fine highways (in Reykdæla saga, the battle between Steingrímur's and Áskell's forces takes place on a frozen river) and the ground was frozen hard, so that mounted men could travel easily. In Heimskringla saga, King Erling is killed in Norway in battle in winter, while Olaf Trygvason conquered Vindland (A.D. 981) in a winter campaign before bringing his army back to Gotland for a second campaign in Spring. This remained the case, right through the middle ages - the Teutonic knights used frozen rivers to good advantage to penetrate woodlands - and their climactic battle against Eastern Christianity took place partly on the frozen waters of Lake Peipus.

 

There are plenty of other examples, but basically, with the exception of organised forces like the romans, who really did fight all year round, people tended to start wars either in mid-late summer, or (more usually) after the harvest was in (early/Mid fall), which mean that in many cases, fighting continued right through the coldest part of the year. Spring and early summer were usually the "non-war" period because many men were required for tilling and planting and in spring, food supplies were at their absolute lowest and the condition of men and horses was at its worst. But even then, there are plenty of important campaigns which were fought in this period.

 

So a mage using this system is going to have use for combat-related spells at any and all times of the year.

 

cheers, Mark

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Make a Zodiac based Magic System

 

I made an astrological magic system once. Without getting into too much detail, here's how I did it.

 

Each zodiacal sign had a spell associated, which was fairly useful year round, but was enhanced during the proper season, and enhanced further during the proper month. Only one of these spells could be in effect on a given target at a time.

 

Each planet had a spell associated, as did the sun and moon. I don't believe these had any stacking restrictions, but if they did, it was only in regard to each other...they would stack freely with zodiac spells.

 

For good measure, I threw in a bunch of spells based on astrological terminology. Conjunction was an enhancer spell that allowed a zodiac spell to stack with another. Ascendence, IIRC, was an Aid. Opposition was a Dispel.

 

Real world zodiac signs, planets, etc have elemental affinities, and indirectly have affinities with the four humors (blood, phlegm, choler, and melancholia). The Chinese expanded on this greatly, with bodily organs, senses, fruits, grains, vegetables, meats, et al, all being interlinked. Depending on how far out you want to expand your magic system, it can get pretty crazy.

[mayapuppies]

Re: Make a Zodiac based Magic System

 

That would be really, really advanced. When I first thought of doing this I was going to go with the Chinese version. Then I came to my senses...LOL

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Make a Zodiac based Magic System

 

That would be really' date=' really advanced. When I first thought of doing this I was going to go with the Chinese version. Then I came to my senses...LOL[/quote']

 

Yeah, tell me about it.

 

However, I am still considering such a thing at some point in the future. God help me.

[Markdoc]

Re: Make a Zodiac based Magic System

 

I hadn't really thought about it, but I have a magic system (which is certainly workable, since it's been in use in the current FH game for 2+ years now) that has a zodiacal component.

 

It's here:

http://www.geocities.com/markdoc.geo/Gaming_stuff/Grimoire/magic_systems.htm#Medieval%20Magic

 

In this case, magic is done by summoning and persuading or compelling "spirits" which do the actual magic. The various spirits are associated with various zodiacal signs and that gives them periods of strength and weakness.

 

So you can still use water spells in a period when the sun is in Leo - a fire sign (Jun-July) but you will be at a disadvantage - even more so if you are casting it midmorning, around midday, or mid-afternoon, which are the hours associated with fire signs at that time of year.

 

You could do something similar in the proposed system making spells stronger or weaker rather than accessible or nonaccesible, so mages wouldn't feel the need to cover every aspect of the Zodiac - which otherwise would make playing a mage fairly unattractive.

 

cheers, Mark

[Shadowsoul]

Re: Make a Zodiac based Magic System

 

Perhaps this system could be embedded further into the game world? E.g. your sign forms a part of your true name so any adventurer is likely to be very cagey about their birthday in the hope of avoiding curses and the like.

 

Are the manifestations of the zodiac active as gods or powerful celestial forces?

 

At the risk of unbalancing the system slightly an astrolomancer will always have a specialty in that they get a slight power boost with their own sign's powers or perhaps can use it for a greater part of the year.

 

People will always try to work round these limitations. So perhaps a few have developed the ability to create focuses that hold a very limited number of uses of a particular multipower or certain powers within it. A focus can be used at any time of the year but it is extremely difficult to make them. Special skill that always requires a high roll to succeed, a good chunk of time during the sign in question's ascendant month and perhaps the proviso that you can't do any other astrolomagic while creating a focus because you need to concentrate and charge your energies. Rare components would also be good. Perhaps if it takes a week of continuous effort to make one charge then you could never have a focus with more than four uses and only one of those for a particular sign in a particular year.

 

The advantages for this are that you can have one or two spells around for emergencies, maybe to scare off folk who have caught you in one of your off months or weak periods or a power that is just very useful like flight or healing.

 

It is possible to steal someone else's foci but you must make an astrolomancy roll to 'tune it' to your particular signature. After all, we wouldn't want the plebs to get their hands on these abilities.

...

Would we?

 

If you are continuing with the trine system then you might want to have a look at renaissance high magic/philosophy. Which regarded everything as interlinked, so - three signs per classical element, one humour per classical element, one organ associated with each humour, particular metals associated with particular signs, animals also. Everything is linked in a cascading chain of being. Thus a particular trine that is linked to fire and choleric humours will have aggressive and destructive effects and will manifest through particular metals. Wards and protective amulets will of course have to be made from the metals or materials that correspond to the correct sign.

[mayapuppies]

Re: Make a Zodiac based Magic System

 

You guys are feeding me some awesome ideas. Thank you very much. They're all going into the mixer.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Make a Zodiac based Magic System

 

This feels like, to me, something spinning out of control.

 

"A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked." - John Gall

 

My advice is get a central theme expressible in about a sentence or two first, then define a working core mechanic that expresses that theme. Get that working first, and then start adding trim. Variants and enhancements come last.

[Thia Halmades]

Re: Make a Zodiac based Magic System

 

This feels like, to me, something spinning out of control.

 

"A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked." - John Gall

 

My advice is get a central theme expressible in about a sentence or two first, then define a working core mechanic that expresses that theme. Get that working first, and then start adding trim. Variants and enhancements come last.

 

I keep telling them that, but they don't listen to me. Maybe they'll listen to you?

[mayapuppies]

Re: Make a Zodiac based Magic System

 

I found the absolute simplest way to accomplish it.

 

I delegated.

[Thia Halmades]

Re: Make a Zodiac based Magic System

 

 

Well, that's one way to do it...

[mayapuppies]

Re: Make a Zodiac based Magic System

 

 

Move along, nothing to see here...