MTG

[hypnotica]

Ive been tinkering with the idea of a magic user that uses the magic from the surrounding environment. Depending on the type of mage he is he can cast from 5 different schools of magic. He has predefined spells that he has to trigger in order for them to be cast. This caster has those spells in the form of a deck of playing cards that only need for him to cast them. He would cast by throwing the card away to activate it. I ve also been thinking of using cards from the magic card game for some of the spells and or summons etc its just a thought right now of how he would go about it any suggestions on how i would write up the character, powers, etc??

[Killer Shrike]

IIRC from my 3e days, somebody did a very exhaustive conversion of MTG's magic system into the d20 system for use with D&D 3e. Head over to http://www.enworld.org/ and see if you can scare that up.

[Killer Shrike]

The world is called Dusk

 

http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/hosted/Dusk/

 

He's taken the file down, but I have an old copy of it. Drop me an email and Ill send it to you....

[Old Man]

Whoa think of the limitations on that...

 

END Reserve based upon number of mana cards pulled; Spell availability dependant upon cards pulled; 4 Charges per spell; No effect versus XX creatures and spells

[hypnotica]

Would you do a vpp for the framework on the spells? You could either specialize in one or more schools thus being able to cast red or black etc Spells? WHat limitations would go in that framework? isnt there a limitation or advantage to create your spells ahead of time to be cast at your leisure? hmm... probably an advantage. would it be better to do a multipower or a vpp on this ? im thinking vpp and have the spells created ahead of time as a focus(the deck of cards) oohh yeah and if you pull too much magic for the spell your casting that phase/turn etc then you could take damage from doing that too

[Killer Shrike]

You are thinking of Delayed Effect for the "Stacking" effect.

 

If you limited the "Stack" to "60 Cards", you might be able to use it effectively. Ive never liked Delayed Effect because as soon as you exceed the limit on the # of spells, you have to go thru and refactor ALL the spells, which seems horribly non-orthagonal to me.

 

The entire Delayed Effect set has NCC at the -1 (Random) level; each caster has a "Hand" which is randomly determined at the begining of battle by either having an actual physical deck of Cards and drawing from it or by the random method of your choice.

 

All spells are Recoverable Charge based and cost ENDURANCE from a Mana Endurance Reserve, which has no innate Recovery. Maximum of 4 Charges per Spell, except "Basic Lands".

 

Each Phase, a caster "draws" 1 Card from their "Library" -- ie Delayed Effect stack, asa 0 Phase action.

 

Land Cards are Succors to the Mana END Reserve on Continuing Charges (stopped by the "End of a Duel" -- "Land Destruction" could be approximated by Dispels vs Succor)

 

Enchantments can be Continuing Charges, Summons stick around regardless in the HERO System (thus taking care of Creature cards), Sorcerys and Instants have to be "Instant" in duration. Instants can be bought with Triggers, Sorceries cant -- but are held to the same AP limits -- the cost of the Trigger will maintain the classic extra-power-at-the-same price of Sorcerys.

 

As far as Control skills I would go with a 5 Skill set up, one for each color (use the best skill for colorless), but I would only require skill rolls to set up their Delayed Effect or to learn the card or what have you, rather than at casting time.

 

Each Card/Spell costs its ENDURANCE Cost from the Mana Endurance Reserve and expends a Charge.

 

Expended Charges can be Recovered by the use of a variant of Healing that has to "Heal" the Charges Real Cost back. In this fashion a character can recover used Cards "from the graveyard back into their library", if they Heal the Active Points of the Card, it's Healed back to their "Hand". Half the AP and its Healed back to the top of their library.

 

Cards that allow the Drawing of Cards are handled by buying off 1/4 of the NCC limitation as an instant effect; each extra card must buy off another 1/4 of the lim. Tutor effects (go get a card from the Library) must buy off the NCC lim completely as an instant effect (allowing the selection of any 1 Card to the Hand).

 

Summoned Creatures must attack opposing casters; they cannot attack opposing Summoned creatures directly, but may block them.

 

hmm.....thats should be a good start.....

[Killer Shrike]

Forgot to mention, all Charges are Recovered at the "End of the Duel", and re-randomizes.

 

Depending on how literal you want to get, you could allow a 15 Card/Spell "Sideboard" which could be traded out 1 for 1 between Duels. But thats prolly a little too literal.....

[hypnotica]

i was thinking of playing a wizard in the next campaign i play in where he would be a wizard duelist using the above but he would also use his magic in other ways too. So they wouldnt all be for dueling other wizards and the monsters he summons he can control (to some extint). He doesn't summon too many monsters (except in a duel or for his life) and the spells and creatures dont have to just be for just attacking the other wizards in a duel he can use them in other ways (in fact i was thinking of playing a timmie) having the good prodigal sorcerer is always a handy thing to have around you. (especially when you need to kill off a pesky goblin that was sent after you or your party) I hope that helps get my idea across

[hypnotica]

hmmm now to grab a box of magic cards collecting dust, and see what cards i would have if i were a blue wizard what spells would i have handy and most important how would i write up the spells in hero ... hmm flight is easy usable against others .. hmm unsommon (nuff said there)... rod of ruin hmm its an artifact so its an oif , charges, any type of mana school can use the artifact, does 1d6 rka lighning attack or even an nnd hmm... the mtg card says you tap 3 mana and tap the card so maybe it takes 3 phases and an incantation or gesture for the rod of ruin not sure how i would write up the mana cost of the spells... any other idea on spell or artifact or creature write ups from magic the gathering to hero?

[AnotherSkip]

should the critters with "regain life when X goes to the graveyard" have an AId or Healing with a Trigger?

 

Im leaning towards Aid, since there are the nigh infinite posiibilities (having seen 126 life in a tourney)

[hypnotica]

im not sure how healing works in hero ive never played a pc that had a healing or aid power im assuming you could do that as either a mass party heal or individual heal depending on how you want to use it (im all for tweaking the spells they dont have to be exactly the way the cards are written in mtg) im thinking if you wanted a very powerful heal like 100+ life in mtg then you could do that where it would take x2 or x5 end and it would be a high d6 maybe 8d6 or 9 d6 heal targeting a specific hex or radius of hexes im not sure how you would target each pc maybe have an autofire depending on the size of the party autofire for each party member. what do you guys think would be a good spell to simulate something like gain life from mtg but on a party scale not an individual scale. etc etc...

[hypnotica]

Come on theres got to be more people who have ever played MTG at least once? What do you guys think? what spells would be good to write up? im thinking if im a wizard of the islands then i would have flight and summon (different type of birds) and have a ego blast to simulate being a prodigal sorcerer? but what school would you guys want to simulate more? mountain wizards? or island ,plains,swamps or forrest wizards?

[hypnotica]

and how would you write up those spells? for flight usable against others, extra time, incantations, gestures,extra endurance

[hypnotica]

and how about fireball for the mountain wizard basic fireball 5d6 eb (fireball) extra end, gestures, incantations, autofire ( if you wanted multiples to simulate the tapping of additional manna for a bigger fireball)

[hypnotica]

or the prodigal sorcerers ability to timmy the other player or creature how about an ego blast (magic missle) either a 1d6 rka or 2d6 ego blast x2 end, incantations gestures, extra time

[Michael Hopcroft]

The other side of the equation

 

I've often wondered what it was like to have your own avdenture interrupted to be summoned into one of those stupid wizard's duels where your life doesn't mean a thing and you can't disobey or rebel.

 

I've always had a lot more sympathy for the characters and creatures being summoned than for the summoners in M:TG duels.

[hypnotica]

if you want to be creature friendly it could be your not summoning a orc or a goblin your summoning an automaton of an orc or a automaton of a goblin etc if thats how you want to look at it or the cards you throw in the air for your spells they could be ... umm ... a transform of your card to that automaton type so when your card is done doing its thing it reverts back to the card you cast and it goes automatically back into your hand but im wondering how would you simulate the drawing of mana to cast the spell?

[hypnotica]

hmm wondering what would simulate mana in hero? im thinking the best thing is, depending on the cost of the spell, to make it cost more endurance depending on the cost of the spell. what other ideas do you have on this?

[Michael Hopcroft]

Since mana comes from the environment, not the mage, the character's END would have little to do with it.

 

Maybe the character casts a spell that "taps" (to use MTG terminology) the native END contained in the land the mage is linked to.

[Killer Shrike]

I covered this above. Land Cards are Succors to an END Reserve which has no innate REC. Just have 1 small END Reserves for each color in the deck.

[Old Man]

Originally posted by hypnotica

and how about fireball for the mountain wizard basic fireball 5d6 eb (fireball) extra end, gestures, incantations, autofire ( if you wanted multiples to simulate the tapping of additional manna for a bigger fireball)

 

Actually this sounds more like boostable charges, same with other spells of their type like Disintegration.

[CrosshairCollie]

I had something like this figured out once ... the lands feed an END Reserve, maybe? That simulates the 'mana pool' fairly well (and it could have a Side Effect that you take damage if it isn't empty between 'turns').