L. Marcus

Thanks for the kind words, I´m feeling lovely and warm all over . . .

This little piece on magic was inspired by the japanese shinto priests, the kaminushi or masters of spirits/gods. The spirits ended up feeling like a cross between kami and the Sidhe . . .

Actually, it just struck me that this looks kinda like the dweomer system from Katharine Kerrs Deverry books . . .

Originally posted by trechriron

How are you going to do the actual spells?

Probably through an appropriate VPP, like a water-themed one for a river spirit, a fire one for a forest fire, a martial one for a spirit of an old battlefield . . . These will most probably be ballpark powers , as the players will probably think of more spirits than I could possibly prepare in advance . . . But such is the nature of the game, I suppose.

Do the spirits grant the power or simply hinder/enhance the spell?

 

What tie in does your summon have with the spells?

 

Does the spirit actually cast the spell?

The spirit actually casts the spell, if the mage has "made nice" enough . . .

You might consider a required END reserve that is only filled by spirit grantors and cannot be recharged by the caster. Then limit all spells to only draw from this special END reserve. Or perhaps the roll will simply be modified by the success of the spirit negotiation?

My thinking is that the Call Spirit roll will act as a Complementary Skill to the mages PRE roll in an PRE vs. EGO contest. If the mage wins, the spirit casts the spell. If the spirit wins, it´ll make a bored face and vanish. A really bad loss on the mage´s part will result in the enimosity of the spirit . . . Bad tidings.

I still think that the flavor “thang†could still be explained in the actual spell. I think Monolith’s suggestion was right on. If communing with these spirits is a component of actually casting and powering the spell it would really be best to make it the SFX with limitations or modifiers to the spell. You could also include summoning as a power to create pacts and the like and perhaps require a regular communing with spirits to keep them in the loop and happy (something similar to the people of Elric’s approach).

There is just the one spell, or rather power, of Call Spirit. I´m concerned with making the spirits real to the players, rather than just a dry, on-the-paper justification of their powers. That sweet flava . . .

Do you own the Fantasy Hero book? You may find some really fantastic ideas in there and the Grimoire as well.

Oh, dear sir, it´s on the top of my priorities, just after getting the last Christmas gifts wrapped and getting enough to eat the rest of the month.

It is all a matter of opinion of course, but the how and where are better quantified descriptively. Adjudicating the effects are best quantified mechanically. If the spell comes from the Gods or from internal energy gathering or from a letter carrier it should only matter in the descriptive context. If you let the mechanics of the game define your flavor then you are going to run into a plethora of problems in a generic effects based system, IMO.

I see it rather more like getting the rules to support the feelings I seek in a game . . . But what the heck, the guys will probably just use this system to burn things; they generally do, bless their little, teeny-tiny, microscopic black hearts.

Just my two cents…

All advice is appreciated! Thanks!

Thanks many bunches, guys, I think I´ve got what I need! Now to put it all together . . . And to write up some spirits!

Wow. Things looks good right now . . .

Originally posted by Bartman

If paper is at all expensive it may be common to bleach and reuse the parchment and vellum. This historically wasn't at all uncommon.

Too true. Saw a documentary a while back about a handwritten mathematical treatise by Pythagoras (the greek guy with the orthagonal triangles and stuff . . . ?), a third- or even a secondhand copy, that survived antiquity only to be bleached and reworked into a prayerbook by orthodox monks in the Dark Ages. The underlying writing was discovered in the twenties, and modern imaging and computing techniques has given us unprecedented insights in the thought processes of one of the greatest thinkers of the ancient world . . .

Is it just me, or did that look like it came from Discovery channel . . . ?

Originally posted by D-Man

I would just tack it onto their sight and hearing. Build an undressed +1/2 advantage on the base points of 35 points (for the two senses).

 

Cost 17.5 points.

This sounds about right, but where did you find the numbers? I´ve only got fRED, is it in there? *hope hope*

Oo oo! Forgot! Add a Concentrate disad or a Incantation/Gestures combo, depending on schooling . . .

Originally posted by Monolith

I would not even worry about Transdimentional communication. That is really nothing more than the SFX of how the magic works. If the magic is really a negotiation between the spellcaster and the spirit I would look at putting on a similar limitation to the spell as Priests have. Something along the lines of Spirit Granted: -1/2. This would represent the fact that the spirit must allow the mage to use the power. If the spirit does not agree the magic fails, or possibly has some other effect.

Nice suggestion, but this would violate the flavour I had in mind. It works like this: Mage meditates/conducts ritual to attract the attention of the wanted spirit, who according to a PsychLim Code has to answer. They would parley, and if they agree the spirit will cast the desired spell for the magi.

The power would look something like this: Call Spirit: Summon 200-point Spirit (40 Active Points); Extra time (20 minutes; -2 1/2), Requires Call Spirit Roll (-1/2); 10 Real Points.

The actual meeting with the spirit would be roleplayed. As I said, it´s a flava thang . . .

I´m at long last trying to write up a magic system for my very own fantasy campaign, and I´ve hit a little snagette. Being aware of my status as a total n00b at Hero, I turn to you, the-finest-minds-of-Herodom and sundry.

The basis of working magic in my little world is through summoning and negotiating with spirits of various kinds, ranging from the guardian of a candlelight to the very foundation of the world, Gnome himself. These spirits live in another world, and magi and spirits meet in the Between, overlaying and just a shadow away from either world. The spirits travel between their world and the Between rather easily (and on to the mundane world with a bit more effort), but all magi except the most powerful has to "stay put", as it were.

Now, the tricky part is: How do they communicate from the mundane world to the Between? The advantage Transdimensional (+1/2) fits the bill, but how to use it? Should I give the mages Transdimensional Sight and Hearing? What would that cost? Or should I build a new sense with Detect the Between? How exactly would that work?

I´d be happy for any insights and all input will be considered. I think.

So, are we looking at something like GURPS Lite here, at thirty-two pages, or will there be a bit more beef?

Originally posted by Toadmaster

Well this should keep you busy for awhile

Well, that would seem to be true... I just hope that the other guys will appreciate this titanic effort on my part! Many thanks!

...Any good Old West resources out there on the Web at all...? Got a request from my gaming group to put together a cowboy campaign after we all saw Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven the other day...

Considering how deadly combat is in the LW&C universe, I think all optional damage effect rules should be used.

Well, maybe not knockback...

O o o! Ultimate Martial Artist! Almost forgot about it! For shame!

Thanks, Markdoc, that seems to be what I need...!

Though I'm thinking of picking up Sengoku, but before or after Fantasy and Star Hero...? Hmmm, conundrum...

I've been thinking about it, and all I've come up with is Environmental Movement: Standing in Water, worth 3 points... Oh, and WF: Thrown Sword, but I don't think that would be part of Suio Ryu...

How would you do the barehanded-sword-capturing, throwing-it-back-at-the-fella-you-took-it-from technique?

A Hero version of Itto would be nice... Byt, hey, any Hero treatment on medieval Japan would be welcome. Has there ever been an official book on the subject? Are there any good websites? I'm a complete newbie at the Hero system, I got FREd just a few weeks ago, but I really like what I've seen so far, and I really, really like LW&C...

Has anyone done or seen an adaptation of Ogami Itto of Lone Wolf and Cub?

No past blast...

Scarily enough, the V series seems to be immortal... Over here in Sweden, it was first aired in the mid-80's, and it's still going strong... Every summer, it seems a new TV company's acquired the rights to it, and the whole mess starts again.

I'm considering emigration.