NaGaDeMon / RoleVember 2019 - Magic
OK, so the basic system is in place.
You always roll a minimum of two dice. Then you take the best two results and allocate one to the degree of success (how well the attempt works), and one to the degree of sacrifice (what is given up in the attempt?), if you've got a skill/ability appropriate to the task at hand you can improve either the degree of success (increasing the benefits gained), or the degree of sacrifice (decreasing what you spend to make the attempt).
The thing about magic is that it defines the metaphysical existence of the setting. So getting the magic system right is crucial to establishing the right mood and tone of a setting. I've been through this a few times here on the blog as I've tried to make a better system of magic than one of my favourite games ever, Mage: the Ascension. I'm figuring that magic can work a few diffferent ways, and I just have to bite the bullet and pick one of them.
I certainly don't want the D&D style of magic with lists and rules witin rules that work differently to the rest of the system and which make magic users different to every other type of character. But that's not really an issue here, since the characters will all be familiars, and their connection to the mundane world will be through their mages.
I could work with the idea that magic gives automatic successes to certain types of action while relevant spells are active. A light spell simply gives an extra degree of success when trying to see things in the dark (or negates a darkness penalty), characters might even be able to imagnatively use the spell to blind an opponent by causing that light to appear instantaneously in front of a target's eyes. The whole idea here is that the spell has a narrative effect in the story of "1 success level", but how that level is applied depend on the way the players decribes the way the spell influences the world around them. Some spells may be more powerful because they are more versatile, some may be more powerful because they grant more success levels to the mage.
I'm also considering an old idea that I've had about "Pocketmod spellbooks". Basically every type of magic is contained in various spellbooks around the world, and each spellbook has certain skills/abilities that are needed before the magic can be properly understood. An example might be a book about alchemy which has a certain range of transmutation effects; but in order to understand it properly, a character needs to possess ability with "chemistry/science", knowledge of "occult" lore, and a degree of "awareness". This book might teach a method of using pseudo-scientific lab equipment to manifest power that can be channelled into mystic effects also. Another book might have a few similar spells, but might address them in a very different way requiring different abilities, and a different source of power to manifest the effects.
A starting mage might only have access to a single book, while more experienced mages might cobble together their magical gestalt from a few different books. The most experienced might start writing books of their own.
I do really like this idea, and feel that it is worth exploring further. It might even be that certain "books" don't exist as bound manuscripts at all, some might be verbal traditions, visual artistic techniques, or something else entirely. Many traditions will be more easily found among certain communities, or people who share a specific trait. This could be a way of tying the characters into the magic and the magic into the world.
So basically I'm running with the idea that magic is inherent in the world, everyone who understands that there are loopholes in reality, and has a suitable catalyst like a familiar, a mystic amulet, or something similar, can manipuate reality according to their understanding. There are no "energy points", nor any specific number of spells per day that may be cast, if you know the loopholes you may try to exploit them as many times as you want, but every attempt comes with a risk and a potential sacrifice. Some may manipulate time, some might work with energy, others changing the nature of biological life, or patterns of thought. The idea of the spheres in Mage: the Ascension are a good starting point here, but in this system there will effecively be an unlimited number of overlapping spheres of mystic insight.
You always roll a minimum of two dice. Then you take the best two results and allocate one to the degree of success (how well the attempt works), and one to the degree of sacrifice (what is given up in the attempt?), if you've got a skill/ability appropriate to the task at hand you can improve either the degree of success (increasing the benefits gained), or the degree of sacrifice (decreasing what you spend to make the attempt).
The thing about magic is that it defines the metaphysical existence of the setting. So getting the magic system right is crucial to establishing the right mood and tone of a setting. I've been through this a few times here on the blog as I've tried to make a better system of magic than one of my favourite games ever, Mage: the Ascension. I'm figuring that magic can work a few diffferent ways, and I just have to bite the bullet and pick one of them.
I certainly don't want the D&D style of magic with lists and rules witin rules that work differently to the rest of the system and which make magic users different to every other type of character. But that's not really an issue here, since the characters will all be familiars, and their connection to the mundane world will be through their mages.
I could work with the idea that magic gives automatic successes to certain types of action while relevant spells are active. A light spell simply gives an extra degree of success when trying to see things in the dark (or negates a darkness penalty), characters might even be able to imagnatively use the spell to blind an opponent by causing that light to appear instantaneously in front of a target's eyes. The whole idea here is that the spell has a narrative effect in the story of "1 success level", but how that level is applied depend on the way the players decribes the way the spell influences the world around them. Some spells may be more powerful because they are more versatile, some may be more powerful because they grant more success levels to the mage.
I'm also considering an old idea that I've had about "Pocketmod spellbooks". Basically every type of magic is contained in various spellbooks around the world, and each spellbook has certain skills/abilities that are needed before the magic can be properly understood. An example might be a book about alchemy which has a certain range of transmutation effects; but in order to understand it properly, a character needs to possess ability with "chemistry/science", knowledge of "occult" lore, and a degree of "awareness". This book might teach a method of using pseudo-scientific lab equipment to manifest power that can be channelled into mystic effects also. Another book might have a few similar spells, but might address them in a very different way requiring different abilities, and a different source of power to manifest the effects.
A starting mage might only have access to a single book, while more experienced mages might cobble together their magical gestalt from a few different books. The most experienced might start writing books of their own.
I do really like this idea, and feel that it is worth exploring further. It might even be that certain "books" don't exist as bound manuscripts at all, some might be verbal traditions, visual artistic techniques, or something else entirely. Many traditions will be more easily found among certain communities, or people who share a specific trait. This could be a way of tying the characters into the magic and the magic into the world.
So basically I'm running with the idea that magic is inherent in the world, everyone who understands that there are loopholes in reality, and has a suitable catalyst like a familiar, a mystic amulet, or something similar, can manipuate reality according to their understanding. There are no "energy points", nor any specific number of spells per day that may be cast, if you know the loopholes you may try to exploit them as many times as you want, but every attempt comes with a risk and a potential sacrifice. Some may manipulate time, some might work with energy, others changing the nature of biological life, or patterns of thought. The idea of the spheres in Mage: the Ascension are a good starting point here, but in this system there will effecively be an unlimited number of overlapping spheres of mystic insight.
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