Magic system

File: Talislanta 4E modes of magic summary.pdf (1B, 486x500px)

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>>51151949
>Sounds somewhat like Talislanta's Modes of Magic

>>51151949
Whats the most difficult spell to cast?

And is it involved in your BBEG's plan?

>>51152015
This system doesn't allow for mythic levels of world-destroying, unobtainable power but I guess high level wizards would be the only ones capable of casting a max power Fire blast from hundreds of feet away.

Unless I can think of creative/OP Forms and other effects.

>>51152115
Well personally I like it, gives the user a ton of room to work with and makes them actually put effort into creating spells.

>>51152166
Well since you're interested I also have 2 other main forms of magic that I tried making unique.

>Divinity - Players learn many basic spells, very early on
>They choose to follow a god
>deepening alliance to the god grants your basic and underwhelming spells bonus strength/effects that make them good

>Mysticism - low level spells are normal and simple to cast
>High level spells involve ritualistic circles, gathering/buying the supplies, and rquire the correct time of day/type of weather/other specific conditions

>>51151949
This method of design sounds like a more convoluted form of Ars Magica's spell creation, which is already a step away from user friendly. In terms of spell results, I don't like that the only way for a mage to get more consistent while casting is developing (or worse, finding) a better Control word, meaning someone could theoretically study their entire life and never get more effective at casting.

Also
>Heal can be cast with an element, range, and power, but not form
>no healing mines
Shittest taste.

>>51152367
I don't like that the only way for a mage to get more consistent while casting is developing (or worse, finding) a better Control word, meaning someone could theoretically study their entire life and never get more effective at casting.

Good point. What about if there was a way to get an innate/natural amount of control in addition to the strongest control word you know?

Also, each element heals a different way, and the amount of power you put into it affects the amount of healing done

>Fire creates a camfire/bonfire that heals overtime and is more effective and cures people who are cold.
>Lightning can only heal people if they have zero health(think defibrillator) etc

>>51152557
As an example, assuming a skill-based percentile system.
>elements form the core of the spell, and you have an element skill like Fire 65%
>apply modifiers based on other words
or, in something like GURPS
>each word can be learned at a rating, like Fire 3 or Arrow 2, up to some maximum
>try to roll under the total learned rating on 3d6 to cast, after applying penalties based on power, range, et c.

>>51152665
Botth ideas are great and could work.

>elements form the core of the spell, and you have an element skill like Fire 65%
>apply modifiers based on other words
This could help simplify the spell system I already have. And replacing the power system with a rating system could help that as well.

I might drop the percentage based system and make a system where the spell caster has a certain potential rating, and each magical word adds ontop of each other but you can't go over your potential rating

>>51151949
You should totally augment this with that old magic circles system

>>51152939
what old magic circles system?

File: 1379430742862.png (42KB, 1000x800px) Image search: [Google]

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>>51152990
This one

>>51153263
I'm gonna need this explained to me

File: 1380302827455.pdf (1B, 486x500px)

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>>51153425
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/27276154/
Good luck finding things from imgur

>>51151949
This is almost exactly what my homebrew magic system is
>>51152839
>I might drop the percentage based system and make a system where the spell caster has a certain potential rating, and each magical word adds ontop of each other but you can't go over your potential rating
and this is even closer.

I have two kinds of spell casting, but they follow the same rules. Combat spells use Mana/MP, which fully recharges every round. the Mana/MP represents how complex a spell you can make within a consistent amount of time. Ritual spells use units of time based on what you want the spell to affect. A spell that affects just your party might take a few hours, while a spell that affects an entire Large City might be counted in decades.

To create a spell, you add effects together to create the cost of a spell. You can thenmodify those effects with metamagic, which adds a cost multiplier for the relevant effects. I.e., a Fireball might be [Fire], [Projectile], and [Explosion], costing 1+1+2 respectively. You could then increase the range and damage of the explosion to create a spell that costs 1+(1*2)+(2*2)= 7. In combat that would be 7MP, but a fireball big enough to consume a large city would take 70 years worth of casting to complete.

That's most of what I can recall from memory. The rest is locked away on a harddrive I can't access.

Bumping for potential.

I've been thinking about magic systems too, and I want to hear more opinions about magic like this. I don't care if they're pro or con, I'm just curious and want more discussion.

>>51157019
OP here. I made small changes to this magic type but I've also been brainstorming other forms of magic. I explained it all in this thread but if you're craving more thought experiments, I'm craving second opinions. Weapon classes, job classes, race traits, etc. email me at projectbranching @ gmail . Com and I'll explain my ideas in detail for you>>51157019
>>51157019

All spells are essentially available to use from the get go.

Spells require a combination of Materials, Words of Power, Incantations, Gestures, Bonds and Bargains.

The lowest spells will be a Word and/or Gesture, an Incantation, etc. These are at will spells and made for slinging. They are utility and ultimately need some creativity to harm or kill. No particularly offensive spells, more defense and distraction.

As you go up spell tiers, they become more complex and ritualized. Spells will require concentration, and take time to cast. Get knocked out casting, start over. They require more specific combinations of Words, Gestures, Incantations.

The highest tiers of spells will be rituals done and prepared in advance. They'll require Materials and seeking out spirits, gods and powers to make Bonds and Bargains with. There can be severe prices for the powerful spells.

Incentivize exploration and NPC interaction to gather materials, info about dungeons with magical treasures like potent ingredients or tomes with new Words or Incantations in them, seek out old wizards and sages who know Gestures and rituals.

Magic is a specific symbolic supernatural science. Words of Power are potent and must be spoken with the exact intonation and pronunciation or they are worthless. The same for Gestures and recitation of Incantations' rhythm and repetition. The higher a wizard's intelligence, the more like a second nature these things become, the more they do it, more by rote it becomes and the easier it is the memorize more spells to use on the fly instead of having to consult a spell tome in the heat of an encounter. A wizard with a lower intelligence (really just a 'casting experience' since the mage is by nature highly intellectual) score has a chance of completely messing up a spell, and the higher tier the spell, the higher the chance. Consequences can range from the spell not working and wasting ingredients to the spell backfiring or summoned spirits going rogue.