Object based magic

File: final spiky hair.jpg (30KB, 460x215px) Image search: [Google]

30KB, 460x215px

Final Fantasy 7 worked like that. Magic worked with Balls of condensed mana latched to other objects.

The blacksmith who made the sword is also a wizard who hammered magic into the sword, which is why it's enchanted. The "Get sword enchanted by wizard" step is unnecessary because of it

>>53801256
Do the Morrowind thing where you basically store magic in some kind of item or wearable piece of clothing, and then just have them use that as magic

>>53801256

I have something like that in a system I'm trying to come up with calle 'Signs and Rituals' long story short, magic is done by imposing your will upon the world around you but mortals lack the Will of Gods so you can't just point your finger and go "turn into a burger" or something like that. So in order to do magic you do things and have objects that help you to "focus" your will and accomplish the magic you want. Religious magic users will have their holy books and symbols and probably have to read passages from their books in order to do miracles while more scientific academic sorts may have to have a lab and write down a complex math forumla or something.

Regardless, it all generally works the same way.

>>53801256
In my setting you can enscribe stones with a magical ability and use it for a set amount of uses.
Like your runic stone has X fireballs that you can use.

I think magic items should be simple and common and extremely powerful but rare.
Like one per PC per campaign rare.
Regular objects imbued with magic by rituals and ceremonies or being present in great acts of magic.

One side quest in one of my campaigns had the players investigate a huge sink hole in a town, after monsters in an underground cove and large tunnel system they found a tipped bottle that produced infinite water, it created a huge sinkhole and underground grotto with its own ecosystem after centuries of being tipped in a buried ruin.

They of course took it and destroyed the course of water for the entire city.
It was a "miracle city" in the desert...

Enchanting via rituals.

Pros:
>Adds a magical engagement to gear that doesn't require the user to channel their own magical talents

Cons:
>The version of a spell you can enchant something with is less powerful than what you can cast, seeing as you're permanently writing this attribute into this item
>The item acts as a magical conduit, pulling energy directly from the area (think static electricity). Unfortunately, this makes the enchantments succeptible to magic cancelling, and makes the user take more damage from magical attacks (think magically conductive)

>>53801256
In Burning Wheel this is how Dwarven magic works, their race doesn't use spells, what they have is the ability to make tools which are unnaturally good at their job

>>53802822
My dwarves now do this thanks to you.

"This sword cuts through fire elementals like butter, but is otherwise a normal sword."
"What master of the arcane could perform an enchantment so advanced?"
Dwarfsmith: "Well, while I was making it I just wanted it REALLY HARD."

>>53802885
>"When I was making it I was REALLY MAD at fire elementals"

>>53802885
It gets fun when you consider it for non-weapons though. Like making a soup pot so good at being a soup pot that it makes any soup made in it taste better.

>>53802822
They can also build forges which remain at a constant temperature while in use, no spells involved, they're just really good at making forges

I was thinking how you make spells more interesting and not just "i do them"

For instance, if you wanted to charm someone you would have to make a magic perfume/colonge of some sort on top of your natural charisma in order to charm someone. A magic user would be able to make it but anyone who's charming enough and needs t he extra edge would be able to make use of it.

Teleportation? you need anchor that can be stuck into the ground and attuned to a matching anchor. There are some public use ones that you can buy and have attuned to a large one but making a pair for yourself is a timely and expensive endeavor.

Remote viewing? You'd need an object special built for the task with the symbolic ability to preceive the senses you want to have. a coin could have eyes and ears but it's limited to the one side that has it. Why not put it on an animal's collar as part of the decorations so no one suspects it?

Pathfinder has a class based entirely around this called the "Occultist" and it's actually pretty balanced for a caster class.

File: JJS7808.4L.jpg (49KB, 1024x641px)

49KB, 1024x641px

Try looking up fetishes. Not the sexy kind.

>>53803126
Took a second to find. Neat though.