Okay, so I've been bad. I've stayed up until... 2am because I actually wanted to start writing this and well, it's grown on me >.> I haven't done an awful lot, but here is the beginnings of the system I was proposing earlier. Magic!
Call of Magic - Roll to Magecraft
This RTD is mainly focussed around magic, and mages. But there are many different types of mages... There's that one wizard who stays, secluded in his/her tower, conducting experiments and observing the world to attain the perfect Magecraft. Or there is the student, partaking in classes to learn The Arts, sharing his/her findings and developing them with his/her colleagues. Then there is the Wild Mage, one raised in tune with the Natural field of Magic, able to perform extremely powerful yet random and dangerous feats of Sorcery.
The amount of different types are varied, but they each fall under certain categories. These, collectively, are referred to as 'The Arts of Magecraft', 'Magecrafts' or 'The Arts' for short. Some may know them as the Schools of Magic, others may know them by other names, but they are generally the same the world over, and then some.
But we'll get to that later. This is an RTD about being a mage, but that's not the only option. In a widely Mage-dominated land, you could play as the odd Wanderer, a Warrior of lost faith, or merely a mercenary. Or you could play as the Rogue, a criminal trying to ply his/her trade in this place full of Magic.
Whichever way you choose, This world is yours to live and die in.
Try not to go too insane.
The Arts of Magecraft... what each school and type of magic is collectively referred to. In the Arts, there are two different details one must worry about before going into further detail; The Style, and the School.
The Styles:
There are various different 'Styles' of Magecraft, which is how the Magic is carried out, as opposed to what the result is. These Styles are as follows;
Theurgy - Magecraft in the form of Ritualism. Requires some sort of marking and incantation, generally performed as extended ceremonies with a Runic/Magic Circle, Differing Reagents and an extended chant in a language conductive to Magic. Theurgy is the least flexible form of Magecraft, but also the safest. Requires no direct contant with the Mana Field.
Invocation - Magecraft channeled through known laws, words and thought. Invocation links the aforementioned together to form Magic. By using the Laws as a template, with thought and words to further focus and sharpen the desired effect, it forces the magic to weave itself. To put it simply, think, point and release. Less controllable than other forms, due to how it is formed initially then merely released, but tends to be quicker and easier. Requires some direct contant with the Mana Field.
Sorcery - Magecraft brought together through sheer force of will, and knowledge of magecrafts. Uses the sheer force of ones Mentality, ones Willpower, and causes the Magic to move. Similar to how one would ride a horse, it requires constant direction, and the more wild the beast, the more skill and consentration needed. This differs from Invocation because one would constantly guide the magic, meaning this takes more skill to wield, and is more flexible, but is more taxing on the user. Requires moderate direct contact with the Mana Field.
Instinctualism - Magecraft that is wild and raging, based only vaguely on thought, more on emotion. Put simply, Wild Magic. One unlocks the door, and lets the flood rage through them as a medium. Models itself on the most predominant feeling and emotion, and takes a lot to control, nearly unmasterable, but it can be much more powerful than other Styles of Magecraft. Cannot be used without full direct contact with the Mana Field.
The Schools:
Each 'School' is what the common effects of Magecrafts are called. The Result, what the Magic is aimed to do. They are as follows;
Divination - The act of seeing or gaining information through magic. It can be seeing the future, looking into the past, or observing the present. the 'Magic of Observation'. Can take Passive or Active forms.
Conjuration - The act of creating or summoning something through magic. It can range from summoning energy or matter, such as flame or water, to summoning objects or creatures, such as a sword or demon. Also covers the control of these things. Can only take Active forms.
Alteration - The act of changing existing things through magic. Movement, Transmutation, etc, such as levitating items, changing one thing into another, or increasing/decreasing a certain attribute of an existing thing. Can take Passive or Active forms.
Bioturgy - The act of controlling or contorting a living being. Differing to Alteration in the fact that it acts on the natural laws of biological beings. While everything in this School could be achieved by Alteration, this School does it more efficiently, faster and less dangerously. It is harder to harm with this school than others. Can only take Active forms.
Mentality - The act of controlling or altering the mind. Covers things like empathy and telepathy. With this school, one could predispose a person, or sometimes even control their actions. It would also allow one to meddle with the perceptions of the target, creating hallucinations, or illusions. Can take Passive or Active forms.
Necroturgy - The act of conversing, controlling, or utilising the dead in any way. Is often seen as a more supplementary style because of the Magical Qualities of dead bodies, such as how they gather Magic from the Mana Field, and thus are good sources of Magic. Can take Passive or Active forms.
Demonology - The act of utilising demonic energy, or creating a contract with a demon. Is often seen as not a True School of Magecraft, due to how it requires a Third Party, and is very narrow in how it can be used. Demons can grant things to the Contractor, and utilising Demonic Energy can be potent indeed. Demonology covers things like Magical Corruption, as Demonic Energy enhances the natural Corrupting properties of the Mana Field, and Magic in general, speeding it up and worsening it's effects, often brought to bear in the form of curses.
Okay, so it isn't very freeform... but still!
Note: If anyone wants to help develop this, or even if you have ideas for it, go ahead. I want this to be something made by just more than me, and often another viewpoint or input is better for things like this. Helps with variety. So please, Help me out even if you have a tiny idea about it ^^
Looks pretty good to me, as a start. Have you given thought to how things will work mechanically? What's the actual difference between Sorcery and Instinctualism, from a numbers perspective?
I like the idea of assigning successes to various parts of your spell. It allows for a lot of customization and specializing the effects, but still isn't too much work for the GM.
I like this idea a lot. If it were I running this system, I'd divide the act of casting a spell into three parts. "To put it simply, think, point and release." Yes, I know that was taken from the Invocation description, but I'd like to think that Magic obeys its own rules- Invokers know and experiment with the rules, Theugers don't understand the rules but they can achieve
reliable effects through rituals, Sorcerers don't think about the rules and just try to get by on force of will, and Instinctualism has basically no control.
In short, when casting a spell the player first rolls to gather the magical energies needed for the spell- "Think." Failure in this step normally means the spell just fails, Overshoot means that more power than desired is gathered. Then, they shape those energies to achieve the desired effect- "Point." Failure in this step can mean having the energies dissipate without effect [2], or possibly damage the caster [1], while Overshoot means they cast a different spell (similar to the intended spell, though.) Finally, there is a controlled release of the energy- "Release." Failure in this step means loss of control, which leads to a different spell being cast than the one intended, depending on the energies involved. Critical Failure means that a different spell is cast that specifically targets the caster. Overshoot means that the spell is released rapidly and under control (meaning more power) but at the cost of the casters physical well-being (temporary debuffs.)
Theugers are your basic magic-wielding person- they have a set spell list that does very specific things, and they can find more spells in the form of scrolls as they go along, but they can't cast spells they don't know. They get a bonus to all phases of the casting, at the cost of their versatility.
Invokers are le Wizard- Like Theugers, they have a list of spells they can cast, but they also have the option to experiment with it. To differentiate them from Sorcerers, I'd limit them to a single school of magic. When casting a known spell, they gain small bonuses to Release and Point, and apply Mentality as a bonus towards Think. When trying to cast a new spell, they receive no bonuses. Invokers who Overshoot on the Point stage automatically retain knowledge of the new spell, whether it successfully casts or not. Invokers can also learn new spells through scrolls or a teacher, as the Theuger.
Sorcerers are a less reliable version of the Wizard- they have a spell list, but casting a known spell only grants a small buff to Think. Sorcerers can apply their Willpower as a bonus to Point. Sorcerers cannot learn spells through scrolls or spellbooks- instead, they need to successfully cast a desired spell as intended (no Overshoots or Failures across the entire casting.) Thus, although Sorcerers have the versatility to cast whatever spell they want their repertoire of "safe" spells grows very slowly. Sorcerers can specialize in a School to gain a bonus to their Think roll, but they must forbid 2 other schools, meaning they can never cast those types of spell ever.
Instinctualists are
crazy fuckers magicians who have little direct control of their magic. On the one hand, this means their powers are limited only by their imagination and luck- on the other hand, they have no spell list of "safe" spells. Instinctualists can apply their Willpower to the Release roll, but that's it- the inherently chaotic nature of their gift means that their Overshoots and Critical Failures have more extreme consequences than any other caster.
I might also redefine Demonology as a Style, rather than a school, but I suppose that depends on how you plan on playing it. And obviously, the exact implementation would change based on how character generation goes- I assume the existence of Mentality and Willpower as one of your base stats. If I were running it, I might adjust the whole thing once more- eliminating Theugery as a Style (REAL Mages know what they're doing!), making it the method other non-magic classes do their thing. After all, who wants to join a Mageocracy game and then play a character with zero casting ability? Going that route would also involve shuffling up the other ones a bit to distinguish them more- I could ramble for hours about writing up a magic system, but I think this wall of text is good for now
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Topic: Roller's Block (RTD Brainstorming Thread) (HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY) (Derm is 5k) (Read 702443 times)