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WeLoveFireballs
2013-05-29, 12:22 PM
Ok, I have a gaming system made up of my favorite parts of a ton of different systems. Attributes are generated however you like point buy, 4d6 best 3 ect. Class abilities are determined using the Eclipse (http://www.rpgnow.com/product/51255/Eclipse%3A-The-Codex-Persona-Shareware?) System with the exception of supernatural abilities. Hitpoints are also reworked into vitality, based off of d20 modern. You have "Hit Points" equal to your constitution, these never increase. You get vitality equal to the normal hit points. (HD+Con Modifier) When you fight, damage is dealt to your vitality first, representing dodges or parries slowly wearing you out in battle. However, if you are flat footed damage is dealt directly to your hit points. When your vitality is depleted you are quite tired, getting -2 on AC, saves, attack rolls, skills ect along with a 5ft movement speed reduction to a minimum of 5. You get the same penalties, stacking, for every quarter of your hit points depleted. If you are badly injured you will NOT be in any condition to fight. After every fight you also recover vitality until you are up to one quarter of what you started the fight with, rounded down.

The magic system is mostly based on witchcraft from Eclipse, and partially based on various other magic systems. (including Eragon)
You get power points equal to the average of your physical stats. (Str+Dex+Con/3) These are used on a variety of different spells. The basis of the magic system is that inner energy of your body (unlike vitality, which is based on exhaustion of the muscles, however if you have less than 5 points left you get the same penalties as running out of vitality.) which can be channeled through gemstones, like light through a lens. Various gemstones channel different kinds of magic.
Magic Gem Opponent Attribute
Light Opal Shadow Wisdom
Shadow Jet Light Charisma
Fire Red Garnet Water Dextarity
Water Pearl Fire Strength
Earth Amethyst Air Constitution
Air Tuzin Earth Intelligence
Tuzin is just made up, I couldn't figure out any gems related to air as air is opposed to earth. The idea is it forms from condensation on mountains, it is quite wispy and fragile and is usually fixed in glass or crystal spheres for transport. Amethysts are really common today but were fairly rare before the 20th century.

Gems charged with elemental energy provide a field that shields an area, size depending on the amount of charge, from magic using its opposite energy type. (e.g. Fire magic fails near a charged garnet) The charge in a gem can be expended or refilled at will. However the energy spent in a single burst cannot exceed the total capacity of the gem. A gem's capacity for power depends on its size and quality. Anyone trained in the basics of magic can charge a gem with any kind of power and with proper training, expend it for a variety of general spells. More advanced training allows for element specific spells that require one kind of energy to work. You can learn any kind of spells unless you learn all the spells of a specific lore, becoming a loremaster. In which case you can never use any spells of the opposite lore and learn a mastery spell only available to loremasters of the chosen lore. Only one mastery spell can ever be learned. Mastery spells are very powerful but consume the stone through which they are channeled. There are three combination mastery spells channeled through the secondary gems. Once you have at east three powers from each of the lores you may take these mastery spells. These remove access to both opposite lores. All mastery spells are immune to dispelling through gems or water magic.

Because the power is based on one's physical abilities the total amount cannot increase but the user can improve his use of what power he has by learning new ways to manipulate it. While physically oriented people have more raw power, mental abilities often allow more subtle control. Armor does not prevent the use of magic but as it slows its user it also increases the amount of energy necessary to accomplish tasks. Mastery spells, unlike other spells do not draw power from the user's body but instead from the elemental planes related to them. However in return for this power the elemental lords demand gems of value to add to their domain.

General Magic can be used with any energy type although some effects differ depending on what kind is used.
Adamant Will: Improves the user's willpower vastly, throwing off mind control effects instantly.
Mage Hand: Allows minor telekinesis if the chosen element is nearby.
Hyloka: Allows the wielder to shift the physical attributes of a target.
Inner Eye: Allows the user to read surface thoughts.
Witchsight: Enhances a chosen sense for a short or long period of time depending on the intensity of the enhancement.
Ritual Caster: Allows multiple casters to combine their power.
Familiar: You gain an animal companion that grants you additional power while it is nearby.
Summoning: Allows the channeling of power into other planes to contact or attack others. They can lend you power through this if they wish.
Witchfire: Allows molecular manipulation, often used for elemental blasts or speeding up the preparation of potions.
Infliction: Deals damage to a target, ignores barriers.
Mindwarp: Modifies the emotions of a target in a way relating to the energy used.

Light Magic
Inner Light: Improves user's wisdom.
Golden Light: Harms evil creatures or dispels shadow magic.
Sanctify: Guards an area against evil beings and curses.
Warding: Shares defenses among allies.
Divination: Grants piercing vision, even through magic.
Healing: Causes slow regeneration or for more power, instant bursts.
Mastery Spell: Ressurection: Using vast amounts of energy, as well as consuming a diamond, can return people to life.

Shadow Magic
The Dark Flame: Improves user's charisma.
Web of Shadows: Able to attract contacts, typically those who have something to hide.
Voice of the Dead: Able to speak to the dead.
Nightforge: Creates solid shadow objects.
Lucktwist: Curses or blesses actions of a target.
Shadoweave: Allows for basic illusion as long as there is ambient shadow.
Mastery Spell: The Umbral Form: The wielder transforms into a shadow able to drain life with its touch.

Water Magic
Wrath of the Sea: Improves user's strength.
Brewing: The user can create potions slowly. Alternatively he can convert pure water to lesser potions instantly for a large amount of power.
Dismissal: Dispels magic or damages extraplanar creatures.
Flesh of Mist: Allows for transformation to animal forms.
Spirits of the Deep: Calls the judges of the deep to reveal a person's true nature. Extremely evil people become slightly infernal in nature, those of exceptional purity become celestial in nature. Ect. When used on those without strong tendencies it has little or no effect. This effect is permanent and not to be used lightly.
Sympathetic Link: Allows for the use of power on a person anywhere if you have a physical link to them. (hair, blood, family heirloom ect.)
Venomed Touch: Poisons a target in a chosen way.
Mastery Spell: Into the Deeps: The user's consciousness is transferred to a body of water and he can control it and animals within it.

Fire Magic
Dance of Flames: Improves user's dexterity.
Breath of Purzuza: Allows the user to temporarily live on pure energy to survive impossible wounds for a short time.
Leaping Fire: Enhances the user's metabolism for speed or healing or temporarily removing fatigue.
Grounding: Drains energy from nearby sources into the ground.
Birth of Flames: Summons a minor elemental companion.
Inner Fire: Grants large power reserves for a few minutes but often exhausts for days or worse.
Mastery Spell: Ashen Rebirth: Transforms the user into a being of fire allowing for otherwise difficult magic to be easy and grants a flaming basic attack. However it places the body under large strain often causing long term side effects if used for longer than a few minutes.

Earth Magic
Essence of Stone: Improves user's constitution.
Bones of Iron: Transforms an area of the user's body into a stonelike form temporarily. Often used to empower one's fists to act as maces or to toughen one's body against damage or poison.
Longevity: Extends the wielder's life by decades or even centuries.
Life Grounding: Drains the target's life into the earth killing rapidly or if the caster chooses, paralyzing.
Sleep of Stone: Sends the user into a long lasting sleep in which he does not require sustenance and can survive wounds almost indefinitely or induces a healing trance.
Overgrowth: Manipulates life over a large area over a long period to cause prosperity or plague.
Mastery Spell: The Living Stone: The user can manipulate the earth under his feet to lift rock or cause avalanches. Alternatively long trances can slowly shift the position of resources within the rock.

Air Magic
Spirit of the Sage: Improves user's intelligence.
Whisper Step: The Air itself supports the user somewhat allowing him to walk silently or make incredible jumps.
The Sight: An often uncontrollable ability that allows augury through stars or crystal balls.
Weathermonger: Allows control of weather, although creating rather than manipulating storms requires vast amounts of power.
Breath of Life: Allows for the animation of objects.
Darksense: Allows the user to sense air movements and interpret them to "see".
Mastery Spell: Cloudwalker: The user can use winds or breezes for fast and agile flight. Once it is initially activated the user gains a store of power that fades over the course of weeks or is used up in flight.

I won't post exact rules for these spells partially because I don't want to just straight up copy a ton of stuff from the wonderful makers of Eclipse and partially because of the way I am running my campaign. This is a really complex system and a lot of my players have barely played D&D at all, plus I always wanted to try it like this. The players know as much about their characters as the characters know about themselves. They don't know: I have 8 power and 12 vitality left. They do know: I am feeling rather tired but I can keep going a little longer. Its a lot more logistics for me but I'm keeping the campaign low level (Based on another inspiration for the system: E6) As a result of this I don't have exact rules for the spells but I have a general idea of the power required and the limits of the abilities,

I know this all makes sense in my head but I'm not sure if it makes sense written out like this. If any of you have questions or clarifications please ask!

Yitzi
2013-05-29, 09:29 PM
It's not all that clear. I would advise dividing it up into smaller paragraphs, with section headings in bold. That should make it a lot easier to read, improving clarity.