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Thread: Magic Systems Ugh
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2018-01-14, 04:39 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Magic Systems Ugh
Ah. In DBD, each spell has a specific combination that is used to negate it, and so do things like poisons (an artifact of the fact that I actually like the general concept of saving throws from D&D). So for example, some things fire objects that can be blocked or deflected (deflect=dexterity+intellect) and some rain down attacks that can be dodged (dodge=agility+awareness) or attack your body directly (resist=might+will) or your mind directly (overcome=personality+vigour). Attacks are generally defended against via the two standard defensive skills (melee defence=might+dexterity) (ranged defence=agility+vigour). My hope is that everyone will probably have a good enough set of defences and saves (and can buy more bonuses to individual defence/save skills if they want) to have a chance to resist attacks. Of course, you can pay the price of levelling your magic, one other stat, and the relevant skill up to roll 10 dice on it, so you'll often be passing magic checks if you pour everything into it, which is... fair enough, honestly!
This of course means that I have to work more on getting DBD released.
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2018-01-14, 05:31 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Magic Systems Ugh
@Jorm:
Can you state your design goals a bit more clearly? It sounds like to want to have a RPS function, while at the same time rewarding "intelligent" use of resources to counter RPS.
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2018-01-14, 06:24 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Magic Systems Ugh
I don't really want to have a RPS function. Just like maximising your fortitude save does counter poisons in 3.5, so does maximising your resist save in DBD, but that's not really meant to be the point. Certainly, intelligent use of resources to counter the possibility that all your spells allow deflect saves and your opponent is some kind of IN-based archer who therefore happens to be good at deflecting (because deflect=DX+IN) is something that should be possible, whether it's as simple as "Buy spells which allow overcome saves" or as complex as "Use a spell on one of the archer's party members which allows the warrior to get past and stab the archer" or even more so. I feel like, because it's still a game, you should be able to use resources intelligently to counter situations, or people, that you aren't good at fighting.
I guess that while I don't want there to be an explicit "Warrior beats archer beats mage beats warrior" (something something RuneScape something something) I do want to throw people into positions where they have to rely on their allies to do something: people should be making contributions, and that's why all spells and even weapon attacks have a partial effect on a failed save (and incidentally why I find Evasion and Mettle in 3.5 to be fairly distasteful), but no-one should be able to do all of everything - and even if you're throwing dodge saves at people who can't dodge for their lives, you shouldn't be able to take out a whole encounter alone.
So I guess the design goal is to make sure that everyone can do something and no-one can do everything, while also making no-one feel like they got cheated out of their speciality (with the possible exception of a lucky Volatile spell wiping out the enemies and not hurting allies, out of sheer luck. But even that's hard at most levels). Notably, I want skill to also play a part, to the point that a mage whose player is very very intelligent out of character can make a mess of enemies, but of course, a blunder could cause a catastrophe. Something about playing with fire...
Another thing, actually, is that the different magic systems are designed to accomodate different skill levels. Task magic allows you to point at a thing and cast the spell at it and it's okay. There's no way you can muck up with:
Spoiler: DBDArcane Bolt
Type: Task 1
Difficulty: Vs Dodge
Target: One creature within 60 feet of you.
Duration: None.
Full Effect: Arcane bolt deals physical impact damage to the target equal to 1d6 plus your MG.
Partial Effect: As full effect but the damage is halved.
Drawback: Implicit.
But the poster-child for Volatile magic requires both luck and skill to use effectively:
Spoiler: DBDWildfire
Type: Volatile 2
Difficulty: Vs Resist
Target: A cube, 5 feet on each side, within 40 feet of you; also see general effect.
Duration: 8d6 Time Points.
General Effect: Roll a single magic check for the entire spell. The cubic area of the spell lights on fire so long as it isn't burning through a solid or liquid to do so – that is, a cubic flame burns in the air, even if it's on the ground (it just can't be in earth or water, for example). It can even burn on the surface of water or ice. Any flammable object that touches the cube catches on fire immediately.
At the end of each time point, randomly choose a cube horizontally or vertically adjacent to each cube already on fire. That cube also catches on fire if able. Cubes on fire remain on fire for the duration of the spell. For example, the initial cube could set the cube in front of it on fire during the first time point. During the second, it could set the cube above it on fire, and the cube in front of it could set the one to the left on fire. This means that the initial cube, the one above it, the one in front of it, and the one diagonally in front and to the left would all be on fire. If a cube that isn't eligible (it's already on fire or it's made of a solid or liquid) would be set on fire, the cube that tried to set it on fire doesn't set it on fire this turn.
Each creature who is in the flames during a time point takes a resist save during that time point. They need to save every round to avoid the flames:
Full Effect: The creature takes 1 point of physical fire damage.
Partial Effect: The creature takes no effect this round.
Drawback: Implicit (the spell can burn you and your allies).
Of course, if you really want to try out your skill with no luck allowed, try on Unleashed magic - you must use the spell to its full extent, meaning that, for example, you can only put a wall where it will fit and only at the exact length specified in the spell - or Balance magic - like Newton's Second Law gone horribly horribly wrong - for size. That said, there is still some skill to using Task magic, especially if the spell is under such massive restrictions that you have to make compromises on what you were actually trying to do with it. In any case, it allows people to play a variety of relatively simple mages (because let's face it, I want the game to be easy to play, too) as well as a few with more interesting tricks like Wildfire.
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2018-01-14, 06:44 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Magic Systems Ugh
Were I to design a magic system, I'd require players to specialise - a lot. So you'd be a fire mage, or a water mage, or an illusionist, or a summoner, or any other very specific type of caster.
Anything you could do would be tied to your specialisation. There would be no knock spells, no transform-into-fighter spells. If you want to open a door, you'll have to blast it, burn it, summon an ogre to bash it - how doesn't matter, and I have no quarrel with a wizard being able to open a door ... but if you want it done quietly, you'll find a rogue.
In other words: Not robbing wizards of utility - but only giving wizards utility that let's other classes keep their role to themselves. Wizards cannot do everything - wizards can do magic. Magic doesn't have to be subtle, in any way, shape or form.
Conversely, I'd never make non-magical classes as limited as D&D seems to enjoy.
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2018-01-14, 07:04 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Magic Systems Ugh
Be careful though: you can go too far the other way easily, which I did in one of my earlier games. Warriors got so many bonus stat dice that they could raise their intelligence faster than an intelligence-based mage and still have dice to spare for everything that the warrior needed to do. The magi were stuck learning one spell per level which was rarely more than a variation on the same theme, and playing a "Trinity mage" - which allowed you to do a whole three different things - was really stat-intensive on a class without enough stat dice to go around anyway. I ran a playtest of it where the chronomancer was quickly finding that being able to go super fast and throw objects at perilous speed didn't stand up to the array of martial capabilities and skills that non-magi possessed.
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2018-01-14, 09:11 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Magic Systems Ugh
Oh, I quite agree.
But - I would never actually set out to design a game. It requires a mind set I don't have. Attention to and care for details. Meticulous calculations. All sorts of things that I basically am terrible at. I'm not even particularly good at playing the games, the whole mechanical side of it bores me, frankly =)
But yes, certainly you risk warriors becoming a kind of sword-wizards, and wizards becoming poor man's warriors-without-swords.
It's possible for specialisation to be cool, though. Riggers and deckers in Shadowrun are legitimately cool - even if they happen to not actually work in play.
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2018-01-14, 09:32 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Magic Systems Ugh
I think what I'd do if I were designing a magic system is make using magic dangerous. So maybe every time you use magic, there's a chance of permanently losing a point of constitution. The chance would be very low, maybe nil or almost nil for low-level spells, low for mid-level spells, but fairly significant for high-level spells. (In this context, "fairly significant" might mean a 5% chance; the exact number would depend on the details of the system design.) Over time, high-level magic users would get very frail, and be afraid to actually use their more powerful spells except in dire situations.
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2018-01-14, 09:43 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Magic Systems Ugh
I don't like this, because while everyone else is getting better with time/experience, casters are getting worse (less able to do their thing). Edit: and randomly so. If you don't want people casting high power spells, don't include them at all or reserve them for set rituals/NPCs.
Last edited by PhoenixPhyre; 2018-01-14 at 09:45 AM.
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2018-01-14, 09:43 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Magic Systems Ugh
This kind of approach tends to not actually work, in my experience.
Shadowrun has ... what's it called again, Drain? A feedback function that can potentially kill you. Only it never does, cause you can too easily manage it, and it's essentially a non-issue. (later versions of the game may have improved on this, I couldn't know - but it's doubtful).
The various Warhammer systems have chaos tables to roll on - but they, too, are essentially irrelevant because there are too many get-out-of-jail-free cards - fate, modifiers, rerolls and so on.
So you wind up with a system where, either mages don't get played because they tend to explode - or there is a limiting factor that doesn't work.
The second is actually worse, because it will invariably be used as an argument why mages should be super powerful: Oh, but it's a trade-off ... I run the risk of exploding. Which basically just isn't the case.
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2018-01-14, 09:48 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Magic Systems Ugh
I'm very wary of this idea of random, eternal shots-in-the-foot for doing your day job. Sure, if you accept that your magic is dangerous by choosing a type of magic that's dangerous, you should maybe have a chance to accidentally hit yourself with the spell if you're both careless and unlucky, or you should pay in hit points to cast the spells, but... say in D&D, if you're facing a 5% chance of losing a constitution point every time you cast a 9th-level spell, 4% for an 8th, 3% for a 7th, 2% for a 6th, 1% for a 5th and none for anything below, then with a decent charisma a sorcerer can expect to take 0.13 points of CON loss at level 10, 0.1625 at level 11, 0.455 at level 12, 0.5525 at 13, 0.6175 at level 14, all the way up to 4.65 at level 20, which is going to make him very very frail indeed just for doing his day job, through no fault of his own. I'm not a fan of permanent stat loss, honestly.
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2018-01-14, 09:54 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Magic Systems Ugh
What is so hard about talking about magic and a risk vs. reward mechanic?
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2018-01-14, 10:58 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Magic Systems Ugh
If I understand the question, I'd say it's due to the fact that gambling is for suckers to fund casinos, while magic is for cheaters (they call themselves pragmatic) who like to leave nothing to chance.
Volatile magic only really works in a setting where you intend all magic (or at least all trump card magic) to be a faustian deal where you know the mage is just storing their uppance. Any time you gamble, eventually you lose, and losing with magic is often hard to recover from. Volatile magic casters are chumps going all in on a bad bet.
For the same reason as gamblers: if gambling were reliable for getting rich, someone else would have done it by now. If volatile magic were a powerful asset, someone would have already conquered the world with it.
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2018-01-14, 11:16 AM (ISO 8601)
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It is one thing to suspend your disbelief. It is another thing entirely to hang it by the neck until dead.
Verisimilitude -- n, the appearance or semblance of truth, likelihood, or probability.
The concern is not realism in speculative fiction, but rather the sense that a setting or story could be real, fostered by internal consistency and coherence.
The Worldbuilding Forum -- where realities are born.
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2018-01-14, 11:25 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Magic Systems Ugh
Not all powerful assets are powerful enough to conquer the world. Maybe volatile magic is enough stronger than other magic types to make up for the drawback (or the drawback is no worse than the others anyway). Particularly, Volatile mages are the most likely to take on a dragon with ten times their effective XP and come out okay, because they might just get that lucky. And hey, some people like that.
Plus, it's like a flamer. It's good, it's powerful, but it carries a risk of burning something you didn't mean to and you'll have a bad day if someone hits the tank. That never stopped people using flamers, though.
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2018-01-14, 11:31 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Magic Systems Ugh
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2018-01-14, 11:44 AM (ISO 8601)
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2018-01-14, 11:44 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Magic Systems Ugh
I'll admit (because this is apparently the DBD thread now. Sorry guys) that fitting fantasy literature - lots of which I haven't read - isn't really a concern for me. For a start, no-one wants magic to fit the fantasy I've read which did have a well-defined magic system, because that was mainly Inheritance and The Black Magician, and while I did like the level of thought put into both magic systems, the former isn't highly regarded and the latter is, in my experience, rarely regarded by anyone at all. Plus, both of them still leave open questions answered (I have no idea, for example, what the real limit on Trianna's power is in Inheritance, because it clearly just doesn't work the same way that practically anyone else's magic works), and the same is true of almost every other fantasy book or book series, which doesn't help when you're trying to write a cohesive game with well-defined abilities.
Still, Volatile magic of one kind or another has been a staple of almost every setting, from the Faustian pact itself to the grim darkness of the 41st millenium. So I guess it does fit the literature anyway.
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2018-01-14, 12:10 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Magic Systems Ugh
It's not as if all magic has to be volatile or equally as volatile.
A system could be set up so that an effect that's bigger, or more powerful, or longer-lasting, or cast in less time, carries more risk. Small subtle internal effects might be pretty much safe, while causing an entire building to burst into flames instantly might have a very high risk of something very bad happening to the "caster".It is one thing to suspend your disbelief. It is another thing entirely to hang it by the neck until dead.
Verisimilitude -- n, the appearance or semblance of truth, likelihood, or probability.
The concern is not realism in speculative fiction, but rather the sense that a setting or story could be real, fostered by internal consistency and coherence.
The Worldbuilding Forum -- where realities are born.
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2018-01-14, 12:21 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Magic Systems Ugh
Yep! In DBD, it's not riskier to cast spells faster, but stronger-for-their-level spells have bigger drawbacks - Wildfire is the poster-kid for Volatile because it can fry a small army, but possibly also you if you're not careful. Of course, if you cast it at maximum range in an open field and then leg it, you should be fine...
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2018-01-14, 03:05 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Magic Systems Ugh
Let me add that when I hear "volatile magic," I tend to think that as a degree more dangerous than merely, "risky magic."
Just the way my brain works, but if your "volatile magic" is only a tiny bit more dangerous than a totally safe alternative, I wouldn't think of it as volatile. I tend to reserve that description for something that could have irreparable effects.
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2018-01-14, 03:22 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Magic Systems Ugh
For all of your completely and utterly honest needs. Zaydos made, Tiefling approved.
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2018-01-14, 04:18 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Magic Systems Ugh
Not yet, sorry! Watch my posts for more information. Or, if people like, I can make a dedicated discussion thread for interested people to discuss DBD's development. I expect that DBD will take another week of dedicated-ish work, which might translate to quadruple that or even more - for a start, I simply can't emotionally bring myself to work on one thing that long, and second I have a bunch of other stuff going on right now: I need to appeal a decision to kick me out of my home and other fun stuff. I'm trying to make DBD as quickly as I can: for now, I can just provide sneak peeks like the ones earlier in this thread of Arcane Bolt and Wildfire.
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2018-01-14, 04:21 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Magic Systems Ugh
I wouldn't mind a different thread for that. I'd be interested in seeing it if there is an English translation.
Back on topic, how do people feel about elemental themed mages, like Airbender or the like? It's something that often gets used (even in the superhero genre), but I've rarely seen in DnD.For all of your completely and utterly honest needs. Zaydos made, Tiefling approved.
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2018-01-14, 05:00 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Magic Systems Ugh
DBD is in English. Splittermond, which is somewhat similar, is in German. There's a DBD thread now, by the way.
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2018-01-14, 05:44 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Magic Systems Ugh
What about the risk mechanic used in Dragon WArriors for mystics - from memory, every time you use a power, roll d20 and get 13 or higher (add your level, substract spell level). If you fail this roll, no more spells for that day. Might that work for you (or something similar)?
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2018-01-14, 05:46 PM (ISO 8601)
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Low Fantasy Gaming RPG - Free PDF at the link: https://lowfantasygaming.com/
$1 Adventure Frameworks - RPG Mini Adventures: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=645444
Midlands Low Magic Sandbox Setting - https://lowfantasygaming.com/2017/12...x-setting-pdf/
GM Toolkits - Traps, Hirelings, Blackpowder, Mass Battle, 5e Hardmode, Olde World Loot http://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/p...Fantasy-Gaming
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2018-01-14, 05:50 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Magic Systems Ugh
Well, you have to balance it with how the rest of your system works. What I'd be going for is a system where everybody gets more powerful up to a point, but beyond that, there are diminishing returns, so players would have an incentive to retire their higher level characters.
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2018-01-14, 05:50 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Magic Systems Ugh
Ugh, being potentially stuck at one spell for the whole day? Plus, I don't know how the levels in Dragon Warriors work, but having a 2/3ish chance not to be able to cast more spells if you use a strong one? No, you're not a proper mage if you run out so easy. Hells, in 3.5 even adepts don't have to deal with running out so easy beyond low levels, and they have "Not a proper mage" written all over them. And I still don't like how low-level 3.5 mages run out of spells so fast.
If you're a mage who actually uses magic as the primary thing you do, it shouldn't carry such a risk that you never use it or be so limited that you're firing crossbows 90% of the time to conserve spells.
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2018-01-14, 08:29 PM (ISO 8601)
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2018-01-15, 05:31 AM (ISO 8601)
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