Post by hitokiri on Sept 26, 2008 7:50:54 GMT -5
So I was thinking not to long ago about how magic works in DC. I thought of an alternative that may be a good idea or garbage.
Essentially there is just a magic attribute, no schools, no real specialization. Instead it is like a perk, something you can just do. However, it is still an attribute as you can mess up and it grows with you.
The meaning of your attribute points in magic changes somewhat. First off, it changes how many spells you can cast. It is essentially an inversion. So if you had Magic (3), then you would have 3 spells worth 1 magic level, 2 worth 2 magic levels, and 1 worth magic level 3. Essentially this is done to encourage the magic user to have greater creativity but with more demanding constraints. I envision the magic level limit as that the magic user is too exhausted after so much or they cannot focus that long or that they simply aren't practiced enough to do more stronger spells, not that they haven't learned that one spell yet. Instead they have creative freedom to react to situations the best they can.
Also, when using this system a couple other things are important. If you want to cast a magic level 2 ball of fire or a laser beam or anything like that, how much damage does it do? Well it matches the magic level. A magic level 3 spell has a DL of 3, and a magic level 9 spell has a DL of 9. The same is for ALs and such. This would also translate into opposed magic contests. Say a wizard/witch has magically locked a door, well an opposing wizard needs to cast an unlock spell as strong as, if not stronger than the other magician, or be very lucky.
Naturally this system requires far more interaction between the DM and Chucker. They have to be willing to trust one another and work together to make this system work. Where this system falls apart is the actual draft of the magic attribute.
One side of the coin says you get to draft whatever magic level you use. This makes all your magic level 1 spells impossible. The other side says you get your full attribute draft, but this skews the success ratio all over the place. I'm leaning toward the 2nd option myself, but I'd like to hear other thoughts as well.
Essentially there is just a magic attribute, no schools, no real specialization. Instead it is like a perk, something you can just do. However, it is still an attribute as you can mess up and it grows with you.
The meaning of your attribute points in magic changes somewhat. First off, it changes how many spells you can cast. It is essentially an inversion. So if you had Magic (3), then you would have 3 spells worth 1 magic level, 2 worth 2 magic levels, and 1 worth magic level 3. Essentially this is done to encourage the magic user to have greater creativity but with more demanding constraints. I envision the magic level limit as that the magic user is too exhausted after so much or they cannot focus that long or that they simply aren't practiced enough to do more stronger spells, not that they haven't learned that one spell yet. Instead they have creative freedom to react to situations the best they can.
Also, when using this system a couple other things are important. If you want to cast a magic level 2 ball of fire or a laser beam or anything like that, how much damage does it do? Well it matches the magic level. A magic level 3 spell has a DL of 3, and a magic level 9 spell has a DL of 9. The same is for ALs and such. This would also translate into opposed magic contests. Say a wizard/witch has magically locked a door, well an opposing wizard needs to cast an unlock spell as strong as, if not stronger than the other magician, or be very lucky.
Naturally this system requires far more interaction between the DM and Chucker. They have to be willing to trust one another and work together to make this system work. Where this system falls apart is the actual draft of the magic attribute.
One side of the coin says you get to draft whatever magic level you use. This makes all your magic level 1 spells impossible. The other side says you get your full attribute draft, but this skews the success ratio all over the place. I'm leaning toward the 2nd option myself, but I'd like to hear other thoughts as well.