Help with a new rule please for Magic

[Lameth]

I would like to create a rule that fits my fantasy game, a little help would be great.

In my game, magic is the core system, each spell is a skill. I have them as MH and MVH only because of the mental gymnastics to call on the Mana, say incantation, use hand gestures [mudra], and focus on the spell you wish to cast. Overall a spell on my world still requires Magery [Magical Gift], but is made up of a highly complicated set of words of power in an elder tongue, a set of mudras, concentration, willpower, and a focused mind in what you want to create, that's really all. So a spell is a set of rote actions. The Thaumaturgy skill is not used, they are spells that can be learned by rote actions, and a simple spell can be learned in a week or so of intense study. On my world you don't need prereqs, its simply an additional negative one for each spell you are missing to cast your spell. So a Mage that knows Ignite Fire but not shape fire would be a -1 to his fireball skill until he learns Shape Fire. It also takes a spell longer to be learned for each spell you are missing, it may add hours, days, weeks, or never in some spells.

In my game world and the story, I have referenced casters that don't "learn" all the spells they know, they basically just try and remember the spell they have seen in their collections they may have and can try it by Non-rote, or they have it written down in a book they carry and cast it like that, like a cheat sheet. Sort of instead of knowing how to repair a computer, I read a how to step by step. Can I mess up? Yes! but its possible. So I wanted a rule that fits the image of that old wizard, having hundreds of spells in his tomes, but does not know them all. So he finds the spell he needs, reviews it for a X time, and casts it by using his underlining knowledge of other spells of its ilk, his training, and his IQ, and maybe some help with components and regents to help him along.

I was thinking about IQ-6,and then any missing prereqs the spell may have as additional negatives. So I want something that makes it hard, yet not impossible, and also still fun. Help please! thx

[whswhs]

A rule very much like this is present in GURPS Locations: Worminghall. The first step in learning a spell, there, is spending 8 hours becoming familiar with it, practicing it enough so that you know all the elements. Once you've done that, you can cast it at IQ+Magery-6 (for most spells). Or you can boost your odds with a Symbol Drawing roll, as defined in the Basic Set—and you can take extra time for Symbol Drawing, giving you +1 to +5 to that skill, and thus raising the bonus you gain.

It worked pretty well in play. Most of the time students would do the symbol drawing; in emergencies they would try just casting the spell, and sometimes it would work.

[weby]

If you are doing something at IQ-6 without a talent that adds significantly(like magery does in the base system) and additional penalties expected the only super intelligent people(far beyond normal human limits) will have reasonable probabilities to succeed.

So depending a bit on your magic talent, does it give a bonus to the unknown spells like normal magery does to known.

Take a total on -8 penalty(that IQ-6 and only two missing spells in chain so fairly close) At total IQ+talent of 18 it is only 50% likely to succeed. And in many cases they are likely to miss more than two spells..

As a balancing reminder that the -8 is equal to trying to hide a submachine gun/short carbine in a Las Vegas showgirl in costume or A Driving roll while
shooting a gun in a high-speed chase during a blizzard.

So unless the mages are really high IQ/magery things like that will likely not be used much.

One way to make that somewhat useful is if the mages could claim high bonuses by doing "mage like things" examples using components like the newt eyes and such or if the base time to cart is low enough allow them to get high bonuses from extra time used, allowing reliable non combat use but forcing combat use to be only known spells.

[Flyndaran]

I know someone had a large set of house rules for books including using them for unknown skills/spells.
Ah, found it.
S. John Ross' site

http://www222.pair.com/sjohn/blueroom/bookrules.htm

It's been ages since I read it. But it should have some usable ideas if nothing else.

[Lameth]

Ok, well as far as Magery helping, i did not think of that, I guess i would say yes. On my world, Magery gives bonues due to the connection you have with the magic and the mana is able to be pulled Easier, therefore bonus to skill. And yes i allow talents and higher purpose to add. So that caster that may have a Magery 2, talent for Necromancy magic 1, and a Higher Purpose to slay undead, may have a +4 to that roll. So in my example of how i was going to do it, and i am hoping for maybe another option, that caster with a IQ of 14 [above average IQ for a person, but almost average for a wizard] would be -6 to IQ, but +4 due to talents. So to learn Sense Undead, with two missing spells, would be -2. So thats a IQ roll of 14-6=8 +4 = 12 to try to cast that spell.

So i need help with the basic rule, and to figure out also are these examples and how to handle them: Caster is on battle field, needs to heal friend, combat is happening everywhere. He never had time to learn officially Heal Minor but he has it and has even spent time reviewing it for a few hours per role playing, and wants to try to recall that knowledge and try to cast it right then and there, not studying the spell for 8 hours, nope, casting it by hope and memory. So he tries.

Or a caster is caught inside a tomb, undead are coming for him on all sides. His delving partner as he slashes a zombie reaches in a bag a tells the caster "Hey, Mage! Here Catch! Page 44! now!". As the mage catches the book and with dexterous fingers turns to page 44 he sees the spell that may work, Durfellon's Wrath to the Dead [Slay Mass Zombie]. He has never cast this spell, but has spells that are under it, or of its ilk, and places the book in his hands, standing on a casket surrounded by zombies, and gives it a try and starts the incantation.

As you see i want it with situational bonuses and negatives. You got 8 hours to kill great, your roll is this. You need to try it now, your roll is this. You have spells like it or under it, your roll is this. You REALLY need it, fine, plus X. And so on.

[Anaraxes]

Sounds much like Ritual Magic from Thaumatology.

Originally Posted by Thaumatology p72

Ritual magicians can cast spells at default. They can try any spell in any college they’ve studied. In fact, they can attempt any spell at all – although the cumulative penalties from core skill to path to spell can be prohibitive.

Instead of a core skill, you have a flat IQ-6 default. (You could look at that as having a core skill that no one has studied -- which leaves open the possibility of studying it or inventing it as a campaign/adventuring goal.) Also the OP omits the college skills, and just defaults the spell skill straight from the core skill.

[Lameth]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Sounds much like Ritual Magic from Thaumatology.



Instead of a core skill, you have a flat IQ-6 default. (You could look at that as having a core skill that no one has studied -- which leaves open the possibility of studying it or inventing it as a campaign/adventuring goal.) Also the OP omits the college skills, and just defaults the spell skill straight from the core skill.

yes, thank you, but I don't think just simply saying IQ-6 is not good enough to add flavor to it, right.

[Skarg]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Sounds much like Ritual Magic from Thaumatology. ...

It also sounds like Lameth has it that if you need the specific formula, for each spell, not just a point in any spell in the same college.

[T.K.]

By what you described of your magic system, it seems to me that similar/same school incantations and spells would have very similar or even the same connectors and operators.

What I mean with that is (just a wild example):

Ignite Fire, would be something like

Energy+Create+Fire keywords on the ancient language or whatever

Create Magma, would be something like

Energy+Create+Fire+Link+Earth+Sustain keywords

Would it be something like that?

If that's the case, I believe a system that would group the operators together or the similarities would work smoother on the long run.
As an example of this, you could have something like:

(Following the Magic rulebook basic schools)

Air Spells skill (M/VH)
Animal Spells skill (M/VH)
Body Control skill (M/VH)
Comm and Emp skill (M/VH)
Earth Spells (M/VH)
Fire Spells skill (M/VH)
.
.
.
And so on with the other schools.

The player then buy these skills and use them when casting a spell from the respective school.
To be able to cast a spell, he must have it on his grimoire or at least read it previously (as you stated).
Treat missing requirements as your proposed -1. If a spell has a missing requirement from another school, get an additional -1 for each extra school besides the penalties for each spell, due to multi-school complexity.
If a spell is present in 2 schools, you could decide what makes more sense in your world if the mage could use the higher skill school or the lower (Normally people use the lower).

As an example, lets say Magezor the mighty mage has 14 on all his School skills and the only fire spell on his grimoire is Explosive Fireball, which he read it once couple days ago.

Since Ex. Fireball needs Fireball < Create Fire < Shape Fire < Ignite Fire, he would be attempting to cast his Ex. Fireball at nh 10, due to -4 for the missing required spells.

Obviously you could further apply modifiers on top of that if it suits the system, like haste casting, preparations, foci...