Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 05-29-2013, 08:14 PM   #1
Aigol
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Default Tweaking Magic in my game

I am planning on running a fantasy game soon and was trying to figure out how I wanted to handle the magic in it. I really like the RPM system but I wanted to tweak it a bit. I was thinking of combining Realm Magic and RPM by tying which spell effects you could use to the level you have the realm advantage at. For example at the lowest level of the realm you may only be able to use sense effects and lesser strengthen/control effects or something along those lines.

I would probably be using new paths/realms but I think that the path of magic from RAW RPM is very important in what it is used for and what it allows you to do in the way of charms and conditional spells and was thinking of having that one as a 'freebie" not tied to any particular realm.

I suppose I'm looking for any insight/suggestions that may make this system work well


EDIT: I guess I'm also looking for maybe an alternative way of handling this, my main reasoning at this point is that I find the spell construction and energy gathering parts of RPM to be very interesting but I would like to see some further differentiation such as one guy being a master at manipulating fire while another is lesser skilled in say water and mind magic. I suppose one way of doing it would be to create a different set of path skills

Last edited by Aigol; 05-29-2013 at 10:42 PM.
Aigol is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-29-2013, 09:37 PM   #2
Refplace
 
Refplace's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Yukon, OK
Default Re: Tweaking Magic in my game

It could be more expensive for the players.
I think letting the Realms count as Magery for energy would be good. Can only tap appropriate ones to the spell is extra book keeping but makes more sense then a general pool.
__________________
My GURPS publications GURPS Powers: Totem and Nature Spirits; GURPS Template Toolkit 4: Spirits; Pyramid articles. Buying them lets us know you want more!
My GURPS fan contribution and blog:
REFPLace GURPS Landing Page
My List of GURPS You Tube videos (plus a few other useful items)
My GURPS Wiki entries
Refplace is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-30-2013, 10:44 AM   #3
starslayer
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Default Re: Tweaking Magic in my game

Two things:

1- There is already a pretty good way to flavor RPM magic in the form of 'higher purpose: Cast like a ...', which will lead to PCs always wanting to use there '...' casting aspect <which is good>. However at the end of the day when using this system all you end up with is flavor- The fire witch cauterizes wounds when healing, the necromancer pushes unnatural life into the mangled tissue, but both of them are rolling for healing against the same target number, just like every other. I think it's good, but not quite complete.

2- You can really mix things up by making multiple 'styles' of RPM magic available, PCs pay the same costs but trade-off certain aspects of RPM magic for benefit in other aspects:

A 'safe style' that has some multiplier on time, cannot reduce gathering time, but also needs a confirm on a critical failure removes a lot of combat effectiveness, but grants far more reliable magic to the skilled allowing them to stretch to the limits of there skill more routinely.

Giving an automatic 'style bonus' to some forms of casting, but a penalty to others can also radically change things: IE- If you alter a person through physical changes you get a 50% reduction in energy cost, if you do any other sort of casting you get a 25% increase in energy costs

The regular components for RPM magic are: Ritual space, components, time, timex2, energy, skill. Feel free to mix these up. This effects non-adepts more then adepts, but can introduce a lot of flavor for how the magic works. If the ogres focus on rage-based casting, and there ritual components are: Blood (instead of ritual space), hate (instead of components), temporary insanity (instead of time), sacrifice (instead of energy), and skill- then you will see a lot of ogres covered in scars from the punishment they've put themselves through to cast, with powerful magi being somewhat unhinged from the assorted temporary inanities they are taking in leiu of temporal constraints. However, with time no longer being a factor Ogre-magi can cast in a snap, literally since hate is required for casting, and a berserker-caster is a perfectly viable build
starslayer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-30-2013, 11:25 PM   #4
dataweaver
 
dataweaver's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Default Re: Tweaking Magic in my game

If you want Realm advantages to be meaningful in an otherwise-RPM system, consider letting it provide some sort of cost discount: say, if a particular ritual is rated at a given Realm 3 and you have Realm 3, reduce the base cost by 1; if you have Realm 4, reduce the base cost by 2; and so on.
__________________
Point balance is a myth.[1][2][3][4]
dataweaver is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-30-2013, 11:56 PM   #5
Refplace
 
Refplace's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Yukon, OK
Default Re: Tweaking Magic in my game

Quote:
Originally Posted by dataweaver View Post
If you want Realm advantages to be meaningful in an otherwise-RPM system, consider letting it provide some sort of cost discount: say, if a particular ritual is rated at a given Realm 3 and you have Realm 3, reduce the base cost by 1; if you have Realm 4, reduce the base cost by 2; and so on.
Another option is converting Greater Effects to Lesser Effects.
__________________
My GURPS publications GURPS Powers: Totem and Nature Spirits; GURPS Template Toolkit 4: Spirits; Pyramid articles. Buying them lets us know you want more!
My GURPS fan contribution and blog:
REFPLace GURPS Landing Page
My List of GURPS You Tube videos (plus a few other useful items)
My GURPS Wiki entries
Refplace is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-31-2013, 12:18 AM   #6
dataweaver
 
dataweaver's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Default Re: Tweaking Magic in my game

Yeah; that was my first instinct, too. The only drawback to it, IMHO, is that you only benefit if you're using Greater Effects: your Realms cease to matter if you decide to attempt something using only Lesser Effects.

Actually, let me revise my earlier suggestion: just use your Realm level as a flat discount on the Effect's basic energy cost, to a minimum of one. That discount gets applied before applying the Greater Effects multiplier, so it gets leveraged: if you have two Greater Effects, each suitable Realm level effectively reduces the cost by three.

Less mathy that way.
__________________
Point balance is a myth.[1][2][3][4]
dataweaver is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-31-2013, 12:41 AM   #7
Refplace
 
Refplace's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Yukon, OK
Default Re: Tweaking Magic in my game

Quote:
Originally Posted by dataweaver View Post
Actually, let me revise my earlier suggestion: just use your Realm level as a flat discount on the Effect's basic energy cost, to a minimum of one. That discount gets applied before applying the Greater Effects multiplier, so it gets leveraged: if you have two Greater Effects, each suitable Realm level effectively reduces the cost by three.

Less mathy that way.
I like that idea.
I have had realm based in my Chalice world I have been working on and been considering dropping it but this gives a good option to keep it.
__________________
My GURPS publications GURPS Powers: Totem and Nature Spirits; GURPS Template Toolkit 4: Spirits; Pyramid articles. Buying them lets us know you want more!
My GURPS fan contribution and blog:
REFPLace GURPS Landing Page
My List of GURPS You Tube videos (plus a few other useful items)
My GURPS Wiki entries
Refplace is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:02 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.