Thaumatology: Realm Limitations

[Anders]

I'm thinking about a Realm-based system. This is a high-mana world - anyone can learn magic but you have to put a lot of work into it for it to be really useful. So I won't be using Magery at all. Now, if I want to use Limitations I'll limit the Realm levels, and lower their cost. Is it appropriate to use the Magery limitations from p.B67 (Dance, Song, Dark-Aspected, etc.)? What do you think?

[panton41]

I think Realm limitation are supposed to be bigger picture than the Magery limitations. Considering Realm magic was strongly based on White Wolf's Mage I'd argue limitations like "Mundane disbelief can unravel any spell" or "There is a backlash if a spell is impossible to the average person" would fit. Of course those are limits I'd give (and maybe a few much more setting specific like specific groups strongly resistant to Realm magic) for a GURPS-based Mage: The Awakening game.

[DangerousThing]

Originally Posted by ciaran_skye

I think Realm limitation are supposed to be bigger picture than the Magery limitations. Considering Realm magic was strongly based on White Wolf's Mage I'd argue limitations like "Mundane disbelief can unravel any spell" or "There is a backlash if a spell is impossible to the average person" would fit. Of course those are limits I'd give (and maybe a few much more setting specific like specific groups strongly resistant to Realm magic) for a GURPS-based Mage: The Awakening game.

Interesting.

I'm using the lesser/greater concepts from RPM with Realm magic to encourage subtle effects. In other words, non-subtle workings have at least a triple energy cost. I'm also allowing magic resistance to work against all magic, which includes psionics and martial arts chi abilities.

However, I'm doing this for a science fantasy setting where the majority of people in the Phoenix Confederation know that magic exists. There are, of course, people who don't believe in it, as there are people who think FTL travel is a fraud. This isn't a Technomancer setting where magic is *everywhere*, but it is common enough that every major hospital has a mystic or two on staff.

[Anaraxes]

I don't see a problem offhand. You can apply something like Accessibility (Only In the Dark) to all sorts of Advantages. Why not the Realm level?

Logic and GM sanity suggest adopting a rule that you can only add more restrictions for higher Realm levels, but not remove them. That is, if you're a Dark-aspected Energy mage, you might have the first 2 levels without limitation, and one more with Dark Only. You get more capable in the dark, but aren't helpless if it's light. But you can't buy the first four levels with lots of limitations, and then take the highest Realm level with no restrictions, just to save points.

[DangerousThing]

Originally Posted by Asta Kask

I'm thinking about a Realm-based system. This is a high-mana world - anyone can learn magic but you have to put a lot of work into it for it to be really useful. So I won't be using Magery at all. Now, if I want to use Limitations I'll limit the Realm levels, and lower their cost. Is it appropriate to use the Magery limitations from p.B67 (Dance, Song, Dark-Aspected, etc.)? What do you think?

As long as you do this with the examples of aspected Magery I don't see any problems, as the previous poster said.

I will be having both the various Realm advantages and Magery. Magery is a limit on the skill levels of the Realm skills.

I'm curious, what realms are you using?

My setting is a Space Opera/Science Fantasy.
I'm using: Energy, Matter, Life, Spirit, Chance, Illusion, Crossroads, and Magic.

The levels I'm using are:
1. Detection
2. Encouragement
3. Shaping
4. Binding
5. Transformation
6. Authority

I'm still working on the energy costs, but I'm assuming that most mages will have some sort of energy reserve. There are very few enchanted objects in my setting because enchanting an object requires that you put a great deal of yourself into the object; usually this means at least one level from each Realm needed for the enchantment plus one extra from Magic (there is a roll to resist this to only lose half the number of levels rounding down).

One aspect of my setting is The Shattering which happened over 500 years before and killed 90% of sapient life (plus all but a handful of mages) and destroyed written information in all forms (this included computer media also) as well as most microelectronics. Yes, there was a reason and it was the conclusion of a previous game in the same settings about 500+ years before...

So basically new mages had to start over from scratch or memory of what previous mages had done.

[Anders]

I'm using the five levels in Thaumatology and the following Realms:

Tier I
1. Air
2. Earth
3. Fire
4. Water

Tier II
5. Blood (animals)
6. Bone (undead)
7. Wood (plants)

Tier III
8. Metal (artifacts)
9. Spirit (minds)

Tier IV
10. Magic

You must have at least one Realm of a lower Tier before you can start on a higher.

[PK]

If it helps, here's how I'd do RPM as Realms. Anyone familiar with Nobilis will see its influence, I'm sure. :)

There are 10 levels to each Realm. The first 7 levels encompass the 7 basic Lesser effects; if you have a Realm 3 levels above the minimum needed for a Lesser effect, you may use a Greater effect. In other words:

1. Lesser Sense
2. Lesser Strengthen
3. Lesser Restore
4. Lesser Control and Greater Sense
5. Lesser Destroy and Greater Strengthen
6. Lesser Create and Greater Restore
7. Lesser Transform and Greater Control
8. Greater Destroy
9. Greater Create
10. Greater Transform