07-07-2017, 06:09 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Mar 2016
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Questions magic in a fantasy world
Hello all!
Long time since I last posted on these forums (grad school), but I'm glad to be back and working on a setting that I plan to run with GURPS. Since I last visited, I ran a short lived, but very fun GURPS Morrowind campaign. My group really seemed to enjoy the system and so now that I have time again, I'm building a new campaign setting to use with GURPS. Now, I had originally intended to have a whole slew of magic systems available in this setting, but as I design further, I'm thinking simpler is better. What I've decided on so far is two different ways to use magic: Evoking and Rituals. Evoking is more immediate in nature, allowing the user to basically use abilities not unlike psionics, or The Force from Star Wars. I intend to use threshold limits on any abilities stemming from evoking (all powers will have the "costs Fatigue" limitation, changed to "Costs Threshold"). For this system, I am using magic as powers, but in order for a character to use these powers they need either a 5 or 10 (haven't decided) Unusual Background called Aether Sensitive (or similar). I may also allow a Pact with a spirit as a source of this. Rituals will use Path/Book magic from Thaumatology, with several "magical traditions" similar to voodoo, kabbalah, etc. I'm picturing the kind of spellcasting you get out of shows like Penny Dreadful, Supernatural, etc. (slow, methodical, somewhat subtle). I am still designing the individual traditions and will likely not be done with that until my cultures are more fleshed out. RPM might make an appearance as a secret form of magic, used by a very few scholars who study the mechanics of magic. So, as I go about this, I had a few questions, and thought I'd look here if anyone could please provide input(sorry if these have been asked before, my searches turned up nothing): 1) As mentioned, Evoking requires an Unusual Background. If an entire race is naturally able to use Evoking, would I build the UB into the template, or does it become a 0-point feature at that point? 2) When designing magical traditions using Path/Book, how many paths would be a good rule of thumb for each tradition to have access to? 3) I had considered using RPM for my ritual based magic, but it seemed almost too universal/open-ended and thus difficult to divide into unique feeling traditions. Does anyone have any experience with trying to achieve this result with RPM? I would be leaning towards using the Effect-Shaping variant. Bonus Question: Inspired by the many excellent blogs on this site, I've considered starting a blog to document the process of creating this world. Does anyone have a good recommendation for a fairly simple to use blog service? Thank you in advance for any feedback! |
07-07-2017, 06:57 PM | #2 | |
Join Date: Dec 2008
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Re: Questions magic in a fantasy world
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This really depends on the feel you want. You could go for one or two per tradition if you want each tradition would be fairly narrow in what it can do and for versatile spellcasters to have to pick up multiple traditions. You could go with 6+ if you want each tradition to basically be its own magic system able to do a wide range of things and for mages to generally just stick to one tradition. 3-5 would probably give a middle ground between these. |
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07-07-2017, 07:40 PM | #3 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
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Re: Questions magic in a fantasy world
Exception: if the human with that ability would gain some benefit that the nonhuman would not (e.g. everyone knows that Xs can cast spells, so they take countermeasures, while a human who casts spells will surprise people so they don't).
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07-07-2017, 07:50 PM | #4 |
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Re: Questions magic in a fantasy world
[QUOTE=Moneval;21089822) When designing magical traditions using Path/Book, how many paths would be a good rule of thumb for each tradition to have access to?
![/QUOTE] When Phil Masters did Age of Gold he had 3 different types of P/B and most of them covered about 3 Paths I think. He used traditional European Witchcraft, eastern Element-based and a sort of Aleister Crowley/Golden Dawn thing. Getting Age of Gold to look at these worked example might help you. I find it to be a very cool little supplement. You sound like you might be aiming for one tradition per culture. You might want to organize into "books" of Rituals that each culture used rather than broad "Paths". This would cut down on everyone taking Path of Health to get Succor (beloved of PCs who risk getting wounded all the time) and a few other really basic Rituals without losing some level of customization.
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Fred Brackin |
07-07-2017, 10:04 PM | #5 | |||
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Cincinnati, OH, USA
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Re: Questions magic in a fantasy world
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I agree that Books unique to each tradition would be the right way to go. Quote:
Have you checked out the Incantation Magic variant of RPM? All of the path skills in that system are distinct enough to be their own tradition. |
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07-08-2017, 06:59 AM | #6 | |
Join Date: Sep 2007
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Re: Questions magic in a fantasy world
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UB is not a catch-all advantage meant for adjusting prices for balancing purposes. It's specifically meant to cover the "soft" advantages a character would have because their abilities are unexpected and can't and won't easily be countered. If next to no one in the setting has ever heard of magic and they have no defenses or concept ways to deal with magicians (as with secret magic in a modern-dal real-world setting), UB might be appropriate. If you just think magic is really powerful and ought to cost more, then just change the prices for your magical advantages. For most systems, a simple flat surcharge, regardless of level of magical skill, flexibility, or power, isn't often the most appropriate pricing anyway. In a magic-as-powers system, for instance, you might be better off just removing the usual "countermeasures" discount that's part of the Power Modifier than just charging 10 points. UB also is not a cost for simple in-setting rarity. It's irrelevant what proportion of the population has magical potential, for instance. That never on its own qualifies for a UB charge. Heroes are rare and unusual people by definition. UB isn't for attempting to have the rules enforce demographic outcomes by stacking player choices against the rare heroes. Your adventuring parties aren't going to reflect the demographic statistics of the world anyway. If there are mages in the party, you'll need to find some other way to give the feeling that magic is rare -- no matter what you charged that PC, it's still in the party and using magic all the time. It's only when the rarity itself turns into an extra advantage -- banks don't have enchantments defending their vaults, the cops laugh and think you're a nutcase if you suggest magic might have been used, and no one but the perp can even cast spells -- does simple low frequency become UB. (In 3e, UB was also used a charge for breaking the rules in character creation -- having several "native" languages for "free", even though characters only got one native language. This interpretation isn't used in 4e at all; you just pay for the languages, and the backstory about your merchant family upbringing or whatever is just fluff text. Going all Kvothe on your backstory to claim lots of free advantages doesn't in 4e mean you didn't pay for them and thus need a correcting factor. You just pay for them.) |
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07-08-2017, 08:05 AM | #7 | |||
Join Date: Mar 2016
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Re: Questions magic in a fantasy world
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I think I will pick up Age of Gold. Sounds interesting. Quote:
I haven't looked into Incantation Magic, though I'm intrigued. How does it differ from core RPM? Quote:
Thanks again everyone! |
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07-08-2017, 08:13 AM | #8 |
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Re: Questions magic in a fantasy world
Sure, you're just arranging for one dominant "Book" per culture (and it doesn't have to be a literal book). As many obscure Books as you like can be added to that.
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Fred Brackin |
07-08-2017, 09:01 AM | #9 | |
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Cincinnati, OH, USA
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Re: Questions magic in a fantasy world
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Firstly, Sorcerers buy their spells as alternative abilities to their Sorcerous Empowerment advantage whereas Psis buy each advantage separately for full price. The 1/5th cost of spells bought as alternative abilities helps to make Sorcery competitive with skills based magic points wise. Granted, that may or may not be what you want. Secondly, Psionics uses the Skills for Powers rules whereas Sorcery does not. Psis need to keep track of their skills, advantages, and techniques in play. Sorcerers only need to keep track of their spells. This makes Sorcery far easier for players to use in play. Keep in mind that Path/Book magic is a book keeping heavy skills + techniques + preparation based magic system. I'd go with Sorcery over Psionic Powers so that players who hate book keeping can have supernatural powers in your setting. Incantation Magic is Dungeon Fantasy 19: Incantation Magic. The main differences between IM to RPM is that IM is effect shaping, does away with physical charms, uses Path Skills more appropriate to a Low Tech setting, uses Magery as a bonus to skill rather than a cap for skill, and limits characters to benefiting from only two buff spells at once. |
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