wizards / clerics

[Anubis]

I'm still debating over how I'm going to make the 2 systems for casting magic or clerical magic different . so thought i might as well ask you all on here what system or rules do you use to make a large difference from a wizard casting to a priest casting magic

[mlangsdorf]

I use a system of constantly varying sanctity and mana. Every day, up to 3 types of deities (War, Agriculture, Craft, Death, etc) get High Sanctity and their opposites get Low Sanctity. Meanwhile, the mana level ebbs and peaks, changing roughly every 6 hours.

I'm also using the DF rules Mages and Clerics, so they have generally different spell lists.

Finally, I give natural animals a minor DR boost and resistance against Wizard (but not Cleric or Druid) spells.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by mlangsdorf

Finally, I give natural animals a minor DR boost and resistance against Wizard (but not Cleric or Druid) spells.

I Did Not Know That, but that's a really good idea. I will likely be stealing this.

[mlangsdorf]

I did it to limit wizards' role as generalists. They have limits to what they can do in the natural world: they can't learn spells that directly control animals, and when they cast other spells on animals, they don't work as well.

I think it's like DR3/Magic Resistance 3 for totally natural animals, DR2/MR2 for giant animals, and DR1/MR1 for dire animals.

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Building full-blown spell-casting systems is more bookkeeping than I want to take on. I've experimented a bit with having wizards use the regular magic and have clerics take relevant advantages (True Faith, Healing, etc.).

[Dustin]

I have priests use Ritual Magic from Thaumatology, with custom Book/Paths for each cult. Also access to other special advantages and perks, like Faith Healing, unusual Feint defaults (Dancing-Dionysos)/Sex Appeal-Aphrodite), etc.

[weby]

I have split magic into 4 realms that have different effects and spell lists, the casting mechanics are the same but the base to the skill is different.

Essence is the traditional wizardry magic where you study it from books and has access to limited number of colleges depending on magery. No healing or nature spells.

Mentalism is the power of the mind, where you study it by meditating. They can only know few spells total depending on their magery, but those can be allmost anything.(Not the more powerfull healing or any nature spells)

Channeling is the priestly magic that comes from gods(Well actually form the followers, but channeled by the gods). that has healing and many spells dependant on the deity(Quite like the Cleric in DF)

Nature is the druidic magic that contains the nature spells(Much like druid in DF)

Essence and mentalism are affected by the magery levels, channeling by sanctity levels and nature by the life level.

Each realm has about two different caster types that use mostly the same rules but with few special things.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

Building full-blown spell-casting systems is more bookkeeping than I want to take on.

Yep. In my World of D'y'r't game the players didn't try and steal each other's niches and no game mechanical enforcement was necessary.

There's something like 800 to a 1000 spells in Gurps Magic. People who can't craft decent, non-overlapping spellcasters out of that much choice need imagination boosts and not mechanical restrictions.

[martinl]

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

I've experimented a bit with having wizards use the regular magic and have clerics take relevant advantages (True Faith, Healing, etc.).

Originally Posted by Dustin

I have priests use Ritual Magic from Thaumatology, with custom Book/Paths for each cult. Also access to other special advantages and perks, like Faith Healing, unusual Feint defaults (Dancing-Dionysos)/Sex Appeal-Aphrodite), etc.

The above approaches are fun.

I've been tempted to set up clerical "magic" so that it doesn't ever produce provable (barring statistical analysis) supernatural abilities. This still gives significant leeway - there can be significant statistical boosts, morale effects, skills not available to outsiders, high resistances, etc.

This allows a setting where priests are still useful but not ostentatiously flinging around the supernatural. A clerical healer can fix you good, but it's just antisepsis and surgery in the form of holy ritual. A blessing can turn the tide of battle, but the PCs don't understand "+4 morale and +1 to defenses." The Vampire can't deal with you, but is it the power of your god, or the vamp's mental disads? Good flava.

The biggest problem I have is that the players will want to know what their abilities do (so the abilities will be clear to them) and the NPCs will most likely believe in the supernatural, so the ineffability of it all is not really effed, if you know what I'm saying.

[Nymdok]

Originally I did divine magic as powers to separate them from Mages and it worked out okay. Now we just use the guidlines in DF (since thats what we're playing) and its working out really well.

The problem is 'What Does <Servant> of <Diety> mean in your game?'

If you have a fire god, then it stands to reason there is going to be some overlap between a Fire God's Cleric and an elemntal fire wizard if they are both picking spells from the Fire college in GURPS MAGIC. This is especially true if you just toss them the book and say 'Pick whatcha want'.

If your concerned about niche protection, then protect those niches. For example, simply say, 'No healing for Wizards, its the Clerics job. No fireballs for the Clerics, its the wizard job.'

THese are somewhat arbitrary designations, but they do work well for niche protection and help define roles and characters.

So pick your gods, find spells suitable for those gods, and group them together. If you want that god to be the only source then ban them from non worshipers.

There are plenty of spells to go around in Magic, all you need to do is find dividing lines that you think are suitable to your game.

In addition, Path/Book/Ritual magic are all options in Thaumatology. DF Clerics is supposed to be pretty good (although I dont own it) and may answer some of your questions as might Magical Styles.

Nymdok