The Utility of Ritual Magic?

[NorphTehDwarf]

Originally Posted by Philosopher Rogue

It's the only magic I allow in my horror game except for knacks/innate magic/Powers.

What are knacks or innate magic? I looked through the index in Thaumatology and couldn't see anything about them.

edit: Do you ever feel like a jerk when a low-content post you make starts a new page? I sure do.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by NorphTehDwarf

What are knacks or innate magic? I looked through the index in Thaumatology and couldn't see anything about them.

edit: Do you ever feel like a jerk when a low-content post you make starts a new page? I sure do.

Knacks were a 3e thing that had a variant pricing scheme for being able to cast a single spell naturally without any studying or ability to learn other spells.

Innate magic is mostly just another name for Racial Magic.

[NorphTehDwarf]

I think there's something like Knacks in Magical Styles for 4e. It might even be called Knack. I can't remember. But what's racial magic?

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by NorphTehDwarf

I think there's something like Knacks in Magical Styles for 4e. It might even be called Knack. I can't remember. But what's racial magic?

See Racially Innate Spells on B.453. 3e was bascially the same.

I don't know about Magical Styles but I believe the poster in question was talking about a very long-established campaign that predated all of 4e. I'm sure that he was talking about the Knack rules from Magic 1e.

[Philosopher Rogue]

The campaign has been running off and on in this incarnation since '99 or so, but I began running this "game world" in October '94, the night Stargate came out in the theaters, I went back to the dorm and picked up my GURPS book, grabbed some friends and started the ball a rolling. We're still on 3E.

Knack magic is a single spell a person can cast, no prerequisites.. Sort of like Imbuements now, but not exactly.

Next apocalypse (um.. in game that is) I fully intend on converting the game over to 4E.

[JackShadow]

Originally Posted by Philosopher Rogue

Next apocalypse (um.. in game that is) I fully intend on converting the game over to 4E.

Reminds me of when Unlimited Mana first came out in Pyramid back in 1994. I was so taken by the system that I immediately began to convert my world to use it. I decided to wreck the fairly typical fantasy game world as Magic suddenly changed rules. Even worked the event into the PCs storyline so they ended up causing it to happen (or rather, failed to stop it from happening). So the next day all the mages in the world (including a PC) could suddenly cast spells with no Fatigue cost. Oh the chaos that happened when the first Calamity Checks were failed. :) I even went so far as to make the PC Mage figure out the new rules on his own, through trial and error. One of the best games I ever ran. Those were the days...

[The Colonel]

Originally Posted by Rowan

I've been reading over Thumatology, and I'm wondering as to the true utility of ritual magic. I see the use of it and understand it, but what I'm curious about mostly is how to put it into practical use. I understand it's not suitable for a stand up swords and sorcery type game. I guess what I'm curious about is can anyone give me some examples about how ritual magic would work in an actual campaign?

Try reading the Hellblazer series of graphic novels ... most of what John Constantine does is ritual magic of some degree or another.

[Philosopher Rogue]

Originally Posted by The Colonel

Try reading the Hellblazer series of graphic novels ... most of what John Constantine does is ritual magic of some degree or another.

Great example. Also watch early Buffy and Supernatural, the characters in those use ritual magic too. My players got the idea for the demon trap on the highway from Supernatural, except in the show it was just in a nice unmoving room.

And back to the apocalypse thing, in my game which the characters are at about 350 points now, my tagline is "What is the plural of 'apocalypse'?".

I like the ritual magic rules, the players get in on it too, looking for clues connected to the bad guy so they can do divination, when a pc or well liked npc dies they take a memento because they know the emotional charge will help them either catch the killer or help make a charm to prevent themselves from meeting the same fate... It just adds more flavor than a 4d fireball in my opinion.

[Refplace]

I just wish there were more worked examples to the Path/Book system.
And that it stayed named the Ritual Magic system with the current Ritual Magic system getting a different name.

[JackShadow]

Originally Posted by Refplace

I just wish there were more worked examples to the Path/Book system.
And that it stayed named the Ritual Magic system with the current Ritual Magic system getting a different name.

Strongly Agree. That was one of the first things that jumped out at me from Thaumatology.