Words of Power with Threshold-Limited Magic

[DrFaust]

Following on from thinking about using threshold-limitation on a realm magic system, I came to Words of Power, which are something I'd like to include as they're part of the Cabal setting.

Only Words use the utterer's FP and HP for energy, with no outside sources. Given the high cost, would it be equally debilitating to add that to the caster's threshold tally? With a 30 point threshold, speaking a Word would rocket the tally right into calamity country, assuming the poor soul started at 0.

Or maybe resorting to the raw force of a Word of Power is calamity enough.

[Ze'Manel Cunha]

Originally Posted by DrFaust

Following on from thinking about using threshold-limitation on a realm magic system, I came to Words of Power, which are something I'd like to include as they're part of the Cabal setting.

Only Words use the utterer's FP and HP for energy, with no outside sources. Given the high cost, would it be equally debilitating to add that to the caster's threshold tally? With a 30 point threshold, speaking a Word would rocket the tally right into calamity country, assuming the poor soul started at 0.

Or maybe resorting to the raw force of a Word of Power is calamity enough.

Or you could have each Word use its own Threshold, set it anywhere from 0-30, with whatever recovery, or lack of recovery you want.

Then it's all about risking calamities due to immediate need.

[Jerander]

Originally Posted by DrFaust

Following on from thinking about using threshold-limitation on a realm magic system, I came to Words of Power, which are something I'd like to include as they're part of the Cabal setting.

Only Words use the utterer's FP and HP for energy, with no outside sources. Given the high cost, would it be equally debilitating to add that to the caster's threshold tally? With a 30 point threshold, speaking a Word would rocket the tally right into calamity country, assuming the poor soul started at 0.

Or maybe resorting to the raw force of a Word of Power is calamity enough.

If you're using Threshold instead of FP, the swapping the two should be fine. So someone using a Word of Power could use Thresh or HP. If you're using Thresh in addition to FP, then you might want Variable Energy Access and/or an enhancement on WoP.

[DrFaust]

Originally Posted by Jerander

If you're using Threshold instead of FP, the swapping the two should be fine. So someone using a Word of Power could use Thresh or HP. If you're using Thresh in addition to FP, then you might want Variable Energy Access and/or an enhancement on WoP.

Going by the FP cost, it seems that speaking a Word is supposed to be hugely debilitating, putting the average person on death's door, in addition to the ridiculous levels of magic it unleashes. Swapping calamities in for that energy drain seems like more of the same.

Maybe Words shouldn't link to thresholds at all and instead work as written.

[Jerander]

Originally Posted by DrFaust

Going by the FP cost, it seems that speaking a Word is supposed to be hugely debilitating, putting the average person on death's door, in addition to the ridiculous levels of magic it unleashes. Swapping calamities in for that energy drain seems like more of the same.

Maybe Words shouldn't link to thresholds at all and instead work as written.

You're call. Mechanically, Threshold vs. Standard are considered different but balanced one against the other. So running up Tally vs. paying FP is a matter of how you see magic working in your setting.

[DrFaust]

True enough. I'm thinking out loud at this point, as I'm not planning on Words coming up any time soon. Probably once I shift the game from a convention one-shot to the home campaign, and then it would depend on someone wanting a character who knows Words.