Rearranging the Paths of Incantation Magic
 

I'm thinking about using Incantation magic in a setting that will probably never get finished but is fun to think about anyway*.

There are no druids or clerics here, so spells influencing plants, animals and healing magic are all on the table. However, Just incorporating all that into existing paths would make Mesmerism and Transfiguration a tad too powerful, so I'm thinking about instead splitting those two into Animals, Plants and Sapients. Do you foresee any particular problems with this?

*am I the only one who starts more settings than they finish, by an order of magnitude or two?

Re: Rearranging the Paths of Incantation Magic
 

I have done something similar.

Here are the revised paths as I see them, use them for inspiration, or . . . not.

Path of Animus
Aspect: The living and the dead, all aspects of the soul and animating lifeforce; includes the undead.

Path of Arcanum
Aspect: Spells, mana, supernatural powers and permanent enchantments.

Path of Arcanum can temporarily change mana levels, alter already-cast spells, and create, shut down, or harm magical creations like golems or enchanted items. This Path can affect more than high magic – including low magic spells, as well as supernatural abilities with the Magical limitation – but cannot target powers innate to or granted by the strangers without being supplemented by the Path of Strangers.

Path of Crossroads
Aspect: Gates, travel and transitions – any construct designed to aid or hamper travel from one place to another.

Crossroads are the connections between locations, times (forward only), and planes of existence. Crossroads effects can actively create them, or target creatures or people. True teleportation is difficult – most spells link two places with a temporary spatial gate, which anyone may then pass through.

Path of Devices
Aspect: Tools, machines and anything shaped to new purpose by a sentient mind.

This path governs the works of man and is required to effect anything that does not arise through natural effects. This includes objects and tools shaped through magic. Arcanum can affect the spells themselves, but a machine fueled by magic requires Devices to create or alter.

Path of Elements
Aspect: Air, earth, fire, metal, water, and wood – all naturally occurring matter and energy.

This Path can affect other forms of matter and energy, at the GM’s discretion. It also effectively acts as the Path of Vessels for the purpose of affecting elemental beings only. In addition to the appropriate aspects of Vessels or Genius, this path is also required to affect non-sentient animals and plants.

Path of Fates
Aspect: The past, the future, fate, and chance.

This includes looking into the near past or future, bestowing small and short-lived blessings and curses, altering the odds of completely random events, manipulating fate and cosmological events, and making the impossible possible or even likely. Because of its inherent chaotic nature, affecting the weather always requires both the Path of Fates and the Path of Elements

Path of Genius
Aspect: The minds of sapient (IQ 6+) beings.

Path of Strangers
Aspect: Demons, angels and the fair folk, whatever they might be called, baleful, bored or beatific; also traveling and interaction with the Realms Beyond.

Considered by most respectable Magicians as the most dangerous of the paths, this Path is acts as a required supplement to Path of Vessels and Path of Genius when the subject is one of the enigmatic Strangers. This includes “half-breeds” or objects/animals/cultists inhabited by a spirit from beyond. Alone, it can also do the following:

Path of Vessels
Aspect: The corporal part of living beings, including their flesh and blood in general.

This Path affects plants and animals only in conjunction with the Path of Elements.

Re: Rearranging the Paths of Incantation Magic
 

The designer's notes - which aren't out yet - contain information on making Incantation Magic the only magic in a DF setting. Whenever that comes out it should help a bit.

Re: Rearranging the Paths of Incantation Magic
 

Re: Rearranging the Paths of Incantation Magic
 

It's kind of my thing. It's like heroin to writers. We can never get enough of the tears and despair of those who read our work. It's wonderful in coffee.

Re: Rearranging the Paths of Incantation Magic
 

Where will we find this? Pyramid? I think they're a bit too complicated to be the only DF magic but I'm interested, if only for using them to emulate D&D Warlocks.

Re: Rearranging the Paths of Incantation Magic
 

Pyramid at some point. No idea when or if. If it doesn't make it there I might put it on Patreon or just release it on my Blog.

Re: Rearranging the Paths of Incantation Magic
 

Have you been going to those workshops from GRRM again?

Re: Rearranging the Paths of Incantation Magic
 

Well, I do have a double R in my name...so yeah. Exactly.