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Old 01-07-2010, 09:49 AM   #1
dds_ks
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Default Modular Magery (new rule for discussion)

Setting: a campaign where Magery is learnable and improvable to nearly no limits - please don't ask "Why do you want this." Please just take this as precondition for the rule for discussion.

Old rule:
Due to "normal" rules, every 5 levels of Magery give the following benefits:
+ 5 on spell casting, resulting in -1 FP casting cost, 1/2 casting time, +5 thaumatology, +5 on senses to detect changes in Mana Level and Magic Items and +5 "levels of effect" (see Magic, page 9: magery and effect).
In addition, the first "package" of 5 levels Magery is sufficient for the maximum reduction of time to learn new spells (-40% time) and allows, in general, to learn nearly every spell.
All these benefits cost a package-price of 50 CP.

But...
... this means that you can't save casting costs without having astronomous skill levels.

Therefore, my idea is to split magery into several aspects, which can be learned seperately. So skill level has no influence whatsoever on casting time and costs. And I would like to introduce two new aspects...

New rule for discussion:
15 CP buy -1 FP on casting/maintaining cost; starting level: 0, maximum level ?
10 CP buy +1 on skill level; starting level: 0, maximum level ?
10 CP buy factor 1/2 on casting time; starting level: 0, minimum level *2, maximum level 1/16 or infinite ?
5 CP buy one level of "prerequisite magery", meaning: if you have 2 prereq-levels, you can learn all spells that don't need magery 3 or a special advantage; starting level 0; maximum level 3
5 CP buy one level of "effect"; starting level 3, minimum level 1, maximum level ?
5 CP buy learning time -10%; starting level +0%, minimum level +20%, maximum level -40%
10 CP buy one "Limit Level" - new aspect, see below
10 CP buy one "Reach Level" (factor 1,5) - new aspect, see below

Reach Level (starting level *1; maximum level ?): To cast a normal spell, you need your skill level, reduce it by distance in yards/meters and other modification, and this is your effective skill. RL decreases the influence of distance. Imagine casting a spell on a target 20 yards away: Who can deal with -20? But with three levels of RL, this reduces (according to the distance table, which nearly means factor 1,5 per level) to -7: still not very probable, but it might work.

Limit Level (starting level 12; minimum level 10; maximum level 16): Magic is not always reliable. Whatever your effective skill might be, any roll of 13+ means it didn't work, as long as your LL is 12 or less. So you always roll against the worse: effective skill or LL.
But:
1. The chances for a critical success or critical failure are ONLY based on effective skill. So having effective skill 22 and LL 13 means:
3-6 critical success
7-13 normal success
14-17 normal failure
18 critical failure
2. Margin of Success and Resistance Rolls are ONLY based on effective skill.
Same example: effective skill 22 and LL 13, the mage roles a 10. Margin of Success now is 12 (but for resistance roll, the rule of 16 applies).
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Old 01-07-2010, 10:33 AM   #2
Randover
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Default Re: Modular Magery (new rule for discussion)

I was about to do the same thing year ago, it din't go as planned.

Reducing spell cost seems easy and manageable, but some spell are realy pain if they could be maintained.

Now I tend to incourange my players to take extra energy reserves, and boost there regeneration.

Basicly giving them 20-30 ER for free with 1 per minute regeneration rate.

As for range penalty I use Malediction modifier +100% giving mages same range modifiers as information spells. Note that this is not point wise balanced at all. But after all we Magery freaks don't like point balance that much.
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My topic Randover's Magical setting
Enchanting proposals, mana levels, magery...and other stuff for Wizards based campaing.
Motto: "Why not create cash by magic? Job as any other."
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Old 01-08-2010, 12:02 AM   #3
Captain Joy
 
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Heartland, U.S.A.
Default Re: Modular Magery (new rule for discussion)

Quote:
Originally Posted by dds_ks View Post
All these benefits cost a package-price of 50 CP.

Therefore, my idea is to split magery into several aspects, which can be learned seperately. So skill level has no influence whatsoever on casting time and costs.
Seems reasonable.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dds_ks View Post
10 CP buy one "Limit Level" - new aspect, see below

Limit Level (starting level 12; minimum level 10; maximum level 16): Magic is not always reliable. Whatever your effective skill might be, any roll of 13+ means it didn't work, as long as your LL is 12 or less. So you always roll against the worse: effective skill or LL....
I've played in campaigns were GMs had a similar rule. But, instead of 10 CP per level, it is was just 4 CP as Philosophy or Thaumatology skill was used instead. I'm not suggestion using a skill is better than your LL idea; I'm just offering up some options.
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Old 01-08-2010, 01:22 AM   #4
David Johnston2
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Default Re: Modular Magery (new rule for discussion)

Quote:
Originally Posted by dds_ks View Post

Therefore, my idea is to split magery into several aspects, which can be learned seperately. So skill level has no influence whatsoever on casting time and costs. And I would like to introduce two new aspects...
Well I wouldn't like that idea. I quite prefer skill to make things faster and less wasteful. It works particularly well with missile spells, where the only reason to get enormous skill is for the cost reduction.
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