Question: DF and syntactic magic

[ArtosApNab]

I can't find any options on how to make syntactic magic coexist with the restrictions of the Dungeon Fantasy magic system, later refined in the Pyramid 3/60 article. Can anyone give me some ideas on how to do this? Thank you and have fun

[johndallman]

A question in reply: how do you want to use syntactic magic in your game? Once we have some idea of that, we can make suggestions.

There are a lot of possibilities, from "a complete replacement for the default magic system" to "the secret knowledge of the mightiest mages, used only to change the world."

[Anders]

If you have them, I suggest you look at DF:19, where Christopher Rice and Antoni Ten Monros has a system for improvised magic, and Pyramid #3/66 where Christopher talks about variations on Ritual Path Magic (which DF 19 is based on). Especially the part about Symbol Magic, which is pretty close to Syntactic Magic.

But I wouldn't recommend buying them for this. You should only buy supplements because you don't have all supplements yet. You can eat another day.

[ArtosApNab]

Originally Posted by johndallman

A question in reply: how do you want to use syntactic magic in your game? Once we have some idea of that, we can make suggestions.

There are a lot of possibilities, from "a complete replacement for the default magic system" to "the secret knowledge of the mightiest mages, used only to change the world."

my question is more simple and direct : if i use syntactic magic in a Dungeon Fantasy campaign, the limitations for mages to know Animal, Weather, Plant colleges, as described in Pyramid 3/60, are applied to a hypotetical "syntattic mage" (built from the Hedgemage template from GURPS Fantasy) too?or syntactic magic can be considered an exception to those rules, since the spells are more "undefined" than those of the "basic" system?

Note: Hedgemage in Fantasy has 3 options for spells, but itwas writenn far BEFORE the article Wizardy Refined.

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by ArtosApNab

my question is more simple and direct : if i use syntactic magic in a Dungeon Fantasy campaign, the limitations for mages to know Animal, Weather, Plant colleges, as described in Pyramid 3/60, are applied to a hypotetical "syntattic mage" (built from the Hedgemage template from GURPS Fantasy) too or syntactic magic can be considered an exception to those rules, since the spells are more "undefined" than those of the "basic" system?.

OK, first neither GURPS nor most of us on the forum are big on "official rules" or anything similar. You can always ignore any of these kinds of things in your game, even if you are using the standard spells, so there's that.

But secondarily, those limits were imposed for a reason - in this case to preserve the niches of other kinds of magic specialists as something distinct from wizards, and to limit the kinds of powers that experience has shown to noticeably break dungeon settings. If you care about those reasons (i.e. you want people to consider playing a Druid rather than everybody who wants to use magic just being a syntactic mage, or want to avoid having to cope with known problem spells) you shouldn't just throw them out when developing a house rule variation. If you don't care (e.g. you hate Druids and don't want any in your game anyway) then yeah, go ahead and allow mages to learn all the spells that were reserved for them.

[ArtosApNab]

i'm speechless.

[ArtosApNab]

Especially the part about Symbol Magic, which is pretty close to Syntactic Magic.

But Ritual/path NOT

But I wouldn't recommend buying them for this. You should only buy supplements because you don't have all supplements yet. You can eat another day.[/QUOTE]

maybe read them, the supplements.

[ArtosApNab]

If you care about those reasons (i.e. you want people to consider playing a Druid rather than everybody who wants to use magic just being a syntactic mage, or want to avoid having to cope with known problem spells) you shouldn't just throw them out when developing a house rule variation. If you don't care (e.g. you hate Druids and don't want any in your game anyway) then yeah, go ahead and allow mages to learn all the spells that were reserved for them.[/QUOTE]

i made Herbalism (usually reserved to Druids or Shamans) accessible to Hedge Wizard (Fantasy) as an optional skill a PC or a NPC can to learn using points given by quirks. he wont know magic from forbidden college but ca to make "herbals" to integrate his cut spells' list. thank you all for help.

[Anders]

You can read the supplements? I just print them and sleep on them like a dragon on his hoard. :o)

The easy way to limit wizards from casting Animal, Plant, Healing, and Weather colleges is just to say "wizards can't learn those words". And state that teleportation magic is off-limits.