Problems mixing Magic-magic, Sorcery, Path/Book, and RPM Magic in the same game?

[Phantasm]

I'm GMing a game in a literal crapsack world and a question came up that made me wonder.

One of my players uses what I call Magic-magic, the spells-as-skills system presented in the Basic Set and expanded in GURPS Magic. One possible NPC - who will go unnamed at present - is likely to use either Path/Book magic or RPM, possibly with a few prepared charms for when he needs a shortcut to Kentucky Fried Preacher someone. Another NPC is going to use a system close to Sorcery - actually, more of tattoo magic than actual Sorcery, but still a Magic-as-Powers approach. As this is a crapsack world with a bunch of canonical different magic systems, mixing like this (hopefully) isn't going to break PCs' suspension of disbelief.

What kinds of issues am I looking at mixing these magic systems together? Will the RPM-ist and Sorcerer/tattoo-caster have issues keeping up with the standard mage, or vice verse?

[lachimba]

To steal from an unrelated quote. The problems within each system (GURPS Magic I'm looking at you) are more significant than the problems between them.

[Mailanka]

You'll have a lot of mental overhead. Effectively, each character has an entirely different ruleset, each of which is worth an entire book. You'll need to figure out how they all interact, and you'll have a very scattered focus ("You find 5 magic tomes, but only one of which is relevant to the PC).

Given that most of the characters who are using alternate magic systems are NPCs, I would ask what is gained by using multiple magic systems. You can freely improvise what NPCs do, and most of the detail in these various systems are player facing (that is, players really worry about how much fatigue the have and if they have enough XP to gain their next spell, or if they have the downtime to build that charm, etc, while with NPCs you can believably fake it, if you must).

So, you gain additional overhead for very little benefit that I can see. That would be my largest argument against it, the greatest problem you'll likely face (It's not an insurmountable one, or even an especially onerous one, but it's there)

[Phantasm]

Part of the reason is to show off how different parts of the world and those of different traditions use magic. The tattoo-magic user (and I'm working on building this system) will be a runaway slave from the setting's monster-ruled Atlantis, and the other guy will be a conversion of a character we're used in the past, though in the setting's built-in system (a Rifts shifter).

Another part is to help me figure out how these other systems work, and to entice others into considering them in later games, or as secondary or replacement characters for this game. So far, I've only had players take the bog-standard system from Magic, and I want to be sure I've got a handle on the other systems before the PCs start making alternate chars.

Clear as mud?

[Mailanka]

Originally Posted by Phantasm

Clear as mud?

You don't need to justify it to me. It's your game! But you asked if there would be a problem, and that's the biggest problem I can see. If you can answer the challenge posed by the problem for yourself, I think that should be more than good enough.

[Kalzazz]

I haven't DMed much with Path/Book, but, I've allowed Sorcery, RPM and Magic Magic from the time the relevant books came out

Zero problems!

I've also allowed (with or without UB) RPM based on different attributes

[starslayer]

Originally Posted by Phantasm

I'm GMing a game in a literal crapsack world and a question came up that made me wonder.

One of my players uses what I call Magic-magic, the spells-as-skills system presented in the Basic Set and expanded in GURPS Magic. One possible NPC - who will go unnamed at present - is likely to use either Path/Book magic or RPM, possibly with a few prepared charms for when he needs a shortcut to Kentucky Fried Preacher someone. Another NPC is going to use a system close to Sorcery - actually, more of tattoo magic than actual Sorcery, but still a Magic-as-Powers approach. As this is a crapsack world with a bunch of canonical different magic systems, mixing like this (hopefully) isn't going to break PCs' suspension of disbelief.

What kinds of issues am I looking at mixing these magic systems together? Will the RPM-ist and Sorcerer/tattoo-caster have issues keeping up with the standard mage, or vice verse?

You can just say its RIFTS- Palladium press will not break down your door and kill your dog.

As for multiple magic systems- we have done them in our games and had minimal issues- but you should figure out how the magic systems are going to interact with each other (What will a lesser destroy magic do to a force dome, how much gathered energy does it take to cancel 1 point of spent spell FP, etc).

Sorcery will actually integrate in pretty easily with stock magic since it is using advantages, but the sorcery<->RPM interaction will need to be addressed (how much extra energy translates to a -1 to nullification attempts, and similar)

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by starslayer

You can just say its RIFTS- Palladium press will not break down your door and kill your dog.

RIFTS is hardly the only kitchen sink setting around, published or otherwise.

[starslayer]

Originally Posted by Refplace

RIFTS is hardly the only kitchen sink setting around, published or otherwise.

See OP's post #4 in this thread:
Kitchen sink, crapsack world, tattoo magic as one of many magical systems, monster run atlantis, and reference to a 'Rifts Shifter' as a previous character who will be ported across.

Looking for it to NOT be RIFTS is stretching.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by starslayer

See OP's post #4 in this thread:
Kitchen sink, crapsack world, tattoo magic as one of many magical systems, monster run atlantis, and reference to a 'Rifts Shifter' as a previous character who will be ported across.

Looking for it to NOT be RIFTS is stretching.

Ah Forgot the Rifts Shifter useage.
Though the rest would have precedence in lots of places.