Monday, April 30, 2012

Magic Update 1

I’ve always looked for ways to simply define magic among different categories or fields so as to differentiate the actual experience of playing different caster types. I liked D+D 2Es approach to different schools of magic, although I found that almost everyone ended up playing evokers, since they had all the good spells.

I digress.

One way that seems to work for the current setup of abilities is to divide by linked ability; one type of magic links to intuition for effects/damage, while the other links to lore. You can be a ‘dabbler’ by taking spells linked directly to either intuition or lore, not taking the bolt available only to ‘pure casters’. I’ll keep working on Elementalists, but for today here’s a potential listing for Magicians. I’m taking a step back (at least right now) from the RTSR rules as published last year, going with a buffet-style approach rather than a more rigid spellbook approach.

Magician

Magicians use an arcane bolt as their primary spell ability, linking all of their repertoire and spontaneous spells to the bolt rating. Magicians use lore to roll damage with their bolts. Magicians select one field of arcane magic: eldritch, mind, light or shadow.
Twelve Magician Spells
- Alter Appearance. Use 1 turn to change your form to look like someone else for the rest of the scene. Targets with some reason to suspect this deception roll intuition to resist your action roll.
- Boost Invulnerability. You boost the target’s invulnerability or armor rating based on your bolt rating; this continues for the rest of the scene.
- Boost Might. You boost the target’s might rating based on your bolt rating; this continues for the rest of the scene.
- Boost Prowess. You boost the target’s might rating based on your bolt rating; this continues for the rest of the scene.
- Cancellation. Use 1 turn to cancel, dispel or negate another spell or magical effect. A short-term effect is canceled, while a permanent effect is negated for the rest of the scene; roll your bolt rating vs. the situational DT.
- Charm the Living. Use 1 turn to take control of another living creature’s actions. With 1 success, the target regards you as a friend. With 2 successes, the target views you as a superior; with 3 successes, the target becomes a mindless automaton under your control; targets built on more CPs than you are immune to this effect. Targets resist with the better of intuition or lore.
- Eldritch Shield. Use 1 turn to summon a shield that acts as a shield at your bolt rating.
- Invisibility. Use 1 turn to activate an invisibility on yourself or an ally within rating range. This acts as stealth.
- Hex. You force the target to replace the next several dice rolls with natural 1s. The target replaces a number of rolls equal to the successes you roll on the action. Targets resist with the better of intuition or lore.
- Life Tap. With one bolt spell each scene, you recover as many wounds as you deal on this attack, up to your starting total. If you deal 9 wounds with your bolt, you can elect to also recover 9 wounds.
- Portal. Use 1 turn to either unlock or seal a door or lock of any kind at your roll result; if you roll 17 to seal a door, it becomes DT to pick, force or dispel for the rest of the scene.
- Summon. You call a creature to fight for you. The creature is built on rating x5 CPs, and remains for the rest of the scene or until felled. Summoned creatures return to their native realms at -1 wounds.

No comments:

Post a Comment