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#Post#: 167--------------------------------------------------
On Spellcasting in the Old World
By: DrDevice Date: December 28, 2016, 3:53 pm
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For those who have yet to play a spell caster I will run through
the rules as they appear in the book, as well as comment on some
of the bullshittery there in.
The casting number pools between turns until the spell is cast,
aborted, or all casting dice on any one turn are all 1's. (core
141 and 142) When a spells casting time extends beyond one round
you must make a channelling roll if anything interferes with you
when it is not your turn or you will abort your spell. (Core
144)
Channelling must be followed by casting, if not it is wasted and
you must do it again. Channeling adds +(magic characteristic) to
your casting die total (Core 141) and can only be done before
casting or to maintain the cast (doesn't provide bonus)
Magic ingredients are consumed if used. Ingredients can grant
you a +1 +2 or a +3 bonus and are often the most fucking bizarre
things in existence, for example "a hanged mans noose". (Core
141)
Magic Circles allow you to reroll one of the casting dice during
the casting of a spell. After that, whether the spell is cast or
not it is ruined. It takes a channelling roll and scarce
materials worth the spells casting number in Gc. It also takes a
minute to make. (Core 144)
Now these last two are the only ones that really get my panties
in a twist. Some of the magic ingredients are so hard to comeby
that it might as well be impossible, on top of the fact that if
you do find one all you get is a whopping +3 to a roll which is
often times as high as 25. I shouldn't have to haul around an
alchemy labs worth of bottles filled with Bottled breath of an
eagle so I can get a +2 to remove ONE CLOUD form the sky, or a
sack full of bells so I can get a +1 to casting sounds, or a
bandolier of tuning forks so I can get a +1 to cast lightning
bolt.
My argument would be all 1's consumes the item, and you can only
apply it once during the casting. The bonus is still nearly
worthless but at least you can add your dragon's tooth to the
next casting of the spell.
Magic circles are another thing that irritates me. I can
understand it being consumed, or breaking, I've played Rouge. My
argument for a better way would be there are different types of
circles.
Poor quality (Scarce materials, casting number of spell in gold
crowns) which are only good for one casting and are destroyed
whether the spell goes off or not, takes one minute to make
(channeling roll).
Common quality (Rare materials, casting number of the highest
spell number to be cast x2 in gc) which last until a first level
Tzeentch's Curse goes off in it (or it is deliberately damaged),
2 minutes to make.
Good quality (Very Rare materials, casting number of the highest
spell number to be cast x6 in gc) lasts until a 2nd level
Tzeentch's Curse goes off in it (or it is deliberately damaged),
6 minutes to make.
Best quality (Beyond Very Rare materials, casting number of the
highest spell number to be cast x20 in gc) lasts until a 3rd
level Tzeentch's Curse goes off in it (or it is deliberately
damaged), 20 minutes to make.
This set up allows for magic laboratories to be set up with a
"permanent" protection circle, all versions of it still only
provide the one reroll, and the circle could only be moved if
you went through great effort. (Think the magic cart things from
the table top). Base build of it should only cover a 2 yard
diameter circle, larger circles should scale in cost with the
number of 2 yard squares it is going to cover.
Other than those few things I don't have an over all problem
with the magic system, take from it what you will, or wont.
#Post#: 168--------------------------------------------------
Re: On Spellcasting in the Old World
By: PoorEverett Date: December 28, 2016, 9:38 pm
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I will certainly be thinking on this as we slowly move closer to
my game. I'm not sure there is a simple solution to the
ingredients conundrum but I will think on it. I like where you
are going with magic circles, I may allow something similar in
when I run.
Thank you for the post.
#Post#: 169--------------------------------------------------
Re: On Spellcasting in the Old World
By: Rojosama Date: December 29, 2016, 2:01 pm
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If i read it correctly it casting components were only consumed
at a percentage not as a fact with the high items risking a
greater chance of being destroyed. I could be incorrect as I
have not fully played a caster yet for very long.
#Post#: 170--------------------------------------------------
Re: On Spellcasting in the Old World
By: PoorEverett Date: December 30, 2016, 1:19 pm
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Ingredients are only good for one casting and you must decide
whether you are spending it before you start casting. (Core pg.
141)
#Post#: 171--------------------------------------------------
Re: On Spellcasting in the Old World
By: DrDevice Date: January 1, 2017, 3:26 am
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Hey adam, wanted to make a few comments on the blood magic. Not
a whole lot just some little things. Having said that let me
start off with one that is probably big to you.
The blood magic component thing, so as I pointed out above, most
of the magic components are arbitrary, hard to get a hold of, or
just akward to have a lot of. Now with this being a type of dark
magic, I think it should be just as difficult if not more so to
be subbtle. This need not be the case for all of them, or even
any of them. Look at the ice witch. All the components are ice
based, but if you go far enough north, suddenly you don't even
need them anymore, leave the cold and you need to channel every
time you cast. Its not even a dark magic.
Now with blood magic being based on vampires, I think a good way
of going about it is to have specific types of blood, get real
weird with it in the higher spells (see noose of a hanged man).
The point being that as vampires need to use the unwilling, and
sometimes the willing, to survive so must the blood wizard.
Magic doesn't make a lot of sense in this system sometimes
because it's based largely on what people believe it is supposed
to be like, as all things involving chaos are.
The other thing I wanted to mention is that the 20+ casting die
spells, as well as any spell that ocupies the highest number in
a particular branch, almost always can be detected by all magic
users within 5 miles.
Other then that I'd have to go spell by spell and compare it to
other schools, good write up otherwise.
#Post#: 172--------------------------------------------------
Re: On Spellcasting in the Old World
By: PoorEverett Date: January 9, 2017, 7:40 pm
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After some deliberation I think I am going to try the follow
house rules, and adjust them after game start as needed. I will
add this to the Project Board post as well.
Components for spellcasting - As long as you possess a component
for a spell, you add it's ingredient bonus to ALL castings of
the spell. In other words, using an ingredient during a casting
does not destroy them item. No change to Bloodmagic as of yet.
Runesmithing - Temporary Runes will take 1 minute to inscribe,
empower, and bind (3 minutes total). Inscription is an extended
test.
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