Magicy Shenanigans - high fantasy or more modern

Ominous

@chibichibi
Neither was I. I was using it as inspiration. I dislike servers that don't run an original IP.

Wretched

chibichibi

So I think I have found a system for a Brakebills game.

We can use Mage the Awakening 2nd Edition with al the yantras, etc.

Standard WoD build. People can buy arcana. But they can't cast spells unless it's a rote. IE you need it on your sheet.

Magicians and hedge wizards can only access rotes. Players are welcome to do "creative thaumaturgy" but that requires research and other actions (and OOC coding time to put it into the database) before they can cast it as a spell proper.

Thoughts?

WildBaboons

Dropping Mage theme? Thumbs up!

Really complicated magic mechanics/rules? Thumbs down

bear_necessities

I think you really have to dumb down a magic system for a Magicians game, which sucks because the magic in Magicians is not simple or dumbed down. I don't think going WoD build is the right move TBH but I don't have any other options.

Wizz

@chibichibi said in Magicy Shenanigans - high fantasy or more modern:

So I think I have found a system for a Brakebills game.

We can use Mage the Awakening 2nd Edition with al the yantras, etc.

Standard WoD build. People can buy arcana. But they can't cast spells unless it's a rote. IE you need it on your sheet.

Magicians and hedge wizards can only access rotes. Players are welcome to do "creative thaumaturgy" but that requires research and other actions (and OOC coding time to put it into the database) before they can cast it as a spell proper.

Thoughts?

Thoughts?

This is almost exactly the same idea I had for this when we last talked about a Magicians adaptation and I also got a lot of pushback at the time, but tbh I still think it's a good idea. Maybe it would just take playtesting to get people on board. It sounds a lot more complicated when you talk about it than I think it would work out to be in play, and people tend to have an innate resistance to changing a familiar formula.

WildBaboons

I definitely think that the "rotes" or "spells known" is the way to go though.

chibichibi

@Wizz

If anyone wants to playtest it, DM me and I'll send you an address so I can run some basic stories and see how it goes!

The Sands

@chibichibi Maybe look at the Hero Games System. Yes, it is a bit number heavy as well, but at the end of the day it isn't really any more than MtA 2E (and in many ways it can be less because once a 'spell' is created all other players need to do is spend a preset number of points to learn it)

That comes with a few caveats that are actually relatively small. The biggest is that you don't just throw it wide open and let people do whatever they want. There is a super common misconception that that's how the system is suppose to be played. There is absolutely nothing wrong with running a game and saying 'any spells must take the Limitations of Gestures, Incantations, and Requires Skill Rolls' or 'I'm going to veto your spell that creates killer robots as unthematic'.

The second biggest caveat is that creating a 'spell list' could take some time. There's possibly some ways around lightening that load by allowing players to help but there's still going to need to be a decent number of manhours invested by people before players will have a large enough list that they can purchase spells from.

chibichibi

I like Hero System in general, but magic in it has always been clunky. Not to mention, coding all that for a MUSH would be a PITA.

WildBaboons

There is always Dresden files rpg. I believe that mush code is still available.

Also Could ask the folks at spirit lake for their code that could probably be modified (relatively) easily if people wanted to use fs3

The Sands

@chibichibi Not really any more clunky than D&D or GURPS, once the spell list has been created. At that point all people really need to know is that Flame Bolt costs X points and Summon Raccoon costs Y. They only need to know how to calculate those costs if they are going to propose a new spell.

chibichibi

@The-Sands Yes, but the code for that project will be immense.

TiredEwok

I wouldn't mind a magic-in-an-urban-setting kind of place. Which... makes me want to pick up the first Dresden Files book and see how I like it.

But yes. As much as I love fantasy settings for magic, I think that's been done a lot. Which makes sense as there's a lot you can do with them. But, at the same time, fantasy has been SO OVERDONE, so a different setting would be nice.

ZekeTheG33k

What about Cinematic Unisystem for a system. Magic from like Witchcraft and Armageddon is pretty wide open in some areas.

chibichibi

@TiredEwok @seamus @WildBaboons I'll look at Dresden Files, Witchcraft, and Armageddon. Cinematic Unisystem is relatively easy to code.

The Sands

@chibichibi That, sadly, I can't do as much about.

Jennkryst

The issue with a Dresden Files game is that it's FATE... which might not actually be a problem? I think it would bump into the same issues that a FFG Star Wars game does - applying non-combat damage/situation effects and stuff. I dunno.

chibichibi

I'm sticking with the original plan.

I'm going with Mage the Awakening 2nd edition. The change will be:

Paradox obviously is different (don't worry about it unless it's for plot purposes like the source of magic running out)
The only spells you can cast are rotes. You gotta buy the arcana (representing study) /and/ the rote.
Creative thaumaturgy is allowed in that masters can create new rotes. So gotta master those arcana!

That's abou it for the house rules I cna think of. I'm thinking of playtesting this out on Golden Road. If you're interested. hit me up there.

Ganymede

@chibichibi

May I suggest not requiring Mastery to make new rotes?

I personally never understood that requirement. If magic is individual, why can't an individual who can cast a particular spell figure out how to do it? This is especially true if a mage cannot cast an effect without a rote, which I believe is what you're aiming for.