|
Post by jcstephens on Feb 16, 2010 20:09:24 GMT -6
What if spells were 'alive', in the same way as magic swords? Maybe there'd be several different versions, with Egos and alignments and goals. Possibly, they might even have rivalries and grudges.
For example, let's take two different versions of Detect Magic: Arnim's Arcane Awareness and Coramond's Charm of Revelation. Anyone familiar with the history of those two knows that Arnim and Coramond were twin brothers, who fell in love with the same woman and killed each other in a knife fight after a stalemated Wizard's Duel. If two magic-users, one with one spell and one with the other happen to meet, the spells are going to want to take up the quarrel. If someone fails an Ego check, then the spell takes over and the battle begins.
Obviously, you don't want to overdo this. But it does offer a way to make old legends and dusty old history books more useful, and magic more interesting in general.
|
|
|
Post by Random on Feb 16, 2010 21:07:35 GMT -6
Annoyed Magic-user: "Hey, don't try that again or I'll..."
Magic spell: "You'll what?"
Annoyed Magic-user: "I'll not memorize you anymore!"
Magic spell: "Nooooo!"
|
|
|
Post by tavis on Feb 16, 2010 21:33:42 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by coffee on Feb 16, 2010 21:57:02 GMT -6
Reminds me of the Octavo, in Terry Pratchett's "Colour of Magic". There were ordinary spells, and then there was the Octavo, containing the eight great spells. One of them lodged in Rincewind's mind, and as a result no other spell would stay there long. Rincewind theorized that they were too scared to stay.
But yeah, magic is a fickle thing. Tavis, I really like some of the stuff you have on your blog, too. I really have to add that to my regular blog-roll.
|
|
|
Post by jcstephens on Feb 16, 2010 22:56:24 GMT -6
Annoyed Magic-user: "Hey, don't try that again or I'll..." Magic spell: "You'll what?" Annoyed Magic-user: "I'll not memorize you anymore!" Magic spell: "Nooooo!" If spells did have personalities, you WOULD have to negotiate with them just like any other NPC. Maybe that's the reason for big fancy spellbooks - to keep the spells within loyal and cooperative. I wonder what else you'd have to do to keep spells happy, especially the really high level ones? Somehow, I just can't see how arguing with Dethstryke's Dolorous Dispersal could end well...
|
|
|
Post by tavis on Feb 17, 2010 8:21:04 GMT -6
Coffee - The Octavo is a cool idea that I somehow don't remember from Color of Magic! Gene Wolfe is the author I intentionally re-read most often, but Pratchett is the #1 for picking up a book, reading the back cover and some random pages, and thinking "Awesome, haven't read this before" when, in fact, I have but forgotten. This is good because I can keep reading him!
Thanks for the Mule kudos but it's not my blog, baby. The only things that are mine are that post, the enlarger pump, the book titled "It IS My Blog, Baby," and the other things that'd embarrass Austin Powers. Credit for all else goes to my NY Red Box collaborators, including the impetus to form a blog and the title - I voted for "Strangling the Flesh Golem". Given the frequency of the contributions that are mine, I am in awe of single-author blogs like Grognardia and D&D with Prawn Stars that manage to post daily or more!
jcstephens, I like the idea of spells demanding special treatment like other NPCs do in exchange for their aid! Here's a table:
1) Spell wants a spellbook all to itself. If this already true, it wants the spellbook illuminated, re-bound, gilded, etc. at a cost of 1d6 x spell level x 10 gp. 2) Spell feels its current position in your brain & your possessions is insecure, and demands to be scribed onto a scroll that is given to a M-U who leads a less dangerous lifestyle. 3) Spell falls in love with another randomly determined spell in the M-U's repertoire. It will only be scribed into a spellbook or scroll that also contains it's beloved, and will only be memorized when its beloved is also memorized. 4) Spell hates another spell and will not co-exist in a spellbook, scroll, or M-U's brain. 5) Spell wants it's M-U to go on a quest: spells cast on a target want to be cast on a particular kind of target (roll randomly), illusion spells want to view the reality of some obscure thing they can emulate, etc. 6) Spell chooses a new, fancier name for itself and will refuse to be cast, memorized, or scribed for 1d6 days following any incidence of being referred to by its older and less grandiose name.
|
|
|
Post by Random on Feb 17, 2010 19:15:59 GMT -6
jc, I have just Exalted you, as this has given me a great idea.
|
|
|
Post by Random on Feb 17, 2010 22:53:42 GMT -6
jc, I have just Exalted you, as this has given me a great idea. In case you're wondering, I was trying to think up an interesting alternative magic system recently, and this sort of thing is just the ticket. I am, however, changing it a bit. I'm thinking that each spell will have three components, with some tentative names: Summoning, Possession, and Exorcism. Summoning is basically just the usual D&D memorization, but may require some strange ritual or weird components. The magic-user summons a demon (or other being) who materializes in his mind, unable to come directly into the world. Possession is the "Color of Magic" idea that's been thrown around these boards, the side-effects of having some powerful entity rattling around in your skull. Exorcism is the actual casting of the spell, when you unleash the creature into reality to some spectacular effect before it vanishes back into the underworld or outer space or wherever it came from.
|
|
|
Post by tavis on Feb 18, 2010 17:48:37 GMT -6
What if clerics could perform an exorcism on an enemy magic-user, forcibly expelling one of their spells? Sets up a nice religion vs. magic theme.
|
|
|
Post by coffee on Feb 18, 2010 18:06:35 GMT -6
What if clerics could perform an exorcism on an enemy magic-user, forcibly expelling one of their spells? Sets up a nice religion vs. magic theme. Now that's just evil ... I like it!
|
|
capheind
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 236
|
Post by capheind on Feb 18, 2010 19:15:48 GMT -6
This is actually what I was thinking of in the other thread.
In the game I'm tooling up for spells are written in a magical language so powerful the words themselves are alive, but I'm going to limit it based on the spell level, truly powerful (octavo level) spells will sometimes act as full blown NPC's, whereas 1st level spells just work together to make a spell book quirky.
And since I was going to create a certain religion vs magic quality.. having an exorcism ritual could be interesting...
|
|
|
Post by Random on Feb 19, 2010 7:02:37 GMT -6
Hey, that is a nifty idea about clerics!
Unfortunately, doing so would in effect be forcing the magic-user to cast a certain spell, rather than simply causing him to forget it.
|
|
|
Post by tavis on Feb 19, 2010 7:13:25 GMT -6
Well, just being forced to cast a random spell would often be disadvantageous in a tense situation, especially if the cleric rather than the magic-user got to control the target of whatever spell came out...
|
|
|
Post by Random on Feb 19, 2010 21:04:42 GMT -6
especially if the cleric rather than the magic-user got to control the target of whatever spell came out... Now that I would most certainly never allow in my own games (it being unfair to the magic-user, mainly). If anything, the spell would make that decision for itself if undirected upon being cast.
|
|
|
Post by coffee on Feb 20, 2010 0:42:47 GMT -6
You could use the ego rules from Magic Swords; if the Cleric wins the control roll, he decides the target. If the spell does, it does.
Boy, I'm glad I'm not playing a magic-user any time soon! (Oh, except in Kesher's game...nertz.)
|
|
|
Post by Random on Feb 20, 2010 11:56:46 GMT -6
You could use the ego rules from Magic Swords; if the Cleric wins the control roll, he decides the target. If the spell does, it does. Boy, I'm glad I'm not playing a magic-user any time soon! (Oh, except in Kesher's game...nertz.) If you were to use those rules, magic-users would suddenly require large amounts of strength to be truly powerful, since they would need to whip their high level spells into submission before casting.
|
|