So I've been miserable sick for going on 48 hours, so don't have a lot of minis progress to show you.
Hopefully that state won't last too long. We'll see.
But I have noticed that the fever-addled brain is a very creative and productive brain.
Maybe it is making up for the fact that your body refuses to do anything but drain & ache.
But I think it may more likely be that this sick-misery-fever-head pounding is similar to what shamanic traditions have always understood: bring the body close to death & the brain in an altered state and you get some fun results. So you'll have to tell me if this idea I'll present is fun stuff or if it's the kind of odd weirdness that makes sense in a dream and nonsense when you wake up. Speaking of, my illness-enhanced dream last night was awesome.. I was searching on hands & knees in a backyard garden and found a trail of snail-sized sauropods, looking like micro brontosaurs with spiky snail shells on their back, and their flesh was like that of slugs & snails. Too cool. Back on track..
I've mentioned I like to write game rules, and I've been working on rules for skirmish games that should work in any genre and I've been working on rules for 15mm element based unit warfare. I hoped to come up with a magic system that would work in both, even though they use a different mechanic. I think I have.
So this is for the basic Magic System for miniatures combat. It is aiming to be Beer & Pretzel with Interesting Options: a balance between simple & not overpowered and characterful.
I play tested a fantasy skirmish game recently which I liked a lot. But the magic system was very simple. Fine for what it is, but I want something with more options. However, something like the magic in Warhammer is too powerful and too much variety for the more simple games I want to make. Plus there is no way it could work in a skirmish game, considering the power output of some spells. So I want balance but I also want something with flavor.
There will be other magic traditions added later, but to start with I will focus just on Natural Magic, which would be the basic magic and the other magic traditions as options.
Hopefully that state won't last too long. We'll see.
But I have noticed that the fever-addled brain is a very creative and productive brain.
Maybe it is making up for the fact that your body refuses to do anything but drain & ache.
But I think it may more likely be that this sick-misery-fever-head pounding is similar to what shamanic traditions have always understood: bring the body close to death & the brain in an altered state and you get some fun results. So you'll have to tell me if this idea I'll present is fun stuff or if it's the kind of odd weirdness that makes sense in a dream and nonsense when you wake up. Speaking of, my illness-enhanced dream last night was awesome.. I was searching on hands & knees in a backyard garden and found a trail of snail-sized sauropods, looking like micro brontosaurs with spiky snail shells on their back, and their flesh was like that of slugs & snails. Too cool. Back on track..
I've mentioned I like to write game rules, and I've been working on rules for skirmish games that should work in any genre and I've been working on rules for 15mm element based unit warfare. I hoped to come up with a magic system that would work in both, even though they use a different mechanic. I think I have.
The Compass of Magic
So this is for the basic Magic System for miniatures combat. It is aiming to be Beer & Pretzel with Interesting Options: a balance between simple & not overpowered and characterful.
I play tested a fantasy skirmish game recently which I liked a lot. But the magic system was very simple. Fine for what it is, but I want something with more options. However, something like the magic in Warhammer is too powerful and too much variety for the more simple games I want to make. Plus there is no way it could work in a skirmish game, considering the power output of some spells. So I want balance but I also want something with flavor.
There will be other magic traditions added later, but to start with I will focus just on Natural Magic, which would be the basic magic and the other magic traditions as options.
Natural
Magic dates back to the oldest shamanic roots of the prehistoric
times. Sometimes this is called 'elemental magic' of the four
elements, but this is an over-simplification as you will see.
Natural
Magic is divided into 10 aspects of nature: 4 Major Aspects and 6
Minor Aspects, though in truth none are more powerful than another,
but the Major Aspects pull the focus of those who use magic so that
they are unable to stray far from the Major Aspect of Magic which
guides them.
The
Major Aspects of Magic are associated with the four cardinal
directions:
Air:
North
Fire:
East
Earth:
South
Water:
West
Between
Air and Fire there is Sand Magic
Between
Fire and Earth there is Lava Magic
Between
Earth and Water there is Mud Magic
Between
Water and Air there is Ice Magic
Across
the four polar opposites there are also adjacent intersectional
magics:
At
the intersection of Air and Earth there is Lightning Magic
At
the intersection of Fire and Water there is Steam Magic
The
intersectional magics while powerful can be extremely difficult and
dangerous for the wielder.
There
are many paths to walk for those who follow magic. Generally
speaking, wielders of magic come in three power tiers. Some focus in
one aspect of magic, others seek a wider breadth of knowledge.
In
game terms, you can think of this as a level 1, 2 or 3 level magic
caster.
Every
magic caster of Natural Magic is centered in one of the ten Aspects
of Magic.
A
level 1 caster has but one option:
Initiate
of (Aspect) : The Caster has 1 level 1 spell in their chosen
aspect.
A
level 2 caster has a few options:
Adept
of (Aspect): The caster has 1 level 2 spell in their chosen
aspect.
Scholar
of (Aspect): The caster has 2 level 1 spell in their chosen
aspect.
Journeyman
of (Aspect and Aspect): The caster has 1 level 1 spell in their
chosen aspect and 1 adjacent aspect.
A
level 3 caster has many options:
Summoner
of (Aspect)*: The caster has 1 level 3 spell of their chosen
aspect.
*
The exception is a level 3 caster of Steam is called an Artificer.
Grande
Scholar of (Aspect): The caster has 1 level 2 and 1 level 1 spell
in their chosen aspect.
Grande
Adept of (Aspect): The caster has 3 level 1 spells in the chosen
aspect
Grande
Transmuter of (Aspect and Aspect): The caster has 2 level 1
spells in their chosen aspect and 1 level 1 spell in an adjacent
aspect.
Rogue
Adept of (Aspect, Aspect and Aspect): The caster has 3 level 1
spells in three different but adjacent aspects.
When
given titles, the first Aspect listed will always be the primary
chosen aspect which if the caster is more powerful in one aspect than
another, it will be in their primary aspect.
It
must be noted that if choosing the path of the Rogue Adept the chosen
Aspects must be adjacent Aspects but not include more than One Major
Aspect, for the Cardinal Aspects are too diametrically opposed to be
mastered by a mortal.
Examples:
A
level 1 caster might be an Initiate of Fire or an
Initiate of Ice
A
level 2 caster might be an Adept of Air or a Scholar of
Lava, or a Journeyman of Mud and Water.
A
level 3 caster might be a Summoner of Water, or a Summoner
of Lightning .. or
A
level 3 caster might be a Grande Scholar of Ice .. or
A
level 3 caster might be a Grande Adept of Fire
...or
A level 3 caster might be a Grande Transmuter of
Steam and Fire ...or
A
level 3 caster might be a Rogue Adept of Fire, Sand and Lava
or Rogue Adept of Air, Lightning and Sand
but
he could not be a Rogue Adept of Earth, Mud and Water because this
includes two Major Aspects.
...................................
As
you can see, a level 1 caster will always have 1 spell, a level 2 may
have 2 level 1 spells or only 1 of a higher level, and a level 3
caster may have 3 (level 1), 2 (a level 2 & level1) or 1 (level
3)spell.
Spells:
I have started compiling a spell list for each aspect.
Each Aspect will have 3 level 1 spells, 1 level 2 spell and 1 level 3 spell.
The level 3 spell is always a summoning of an elemental, except in the case of Steam, which is a repair ability for a construct which the caster starts the game with.
Examples of Spells:
AIR
L1.
Gust: target is slowed by 2” and has missile fire ranges halved.
L1.
Guiding wind: target friendly may re-roll failed missile fire
L1. Protecting Breeze: Any successful missile hit against the caster must be re-rolled.
L2.
Tornado: target is moved d6” in random direction.
L3.
Summon Air Elemental
When
the Elemental is not summoned the Summoner has +1 to all stats and a
bonus to dispell
FIRE
L1.
Flametongue: Target's melee weapon damage is increased by 2.
L1.
Gout of Flame: 6” range: missile attack +2
L1.
Firestrike: 12” range: missle attack +1
L2.
Rain of Fire: target friendly missile fire does double damage.
L3.
Summon Elemental
When
the Elemental is not summoned the Summoner has +1 to all stats and a
bonus to dispell
..............................
What do you think?
Have any ideas for spells?
I'd love to hear them. I have almost 2/3 of the list full, but I may not keep them all.
There will also be a counter-spell ability, which will have modifiers for level and for direct opposite caster aspects: casters of Fire versus Water have an easier time canceling each other's power than say, a caster of Ice versus Water.
See the long odd stuff you get when all I can physically manage is typing instead of painting?
And as long as we're talking about the elements... like Earth, Wind & Fire, this is too fun to pass up...
Enjoy!
And as long as we're talking about the elements... like Earth, Wind & Fire, this is too fun to pass up...
Enjoy!
