The Mahoutsukai is as close to a "standard" wizard as we have. But while designing how magic was used, I realized we have about 6-7 classes that either use magic or another specific system that would need developed (like alchemist and machinist). So, my initial thoughts were to keep all these subsystem mechanics as similar as possible and as simple as possible. But back to the Mahoutsukai.
So, I started breaking down all the magic classes and what exactly I wanted them to do and how they are represented in the setting. The Mahoutsukai was first, a sort of shaman/hedge wizard type class. They practice an old magic and are very much a class I see existing since ancient times. They are tradition. So, I wanted them to have specific spells to access, almost like a school of magic they practice. I chose elemental magic, and started building their spell lists around that.
I then looked at my other magic users and started seeing what types of spells they would have access to cast. It all came together pretty easily from that.
So, we don't have the typical D&D mage that can cast all kinds of spells. We have classes you are specific to a type of casting. Some cast elemental, some cast necromantic, some cast magic involving animals. . . but it's less generic and gives all the classes some worth.
So, ideally we only have two "arcane" spellcasters. The Mahoutsukai and the Kami-Majo.
Here's and insert from the book about them
"The Mahoutsukai casts Arcane Spells which have roots in traditional practices, ceremonies, and beliefs. It is the oldest and purest form of magic in Rosuto-Shima. It is considered the Right Hand of Yu.
The Kami-Majo casts Sorcery Spells, considered to be dark mysticism. Although also an ancient form of magic, it is considered a vile and taboo form of spellcasting. It is callled the Left Hand of Yu."
Kami-Majo are very much like witches or warlocks. They cast spells with a darker nature to them, necromancy, curses, and the like.
Mahou can only cast spells from their specific form of magical practice. When a character attempts to cast a spell he makes a Spellcraft Test (Void + Spellcraft + D10).
If the test is successful the spell goes off. Every spell has a Difficulty Level indicated that is applied to the casting. If the Spellcraft Test is unsuccessful the spell is wasted and does not work. If the character rolls an unmodified 1 on the Spellcraft Test it is considered a complete failure and they are subject to a spell backfire. If this happens, the effects of the spell are cast in a way unintended by the mahou, at the discretion of the GM.
Casting a spell requires great concentration and leaves the mahou vulnerable to physical attacks. While casting spells and opponent who attacks the mahou gains a +4 bonus to hit them. If a spell has a Casting Duration then the mahou is vulnerable the entire time he spends maintaining the spell. While casting a spell, a mahou can do any normal actions, but nothing complex or taxing.
A mahou can cast as many spells per day as equal to double their void score. At 1st level the mahou can learn as many spells as equal to their Void Attribute for free. All spells learned after that must be taught by another, discovered by study, or other methods determined by the GM. To learn a spell, follow the same method as casting, but instead of the effects of the spell being created, the mahou has now learned to cast the spell. It takes as many hours equal to a spells Difficulty Level to learn. This time must be uninterrupted.
Here is a spell example:
Dancing Flame
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Self
Duration: Void x 1min.
Difficulty: 1
Effect: This spell is nothing more then a fancy spectacle. When cast, harmless flames and sparks shoot out from the Mahoutsukai’s hands in all directions. These flames can then be made to dance and spin around in various directions. This effect can inflict no damage.
4 comments:
Simple, straightforward, and easy to use, which is excellent news as I have no love for fiddly, time-consuming systems. ;)
The only element I'd likely houserule is the strict limit of "spells per day" as that feels a bit too "Vancian" for my personal tastes. I'd be inclined to give spell-casters a pool of ki equal to a multiple of their Void, and then have spells cost ki equal to their Difficulty. That way there's the versatility of casting more weaker spells or a smaller number of more powerful ones without adding much in the way of complexity.
I played with the idea of a spell pool and was concerned that it would just be another set of numbers to keep track of during game play.
An idea I did have and was going to wait to playtesting to see how well it worked involved casting a number of spells per day, but after that number it started to cause exhaustion to the character's Metal attribute (which governs constitution/mental strength). The more spells cast per day past that limit, the larger the penalty or exhaustion.
At this point, I don't want to put a limit on spells per day, but also don't want to create another number system to track. It's going to have to boil down to playtesting to see what works best.
Yeah, spell point pools definitely have that potential drawback.
The exhaustion element is something a number of systems have attempted, but usually suffers from being a bit fiddly. If it could be implemented simply you might be on to a winner. Perhaps have each extra spell cast beyond the limit cause the smallest unit of non-lethal damage to the caster so they pass out after they've cast too many. Alternatively, maybe the magnitude (Difficulty) of the spell could be the non-lethal damage caused if the "last ditch spell cast before unconsciousness" aspect was something that would fit the setting as you imagine it.
When we were developing Talislanta's 4th ed. the basic idea to keep magic from running amok, while also ensuring more skilled mages could cast more spells, was an increasing penalty. Not exhaustion as such, but each spell cast after the first imposed a growing penalty to the actual spellcasting attempt. So, the second spell was cast with a -1 penalty, the third with a -2 penalty, and so on. Of course, that was fine on a system with a roll range of 1-20 but might have too much of a significant impact on a d10-based system.
Sorry for rambling, but discussing these ideas is always fun. :)
Oh, I don't know if it's any use to you, but Hagane is the Japanese word for Alchemist, and Kikaikou is the Japanese word for Machinist.
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