Magic system for the world of Caranus, the world that I would like to write about one day.
Clerics, priests and shamans all contact the spirits within the world. There are five levels of spirits. It is about scope. There is the smallest level it is one thing like a tree, a sword, a building. The next level is bigger like a stand of trees, the Oak trees in the forest, a neighbourhood, or a village. The next level is broader again, like one aspect of a God's interest, like travelers, or a forest, or a city. Broader again is the fourth level, like the purview of a whole god, like Zeus, god of lightning travelers etc., a nation, or all the forests in a region, a whole army. The last level is the broadest, one of the Goddesses and her two consorts, the world, all trees, everything of one type.
Each level of mastery of essence allows each spell to be augmented in a few ways, each two levels of essence allows a breadth level to be added, each level adds two additional bonus dice, a time of the effect, or each level adds other spell effects. For example an essence five character when they casts a spell could give themselves or on person twelve bonus dice for an instant, or they could give a small group, five people, a six dice bonus for each action in a battle, or a spell that adds four dice to a single person for day.
. Time. Dice. People. Breadth Cost Mixing
0. Instant. 2. 1. One. 1
1. Action. 4. 5. One. 2
2. Scene. 6. 25. One. 4
3. Hour. 8. 125. Two. 8. 5
4. Day. 10. 250. Two. 16
5. Week. 12. 500. Three. 32. 25
6. Month. 14. 1000. Three. 64
7. Season. 16. 2000. Four. 128. 125
8. Year. 18. 5000. Four. 256
9. Big year. 20. 10000. Five. 512. 625
10. Permanent 22. Everyone. Five. 1024
Breadth can be many things, it can be about asking or channeling levels of power of the various Gods. It can also be about mixing aspects of worship. It costs magic points in addition to the effects.
So each level of essence that a priest has they can cast a spell that any combination of the above. Magic pool is essence level x will power meaning some spells may require ritual casting with more than one caster or extended casting times.
Example, priest of a War with 5 essence and 7 willpower could cast a spell that lasts an hour, gives a 4 dice bonus on five people for (32) magic points and cast three simple (1) spells before they need to rest or 17 action length 2 dice blessings (2) or heal 4 level four injuries (8) and so on. Or he could cast a multi disciplinary spell that affects five people with three effects (6) which heals 2 health levels (2), and gives a one time instant attack bonus for 2 dice (1) and leaves the party as rested as if they had a five minute break (1) +(25) total (35)
Greater essence and willpower increases the magnitude of the spells and the number of spells that can be cast.
Divine spell casters must focus on raising their essence primarily for their casting ability, but they need also raise their abilities and attributes that are associated with the Divinity that they gain their powers from. They have two favoured abilities and one favoured attribute plus they are favoured in essence. Favoured grants a -1 experience modifier to the cost per level. Abilities cost three times the current level to raise, Atributes cost five times the current level Essence also costs five times the current level
Sorcerers, conjurors, and other types of non-spiritual magic users use a similar hierarchy of casting ability. They use elements in their magic, but not all elements, some are in opposition and can't be used without great penalty.
The elements are:
Water • Air
• •
Earth • Fire
There is also an additional direction that a Mage can chose from: Life and Death.
. Time. Dice. People. Mixing Cost Mixing
0. Instant. 2. 1. One. 1. 0
1. Action. 4. 5. Two 2. 1
2. Scene. 6. 25. Three. 4 2
3. Hour. 8. 125. Four. 8. 4
4. Day. 10. 250. Five. 16. 8
5. Week. 12. 500. 32.
6. Month. 14. 1000. 64
7. Season. 16. 2000. 128.
8. Year. 18. 5000. 256
9. Big year. 20. 10000. 512.
10. Permanent 22. Everyone. 1024
Mixing is a little different from the Holy-men, when fire and earth is lava, water and air is mist and ice, water and earth is mud. Fire and water is hot water, Earth and Air is dust. Life and Death add additional effects based on preservation and harm. Death can also cause sleep when combined with air, earth and death can break things, death and fire burns things, fire burns things, but fire and death destroys, death and water poisons or burns like acid. Life magic protects things so life and air would among other things create extra dimensions, life and earth would creat servants, life and fire would creat protection spells and life and water would summon living things and living servants. Death works better on structures and less well with living things, life works better on living things less well on things and less well on inanimate things. The rarest of spells are the energy drain spells, because they are joint life and death spells, but they are also the most powerful allowing resurrection eventually.
Non-divine casters have one favoured Ability and Essence is favoured too, but they get a big break on casting elements. Their first Element costs one times their current level in experience. The opposition Element costs seven times the current level. The other four Elements cost three times the current level in experience. No element may be higher than the Essence level and no element may be higher than the First Element. A Fire mage may have both Life and Death as well as the other elements, but they are always paired with Fire. Life mages may have all the elements, but only when they are paired with life, they can be conjurors but never throw a fireball.
The third type of magic wielder are regular people. Regular people have seven favoured Abilities, so for those seven, it costs two experience times the current level, but abilities can only rise to the extent of their Essence or five, which ever is greater. When they have an essence score, they also get magic points which can be used to add dice to rolls or add successes in ability contests. They may also buy levels in a single element as a Mage, at opposition prices (x7). This will allow warriors to have flaming arrows and swords, stoney resisting effects, songs that carry far in the air or craftsmen shaping things with easy fluidity etc.
No comments:
Post a Comment