I'm at it again with fantasyizing everyone's favorite not quite PbtA game about Vows and epic quests.
I'm at it again with fantasyizing everyone's favorite not quite PbtA game about Vows and epic quests. Today I'm taking a swing at possibly the most complicated part of upping the fantasy level of Ironsworn, Magic.
The doc includes a custom asset Disciple of the Infernal Arts which includes a new move: Manifest Power. I'd love to hear any thoughts you guys have on it, and if you give it a try in your game I hope you'll let me know how it goes!
There are currently two versions of the move, with the difference between them highlighted. I haven't decided which one feels correct, hopefully it will become clear with playtesting.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yDLXzPLHdreVFVorMFfiEvjJwgtoCdt_e9604GGdaBQ/edit?usp=sharing
The doc includes a custom asset Disciple of the Infernal Arts which includes a new move: Manifest Power. I'd love to hear any thoughts you guys have on it, and if you give it a try in your game I hope you'll let me know how it goes!
There are currently two versions of the move, with the difference between them highlighted. I haven't decided which one feels correct, hopefully it will become clear with playtesting.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yDLXzPLHdreVFVorMFfiEvjJwgtoCdt_e9604GGdaBQ/edit?usp=sharing
This looks fun for blasty magic!
ReplyDeleteHaving -spirit for every spell you cast (option one) is going to make them pretty rare and costly to use.
Maybe you could use the same track as if you are unable to complete a quest and you mark experience? That makes "troublesome" cantrips not cause a loss of spirit, but if you pull out something big it will still hit you hard, given that you only have a maximum of five spirit, and would lose four for a big manifestation.
It may come with some of the schools of spellcasting, but some facility for "routine" spells would be nice. I see it as add +1 to the roll if it is a "routine" spell. So if you cast a spell with the same level (ball of fire, dangerous) regularly, you are less likely to mess it up. It could maybe be a separate asset, where you can choose three spells as "routine", maybe with increasing bonuses?
ROUTINE SPELLS
O When casting _____________ at ________, add +1 to the roll.
O When casting _____________ at ________, add +1 to the roll. Previous routine spells get an additional +1.
O When casting _____________ at ________, add +1 to the roll. Previous routine spells get an additional +1
Or, rather than the additional +1, backlash is of a level lower (so a dangerous spell only costs troublesome -spirit)?
Martin Bentley thanks for your thoughts! How to apply the -spirit of spellcasting has been by far the most challenging part of this move, I want spellcasting to be risky for the caster but also fun for them. I agree for sure that the penalties get pretty stiff at higher levels of magnitude. I hoped to allay some of that with the School assets which would halve the spirit cost associated with casting spells in that school.
ReplyDeleteI'm tempted to make troublesome spells free, so magnitude would equal rank - 1. That gives the mage access to basic magic and makes bigger manifestation less likely to drop the caster
"I'm tempted to make troublesome spells free, so magnitude would equal rank - 1." is a much more succinct way of saying "Maybe you could use the same track as if you are unable to complete a quest and you mark experience?"
ReplyDeleteI think it seems a pretty good solution to me. Moving the level of magic up and down could then be done by tweaking that value (want more powerful casters, just say magnitude = rank-2).
Keen to see what sort of schools you have in mind too. :)
Haha yeah I guess it is, lol. It took me a bit to understand what you were driving at. I'd probably start by just pilfering the schools of magic from D&D, but I think a lot of setting establishment could be done just by selecting schools of magic that exist
ReplyDeleteMartin Bentley I still didn't red it, but I agree with you: following with the fiction, no one would be willing to use again a power that would cause so much emotional distress - fictionally it would be undesirable, right.
ReplyDeleteOkami Shinobi No sane person would, that's for sure. Good thing wizards are generally lacking in that department :P
ReplyDeleteSorry for the bad english I am brazilian and I didn't learned much about it at school
ReplyDeleteYour English is excellent
ReplyDeleteThe ability to completely rewrite reality in exchange for a heavy price is narratively interesting though: what are you willing to risk your mind for?
ReplyDeleteThis is very cool, Justin Gordon. Kind of reminds me of the magic in the Barbarians of Lemuria RPG, which has similar levels of impact with cost.
ReplyDeleteI have been fiddling with a fairly simple spellcaster path as an optional asset for folks who want slightly more overt magic. It's mostly at the cantrip level, though. The default ability allows you to cast a spell and Secure an Advantage if it's helpful in the current situation. An upgrade allows you to inflict harm with a spell. It's meant to evoke some quick-fire wizard'y stuff, while still being relatively low-key.
I really like your take on it, though.
Shawn Tomkin I had drafted a second version of the Spellcaster path that allowed you a boost to Clash/Strike with +wits (to represent magical blasts) and a +1/+1 momentum to Secure an Advantage using your arcane energies.
ReplyDeleteBarbarians of Lemuria is exactly the feel of magic I was after, dangerous but powerful