Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jhaelen" data-source="post: 5372467" data-attributes="member: 46713">First I'd like to say that I absolutely love Ars Magica and the 5th edition is definitely the best edition so far. I've bought every supplement despite no longer playing it for several years.The supplements are always well researched and well written and can easily be mined for story ideas and medieval flavour in general.However, I don't feel the setting or mechanics mesh well with 4e D&D. Ars Magica has its strengths eaxctly in the areas that D&D 4e tends to handwave: downtime systems, spell research, item crafting, etc.I once tried to mesh the Ars Magica rules with the oWoD Mage rules which was difficult but worked up to a certain degree. But integrating them into 4e? I really wouldn't know where to start. The systems are based on entirely different paradigms.Here's some random thoughts:Ars Magica uses a 'toolkit' approach: E.g. all spells include the information how the spell design guidelines have been applied to determine their level and effects.The two most important resources in Ars Magica are time and Vis. The latter has a rough equivalent in 4e (residuum) but the former is typically irrelevant. Residuum would probably have to become 'typed' to be closer to the Ars Magica equivalent. Residuum as is represents Vim Vis.Everything in Ars Magica is skill based. Improving skills requires training or study which takes time and in the case of magical skills something to study, e.g. Vis or books. To create items you also need a lab. Building and equipping labs costs time and money (and pretty much requires a fixed base which is preferably located in a relatively high Magic Aura).Your skills determine how long it will take you to create an item and imbue effects and also what kind of effects you can imbue (and how often you'll be able to use them).Now granted, in D&D rituals are also (often) based on skills.One thing that might translate well into 4e are the bonuses granted by using appropriate materials and shapes.Finally, in Ars Magica the Magi are typically reluctant to go adventuring, they'd much rather spend all their time in their Covenant. In D&D that's quite different.Whew! So how did you plan to align these approaches with 4e?</blockquote>

Verification