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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Janx" data-source="post: 6065491" data-attributes="member: 8835">it's not a bad idea.  As your working on it, keep your target audience in mind with the design.D&D spells are pretty simple for a newbie.  Pick a spell, read what it does.  Execute.  You either know the Magic Missile spell or you don't.  There's no debate about what it does.A flexible system gets into wrinkles when somebody tries to use it in a new way that "makes sense" but the GM feels like it'll be abusive or by-pass his incredibly clever puzzle.Personally, I like the idea, but I can see how it'll get complicated, and potentially get into special cases.Consider the detection spell.You've got these factors:Energy Cost:how much energy you can/want to put into itTargetting: do you have a good means of identifying the person (picture, snippet of hair, blood, in order of power)Distance: how far away is the target from you?Successs effect: what happens when the person is found?  make a compass needle point in their direction, show you where they are on a map, show you a mental image of them, show everybody a visual image of them)Duration: how long to run this will have an energy cost as wellPower Focus: are you using a tool to channel the energy more efficiently (a scrying bowl, crystal ball)Interference/Isolation: are you just casting this in the mall, or did you draw a circle, or is it a prepared casting circle (say gold inlaid floor)I just layed out those parameters for a detection spell (to find a lost child, let's say).  Now, with any luck, those same parameters apply to a combat spell, so we have a uniform rule system:Flame AttackEnergy Cost: how much juice to spendTargeting: can you see the target, point at the target directly, trying to catch him on fire across the city?Distance: akin to how far, 5 feet is easier than 50 feet away, is easier than 10 miles awaySuccess:  victim catches on fire/is bathed in fireDuration: How long do you want to keep this up?Interference/Isolation: Do you have a blasting rod or staff, or are you just shooting flames from your handDirectness: are you conjuring flame from nothing, or making nearby flames spread to the victim? Or is he just spontaneously combusting?As you can see, I added another parameter, that MIGHT apply to the first magic example, might not.  Even with the same parameter names, you can see how different magic effects can have wildly different values as they value different things.What I sense is that you'd need to start with different general effects (fire, detection, mind control, telekinesis, etc), and then be building matrices on the options for those parameters to define their energy costs and effects.I got a feeling I'd be wanting an App for that to figure out what "spell" I was gonna cast.</blockquote>

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