Buffy RPG to d20 Modern

[suburbaknght]

Re: Re: Buffy Magic

Not a fan of Mage, eh?

Actually I love Mage, but the magic in D&D (and the FX system presented in Shadow Chasers is D&D magic), Mage, and Buffy are all different. D&D magic is essentially formula; if you say right words, do the right hand motions, and present the right objects you get the same result every time. Mage is direct manipulation of reality by imposing your will on it; the system reflects this by allowing Pardox (the collected will of others, though that's somewhat misleading) to oppose and even harm the caster. Buffy is much closer to D&D magic save that magic is not always reliable.

What dangers are you referring to? I haven't seen the game, but so far, you are the only person I've seen who says that it doesn't accurately reflect the magic of the show.

Caution: Spoilers below for those who have not seen seasons 6 and 7.




















The first example to come to mind is season 6, episode 3, Afterlife (yes, I'm a big geek. If you're on the boards there's a good chance you are too). Willow and the gang had just brought Buffy back from the dead, yet in doing so they unintentionally created a demon. A full synopsis is available at http://www.atheneum-btvs.com/afterlife.html

The second example is in season 7, episode 10, Bring on the Night ( http://www.atheneum-btvs.com/bringonthenight.html ) in which Willow does a spell to try and locate the First Evil and instead serves as a focus for a magical attack.

These are the extreme dangers of magic, which I admit should always be GM driven, but the system should still account for them. Of greater concern to me is that the Buffy RPG doesn't even bother modling the draining effects of magic, such as was witnessed in Season 6, episode 10, Wrecked ( http://www.atheneum-btvs.com/wrecked.html ) where it's made clear that the more magic you do the more it drains your energies. The existing system only has vauge mechanics, and they only apply the turn immediately after casting a spell.

These do not have to be major issues, but if I were to run a Buffy based game I would want them addressed. For those satisfied with the published RPG or D&D magic, use that. I would use channelling from Wheel of Time.

 

[danzig138]

Re: Re: Re: Buffy Magic

Buffy is much closer to D&D magic save that magic is not always reliable.

Since I have yet to get my grubby little hands on the Buffy RPG, I am not qualified to participate in a discussion of which system buffy magic is closer to, but when I think of magic in BtVS, it seems a lot closer to mage, than to D&D.

Caution: Spoilers below for those who have not seen seasons 6 and 7.
The first example to come to mind is season 6 (snip examples)[/QUOTE]I figured that you were referring to S 6 and 7. I can't think of any examples of this from seasons 1 - 5, which is what is covered by the book. Eden is releasing a supplement, the Magic Box, that might cover the side effects presented in the later seasons. You could hit up their boards and ask. heck, I might do that.

 

[tetsujin28]

Seems to me that the sort of bad magic effects that happen in the show can be recreated using the powers check rules in the various editions of Ravenloft.

 

[CypherSmith]

I can think of at least one other time that magic has had a bad side effect. In the season finale for season 4, Buffy has to deal with the First Slayer. This is a direct result of the magic used in the previous episode, where the scoobies lend themselves to Buffy in an interesting ceremony, and for a time Buffy is not herself, as Giles, Willow, and Xander are also there in her head. Then there are the bad effects when the spell doesn't quite go right, though these possibilities are covered in the Buffy RPG book.

 

[suburbaknght]

Oops!

I must appologize to people on this thread; I'd incorrectly read the core rulebook and missed a key part of the magic system: the sentence which gives a cumulative -2 penalty to all magic rolls after the first (while a point could be made about how hidden the sentence was I blame this on my own carelessness). This still doesn't let magic be the cinematic force I think it should be in a BtVS game, this is far more in keeping with the series.