Elements of Magic - Mythic Earth (post-release proofread complete!)

[Verequus]

In a thread about replacing the 50 charges of a wand with a die-degrading solution* Genshou mentioned, that in EoMME there is no possibility to create charged items. Is there a particular reason for this?


*Die-degrading is simple: You need only five dice (d20, d12, d8, d6 and d4). You start with a freshly created wand, so you take the d20. Each time you use a charge, you roll with the die. If you get a 1, then you use the next time the next smaller die. If you get another number, then you keep the current die. If you get finally a 1 with the d4, the wand has no charges. This method averages out to 50 charges over the long run and reduces bookkeeping. And getting only 5 charges has only a chance of 1/46080, so a player doesn't need to worry that much.

 

[genshou]

In a thread about replacing the 50 charges of a wand with a die-degrading solution* Genshou mentioned, that in EoMME there is no possibility to create charged items. Is there a particular reason for this?


*Die-degrading is simple: You need only five dice (d20, d12, d8, d6 and d4). You start with a freshly created wand, so you take the d20. Each time you use a charge, you roll with the die. If you get a 1, then you use the next time the next smaller die. If you get another number, then you keep the current die. If you get finally a 1 with the d4, the wand has no charges. This method averages out to 50 charges over the long run and reduces bookkeeping. And getting only 5 charges has only a chance of 1/46080, so a player doesn't need to worry that much.

I mentioned it, and now I am the one being mentioned for it.

I was thinking about just determining the dollar cost of a single-use item, multiplying by 50, and converting back to the new Purchase DC. It's about the same as crafting 50 little beads that each have one casting of the spell in them, but instead the charges are all in one item, and the magic number of 50 would let me use the die degradation method.

So, RangerWickett, what say you?

 

[Verequus]

I mentioned it, and now I am the one being mentioned for it.

Hey, give credit where credit is due.

 

[Flynn]

Reposted from another thread...

Good Afternoon, All,

I hope that Rangerwickett might see this and take the time to answer, but I also welcome the opinion of others on these boards.

The magic system detailed Mythic Earth - Elements Of Magic is pretty flexible, but I do have two questions regarding magical effects that I'd like to run by the group here.

1. How would I go about representing mage duels? In particular, a mage duel in which both mages continue to throw energy into a "manna bank" or "glowing disk" created by the duel to keep the captured energy from exploding until one fails his check and the disk unloads damage on the mage that failed? Any suggestions would be welcome.

2. If a character wanted to use Divine to allow someone else at a great distance to see through their own eyes, how would I go about doing that within this system? Or can it be done?

Thanks In Advance For Your Time,
Flynn

 

[RangerWickett]

1. How would I go about representing mage duels? In particular, a mage duel in which both mages continue to throw energy into a "manna bank" or "glowing disk" created by the duel to keep the captured energy from exploding until one fails his check and the disk unloads damage on the mage that failed? Any suggestions would be welcome.

Do you mean like when Egg-chan and Lo-Pan battle in Big Trouble in Little China? The way you're describing it isn't exactly possible with the rules as written, but you could emulate it fairly well with a bit of imagination. Assume that both mages in that fight had the Wuxia Sorcery tradition, both had magical focus, and that Egg-Chan had readied an action to defend himself if Lo-Pan attacked. Lo-Pan fires an Attack spell, and Egg-Chan uses his readied action to counterspell the attack (which, if you use your own Attack spell, is easier, so that explains why his counterspell looks like another attack spell). This continues the next few turns, until Egg-Chan expends his magical focus to cast a quickened spell to enhance his defenses, allowing him to fire off his own attack. Both attacks hit, and each mage calls off the contest for dramatic reasons.

Or you could run it where the two mages summoned monsters and then used spells to buff their monsters.

I don't have the rules in Mythic Earth, but in my last fantasy campaign I had a house rule that allowed you to give up your action in your next round to cast a counterspell as a reaction. That allowed two mages to have duels without requiring that they each kept readying actions to counter each other.

2. If a character wanted to use Divine to allow someone else at a great distance to see through their own eyes, how would I go about doing that within this system? Or can it be done?

Thanks In Advance For Your Time,
Flynn

You mean, like, I'm Professor Xavier, and I want Wolverine (who's in Siberia) to see what's happening in my mansion? Just a sec . . . I'll get back to this in a sec.

 

[RangerWickett]

Okay, I'd say you'd need to use Divine for remote viewing twice, once to reach the person, then again for them to reach back to you. For instance, assuming you're both familiar with the other, it's 6 levels to reach them (+4 familiar, +2 for same world but not in line of sight), and also 6 to go back, for a total of level 12. They would be able to see you and the area around you, or see through your eyes, or whatever else you wanted.

 

[Verequus]

I'm stilling missing an answer for the posts #71 and #72.

 

[RangerWickett]

I mentioned it, and now I am the one being mentioned for it.

I was thinking about just determining the dollar cost of a single-use item, multiplying by 50, and converting back to the new Purchase DC. It's about the same as crafting 50 little beads that each have one casting of the spell in them, but instead the charges are all in one item, and the magic number of 50 would let me use the die degradation method.

So, RangerWickett, what say you?

You could do that, sure. Honestly, I just didn't include it because I don't think charged items are interesting narrativistically or mechanically. I prefer magic items to be either strictly one-use, or something you can use forever. The half-way point of things like wands just irritate the hell out of me. I had forgotten about the die degradation, which is an okay idea, and easier to deal with than tracking charges for all your items, but I still don't see the point.

How often, in pre-D&D fantasy literature, were there items that had limited charges? Shopping in my mind is not what makes gaming fun. Sure, tricking out your character with the best gear can be cool, but once you have good gear, you ought to be able to keep it.

So yeah, there were a fair number of core rule things I could have converted for Mythic Earth (and many of them I did convert for EOM-R), but I decided some of them weren't worth keeping. You can accomplish effectively the same sort of things with less book-keeping.

I mean, hell, you could, if you wanted, create an item that gained charges based on how long a character of a given class possessed it, and then expended charges at different rates based on the phase of the moon. That would be much more interesting than simply having 50 charges and ticking them off as you use them.

 

[Flynn]

Mage Dueling...

Do you mean like when Egg-chan and Lo-Pan battle in Big Trouble in Little China?

Hehehe. Actually, I was referring to the Quern of Gramarye from the Dray Prescot of Kregen series #23, Beasts of Antares, written by Ken Bulmer under the pseudonym of Alan Burt Akers. The Quern of Gramarye is a radiant disk of sorcerous power which appears in battles between wizards. However, the image wasn't as important as getting the basic concept across of mages dueling by sending out forces that are held away by the other mage, until one fails. Your suggestions should work for playing that kind of scene out.

Originally, I was thinking of adding a new enhancement under Attack called Retributive Resonance for that kind of thing, but I just couldn't figure out how to make it all work out right and still be useful without being too powerful. The spell-counterspell approach will probably be a better idea. I might even include a new feat, Mage Duelist, that allows your home rule into my campaign as an immediate action, so to speak. (This would be based on Immediate Dodge from the Netbook of Feats, most likely.)

* * * * *

MAGE DUELIST [Mage]
You may spontaneously elect to counterspell an incoming spell that you are aware of.
Prerequisite: Quicken Spell
Benefit: As an immediate action, you can elect to give up your next turn to perform a counterspell against an incoming spell. You must not be flat-footed, and you must be aware of the incoming spell. Your initiative does not change; you simply do not take an action on your next turn.
Notes: An immediate action can be taken at any point, even when it's not your turn.

* * * * *

Does this capture the essence of your house rule, RangerWickett?

With Thanks,
Flynn

 

[Flynn]

Letting Someone Look Through Your Eyes...

Okay, I'd say you'd need to use Divine for remote viewing twice, once to reach the person, then again for them to reach back to you. For instance, assuming you're both familiar with the other, it's 6 levels to reach them (+4 familiar, +2 for same world but not in line of sight), and also 6 to go back, for a total of level 12. They would be able to see you and the area around you, or see through your eyes, or whatever else you wanted.

This approach makes a lot of sense. My first thoughts were to build the spell and count the range twice, once to cast it on a far-off target, and the second to allow them to use the spell on my area, which would have made it a level 8 spell instead of a level 12. Still, I felt something was missing with those original thoughts.

Thanks for the suggestion,
Flynn