Hrafnaugr the Wordpl
First Post
Dynamic Magery, or The Paths
Magery is all about telling chaos to bugger whatever it’s doing and work your will. This, naturally, is a very chaotic process. Spells are created on a whim to do what needs to be done at that time, as opposed to ancient formulas that must be applied creatively and often obtusely to the situation at hand. Dynamic magic works by means of the Paths, a generic name for certain thought processes and lines of magical reasoning that deliver certain results, such as mastery of forces or destruction. Many magi call their Paths something else; for example, a Barbarian mage may refer to his Paths as Runes, whilst a Ships Wizard of the Coastfolk may call hers The Winds. When it comes time to cast a spell, the mage envisions what they wish to happen, then try to apply their knowledge of the underlying chaos to the problem. If they can figure out a way to do it, then they must attempt to wrap their will around the universe and some pretty weird concepts, forcing reality to do their will. If they can manage it, the spell works. If not, then they may suffer the universe’s backhand of vengeance for daring to try and change the order of things.
Mechanics
Dynamic mages have all the class stuff of PHB, except their spellcasting system is as follows:
The Paths are represented by special, mage-only skills based on Intelligence (Wisdom for clerics): Mind, Spirit, Elements, Matter, Life, Time, Correspondence, Entropy, and Magic.
Mind: obviously, mind-effecting spells, along the lines of Charm Person and illusions. Some forms of the hold spell can be concocted with this through paralysis.
Spirit: Necromancy, summoning beasties from the pits of hell or gates of the Hallows, Astral projection (such as it exists), these are the realms of the Path of the Spirit.
Elements: this is how a Dynamic mage controls fire, water, air, and earth, and summons their various elementals.
Matter: This Path is used for transmuting, creating, shaping, and some forms of conjuration. Its transmuting properties are typically used on inanimate objects, but sometimes a caster will try with living subjects, with often disastrous results.
Life: This is more the purview of divine casters than arcane (the difference being that divine Dynamic casters are taught their secrets by their gods for the purpose of serving same. divine dynamic casting amounts to prayers for guidance.) Life is associated with healing, creation of life, the copying of a life form, disease, enhancing one’s abilities, shapeshifting, and wounding others by messing with their bodily functions.
Time: This Path is used for divination of the future, scrying into the past, slowing or hastening time, and even stopping it.
Correspondence: Correspondence is handy for moving stuff, distorting spatial perceptions, scrying, teleporting, and warding an area, person, or thing from scrying.
Entropy: The Entropic Path gives power over chaos (everyday randomness, not Chaos), dissolution or wearing, fate, fortune, and order.
Magic: This is the most mysterious of the Paths, having the power to dispel magic, deaden an area to it, rob one of the ability to cast spell, and ward an area against magic. It is also used to sustain magical effects, such as an exploding rune intended to last several years.
Magi have points to spend on these skills equaling however many normal skill points they get per level: ex. Beren gets 7 skill points per level, so he gets 7 Path points per level as well. He doesn’t have to spend all of them (in fact, it may fit with Beren’s character concept not to), but if not spent, the points are gone for good.
As far as spell power goes, every two Path ranks are roughly equivalent to one standard D&D spell level. This give a frame of reference for what a caster is able to do with their Paths.
Casting with the Paths
To cast a dynamic spell, one first must know what they want to do, and what Paths they must tread to do it with. Example: Beren wants to cause the ground under an Orcish chieftain’s feet to explode in a huge fireball. To do this, he needs to know how to control fire, thus the Path of the Elements, and he needs to project this fireball under the orc’s feet without any intervening travel, thus the Path of Correspondence. Beren’s DM figures that the fireball is like the standard spell, which is third level, thus requiring a Path rank of 8. The Correspondence bit is easy, so the DM goes easy and says that it needs a rank of 4.
After figuring out what was needed, Beren needs to make a spellcasting check to do this. The check uses the primary Path used in the spell, in this case, Elements, as a bonus, with a small penalty for bringing another Path into this. The penalty is usually -5 for each additional Path, though it may change depending on the impact the Path has on a spell. The DC to beat is set by the DM, following these guidelines:
Equivalent Spell Level Arcane DC Divine DC
0 10 12
1 15 17
2 18 20
3 20 22
4 23 25
5 25 27
6 28 30
7 30 32
8 33 35
9 35 37
As with attack rolls, it is quite possible to get a critical with a spell roll. In these cases, the result is usually a +5 to the saving throw, or not having to spend a Will point, though the DM may want to do something else for flavor. The roll can also botch on a natural one, or by missing the target DC by 15 or more. A botch typically requires a Will Save vs. the spell’s DC to avoid the unpleasant effects of messin’ with reality, such as insanity, physical injury, etc. The spell has a save DC of the mage’s Wisdom bonus plus half of the ranks in the primary Path needed to cast the spell, rounded up.
Having passed the Spellcasting Check, Beren’s will is a bit strained. This is represented by spending a will point. Magi start with Will Points equal to their Will Save bonus. They gain one point per level, and when the mage’s wisdom bonus goes up, the Will Point pool does as well (ex. +2 to +3 adds 1 more point to the pool). A mage can cast as many spells as he has Will Points with no penalty (other than those for additional Paths and all). Afterwards, they may keep casting spells with a cumulative penalty of -2 to the roll until they reach twice their Will Point total. At this point, it becomes dangerous for a mage to keep casting. But it can be done, using a process known as overcastting. First a concentration check of the Spell’s DC is needed, followed by the spell check itself (with the accumulated penalty), which in turn is followed by a Fortitude save of the spell’s DC. If the Concentration check is failed, the mage fails to gather enough of his or her frazzled wits to actually cast the spell, which causes something called Mystic Backwash, were the mage takes 1d6 of damage per every two ranks (round down) of the primary Path the spell was going to include. This Backwash is the magic the mage simply could gather with wherewithal to wrangle. If the Spellcasting check fails, it is automatically considered a botch, and reality Backlashes due to the magic the mage was able to get together but not shape properly. If the Fortitude save fails, the mage’s body simply can’t handle the forces channeled through it, which causes 1d6 of damage per two Path ranks of every Path included in the spell. The spell may still work, but it typically takes the mage with it. Overcastting is only ever used by reasonable magi as a very last ditch effort, where the alternative simply cannot be permitted (often, if a mage is this desperate, they will hurl themselves at their targets if they fail the Fortitude save so the energies will at least due some collateral damage).
To finish out the example: Beren’s spell’s DC is 20. He has 8 ranks in Elements, and 4 in Correspondence. His net bonus to the roll will be 6 (8 for Elements, minus 5 for Correspondence, plus 3 for his Intelligence bonus). Beren rolls a 17, thus easily making the DC. He spends one of his 6 Will Points to hold his mind together against the rending of eldritch concepts and the channeling of Chaos through his body.
Dynamic magic is rightfully considered the more dangerous of the two known forms of magic, there are some things that somewhat reduce the perils: foci and rotes.
Foci are items magi focus their will on and use as both an anchor in reality and as an inspiration of shaping the forces of Chaos. Foci can be almost anything, from words in ancient languages to staves to anthames (specially enchanted daggers, usually silver) to holy symbols and saints for priests. A mage must have a focus for each Path they can cast from. A mage’s foci are typically determined by their pasts, their personalities, and their Order (if any). For example, an unusually artistic ul-Houin mage of the Order of Red Wizards may have a small sculpture as a focus for their Matter magic, a bawdy tavern song in ul-Houin as a focus for their Life magic, and a short sword as their Entropy magic focus. A mage starts out with foci for each of their Paths (if the player so wished), but if one is lost (or forgotten), then the mage must spend a week of eight hour days attuning a new focus by meditating on it, the Path it is to be for, and connections between the two. Attempting to cast without a focus comes with an inherent -5 penalty and the expansion of the botch zone (from a natural one or 15 under DC to 1-2 or 10 under DC). But there is hope: For every two levels the mage gains, they may choose to abandon the need for a focus for a single Path, though they may keep the focus for a +2 to the Spellcasting checks using the Path they were associated with. Not surprisingly, many mages choose to keep their foci, for this reason and the fact that keeping up with the foci for so long has a way of making it dear to them.
Rotes are the closest Dynamic mages come to the other type of magic, which is rote magic. They are well known, well trod mystical paths to an end, known by hundreds of mages. Rotes have a DC two lower that other spells of their typical power level, simply because they have been used so much by so many people that its relatively easy to go down those roads. Rotes are typically written in books or on scrolls and horded by magi of all kinds. They usually have names, as well, something that most dynamic magic doesn’t. Names that describe and let the world know who came up with this handy little spell, such as Beren’s Hot Foot. Characters can create rotes, but they have to get hundreds of magi to cast them with some frequency before they get the -2 to the DC.
On a side note, arcane magi seem to have trouble with healing spells for some reason. Some speculate that deific will is needed to properly reshape the body to a non-wounded state. Research into this odd discrepancy is ongoing. As a result, any healing magic attempted by an arcane caster has a -15 penalty.
Just a little something I cobbled together using bits of M:TA, the Advanced Player's Handbook, and my own vision of how I wanted spellcasting to work in my world. I present it for general perusement, critique, and advice on how to work the saves (no clue on my part), and balancing out the numbers (mostly pulled from thin air, save the actual casting DCs). Any advice, critiques, what have you would be appriciated.
Magery is all about telling chaos to bugger whatever it’s doing and work your will. This, naturally, is a very chaotic process. Spells are created on a whim to do what needs to be done at that time, as opposed to ancient formulas that must be applied creatively and often obtusely to the situation at hand. Dynamic magic works by means of the Paths, a generic name for certain thought processes and lines of magical reasoning that deliver certain results, such as mastery of forces or destruction. Many magi call their Paths something else; for example, a Barbarian mage may refer to his Paths as Runes, whilst a Ships Wizard of the Coastfolk may call hers The Winds. When it comes time to cast a spell, the mage envisions what they wish to happen, then try to apply their knowledge of the underlying chaos to the problem. If they can figure out a way to do it, then they must attempt to wrap their will around the universe and some pretty weird concepts, forcing reality to do their will. If they can manage it, the spell works. If not, then they may suffer the universe’s backhand of vengeance for daring to try and change the order of things.
Mechanics
Dynamic mages have all the class stuff of PHB, except their spellcasting system is as follows:
The Paths are represented by special, mage-only skills based on Intelligence (Wisdom for clerics): Mind, Spirit, Elements, Matter, Life, Time, Correspondence, Entropy, and Magic.
Mind: obviously, mind-effecting spells, along the lines of Charm Person and illusions. Some forms of the hold spell can be concocted with this through paralysis.
Spirit: Necromancy, summoning beasties from the pits of hell or gates of the Hallows, Astral projection (such as it exists), these are the realms of the Path of the Spirit.
Elements: this is how a Dynamic mage controls fire, water, air, and earth, and summons their various elementals.
Matter: This Path is used for transmuting, creating, shaping, and some forms of conjuration. Its transmuting properties are typically used on inanimate objects, but sometimes a caster will try with living subjects, with often disastrous results.
Life: This is more the purview of divine casters than arcane (the difference being that divine Dynamic casters are taught their secrets by their gods for the purpose of serving same. divine dynamic casting amounts to prayers for guidance.) Life is associated with healing, creation of life, the copying of a life form, disease, enhancing one’s abilities, shapeshifting, and wounding others by messing with their bodily functions.
Time: This Path is used for divination of the future, scrying into the past, slowing or hastening time, and even stopping it.
Correspondence: Correspondence is handy for moving stuff, distorting spatial perceptions, scrying, teleporting, and warding an area, person, or thing from scrying.
Entropy: The Entropic Path gives power over chaos (everyday randomness, not Chaos), dissolution or wearing, fate, fortune, and order.
Magic: This is the most mysterious of the Paths, having the power to dispel magic, deaden an area to it, rob one of the ability to cast spell, and ward an area against magic. It is also used to sustain magical effects, such as an exploding rune intended to last several years.
Magi have points to spend on these skills equaling however many normal skill points they get per level: ex. Beren gets 7 skill points per level, so he gets 7 Path points per level as well. He doesn’t have to spend all of them (in fact, it may fit with Beren’s character concept not to), but if not spent, the points are gone for good.
As far as spell power goes, every two Path ranks are roughly equivalent to one standard D&D spell level. This give a frame of reference for what a caster is able to do with their Paths.
Casting with the Paths
To cast a dynamic spell, one first must know what they want to do, and what Paths they must tread to do it with. Example: Beren wants to cause the ground under an Orcish chieftain’s feet to explode in a huge fireball. To do this, he needs to know how to control fire, thus the Path of the Elements, and he needs to project this fireball under the orc’s feet without any intervening travel, thus the Path of Correspondence. Beren’s DM figures that the fireball is like the standard spell, which is third level, thus requiring a Path rank of 8. The Correspondence bit is easy, so the DM goes easy and says that it needs a rank of 4.
After figuring out what was needed, Beren needs to make a spellcasting check to do this. The check uses the primary Path used in the spell, in this case, Elements, as a bonus, with a small penalty for bringing another Path into this. The penalty is usually -5 for each additional Path, though it may change depending on the impact the Path has on a spell. The DC to beat is set by the DM, following these guidelines:
Equivalent Spell Level Arcane DC Divine DC
0 10 12
1 15 17
2 18 20
3 20 22
4 23 25
5 25 27
6 28 30
7 30 32
8 33 35
9 35 37
As with attack rolls, it is quite possible to get a critical with a spell roll. In these cases, the result is usually a +5 to the saving throw, or not having to spend a Will point, though the DM may want to do something else for flavor. The roll can also botch on a natural one, or by missing the target DC by 15 or more. A botch typically requires a Will Save vs. the spell’s DC to avoid the unpleasant effects of messin’ with reality, such as insanity, physical injury, etc. The spell has a save DC of the mage’s Wisdom bonus plus half of the ranks in the primary Path needed to cast the spell, rounded up.
Having passed the Spellcasting Check, Beren’s will is a bit strained. This is represented by spending a will point. Magi start with Will Points equal to their Will Save bonus. They gain one point per level, and when the mage’s wisdom bonus goes up, the Will Point pool does as well (ex. +2 to +3 adds 1 more point to the pool). A mage can cast as many spells as he has Will Points with no penalty (other than those for additional Paths and all). Afterwards, they may keep casting spells with a cumulative penalty of -2 to the roll until they reach twice their Will Point total. At this point, it becomes dangerous for a mage to keep casting. But it can be done, using a process known as overcastting. First a concentration check of the Spell’s DC is needed, followed by the spell check itself (with the accumulated penalty), which in turn is followed by a Fortitude save of the spell’s DC. If the Concentration check is failed, the mage fails to gather enough of his or her frazzled wits to actually cast the spell, which causes something called Mystic Backwash, were the mage takes 1d6 of damage per every two ranks (round down) of the primary Path the spell was going to include. This Backwash is the magic the mage simply could gather with wherewithal to wrangle. If the Spellcasting check fails, it is automatically considered a botch, and reality Backlashes due to the magic the mage was able to get together but not shape properly. If the Fortitude save fails, the mage’s body simply can’t handle the forces channeled through it, which causes 1d6 of damage per two Path ranks of every Path included in the spell. The spell may still work, but it typically takes the mage with it. Overcastting is only ever used by reasonable magi as a very last ditch effort, where the alternative simply cannot be permitted (often, if a mage is this desperate, they will hurl themselves at their targets if they fail the Fortitude save so the energies will at least due some collateral damage).
To finish out the example: Beren’s spell’s DC is 20. He has 8 ranks in Elements, and 4 in Correspondence. His net bonus to the roll will be 6 (8 for Elements, minus 5 for Correspondence, plus 3 for his Intelligence bonus). Beren rolls a 17, thus easily making the DC. He spends one of his 6 Will Points to hold his mind together against the rending of eldritch concepts and the channeling of Chaos through his body.
Dynamic magic is rightfully considered the more dangerous of the two known forms of magic, there are some things that somewhat reduce the perils: foci and rotes.
Foci are items magi focus their will on and use as both an anchor in reality and as an inspiration of shaping the forces of Chaos. Foci can be almost anything, from words in ancient languages to staves to anthames (specially enchanted daggers, usually silver) to holy symbols and saints for priests. A mage must have a focus for each Path they can cast from. A mage’s foci are typically determined by their pasts, their personalities, and their Order (if any). For example, an unusually artistic ul-Houin mage of the Order of Red Wizards may have a small sculpture as a focus for their Matter magic, a bawdy tavern song in ul-Houin as a focus for their Life magic, and a short sword as their Entropy magic focus. A mage starts out with foci for each of their Paths (if the player so wished), but if one is lost (or forgotten), then the mage must spend a week of eight hour days attuning a new focus by meditating on it, the Path it is to be for, and connections between the two. Attempting to cast without a focus comes with an inherent -5 penalty and the expansion of the botch zone (from a natural one or 15 under DC to 1-2 or 10 under DC). But there is hope: For every two levels the mage gains, they may choose to abandon the need for a focus for a single Path, though they may keep the focus for a +2 to the Spellcasting checks using the Path they were associated with. Not surprisingly, many mages choose to keep their foci, for this reason and the fact that keeping up with the foci for so long has a way of making it dear to them.
Rotes are the closest Dynamic mages come to the other type of magic, which is rote magic. They are well known, well trod mystical paths to an end, known by hundreds of mages. Rotes have a DC two lower that other spells of their typical power level, simply because they have been used so much by so many people that its relatively easy to go down those roads. Rotes are typically written in books or on scrolls and horded by magi of all kinds. They usually have names, as well, something that most dynamic magic doesn’t. Names that describe and let the world know who came up with this handy little spell, such as Beren’s Hot Foot. Characters can create rotes, but they have to get hundreds of magi to cast them with some frequency before they get the -2 to the DC.
On a side note, arcane magi seem to have trouble with healing spells for some reason. Some speculate that deific will is needed to properly reshape the body to a non-wounded state. Research into this odd discrepancy is ongoing. As a result, any healing magic attempted by an arcane caster has a -15 penalty.
Just a little something I cobbled together using bits of M:TA, the Advanced Player's Handbook, and my own vision of how I wanted spellcasting to work in my world. I present it for general perusement, critique, and advice on how to work the saves (no clue on my part), and balancing out the numbers (mostly pulled from thin air, save the actual casting DCs). Any advice, critiques, what have you would be appriciated.
