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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Drawmack" data-source="post: 3152680" data-attributes="member: 4981">Defining your magic systemDISCLAIMER: This post is about the posters opinions and experience, YMMV. Also it’s verging on a dissertation and therefore quite long, however I hope the meat of this post can keep it an interesting read for the participants of this thread.How defined the inner workings of anything in the game are depends heavily on the players. Some of the groups I’ve gammed with wanted everything about their world explained, others took things like magic at face value and were more interested in the story development. This being the case I will herein explain the process I use of defining the world’s magic when the players call for such a thing to be defined.Let me begin by commenting on the quote that “Magic is like technology”. I find this statement is often misconstrued. It is best defined by example. How many people in here can define, in minute detail, what happens when you turn on your computer? Can you explain every step the computer takes between the time you push the power button and the time your word processor comes up to write posts? Conversely, when your computer is broken and will not boot, can you determine, from the beep codes, what’s wrong and how to fix it? Most people do not know these things, but that does not stop them from using the computer or calling a repair man. However, the repair man does know these things. Now, repair men fall into two categories. There are those who spent years in school studying computers and becoming knowledgeable on the subject – the wizard. Then, there are those who simply “have a knack” with computers – the sorcerer. Now onto the question of defining what magic is and how it works.I have read many novels, and series, which explain how magic works and each defines it differently. However, this basis of knowledge on the topic makes it more a process of choosing the form that fits my world/campaign then one of actually creating an explanation of the inner workings of magic. I do have some favorites.<a href="http://www.hipiers.com/" target="_blank">Piers Anthony</a> wrote a series called <a href="http://www.piers-anthony.com/apprenticeadept.html" target="_blank">The Adept Series</a> in which the explanation of how magic works is integral to the plot. On this world there is an element, like iron in our world, contained within the planet which provides magical force. This being the case, the element can actually be mined and forged into magical items. This could work well in a game where you were exploring the plight of the workers, and industrial revolution of the fantasy world type thing. This element is, by its nature, very unstable in its raw form and the people digging it from the ground are probably not very well trained in dealing with it. So explosions and accidents are common. The workers are also probably exploited by the wizards who have them mining the ore to expand their magical abilities.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._A._Salvatore" target="_blank">R.A. Salvatore</a> wrote a series called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._A._Salvatore#Chronicles_of_Ynis_Aielle" target="_blank">The Chronicles of Ynis Aielle</a> in which only a very select few people could perform magic. Wizards were almost god-like in that they were immortal and each magic was tied to a specific element or emotion. This could be used in a low magic game where there are very few magic users but magic items still exist. Also in this series the Fifth magic was technology.Another consideration to make when you want to get really in depth with the explanation of magic is which magic system or systems you are going to use. I have one idea for a campaign, in which magic would be a focal point of the entire game. This campaign would actually use three magic systems.1) The standard d20 magic system would be used by Holy Men and Bards2) Sorcerers would use <a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=111&" target="_blank">Wild Magic</a>3) Wizards use <a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=683&" target="_blank">Blight Magic</a>The explanation of this is also threefold. Sorcerers are untrained and kind of just create magic around them. This being the case, things do not always work the way they planned, and therefore – Wild Spellcraft. Wizards do not have an innate magical power unto them selves and therefore have to pull this power from somewhere. So they pull it from the earth – ala Blight Magic. Holy Men and bards do not do magic, so much as create miracles along the lines of what Jesus does in the stories from the bible. This plays naturally into the standard d20 system.In synopsis, the game and the players dictate the level of explanation which magic needs in a game/campaign. However, if this explanation is needed then it should be tailored to the individual game/campaign and no one except for you and your players can tell you what that explanation should be or how it should work.</blockquote>

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