How would you handle the aftereffects of magic?

[blackshirt5]

Also, would you suggest any effects for being hit by spells? I'll take the idea into mind if somebody says yes, but for right now, I'm thinking that dealing with magical saturation isn't a big deal when you're dealing with big spells like Fireball. I mean, dead is dead, it doesn't matter to the corpse if it is soaked in magi, right? Although I could see magic saturation being a cause of more frequent undead risings, dead bodies transforming into spirits like the will o the wisps, etc.

 

[s/LaSH]

This is completely counter to the point of this thread, but I took a different approach to magical saturation. Ever wonder why seasoned adventurers have so many hp they can survive being hit with a point-blank meteor strike? Positive energy saturation. I'm going to make it official in my webcomic, and have been planning to do so for a while (the seeds are sown, but haven't grown yet).

Being pumped full of supernatural life essence every couple of days really would do something, now, wouldn't it? My approach simply explains a couple of things about the setting.

That said, perhaps keeping track of levels of magic as a sort of inverse hit points thing - they die off with time, but can trigger unusual things and stuff. Like other people have been so creative with.

 

[blackshirt5]

Hmm, now there's another idea. Maybe I'll be able to find a way to integrate both of those ideas together(so that magic saturation is a double-edged sword; I can especially see a powerful mage, who keeps himself saturated, being able to deal out horrendous amounts of damage, or the fighter who is constantly using Bull's Strength potions maybe keeping a point or two of strength increase, but being addicted and more vulnerable).

 

[Tsyr]

I semi-stole this from Mercedes Lackey (I had something similar, but changed the specifics after I read the velgarth books... And besides, I handle it differently )...

Magic in my world changes you, physicly. Anyone who hangs out in the presense of magic will change eventualy, mages or people who have magic cast on them a lot will change quickly. It bleaches you... Skin, eyes, hair... Eventualy, anyone exposed to magic for too long looks like an albino... Pale skin, white hair, pink eyes.

So, yes... After a year or two together, an adventuring party that has a mage in my world will all look very similar... A group of albinos. If they have horses, they will be white horses after a while. Familiars? White too.

 

[Kahuna Burger]

Well, if you haven't yet, you might want to take a look at my thread on stat boost spells and the possible consequences thereof... withdrawl effects and possible addiction seem to be relatively popular so far. Addiction would also be a prime candidate for cure drawbacks I'd think...

As I was thinking about this later, I realized that this would make a great background for a Forsaker (maybe with something replacing the destruction of magic items). A recovering spell addict who can no longer allow himself to be the recipiant of any spell, not matter how beneficial, because he knows "one would never be enough". It would make the class much more compatable with an adventuring party, esp if it was a former member who returned after recovery... And just like recovered addicts, some forsakers might be prone to accuse anyone who used magic of adiction, while others would understand that this is their problem and while they can warn of the dangers, they shouldn't project the end result on everyone who takes a cure light...

Kahuna Burger

 

[kibbitz]

In my world, something that I wrote into the backstory but haven't really explored(except to try to warn the players "you shouldn't rely on being able to have Greymore heal you up after every battle) is that even beneficial magic messes with the mortal body; things like cure spells, stat boosters, and the like can be harmful if used too much. What do you think would be a good way of simulating this?

Hrm, you sure you want this? Sounds messy. The idea I used to use with heavy magic abuse (that means excessive channeling of magical energies through a character, whether as the caster or the recipient) would be somewhat along the lines of "Smoking causes cancer" and "Alcohol causes kidney failure" on a magical scale. *Taint* points are recorded secretly and every X no of points, I roll on a table or assign some problem to the character. This was based on the idea of Insanity in WarHammer Fantasy RolePlay (WFRP), thing is, I'm not sure your players would like that. Mine didn't

 

[Belphanior]

I must strongly warn against giving people penalties for receiving "too much" curing magic. I don't know about you, but if I was the cleric, I'd cure every enemy I'd run across, even if he's not wounded at all.
A save only halves the cured hp, there is no way to properly counteract this "assault"".


Two bursts of Healing Circle whilst yelling "These bandits are my buddies!", and they're all addicted to me? Man, easiest way to get some cannonfodder ever.

Karl Marx was right. Religion IS opium for the masses!

 

[Greybar]

Certainly the impact on the game will be big for any substantial effect. I'll make a big again for a more long-term "storytelling" effect rather than racking up points and making saves.

The game is very much predicated on the PCs being able to be boosted and healed. Substantial changes will need to be made from the standard style of play if the PCs are so strongly encourgaged to avoid the ubiquitous clerical healing. Are you prepared to have your heros rest up for a week after a tough fight? That's what you're driving towards.

I want to make clear that I do not wish to impose a value judgement here. A grim'n'gritty world where people are discouraged from the "quick fix" of healing or addictive rush of buffing spells could be very fun. But it will be different and that may or may not appeal to a given gamer group.

The party that has wrestled with this problem and come out on top of it cold have a great arc as an untainted and pure group cast against the power-hungry who are descending into madness.

John

 

[jonesy]

The game is very much predicated on the PCs being able to be boosted and healed. Substantial changes will need to be made from the standard style of play if the PCs are so strongly encourgaged to avoid the ubiquitous clerical healing. Are you prepared to have your heros rest up for a week after a tough fight? That's what you're driving towards.

Up for a week? No. I didn't notice anyone suggesting that. Say that you were to use the system I posted. You would still need to come up with the exact effects. For instance:

"8: pain that causes loss of strength, interferes with concentration"
How much loss of strenght? How does it affect you? For how long? How much does it interfere with your concentration? Enough to affect your skills seriously?

Then again you could increase the barrier between the effects. Say that 1-6 are immediate effects, 7-10 after-effects and 11-14 effects that occur if you receive several 'overdoses' over long periods of time. Or you could change them to rashes, burns, skin color changes, special diseases, color blindness, in other words pure roleplaying devices.

Just some food for thought.

 

[Zhure]

I make my players drink a warm 12 oz cola (whatever flavor they bring) every time their character drinks a potion. (I know potions are only 1 oz, but the other 11 ounces are to simulate the magical carbonation.)

When they get healing spells cast on the character, I make the player casting the spell dance the macarena (for Psions's using Body Adjustments, it's only the Hand Jive.)

Greg

-edit- Hand Jive and Macarena has to be done for 3 seconds per level of the spell/power and the soda has to be drunk in six seconds or it provokes another attack of opportunity with a 1% cummulative chance per six seconds of attracting an ethereal filcher with mummy rot.