Looking for a magic system

[Sword of Spirit]

Well, with the (optional) exception of 'Not a "build-a-spell" system', Ars Magica's magic system has all of these characteristics.

Ah yes, that is true. And since it's so hard to accomplish much with the spontaneous magic anyway, one could easily ignore it and just stick to formulaic magic.

And if you don't object to players having the option of creating (relatively weak) effects on the fly, you wouldn't even have to disallow spontaneous magic.

If the OP isn't familiar with the system, you basically have 2 ways of casting spells. Learned spells, and build-a-spell on the fly spells. It is really hard (at least it seemed so to me) to create powerful spells on the fly. Usually we are in cantrip land. Learned spells get much more powerful.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

I like the Ars Magica system. In fact I was just re-reading it this week.
Yes, spontaneous casting is hard, the spells are weaker than known (that is: formulaic) spells. But that's for starting Magi just out of their apprenticeship. Give it a few years and a bit of lab work and even spontaneous casting can get pretty powerful. Known spells will always be more powerful of course. That's just the way the system is designed.

I'll second HERO System for having all the things desired by the OP for a magic system. The one complicated thing with HERO is working out precisely how that system will work - there isn't one out of the box system. Not an official one, there are plenty of fan created ones.

Cheers all.

 

[Balesir]

I'll chime in for Ars Magica - especially since it specifically supports the "Magi are more powerful than anyone else" meme that you apparently want.

I'll add that HârnMaster (available here or here) does all of it except allow "HPs can be sacrificed to increase spellcasting check roll". This is because HM doesn't use hit points at all, though, so it couldn't really work that way. You can push things so far as to render yourself unconscious or trigger a magical backlash, but "hit points" aren't really a thing in HM.

 

[Psychman]

Hello all,

Would any of you know of a magic system in a fantasy RPG that has the following characteristics (whether or not the system is actually good)?
- A check of some sort is necessary to cast a spell
- Taking longer to cast a spell makes casting the spell easier (bonus to spellcasting check?)
- HPs can be sacrificed to increase spellcasting check roll
- Casters can theoretically cast an infinite number of spells per day
- Not a "build-a-spell" system
- Casters (can) have a specialty

Thanks in advance for any information!

AR

Earthdawn has almost all these characteristics, apart perhaps for the taking longer to cast for a bonus. All spell preparation and spellcasting is based on 2 talents (magic-based skills), and spells available for casting are held in a limited number of "spell matrices" that each hold a spell until that spell is swapped for another. There are no magic points or any other limit to spell usage per day. The caster can inflict damage on themselves to boost their spellcasting roll, and while their are rules for creating spells, that is high level play and not the base system. There are 4 different caster types with differently natured spell lists - Wizard, Elementalist, Illusionist, Nethermancer. Each is entirely separate class with an entirely separate spell list.

 

[Argyle King]

Hello all,

Would any of you know of a magic system in a fantasy RPG that has the following characteristics (whether or not the system is actually good)?
- A check of some sort is necessary to cast a spell
- Taking longer to cast a spell makes casting the spell easier (bonus to spellcasting check?)
- HPs can be sacrificed to increase spellcasting check roll
- Casters can theoretically cast an infinite number of spells per day
- Not a "build-a-spell" system
- Casters (can) have a specialty

Thanks in advance for any information!

AR

You could do most of this in GURPS.

The default magic system (there are multiple casting options) found in the Basic Set treats each spell as a skill, so that would meet the requirement of needing to make a check to cast a spell.

Taking longer to cast a spell can -in the instance of some specific spells- make casting easier. What comes to mind immediately is how things like Fireball work; you can either spend a lot of FP (fatigue points) to get a big bang right away or build up power over several turns... which is likely a cheaper FP cost because you have high enough skill for it to be. There are also optional rules like Ritual Magic and several other things which would fit.

HP can be sacrificed to cast spells. It doesn't (by default) increase your skill for doing so.

Casters are not limited to a number of spells per day in GURPS.

GURPS isn't a 'build a spell' system, but it could be if you wanted it to be.

I suppose you might say casters can have a specialty. You can buy different magery levels for specific types of magic. Magery is the GURPS advantage which allows you to cast spells. Usually, Magery helps with all spells, but you can take limitations to Magery to make it cheaper and so that it only applies to certain types of magic. For example, I could create a character who has Magery (only for fire spells.)

You could also have a character who has Magery and Magery (fire college) and Magery (night time.) In such a case, the character's level of Magery for all spells would be at least 1. If you were casting a fire spell, your magery would be 2. If you were casting at night time, your magery would be 2. If this character were casting a fire spell at night time, your magery level would be 3.

http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/basic/

http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/lite/

http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/ritualpathmagic/

 

[FuLai]

Ars magica all the way!

I will agree with many previsou answer and emphasis the fact that Ars Magica
is indeed very efficient for what you need. I use it in my Wod campagne for
Mage. I use Mage magic system for god-like being (totem or super old spirit
and even antediluvian vampire) I found it more suited for them.

 

[biotech66]

Going to suggest Shadowrun. Lots of good stuff in that magic system!