The Red King
First Post
I love China Mieville's Bas-Lag books, but I don't know how they could ever get the magic in D and D to work like his stuff does.
If only...
If only...
Magic from contemporary fiction
- Thread starter fuindordm
- Start date
steeldragons
Steeliest of the dragons
To te OP, define "contemporary".
Is Twilight contemporary? I assume it is.
Is the Wheel of Time series? Again, I assume it is.
Is Harry Potter? I have to assume it is.
What about magic as presented in Buffy the Vampire Slayer tv series? How many years ago was that? Or Angel? Was that contemporary?
Dresen Files? According to Wikipedia, the tv series is from 2007...but when were the books written?
How about Marion Zimmer Bradley's Mists of Avalon? copyright....ummmm...1983? Does that fall into contemporary? I suspect 30 years ago does not. Yet D&D hasn't done that yet...in the system, anyway. But the tv mini-series/movie didn't happen until 2001. So is it contemporary?
I don't know...it's a sticky question...which is why I'm looking for a definition. What is "contemporary fiction"?
--SD
Is Twilight contemporary? I assume it is.
Is the Wheel of Time series? Again, I assume it is.
Is Harry Potter? I have to assume it is.
What about magic as presented in Buffy the Vampire Slayer tv series? How many years ago was that? Or Angel? Was that contemporary?
Dresen Files? According to Wikipedia, the tv series is from 2007...but when were the books written?
How about Marion Zimmer Bradley's Mists of Avalon? copyright....ummmm...1983? Does that fall into contemporary? I suspect 30 years ago does not. Yet D&D hasn't done that yet...in the system, anyway. But the tv mini-series/movie didn't happen until 2001. So is it contemporary?
I don't know...it's a sticky question...which is why I'm looking for a definition. What is "contemporary fiction"?
--SD
fuindordm
Adventurer
It's a fair question. The quickest and easiest answer is "anything not in Appendix N of the AD&D DMG."
A vaguer answer would be "anything that the younger generation of gamers is likely to have read and be inspired by, and that doesn't seem to be easily matched to the D&D framework."
Take your pick. I meant the thread as a place to play with ideas for fitting D&D to other magic styles, not a restrictive discussion.
A vaguer answer would be "anything that the younger generation of gamers is likely to have read and be inspired by, and that doesn't seem to be easily matched to the D&D framework."
Take your pick. I meant the thread as a place to play with ideas for fitting D&D to other magic styles, not a restrictive discussion.
RangerWickett
Legend
I would like, in addition to existing magic systems, for D&D to offer:
Harry Potter. Yes, you can kill someone at will. Yes, you can levitate at will. Yes, you can teleport at will. Out of character you probably have some sort of mana meter that wears out if you use magic too much too quickly. Also, you can deflect incoming spells (perhaps represented as giving you a bonus to your defenses or saves).
X-Men. You don't have to be a wizard who knows a dozen different spells. You can be a character with just one magic power. I really don't think any D&D edition has done a good job of this. If I just want someone who can fly but otherwise can't use magic, I'm out of luck. (In 4e you could kinda do it by multiclassing into a spellcasting class and taking a utility power, but then you'd just be flying for a very limited duration.)
Magic: the Gathering. You start out combat with limited magical power, but slowly you gather the mana necessary to pull off amazing things. You have a limited suite of spells available to you at a given moment, but narratively you seem to be encouraged to adventure and explore so you can gain access to new spells. It's similar to D&D -- 60 cards might be analogous to preparing 60 spells from your spellbook -- but Magic ends up with a much more epic-level scope. A duel of two planeswalkers usually involves multiple summoned creatures active at a time and clever use of resources instead of just blasting away.
Harry Potter. Yes, you can kill someone at will. Yes, you can levitate at will. Yes, you can teleport at will. Out of character you probably have some sort of mana meter that wears out if you use magic too much too quickly. Also, you can deflect incoming spells (perhaps represented as giving you a bonus to your defenses or saves).
X-Men. You don't have to be a wizard who knows a dozen different spells. You can be a character with just one magic power. I really don't think any D&D edition has done a good job of this. If I just want someone who can fly but otherwise can't use magic, I'm out of luck. (In 4e you could kinda do it by multiclassing into a spellcasting class and taking a utility power, but then you'd just be flying for a very limited duration.)
Magic: the Gathering. You start out combat with limited magical power, but slowly you gather the mana necessary to pull off amazing things. You have a limited suite of spells available to you at a given moment, but narratively you seem to be encouraged to adventure and explore so you can gain access to new spells. It's similar to D&D -- 60 cards might be analogous to preparing 60 spells from your spellbook -- but Magic ends up with a much more epic-level scope. A duel of two planeswalkers usually involves multiple summoned creatures active at a time and clever use of resources instead of just blasting away.
I've heard that magic in Lamentations of the Flame Princess is pretty much that way. If you use magic then it is very dangerous.
No love for 'Prince of Nothing'? Scott Bakker got really big with that trilogy and the sequel trilogy is still being written. Could hardly be more contemporary.
The magic in the Prince of Nothing is breathtaking. Wizards there are born with an affinity to magic and can then become scholars of magic.
There is a price to casting magic...hard to describe though...like some kind of damnation BUT that does not interfere with casting at all. All the magic is unlimited and at-will.
The wizards start chanting and can continue their magic while they have the breath and concentration for it (protective, passive wards aside).
There are only a few with the magic affinity. The magic prevents them from being killed or harmed by anything other than another's magic or one special material. That material makes non-wizards immune to the magic and kills wizards on touch. In battle, special arrows with tips made of them are used.
Thing is...They are rare and very valuable (heirlooms mostly).
Wizards can and do wipe out whole armies. No kidding. They are ridiculously strong. Half a dozen of wizards are sent against armies, etc.
Non-magicians just don't have any chances there.
The magic in the Prince of Nothing is breathtaking. Wizards there are born with an affinity to magic and can then become scholars of magic.
There is a price to casting magic...hard to describe though...like some kind of damnation BUT that does not interfere with casting at all. All the magic is unlimited and at-will.
The wizards start chanting and can continue their magic while they have the breath and concentration for it (protective, passive wards aside).
There are only a few with the magic affinity. The magic prevents them from being killed or harmed by anything other than another's magic or one special material. That material makes non-wizards immune to the magic and kills wizards on touch. In battle, special arrows with tips made of them are used.
Thing is...They are rare and very valuable (heirlooms mostly).
Wizards can and do wipe out whole armies. No kidding. They are ridiculously strong. Half a dozen of wizards are sent against armies, etc.
Non-magicians just don't have any chances there.
