Making a skill-based magic system--what should I steal pieces of?

[Galethorn]

Ok, so, I'm working on a fairly hefty variant magic system for Grim Tales, and here's what I've got so far...

1. There's "basic" magic which is craft/knowledge-based (alchemy, rituals)

2. There's "difficult" magic which you need to spend feats and talents to use/train the associated skills (divination and spells)

2a. The feats will be things like Magic Sensitive, Manipulate Magic, and Divination.

2b. The talents will be things like Force, Transformation, Life Magic, etc.

2c. The skills will be things like Force (Elemental, Kinetic), Transformation (Self, Objects, Beings), and Life Magic (Healing, Harming, Animation).

2d. To cast a spell, you'll make a skill check (which you can ususally take 10 on), and the effect will vary depending on the result of the roll, and there will be an associated vitality cost.


All the 'guts' of this system are still up in the air at this point, and I'm looking for any resources, advice, or whatever, to reduce the actual amount of material I have to make from scratch, and then playtest.

Anybody?

 

[Pbartender]

Magic: The Science and Art of Causing Change

It's a PDF that you pick up at RPGNow for something like $5. I recommend it highly.

With just a few alterations, you could turn it into exactly what you're looking for.

 

[Khairn]

You might also want to check out Ars Magica. There is a new 5th Edition that came out a few months ago, but the 4th Edition is available as a free PDF at Drive Thru I believe.

AM's magic system requires the caster to increase his abilities in various forms and techniques that are required as prerequisites to casting. Its a great system and works really well.

I'd love to see what you eventually come up with.

Good luck!

 

[Turanil]

Psychic's Handbook by Green Ronin is a skill-based psionic system; you could easily borrow from that to create a skill-based magic system.

 

[GlassJaw]

You could also just wait until Wulf finishes his GT magic book. I know he's working hard (hardly working) on it.

 

[Psion]

Psychic's Handbook by Green Ronin is a skill-based psionic system; you could easily borrow from that to create a skill-based magic system.

Or True 20; it already has the magic system version of the psychic's handbook skill-and-feat system.

 

[Denaes]

Slayers d20 (and the forthcomming d20 Magic) by Guardians of Order both use a skill based magic system... though I'm terribly unhappy with the magic in Slayers d20.

Nothing against the sytem, but nearly every spell is a combat damage spell of some sort. Thats the way the show was I suppose.

When I play a magic user, I like damage - but I only need a few such spells. The rest can be all subterfuge and sneak and whatnot

 

[DungeonmasterCal]

There's also this thread:

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=108990

You might get some ideas there.

 

[RangerWickett]

I'm working on a skill-based magic system for d20 Modern, Elements of Magic: Mythic Earth. Let's see how well our interests mesh.

1. There's "basic" magic which is craft/knowledge-based (alchemy, rituals)

Ritual magic, which can be performed by anyone, requires Knowledge (arcane lore) checks, usually with rather high DCs. It's akin to the brother in The Mummy pulling out a spellbook and trying to cast while translating Egyptian.

2. There's "difficult" magic which you need to spend feats and talents to use/train the associated skills (divination and spells)

2a. The feats will be things like Magic Sensitive, Manipulate Magic, and Divination.

2b. The talents will be things like Force, Transformation, Life Magic, etc.

2c. The skills will be things like Force (Elemental, Kinetic), Transformation (Self, Objects, Beings), and Life Magic (Healing, Harming, Animation).

Spontaneous magic is magic that you can create yourself, though it requires a connection to some source of magical power. You use a feat to gain access to one of about twenty magical traditions -- things like Animism, Christian Healer, Classical Fey, Elder Mysteries, Norse Runecasting, Psychic Sensitivity, or Wicca.

Each tradition feat gives you access to one or more magical skills -- Attack, Charm, Create, Cure, Defend, Divine, Illusion, Move, Summon, and Transform -- and also grants a few other bonuses or penalties appropriate to that tradition. For instance, Christian Healer gives you only 3 magical skills, but you get a +2 bonus on Cure checks; and Classical Fey is unseen, so that if you cast a spell, people who don't believe in magic don't notice you casting the spell unless the magic will affect them.

The mechanics are part-flavor, part-balance.

2d. To cast a spell, you'll make a skill check (which you can ususally take 10 on), and the effect will vary depending on the result of the roll, and there will be an associated vitality cost.

In Mythic Earth, you can't take 10 on spellcasting checks. Whenever you fail a check, you take a cumulative penalty to further checks for the day. After enough failures, it becomes dangerous to keep trying to cast spells. You can also try to cast more powerful spells, but doing so fatigues you.

If you're interested, I could send you the playtest document I have.

 

[PosterBoy]

Blood and Relics uses a skill based magic system:

http://www.rpgobjects.com/index.php?page=pro&product_id=53