Nareau
Explorer
I've been mulling over an idea for a new magic system, and figured I'd come here for different perspectives/ideas/etc. for how to develop it.
The basic concept is this: Language and magic are inseparable. Every act of speech is an act of magic, and vice versa. This idea is inspired by U.K. LeGuin's Earthsea trilogy.
The goals I have for the system are: To increase the wondrous flavor of magic in the D&D world, to allow for a limited range of fast-casting, and to keep spellcasters balanced with other classes.
I'm thinking of developing the new magic system based largely on the moods found in English. For the most part, different schools of magic will correspond to different types of speech: Enchantment/Imperative, Divination/Interrogative, Conjuration/Declarative, Illusion/Subjunctive, etc. Some schools will need to be modified or eliminated (like Necromancy).
I'll want to be able to translate most of the existing PHB spell-lists into the new system. Most spell-levels would be divided into "less-useful" and "more-useful" spells...essentially creating 18 spell-levels instead of 9.
The system will likely be closer to Mage or Ars Magica than to the standard D&D system:
Spellcasters will have a "School Score" ranging from 0 to 20. At each level, the spellcaster will get 2 points, which they may allocate to any 2 different schools. Their ability to cast spells will depend on their score in the appropriate school.
For example: A 1st level character could have 1-Illusion and 1-Conjuration. They could cast all the 0-level Illusions and Conjurations, as well as some of the less-useful 1st level spells:
Illus: Dancing Lights, Ghost Sound, Change Self, Magical Aura, Undetectable Aura, and Ventriloquism.
Conj: Ray of Frost, Obscuring Mist, Grease, Unseen Servant.
At 2nd Level, they could boost their Illusion score to 2, and put their other point into Evocation. They could now cast all 1st-level Illusions; all 0-level Illus, Evoc, Conj; and some less-useful Evoc and Conj.
Note that this is a rough sketch of how the spells would translate. The spellcaster could cast any spell he knows spontaneously. In addition, he could create other effects of similar power on the fly. I'm not sure how this "fast-casting" would be managed, but I'd want some really clear guidelines as to what would and would not be allowed.
The number of spells per day would probably be based on the caster's level...Maybe 3xLevel spellpoints, and each spell costs its level in points. So a 4th level caster could cast 3 4th level spells, or 6 2nd level spells, or any combination that adds up to 12 (keep in mind that Melf's Acid Arrow might be a 3rd level spell in this system).
I'm not sure how/if the schools would interact (if you'd need 5-Illus and 3-Conj to cast Shadow Conjuration...or something like that).
But enough about the crunchy bits. The flavor of the system would be equally important. For example, if a spellcaster wanted to summon a dire bear, they would not simply "cast summon nature's ally 6"; instead, they would say, "There is a bear there." Or better yet, say it in Latin. If a spellcaster wanted to charm you, they'd say, "Be my friend." If they wanted to create the illusion of a fire, they'd say, "Would that there were a fire there." Of course, this is kinda simplistic...it'd be better if the player came up with cooler ways of saying stuff.
I'm not sure I want to entirely eliminate the somatic and material components of spellcasting. And I'm not sure how feats like "silent spell" would work (if at all).
I think this system could cause spellcasters to be more powerful, at the expense of being as versatile.
It would also have some important cultural effects on the world. People would likely take oaths and contracts much more seriously.
As you can see, this is only the germ of an idea at this point. I'd like some feedback on unforeseen consequenses of such a system. Or ways of dealing with fast-casting. Or thoughts on how to make it fun and balanced.
And yeah, I'll probably have to change the name to "Linguomancy" in order to avoid the inevitable perverted jokes.
The basic concept is this: Language and magic are inseparable. Every act of speech is an act of magic, and vice versa. This idea is inspired by U.K. LeGuin's Earthsea trilogy.
The goals I have for the system are: To increase the wondrous flavor of magic in the D&D world, to allow for a limited range of fast-casting, and to keep spellcasters balanced with other classes.
I'm thinking of developing the new magic system based largely on the moods found in English. For the most part, different schools of magic will correspond to different types of speech: Enchantment/Imperative, Divination/Interrogative, Conjuration/Declarative, Illusion/Subjunctive, etc. Some schools will need to be modified or eliminated (like Necromancy).
I'll want to be able to translate most of the existing PHB spell-lists into the new system. Most spell-levels would be divided into "less-useful" and "more-useful" spells...essentially creating 18 spell-levels instead of 9.
The system will likely be closer to Mage or Ars Magica than to the standard D&D system:
Spellcasters will have a "School Score" ranging from 0 to 20. At each level, the spellcaster will get 2 points, which they may allocate to any 2 different schools. Their ability to cast spells will depend on their score in the appropriate school.
For example: A 1st level character could have 1-Illusion and 1-Conjuration. They could cast all the 0-level Illusions and Conjurations, as well as some of the less-useful 1st level spells:
Illus: Dancing Lights, Ghost Sound, Change Self, Magical Aura, Undetectable Aura, and Ventriloquism.
Conj: Ray of Frost, Obscuring Mist, Grease, Unseen Servant.
At 2nd Level, they could boost their Illusion score to 2, and put their other point into Evocation. They could now cast all 1st-level Illusions; all 0-level Illus, Evoc, Conj; and some less-useful Evoc and Conj.
Note that this is a rough sketch of how the spells would translate. The spellcaster could cast any spell he knows spontaneously. In addition, he could create other effects of similar power on the fly. I'm not sure how this "fast-casting" would be managed, but I'd want some really clear guidelines as to what would and would not be allowed.
The number of spells per day would probably be based on the caster's level...Maybe 3xLevel spellpoints, and each spell costs its level in points. So a 4th level caster could cast 3 4th level spells, or 6 2nd level spells, or any combination that adds up to 12 (keep in mind that Melf's Acid Arrow might be a 3rd level spell in this system).
I'm not sure how/if the schools would interact (if you'd need 5-Illus and 3-Conj to cast Shadow Conjuration...or something like that).
But enough about the crunchy bits. The flavor of the system would be equally important. For example, if a spellcaster wanted to summon a dire bear, they would not simply "cast summon nature's ally 6"; instead, they would say, "There is a bear there." Or better yet, say it in Latin. If a spellcaster wanted to charm you, they'd say, "Be my friend." If they wanted to create the illusion of a fire, they'd say, "Would that there were a fire there." Of course, this is kinda simplistic...it'd be better if the player came up with cooler ways of saying stuff.
I'm not sure I want to entirely eliminate the somatic and material components of spellcasting. And I'm not sure how feats like "silent spell" would work (if at all).
I think this system could cause spellcasters to be more powerful, at the expense of being as versatile.
It would also have some important cultural effects on the world. People would likely take oaths and contracts much more seriously.
As you can see, this is only the germ of an idea at this point. I'd like some feedback on unforeseen consequenses of such a system. Or ways of dealing with fast-casting. Or thoughts on how to make it fun and balanced.
And yeah, I'll probably have to change the name to "Linguomancy" in order to avoid the inevitable perverted jokes.
