EarthsShadow
First Post
Hi all, how's it going? Okay, now that that is out of the way, onto this system that I am working on.
I am working on a system here that replaces the standard magic system. This system is a channeling system in such that it has some aspects of the Sovereign Stone rpg system and also some minor elements from Dragonlance 5th Age. I am presenting it here for input from all of you and to see what you think. Without further ado, here is it...I just hope you can understand how the numbers work when you read it.
The following is a description of how magic works when a spellcaster decides to channel the mana from the earth and form a spell.
To cast and channel the required mana necessary to power a spell, one must have a core understanding of what magic is. Magic as we know it is comprised of the four natural elements: Air, Earth, Fire and Water; and the unnatural element: Void. All spells come from one of these five elements.
When a mage wants to cast a spell, he thinks of the spell he wishes to cast and forms it in his mind. If he is a Fire Mage, then his spells will originate from that element. As you know, Fire spells are composed of the destructive force of Fire, its opposite in the form of Cold and Ice, and also spells that comprise the ability to look into the past as a form of Scrying.
All spells have special properties that are chosen at the time of casting. By making these choices you will then dictate what the Mana Threshold will be for the spell and how long it might take you channeling the energy of the planet to form the desired spell. These special Properties are as follows:
-Range:
Personal/Self +3
Touch +6
Close +10
Medium +15
Long +20
Extreme +40
-Duration (normally for combat related or quick term illusions, and healing):
Instant +1
each round +2
-Number of Senses Affected:
1 sense +3
2 senses +6
3 senses +10
4 senses +15
All senses +25
-Area of Effect:
5' burst/cone +2
10' burst/cone +4
15' burst/cone +6
20' burst/cone +9
25' burst/cone +14
30' burst/cone +20
each addit 5' '+6 mana
-Number of targets/summoned creatures/animated creatures:
for every person +3 mana
*Used for spells that either summon creautres to spellcaster, or target specific people and not areas, like fire bolts or animate skeleton spells, or a targeting illusion in someone's mind, or an enchantment spell towards a specific individual.
-Time (non-combat or damaging spells or healing spells, mainly for illusion spells but not all):
1 round +1
1 minute +3
5 mnutes +5
10 minutes +8
30 minutes +15
1 hr +25
3 hrs +40
1 day +60
1 week +80
1 month +110
1 year +150
Permanent +200 *
*Note: Void users use a different chart for animating undead*
-Animating Undead:
Type -
Skeleton +3
Zombie +5
Ghoul +8
Number -
For each +1 mana
Duration -
1 day +2
1 week +5
2 weeks +10
1 month +15
2 months +20
6 months +30
Permanent +50
Size -
Small +1 each
Medium +2 each
Large +3 each
Huge +4 each
-Dice (normally for damage or healing spells):
d3 +0/+0
d4 +2/+1
d6 +4/+2
d8 +7/+3
d10 +10/+4
number before slash is normal damage, number after slash is subdual damage.
-Number of Dice in spell (normally for damage or healing spells):
1 die +3
2 dice +6
3 dice +9
4 dice +12
5 dice +15
6 dice +20
7 dice +25
8 dice +32
9 dice +40
10 dice +50
-Save and DC:
Pick type of Save +0
DC 10 +0
each +1 to DC +2 mana
each +1 to DC beyond 15 +4 mana
-Type of Save:
Will +2
Fort +3
Ref +5
Save for half dmg -5 to mana cost
Save for full dmg -10 to mana cost (this also means, if save successful, nothing happens)
So, according to this model, a Fireball spell with a 20ft burst radius that does 5d6 damage with a Ref save of DC 15 for half damage at a range of medium would have a MT of 51.
Animating a group of skeletons, let's say 10 Medium Size for a Permanent duration: 83 MT.
To channel the necessary mana, each round spent channeling a mage must make a Channel roll. This channel roll is as follows:
d20 + channel bonus = Mana Threshold of spell
*Channel bonus is: Mage level + ability modifier + any other modifiers.
A Mage keeps rolling each round, adding what he rolled from one round to the next in a cumulative total until either the Mage passes out or he reaches the Mana Threshold and is then able to cast the spell. Also, each round as he casts the spell, he must also make a Fortitude save vs. DC 9 + 1 DC per round channeling so far. So, during first round of channeling, the DC is 10. Second round, DC 11, and so on. If this is successful, then everything is fine. If it is failed, then the mage takes 1d4 Vitality damage to show that channeling magic is taxing and could be potentially harmful. If the mage is casting Void magic, then instead of doing Vitality, the mage takes 1d2 Wound damage instead.
On the channel roll, if the mage ever rolls a natural 1, then he must make an immediate Concentration skill check. Success means he doesn't lose the spell, failure means he loses the spell and the mana then gets released in a form of backlash. This could be potentially harmful. At this time, the mage makes a Fortitude save vs. DC of 1 per two mana channeled so far. If this is a failure, backlash occurs.
Backlash is the sudden release of pure magic in a radius around the mage that is damaging to everything within that radius. The damage from the backlash is of the type of element that the mage was trying to channel. The radius is a 20 ft burst and it explodes outward from the mage, with the mage directly in the middle. Anyone caught in this sudden explosion of magic is able to make a Ref save vs. DC 15 for half damage, the damage being done is equal to the amount of channeled magic that the mage had channeled so far. The mage, unfortunately, cannot make this Ref save and will take full damage. Anyone caught on the edge of the burst only needs to make a Ref save vs. DC 10. If the mage was channeling a spell that did include a radius effect, then instead of using the 20 ft radius as listed above, the radius of the backlash is 10 feet + a number of additional feet equal to the desired radius. No one said casting magic was easy.
All in all, this magic system is designed for a more combat orientated magical world, but with further playtesting and comments I would like to get all kinds of different spells workable and available. Plus, channeling magical energy of this nature makes more sense to me than just memorizing a spell and then losing it.
Also, this is unfinished but a good basis for what I have in mind. Keep in mind that the more powerful the spell effect the more mana the spell would cost and therefore the longer it would take to cast.
MAGE CLASS (Elemental Mage)
All mages pick one of the five elements that they can cast spells from: Air, Earth, Fire, Water, or Void. So, if a mage wants to cast a fireball like spell, they have to have levels as a fire mage.
To keep the balance, each element has specific aspects that only certain spells can be cast from.
Magic Aspects -
Magic aspects define the magical effects produced by different elements. Some aspects are related to a pair of elements. These are known as dual-element spells. Once the aspect of a spell is defined, the aspect determines which of the elements must be used to power the spell. Elemental magic can also detect, dispel or augment spells of the same element. Dual-element spells may be detected or dispelled by spells of either element involved.
Elemental: Every magical element is capable of producing elemental effect spells. These spells manipulate or transmute their particular element.
Earth magic aspects -
Healing: These spells deal specifically with restoring health and well being to injured or the diseased. Such magic do not have the ability to restore life to someone who has expired, no matter what the circumstances of death. spells of the healing aspect will not rid a being of parasitic infestation or malignant growths, but will be able to repair damage and temporarily ease the pain caused by these.
Protection: Spells of this aspect are designed to shield the recipient from physical injury, danger, or magical attack. These spells often imbue otherwise mundane items with temporary magical power that deflects or minishes physical damage, affects spellcasting, or interrupts magical effects. Other protection spect spells can guard areas against intrusion.
Construction: These spells cause a change in the properties of an already existing object or substances, as long as that object does not clearly belong to another element.
Air magic aspects -
Charm: These are spells that can affect the behavior of other intelligent beings (animals are unaffected by such spells). Charms can also animate normally inanimate objects for short periods of time. some charms are used to enchant items in order to behile or entice those who look at them.
Mentalism: These spells discern between truth and falsehood and between that which is real and unreal. Spells of this aspect are used to detect hidden or secret doors and compartments, reveal traps, discount illusions, ascertaine the veracity or accuracy of one's statements, read another's mind, and uncover things hidden or shrouded by magic.
Travel: These spells are those magics that affect either the speed at which a creature or an object moves or its means of motivation.
Illusion: Such spells are created to mislead the senses or minds of the affected. Illusion spells typically createe scenes, sounds or smells that do not exist in reality. Illusion aspect spells do not normally affect animals, since their perceptions of the world are different from those of humanoids and their senses tend to be sharper.
Fire magic aspects -
Divination (past): Spells of this aspect allow the caster to scry events that happened sometime in the past. Such spells do not allow the caster to determine the veracity of scenes witnessed while scrying. These spells penetrate Time, not Space and thus do not normally allow the mage to scry over distances. These spells are usually effective only if cast in the location where the event in question transpired.
Conversion: These spells are often mistaken for construction aspect spells. Conversion spells deal solely with fluctuations in temperature and illumination in small, localized areas. Conversion aspect apells are not capable of changing the shape of an object or its basic properties, unless the object can be altered by heat (melt ice, boil water). These spells cannot be used to cause magical darkness, although they might prove usefull in combating such magic.
Water magic aspect -
Divination (present): Such spells allow the caster to divine events as they are currently happening. these spells can be accomplished over long distances are are useful for overheadring conversations and for spying.
Communication: These spells allow the exchange of information, signals or messages in various ways including verbal, gestures, and written. Communication wither Water creatures also falls under this aspect.
Void magic aspect -
Destruction: Spells of this type can replicate any harmful or destructive effect produced by spells of other elements. Void spells of this aspect are capable of harming not only other living creatures, but the other elements themselves.
Necromancy: Spells of this aspect deal with death, dying, the dead, decay, despair, disease, communication with spirits beyond the grave, the manipulation of bodies (living or dead), the transference of life essence and the creation of undead.
Shadow: This aspect of Void magic is capable of utilizing shadows for travel, to cause darkness and construct semi-real illusions.
Air/Water magic aspects-
Weather: Weather aspect spells allow the caster to control the forces of weather. These spells allow the conjuration of all types of weather from a blizzard to a thunderstorm, as well as the commensurate side-effects such as a drop in temperature, fierce winds, thunder and lightning.
Earth/Water magic aspects -
Plant: This aspect can restore health to plants, speed plant growth, improve crops and establish an ability to communicate with plants and plantlike beings. Such spells can also cause transmutations that involve plants or the changing one type of matter into plant-matter or vice versa.
Air/Fire magic aspects -
Lightning/Electricity: This magic aspect allows the caster to harness and shape electrical energy. Some lightning/electricity aspect spells provide protection from the effects of electricity or electrical attacks.
Earth/Fire magic aspects -
Animal: Spells of this aspect affect creatures classified as animals, beasts, humanoids, magical beasts or vermin. Transmutation from one form to another fall under this aspect, as well. This aspect also allows spells that communicate with avian and land-based animals and beasts.
The Mage class, no matter which element is picked, has the following characteristics in common:
Bab: as wizard
Saves: as wizard
Class ability: a mage has a Channel bonus equal to their mage level. So, a Fire mage of 6th level who rolls for channeling to meet the Mana Threshold would roll a d20 + 6 + INT modifier each round. All mages also start with a bonus langauge also.
Sorry for being so long with this, but I wanted to get it all down on one post rather than split it up among many posts. If you want the feats posted I could do that also, but for right now I just want to get some feedback on this above.
I am working on a system here that replaces the standard magic system. This system is a channeling system in such that it has some aspects of the Sovereign Stone rpg system and also some minor elements from Dragonlance 5th Age. I am presenting it here for input from all of you and to see what you think. Without further ado, here is it...I just hope you can understand how the numbers work when you read it.
The following is a description of how magic works when a spellcaster decides to channel the mana from the earth and form a spell.
To cast and channel the required mana necessary to power a spell, one must have a core understanding of what magic is. Magic as we know it is comprised of the four natural elements: Air, Earth, Fire and Water; and the unnatural element: Void. All spells come from one of these five elements.
When a mage wants to cast a spell, he thinks of the spell he wishes to cast and forms it in his mind. If he is a Fire Mage, then his spells will originate from that element. As you know, Fire spells are composed of the destructive force of Fire, its opposite in the form of Cold and Ice, and also spells that comprise the ability to look into the past as a form of Scrying.
All spells have special properties that are chosen at the time of casting. By making these choices you will then dictate what the Mana Threshold will be for the spell and how long it might take you channeling the energy of the planet to form the desired spell. These special Properties are as follows:
-Range:
Personal/Self +3
Touch +6
Close +10
Medium +15
Long +20
Extreme +40
-Duration (normally for combat related or quick term illusions, and healing):
Instant +1
each round +2
-Number of Senses Affected:
1 sense +3
2 senses +6
3 senses +10
4 senses +15
All senses +25
-Area of Effect:
5' burst/cone +2
10' burst/cone +4
15' burst/cone +6
20' burst/cone +9
25' burst/cone +14
30' burst/cone +20
each addit 5' '+6 mana
-Number of targets/summoned creatures/animated creatures:
for every person +3 mana
*Used for spells that either summon creautres to spellcaster, or target specific people and not areas, like fire bolts or animate skeleton spells, or a targeting illusion in someone's mind, or an enchantment spell towards a specific individual.
-Time (non-combat or damaging spells or healing spells, mainly for illusion spells but not all):
1 round +1
1 minute +3
5 mnutes +5
10 minutes +8
30 minutes +15
1 hr +25
3 hrs +40
1 day +60
1 week +80
1 month +110
1 year +150
Permanent +200 *
*Note: Void users use a different chart for animating undead*
-Animating Undead:
Type -
Skeleton +3
Zombie +5
Ghoul +8
Number -
For each +1 mana
Duration -
1 day +2
1 week +5
2 weeks +10
1 month +15
2 months +20
6 months +30
Permanent +50
Size -
Small +1 each
Medium +2 each
Large +3 each
Huge +4 each
-Dice (normally for damage or healing spells):
d3 +0/+0
d4 +2/+1
d6 +4/+2
d8 +7/+3
d10 +10/+4
number before slash is normal damage, number after slash is subdual damage.
-Number of Dice in spell (normally for damage or healing spells):
1 die +3
2 dice +6
3 dice +9
4 dice +12
5 dice +15
6 dice +20
7 dice +25
8 dice +32
9 dice +40
10 dice +50
-Save and DC:
Pick type of Save +0
DC 10 +0
each +1 to DC +2 mana
each +1 to DC beyond 15 +4 mana
-Type of Save:
Will +2
Fort +3
Ref +5
Save for half dmg -5 to mana cost
Save for full dmg -10 to mana cost (this also means, if save successful, nothing happens)
So, according to this model, a Fireball spell with a 20ft burst radius that does 5d6 damage with a Ref save of DC 15 for half damage at a range of medium would have a MT of 51.
Animating a group of skeletons, let's say 10 Medium Size for a Permanent duration: 83 MT.
To channel the necessary mana, each round spent channeling a mage must make a Channel roll. This channel roll is as follows:
d20 + channel bonus = Mana Threshold of spell
*Channel bonus is: Mage level + ability modifier + any other modifiers.
A Mage keeps rolling each round, adding what he rolled from one round to the next in a cumulative total until either the Mage passes out or he reaches the Mana Threshold and is then able to cast the spell. Also, each round as he casts the spell, he must also make a Fortitude save vs. DC 9 + 1 DC per round channeling so far. So, during first round of channeling, the DC is 10. Second round, DC 11, and so on. If this is successful, then everything is fine. If it is failed, then the mage takes 1d4 Vitality damage to show that channeling magic is taxing and could be potentially harmful. If the mage is casting Void magic, then instead of doing Vitality, the mage takes 1d2 Wound damage instead.
On the channel roll, if the mage ever rolls a natural 1, then he must make an immediate Concentration skill check. Success means he doesn't lose the spell, failure means he loses the spell and the mana then gets released in a form of backlash. This could be potentially harmful. At this time, the mage makes a Fortitude save vs. DC of 1 per two mana channeled so far. If this is a failure, backlash occurs.
Backlash is the sudden release of pure magic in a radius around the mage that is damaging to everything within that radius. The damage from the backlash is of the type of element that the mage was trying to channel. The radius is a 20 ft burst and it explodes outward from the mage, with the mage directly in the middle. Anyone caught in this sudden explosion of magic is able to make a Ref save vs. DC 15 for half damage, the damage being done is equal to the amount of channeled magic that the mage had channeled so far. The mage, unfortunately, cannot make this Ref save and will take full damage. Anyone caught on the edge of the burst only needs to make a Ref save vs. DC 10. If the mage was channeling a spell that did include a radius effect, then instead of using the 20 ft radius as listed above, the radius of the backlash is 10 feet + a number of additional feet equal to the desired radius. No one said casting magic was easy.
All in all, this magic system is designed for a more combat orientated magical world, but with further playtesting and comments I would like to get all kinds of different spells workable and available. Plus, channeling magical energy of this nature makes more sense to me than just memorizing a spell and then losing it.
Also, this is unfinished but a good basis for what I have in mind. Keep in mind that the more powerful the spell effect the more mana the spell would cost and therefore the longer it would take to cast.
MAGE CLASS (Elemental Mage)
All mages pick one of the five elements that they can cast spells from: Air, Earth, Fire, Water, or Void. So, if a mage wants to cast a fireball like spell, they have to have levels as a fire mage.
To keep the balance, each element has specific aspects that only certain spells can be cast from.
Magic Aspects -
Magic aspects define the magical effects produced by different elements. Some aspects are related to a pair of elements. These are known as dual-element spells. Once the aspect of a spell is defined, the aspect determines which of the elements must be used to power the spell. Elemental magic can also detect, dispel or augment spells of the same element. Dual-element spells may be detected or dispelled by spells of either element involved.
Elemental: Every magical element is capable of producing elemental effect spells. These spells manipulate or transmute their particular element.
Earth magic aspects -
Healing: These spells deal specifically with restoring health and well being to injured or the diseased. Such magic do not have the ability to restore life to someone who has expired, no matter what the circumstances of death. spells of the healing aspect will not rid a being of parasitic infestation or malignant growths, but will be able to repair damage and temporarily ease the pain caused by these.
Protection: Spells of this aspect are designed to shield the recipient from physical injury, danger, or magical attack. These spells often imbue otherwise mundane items with temporary magical power that deflects or minishes physical damage, affects spellcasting, or interrupts magical effects. Other protection spect spells can guard areas against intrusion.
Construction: These spells cause a change in the properties of an already existing object or substances, as long as that object does not clearly belong to another element.
Air magic aspects -
Charm: These are spells that can affect the behavior of other intelligent beings (animals are unaffected by such spells). Charms can also animate normally inanimate objects for short periods of time. some charms are used to enchant items in order to behile or entice those who look at them.
Mentalism: These spells discern between truth and falsehood and between that which is real and unreal. Spells of this aspect are used to detect hidden or secret doors and compartments, reveal traps, discount illusions, ascertaine the veracity or accuracy of one's statements, read another's mind, and uncover things hidden or shrouded by magic.
Travel: These spells are those magics that affect either the speed at which a creature or an object moves or its means of motivation.
Illusion: Such spells are created to mislead the senses or minds of the affected. Illusion spells typically createe scenes, sounds or smells that do not exist in reality. Illusion aspect spells do not normally affect animals, since their perceptions of the world are different from those of humanoids and their senses tend to be sharper.
Fire magic aspects -
Divination (past): Spells of this aspect allow the caster to scry events that happened sometime in the past. Such spells do not allow the caster to determine the veracity of scenes witnessed while scrying. These spells penetrate Time, not Space and thus do not normally allow the mage to scry over distances. These spells are usually effective only if cast in the location where the event in question transpired.
Conversion: These spells are often mistaken for construction aspect spells. Conversion spells deal solely with fluctuations in temperature and illumination in small, localized areas. Conversion aspect apells are not capable of changing the shape of an object or its basic properties, unless the object can be altered by heat (melt ice, boil water). These spells cannot be used to cause magical darkness, although they might prove usefull in combating such magic.
Water magic aspect -
Divination (present): Such spells allow the caster to divine events as they are currently happening. these spells can be accomplished over long distances are are useful for overheadring conversations and for spying.
Communication: These spells allow the exchange of information, signals or messages in various ways including verbal, gestures, and written. Communication wither Water creatures also falls under this aspect.
Void magic aspect -
Destruction: Spells of this type can replicate any harmful or destructive effect produced by spells of other elements. Void spells of this aspect are capable of harming not only other living creatures, but the other elements themselves.
Necromancy: Spells of this aspect deal with death, dying, the dead, decay, despair, disease, communication with spirits beyond the grave, the manipulation of bodies (living or dead), the transference of life essence and the creation of undead.
Shadow: This aspect of Void magic is capable of utilizing shadows for travel, to cause darkness and construct semi-real illusions.
Air/Water magic aspects-
Weather: Weather aspect spells allow the caster to control the forces of weather. These spells allow the conjuration of all types of weather from a blizzard to a thunderstorm, as well as the commensurate side-effects such as a drop in temperature, fierce winds, thunder and lightning.
Earth/Water magic aspects -
Plant: This aspect can restore health to plants, speed plant growth, improve crops and establish an ability to communicate with plants and plantlike beings. Such spells can also cause transmutations that involve plants or the changing one type of matter into plant-matter or vice versa.
Air/Fire magic aspects -
Lightning/Electricity: This magic aspect allows the caster to harness and shape electrical energy. Some lightning/electricity aspect spells provide protection from the effects of electricity or electrical attacks.
Earth/Fire magic aspects -
Animal: Spells of this aspect affect creatures classified as animals, beasts, humanoids, magical beasts or vermin. Transmutation from one form to another fall under this aspect, as well. This aspect also allows spells that communicate with avian and land-based animals and beasts.
The Mage class, no matter which element is picked, has the following characteristics in common:
Bab: as wizard
Saves: as wizard
Class ability: a mage has a Channel bonus equal to their mage level. So, a Fire mage of 6th level who rolls for channeling to meet the Mana Threshold would roll a d20 + 6 + INT modifier each round. All mages also start with a bonus langauge also.
Sorry for being so long with this, but I wanted to get it all down on one post rather than split it up among many posts. If you want the feats posted I could do that also, but for right now I just want to get some feedback on this above.
Ill let you know the results, you dont mind do ya? I think I will make the mage players make their spells before the game starts though, so as not to slow down the combat. Well good luck, and you are on to something really creative and cool, and that is what DnD is all about!
