What Edition to use 3!

[MichaelSomething]

Since we're talking about video games now, I might as well take the opportunity to ask What Edition to use for a certain situation.

Today, the situation is from the video game series Final Fantasy. One of its basic tropes is the Blue Mage, the character type that learns all of its abilities from encountering monsters. Most of the time, you would have to be hit with the attack and then win the fight in order to learn the power but there were alternative methods in different Final Fantasies like "consuming" a monster or find/use items.

Most of the time, the Blue Mage would be a collection of strange unrelated abilities who would normally be somewhat useful, with the occasional powerful ability. To fully power up a Blue Mage, you would have to take the time to explore and search for monsters with the abilities you could learn.

For 4th Edition, it would be easy in some ways and hard in others. It would be a simple task to copy many monsters powers for your own powers but there would be issues like picking which level to gain a certain power and what would be a daily. I also would have a hard time coming up with Class Features and picking what role a Blue Mage would play. It is doable if you're willing to experiment.

For 3th Edition, it would be quite possible to do if you have the system mastery to make it work. I haven't DM'ed 3rd for years so I'm too sure how exactly it would work but I know it can be done. Maybe Pathfinder had adjustments that would make it easier but I don't know it well enough to say for sure. Whatever you do, be ready in case the Blue Mage turns out to be either very underpowered or overpowered, depending on which monster abilities the Blue Mage gets.

For earlier editions, I don't know enough about them to say. I'm not sure if a Blue Mage would fit in wit the assumptions of those games. However, I bet it could be done with the right DM and the right players.

What Edition do thing this would be best for and why?

 

[xechnao]

What you need is BESM.

 

[I'm A Banana]

I am sad you didn't include FFZ

For my mileage, in developing blue magic for the tabletop, it seems there's a few problems.

1. The DM is in control of the monsters, so the DM is in control of the powers you get. This makes it kind of like the ranger's favored enemy: situational.
2. The balance can be off on a lot of monster powers, meaning that with the "right" power, the blue mage dominates. Which isn't a great situation.
3. It's hard to "grind for powers" in a tabletop game. In a sandbox, it is easier, but even then, you're eating up time that could go to a different goal.

I'd mostly use 3e, of the D&D editions. It wouldn't always be well balanced, but using CR, HD, and LA as a guideline would make it a bit easier to figure for the right levels, and there is a high level of assumed character/monster transparency.

But FFZ is really what you WANT to use for this.

 

[Herobizkit]

Yeah, BESM isn't that bad a suggestion at all. While FF does have levels, it would seem that you'd want to shy away from level-based systems and more towards a point-buy or superhero style system. In this way, you can just invent whatever powers you want and improve those powers vs. waiting a certain level to get a certain ability.

Pre-FF 7, the gets-powers-as-you-level paradigm works because, by endgame, you've gotten all the powers you can possibly get and all you get after that is HP/MP and such.

Post-FF7, the focus almost goes entirely off the HP/MP paradigm and allows you to customize your abilities (Materia, Guardian Forces, equipping certain gear, and the good ol' skill tree).

So BESM (or even BESM d20, if you can't divorce yourself from the levelling scheme) or even Mutants and Masterminds would probably work better for you.

 

[jaerdaph]

BESM fits.

 

[Nifft]

What Edition do thing this would be best for and why?

I am just here to suggest that the next of these polls be titled: "What Edition to use 3.5!"

Cheers, -- N

 

[jaerdaph]

I am just here to suggest that the next of these polls be titled: "What Edition to use 3.5!"

Cheers, -- N

If I was going to play 3.5, I'd probably go with Dogs in the Vinyard....

 

[Aus_Snow]

I've never played any FF games, thankfully, but I suspect Mutants & Masterminds 2e could do this, and with ease.

Nothing I've heard about it here or elsewhere leads me to believe it's beyond that game's impressive capacity.

 

[MichaelSomething]

Why are most of the post suggesting M&M or BESM? Will more people post about how this could work in D&D? Should I follow Nifft's advice? Stay tuned folks!

 

[STAT]

I'd say 3rd editon/Pathfinder would be the best fit for a proper Bluemage. Considering how the monsters are built using generally the same rules as the PC's and their abilities usually function just like a spell, giving the player monster powers really wouldn't be that much different than building a normal pc wizard.