What would the ideal d20 magic system be like?

[Turjan]

Do you find that freeform magic systems are more difficult for a DM to handle?

I think they are easier for the DM, because the mechanical effects of freeform systems tend to be much more limited. The downside is that the player has to provide the flavour. In my experience, freeform systems tend to be a bit bland. The colourful magic system is one of D&D's most positive points IMHO.

Also, would you rather this be the sole solution for magic or would you rather see magic broken up into arcane, divine, and psionic?

I don't see the antagonism you construe here. Just think of the magic system of AU/AE. In principle, these are fixed spells like in D&D, with hightened and lessened effects in order to make it more flexible, and without the arcane/divine split. I loathe the arcane/divine split, because it breaks the D&D multiclassing system and does not make much sense to me. Arcane or divine magic should be a matter of flavour, nothing else. Again, AU/AE provide a good example for this.

As far as psionics go, I like to keep them separate - I prefer my settings to have either magic or psionics, not both at the same time. As far as mechanics are concerned, I'm easy, although I think a point-based system works best in this regard.

 

[tetsujin28]

The ideal magic system would be very tied to time and place. Being mostly a historical rpger, myself, that means developing the magic system from scratch to simulate what people actually believed was possible.

 

[Zappo]

The ideal magic system would be very tied to time and place.

You know, this sentence sparked an idea for me - what about a magic systme where what you can do and how is heavily dependant on where you are and when? Like, near a volcano you can do lots of fire magic but very little cold-based spells... and during an eclipse dark magic is strongest, while during a storm lightning spells are stronger, and so on. Very complex, but also very flavorful.

(yes, I know that this isn't what you meant )

 

[Turjan]

You know, this sentence sparked an idea for me - what about a magic systme where what you can do and how is heavily dependant on where you are and when? Like, near a volcano you can do lots of fire magic but very little cold-based spells... and during an eclipse dark magic is strongest, while during a storm lightning spells are stronger, and so on. Very complex, but also very flavorful.

You are talking about the 'Morningstar' setting, right ? Or is it Glorantha ?

 

[JVisgaitis]

I want a magic system that actually seems majestic.

Well said. A lot of everyone's ideas echo what I would like to see.

This is what I'm thinking of doing as of now. This might change as I progress on this:

-Not totally freeform, but flexible enough to allow you to achieve different results by using various effects and abilities together. I do like the idea of being able to heighten or diminish a spell effect a lot. I'll try and incorporate that.

-I want the caster to be able to exhaust himself if he has to and possibly be able to even kill himself through over casting. I'd like there to be a random element to this so you can't calculate out how much more you can take.

-Someone mentioned that magic should die with the caster, great idea. I'll gladly steal that.

 

[Nifelhein]

The thread is quite long so i may step on soemthing already said here. For me the best system would be soemthing that would leave the slot system behind an get closer to Ars magica and Mage: the Ascencion, as some people pointed out.

There could be degrees of power in magic, i love that from Ars magica, ritual as the top, formulaic as a standard and on-the-fly as the filling the gap choice. Personally I prefer more free and less rigid and teminolgy heavy systems for magic because it makes the effect ad fun be first over rules and power.

Also, spells should follow a general guideline, like they try to state in the DMG and is not followed anyway in the PHB, like damage caps. lower level spells hould never loose their usefulness and cleric from different gods should have different spellcasting powers, not only a single domain spell per level, sure they could have a common base.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

The one mentioned on the Jack Chick site, where the spells are real man, the spells are real!

The Auld Grump, who actually like the magic systems in Ars Magica and For Fairie, Queen, and Country.

 

[jester47]

Spell slots for determining what you have memorized or learned - as normal.
The difference is in the casting. You don't forget the spell when you cast it. Spells take a little longer to cast. Each spell level takes 1 action of casting to cast unless the text requires a longer time to cast the spell. This basicly shows that the wizard is starting the spell and completing it durring the fight. To keep fireballs and lightening bolts as viable combat spells, I would have modifiers to casting time based on the school of magic that the wizard is casting from.

Aaron.

 

[Nadaka]

A generic system for creating self balanced rituals that anyone could theoretically cast. Kinda like the rules for incantations from UA or UA (lol).

These costs would include ability damage/drain, hp drain, skill checks, casting time, required foci/sacrifices, etc.

Then the spell would be built by adding modules up to the cost of the spell, each with a defined value. Modules like range, area of effect, duration, and effect/damage.

A class(s) and feat system that allows you to dynamically modify those rituals to negate thier costs, change thier effects or make them more powerful.