What's your favorite spell system?

[WhatGravitas]

QFT.

Simple, easy flexible, and balanced. Point-based and other systems work well in computer games, but for a pen & paper RPG, I still think the current D&D system does it simplest.

Agree. Vancian is perhaps not very elegant and doesn't catch the flavour of books 100%ly... but it's easy to use, easy to balance, and less number-fixated than point-based systems, making it an easy-to-use system.

 

[blargney the second]

Continuous abilities, or abilities that refresh quickly. Examples include the warlock/dragon adept, the binder, and the Book of Nine Swords maneuver system.

This and 3.5 psionics are my favourites.
-blarg

 

[Rothe]

Of commercial systems Dragonquest and The Fantasy Trip are the approaches I like best. Similar to Dragonquest, in TFT spells cost Strength (basically fatigue).

The basic components I like in a system are success based on skill in a school, more schools less skill in each. A simplified spell point approach, you can power up spells but cast fewer. And a chance of failure that increase under comabt stress, and with non-trivial consequences if you add extra power and fail.

 

[Yair]

Overall, I like Ars Magica's system best. It's amazingly flexible, and has a very nice mythical/Aristotelian feel to it.

Of the D&D systems I know, I like 3.5 psionics a lot. The augementations really open up flexibility and options and the points are easier to manage and more flexible than slots per day. And the psionic focus is just a very very nice mechanic, a subtle resource allocation shtick.

I never properly read the Elements of Magic books (although I own Mythic Earth and the original, unrevised, system), though. Or many other similar systems (like True Sorcery). So my opinion isn't that informed.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Overall?

HERO (closely followed by Mutants & Masterminds). I can design each PC's magic system to fit the PC. Only one spell, but usable at will? Check! Create spells on the fly? Check! Vancian? Check! Modular and enhanceable (3.5 Psionics)? Check! Chronomancy, Totemic, Runic, Gem, Tattoo based? Check, check, check, check, check!

Of the ones that have appeared in D&D, I like Vancian & 3.5 Psionics pretty much equally, followed by Incarnum & Shadow, and a little love for the Unearthed Arcana fatigue system.

I also like elements of Monte Cook's revision in Arcana Unearthed/Evolved. Once again, rarity of the spell is a factor in availability. And unlike most previous published versions of the Vancian system, the quality of your material components can make a difference in the results of your spell- a nice touch.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Like a lot of others, I really like elements of Ars Magica, Shadowrun and 3.5 Psionics.

Saying that, I still having a soft spot for core DnDs vancian system - it's hard to match the amusement of throwing a fireball into a room full of goblins. It's iconic or some such thing.

Playing in a DC heroes campaign and their take on magic seems interesting. Ought to point out that it's an area of the game we've not meddled with much, but picked up the basics: seems magic is a 'cheaper' method of gaining superpowers, but they're tied to an item and limited in the ways they can grow. Nice trade off IMO. You get more flexibility, but at a cost.

 

[GreatLemur]

The Sovereign Stone system seemed like an interesting variation for a low magic world, but I never got to test it.

Yeah, same here: Never tried it, but--aside from the whole elemental setup--it looks like a really great set of mechanics.

For those who haven't seen it, here's the basics: Every spell has a number called a Casting Threshold. In order to cast a spell, a mage rolls a d20 and adds a BAB-like Spellcasting Bonus. If the total reaches the Casting Threshold, the spell is cast. If it falls short--which is very likely--the caster keeps that number, and rolls again next round, adding the new number to the previous total. You can keep casting and piling up numbers until you finally reach the Casting Threshold. However, every round you spend trying to cast, you need to make a Fort save against spellcasting strain, and the DC gets tougher each round you continue. You take a little bit of nonlethal damage for each failed save . . . or lethal damage, in the case of "Void" spells (Void being the magic system's obligatory fifth element).

There's also a cool little mechanic where you can willingly choose to be "tainted by Void", giving yourself a bonus with Void magic in return for suffering a penalty with other elements, and an inability to be healed magically.

I'd love to see a similar system built for use with standard d20 spells, using spell levels rather than Casting Thresholds, but I expect it'd be a nightmare to balance.

 

[Crothian]

Ars Magica is the best I've seen.

 

[Yair]

Ars Magica is the best I've seen.

And with 282 reviews, that's saying something.

 

[Psion]

And with 282 reviews, that's saying something.

So we agree it's not quite as good as 3.5 psionics or vancian magic then?

- Psion, Mr. 358, looking over his shoulder for Joe