How to Simulate the Black Company magic system?

[Acid_Crash]

Okay...I just got the Black Company setting book and I really dig it, and plan on using much of it for my own mercenary game in a somewhat fantasy-high tech fantasy world. My favorite part of Black Company is the magic system. I had planned on using the BC book for the game, till I got the HERO 5ER book, and now I want to run it using HERO.

 

The Magic system in BC is like this: Wizards gain a spell. The spell has a base description for base ability. The wizard, through the use of augmentations, can willingly increase the power of the spell but at the same time requiring a much higher Magic Use skill check to cast the spell. The only limit is Spell Energy used and skill ranks.

 

Different spells are categorized by Magnitude, which is the basic spell's power. The different Magnitudes in BC are: Dabbler, Student of Wizardry, First Magnitude, Second Magnitude, Third Magnitude, and Fourth Magnitude.

 

In BC, there are 46 spells. The most common augmentations are: Targets, Area/Range, Damage, Props, and Duration. Most spells begin by affecting one target, have a close range, do minimum damage, require at least speaking or moving hands, and have a duration of instant or 1 round.

 

Targets allows you to affect more than one person.

Area/Range increases the radius or range of the spell.

Damage increases the damage done.

Props includes adding in more gestures, incantations, or speaking when some spells don't require them.

Duration increases the duration of the spell.

 

All but Props increases the final DC to cast the spell, and increases the amount of spell energy used in the casting.

Props decreases the DC.

 

The one thing this spell system also incorporates is a Drain system, where each time a spell is cast, regardless of success or not, the caster suffers temporary Drain (in BC, this is nonlethal damage, so I guess in HERO this would be Stun damage).

 

Each spell is like this, has these options, and the caster can customize at the time of casting how he wants his spell to perform.

 

There are also more advanced properties of the spell system, including the blending of spells into a more powerful single spell. One example in the book is including the spells Destroy, Fear, and Water Talent to create a Mist cloud that causes fear and destroys the persons body as they enter the fog.

 

One of my thoughts on this was to make each spell its own VPP and have an Active Point cap based on the level of Wizard knowledge the character is, which would be from Dabbler to Fourth Magnitude.

 

That's as far as I got, because whenever I think of including the possible augmentations, and they are optional and not required during the casting, how would you work those into the individual spells. This is NOT a spell system where a person just purchases individual spell variants because of how free-form it is for the caster. The caster chooses what aspects, how powerful, etc, AT THE TIME OF CASTING. This is one type of spell system that I do find hard to simulate using HERO System.

 

Can anybody help on this, please?

[Captain Obvious]

Re: How to Simulate the Black Company magic system?

 

At first glance, and without crunching any of the numbers or doing any close study of the interworkings of the mechanics, I would say that you could set up a system of spells (all of which have Gestures, Incantations, Requires Skill Roll, probably some Range Limitation, probably some Duration Limitation), and a system of augmentations (Naked Advantages or Aid powers) that can be added but add in to the final RSR penalty. Props should perhaps be a complimentary skill roll, which takes a Full Phase to enact (this would be more of a setting-specific rule than a use of Powers).

 

So, you might have a generic Fire Blast spell that does 4d6 normal damage to one target and at a range of no more than 10 hexes. Using the Range augmentation would allow you to eliminate the 10 hex range limit (allowing it to extend to the full 20 hexes allowed by the standard Hero power Energy Blast). The Range augmentation level II would give the Increased Maximum Range advantage. Area augmentation would allow the Area Effect advantage. Each level of damage augmentation would allow an extra 2d6 damage. Throw a few of each on the original Fire Blast spell, and you have a city-wide holocaust.

 

Of course, the mechanics of all this would have to be worked out and balanced with the whole magic system in mind. Someone else may come along with some refinements or better system altogether, but this hopefully gives you a few ideas for how to work it all out.

[Eosin]

Re: How to Simulate the Black Company magic system?

 

The first thing that I think of is the non-leathal "drain" - in Hero this would be personal END not Stun.

 

Second, I agree with CO that it might be best to set up each of the 46 spells and then work up all of the augments as naked advantages. Establish a Skill Roll penalty for each augment and factor that into the final roll.

 

FREX:

SPELL: Missle of Death 2d6 RKA (30 AP)

 

AUGMENTS

Targets 1: Accurate - NAKED ADVANTAGE - AOE 1 hex (22 AP = -2 to skill roll)

Targets 2: Multiple opponents - NAKED ADV - Autofire (30 AP = -3 to skill roll)

 

Now the cost to the player is going to be insane in terms of points invested. I will give it a little more thought and get back.

[Markdoc]

Re: How to Simulate the Black Company magic system?

 

Two answers:

 

#1. Simple version. Use a VPP with "only known powers" and "skill roll to change" and the size of the VPP based on magnitude. Simple and also covers the blending of spells as "linked" powers

 

#2. More complex. Still based on VPP, but much more affordable - see my Ruequest sorcery conversion.

 

http://www.geocities.com/markdoc.geo/Gaming_stuff/Runequest/heroquest.htm

 

With a little tweaking, it should give you exactly what you want.

 

cheers, Mark

[Jhereg]

Re: How to Simulate the Black Company magic system?

 

This magic system sounds like a good candidate for the optional magic system from FH, in which the mages simply buy spells as skills instead of powers. Mages have a Skill for each specific spell (i.e. Fire Blast 16-, Spell of Protection 12-), and does not have to pay for the Power of the spell. As GM you’d still have to build the spells, but the players won’t have to deal with it.

 

With this method, the more a character wants to augment, the more difficult the Skill Roll. It’s difficult for regular HERO GMs to accept (Not paying for powers? Blasphemy!). I discounted it for a while, but lately I’ve been intrigued by the concept. I’ve started putting together a Mage-centered campaign in this fashion, but it’s not anywhere near ready for play yet. It’s unconventional, but it’s more of a free-wheelin’ ‘wahoo’ magic system. And as long as the PC’s are all magic-users, you should be able to avoid any balance issues.