Racial Restrictions on magic builds

[Funksaw]

Anyone ever done a build where each race had a different type of magical edge. Specifically something along the lines that only Elves could do the on-the-fly casting, only Dwarves could do magic items, only Gnomes could do technological items, etc. ?

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Racial Restrictions on magic builds

 

I've never done it, mostly because it makes no sense to me.

 

I could see certain races developing certain styles, sure, but there's no reason I can think of that another race couldn't learn such a technique if given the opportunity.

[Curufea]

Re: Racial Restrictions on magic builds

 

I do. Some of my races are more magical than others.

In general Elves get metamagic and VPPs

Dwarves are better at enchantment because they are essentially stone golems and they reproduce through enchanting rock.

 

On the other hand, the races that are more magical are also more susceptible to magical weather. Sucking the mana out of an area with a huge spell will cause sickness, headaches and so forth to races that are more magical.

[Markdoc]

Re: Racial Restrictions on magic builds

 

I have. The "færie races" can cast magic without many of the limitations required on human spell casters. It makes them highly magical beings. To balance that off, they have a susceptibility to iron or to sunlight - both burn them and wounds caused by iron weapons tend to be extra nasty, while sunlight also blinds the sunlight-sensitive types.

 

In general, Færies don't make good PCs (although I did have one a while back, who died of an iron overdose) - but I have considered running a game where *all* the PCs were færies of various sorts: that could be kind of fun.

 

cheers, Mark

[Lucius]

Re: Racial Restrictions on magic builds

 

Well, there is a distinction between a style of magick that may be culturally developed, and something that's innate to a species because of their nature.

 

Although the two can overlap; a Human school of magick is more likely to have spells for creating light and fire than an Elvish one, just to compensate for the Humans' relative weakness when it comes to seeing in the dark.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary explains that it's also entirely possible to have inborn talents that one must learn to use or can learn to use better....

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Racial Restrictions on magic builds

 

I have. The "færie races" can cast magic without many of the limitations required on human spell casters. It makes them highly magical beings. To balance that off, they have a susceptibility to iron or to sunlight - both burn them and wounds caused by iron weapons tend to be extra nasty, while sunlight also blinds the sunlight-sensitive types.

 

I do this too.

[Cantriped]

Re: Racial Restrictions on magic builds

 

I've done it in a round about fashion, Thematiclly all my racial groups still follow the same required, but mechanically some have workarounds.

Humans have to draw symbols or otherwise have them present as a foci to cast a spell, and it hard for humans so they have to make a skill roll to cast.

Fey follow all the same restrictions as humans except no skill roll, and they are limited in the types of spells they can use.

Demons, and demonicly influence magic is the most easy to do, as Demons are basicly just consious "cosmic VPP"s with the sfx of being [physicaly] nothing more then a large red gem. they can warp reality at a whim, but have to put limitations like Extra Time and Gradual effect on their magic to represent that demons while the most openended can't do anything fast. They use the same kind of patterns that human and fey casting does, but in their case its an inate process that occurs within the gem.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Racial Restrictions on magic builds

 

In my San'Dora setting only those of Haelfinan (Elf, basically) decent can use the Aeldenaren Magic System, and there are "gifts" only available to those of pure blood.

 

http://www.killershrike.com/SanDora/SanDoraInhabitants_Haelfinan_Characters.shtml

 

Similarly, only those of Aranashi descent can use the Adeptology Magic Systems (Thanomancy, Volomancy, and Urzadrek)

 

http://www.killershrike.com/SanDora/SanDoraInhabitants_Human_Aranashi_Undari_Characters.shtml

[Kortay Mirlor]

Re: Racial Restrictions on magic builds

 

I am SOOOOO stealing ideas from here.

 

There JUST what I need for my campaign!

[prodigyduck]

Re: Racial Restrictions on magic builds

 

In my campaigns, all arcane magic works on the same principals. Some races are good at using it, while others are not.

 

For instance, Dwarves in my campaigns who want to be arcane spellcasters are forced to take an Advantage on all their spells: Magic Dyslexia (+1/2). This is used to represent that magic is harder for dwarves to use; by making it more expensive for a dwarf to buy their spells.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Racial Restrictions on magic builds

 

+1/2 is pretty extreme, IMO, as well as being extremely variable based upon the Active Points and other advantages in use. It also means that the power disparity is exacerbated by gaining experience and spending more points on Magic rather than overcome.

 

Seems like a flat cost, such as a special Talent, would be more fair.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Racial Restrictions on magic builds

 

+1/2 is pretty extreme, IMO, as well as being extremely variable based upon the Active Points and other advantages in use. It also means that the power disparity is exacerbated by gaining experience and spending more points on Magic rather than overcome.

 

Seems like a flat cost, such as a special Talent, would be more fair.

 

There's also something weird, to me, for making someone pay more points to be *bad* at something than good. I'd make whatever the magically-gifted race is pay for the magic, rather than the magically-inept, were I so inclined.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Racial Restrictions on magic builds

 

There's also something weird' date=' to me, for making someone pay more points to be *bad* at something than good. I'd make whatever the magically-gifted race is pay for the magic, rather than the magically-inept, were I so inclined.[/quote']

 

Yeah, thats how the Magic Systems I linked to in a previous post work -- those that can use the magic must buy access Talents to do so.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Racial Restrictions on magic builds

 

There's also something weird' date=' to me, for making someone pay more points to be *bad* at something than good. I'd make whatever the magically-gifted race is pay for the magic, rather than the magically-inept, were I so inclined.[/quote']

 

Yeah' date=' thats how the Magic Systems I linked to in a previous post work -- those that can use the magic must buy access Talents to do so.[/quote']

 

In my San'Dora setting only those of Haelfinan (Elf, basically) decent can use the Aeldenaren Magic System, and there are "gifts" only available to those of pure blood.

 

http://www.killershrike.com/SanDora/SanDoraInhabitants_Haelfinan_Characters.shtml

 

Similarly, only those of Aranashi descent can use the Adeptology Magic Systems (Thanomancy, Volomancy, and Urzadrek)

 

http://www.killershrike.com/SanDora/SanDoraInhabitants_Human_Aranashi_Undari_Characters.shtml

 

 

Testing new multiquote functionality....

[Lethosos]

Re: Racial Restrictions on magic builds

 

In the Eight Sages world, each one of the eight races have an enhanced "chi" effect based on one of the eight energies that infused the very land. In terms of magic-casting, aside from their inherent minor ability, they have a minor bonus to that particular school of chi magery--Dragon-kin would be better at Fire-oriented spells, f'instance. I set this as basically an extra +2 to the Spell skill roll, in an inherent talent. (PCs can have another "chi talent," as a wierd quirk of being birthed in a particularly heavy chi-flow different than their own inherent chi, but this is rare overall.)