Magic: Rote versus Freeform

[BlueCloud2k2]

Daemon I would have gotten.

 

Eunuchs would have been easier to comprehend too, instead of Eunuch

[Markdoc]

One system that had both spontaneous and rote magic was Runequest.

 

Rote spells (spirit magic or divine magic) was the standard. You still needed to be capable of casting the spell (so no free assembly line magic") but you could safely cast any spell you could learn. Spells were pretty valuable (so people would pay to learn them: there’s a business there) but anyone could have a few spells.

 

 

In game terms, this meant characters bought a multipower (load ‘em up with a few limitations and they become pretty cheap) and each new spell was a slot – which (points-wise) is also dirt cheap. Most spells end up being 1 CP each. You can actually get useful spellcasting for 6-10 real points in that setting, and “domestically useful magic” for much less.

 

 

Additionally the game had Sorcery, which was “sort of” freeform magic. This worked by buying a VPP. You could only put rote spells into it, but you also bought several skills plus Aid which allowed you to modify the spells in your VPP. That was kind of a complicated system to design, but it gave very distinct feel in-game and in play, it actually worked surprisingly well (the complexity is mostly under the hood) although it requires a player who is comfortable with VPPs and modifying powers on the fly. Much more flexible than rote magic, but also requiring a much, much higher investment of points: the difference between an amateur and a professional when it came to magic.

 

 

The system is here http://www.mojobob.com/roleplay/hero/fantasy/hq/index.html if you want some inspiration.

 

 

Cheers, Mark

 

[Steve]

I might approach rote magic as something similar to how martial arts are purchased, in regards to minimum purchases required. A 20 Active Point Multipower with Required INT Roll, Gestures and Incantations as Limitations yields a 10 Real Point investment, then at least 2 slots for 2 additional points instead of requiring a Magic Talent. A total of 12 points for a "dabbler" in rote magic. This would be comparable to learning the minimum of martial arts.

 

True Sorcery talent could then be a VPP with a minimum 10 Point Pool. An actual Magic Skill purchase would allow manipulation and rejiggering spells from their rote form.

[Tom Carman]

Have you read any of Wen Spencer's Elfhome series of novels? In those, anyone can cast a "written" spell: a scribed pattern channeling a magical flow and activated by a trigger word. Metal in the pattern can dangerously distort the effects and you don't want anyone talking while you prepare to cast. The effects are limited by the local magical resources. Healers draw healing spells on injured people in ink. Some warriors have shield spells tattooed on their arms.

 

The domana caste can cast some spells by gesture. They are genetically engineered to link to "spell stones" inscribed with spell patterns and built on powerful magical sites. They use finger positions to select a spell, then speak the trigger word to cast. Since they also draw power from the stones, their spells can be vastly more potent than normal casting.

[Steve]

I haven't read Elfhome, but I'll check them out. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

I'm still considering having rotes be free up to a certain point level, sort of like how guns up to a certain Damage Class can be had by anyone in Dark Champions without buying a Perk for higher-powered weaponry. If I go that way, rotes can be an "equipment" item. However, having a magic Talent of some kind could be used to mitigate magical blowback from failing the INT roll to cast a rote. More powerful rotes would then require some kind of Access Perk to get them. And if you cast them without magic talent, the mishap from miscasting could blow up.

 

Having a skill roll in Magic could allow someone with Talent to modify a rote. Having an actual VPP would replace the Talent. Combined with a Magic skill, spell customization on the fly becomes possible.

[Tom Carman]

I haven't read Elfhome, but I'll check them out. Thanks for the suggestion.

Don't start with Elfhome, it's actually the third in the series. The previous books are Tinker and Wolf Who Rules. There are also some short stories on the Baen Books website and in the Kindle store.

[Killer Shrike]

IIRC Correctly Killer Shrike modeled those who prepared spells as using a VPP and those who spontaneously cast spells (Sorcerer and Bard for example) as buying a separate Multipower for each Level (level 0 was 15 AP, 1 was 30, 2 was 45 AP, etc...) and 6 charges per MP (on top of Gestures, Incantations, RSR, etc)

 

Well....actually, I provided a _bunch_ of magic systems with different pros and cons as examples of things that can be done with the HERO System. The ability to have many very different and mechanically distinct magic systems in a fantasy setting is one of the most compelling advantages of the HERO System and I wanted to fill in that design space.

 

This is the list of magic systems that I did for 5e:

 

http://www.killershrike.com/FantasyHERO/HighFantasyHERO/ShrikeMagicSystems.aspx?=sdhf

 

This (rather dated looking) chart compares and contrasts some of the relative pros and cons:

 

http://www.killershrike.com/FantasyHERO/HighFantasyHERO/shrikeMagicSystemAdvisor.aspx

 

 

I revisited magic systems for the 6e Here There Be Monsters urban fantasy setting; I streamlined some of the older 5e systems and added some new ones; they are linked to within this document here:

 

http://www.killershrike.com/HereThereBeMonsters/Origin_Mystic.aspx

 

As for "spontaneous" casting, the "Spellbinders" aka practitioners of Ars Mercuria have the ability to channel raw magic spontaneously, and even more viscerally "Invokers" have a raw form of open ended casting based on a dirt simple Xd6 vs Target Number mechanic...however there is a penalty for failure in both systems.

 

Occultists are somewhat spontaneous, within a narrow range of a "mystical gift" and lack the mystical chanting and ritual and so forth...their magic is personal and a function of will and captial-T "Talent".

 

Spellbinders: http://www.killershrike.com/HereThereBeMonsters/Mystic_Spellbinders.aspx

 

Invokers: http://www.killershrike.com/HereThereBeMonsters/Mystic_Sorcerer_Invokers.aspx

 

Invocation: http://www.killershrike.com/HereThereBeMonsters/Paradigm_Invocation.aspx

 

Occultists: http://www.killershrike.com/HereThereBeMonsters/Mystic_Occultists.aspx

 

Lars Kenning is an example Spellbinder

http://www.killershrike.com/HereThereBeMonsters/Characters/Lars%20Kenning.HTML

 

Piper Smith is an example Invoker

http://www.killershrike.com/HereThereBeMonsters/Characters/Piper%20Smith.HTML

 

Brianna Blake is an example Occultist

http://www.killershrike.com/HereThereBeMonsters/Characters/Briana%20Blake.HTML

[phydaux]

Rote magic equals multipower. freeform equals VPP.

 

Pretty simple. multipower magic systems can be game-breakingly cheap when configured correctly.

 

(A 30pt multipower pool with -2 in limitations only cost 10pts with each fixed slot costing a single point each, so for a mere 20 points a character could have a 30pt pool with 10 spells known, and it would only cost 1 point to add a new spell)

 

"Rote magic equals multipower. freeform equals VPP"

 

Agreed

 

"multipower magic systems can be game-breakingly cheap when configured correctly"

 

Depends on starting points level.  In a 100+50 campaign 20 points is a decent chunk of character points for someone who isn't going to be a "full time" magic user.