Writing a ttRPG - Wyverns & Warrens (Pt 9 - A Framework for Magic) (Patreon)

I'm designing Wyverns & Warrens (WyvWar), an effort at a short, easy-to-learn, easy-to-play, fast-playing fantasy ttRPG that still has a depth of options. And I am doing that in weekly installments, exclusively for my paying Patrons!

(And by "weekly" I mean I try REALLY hard to do one every week. It's been about a month since my last such article, thanks to the first Flu I've had in 5 years which dropped me like a drunk squirrel trying to jump between branches, followed immediately by a death in the family. I HOPE we're back to weekly releases now... but we'll see.)

You can check out the earlier articles at the links below.

First Look - Wyverns & Warrens Fantasy ttRPGPreview 01 - When Are Hit Points Not Hit Points?Preview 02 - Paths & EdgesPt. 1 Writing and RPG (How We Got Here)Pt 2. First Outline DraftPt. 3 - Core Mechanic, Attacks, and DamagePt. 4 - Target NumbersPt. 5 - Damage and BenchmarksPt. 6 - Time, Space, Scale, Distance, Movement, and RangePt. 7 - What Defines A Character, First Draft: AttributesPt. 8 - Hero McHeroFace

So, having taken a stab at a lot of the basic elements of a ttRPG, I need to decide how I am going to handle magic... and there are a LOT of options here.

At one extreme, I can define every spell any character or creature can do, and disallow anything not written up in such a manner. That could well go with what is often called "Vancian" magic (due to the inspiration of magic that prepares a single spell that is 'forgotten' when cast once coming from the Dying Earth novels of Jack Vance), but could be tied to a skill use or spell point system instead (see the LONG out of print Wheel of Time Roleplaying Game for a great example of a framework where set spells do not feeling at all Vancian in play). On the other extreme, I could simply have spells be able to do the same things combat and skills can, but with spell points allowing some kind of multiple (for example, using Spell Points to quadruple the speed at which Might-attribute tasks can be performed, with x16, x64, and x256 speed being possible by expending 2, 3, or 4 spell points, respectively.)

Those are both perfectly valid ideas for magic systems... but neither feels right to me for WyvWar. I want magic to be something you can dable in, master, or specialize in. I want it to be different from, but in terms of impact-per-encounter balanced with, nonmagic options. I want a "wizard" to be able to use some magic all the time, and more magic some of the time, and never be more likely than any other character to end an entire encounter in one action no matter how much resource they are willing to spend.

You know, narratively, game mechanically, and fun-potentially the perfect unicorn of any game system's magic rules. For now, I'll call this the Magic Realms framework.

This framework starts with the character-making principle that every character has access to three Paths. (These have much the same function as character classes (or occupations or roles) in other games, except you get 3 of them. And yeah, Gestalt has already employed a character design framework similar to this. I'm not going to avoid an idea that works well for my goals just because someone else has already done it. Besides, I think Gestalt is a fascinating game that folks should pick up and look at.) One of the Paths is going to be Mage, which is the primary spell-using character choice. The Mage gets one Realms of Magic at character creation, and gains others as Path Edges (though picking up more than one extra Magic Realm at 1st level may get expensive). I envision typical Magic Realms including Air, Charm, Death, Earth, Fire, Healing, Ice, Illusion, Shadow, Summoning, and Water. My current plan is that other Paths grant lesser or slower access to Magic Realms include the Fated, Scholar, and Pact Caster. (In fact, I plan for the Pact Caster to give you talents and spells WITHOUT granting you Magic Realms, but that's a down-the-road design question).

For each Magic Realm a character knows, they gain one knack and one talent from that Realm. A knack is a very minor thing you can do at will, but that normally lacks the power to affect an encounter. The Air Realm knack can create a slight, local, cool breeze. You can use it to slowly dry wet clothes, or gently brush dust off a surface. The Charm Realm knack impacts someone's attitude towards you about as much as a winning smile. The Death Realm knack lets you know with a touch if something is living, dead, or undead. The Earth Realm knack allows you dig as well as you could with a good shovel.

A talent is something potent enough to be useful in an encounter that you can do all the time without expending resources or tiring yourself. I'd like each Magic Realm to have 3-4 talents to choose from, but that may have to wait for expansions based on page count, complexity, or time constraints. The Fire Realm talents will at minimum include a Fire Bolt attack as a talent, and might also have resistance to fire, a retributive fire shield, and the ability to add fire damage to a weapon (yours or an ally's).

A Mage also gets one or more spells selected from their Magic Realms. Spells always require Power Points (which all characters get a few of, regardless of Path, though some Paths grant more than others), and may require Combat Points (the resource you can spend to make your missed attacks hit, and successful attacks against you fail) for a bigger effect. For example, while the Fire Bolt talent has a fairly short range and does modest damage, the Fire Lance spell has a better range and damage, but requires you to spend a Power Point to cast it (which limits how often you can do so). Fire Lance also has the Fire Cavalry spell, which covers a wide area, has long range, and requires both 2 Power Points and 4 Combat Points to cast. It's a noteworthy investment of resources, but allows you to do more damage (as if hitting every foe with a heavy weapon), to more foes further away. Using Combat Points on spells gives you fewer to use to make basic attacks deal damage when you'd normally miss, or make attacks against you deal no damage when they hit you, so it's a tactical choice.

I envision talents and Spells as being able to be used with any Magic Realm you know. So while you gain Fire Lance as a Spell from the Fire Realm, you can also use it with the Earth Realm to do an Earth Lance. Each time you pick up a new Spell, you gain its format (range, accuracy, area, duration, and so on) and can apply the effect of any of your Magic Realms to that spell. If you can create a Blast of Wind as a talent from the Air Realm, then picking up the Water Realm means you can instead do a Blast of Water. Obviously, this is going to take some careful keyword-format-definition work as part of the core rules, but my plan is for most spellcasters to find gaining new Magic Reals benefits them even if they don't pick up any new spells, as their existing talents and spells will have new options. For example, each Magic Realm may have a short section describing how its type of damage different from other types, so the GM and players all know the difference between an Air Blast, Fire Blast, Healing Blast, Summoning Blast, and so on.

(So, what DOES a 'death lash' look like? Kinda like this! Art © Dean Spencer, used under license.)

The idea behind this is overall framework is for spellcasters to be using the same resources to acquire and use their magic effects that noncasters have for their own abilities. A character with the Berserker and Solider paths has no talents or spells, but they do have powers that require Power Points, and can use Combat Points of maneuvers and to more often have failed attacks do damage anyway, and force foes to miss them. The Berserker/Solider can't do the magic things a Mage/Pact Caster does, but can do their own things granted by the class and selected Path and Universal Edges.

There are lots of things I might change about the Magic Realms framework. I might get rid of Spells, and just have talents do one level of thing at will, a more effective thing with Power Points, and an even MORE effective thing with Power Points and Combat Points. I might get rid of Power Points entirely, and just have one Combat Point pool (which I could call something else). I might add some "default to a skill" options for variable abilities built off Magic Realms, and/or create a "Power Stunt" system where a character can attempt anything the GM thinks is reasonable by expending Power Points... but if I want to do that, I likely want to make it a universal rule, so a Berserker can use it to pick up a table4 and hurl it against 4 foes just as easily as a Mage can use it to burn the ropes off of 4 prisoners without harming the prisoners.

But any of those changes and additions can be considered as the core rule under this framework are built. For now, i have enough to start.

And that's the theme for next week.

Next Week: Enough to Start Writing