d20 Rifts - Casting a Deadly Spell

We covered how to gain PPE (aka spell points) in this post. Now we are going to cover how to convert PPE into an actual spell. As a note, I am not planning to actually post any spells. Not only does that cross into serious IP no-no territory, but it's terribly tedious. It was actually the process of writing up and standardizing all the spells that ground this whole project to a halt in the first place.

d20 Rifts - The Source of Magic

Magic works pretty much as described in the Rifts sourcebook. That is, magic infuses the world, and is drawn primarily from the power of life. The surging, teeming forces of life in the ecosphere tend to flow into rivers of energy, known as ley lines. On most worlds, these ley lines are only able to be detected by those very sensitive to magic. On the hyperactive world of Rifts Earth, however, the ley lines are giant rivers of neon blue light, nearly half a mile across and half as tall. Where two ley lines meet, the energy surges together into a nexus. There are about a dozen locations in the Americas where scores of ley lines come together to form a super-nexus.

However, much of this is of only academic interest to the spellcaster. The most important thing to consider, for the purposes of this discussion, is how to convert the magical energy into practical results. To do this, we need to examine where the energy comes from, and the methods of casting it into a spell.

How do you spell?

Magic is a ludicrously tricky topic in RPGs. I've talked about it here before. (Actually, due to some strangeness, I've actually talked about it twice.) I also presented a couple options for my Seven Kingdoms setting, version one and version two, which attempted to mitigate some of the issues I'd brought up previously.

I'm looking at the magic system for my Charovnye d20 game, and I want to make the system evocative but still simple. But, wow, is that difficult.

The Problem with Magic

Magic.

The name, almost literally, conjures up certain images for us. Certain assumptions, certain expectations, and certain dreams. Gandalf and Merlin. Ged and Elric. The enemies of Conan and allies of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser. From Harry Potter to Harry Dresden. Even Old Ben Kenobi plays the part well.

And, yet, RPGs seem to consistently fail to capture the mystique and majesty of magic. It is a list of powers, a bit of extra book-keeping, and a pain in the ass to balance. Why is this? Well, it's very easy to lay the blame at the feet of D&D. (And, admittedly, I tend to more often than I care to admit.) After all, they took one specific archetype that is quite deliberately unusual ("Vancian" magic), and then very deliberately devolved it into a system of rules suitable for miniatures combat. It was then re-evolved, if you will, into a system suitable for a true RPG. Mostly.

7K - Magic of the Seven Kingdoms, Option 2

So, I did mention before that my prior post on magic was version 1. Rather typical fantasy. The second version is a bit different. The biggest difference is that it combines two genres: fantasy and superheroes. One of the big tasks to pulling off that combination is drawing a sharp distinction between magic and super powers. It should be constantly obvious to both players and characters that there is a fundamental difference, not just in execution, but in feel.

In order to really maximize that distinction, there are a few other changes that would need to be made to the setting as well. Look for those towards the end of the post.

Magic in the Seven Kingdoms - Version One

I have been toying with a couple different options for implementing in the Seven Kingdoms campaign setting I've been working on. This is version one. It is closer to a standard load-out for fantasy magic, being reminiscent of both 3e D&D and Rolemaster. However, there are some, well, tweaks, to help it feel closer to a good cinematic magic system.

Why magic in RPGs is unsatisfactory...

Magic.

The name, almost literally, conjures up certain images for us. Certain assumptions, certain expectations, and certain dreams. Gandalf and Merlin. Ged and Elric. The enemies of Conan and allies of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser. From Harry Potter to Harry Dresden. Even Old Ben Kenobi plays the part well.

And, yet, RPGs seem to consistently fail to capture the mystique and majesty of magic. It is a list of powers, a bit of extra book-keeping, and a pain in the ass to balance. Why is this? Well, it's very easy to lay the blame at the feet of D&D. (And, admittedly, I tend to more often than I care to admit.) After all, they took one specific archetype that is quite deliberately unusual ("Vancian" magic), and then very deliberately devolved it into a system of rules suitable for miniatures combat. It was then re-evolved, if you will, into a system suitable for a true RPG. Mostly.