Originally as I worked on my fantasy RPG (Rougish) I had wanted magic tied to race. Then as I tried to make it simpler and class based, I went to breaking magic down by school: healing, nature, etc. Honestly I do not like it and it is part of what's made the game drag on in development. So while I was mowing the lawn yesterday I thought a lot about the magic system...and I think I am going to back to each race having a spell book of sorts.
Culturally it makes sense. There are many things known by locals that an outsider will have no knowledge of, and I like thinking that knowledge of magic would be an extremely guarded secret by the various races. So an elf able to bring vines and branches to life would be quite magical to a dwarf...and an application that your average dwarf would have no use for. Stone skin makes a lot of sense as a learned magic for a dwarf battling goblins in the tunnels of its home, but that kind of spell knowledge would not be developed or handy for a human who sails amongst the islands kingdoms of Harkuun. One might say, throw them all up and let the player sort it out as part of their background, and clearly, players could do just that. I think it gives the game a bit more flavor, almost in the B/X race as class manner. The work continues...
2 comments:
that is reasonable approach, Fenway
and makes character race important, besides a stat modifier.
Make sure there is a significant amount of GENERAL/ common spells usuable by anyone such as
magic missile, shield, knock, etc . . .
Agreed, there needs to be a common pool of spells to draw from for any race. The sorts of things all races would have learned like healing, dark vision, light, and shield. There would also be race spells though unique to each. Learning additional spells would not be a simple raise a level get a spell affair though. All future spells must be found, purchased, or traded. Knowledge is power and knowledge of magic is very powerful indeed.
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