I been thinking about it, we as GMs need to be discerning about magic
The very first rule I personally fall onto as GM
“Look at your party. The kind of characters they play will ultimately shape the game world”
If a Wizard is in play, Magical and Arcane elements Will come into play
But magic is really affected on the tone and style of the game almost as much as settings and monsters
So I say if you want magic to not break your game, ask some of these questions…
-How tolerated is magic by the population?
-How in depth should the study and process of magic be?
-How difficult is it to use magic?
-What new spells outside the book can they discover?
-Who or What is perfectly attuned to magic if anyone?
-What behaviors make magic unique? (ex. formed from fairy spirits)
-What opposition focuses on magic?
If nothing else, look towards a literature or media source, and encourage the style wether Magic is tough but high reward or Magic is as simple as a snap of a finger… make it fit the tone and tyle of your game just like anything else. And Create new spells that fit in
Yup! Ask lots of questions to generate fiction. What does using magic look like? How are elves different than any other race? What happens to your clothes when you shape shift? etc.
Could not agree more and neither could my Wizard actually. Magic can only make sense if it is rare and hard to master, or else swords & armor wouldn’t really make sense.
Unless, of course, those swords and armor are magic too. 😝
Sir Savage I feel let down in so many games (Dark souls, Dragon Quest and other good video games) where you encounter an enemy with magic and the go “meh”.
I love Ritual and feel it’s a good catch all for custom magic effects, but you need to give magic it’s own lifestyle, just like deities need defining qualities and outlook on mortals.
You don’t even need to use Ritual or make your own custom spell. My favorite variation is that every chant for magic is an extremely elaborate word whose true length spans hours, days, months or even years to pronounce in full. Mortal minds are simply not capable of absorbing the precise accuracy in linguistics to even come close to achieving true attunement to magic. Only a minor portion of the word needs correct pronunciation to release a mighty spell.
Samuel Bogumill “every chant for magic is an extremely elaborate word whose true length spans hours, days, months or even years to pronounce in full.”
YES! That is a cool idea I will be sure to share with my wizard player.
We all already agree that all spells and rituals need to be described in detail to be cast. They have come up with some pretty neat stuff for making their magics.