Neither one is a system I'm proposing.FrankTrollman wrote:At this point there are two different, plausible, and completely incompatible plans on the table:K wrote:The DnD iconic trope of "magic is a technology that anyone can use" has got to go.
- Chakras: Every character gets slots and they can prepare magic powers into them. Wizards need tomes, orbs, or dragon shards to prepare the more powerful "spells" into their slots. Fighters need fire swords and shadow cloaks to prepare the more powerful "exploits" into their slots. Everyone is essentially a Wizard and has to buy or loot equipment to successfully use their high end magic.
- Transformation: Low level magic characters run around with magic that is unreliable and/or limited in scope and there are other characters who straight up don't have any magic. And they get to play the same game because the magic characters are still in the action-hero motif and haven't left the sword heroes in the dust. And when the magic PCs graduate to pulling epic shit, the sword heroes graduate into being angel knights and vampire lords that get enough magic stapled onto their warrior chassis that they can still compete in that environment.
It works like this:
You have levels. Each level gets you higher level slots to put abilities into. If you choose a "magic" ability, you pay a thematic cost. Get enough abilities of one type and you get a "class" and some flavor abilities.
That thematic cost is some magical thing that lets you do magic. Maybe its a sword that your father brought back from the war with the shades. Maybe you are the bhaalspawn of Bhaal the Lord of Murder. Maybe you were anointed in a nymph's pool. Maybe you studied a magical tradition. Whatever.
Sample: Jax and Tomas are both interested in playing warrior types. They choose some fighting abilities, and both choose enough to qualify for Warrior.
However, both are interested in the magic ability Flame Wave.
Jax decides that he has the blood of dragons flowing in his veins after he drank dragon blood at the Battle of Falling Tears. He picks the trait Dragon-tainted and gets the ability to talk to dragons but he becomes a strict carnivore (this is a Trait, a minor flavor alteration to your character).
Tomas decides that his adventures started when he stole a Flame Ring. this item makes you vulnerable to cold and resistant to fire (this is one of his starting magic items).
Jax casts Flame Wave from his mouth like a dragon, and Tomas from his Flame Ring.
Several levels later, both have gained a pile of slots. Jax has chosen more magic abilities, so he now qualifies for Wizard as well as Warrior and he can cast use magic with material components (a benefit of Wizard which gives the ability to modify the magic).
Tomas has chosen mostly martial abilities so he could qualify for Pit Fighter, but he did chose a few more fire magics. He casts them out of his Flame Ring.
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And that's it. The thematic cost you pay can seriously be a thing you start your character with.
Here are some ideas:
-a magic item.
-some heritage
-an NPC who follows you around to use the ability, and otherwise stays out of the fray. Think of every character in Inuyasha that is not Inuyasha or a BBEG.
-study of a magical tradition
-some investment of power from a supernatural
-monster organ grafted onto you.
Each thematic cost has minor flavor abilities and penalties associated with it, and opens up different kinds of magic.
This means that sometimes people will want to pick up several magic items because maybe they want to use a [Fire] power, an [Illusion] power, and a [Astra] power. Maybe you go fight some Crystal Mages and really like the idea of Astral Fires so you take their Dream Robes (which are [Astral], and keep you from needing to sleep) so you can use the power.
Maybe they will mix and match. Shen the Healer follows Tomas around to provide Healing Touch, and Tomas has a Ring of Fire for Flame Wave and a demon hand grafted onto his for Fist of Doom.
The idea is that this stuff is all around you all the time, so there is no need for a magic item economy or planning out wealth by level or shopping mechanics or anything. Some can be literally handwaved (a henchman show up to offer his services, or you find out your mom was a roper) and others can be part of adventures (you decide to drink the blood of the vampire lord you just killed so you can take Undead abilities).