Toned down spell system

[Jaeger]

This spell system is just a modification of the existing one. it is intended to be a toned town or throttled back version to reduce the ridiculous power levels of beginning sorcerers.

It is made to make ageing something to really be feared and to get rid of some of the more fanciful types of spells such as air shields and roving eyes.

I really want to try and adhere to the rule that you can't make something from nothing and I have changed a lot of vagaries around to try and reflect that. The sorcerer definately can't do as much as he could before...

But I feel this Modification may need some final tweaking, so any suggestions are welcome.

And yes, in case anyone asks, I stole a lot of other peoples ideas and stuff from other posts. So if it looks like I stole your ideas, I did.

Less powerful spell system:

Target Numbers

Target(s): This represents the number of targets, rather than the type. It
is used most especially when you are trying to avoid using an area of effect that could effect allies and foes equally.

1.       Self
2.       Other (one target outside yourself)
3.       Three (3)  
4.       Handful (around 5 or 6)
5.       Dozen (around 12)

Range:
0.       Self
1.       Touch
2.       Reach (around the distance of the longest of melee weapons)
3.       Distance (the distance a man could run in several seconds; the range of a thrown rock/dagger, etc)
4.       Range (Bow shot distance, line of sight, etc)
5.       Any Distance (some taretting method, such as scrying or an arcane connection is required; an arcane connection could be a hair from the person, or nail clipplings, or their True Name in game worlds were True Names are used)

Duration: durations longer than months are possible, but special circumstances
0.       Instantaneous
1.       1 minute
2.       ½ Hour
3.        1 Hour
4.       ½ Day
5.       1 Day


Volume(in radius): Volume and Targets are Mutually Exclusive.
0.       Self
1.       1 yard / 20lbs / 3 gal
2.       10 yard / 200lbs / 30 gal
3.       25 yards / 700lbs / 100 gal
4.       50 yards / 1400lbs / 200 gal
5.       100 yards / 2000lbs / 300 gal


3 Spheres of Magic:

Temporal:

Grow / Mature
1: Target matures as if 1 Month had passed
2: Target matures as if 6 Months had passed
3: Target matures as if 1 Year had passed
4: Target matures as if 5 Years had passed
5: Target matures as if 1 Decade had passed

The key word is: as if. As magic cannot alter age the effect only hold for the length of the duration of the spell, unless it is made permanent.

Movement
1: 20 mph / 30fps / 10yd/s
2: 40 mph / 60fps / 20yd/s
3: 80 mph / 120fps / 40yd/s
4: 160 mph / 240fps / 80yd/s
5: 300 mph / 450fps / 150yd/s

Move stuff in any direction as fast as you can make it go. Acceleration/Deceleration is 1/10th of the desired speed.

Shape:
1: Alter length / width
2: Form basic geometric shapes (squares triangles)
3: Form complex polygons
4: Split / attach like matter
5: Replication – requires similar matter

For split/attach you can combine two pieces of wood to make one big piece etc. For replication you need enough matter of similar composition to make the replica of the target.

Manipulate/Cause Natural occurrences:
1: Fog / Mist
2: Clouds
3: Rain / Snow
4: Storm rain / snow
5: Storm lightening / hail

To form these natural phenomenons the necessary ingredients must be present in the area. EX: No snowstorms in the desert.

Mental:

Telepathy:
1: Sense Emotions
2: Read surface thoughts
3: Sense needs and desires
4: Recent memories
5: Any memory

Repression:
1: Forget recent thought   "where did I put my keys?"
2: Forget recent occurrence up to 1 day – may remember as déjà vu   "I saw him some where before."
3: Forget 1 piece of information of a single event   "He wasn't at the party."
4: All information associated with a specific person, place, or event    "What party?"
5: Clear any / all memories    "Who am I?"  

Control:
1: Get target to perform a not immediately harmful to target Reflex action
2: Get target to perform a not immediately harmful to target Simple action
3: Get target to perform a not immediately harmful to target Simple task
4: As 1-3 but harmful
5: Complex tasks and actions

A simple action is like turning around or walking the other way. A simple task would be to fetch and carry an object somewhere. Complex tasks are anything you want the target to do. The target will remember His/Her actions after the spell wears off. Spell duration must be sufficient for target to perform the required action.

Illusion:
1: A Shadowy / vague image     "What was that?"
2: A few details / looks blurry   "I thought I saw a someone"
3: Recognizable but lacks sincerity   "Stop that man!"
4: Recognizable and sincere   "Is that bob?"
5: Perfectly simulates reality    "Hey Bob, how're you doing?"

Illusion is merely what the target thinks they see. Illusions take the form of personal hallucinations and are not visible to any but the target(s).

Spiritual:

Divination:
1: See Days into the future / view an event within 1 mile
2: See Weeks into the future / view an event within 50 miles
3: See Months into the future / view an event within 100 miles
4: See Years into the future / view an event within 1000 miles
5:  See events as far as the casters lifetime / view any even in the world

When viewing future events the caster sees them as snapshots in time of future events or possible future events, at GM discretion. To remotely view an event the caster must have a link to the event to be viewed, like a splinter from a table in a room he wants to look into. To view a specific person you must have something from that person's body; toenail clippings and hairs being most popular. All viewpoints are stationary and non-mobile, if they move out of view during the spell, they move out of view.

Summon:
1: A lesser spirit  (burnt offering)/ 1x draw in SP / 1month ageing
2: A greater Spirit  (small animal sacrifice)/ 2x draw in SP / 2 months ageing
3: A Minor demon (big animal sacrifice)/ 3x draw in SP / 3months ageing
4: A major demon (big multiple animal sacrifice) / 4x draw in SP / 4 months ageing
5: A devil  (Human sacrifice) / 5x draw in SP / 5months ageing

Ageing costs are in addition to any months gained during a failed ageing resistance roll.

Banish:
1: A lesser spirit / novice level spell
2: A greater Spirit / acolyte level spell
3: A Minor demon / apprentice level spell
4: A major demon / adept level spell
5: A devil               / master level spell

Imprison:
1: A lesser spirit: cost by spirit / novice level spell: 1 SP die
2: A greater Spirit:  cost by spirit / acolyte level spell: 2 SP dice
3: A Minor demon: 10 SA cost / apprentice level spell: 3 SP dice
4: A major demon: 20 SA cost / adept level spell: 4 SP dice
5: A devil: 30 SA cost  / master level spell: 5 SP dice

LIMITS OF MAGIC
-You cannot create something out of nothing
-You may not turn something into nothing
-Time may not be altered
-If you cannot see your target then you may not cast a spell on it – this is why people used to burn their hair and toenail clippings
-Magic is not scientific but it must be logical: 1+1=2. When vagaries are combined the end effect must be a logical result of the combination

Casting CTN changes:

Knock out TN = 3 + # of moths aged

Ignore table 6.8

Other Alterations:

There are these stats:
ART = Wit + MA divided by 2
POWER = Wit + WP divided by 2
DRAW = ART + POWER divided by 4
SORCERY POOL = ART + POWER
ART is used to resist magic when possible

If two spells are cast, by two Sorcerers at each other simultaneously then you roll a contest of ART to see which spell is cast first at TN 6

Spells of one= SP
Spells of 3 = SP + ART
Spells of many = SP + ART + POWER

Table 6.6 is the same (for now)

DAMAGE:

Damage is equal to the combined vagary levels of the spell under the spell casting target numbers in table 6.6. Plus the number of casting successes

Formalized spells:

At PC creation you may have any number of formalized spells equal to your ART attribute.

ALL sorcerers have the disadvantages of gestures and verbalization.

Fey sorcerers only have the gestures disadvantage.

Regaining SP:

1 SP per hour – if resting

1 SP per hour if meditating/sleeping

If you are not resting or otherwise in a calm state of being to draw magic to you then SP is not replentished.

For spells of many/ritual spells the caster must make a successful symbol drawing skill check to draw the right symbols. If failed you drew the wrong symbols of power and the spell proceeds as normal but fails at the last moment and the caster takes full ageing effects of all vagaries and CTN modifiers added together.

To formalize a ritual spell the make arcane theory and ritual magic skill checks

To formalize a spell of one the make an arcane theory skill check

NEW TABLE 6.8
Noisy environment:   +1 CTN
Loud distraction:  + 2
Someone tries to interrupt you: + 3
Wounded / Interrupted : see effects for failed symbol drawing skill check

No bonuses are given for Ritual Spells: gestures and verbalization are disadvantages, and it is assumed you will be meditating and drawing symbols.

6.6 spell casting modifiers... stays the same for now...

[Jaeger]

Anybody...???

[Edge]

Yeah looks like it achieves what you wanted it to do and that is tone down the magic a bit... I initially thought that would be a good idea though the original magic system has grown on me the last couple of days :)

[Jaeger]

A few things I want to clear up - and I'm not talking about the typos...

 When creating a new sorcerous PC you do not spend your vagary points among the three spheres of magic. You spend them among the twelve vagaries contained in the three spheres of magic.

This slows sorcerous development down... instead of nine vagaries with a max of three levels, you have twelve with five levels each. My intention was to keep a beginning PC from being a master of more than 1 vagary.

 Also it was my intention that for summoning the Spirit/demon would obey the sorcerers commands as long as the spell duration, but then he is free and may be a little upset at the caster.

My intention was to try and let the three spheres of magic stand alone from one another so that a PC could specialize in one sphere or the other if they wanted.

 The only sphere I feel may be a bit lacking is the temporal one, but I'm open to suggestions on what might make any of them better.

[Morfedel]

I was wondering on whether the current magic system was bad or not. It certainly seems scary...

But then again, A) its dangerous to use in combat, and B) it ages you, which in the long run can start being really dangerous if you are not circumspect with your sorcery.

Finally, if a PC sorcerer gets out of hand, there can always be an NPC sorcerer that is for some reason annoyed at the PCs activities. A few good pings here and there should teach them caution and the withholding of power - or subtlety at least. :)

[Jaeger]

B) it ages you, which in the long run can start being really dangerous if you are not circumspect with your sorcery.

  In all campaigns I played in, ageing was never a factor for any of the sorcerous PC's.  IMHO in the current magic system it is very easy to avoid ageing to any significant degree. There are just too many bonuses for avoiding ageing for even the most powerful spells. Now a caster can take a lot of ageing if they cast a really powerful spell on the fly and are forced to roll minimal ageing dice.
  However when the system lets you have as many starting formalizd spells as your spell pool, Sorcerers don't jump out of thier play book that often. And even then they may age what 10- 17 months??? In terms of an average PC's campaign I have not seen nor heard where the disabling effects of ageing have caught up with a PC, or have been a factor in actual long term play.

Finally, if a PC sorcerer gets out of hand, there can always be an NPC sorcerer that is for some reason annoyed at the PCs activities.

This is the type of thing I hate most: having to bring in a ringer just to take care of 1 PC. Now I know this is TRoS and "balance is for sissies", but I just feel that a sorcerous PC should be able to go through a campaign, and be challenged enough facing the same obstacles as the rest of the group, without the GM always creating a counter sorcerer just to keep things even.

I guess what I'm trying to say is this: In terms of bang for your buck sorcerous PC's have a higher comparable power level than any other beginning PC. Yeah it's not suposed to be balanced - fine. But IMHO it just forces the GM to balance it out in other ways during play.

[Andrew Mure]

Finally, if a PC sorcerer gets out of hand, there can always be an NPC sorcerer that is for some reason annoyed at the PCs activities.

This is the type of thing I hate most: having to bring in a ringer just to take care of 1 PC. Now I know this is TRoS and "balance is for sissies", but I just feel that a sorcerous PC should be able to go through a campaign, and be challenged enough facing the same obstacles as the rest of the group, without the GM always creating a counter sorcerer just to keep things even.

I guess what I'm trying to say is this: In terms of bang for your buck sorcerous PC's have a higher comparable power level than any other beginning PC. Yeah it's not suposed to be balanced - fine. But IMHO it just forces the GM to balance it out in other ways during play.

I think you're missing a point here, which is part of being a sorceror in the TROS is that you are personally subject to alot more nasty attention than any non-sorcerorous character ever will be. Both from other wizards and ordinary humans who realise the character's true nature. In some ways some non-humans can far more dangerous to a wizard's well-being than another wizard. Using the example of perhaps the most 'munchkin' Superhero of all, who is Superman's arch enemy? Lex Luthor, a normal man with no super powers what so ever but considerable personal and economic influence. Lynch-mobs and the old inquisitors aside here's a plot idea to run with a group including a sorceror.

My life's my own...

Whilst the party is staying in his lands Mad Duke Avid has discovered there is a sorceror amongst them. The player sorceror is roughly woken in the night to find the Duke's guards with a knife at his troat. They demand the sorceror come with them or they will kill him. Have enough guards to make resistance from the sorceror and any of the rest of the party futile at best. Ideally if the rest of the group do wake to see this the best tactic would be to pretend they're not with the sorceror and then arrange a rescue at a better time.

The sorceror is taken back to the castle and greeted by Duke Avid who awards him the dubious honour of being his court sorceror. In real terms this means the sorceror is effectively under house arrest at the castle, with ten guards following his every move and he has to perform magic for the Duke. Avid has some understanding of how magic works and has taken precautions to make the sorceror's escape difficult. Overtly violent magic against the Duke or his guards may involve the duke cutting his loses and killing the sorceror. Initially the Duke's demands are petty and painfully mediorce uses of magic (e.g. 'These roses are white! My wife asked for red roses! Sorceror! Change the colour!'), some of the demands might even be able to be done without magic, however more and more impossible (e.g 'Bring my mother back from the grave!') and highly concequential ('Sorceror! Make hellfire rain upon the soldiers of my enemy!) demands crop up. Naturally the Duke is impatient and will get angry if the sorceror appears to be stalling too much by not using his full power (such as extending too many dice resisting aging...).

Meanwhile the rest of the party have to break into the castle and spring their comrade free.

[Jaeger]

I think you're missing a point here, which is part of being a sorceror in the TROS is that you are personally subject to alot more nasty attention than any non-sorcerorous character ever will be. Both from other wizards and ordinary humans who realise the character's true nature. In some ways some non-wizards can be far more dangerous to a wizard's well-being than another wizard.

 No, as a matter of fact this is exactly the point I am trying to make. And under the current spell system I just don't think that's the case. Let's take your game example: any beginning sorcerer would be able to leave that castle anytime they wanted with the most basic level one or two vagaries in shape, movement etc. Now you can do like you said and decide the lord has some magical understanding and "things are in place" to keep the sorcerer from going buck wild. But then that just gets me to my earlier points -

This is the type of thing I hate most: having to bring in a ringer just to take care of 1 PC. Yeah it's not suposed to be balanced - fine. But IMHO it just forces the GM to balance it out in other ways during play.

 Plus I think you and I approach the game from a different perspective...
In my game the lord would have tried to have the PC immediatly killed or burned at the stake as a heretic. And if he did take the sorcerer on- then if that got out rival lords would use this as a reason to move against him  and burn him at the stake for being a heretic as they divide up his lands. (Just doing thier duty for the church...)