Poetry-based magic

[JimmyB]

Just discovered that there's more boards on here than the one or two that I usually visit, anyway. Idea for a game built around a magic system based off poetry.

Characters can be either Haikuristas, Limerists, or anything else that I can think of, their title describes the form of poetry they use. At the moment I'm working on a diceless point-based system for the magic, since I want it to be as freeform as possible.

The idea is this, all of the inspiration and romance is draining from the world, for whatever reason. Possibly the gradual conquest of science and logic over superstition and myth, possibly some darker force. For whatever reason its going, the world is at risk of becoming little more than a machine.

The Poets are the ones meant to change this. The idea for the magic system that I've got at the moment is to actually get the players to write down a haiku or limerick appropriate to the effect that they want, for example:

metal turns into dust
earth reclaims its sandy shores
entropy in machines

might make a machine crumble into dust, break silicon chips, or similar effects. A lot would depend on the GM having good judgement.

The points system I've got at the moment works off the idea that there are three things a character can do with magic, change something, create something, or affect someone's mind. So far I've got the costs increasing exponentially as the effect becomes more powerful, with changing being the cheapest, creation being one step more expensive, and affecting a mind being one step further.

I thought a good haiku or limerick should make the spell cheaper, although only a little, while one which isn't even relevant or does not follow the formula would fail. Average ones would keep the costs the same.

The points themselves are Inspiration, recovered not by sleeping as with normal magic, but by seeing something inspiring, whether in a good way or a bad way is irrelevant. For example a character who stays up all night and watches a sunrise would get at least one point, or one who reads a particularly good book. The flipside would be that uninspiring circumstances would do the opposite, reading a trash novel would reduce your inspiration, as would sitting on an internet chat room all night (with the exception of say, philosophy or any other debating board).

At the moment its only a skeleton system, but something I'm working on and would greatly appreciate feedback for and comments on.

[iago]

Would certain poetry-forms get rated for difficulty, and thus be more potent?

If someone was a Sestinaress, that'd be a hell of a lot more involved than tossing together a haiku.  Or in the interests of speedy game-play, are you more interested in sticking to the shorter forms?

[JimmyB]

It was mainly for the shorter forms, simply to stop people from writing a 27000 saga to rewrite the entire setting. ;) It also has the advantage that they are much faster, and usually easier to kick off.

I suppose longer forms could be used, but would have to be more subtle and less obvious spells, say they're submitted to the GM at some point and the changes are incorporated into the game world.

[iago]

It was mainly for the shorter forms, simply to stop people from writing a 27000 saga to rewrite the entire setting. ;) It also has the advantage that they are much faster, and usually easier to kick off.

I suppose longer forms could be used, but would have to be more subtle and less obvious spells, say they're submitted to the GM at some point and the changes are incorporated into the game world.

What's the upper bound, then?  Sonnets?  Or is even that too long?

[Jonathan Walton]

That leads to other interesting ideas.  The potency of the spell would seem to be determined by the number of words.  The more words you have at your command, the more stuff you can do with a single spell.  However, there would be some things like "the sun explodes" which wouldn't require many words to be potent.  Also, in poetry, the limitations of the form would sometimes require you to choose words that weren't optimal or exactly what you wanted, limiting you in that way.

So in effect, you have 3 factors to consider:
-- number of words
-- potency of any given word (like "sun" or "explode")
-- the limitations on how words can be put together

Honestly, this is inspiring me to write a little story-manipulation mechanic based purely on words and language (coule be very Earthsea-like, with the True Names of things).

[JimmyB]

I figure that sonnets are reasonable, but anything that takes too long to read must either be plot, involve all of the players, or be done in downtime.

On another note though, it would have to be done that any form of poetry has to have a fixed and defined structure or rhythm, so that people can't just write completely freeform for whatever effect they want, they have to conform to the restrictions on their poetry.

[Daniel Solis]

Am I the only one thinking of an urban setting where magically adept street poets duke it out in rap battles? Aside from the classical poetic structure, you ought to include simple freeform improvisational rhyming. Perhaps not rap, considering the romantic setting, but still something for those players who just have mad rhyming skills. I, for one, frequently play magical characters with improvisationally rhymed spells. As someone else suggested in the musical RPG thread, there are probably sites for improv who give pointers on how to successfully rhyme on the spot.

[Jonathan Walton]

You mean a game like Wyrd is Bond?

[Daniel Solis]

Whoa. Yeah, I guess like Wyrd is Bond. Damn, I gotta get me that game when it comes out. Anyway, back to your originally scheduled thread...

[JimmyB]

There were actually two reasons I avoided rap, the first is that I'm trying for a more nostalgic, archaic theme, almost Shakespearean. The other is that I wanted to avoid any comparisons with Wyrd is Bond. Don't get me wrong, it looks like a fantastic game, but I'm not sure how similar the two concepts are, I seem to remember that WiB uses some sort of territory to power magic, but I could be wrong.

For rhyming though, one of the 'classes' that I didn't list was those who use rhyming couplets.

The ones I've got so far are:
Haikus
Rhyming couplets
Limericks
Sonnets

I'm not sure if there are any other rigidly defined forms of poem between the lengths of the others and the length of a sonnet, but if there are then can people please let me know?

Another addition that I've thrown in recently to the mix is the opposing aspects to each one. I know its been done before and is hardly new, but I had the thought that you could select one of each pair of aspects as part of your poetry, giving magical power over the aspect you control, and an innate opposition to your opposing aspect.

Number of words is something I was trying to keep low, hence why I'm still slightly uncertain about the sonnets.

Potency of individual words is less important than the effect of the whole poem, and if the intended effect is greater than the character can afford, or just plain over the top, then the poem will not work and the character will be drained of their inspiration, unable to cast any more until they recuperate.

As for putting words together I thought the shorter poetry forms would place a rather simple limit, especially if any poem which does not stick completely to the forms will simply not work.

[JimmyB]

Poetry in Motion

Or

Words of Power


by Jimmy B
Prologue

Dear Sir,

I wish to thank you. Most likely you will not remember me, I was a student of yours while you still taught at Surrey University of Arts. It has been about Nine years since you set me along the path which has led me to where I am now. Nine years since I first heard you speak that phrase in my Journalistic Ethics class, 'Words can change the world'.

Of course, I doubt that you realised then the true import of what you spake, but no matter. It was you who allowed me to research deeper into language, into the words that we use and hear every day, and you who encouraged me to do so. Through your lessons I learned how to use words, twisting them so that their meanings suited my purpose, or polishing them until they shone bold and true. Again, for this I thank you.

I wish to give you a gift. It is this that has allowed me to complete the path I set upon, that first day in your class. You will find it inside the same envelope as this. It is a book, one which I found hidden away in the University Library stock rooms. Until I found it, I believe it had lain untouched since the founding of the university. Certainly those with it had rotted away into nothing.

As you will see the book contains the theory and practice of magic.

I wish you the same luck in your study that I have received in mine
      Jason Rose

It is the modern day. The world is rational and explained, science progresses further and mysticism slowly stagnates, practised only by the gullible and foolish. The Great Endeavours are over, no more does something like walking upon the surface of another planet stir the heart of the world, it simply raises budget questions and is swamped by politics and quietly squashed. The great ships of the past are gone, replaced by cold flying machines with no romance, merely a great power.

Even the towns themselves are giving in, their once unique and beautiful cityscapes giving way to identical square blocks, at night still lit bright as day by artificial lights.

Most people do not even look up at the stars any more.

But you do.

You are a Poet, whether a haikurista or a limerist, or any of the hundreds of other breeds. You can still see the beauty in a sunset over the ocean, or a sunrise through smog-filled air. You can turn the inanimate blocks of a great cityscape into a triumphant panorama, or a hulking, violent brute. You can stop the slow descent into stagnation, or you can die trying.

You are a Poet, the last of a dying breed, with the full power of those who came before you magnified many times.

Poetry in Motion is set in our modern world, with the basic premise that romance and magic is disappearing, being drained somehow. With the aid of nothing but words you can try and stop this slow stagnation, of course, words can change the world.

Poetry in Motion requires a very capable SW (Story Writer) since you will be called upon to make fast judgements on the effects of magic not covered by the rules. Most magic in fact will not be covered by the rules, though this is mainly because the magic system in PiM is incredibly open. Essentially the players are limited by two things, their literary talent, and their imagination.

System

Types of Poet

Jason faced the scientists, his face locked into a rictus of concentration with a mild touch of disgust. Here he was, risking his life to stop the world becoming nothing more than a cold, impersonal machine, and these scientists were investigating one of the few mysteries left. He turned his gaze to the machine they had been working on, and aimed his arm at it, fingers splayed.

"from metal to rust
sand returns as it once was
and entropy is"

As he spoke the haiku a voice echoed his own, and the room grew colder. The machine shuddered once, then began to collapse as spots of red-brown appeared on its sleek cover, spreading rapidly across the smooth surface. A soft sound from inside heralded a cascade of sand, pouring from vents, and then the entire machine simply gave up, collapsing in a small pile of iron oxide and sand.

There are several different poets suggested. Although this list is by no means the be all and end all of the possibilities it is recommended that the Writer keep in mind the power scale he wants the game to run on. Allowing longer poems will allow players more freedom in their poetry, and give them more power. Restricting sonnets leads to a less powerful game

The effects of playing a specialist Poet are fairly simple. When using your own type of poetry the standard costs are reduced by an amount of Inspiration equal to the level of the magic, when using another the costs are increased by the same. The available poets are:

Coupler – these are poets who use two-line rhyming couplets as their specialty, while they have no particular stereotype they do occasionally have a tendency to speak in rhyme all of the time

Generalist – this poet has no particular speciality, and can use all of the forms of poetry without penalty or benefit, there is no stereotype for Generalists

Haikurista – this poet specialises in haikus, these tend to be more thoughtful than most other poets, and speak in clipped, neat sentences

Limerist – these poets are very much a modern phenomena, their limericks tend towards the risqué, as does their language, behaviour, in fact everything about them

Lyricist – these are more singers than poets, able to take a couple of lines of a song and perform them as a Poet would perform his poem, however the player must sing the lines, and they must be appropriate to the intent, this is very much an optional class and is only suggested for those experienced at running PiM

Sonneto/a – a sonneto or sonneta composes sonnets for their magic, while this usually takes longer than some of the shorter forms the payback can be much bigger, remember though that sonnets do take longer, and most of the other specialties will be able to kick off faster effects

There are restrictions on the spells allowed for each type of poetry. While the Poet can intend any effect they wish with a poem, the poems must follow specific guidelines, if these are not met the poem fails and any Inspiration put into it is lost. Also each power level of poem has an Inspiration cost. If a Poet cannot afford the cost then the poem fails and they are completely drained of Inspiration. The same applies if the Writer considers the effect of the poem to be over the top. Being able to afford some of the most powerful effects is nearly impossible, and indeed should be. They are included mainly for reference.

Finally if a poem goes against one of the Poet's aspects, the poem fails automatically and may not even be attempted. This is a judgement call on the part of the Writer, although they should stick to their decision once made.










Inspiration cost   Power level
0   0   Trivial effects of any kind (turning a pebble a different colour)
1   1   Very minor changes (changing the shape of a pebble)
2   2   Minor changes (making a door unlocked)
Very minor creations (creating a small handful of feathers)
4   3   Small changes (making a computer power down)
Minor creations (creating a key)
Very minor mind effects (making someone else blink)
8   4   Medium changes (making an office network shut down)
Small creations (creating a few notes)
Minor mind effects (making someone choose left instead of right)
16   5   Large changes (turning the windows of a skyscraper opaque)
Medium creations (summoning a small, natural creature)
Small mind effects (making someone change their mind)
32   6   Huge changes (levelling a skyscraper)
Large creations (summoning a small, legendary creature)
Medium mind effects (putting someone to sleep)
64   7   Major changes (changing the location of a city)
Huge creations (creating a new forest)
Large mind effects (altering several people's memory)
128   8   World-altering changes (raising a new island)
Major creations (creating a new city, with inhabitants)
Huge mind effects (blanking a city's population's minds)
256   9   World-altering creations (creating a flock of genuine dragons)
Major mind effects (rewriting someone's mind in detail)
512   10   World-altering mind effects (rewriting an entire city's mind in detail)


Aspect   Opposite
Creation   Decay
Change   Stagnation
Freedom   Control
Duty   Anarchy

Feel free to introduce your own aspects as you see fit, these are included purely as a reference.

Creating your Poet

1. Choose a name for your Poet, this can be just about anything that fits the setting.
2. Spend 18 points across your statistics (see below)
3. Choose a speciality if you want one (see Types of Poet)
4. Choose your aspects (must be at least one from each pair, see above)

Statistics

Mind – this gives you your skill at any sort of mental puzzle, at 0 you are little more than a vegetable, maximum is 12
Body – this gives you your strength and stamina, at 0 you have to use a wheelchair, maximum is 12
Soul – this is your romance, the essential magic within you, at 0 you cannot see magic anywhere, maximum is 12
Inspiration – this is equal to your Mind + Soul / 2 and rounded up, it will increase and decrease during game play

How to Play

Using statistics
Anything that you do not do by magic is done using your statistics. It is worth remembering that the bog-standard average spod has a 6 in each of his statistics, so as long as you have this then you automatically succeed at average, everyday tasks. For exceptional tasks calculate as follows: for each level of difficulty greater than average, add one level of dice to the type rolled (d6 is the average, then d8, d10, and finally d12). If you roll equal to or under your stat then you have passed. Not that if you have less than 6 in a statistic then you must roll as normal, removing one level of dice for each point of difficulty below average (d6, d4, d2 and d0 is an auto-pass)

This will hopefully be refined or possibly discarded completely as feedback dictates.

Inspiration
Each time you witness an inspiring sight you will gain a point of inspiration. If your inspiration ever reaches more than 10*Mind then you must make rolls not to spontaneously create a masterpiece. The rolls are standard Mind tests, with the difficulties calculated as follows. On a standard roll the difficulty is d0, as soon as you reach 11*Mind then you must roll again, this time on a d2, at 12*Mind you must roll again on a d4 and so on, until you either use some Inspiration or fail a check. On a failed test you lose an amount of Inspiration equal to your Mind + Soul.

The more inspiring a sight is, the more Inspiration you will gain from it. As a guide a normal sunset is about +2 Inspiration. Again though, your aspects will affect your sources of Inspiration. Someone with Decay as an aspect might be inspired by a sunset made green by smog, whereas someone with Creation would actually lose inspiration points if made to witness it. You also gain d6 Inspiration points each time you sleep, to represent the ideas crowding themselves into your mind.

Again, more detail will be added as playtests dictate.

Reciting poems
When you decide to cast a spell you (the player) should read out or improvise a poem of one of the types above. If you have a speciality then you have an incentive to aim for a particular type, otherwise you can go for any that you wish. You can have poems prepared in advance, since Poets are considered to have perfect recall for their creations, and you will suffer no penalty. However a poem that does not fit the restrictions will fail instantly, while a poem that is not relevant to the situation (i.e. trying to crash a computer in the middle of a forest) will fizzle and take its normal inspiration cost with it, the same will happen if you try to recite a poem against one of your aspects.

Poem type   Restrictions
Haiku   Must follow a 5-7-5 syllable structure but do not need proper grammar
Rhyming couplets   Must have an unforced rhyme and follow reasonable grammar (i.e. be understandable outside the context of the poem)
Lyrics   Must have a decent rhythm and sound like a complete verse from a song, must also be sung (up to six and no less than four lines which must rhyme in some pattern)
Limericks   1st, 2nd and 5th lines must rhyme together
3rd and 4th lines must rhyme together
the limerick must flow as a whole

These are some extremely basic rules I just slung together, copied straight out of word so I'm not sure how the formatting will come across. Hopefully it'll be understandable. If not then I'll adjust it tomorrow, since right now I need sleep.

[Jeph]

I love sestinas, but those seem a bit too long for your purposes. tritinas?



Etherial ship of smoke
Rides upon sea of flame
in waters of red and blue shade.

Light breaks the shade
Spark in smoke
Revealing flame.

Purifying flame
To banish the shade
And scour obscuring smoke.

Banish smoke, flame, and shade.



They tend to be very focussed around a central theme in their composition, because of the necessary repetitiveness. That is a slight plus when attempting to bend a single aspect of reality.

[garapata]

What's to limit the range of an effect?

IF a poet says something like

"World slowly turns east
Sunlight shines down upon surface
All living shall burn"

Does that mean the character just killed half the planet's population?
Or is there a system to ensure they can't do such world-wide effects?

[JimmyB]

If they're powerful enough then yes, they can probably do that, but no player's going to get that powerful unless the Writer wants a god-like game. Otherwise the range is pretty much common sense, if they can see it, then they can probably affect it.

[Daniel Solis]

It would be interesting if only one magical poem can be successfully recited at one time, the loudest being the victor. So in a magical duel, you'd have poets trying to speak over each other as loud as possible without harming the flow of their recitation. In other words, seomthing like song magic. Just a thought.