Attacking and Check Mechanic Thread

http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forge/index.php?topic=30614.0

Introduction/ Class Mechanic Thread:

http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forge/index.php?topic=30612.0

Wounds and Hit Point Mechanic Thread

http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forge/index.php?topic=30615.0

Corruption System

Note: This has some relation to this thread

http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forge/index.php?topic=30657.0

Keshan is a low magic setting. In fact, only two rare races are even capable of using magic: the Telsmarand Sorcerers and the Fey Naturalists.

One of the common themes is the setting is the cost of power. Therefore, while magic can have formidable results, a cost must be paid.

For the Telsmarand Sorcerer, the cost is blood. Casting magic causes physical harm to their own bodies. Gashing wounds, muscle death, gushing blood, are the results using their powerful magics. These wounds are quite painful and can be as debilitating as normally acquired injuries, however they naturally heal at a greatly accelerated rate on their own.

I’ve struggled with how to capture this in game mechanics. The simple way to do it is it deals hit point damage that regenerates over time. However, the current method I’m looking at is having an Overcharge counter. Whenever a character casts a spell they add points to their Overcharge counter based on how powerful a spell it is and how much power is put into the spell. When the overcharge counter reaches certain levels, it results in hit point damage, crippling wounds, and levels of fatigue. When the Overcharge counter reaches full, the character dies a horrible, painful death. As time passes, points fade from the Overcharge timer and the character recovers the injuries inflicted by Overcharge.

Sorcerers can channel their powers from different parts of their body. For instance, when channeling a lightning shock attack, it can be channeled from their eyes, hands, or body. From their eyes, it releases focused beams of electricity against a single target. From their body, it releases a short ranged shock wave. From the hands, it spews out a narrow cone of lightning with little accuracy.

Any suggestions on a better way to represent sorcerer overcharge?

The Fey draw the power from the natural world, recycling the life of the wilderness for their energies. The more natural life the wilderness has (plants and such), the more power can be drawn. Thus, Fey have more energy they can safely use in different terrains, the most beneficial being forested terrain, while the least beneficial being desolate wastelands.

Depending on the spell and the amount of power put into the spell, it drains a certain amount of points from the wilderness pool. Draining points beyond the wilderness point pool results in arcane corruption. The pool resets each encounter.

All in all, fey spells are universally weaker than sorcerer spells.

Any suggestions on a better way to represent fey energy recycling?

Can a sorcerer use a proxy to power his spells?

Generally not. Although there is an exception.

It is important to note that every sorcerer has a chosen focus on their spellcraft. Only sorcerers with that focus can use those spells. Example spell focuses include combustion, freezing, animation, teleportation, telekinesis, necromancy, weather control, life, draining, elemental control, and so on. Any sorcerer can only chose one such field of spell focus to learn from. There is also a school of basic spells that are so simple and generic any sorcerer can use them.

Now, on that note, a sorcerer can create a magic item that, when given to another sorcerer, lets that sorcerer who has the magic item cast spells from the focus of the sorcerer who made the item. In that case, the sorcerer who made the item still suffers from overcharge. Such magic items are incredibly rare, not because they are difficult to make, but because Telsmarand are notoriously self-centered and egotistical and don’t like to share their powers, much less doing so while putting themselves at risk.

Would natural magic be able to restore some of the permanant damage a sorcerer inflicted upon himself?

The only permenant damage a sorcerer inflicts upon himself is arcane corruption, and no, natural magic cannot reverse arcane corruption. It is truly irreversable. However, it scales slowly and only when a sorcerer overcharges past his capabilities too often.