Any inkling regarding magic system?

[David_HD]

There may have been a thread here somewhere already, but I\'ve searched as thoroughly as I\'m going to, given that it\'s now 5 in the morning...
So if there\'s already a thread on this, please point me to it.

What are people thinking about when it comes to magic? What kinda system? Whatever it is should allow for some customization, perhaps even researching new spells, but shouldn\'t be overly complex and must be easy to use in combat... Yes, I\'m restating the obvious. I\'m tired. Shut up.

Okay, so anyway, I\'m thinking maybe a lynchpin system like in Amber? Where it takes time to prepare the spell, and then you set as many variables as you care to in advance, and round out the rest upon casting (Which takes time, so the more that is preset. the better).  I\'m not sure what should limit how many spells you\'ve got hanging around at once... Maybe have them decay over time, maybe even such that their effectiveness is decreased, and then they go away after a certain amount of time. If you sit around doing nothing but hang spells for long enough, you\'ll be losing them as fast as you can give yourself them...

Possibly a GTA3 style aiming thing, both for magic and for physical combat. If you\'re in combat mode, it highlights an enemy, and you can cycle which enemy is selected, and can attack the highlighted enemy... Similar for spells, but you pick from amongst appropriate targets, not necessarily enemies... I\'m not sure. Just an idea I had...

[MilowEd]

I like the DnD spells system like in Baldurs Gate 2, there u cant move while casting and if you are hit, the spell fizzles.

[David_HD]

Yeah, that is kinda good. Though the two aren\'t really mutually exclusive. (well, the stationary casting and spell fizzling vs hanging spells).

Um... though in Baldur\'s Gate, didn\'t casting magic missle take way too long? I never played it that much... just what I heard. If so, we should avoid things like that... (That\'s why you cast those spells in advance, and hang them w/ lynchpins...)

[David_HD]

Oh, and if we\'re limiting how many of what spells you can cast at a time only by the amount of time it takes to cast/hang them, then the amount of time it takes to cast a particular spell should be dependant on how powerful that spell is, and what your score is in the relevent ability.  Possibly: Time = 10 minute (Spell score) / (Ability score)

[supersmell]

Originally posted by David_HD


Um... though in Baldur\'s Gate, didn\'t casting magic missle take way too long? I never played it that much... just what I heard. If so, we should avoid things like that... (That\'s why you cast those spells in advance, and hang them w/ lynchpins...)

Magic missle was casted instantly! X(

[David_HD]

Oh, ok. That\'s just what I heard. I never played it much, and wasn\'t a magic user when I did, so...

[MilowEd]

Anyway in BG2 u could get items to increase ya casting speed. My lone sorcerer was able to cast most spells instantly and with alaquaty or wotever he was invincible

[Kiern]

I think the magic system could work like this;

1.  You are able to move when using magic UNLESS it is an attack magic...like, you can cast Hide (make you invisible   ) and you see someone coming and you dont want them to see you dissappear so you go behind the wall......but if your using open attacks like throwing a fireball you should have to stand there and wait for it to be cast and the more powerful the spell is the longer it takes to cast it

2.  There could be certain types of spells that if used in a certain place are cast easier....if you were using earth magic if you are in a forest or something it is cast 2x\'s faster, or water if your near a lot of water, etc. etc.

3.  Stealth spells should have a choice on how effective the stealth spell should be like 1% through 100% and the higher you choose the longer the spell stays in effect but the more your drained statwise

4.  Casting spells should not only take your magic power, or whatever their calling it, but fatigue, and if using high level spells, some others

I have some other idea too, but i cant think of how to put them down so everyone else will understand    once i get them i post them  8o  

[David_HD]

Okay, if we\'re going with a \"magic power\" system, what will that be derived from? If it\'s a specific stat, then those who focus on whatever ways are based on that stat will be significantly better than other magic users. We can\'t say \"It\'s based on the casting stat for your character\" because we\'re not using character classes. We could have a different magic power supply for each way, I suppose, but that seems kinda icky... And if it\'s based off all mental stats together or something, then you can\'t shaft any of them if you\'re a magic user, which closes some roleplaying options...
Draining fatigue (which I assume is in some way based on endurance) as well means that frail wizards suck, and so won\'t be played much.

[Vengeance]

I don\'t know much about the magic system but I do know it has been defined in grave detail.  I don\'t think it is going to change.

It is basically based on the Six Ways of the Crystal, where for example the Azure Way is relating to healing and restorative magic.  These Ways are enumerated on the character creation screens.

Hope that helps you visualize specialties.

- Vengeance

[David_HD]

I noticed the \"Ways\" thing. I was wondering more about the actual mechanics. How will you go about casting a spell? What will limit the number/power of spells you can cast in a limited time period? How do you learn new spells? etc. If this has all been defined somewhere, please let me know where, as I\'m interested. If not, then it\'s all up for discussion, right?

[Lithos]

for magic system i was thinking this
you can cast magic while moving
all spells have a preset timer so you can\'t cast faster or slower,(eliminating people using speedhack to cast faster)
you skill level in that spell area will vary how often you succeed in casting the spell.
if you get hit while casting the spell you fizzle
you cannot cast thru buildings so people can use line of sight to there advantage.
if your skill in stealth is high enough you can cast while hiding.
or maby have some precasting for certain spells
like cast spell first then target,instead of target then cast.

[David_HD]

Decent.
So no limit to how many you can cast, (ie MP, or spell slots or whatever) just time and skill and randomness? Could well prove workable. Perhaps there should be a way to speed up spells, though, because as you and your competition advance, people will probably get more adept at hitting you, so it will be harder and harder to get your spells off. Maybe getting hit just shouldn\'t fizzle them? Or maybe you have to take a certain amount of damage (%-wise) for you to lose the spell? Or maybe there\'s a chance you lose it...

[Kendaro]

there are basic rules for magic that apply to most any use of it. first off you have a pool that your magic draws from so you can\'t just cast and cast. you have to wait till your pool replenishes. next you have to have line of sight with the object you wish to cast upon. if you can\'t see it, how do you expect to know it is even there. just cause you have a player targeted and he goes behind a wall or building shouldn\'t let you still cast on that player. after all what if that player had not just used the wall for protection but used it to hide himself to sneek around you. you can\'t know where behind the wall the player is so you cant target what you dont see. then next is one of the most important rules of all. spells have set timers where you have to draw on your power of thought so to cast them. this means it is impossible to cast while on the move. lastly there is the all mighty rule of memory. this means no matter how many spells you have in your spell book it is only possible to have a few commited to memory to make quick casting use of them without having to look in your spell book.

these are not actual PS spell rules but are basic laws that all magic follows. so you get the picture that though this is a fantacy game, there are still laws we must abide by in using fantasy skills that have been well documented.

[David_HD]

Kendaro: You make a lot of sense until your last sentence; fantasy is just that, FANTASY. What do you mean by \"well documented\"? Magic works differently in just about every fantasy work I\'ve read or seen or even heard of. If it doesn\'t, the work is often trite and unoriginal. Certainly the way magic works is not the only thing that can make a work of fantasy interesting, but if the author just took their framework directly from somewhere else, they\'ve often (certainly not always) done so with other areas, too. Besides, what you\'ve detailed does not hold true throughout even the majority of fantasy. Some great fantasy scenes involve people moving while they cast spells. In D&D, you need to make a concentration check, if I recall correctly, but you CAN move while casting a spell. What you laid out is a perfectly reasonable system, but is not, by any means, inherent to anything. The only laws we MUST abide by are our own.