Magic Systems Recommendations? - ALL D100 Sources Acceptable

[Zenith Comics Presents...]

Hey,

So I think I posted or asked this before but I cannot find that thread so I am considering the other one dead and starting this one.

As some of you know I am working on a setting (Codex Albana) that I will publish in the end, in its own time, no rush.

While I am working on the stuff I need to get in order for all this and start playing, I am at the point of deciding how magic works in my world. As such I am looking for recommendations for how to do the various magic systems as laid out below. Please feel free to suggest every and any BRP compatible magic system you think would match something outlined below. For the record I currently own the Big Gold Book and Magic World (Advanced Sorcery is on the way), but I will purchase any PDFs/books that I think would be good to have, based on your suggestions here.

Let's begin.

Black Magic: When we think of the "evil" witch, this is the kind of magic we are talking about. Rituals, voodo, Satanic stuff. Evil magic that corrupts, requires a benefactor (the devil, the queen of the morning sun, etc...) and is very very not polite. Certainly could be pact magic, mixed with potions, charms, hexes, curses, etc...

Divine Magic: Essentially miracles, blessings, etc... the real holy roller stuff. Magic from "God" as it were. Only the favoured can cast it, and perhaps there is a tremendous amount of ritual involved. Could be seen as a form of pact magic.

Hedge Magic: Let's call this white magic, or the like. Beneficial witchcraft. Nothing devastating, just the kind of peasant magic that the "wise woman" or what have you would use to benefit a community she/he/they are part of. Low magic to be sure, and probably very subtle.

Sorcery: This is the most powerful of magics. This is where we get the true abominations of life. Think when Melisandre sends the blood homunculus to kill Renly. Essentially powerful, deadly, and corrupting. This is where the corruption mechanic will be on display. It would almost be considered the opposite of Divine Magic. Dusty old tomes (and tombs lol), rituals, sacrifices (hey those MP gotta come form somewhere after all), summoning physical horrors, etc... This is the magic of Conan's Hyborean World!

Summoning/Binding Magic: I think this one is pretty straight forward and would be best represented by the system presented in Magic World/Stormbringer, but I want it to also be able to bind more than just demons and elementals, but also angelic or celestial beings. Think this scene in Artesia (image below) where she is looking at the room with all the bound magics everyone is wearing, and that's what I am looking to emulate.

Spoiler

Willpower Magic: The rarest form of magic in the world as it literally involves the user forcing reality to do their bidding. No spells, not rituals, just pure, raw willpower. I like this idea laid out in this post a lot for it, but is there a better option?

Wizardry: The other super rare for of magic. It is what we think of when we think wizard. Spellbooks, studying, remembering, casting, etc... 

That's all I have for now, but certainly would be open to other magics as well as the world expands and different people have different techniques (Rune magic, Blood magic, Shamanism, etc...)

So please, share with me what you think would work for the above styles of magic and I will happily dive into it all.

BE HEROIC!

 

[Conrad]

The Chaosium monograph BRP Witchcraft was a good supplement for hedge and black magic. Don't know if Chaosium still sell it though. 😁

[craigm]

It's available on DTRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/82087/BRP-Witchcraft

[Nick J.]

The Legend, Blood Magic and Elementalism books might be of interest and can slot neatly onto any D100 game and are still for sale in print and PDF (drivethrurpg.com, Mongoose, Amazon, etc.)

If you can find the print copy of Lankhmar Unleashed (PDF is not for sale anywhere), it has a pretty good Black Magic section complete with a corruption mechanic.

[Lloyd Dupont]

I don't if it's relevant per se... But here we go with a personal observation / tweaks...

While the BRP magic systems are my favorite (with the addition of a "creation" legend supplement from legend and sorcery from magic world), I am unhappy with all variation of elemental magic ... they are usually both too expensive and too powerful for my taste (which, I admit, might seem slightly contrary complaints).
And also, and this is even more controversial here, I am unsatisfied with the feeling of progression between beginner and veteran magic user.
Also I wanted to merge folk magic from Mythras in the Magic system

I made a tweaked magic system which can be surmised, roughly, as the BRP Magic system with the following changes:
- a spell caster spells are not limited by their levels but by their (modified) mana cost
- The limit can be either minimimum (INT/2, spell/10%) or for ritual (slower casting) just ritual/10%
- elemental bolt is 1MP +2MP/extra D6, a "shape" spell can be added for 4MP that turn it into a ball/cone/etc...
- there is a new skill "arcane power" which adds 1MP to mana pool for every 10%
- at 100% arcane power gain 1MP cost reduction for all spell, at 100% in a spell gain 1MP reduction for that spell + 1  additional 1MP cost reduction for every 10% above 100% (for that particular spell). other spell cost reduction (up to 4MP) are also spell specific and require an enchanted item (wand of fire, ring of change, etc..)
- any spell can be with the ritual skill, at the rate of 1MP per round, ritual can also done with multiple caster for greater effect. this way simple 1MP spell do not need their own skill, ritual skill will do
- one can totally avoid all damage from fireball (instead of the usual half damage from area attack) if using his move action (instead of simple defense reaction) to go away, still need evade roll and perception roll to see it coming

 

+ I added some spell, one of my favorite semi original spell is "elemental form", which is shapechange into an elemental, and Archon is a variation of that spell that cost 12mp (per 20siz) (prohibitively difficult) that turn self into "magic elemental"

 

Also I am still wondering how to make spell last longer... I am unhappy the various duration skill, I like short duration, but I would like, at the same time, an easy way for some city defense to last (maybe requires coal burning and a special brazier) and spell like change or fly (current idea is magic crystal that has a number of charge, need to be prepared for a single specific spell, can provide up to a few days... )

Edited February 22, 2021 by Lloyd Dupont

[rsanford]

Loyd, The Second Way is a freeform Magic system on this site that allows very long duration spells if you have the magic points to fund it. As a matter of fact nearly everything about the spells can be adjusted with magic points.

Edited February 22, 2021 by rsanford

[RogerDee]

Mysticism like I said last time in Runequest.

Advanced Sorcery. Only with Deep magic I changed the rules slightly. You can cast through meditation as peer normal ruling - but you can also draw the rune, kind of like in Dragon Prince. This also applies to normal rune magic.

 

[Lloyd Dupont]

10 hours ago, rsanford said:

Loyd, The Second Way is a freeform Magic system on this site that allows very long duration spells if you have the magic points to fund it. As a matter of fact nearly everything about the spells can be adjusted with magic points.

Hi!

if I am not sure whether I checked it out (at work now).. but I think it's on the powerful side of magic style? I like BRP Magic for its more.. limited (yet good enough) power!

I quite like the idea that they need burn coal continuously to power the city spell and that the protection can be disrupted if the coal supply is broken though! 
Or other kind of similar conditions that are not too hard to met, yet cannot be applied to all spells blindly...

And, also, I deliberately didn't want to introduce in BRP the usual RuneQuest like "duration" spell shaping...

Edited February 23, 2021 by Lloyd Dupont

[rsanford]

16 minutes ago, Lloyd Dupont said:

Hi!

if I am not sure whether I checked it out (at work now).. but I think it's on the powerful side of magic style? I like BRP Magic of it's more.. limited (yet good enough) power!

I quite like the idea that they need burn coal continuously to power the city spell and that the protection can be disrupted if the coal supply is broken though! 

And, also, I deliberately didn't want to introduce in BRP the usual RuneQuest like "duration" spell shaping...

It is definitely on the powerful side! Kinda like Ars Magica. 

[Mugen]

Most of your magic variants (Black, Hedge, Sorcery -obviously-, Wizardry, perhaps even Willpower) could be simply covered by Legend or Mythras' Sorcery by making each of your tradition a cult. Each would have different ways to learn spells, and a different list of spells that can be learned and cast.

Divine could obviously be modelled as Theism, and Summoning/Binding as a variant of Animism.

[Zenith Comics Presents...]

2 hours ago, Mugen said:

Most of your magic variants (Black, Hedge, Sorcery -obviously-, Wizardry, perhaps even Willpower) could be simply covered by Legend or Mythras' Sorcery by making each of your tradition a cult. Each would have different ways to learn spells, and a different list of spells that can be learned and cast.

Divine could obviously be modelled as Theism, and Summoning/Binding as a variant of Animism.

Thanks, I'll look into those for sure. I just ordered a hard copy of Advanced Sorcery, so going to look into that as well 🙂

BE HEROIC!