A guide to magic in RPG's.

[ashmie]

Thanks to the good folk of this forum and other gaming groups in Kyoto I have been fortunate enough to have GM'd all editions of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. Starting with 2nd edition with The Enemy Within Campaign setting we worked away through the first 3 books in a two year quarterly game. Then last year the lads on here had a crack at 1st edition with Lichemaster by Rick Priestley and Carl Sargent. Just recently we played the starter scenario for 3rd edition at the rpg event and had a blast with that.

One thing that has struck me in all editions and indeed in most rpg systems is the intriguing, fascinating and sometimes frustrating world of magic. In most systems it is a game in itself. Aside from early D and D where you have one spell and then when you use it, it's gone. Yes playing a wizard or a mage character can be a complex and extremely involved roleplay experience. Or it can be a trying and drawn out experience curve depending on how you look at it. Often we magic users aspire to be something like this http://digital-art-gallery.com/picture/big/964 but start off having to roleplay something like this http://dungeonsanddragonscartoon.blogsp ... otion.html for at least half if not all of a first campaign.

So what this blog is all about is finding how we can make the most of magic characters in the systems we play and make use of that rich background that forms more than half of the Warhammer and Old World setting.

A lot of gaming groups forgo magic altogether as it entails extra swatting up of rules for the GM and time wasted for the other players who don't use magic. For example Dragon Warriors has magic but it's rarely encouraged that the PCs have any at their fingertips because the setting is the gritty real world of Legend and these mysteries are hard to come by.
I want to get round this stumbling block by finding a way to make the world of magic real and enjoyable and not a rules hindrance as it sits with many systems. I thought I would look at the background first using 3rd edition WFRP Tome of Mysteries as a source. Why? Because after reading, it actually makes me want to roll up a wizard character and jump right into the setting as the background is that rich. So consider this blog a guide and investigation into Wizards and Magic in RPG.

I'll post something each day and hopefully eventually put a scenario together at the end of the study for magic user characters only. Possibly for online play by post on here if you like or another forum.
For now let me whet your appetite with a little something from Gavius Klugge a wizard of the Grey College.

Some scholars claim the founding of the Colleges of Magic is the single most significant event to occur in the long and studied history of the Empire, heralding an age of prominence.

Others claim it is one of the lowest points in our history, a harbinger of doom. They claim that war in the Empire has risen steadily since the founding of the Colleges, and the threats of Chaos have increased tenfold.

These latter scholars are obviously daft.

G.V. Grey Wizard.

[ashmie]

I have been to the court of the Emperor of men, in Altdorf, and I have heard boast of their wizards, of their colleges of magic, their great gleaming towers, and their brave armies. They think that makes them safe here, with such power to protect them. And inside I laugh.

In Ulthuan, the towers are indeed great, and they gleam a thousand times brighter. And there the armies too are braver. And the cities vastly bigger. But all that pales when compared to the differences between our mages and theirs. The elderly strutting things who purport grand wisdom and arcane knowledge, who think of themselves the finest of the world, who pompously dictate in the belief that they have glimpsed ultimate truths, are but poor ignorant children when stood beside even a mediocre elven mage.
Suriel Lianllach, High Elf Envoy. (Tome of mysteries). FF games. '09.

[ashmie]

There're longbeards within our holds who know how to deal with that 'magic' safely - they're called runesmiths. They bind them Winds of Magic within those lovely runes, and they forget all that dangerous business of using magic.

Two millennia, the men of the Empire understood this, and did without all that sorcery and witchcraft stuff. That they've seen fit to practice spellcasting under the distrustful elf mages these past two hundred years is sure sign, I tell you, to the sadness and desperation of these modern times. By Grungi, it didn't happen in my day.
Hargrin Magnarrson, Dwarf Merchant. Tome of Mysteries '09. FF games.

I shall begin this study by looking at the Winds of Magic and how it is harnessed and used in the different editions. 1st edition is the most straightforward in that a magic user has a set amount of magic points he can refresh daily with rest or meditation. He uses these points to cast different spells spending the correct amount of MP each time. Sometimes he is required to make a willpower check to see if the spell is cast correctly but usually he just spends the required points and works out the results of damage or effects with further d6 or d10 rolls. The spells are graded into different levels so a Lv 1, 2, 3 or 4 magic user can only use the spells available to that level.

2nd edition is a lot more in depth and more fun in terms of miscasts and winds of magic. Like current 8th edition Fantasy Battle there is further scope for magic to be cast successfully but things to go wrong for the magic user. When rolling for a successful cast the wizard can choose as many dice as he/she is allocated from their magic points level. A caster with a MP of 3 can roll a minimum of one dice or a maximum of 3 dice to add together to total the casting value of the spell. If doubles are rolled then Tzeentch Curse is unlocked and we must roll on a table to check for mutations or weird warp results for the wizard. If triples are rolled something really bad happens and we must roll on a much more severe Tzeentch Curse table of results. One player I knew was pulled into the warp once and saw Tzeentch himself, or something that resembled it. His character developed several sanity traits after this experience and had to change from being a hedge wizard (freelancer) to seeking professional wizard training from an Altdorfian certified wizard as a result.

3rd edition is what may seem a lot more complicated on the surface but is really quite easy to visualize as it uses dice pools and cards to show the magic, like with all tests in 3rd. Let fellow scholar, Mortonstromgal, explain it in more detail via this you tube post:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bhff8XL1FYg

Interesting. I'll have Mage Gloy have a closer look at this system in the next few posts.

[ashmie]

Before going into any further detail about this rather complicated 3rd editon magic mechanic I think it's time to pause for thought.
Could it be that the rules simply explained take all the background and roleplay out of the experience so you are sure you are definitely certain you are playing a game with counters and cards rather than immersing yourself in a fantasy world that breathes and ticks. Remember it's roleplay not roll play. The real trick with 3rd edition is to keep the story going while incorparting these rather complexed rules.

@TOD and Jus, I'd be interested to hear how TOD and Jus found the new dice pool system. Did it deter from the action and pace or did it add to it. Was it more random than previous editions d100 system or more focussed. Answers on a postcard (or on this thread.)

Perhaps the picture forming here with magic and rpg or indeed any rule system in rpg is that it should be simple and straightforward so the players and GM can focus on the setting and the characters much like in a play or an improvised piece of theatre. Of course different players want different things. Some players love the roleplay aspect and aren't bothered by the game mechanics, others get really into the rules for encubrance and how much a character can carry. Some obsess over how many feet the dimensions of a room are where as others are happy to call it a big cavern or a small one. Most players want to know the rules inside out so they don't get swindled by the GM on a ruling.
Many new players to rpg these days who have learnt 3rd edition fantasy or 4th ed D and D do tend to love these clear cut rules in the new editions. Vetarans of the hobby that remember the openness and vagueness of early rpg games feel boxed in by card compinants and set rulings. They remember when they could push their luck as far as they could go with the GM to see what they could acheive. Then the GM would make a ruling that would hopefully be fair and concise to the encounter.
From this angle I would like to continue this report looking a little more at rules for magic but with the main focus being on the background. I'll continue to look at WHFRP but bring in styles and settings from other systems also.

[jus]

hmm very interesting case study.

From what limited experience I have with RPGs, being a starter mage is very challenging but hilarious. Apart from producing small animals, and illuminating staff tips there really isn't anything useful in the basic hedge magic. You probably got threadbare clothes, a dagger, some gold, and a skaven can probably cave your head in with its voice.

EDIT: I would like to note that I am very biased and am in it just to kill stuff, and be badass at it.

Its all fun and games until the orcs show up though, and then you thumb through your compendium of useless spells, pull a bunny out of a hat, get critically wounded and then realise your character is complete and utter shit. Its HILARIOUS, but this maybe one of the reasons why people forego magic. So you spend the first several sessions lugged around like a broken piece of furniture by the rest of the party until you happen upon lvl up, get fireball and start blasting anything and everything, even Heinrich Kemmler.

Thats the old school approach, so im curious to see how 3rd ed WFRP works it.

[ashmie]

hmm very interesting case study.

From what limited experience I have with RPGs, being a starter mage is very challenging but hilarious. Apart from producing small animals, and illuminating staff tips there really isn't anything useful in the basic hedge magic. You probably got threadbare clothes, a dagger, some gold, and a skaven can probably cave your head in with its voice.

Its all fun and games until the orcs show up though, and then you thumb through your compendium of useless spells, pull a bunny out of a hat, get critically wounded and then realise your character is complete and utter shit. Its HILARIOUS, but this maybe one of the reasons why people forego magic. So you spend the first several sessions lugged around like a broken piece of furniture by the rest of the party until you happen upon lvl up, get fireball and start blasting anything and everything, even Heinrich Kemmler.

Thats the old school approach, so im curious to see how 3rd ed WFRP works it.

Mage Gloy likes this post. How did you find the new dice mechanic compared to the old d100 one. More complicated? Easier to visulise the action or more constrictive?

[jus]

The new dice mechanic is a welcome change I think.

before, its like this:

"FOR SIGMAR" you raise your sword for a telling blow, pick up 2 d10, and roll them (you need 42 or under to hit)
...but its a 78.... epic fail. NEXT.

Now its :

"FOR SIGMAR" you raise your sword for a killing blow, pick up 10 dice, and roll them. Success. But the agressive stance has tired you out and the chaos star means your sword remains lodged in the beastman's gut! and you are covered in ichor ...but wait! the fate would see you with a boon - the enemies hatchet lies at your feet.

so I definately think its a whole lot more dynamic. So much so that the d100 system seems quite lifeless in comparison. Wouldn't you agree? You don't just hit or miss like in d100, you hit and miss and things actually happen.

Now as for the other gaming detritus, cards, sheets, tokens, fatigue, stress meter, stance counters of which there are untold billions of. Its all well and good, so long as we know what they are and what they do. It seems a bit overwhelming at first, and some people may be put off by it. "hmm whats this hourglass thing for? ..."flip the card this way and it says this, flip it again and it says that"...e.t.c

It can be confusing to the player having all this fiddly stuff in front of them if they don't know what to do with it or how it relates. If it all gets thoroughly explained, which may take time, and everyone's on board, then all these things will more likely aid play, keeping track of important things like when an ability is ready to use again. The presentation is superb though, so I didn't mind the stuff that I didn't get overly much. But again, getting to know how it works and why fantasy flight included it in the game will make get things moving nicely.

p.s. I hope the starting mage characters in 3rd ed can do more than just coin tricks, heck even I can do that, and I don't even need to be in character.

[ashmie]

Yes to be fair I did railroad the starting adventure through a three hour time slot when really we could have spent two sessions on everything. One on character creation and rules explanation and one on the starting adventure. The more you use the dice the easier they get. The fancy stance meters are more for aesthetic value really the same as the initiative tracker. Making tokens for everything for now when a lot of it was commited to memory before.
I think 2nd edition has a nice balance between the two. They use degrees of success or failure. For example a flameblast needs 55 percent on the BS to hit. The players rolls 25 percent passing the test by a difference of 30 percent or more. This gives him 3 degrees of success. 1 degree of success for every 10 percent.
Not only does he hit the target but the target explodes in a gulf of flame setting light to the other foes around him and sending the enemy packing. If he had rolled a 85 or more he would have failed by 3 degrees of failure. The flameblast backfires, perhaps exploding in the spellcasters face or setting fire to the building the heroes are holed up in.
2nd edition WHFRP is the same system as Deathwatch, Rogue Trader and Black Crusade. Very easy and quick to read the dice. As you correctly pointed out 3rd edition WHFRP is a joy to read the dice pool and just get those extra pieces of detail that make up the picture in the players imagination. How long did it take? How succesful was it, was it critical, did it exhaust the hero etc If there is a Sigmars Comet did it trigger some luck for the party? If there was a chaos star are the heroes now up Slaneesh street without a paddle?

p.s. I hope the starting mage characters in 3rd ed can do more than just coin tricks, heck even I can do that, and I don't even need to be in character.

The wizards in 3rd editon I can confirm, start off mainly as trained wizards who can cast fireballs and can channel the Winds of Magic like in WFB. One of the things about modern magic in rpg settings is the new generation of gamers used to MMORPG don't want to be spending 6 months of a game roleplaying Harry Potter on his first day in Potions. (There is I believe a HP rpg already for that if that is your thing).
Perhaps some of the story arc is gone with that development but when we have the option to load up a video game and start casting any magic we like it's no surprise that the starting spells are better than they were years ago. More power to the spellcaster too. No more, "You're the wizard, you're shit Adrian," catcalling from the theif and barbarian characters.

I'd be keen to have another crack at 3rd sometime this year if you are up for it. Either as a player or GM, I don't mind. Perhaps at Mondo Books?

[ashmie]

You awake....in your quarters. Today is the big day. Your Uncle who you have been staying with in Altdorf has kindly agreed to let you rest this past week at his lodgings in the big city. It was a long slow journey from Averheim.
As you open the curtains the sights and the smells of the street stream into your room. The roof of the city is so tall you can just about spy a blue patch of sky through a space in the turrets. The city is awash with bustling merchants and street vendors. The din is horrendous. Horses, carts, street performers and musicians throng the cobbles desperately trying to scrape a days living. The Town Watch patrol relentlessly, moving on vagrants and would be thieves from the crowd.
You hurry your way through the city, pulling your traveling robes closer for safety and leaning on your stick as a prop you eventually find yourself at the Colleges of Magic Tavern. The Star and Comet is an untidy affair but just dirty and nondescript enough to be the perfect administrative faculty for the induction of new magic users at the Colleges.

A half faced pig man scribe greets you in the office behind the bar and asks you which Order. There are three you have been advised or recommended suitable for by your peers. Will you choose Grey Order, Bright Order or Celestial.

Choose Grey Order (Order of the Shadows) to be a magical trickster. If want to maintain an air of secrecy and mystery and wish to use magic as a subtle device to confound foes and gather intelligence.

Choose Bright Order (Order of Fire) if you want to be a reckless magic user. Employ spells that directly and spectacularly assist allies in combat. This is the most feared and respected of orders.

Choose Celestial (Order of the Heavens) if you want to cast spells to produce a wide variety of effects, from damaging combat magic, such as lightning, to alterations of the weather or fate. Receive cryptic clues as to the nature of future events. Revel in the uncertainty that your pronouncements or visions may cause others.

Choose wisely.
Do you choose: Grey Order.

Bright Order.

or Celestial.

(Anyone got any idea how I start a poll on here so you guys can vote for favourite option?)

[ashmie]

Todays quest.

Post if you can.

You find yourself in the wizard holladeck on day one of training. Suddenly the blank canvess of a dungeon changes into a skaven network of tunnels. You are somewhere deep under the Old World and something is crawling along the passage in front. There is an exit to your right and left.

Do you go left, right or wait and see whats coming down the tunnel in front?