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EdroGrimshell
2010-02-12, 10:35 PM
This is a concept i have had for a while, i posted a while back for ideas on three seperate forums and this is what i got so far. This is a very rough draft and work in progress and i still need ideas to fine tune the system, but the framework is here. This is made to replace normal vancian spellcasting.

Anima

Anima is the essence of existence, the life force of the world. A person can be trained to draw on this limitless supply of energy, store it, and shape it to his will, allowing them to perform incredible feats of magic.

- Mana: Mana refers to the anima currently stored in an incanter’s body.

- Essence Pool: All incanters have an essence pool, a small reserve of mana stored in the incanter’s body. This pool is based on the incanter level and the ability score related to the incanter’s anima casting (Int for mages, Wis for priests, and Cha for witches) of the specific individual.

- Draw Anima: All incanters have the ability to draw anima into their body, storing it in their essence pool. There are two ways of drawing anima, passive and active. Passive draws a small amount of mana every minute, while active draws a larger amount as a full-round action, however, this method can be disrupted by an attack or other method that causes the incanter to loose focus.

- Tap Ley Line: This ability lets an incanter to gather a far greater amount of mana in a single round, however, he puts himself at risk from the massive influx of animus energy. As a swift action, the incanter can draw an amount of mana into himself equal to his incanter level + his primary incanting stat (Int for mages, Wis for priests, and Cha for witches). In doing so, he must make a Fort save (DC 10 + the amount of mana gathered) or take one point of Con burn for every five points of mana gathered.

- Incantations: An extended ritual that requires a large amount of mana to invoke, usually having a long duration, long prep time, and expensive components or Xp costs, often taking a minute or longer to complete.

- Invocations: Quick but weak intonations that require little mana that can be pulled from the incanter’s surroundings in an instant, usable at will as a standard action. Weakest of an incanter’s abilities.

- Weaves: A bond between an incanter and an item, usually a weapon, that persists so long as the incanter chooses, but reduces the essence pool until it is dismissed. Setting up a weave always takes one hour to complete, but once complete does not require an action to maintain. Dismissing a weave is a swift action.

- Chants: Repetitious chanting that has a low mana cost but requires concentration to keep active. Starting a chant is a standard action, concentrating on it is a swift action.

- Intonations: A fabrication of mana that creates a physical manifestation similar to a spell, intonations lie at a medium between incantations and invocations, drawing on a small amount of mana and a short casting time (usually a standard or full-round action).

- Arcanas: Arcanas are broad categories of anima magic that represent a specific way of manipulating mana. Each arcana is represented by a symbol related to the arcana's abilities. The arcanas are as follows; Body, Heart, Mind, and Spirit. Each arcana has three sub-arcanas, each representing different aspects of the main arcana. The sub-arcanas are as follows; Body (Material, Form, and Creation), Heart (Healing, Protection, and Emotion), Mind (Enchantment, Illusion, and Divination), and Spirit (Energy, Summoning, and Undeath)

- Magnitude: A magnitude is a rating of an invocation’s, incantation’s, intonation’s, weave’s, or chant’s overall power level. An incanter’s level must match the magnitude of the ability in order for it to be learned and cast.

EdroGrimshell
2010-02-13, 12:30 AM
Edit Log

-Added basic description of Arcanas (equivalent to spell schools)
-Added Magnitude
-Added Tap Ley Line
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Melayl
2010-02-13, 12:19 PM
Looks promising. I'll have to follow this and see what you do with it. :smallsmile:

Xzoltar
2010-02-13, 08:36 PM
Look nice so far, but waiting for more to give true comments

EdroGrimshell
2010-02-13, 11:31 PM
I am currently working on the invocations and intonations, once i finish those i will start on weaves and chants, then move to incantations. Once those are finished i will start with the classes, feats, items, and other crunch, then finally i will move onto the fluff. Anyone willing to help with any part i would appreciate it.

I will post the full thing on a seperate thread once the basics are finished. For now this is a loose concept that i need time and advice to flesh out more fully.

EDIT: how should i go about specialization and schools. They will be different from vancian magic schools as will be the rules for specialization.

I was thinking of splitting it up into three or four arcanas each with a generic theme and subarcanas that are like the normal schools of magic. A incanter would then gain arcana points to spend in order to improve their arcanas, with a maximum arcana level of your incanter level.

Dante & Vergil
2010-02-15, 01:42 AM
I am going to assume that these are going to be new spells and effects, right?

EdroGrimshell
2010-02-15, 09:39 AM
I am going to assume that these are going to be new spells and effects, right?

Yep, just split up

EdroGrimshell
2010-02-16, 11:45 AM
Template for Invocations, Intonations, and Incantations

Name
Arcana (Sub-Arcana)[Descriptor]
Components: Material (Intonations and Incantations only), Focus (Intonations and Incantations only), Verbal, Somatic, XP (Intonations Only), Ability Burn/Damage/Drain (Intonations Only)
Casting Time: Swift (Invocations Only), Standard (Invocations or Intonations Only), Full-Round (Intonations Only), Multiple Rounds (Incanations Only), Minutes (Incanations Only), or Hours (Incanations Only)
Range: Touch, Fixed, Close, Medium, or Long
Effect: Nearly Anything
Duration: Instantaneous, Rounds, Minutes, Hours, 24-Hours
Anima Cost: Varies
Saving Throw: Same as Spells
Spell Resistance: Same as Spells

Description of Effect

Mechanics of Effect

I still need to come up with several incantations and intonations, and a template for chants and weaves

EdroGrimshell
2010-02-18, 12:26 AM
Added a new facet to anima, Magnitude

Xzoltar
2010-02-25, 09:24 PM
Really waiting for more

EdroGrimshell
2010-02-25, 10:40 PM
Really waiting for more

The next update may take a while, this thread was supposed to help me get ideas, but that tapped out, so i am working on this whenever possible completely on my own, its rather difficult going at the moment with so many other projects (mostly nonD&D related), so bear with me

Xzoltar
2010-02-25, 11:34 PM
The problem is that with so few information about your project its really hard for anyone to help. Consider doing just one of the many concept involved and you may get more response.