Doughnut Master
2011-02-20, 04:52 PM
I'm working on a concept to rework magic in my campaign. I'm not a fan of magic being in discrete units. (I.e. You know x spells that have y effects). I want to create something more fluid and creative. I was inspired by Psionics, but I want to take this further.
Chemomancer- Basic concept
More scientist than magician, the Chemomancer learns how to control the elements of the world.
The elements-
Earth- Hard matter. Rock. Wood. Metal. Etc.
Water- Liquids, such as water, acids, mercury.
Air- Gases and forces in the air, including electricity.
Fire- Control over chemical reactions, such as combustion.
Life- Understanding of organic matter and systems.
I want to work a system where the character can invest knowledge in one or multiple disciplines, and as they gain expertise, they gain more power. Also, I'd like to reward diversification and creativity. For instance, replicating a spell like Metal to Wood would require an extensive knowledge of Earth magic. However, if you wanted to do something like Flesh to Iron, you'd need to know Earth (for the armor) and Life (to not kill yourself in the process).
Overall, magic in this way would operate closer to skill checks. The difficulty of the task is measured against your skill in the required fields, and if you mess up, bad things can happen. I think that this way, magic can still be exotic and cool, but also dynamic, and also not so reality bending as it is currently.
What I'm looking for now, is some more hard mechanics to provide boundaries and substance to this idea. Some way to implement this coherently.
Any advice? Suggestions? Places to look for answers?
Much obliged.
Chemomancer- Basic concept
More scientist than magician, the Chemomancer learns how to control the elements of the world.
The elements-
Earth- Hard matter. Rock. Wood. Metal. Etc.
Water- Liquids, such as water, acids, mercury.
Air- Gases and forces in the air, including electricity.
Fire- Control over chemical reactions, such as combustion.
Life- Understanding of organic matter and systems.
I want to work a system where the character can invest knowledge in one or multiple disciplines, and as they gain expertise, they gain more power. Also, I'd like to reward diversification and creativity. For instance, replicating a spell like Metal to Wood would require an extensive knowledge of Earth magic. However, if you wanted to do something like Flesh to Iron, you'd need to know Earth (for the armor) and Life (to not kill yourself in the process).
Overall, magic in this way would operate closer to skill checks. The difficulty of the task is measured against your skill in the required fields, and if you mess up, bad things can happen. I think that this way, magic can still be exotic and cool, but also dynamic, and also not so reality bending as it is currently.
What I'm looking for now, is some more hard mechanics to provide boundaries and substance to this idea. Some way to implement this coherently.
Any advice? Suggestions? Places to look for answers?
Much obliged.