Fyermind
2013-04-30, 01:12 AM
So in case people care what I originally posted, I have spoilered it. Because incantations were brought to my attention, the nature of my request has changed a very small amount. I want help coming up with ideas for the requirements for various rituals. I want help figuring out how hard it should be for the players to create new incantations (I'm thinking very hard, but possible in many cases if they wanted a specific case of a specific spell really badly).
I'm also considering having this replace a lot of their acquisition of major loot. I like the feeling of independent characters, and if enemies want their knowledge not their stuff it gives me an excuse not to kill them if they lose.
So I want to replace the magic system (or at least the more powerful spells) with a ritual system that any character can gain access to. I want casting to feel epic, and for it to make sense when I say "no, you can't just cast this spell" in the descriptions of how they cast other spells.
Each ritual has any number of the following components:
Knowledge component: This is a check DC of some sort to even know what to do. Failing the check gives a failure chance based on how badly the check was failed.
Ritual Time: anywhere from a swift action to years
Ritual Participants: at least one, no more than four in most cases.
Material Components: trivial components might just have GP costs, but the important components are hard to find. If I don't want the PCs spamming a spell, I give it a rare material component.
Location focus: Certain rituals have to happen in certain types of places. This makes getting to a place they can cast it an adventure, and allows me to make site based adventures.
Calendar Component: Some spells can only be cast at certain times
Material Focus: This could be really large or very portable.
Verbal Component: You have to speak certain words
Somatic Component: You have to wave your hands and fingers just right.
Experience component: Some spells require you spend experience to cast them.
Not every spell would have all of these. Basic healing rituals would be available at dawn with almost trivial knowledge checks an easily created blessed water material component, and a holy symbol focus.
I am looking for ideas for what specific components of these types might be as well as any components and focuses I might have forgotten are.
I'm also considering having this replace a lot of their acquisition of major loot. I like the feeling of independent characters, and if enemies want their knowledge not their stuff it gives me an excuse not to kill them if they lose.
So I want to replace the magic system (or at least the more powerful spells) with a ritual system that any character can gain access to. I want casting to feel epic, and for it to make sense when I say "no, you can't just cast this spell" in the descriptions of how they cast other spells.
Each ritual has any number of the following components:
Knowledge component: This is a check DC of some sort to even know what to do. Failing the check gives a failure chance based on how badly the check was failed.
Ritual Time: anywhere from a swift action to years
Ritual Participants: at least one, no more than four in most cases.
Material Components: trivial components might just have GP costs, but the important components are hard to find. If I don't want the PCs spamming a spell, I give it a rare material component.
Location focus: Certain rituals have to happen in certain types of places. This makes getting to a place they can cast it an adventure, and allows me to make site based adventures.
Calendar Component: Some spells can only be cast at certain times
Material Focus: This could be really large or very portable.
Verbal Component: You have to speak certain words
Somatic Component: You have to wave your hands and fingers just right.
Experience component: Some spells require you spend experience to cast them.
Not every spell would have all of these. Basic healing rituals would be available at dawn with almost trivial knowledge checks an easily created blessed water material component, and a holy symbol focus.
I am looking for ideas for what specific components of these types might be as well as any components and focuses I might have forgotten are.