Casting in role playing games has often been very stale. Spells have different cast times and material costs, but eventually it just comes down to:

my spells take this long and cost this much money.

What is the functional mechanical difference between using a wand and shouting fireball vs meditating vs rubbing sticks together etc. If your class can cast a spell it just happens. The rest is just minor balance that many groups ignore entirely for most spells.

How you cast is a choice. One that matters to the character. It should be reflected in game. What is the meaning of your characters chosen method of casting. How can we translate that into a satisfying mechanical feeling?

Initially there was an inclination to simply have casting method be restricted to magical style. It’s a simple solution which makes everything easier. However this makes magical characters more monolithic and gives little to go off for preventing a spell list from simply being derived from class of caster.

Something more varied and independent was needed.

Casting Styles Based on Stat

A handy trick would be if we could have different casting styles rely on different stats. For this purpose I will use all 6 standard stats.

Charisma

Casting with charisma is common for bard like classes. For our purposes we will use charisma as ones ability to instruct a sentient being to their will. This will be commonly used by Thiests, Oracles and Arcanists.

Inteligence

Intelligence is the premier stat for wizards. Representing ones ability to learn magic. For our purposes, intelligence will be our floor for magic. Rather than an independent stat, intelligence determines ones ability to learn a spell through study alone. Almost all spells can be cast with intelligence however the required intelligence will be higher than the requirements for a more focused caster using a different stat. Intelligence enables versatility.

Constitution

Constitution casting represents the collection and release of energy. Kamehameha type shit.

Wisdom

Wisdom casting is context and material based. Rather than a threshold for casting a condition must be met. Once met a wisdom score will determine the spells potency. Spells with a wisdom cast have a basic version for other cast types.

Agility

Agility casting is centred around creation and intricacy. Runists are fond of agility casts. Agility casts require the creation of an object or the performance of a demanding ritual. Agility casts are often paired with wisdom or intelligence casts.

Strength

Strength is a subconscious casting method. Often taught through the practice of feeling magic rather than concentrating or practising. Strength based casting is innate and internal. It is a preferred method for egoists.

Now that we have a foundation lets make it concrete.

Casting Styles

Enchanting



Agility based

Rune Creation

Ritualists

Versatile

Utility Focused

Beckoning

Charisma based

Summoning

Smiting

Communing with Supernatural

Alignment based

Scrying

Wisdom based

Specific Local Material Cost

Divining

Communing with nature

Tracking

Emanating

Constitution based

Damage Oriented

Reciting

Intelligence based

Versatile but Innefficient

Prepared

Intuiting

Strength based

Narrow but Powerful

Fast

These can be seen in the following graphical representation

Cool we have these icons and these styles. What does this all mean?

Well now we have some basic rules for how spells work.

The Icon System

This is simple. Each spell has 4 kinds of Icons.

Threshold Casting style Icon with a number box To cast a version of a spell that has a casting style icon in its rules the character must have the threshold value in that specific stat Appears at the bottom of a spell entry Joined threshold boxes represent combination prerequisites

Magic Style The version of the spell a character of a certain magic style can cast Adjacent styles on the style wheel can also use this cast Intelligence casts are always possible provided the threshold is met

Casting style Declares a modified value based on casting style Appears in line of spell rules

Spell Persistence Appears in top right of spell listing Characters have a total limit of how much magic they can remember usefully This number represents how much of that memory the spell consumes



Now we have the basics of our spell list. Spells have different costs and different rewards based on how they are cast. This allows us to have a spell card:

This is a basic fireball.

It has a Persistence of 3 meaning if your characters spell knowledge is 14 this spell takes up 3/14 in their spells known.

Anyone can cast this spell with 17 intelligence. It deals 2d6.

An Egoist, Channeler, or Shaman can cast it if they have 11 Constitution and would do 3d6 + CON modifier. This is the most powerful casting.

Most casters rely on a dex throw to hit. These are considered ranged touch attacks.

A runist, channeler, or arcanist can craft a rune for use by anyone as long as they have 13 dex and 14 strength.

This rune uses the throwers strength for range.

It’s power can be determined by either the crafters dex or throwers strength.

This spell is castable by Arcanists, Runists, Channelers, Egoists, and Shamans.

This spell is not castable by oracles, naturalists, or theists.

Using this system many complex spells can be created. Theoretically a spell with 9 castings and 3-4 options within those castings can exist.

Ok so I have styles and spell cards and icons etc. How do I fill in the rest? What about spells per day, classes with limited spell redundancy, limited spells known? How do deities work etc?

Actually much of this is up to the world designer or the player. But i’ll address generic solutions in order:

Spells per day is a GM decision based on balance. It can be applied to class, Magic Style, or Casting Style

If a player wishes to play a class with limited number of a certain spells prepared much like a wizard in traditional DND they will find that many scry, enchant, or beckon spells have limited use or preparation based mechanics. Enchanters need to craft their spells beforehand and thus must prepare a list of certain spells to be used throughout the day. Enchanters often have low spells per day to account for the fact that many spells dont depreciate. Rune depreciation is a mechanic you can add to the spells definition if you feel it is necessary. Depending on the game you might not want your enchanter backlogging a bunch of fireballs. Scryers are utility based casters who many of their spells aren’t very useful to use a second time. Some spells will even have time limits on how often they can be used Beckon spells are simply about the being called. They each have their own rules about what they will and wont do and why. Many gods dislike being consistently bothered to do repetitive tasks I do have an idea for an optional favour system wherein the game tracks what beings think of a Beckoner and acts accordingly but its only for real hardcore stat takers.

Spells known is handled exactly the same as spells per day. Choose a what to base the spell knowledge stat on and apply that against spell persistence.

Deities are explained above when I talk about Beckoners.

What was the point of this?

We now have an incredibly flexible system for magic that touches on nearly every way to cast magic and gives it unique feeling and effect.

With this system and a small tweak you can be a Barbarian Channeler Enchanter who casts magic by empowering tatoos on his body to follow the instructions written. His spell knowledge is represented by the number of tatoos he has and a spells persistence represents how large the tattoo is.

With this same system, correct stats and some supported spells we can have a creature summoning Ranger Oracle Scryer/Beckoner who gets the creatures of the land to convince deities to do their bidding.

OK so what. Most games do similar things, though less cool.

We can have a Naturalist Sorcerer Emanator who turns sunlight into devastating attacks and healing magic.

With minor tweaks nearly every play style is supported, but at the same time every option is not available to everyone. You still need to make choice on how you are going to play. But now you have allot more freedom.

As an added bonus you only have (Classes^8) choices to ruminate over as casting style is determined mostly by stats and decisions at cast time.

This concludes this alternate magic system. At some point in the future I may revisit it to Flesh out a class system that appropriately fits such a magic system. I think for the most part MANY class abilities in role playing games are better represented by spells than pseudo magic anyway.

For my next post I will either be discussing an entirely different magic system in relation to damage systems, or something to do with my adaptation of the D6 system for the role playing game I designed.