Every GLoGhack needs a "base wizard". Here is mine.
WIZARD
Wizard SKILLS: Wizardry
A Choose 2 WORDS. You can cast any Spell you can think of that relates to a WORD you know. When you cast a Spell, roll 2d6. On a 10+, it goes how you want it. On a 7-9, there is a cost. On a 6-, things go awry, the lower the more catastrophic. You may have a penalty the more complicated/dangerous the Spell you want to cast.
B Choose another WORD. If you find a Spell or a Scroll, you can spend a TURN to turn it into a TRAUMA and be able to cast it permanently as one of your Spells, even if it doesn't relate to any of your WORDS.
C Choose another WORD. You can combine 2 WORDS in a single casting ("destroy" and "ward" might be Disintegration Field).
D Choose another WORD. You can combine up to 3 WORDS in a single casting ("ward", "summon", and "animate" might be Demon Binding).
WORDS:
Abjuration- WARD
Conjuration- SUMMON
Divination- SEE
Enchantment- ENHANCE
Evocation- DESTROY
Illusion- OBSCURE
Necromancy- ANIMATE
Transmutation- WARP
LOOT: Spellbook of the Archmage
I'm going to abolish Spells as a discrete entity as anything other than Scrolls or Wands or the like. It clutters things up, and I think it's more interesting and cleaner to have magical abilities that are always "on" for casters than to have Spells. I know it's a scared cow, but they're just not right for MARROW. I like the use of the DW dice for spellcasting, it makes a lot of sense and is simple enough to be easily memorable, but rich enough to allow for what I need it to do.
I like the idea of magic verbs and magic words. It's just concrete enough a DM can make rulings, but just abstract enough to allow players virtually full freedom in creative solutions. I'm gonna test it ASAP to see what my players think of it and how it goes.
Please tell me what you think, and happy gaming.
Sounds cool to me! I always have a bit of a soft spot for any Magic Word system. Is there a benefit to casting spells with multiple words? And turning a scroll into a Trauma... is that a specific term you're using? Wouldn't you just learn the word?
ReplyDeleteThe benefit being increased flexibility. You can't, for example, have a spell that gives you laser vision until you combine DESTROY and SEE, or a spell that buffs a summoned creature with ENHANCE and SUMMON. More WORDS allows you to combine things in ever more complex and higher-utility ways.
DeleteAs to TRAUMA, that is hack-specific terminology (permanently occupies a WIS slot). I don't plan on converting the whole Spell system to words, just for Wizards and Wizard-alikes- I want to cut Spells as they exist in the rest of the game out of Classes, it gets tough what with how my hack is set up.