Beejazz's Magic System.

[beejazz]

Well, I want to create two types of magic (specifically for a future campaign setting) that rival each other in a scor/wiz like fashion. Anyone familiar with the terms "tonal" and "nagual"? I read them somewhere forever ago and they just plain stuck with me. Besides that, I'm game for anything.

I also wanted a kind of "seeker" magic... not like spells and shit, but like knowing where to find hidden things. It's this whole Quest type of magic where only you could possibly go into the forest and find the "GREAT BEAR" or whatever, where for others this would not exist. This to represent that the magic in the world is sometimes hidden from the untrained eye. Just a thought.

[snakefing]

Nagual? I don't even recognize and cognates to that word.

It struck me that there are a couple of ways to subdivide magic. One is by medium - this mage works with fire, that one knows mental stuff. That's kind of like "scientific" magic if you like - you assume that a mage is specializing in some set of knowledge and techniques.

Another is by overall effect or purpose. One caster can sling damaging energy attacks, another beast magic, another makes charms, or sees the future. This might be a little more like "talent" magic - you don't know ask it works, just know that a person has a certain talent for certain kinds of effects.

[beejazz]

I'd probably be in to what you describe as "scientific", though I'd likely divide both ways.

[snakefing]

In some ways the "scientific" approach is more wizard-like, and the "talent" approach is more sorcerer like. Kind of.

[beejazz]

Okay. As it seems we're detailing individual systems on our threads here... I was hoping to apply a dicepoolish system to SA's work (dystopia- or something like it.)

Okay, so... a person has four physical and four mental stats. These run between 5 and 9 (start at 5 with 4 to distribute in each category). Each stat has a modifier equal to half the stat (rounded down). Spaces are left open for stress points and stress levels to each stat.

Stat
The stat itself runs between 5 and 9. This is the TN you must roll at or under. How many times you roll at or under your TN determines success or failure.

Modifier
Your modifier is half your stat (round down.) If someone wants to beat you at something, they must roll at or under TN this many times. For example, if someone wants to sneak past you, they must make TN as many times as your perception dictates. If someone wants to hit you in combat, they must make TN as many times as your reflex dictates. If someone wants to bull rush you, they must make TN as many times as your strenght dictates.

Stress Points
You accumulate stress points when your mind or body is attacked. Your body's constant exposure to contaminants or your mind's constant exposure to things that just aren't right will tend to wear you down. You can accumulate stress points equal to your ability score before gaining a stress level.

Stress Level
You start at stress level one and increase as high as stress level five. Stress level is a measure of how warped you have become. Certain tasks require you to "beat the sickness" as it were, in that you must hit TN a number of times equal to your stress level. Say you want to concentrate. You roll at or under TN as many times as your will's stress level.

Physical Stats
Agility: Your speed and gross-muscle skill. Jumping, tumbling, dodging, and sprinting all use agility.
Coordination: Your fine-muscle skill. Crafts, firearm use, lockpicking, climbing, and rope use are a few tasks for coordination.
Strength: Pretty self-explanatory. Lifting, breaking, or hitting things with a big stick might all use strength.
Toughness: Your resiliency. Resisting damage, poison, and fatigue are all functions of toughness.

Mental Stats
Cognition: Thinking and puzzle-solving. Cognition measures just what concepts you can wrap your head around.
Memory: Knowlege, or the capacity for it. Memory measures just how much you know.
Perception: What you see and hear, and how attentive you are. Perception measures just how in touch you are with the world.
Will: The strength of your mind. Fearlessness, determination, etc.

Okay, so I got a little lazy later on and quit listing skills. But I like this stuff. The "stress" mechanic is really not necessary, except for the SA-ness of the thing (disease and sanity handled in detail) and is based on the "taint" mechanic found in Heroes of Horror. I'd still need to write up a skills system (I was thinking at least four skills per ability) some weapons and armor (armor as DR) some hit locations (probably based on number of 10s rolled) and a magic system (one of those ways you accumulate stress)...