Making RPG Magic More Sinister
Maybe I’m getting cranky in my advancing age, but I’ve become increasingly dissatisfied with D&D magic – namely there are no consequences to casting spells. It’s all “Harry Potter”-type magic, this “stuff” just plucked from the air, often appearing as technology in the guise of spells. (I’m no fan of the “fire and forget” system either, but that’s a whole other argument).
In the Sword and Sorcery tradition, magic has sinister, unpredictable nature. Spell casters who utilize it must delve into forbidden lore and engage in battle of wits with the dark forces that keep its secrets. Those who traffic in magic run the risk of being tainted by its wickedness. Even the most well-intentioned users often end up perverted by its power.
This past week I’ve been tinkering with a mechanic to re-introduce that old Sword and Sorcery feel into my roleplaying games. Wielding magic should entail risk to the user, and the magic itself should behave in an unpredictable, erratic manner.
Of course, the reason would not be to discourage players from being spell casters. If anything, I think, it would open up new roleplaying possibilities for PCs. Would they not have a different perspective on their character and their powers if using them meant some sort of sacrifice?
I know I’m not re-inventing the wheel here. I’ve seen several attempts to do the same in other games. But I thought I’d give it a try, more as a design challenge than any attempt to “right” the D&D universe.
posted by Carolina @ 6:34 PM
2 Comments:
Hmmmmmmmm..... I've never been a fan of random magic (as in: roll a dice to see if it works), but I do like the idea of lasting consequences. Long-time, we could be looking at a Dark Sun type scenario where overuse of magic has leeched the land. Perhaps the occasional withering plant as a spell is cast could foreshadow this :)
After all, magic has to come from somewhere, so there has to be a cost somewhere. I've played with the idea magic costing Hit Points before. Each spell use costs 1 HP, cast as much as you want until you drop. You can overcast at the expenditure of 1 (temporary) CON lost. Made for a cool Blood Mage in one game. He took alternate levels of Sorcerer and Barbarian (for the HP!). That worked, but only appealed to the one player.
Of course, the power can come from other places too - dead vermin or monsters make for a good source of power.
Just my rambling mind..........
As a rambler, Greywulf, your ideas are always on point.
When I wrote this, I was thinking cost in terms of sanity ... but Con and hp are also ways to go.
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