Say I'm making a simple, lite fantasy adventure game. I can't afford to include a massive spell list for magic users, but I don't want basically freeform magic either.
I need a list of 9-12 spells that would cover most of the bases for an adventuring wizard, providing variety, utility and maybe some combat potential for the least amount.
Hard Mode (or rather, a theoretical challenge, if we're already at it): how few spells of THE SAME GENERAL THEME could you give a magic using class in order to make them useful for a large variety of situations? (without resorting to "cheats" like do-everything spells)
Dylan Morris
THICCER
Josiah Baker
Generic fire spell: damage + damage over time. Light fires, increase temperature, etc. Generic ice/water spell: damage + slow movement or stop movement. Creates drinkable water and moisturizes. Generic lightning spell: damage + enemy can't take bonus/reaction. Makes a variety of noises. Illusions: Creates false images, sounds, smells that can be detected if enemy is smart enough Barrier: Create a small radius force shield to protect you and allies Float: levitate yourself or someone 10 feet in air Levitate: Lift small objects in the air Harmony: Calms down any negative emotion such as anger, panic, fear, etc. Arcane Readings: Read fortunes, stars, strange signs that give insight to future/mysterious happenings
Kevin Mitchell
>Shelter Can work as a shield in battle or with a little more time can create a temporary magic shelter
>Fire You create a bit of flame you can then manipulate in various ways, ranging from gouts of fire from your hands (or staff/wand/whatever), lob it as an exploding ball, create a burning wall with it, etc. Really, the limit is what physics allows fire to do and how creative the user is.
>Wind Same as above but with wind, sadly this also means no magic speed boosts from air magic outside of literally having the wind on your back.
>Water Again, see the fire stuff
>Earth Again, like with fire, except you can't create earth out of thin air and need to manipulate existing stone and dirt
And those last four cover your elemental stuff.
Basically fire ball, fire wall, fire tall, etc. it's all actually one spell that's then shaped and used a billion different ways, and success with those different ways comes down to the user.
Make a system where you choose the elemental type (fire, ice, etc.) of magic attacks on cast in some way, like having a certain type of crystal or material you use while casting. Alongside this, have spells scale with the "spell slot" level used to cast it (assuming you use Vancian magic) or with the number of points spent on it, in a power-point based system. In this way you can use outside systems to turn a few spells into a ton of spells without making it complicated to keep track of.
Jaxson Cox
Shadowrun has a very generic magic system
Dominic Ross
...
Elijah Hall
It also takes up 50 pages
Blake Nguyen
Not without a spell list.
Eli Brown
Right, and Dungeons and Dragons only takes about 3 pages to explain spellcasting if you cut out the spell list. Dumbass.
Alexander James
Now that's a spell list I'd LIKE to peruse!
Eli Martinez
>it's another "user couldn't find a better excuse to post the pic they wanted to fap to" thread
Lincoln Brown
That's all nice and well in theory, but how are you going to include the mechanics for shaping the same spell in a "a billion different ways" in what seems to me is intended to be like a 2 page system? Unless you just want it to be freeform, which OP specifically said he doesn't.
Henry Nguyen
>Move a thing >Conjure fire (good for light and an attack) >Make a mundane item that breaks in a minute >Heal a bit >Predict the future (player makes a roll on something ahead of time and must use it if he carries out the prescribed action) >Read a mind >Summon a thing >Make an illusory thing >Fix a thing >Detect and cancel other magic >Scry a bit >Probably like a curse or something
There you go. With a sliding difficulty scale allowing players to expand the scope of any of those, you've got pretty much the entire world in that set right there.
Andrew Sanchez
>telekinesis >unlock >stun >disarm >light >explosion >summon spirit animal for magical defense and stuff >mind control >torture >kill
t. Joan Rowling
Jackson Brooks
Believe it or not, the goddamn magazine issue for Witch Girls Adventures has a surprisingly useful collection. It's under an article supposedly describing "20 spells every young witch should know" or something, but in effect it's a list of 20 spells that essentially cover all the common adventuring situations without being too general or powerful. From telekinesis to summoning some food.
Camden Cook
Either, make magic cool, or leave it out of your game. There is no middle ground.
Carson Gray
>magic isn't cool unless it's completely broken or comes with a 100 page spell list How's 5e treating you nowadays, user? Or are you an M:tA fag?
Easton Cox
I didn't say it needed a spell list. I'm saying it needs to not suck cock. Otherwise, there's a dozen normal skill based rolls you can do in virtually any situation that make for a more interesting game than half baked hand waving to escape a scene. Make magic scary, dangerous, and inconvenient.
James Murphy
>make magic basically unusable and undesirable for players is any fucking different from not including it all Fuck off.
Levi Mitchell
That doesn't mean it won't work mechanically. There just isn't a whole lot of difference between a guy "fire balling" something in the face and putting an arrow into it. Except that one degrades your work into a juvenile exercise of pointless excess. I'm saying put some effort into your magic and make it interesting, DCC managed to do it.
Lucas Brown
>a spell specifically for "torture" gets a place in user's "absolutely most essential" list >no divination spells whatsoever
Brandon James
No idea dude, but thanks for the thicc art Need more chubby characters
