How do you feel spells & magic should function in a setting and game, Veeky Forums?

How do you feel spells & magic should function in a setting and game, Veeky Forums?
>Certain number of predetermined effects Wizards can cast, with certain limits such as per day or through some kind of mana point/charge system
>Made of constituent parts; such as an action and an element, such as in MAGE or Ars Magica. Combining elements let you make spell effects on the fly.
>Ritualistic spells that anyone could potentially cast, but requiring certain knowledge or components
>Something else?

Honestly I prefer settings that have different mechanics for each type of magic used.
To give an example: in Agone there are several concurrent firms of magic that operate under three broad categories that branch off.

Firstly there is ascendancy: the most common form of magic. It relies on the mage forming an emotional bond (ranging from friendly to master and servant) with small fey like questionable sentient (can't communicate) creatures called dancers. The dancers are what actually memorize and cast the spells, with a maximum number of spells they can kniw and cast over day, the mage just directs their dance.

Then there is demon sommuning: the conjurer uses special inks to summon and make Faustian deals with Demons of varying power. The stronger the demon, the more demanding. Exponentially so.

Lastly there are the magical arts: literally art that is magic. There are 4 kinds: poetry, sculpting, music, and painting. Painting requires special pigments, but other than this, each operates similarly in that they can be cast any number of times per day, but to cause truly powerful effects the caster must increase the difficulty by increments to increase the effects of the spell.

Elona percentage based classic actual Vancian casting. The wizard learns spells from scrolls and spellbooks, but essentially spells are documented in his mind through memorization, except the spells held are represented as a percentage- reading spellbooks merely refreshes the percentage of the spell in the mind, based on spellcraft, concentration, and INT and WIS checks- the spell is forgotten if a spells percentage runs out, but, fragments of the arcana are left in the recesses of the Wizards mind, and through divine concord, third party divination, or simply luck of the die roll via dreaming, new spells or even old ones, can have a percentage recalled or brought forth in the mind.

Failing a spell can directly harm, confuse, disorient, sicken, or worse, trigger a summoning of hostile monsters to the field, and success of casting is relational to similar rules found in the rules for regular casting- there are also minor feats and talents utilization, such as a feat to make you more likely to succeed casting a spell if you've a high percentage memorized.

Additionally spellbooks disintegrate on use- reading one is a trial of concentration and effort to memorize the spell before the tome disintegrates due to the magic's memetics that hold it engraved expiring- and even then it's a trial of how much of the spells learnt percentage is gained.

Failure to read spellbooks confers the same perils of failing to cast a spell- except worse, because of level disparity due to the set nature of spells conferred to tomes.

Wizards do have lesser Hit die than other classes- but they make up for this because their method of spell learning and research for that matter is the same as Armydudes practicing that pain threshold test- every magical failure punishes the body, but makes it stronger- so failing with hard to read tomes that nearly kill you can be seen as a good thing- but only if the time is made for it in downtime. Spells also have hidden utility.

Oh right- this is also linked to MP- if you've no MP, then using a ranged weapon, throwing potions, poisons, and even Alcohol, or magical wands and rods is suggested, with the use of Supernatural, or Spellike abilities that rely on a stamina based statistic are preferred- otherwise, one can opt to cast a spell- at the cost of one's own lifeforce. Infact, spells that you are good at already through memorization and due to how much time you've used that spell confer little damage to you, opposed to trying to use ones that you were limited to and struggling with, even with you're given MP.

>>Ritualistic spells that anyone could potentially cast, but requiring certain knowledge or components

This along with rigorous research. The thing like I like about this paradigm is that anybody can be instructed no how to cast a pre-packaged spell, which leads to all sorts of great narrative hooks with people getting hexed by a bad spell they bought etc.

Regardless of what you do, just tie it to one resource mechanic. I just got done reading the Cthulhu "magic system." I'm currently looking for a substitute as the "default" one has about a dozen leashing mechanics on it. Might as well not even have it in the system if you are going to make something shit tier.

>Additionally spellbooks disintegrate on use
I get that for a video game, but thats pretty dumb from a narrative perspective.

In the fluff it can be whatever sounds good, but in mechanics, I'd just go for simplicity, ease of play, and possibly interesting gameplay over trying to reflect fluff 100%; if you have the luxury of making your own fluff, you should probably base it around the mechanics of your game over trying to come up with an in-depth magic system in-universe and then autistically slaving your mechanics to it, leading to all sorts of shitty, overcomplicated, and often easy to break games.

I personally think it's best if you have both combat applicable "quick" spells that are balanced against each other and the options usually available to characters in a short time-frame, and "ritual" spells that can have bigger impact on the world but take longer to cast, pricier, even more risky.

Depends on the game and feel of what you want to run.

Personally I prefer a series inherent powers based on a certain pool of power that the user refines as they progress.

Magicians should be relatively rare, to the point that one dressed up in a magician's garb would catch attention in the general public, like someone wearing a full suit of well-made plate. There should be different types of magicians.

>Wizards
They deliberately undergo a process to turn their bodies into conduits for magical energies, which is potentially deadly. They undergo rigorous study to learn and craft spells, mental formulas that help them change and apply that energy through their focus and will. Tools can help this. Classic archetype of magical scholars. The most versatile kind of magician, but also the one with the most risk. Their powers are also largely transitory, and permanent effects can only be made with a lot of effort and resources. Semi-permanent effects might be another option. (For wards and whatnot.) They also tend to go insane as the years go on, a side effect of being a magical conduit.

>Witches and Warlocks
Per the archetype, they bargain for their power. But I would say that this shouldn't be limited to a single patron, or just patrons giving them power. They can bind a spirit to make them take a form of a fetish that has the spirit's powers. They can make pacts with demons to gain unique abilities, and they're the most likely to have familiars, who they can use as a source of power for the odd spell that they come across. More limited than wizards in terms of what they can learn, and making deals is dangerous, but they have a middling road of versatility and sustainability. Once you make a deal for a power, that power is yours. Unless you break the pact. To this end, witches and warlocks rarely ever lie or break oaths, believing in the power of their own word, as well as trying to maintain credibility. If they lie to or break an oath to a being they've made a pact with, the power they gained is forsworn. Losing it is the best case scenario, but often the being will want to be... reimbursed.

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