MoT: Foundation of the magic system part 1.

Magic

Reading Magical Skills

  Magic is broken down into skills and styles within. When you take a Magic User boon, you gain access to specific magic skills and styles. As you train you may be able to develop more styles in the skills you know. Each skill is has a Stat focus that is used with the magical skill when using that type of magic. Some Skills break down into divisions as well. When you gain access to the skill you select one division, this can mean something different for different magical skills so read closely.

Reading Styles/spells

  Under each magical skill, there are a set of 'styles' or spells if you prefer. Each will give an effect of what it does and some qualifiers that may improve the effect, such as spending mana, regents or extra successes. Some Styles may even have style upgrades, that if you learn can improve the effect or potential of the spell further.

Mana Cost and Casting

  When casting a spell, unless stated in the effect it cost no additional mana on a success. Though there are often options for spending extra mana to improve the effect. However, when you fail to cast a spell, that is a different matter. When your character fails a spell roll, they must either pay one mana for every result of 1 on the spell dice or suffer one minor for each of those resulting 1 dice. That is the risk of magic. You may negate this effect by paying one mana before the dice are rolled.

Magic and range

  Unless stated otherwise when a spell is cast you must touch a target. This can be negated by proper Catalyst or medium that characters can learn or purchase.

Biomancy

  The art of strengthening the flesh and bone of the living.

Skill: Biomagic

Stat Focus: Endurance

Targets: Must be used on a living organic being.

Biomancy Styles

Bolster Form - Select one physical attribute each time you take this style.

Effect: Increase the physical stat chosen of a target by 1 for a short duration.

Additional Success: Increase the bonus to stats by one per additional success.

Spend mana: For each mana spend add an extra short duration to the time remaining on the effect.

Harden skin

Effect: Gain 1 armour for a short duration

Additional Success: add an extra short duration to the time remaining on the effect.

Spend Mana: +1 armour for the effect.

Regeneration

Effect: Convert 1 major wound to a minor wound.

Additional Success: Convert additional major wounds to minor wounds.

Spend Mana: Recover 2 minor wounds equal to mana spend. This cannot heal wounds caused by failed uses of magic.

More coming in the future, stay tuned.

Starfinder: Evolution Crystals (Items/resource)

Basic Information

Evolution crystals are a classification of material found in the universe that could be processed through advanced technology, magic and genetic manipulation to create powerful transformations that can help on small and large scales.

Raw forms

The most often found inert, in large enough quantities can be triggered to have a  minor effect on a large scale. The architects have colour-coded the uses of these crystals in order to better process and market them. Many of these crystals affect creatures on a bio or evolutionary level.

Green: The flow of diversity and adaptation. In large amounts, it can allow a species to adapt rapidly to an extreme change in their habitat. Making evolutionary jumps by leaps and bounds. Large deposits of this colour of crystal hidden on the developing world Dessa.

White: The flow of moving space and communications across the universe. It is the processing of this crystal that allows communication and travel across the stars to the level it has been reached. Often used to make great feat interstellar communication, of smaller vessels and important cargo quickly across the stars. Although any travel provided by this crystal beyond the line of sight will not transport other crystals.

Red:  The flow of Paragon and polarization.  Bringing out the idealized form of its targets.  Bonds with the DNA of those that use them, they can allow one to bring out there best.  Strengths are bolstered at the price of greater flaws.  That is the power of Red.

Sample items Shards

Note:  Shards are Evo crystal items that are one use and have a 1d6 x 10 minute duration in their effects.


Gene Pulse Shard (Red):  Bringing out the paragon of a person's species genetic code, the shard will a different effect on your based on your species.  Below are a few examples;
Humans:  +2 racial ability bonus increases to +4 for the duration.
Wenlsu:  When rolling stealth, you may reroll any result of 10 or less once every 10 minutes.

Gene Spread Shard (Green):  This shard writes a little bit of genetic code of another species to yours.  You must apply DNA of the creature you wish to gain the benefit of.  Once attuned to a species, it will give that benefit when used.  Examples of some race effect below.

Elven:  receive a +2 racial bonus to caster level checks to overcome spell resistance.

Wenlsu:  If you fail a save against poison restore half your stamina points.

Star Messanger Shard (White):  Send a short message of up to 25 words to one person you know in the multiverse.  I will be recieved 24 hours later.  If the target is not of mind to recieve the message, it will be delayed until they can.



Any thoughts on price value??

RoaE: Resources, what are they good for?

Here is a quick summary of what resources can be used for.

General (costs that don't use specific resources.)
*increasing Development of a region.
*certain buildings and upkeeps use varying resources.

Food
*creating an army unit.
*holding festivals to improve moral.
*personal training for tactics.

Gold
*Hiring Mercenaries.
*Training for tactics.

Lumber
*Increasing rank of Keep.
*Training for Architecture.
*Used for constructing buildings.

Mana
*Casting spells.
*Training for Spells.

Ore
*Training for Architecture.
*Used in constructing buildings.

At the End of the Worlds: Race, The Wretched Part 2 (Mechanics - Fate )

Fate

Aspects: Sickening Appearance, Twisted Heart, Love of Dance, and Oil Covered.

Racial skill: Defile

Defile is the racial skill of the wretched. It is the urge to twist and wreck what is decent and virtuous. This is the lingering power of their dark history and curse. It raises doubt in what's good and encourages sin.

Create Advantage

Defile can create advantages of illness or weakening. Sickened or nauseas are common advantages used against living. Rotting or tarnished are common against none living targets.

Overcome

Defile allows a character to overcome illness, both physical and mentally. If sickened or poisoned or similar advantage played against them. They may use this skill to overcome.

Attack

This skill can be used as a mental attack. Causing hopelessness, repulsion, or torturous guilt.

Defense

This is not a defensive skill.

Stunts

Plague touch: Spend a fate point and use defile in place of fighting for one roll. If target takes harm, they must take a sickened consequence.

Culling the weak: Gain +2 to when attempting to attack physically against someone with a sickened or similar condition.

Poison immunity: You are immune to all natural poisons and disease.

Twisted arousal: Spend a fate point to use Rapport for a mental attack while flirting with another.

At the end of worlds: Race - Steel Elves part 2 (Mechanics - Fate)

Fate

Aspects: My blade is an extension of myself, Blacksmith of Elven Steel, Nature is the enemy, and

Racial skill: Metal Bond

Metal Bond is the racial skill of the Steel Elves. It represents to the connection that these elves have made with the elemental forces of metal, such as steel. When working to craft, identify or find steel this skill may be used.  Also select one stunt below.  You may select more by spending stunts.

Stunts

Reap Mana from Steel:  When attacking with a weapon made from steel, you may change a die into a Mana die for every rank in this skill.  See here for more information.

Against the Enemy, that is nature:  When wearing armour in an outdoor, above ground environment.  Defence rolls against physical attacks increase by 2.

Masterful Metalworks:  When making a craft roll while working with Metal, you may make up to half the skill in dice bound.  See here for more information.

RoaE: How Hirelings Work

  This post will explain how hirelings to work in Relics of an Empire.  Each act the available hirelings will be posted.  They will have a name, wants, abilities, and possibly loyalty.  First step to gaining access to a hirelings assistance is to gain loyalty from it.  If you have zero loyalty with the Hireling, you take the Gain loyalty of a Hireling to gain a base loyalty.   If you have at least one loyalty to the hireling, you may appeal to their wants without taking an action, more on wants later.

  Once you have any loyalty with a hireling you may attempt to command them.  Though so can any other player with loyalty.  The Hireling will take the action of the character with highest loyalty, however, the player will lose 2 loyalty if any other player with loyalty asked the hireling in question to act as well.  If you have loyalty the hireling, but you did not ask them to this turn, you can appeal to their wants.  If you have a trait the hireling seeks or if the hireling wants a resource, you increase their loyalty for each trait you possess and once for every two resources your willing to spend on the hireling.


Example coming soon.

Tournament Magi - Part 6: Restructure

  As mentioned in an earlier post I have finally got back to fleshing out the rules for this sports based fate setting/game.  I will be going a different route then before.  Rather then each player having a character as a member of a single team, each player will establish their own team in a league.  I know this may lead to a more board game feel but this seems more true to the idea of Tournament Magi.

  Also The game will be more akin to the fate accelerated then fate core.  Stunts and other qualifying capabilities will be known as talents for this setting.  So I think I will dive into a little bit of team building design which will replace some of the earlier posts and brain storming.  Team creation is covered in four parts:  Home regions, Hire Team members, Armory and Training facility.  This article will cover the first two and the next will go into more details on the others and wrap up.

Home region

  To start we build our team's Home land or region and the type of people they represent.  To do this we establish two things.  First, what approach the team and/or homeland is known for.  This will be important in later team creation.  Second, you select a species, class or people or something else the team represents.  At creation, team funds can be spent to advance these traits at a cost shown below.  Finally, select a role the team has an edge in.

+$30, 000 add another representation
+60, 000 add a second approach the team specializes in.
+30, 000 add another role the team has an edge with.


Home region creation example
  Darren and Jenna prepare to start a Tournament Magi season.  Darren decides his team will revolve around Minotaurs, so he selects Forceful as his approach and Knights as his edge team members.  Since he already choose that his team represents Minotaurs he calls his team the Labyrinth Walkers.   Jenna goes for a different angle.  She wants to have sneaky as her teams approach.  She in visions that ninjas will make up her team so she chooses them from the scouts alternative names to be her edge.  She decides since she uses ninjas that her team will be representative of a clan of ninjas.

Hiring the Team

  The next step is hiring your active team members.  Your basic team member starts with two skills at rank one, a role at rank 1 and a talent from it's role.  (All roles will be shown in a later post and linked back here.)  As well the team members receive a bonus skill rank in their specialized approach.  Finally the team member gains a single aspect that must contain both their role, or one of it's alternative names, and the thing the team represents.  Prices are shown below.  A team must have at least 5 members.

+50, 000 Basic team member.  Reduced to 40, 000 if role is that which the team has an edge in.
+10, 000 a rank in an approach you don't possess.
+15, 000 bring a rank 1 approach to rank two.
+20, 000 Increase Rank of team members role

Two Worlds: Tribes of Paragon

  In Paragon tribes is the name used for groups that have banded together under a single cause.  These groups share certain qualities and skills that help them to relate to one another.  Below is a sampling of some commonly seen tribes so far;

The Common Tribes of Paragon

Lanterns

  The Lanterns are creatures of knowledge and compassion.  This however, they are also organized and discipline.  The home of the Lanterns tribe is the city of Esculla, surrounded by the forest of Raine.  Humanoids and nature fey make up the majority of it's members.

Tribal Skills:  Rapport, Will and Lore
Tribal Aspects:  'Enlightened and Proud' and 'Harmony of Mercy'

Kree-Ter

  The creatures of the Kree-Ter are not only alien to Earth but to Paragon as well.  They are insect like, and evolve at an unnatural rate.  Controlled by a hive mind, though rumour is that the mind is divided.  The members of this tribe command from the spire Torrant, near the crystal glade pass.


Tribal Skills:  Physique, Notice, survival
Tribal Aspects:  'For the Hive' and 'Evolution is the key to survival'

Under Depths

  There is no shortage of seas and lakes within Paragon.  Beneath the depth hides many sorts of creatures, and treasures.  This tribe uses members that survive and thrive under the waves.  Though many can breathe air as well as water.

Tribal Skills:  Athletics, Will, Resources.
Tribal Aspects:  'Hidden Riches' and 'domain over water'

The Imp Empire

  Imps are normally small, weak, and entirely fascinated with making the lives of other miserable.  In Paragon they have banded together and brought forth magic and technology to make them a force of reckoning that most would have never expected.

Tribal Skills:  Intimidate, Shooting, and Stealth
Tribal Aspects:  'We will cheat to win.' and 'No sacrifice is too great to crush an enemy.'

Well here was a sampling of some of the tribes.  Next post should be character creation.

Fate Core: Reserve Skills

So had an idea about extras that cost skills.  Reserve skills.  They are skill extras with specific effects but don't often, if ever, roll as skills.  They increase in rank and can be a place holder in skill columns.  I have an example below based on fantasy alchemy.

Reserve Skill:  Alchemy

  This reserve skill grants the PC an alchemy pool equal to double the rank in the skill.  This pool represents the alchemical materials the character has on them.  The PC may take actions to spend from this pool to create potions.  No potion may have more points from the alchemy pool then ranks in this skill.  Potions last until they are consumed or milestones.  At each milestone all potions spoil and the alchemy pool refreshes.  To start players with this skill can forge skill potions.  These potions are used to grant a bonus equal to the points spent for their next roll with that skill, then one less each test with that skill until the value returns to normal.

Stunts

Herbal gathering:  Once per game, spend a fate point and make a lore check, regain half the result to your alchemy pool.

Explosives:  Spend 2 from your alchemy pool and make a lore attack to everyone in a single zone adjacent to the one your are in.