[Anglerre] Gettin' Medieval

So! Because I just listened to this Yog-Sothoth podcast recording of the Cubicle 7 panel from Dragonmeet and my name was mentioned, I figure I can go ahead and talk about this thing I'm working on.

It's a supplement for Legends of Anglerre focused on France in the early-ish Middle Ages, from the crowning of Charlemagne in 768 to the crowning of William the Conqueror (or "the Bastard," depending on your political affiliations) in 1066. There's a lot going on in those 300-ish years, and I don't know if I've ever seen an RPG product that's really tried to cover it.

We're going for a mostly historical version of France, but with mythical and otherwise supernatural elements included as easily integrated options. Magic will be handled as the people of the time would've understood it -- i.e., largely concerned with demons, and the consorting therewith. The alchemy fad hadn't really hit Europe yet, but contact with the East was pretty common, so we'll likely include some material on that, too. Of course, the LOA magic system makes this a pretty simple thing to do, so whatever your magic preferences, it probably won't take up much of the book (because it won't need to).

Some things you can expect to do with this material:

• Fight off Saracens as Charlemagne's paladins
• Investigate injustice as members of the missi dominici
• Defend Paris from Vikings (or try, anyway)
• Take up arms in one of many civil wars
• Hunt down long-lost (or stolen!) relics
• Battle the Tarasque
• Betray Roland!
• And much, much more which isn't so combat-oriented, honest

Anyway, I'm super-excited about it and neck-deep in research, which accounts for my long periods of silence on the ol' blog(s) here. That high-school French is really paying off!

Character Creation - Pre-requisites for Magic Use (Part III) - Magic Stunt

Faithful readers of this blog may see that much of the following information looks kind of familiar. That's because the basis for much of SoG's Magic Stunt is based upon what Mike has already written elsewhere in this blog:

http://spiritoftheblank.blogspot.com/2008/04/fantasy-magic-basics.html
http://spiritoftheblank.blogspot.com/2009/03/fantasy-incantation-magic.html

This entry will focus more specifically on the following:

• What differentiates the Magic Stunt from the Magic Skill
• Applications of the Magic Stunt within SoG

First off, within SoG I generically use the term "Sorcery" to describe the generation of magical effects via the use of the Magic Stunt. "Wizardry" is the skill-based generation of magical effects.

In my opinion, the term "sorcery" is probably most used by Wizards as a derogatory term. Sorcerors would likely consider that stunt-based magic is perhaps the purest expression of magic: the instinctual ability to generate magical effects at a moment’s notice, with little or no prior preparation. Wizards would probably scoff at the notion, considering the (ab)use of Magic (with a capital M) without sufficient study as ignorant folly... ;)

Magic Stunt Overview

• The Magic Stunt and the Magic Skill are not mutually exclusive. Someone could choose to take both. In fact, I suspect many of the REALLY powerful Wizards probably do have both, in order to allow them the maximum flexibility in generating magical effects. This would be akin to a "Master" craftsman saying something like, "You have to KNOW the rules, before you can BREAK them..."
  
• The character must still have a Magic-related Aspect in order to generate magical effects.
  
• The Magic Stunt allows the user to create magical effects on the fly, without having to memorize spells.
• Generating magical effects via the Magic Stunt requires the user to roll the normal 4dF (versus the 2dF+2 of the Magic Skill). This also means that Stunt-based magic is also more prone to failure.
• When using the Magic Stunt to generate Magical effects, the user can elect to expend as many FATE points as desired (up to what they have available) per casting to gain the necessary effect. Obviously, this can make things rather easy for a Sorceror to get in over his head in a tough situation.
  

OPEN ISSUE/VARIANT: Should the Magic Stunt require a FATE point to activate the Stunt? Many powerful stunts in SotC RAW require the expenditure of a FATE point to activate them--should the Magic Stunt? My current feeling is NO, the Magic stunt should not require a FATE point to activate it.

• Based upon what little play we've done with SoG and reading other people's experiences, I think I would rather players use FATE points to have fun and bring the awesome, not as the basis of how many spells their character can cast.
• Even if it was a requirement, I would be inclined to give the player the benefit of having expended that FATE point as if they had elected to spend it in the normal fashion.
• This decision might also be dependent upon the realm where this is being applied. In a realm where magic is rarer (or the ability to cast it is rare), it might be more appropriate.
  

Important Difference between the Magic Stunt versus other SotC Stunts
Within SotC RAW, most (if not all) other Stunts are tied to a pre-set Skill requirement. However within the High Fantasy realm of Greyhawk, the PLAYER will determine what skill is tied to the Magical Stunt. Some examples are:

• A Bard capable of generating magic effects via his song would tie his Art Skill to the Magic Stunt.
• A dwarven blacksmith creating magic armor or weapons would tie her Art Skill (broken out as the "Craft" skill in SoG) to her Magic Stunt.
• Healers or Alchemists could generate magical healing effects by combining the Science (known as the "Physick" skill in SoG) to their Magic Stunt.
  
• High "level" thieves with the Magic Stunt could combine the Magic Stunt with Stealth or Burglary
• Rangers could combine the Survival skill with the Magic Stunt.
  
• A "pure" Sorceror would likely combine the Magic Stunt with the Resolve skill--the gift/curse to generate magic effects purely by willpower.
  
• Many powers of the Monk class might be translated by combining the Magic Stunt with Athletics or Fists skills.
  

So I think this provides a convenient method by which we can translate the magical effects attributed to higher levels of a particular class in the source material, without having to get too rule-crunchy.

DESIGN CONSIDERATION: Can a player tie the Magic Stunt to more than one skill? In other words, could a player have a character with both Art Skill and the Craft Skill be able to sing magical songs AND create magic weapons? On the surface, I don't see why not. At least in the High Fantasy realm of common magic. I think it might present some challenges to the player as to having a clear picture of the character--but that would be common to any sort of "multi-class" type.


Gameplay Implications
A Sorceror (or someone using the Magic Stunt as their primary method of surviving combat) could find himself running out of FATE points pretty quick in a conflict.

This was on purpose. Sorcerors (and Wizards) are supposed to be smart folks: whether that's expressed as "book smart" or "street smart" or "crazy to tamper with forces beyond their reckoning" is up to the player.

So if a player is to effectively run this kind of character, this setup encourages a player to really pay attention to Aspects (whether in their opponents, themselves or in the scene) and work to tag them as much as possible and thus avoid having to tap into their own FATE points.

Literary Example: The Dresden Files. Consider how much more effective magic users are in a conflict when they have the opportunity to research their opponent, dictate the conditions, or otherwise are able to "tag the aspects"!

Fantasy: Alchemy

Alchemy uses Physik (the Science equivalent) as its base skill, and covers the creation of potions, elixirs, philters, ointments, powders, and the like.

The default difficulty is Mediocre (+0). Shifts obtained on your Physik roll can be spent on:

• Power: The effect of the concoction -- what it does. With rare exception, this will be beneficial (harmful formulations are better classified as poisons). Pick a skill, such as Alertness, Endurance, Resolve, Might, or whatever is most appropriate to the effect you want to achieve. For example, if it's a potion of strength you're after, pick Might. Each shift spent on Power increases the quality of this skill by +1.
  
• Duration: How long the effect lasts, starting at a minute. Each shift spent on Duration increases the length of the effect by one step on the Time Chart.
• Aspects: Shifts can be spent to add aspects to the imbiber, as well, to reflect grey-area stuff. If your potion turns someone into a bestial humanoid, reflect that by spending a shift on "Bestial Humanoid." A potion that has a visible effect on the imbiber -- for example, if he sprouts wings or is covered in a chitinous armored shell -- must have an aspect.
  

Alchemy requires a default of 15 minutes to create a potion. For every shift spent on Power or Duration, increase the time required by one step on the Time Chart. Unspent shifts reduce the time required by an equal amount -- one step per unspent shift.

Apply the potion's Power to the user's relevant skill as a bonus for the duration of the effect. Optionally, an entire category of skills (physical, mental, or social) could be affected at twice the cost -- two shifts/+1.

Example:
Augustus, eager to get the better of an upcoming business transaction, pays an alchemist to create a potion that will make him more persuasive for a while -- a Rapport effect. The alchemist has Good (+3) Physik, and rolls a +2, for a total effort of Superb (+5). He spends two shifts on Duration, to make the effect last for 15 minutes, leaving him with three shifts to spend on Power. It'll take the alchemist all day, but his customer isn't in a hurry. When he's done, Augustus will be able to receive a +3 bonus to his Rapport for 15 minutes. Hopefully it's long enough.

There's one other factor: money. But that's a pretty individual matter. For us, until we figure out how much things cost, or what money's even called in one place or another, it'll be tough to pin that one down.

What about potions that have effects entirely outside the skill system? Like a potion that gives you the power of flight, or one that turns you into a monster?

I think the easiest way to handle the former is to, well, fudge it. Make up a new skill to cover the new capability, like Flying. Nobody has flying, except flying things. You don't even have it at Mediocre (+0). But drinking a potion that gives it to you also gives you the power to use it, so if you spend a few shifts on Power to give the imbiber the Flying skill, now they can fly. Just to keep things from getting totally out of hand, though, giving someone a skill that isn't normally available costs two shifts per point of bonus. Average (+1) Flying is good enough to fly, but if you want to stand a good chance of catching or outrunning another flying thing you'll want to bump that up -- which makes potions of flight expensive, difficult, and time-consuming to make. And they should be, at least in my game.

As for monster-turning-into, that's a little easier. Let's say your potion turns the imbiber into a werewolf-like thing with supernatural strength, big sharp claws, and a canine sense of smell and hearing. Spend Power shifts on multiple skills -- Might, Melee, and Alertness -- and another shift on Aspect: Big Werewolf-Like Thing. Again, it'll be costly, hard, and take a while, but look what you're getting in the bargain!