I've been smitten with Chris McDowall's project of bringing his Odd ruleset into the land of medieval fantasy. Being an incurable tinkerer, I am inspired to adapt it to a more stereotypical high-fantasy genre.
Here I take inspiration from GLOG magic for the frontend and vaguely from Earthsea for the backend. I think it seems pretty neat.
Casting a spell
Casting a spell requires the ability to clearly enunciate the words of power. If casting a spell from a scroll or grimoire, two hands are required.
When casting, choose a Spell that you know or which is available to you through a scroll or grimoire and the Power to cast it with. The spell costs that many points of WIT to cast, subtracted after the casting. Certain items or other creatures linked in a ritual can provide the Wit on the behalf of the caster.
Roll as many d6 as the Power chosen. The number of [DICE] and the [SUM] of the roll will determine the size of the effect, as described in the individual spell. Each die that shows 4+ also causes an additional spell of the spell-myth to trigger, using the same [DICE] and [SUM]. All triggered spells take effect simultaneously.
If two or more dice show 6s then the spell has upset the Balance. Roll a d6.
1: The next omen of a random myth is triggered.2-3: the next omen of the closest myth occurs.4-6: The next omen of the spell-myth is triggered.
The progression of the omens is independent of any individual caster, and thus two casters ignorant of each other can push a spell to its culmination prematurely. Wizards often prefer that no one else dabbles in the same spell-myths as they do.
Example Spell-Myth
The Flame
A crackle and jump and then a sudden crescendo, tongues of red, hot, dancing, consuming bursting all around, afraid of dying
Ritual of Awakening: Take an ember from a fire which has burned a man and bring it into the heart of a blazing inferno.
Mastery: You are immune to harm from flame and heat.
Spells:
1: Torchlight: A cold blue flame burns in your hand for [DICE] + [SUM] turns, illuminating the area but consuming nothing.
2: Fire shield: Flames lick at your footsteps and dance around you and heat emanates from your person for [DICE] + [SUM] turns. It deals ([DICE] - 2) damage per round to everyone in your zone. You're immune to damage from heat and fire and the heat opposes any harm from cold.
3: Fireball: At your fingertip appears a small droplet of liquid fire, iridescent and pure. At the end of your turn it jumps towards where you point, within [SUM] zones. At the beginning of your next turn it blossoms out into an explosion with a great roar. It deals d10 + [DICE] damage to everyone in the zone.
4: Bend Flame: The nearest flame becomes animated for [DICE] + [SUM] rounds. It will jump between objects and characters at random on its turn. By spending your action you can guide its movement and control its properties. You can grow or shrink it [DICE] size categories, make it jump one zone, make it quiet or loud, or make it produce more or less smoke. If uncontrolled it acts upon your current emotion, fleeing if you are afraid, hiding if you are duplicituous, growing large if you are bold. Like any fire it deals 1 damage per size category per round.
5: Imbue fire: The next item you touch is imbued with fire without being consumed. It burns for [SUM] hours and deals [DICE] damage when touched.
6: White flame: The next flame you touch becomes white and burns smokeless and pure. Anything it touches is burned in thin lines rather than whole areas. It will cleanse what it touches from disease, spells and possessing demons by burning away their essence. A fire shield of white fire blocks all spells from affecting you. The effect will not spread; new fire ignited by the white fire burns orange.
Omens
1: At a hearth or campfire a child is playing with the flame. They pick up the embers and drop them against each other, giggling at the sparks and heat. When their sibling joins in an ember is knocked out and burns their foot badly.
2: A village is burning a great bale of old detrius. A small speech of commemoration is held, but a spectator drunkenly stumbles into the fire. When dragged out they are mysteriously unharmed. Foul sorcery is suspected and witchhunters may be summoned.
3: The well is dry and the eel is dead. The stones are warm, hot even. Then, a barn burns. An alms-taker becomes suddenly incensced by fiery spirit, commits to convincing everyone of the might of the sun. A pyromaniac slinks away to the next village, to go on a spree.
4: Smoke over the horizon and a reddened sky. Soon ash and billowing clouds make day into night. Animals are driven out of the wildlands and cattle and horses flee their stocks.
5: In the nearest Holding a spark catches the roof of the poorest home. Before long the hue and cry brings the water, but the house has already burned and the fire is spreading. Everyone in power suffers from a fever.
6: Deep in the earth the very stones become lit aflame. The fire dies out in treetops and town, but bursts forth through the land every day. The nearest hex becomes a zone of firelands. In a season it is but a charred wasteland. In an Age it will recover. In it a small bonfire burns eternally, holding the Vis of the Myth.
Example Sorcerer
The Singed Sorcerer
The flame obey the bold, they loudly proclaim.
Property:
- Grimoire (Torchlight, Fire Shield, Fireball, Bend flame, Imbue fire, White flame)
- Bent firwood staff (d8, long)
- A firehorn and a firesteel
Feat - Hardened
When you would suffer only 1 damage (before reduction from armor) you can choose to ignore it.
Vow - Desensitized
Lose d6 GRA when you would suffer discomfortable touch or physical sensation.
The scar
1: Your leg
2: Your hand
3: Your face
4: Your back
5: Your chest
6: Your mind
The lesson
1: Tolerant of minor pain
2: Smell fire a mile away
3: See well in the dark
4: You can immediately stop yourself from burning by stopping, dropping and rolling
5: With flint and tinder you can always start a fire
6: You know how to make fires which water cannot put out
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