Finally got in a second playtest session of my Ars Magica hack.
Finally got in a second playtest session of my Ars Magica hack. Very positive feedback on covenant development and lab work moves. The players also really seem to be getting into the council/tribunal moves but we’ll need to see them in action more before making judgement.
Only one real combat this session but it was smooth and the “humours” concept for tracking harm worked very well.
Over all a resounding success if you consider the alpha status of the project 🙂
So, who is going to volunteer to hack The Regiment for a fantasy setting?
So, who is going to volunteer to hack The Regiment for a fantasy setting? I was just thinking about some of the battle scenes from Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen series and it seemed like the principles could fit…
Any word on the sale date? Still quite excited about this!
Any word on the sale date? Still quite excited about this!
Progress has been slower than I hoped, but here’s another piece of my Ars Magica hack.
Progress has been slower than I hoped, but here’s another piece of my Ars Magica hack. This section revolves around warping and twilight. As always, feedback is appreciated 🙂
Every time a character is exposed to magical forces, whether through spellcasting, handling large quantities of vis, living in a powerful aura or encountering a powerful magical creature, there is a chance they could experience Warping.
The GM tracks each character’s Warping Total secretly, so you’ll never know for sure exactly what it is (though you’ll be able to make an educated guess any time you experience a warping event).
A warping event occurs when a magus who has already suffered Warping at least twice recently (GM’s discretion as to what constitutes recently, but generally within the last day or two) suffers an additional point of Warping in a stressful circumstance. In this case, stress would be any circumstance where there are significant consequences for failure (combat certainly counts, as could a negotiation or even crafting a magic item).
When you experience a warping event you may choose to deliberately enter Twilight. If you choose to resist, roll+Warp. Your GM will tell you what your current Warp score is (Warping Total divided by 10, rounded down). On a hit, you enter Twilight. On a miss you touch Twilight for a few moments and the GM adds 1 to your Warping Total, but there are no other effects.
When you enter Twilight, roll+Warp.
On a 13+ you enter Eternal Twilight. Your body and soul disappear from this world for a number of months equal to your Warp score. If you fail to comprehend your Twilight experience, your body never returns. If you return, the GM adds +1 to your Warping Total.
On a 10-12 your body disappears for a number of weeks equal to your Warp score. It returns to the exact place it disappeared from. The GM adds +1 to your Warping Total.
On a 7-9 your body enters a comatose state for a number of days equal to your Warp score. In this state your body cannot be harmed and you are not able to interact with the world in any way. The appearance of your body changes in some way appropriate to your House and training. Depending on the changes to your physical form, it may be possible for your followers to carry your body with them. The GM adds +1 to your Warping Total.
On a 6- you fall unconscious for a number of minutes equal to your Warp score. Your body is still physically present and can suffer harm as normal.
When you attempt to comprehend your Twilight experience, roll+Mind (Criamon magi may add their Book stat to this roll). On a 10+ choose 2. On a 7-9 choose 1.
*Learn the formula for a magical effect you have created at least once before. Give the spell a cool name, determine the technique, form and move, and after returning from Twilight, spend an hour or so transcribing it into your spellbook.
*Gain mastery of a technique or form.
*Gain an advanced move from your playbook.
In addition, you gain a minor beneficial “scar” from your experience. Examples: the air around you smells faintly like roses; food served in your presence tastes slightly better; your spells cause all nearby plant life to refresh and grow slightly.
On a miss choose 1.
*Lose mastery of a technique or form.
*Lose one of your advanced moves.
In addition, you gain a minor detrimental “scar” from your experience. Examples: the air around you always smells like sulphur; any food you touch smells like it has spoiled (though it might still be fine to eat); your magic always causes nearby plants to wilt.
Based on some feedback from the community (Tim Franzke, Alfred Rudzki, Adrian Brooks, Richard Robertson) and a bunch…
Based on some feedback from the community (Tim Franzke, Alfred Rudzki, Adrian Brooks, Richard Robertson) and a bunch of hours over the weekend, here is the next iteration of humours and how they relate to harm in ArM World. Your feedback is welcome and appreciated!
In the medieval paradigm, health is tied directly to balance between the four humours. A person becomes ill when the body contains too much or not enough of one or more of the humours. The humours are:
Humour – Negative – Positive – Increased by
Choleric – rage – strength – anger, fire
Sanguine – lust – courage – blood loss, air
Melancholic – sadness – clarity – bruising, exhaustion
Phlegmatic – apathy – peace – confusion, drowning, cold
There are many sources of trauma in ArM World that can cause imbalances in the humours, and adjudicating the way these traumas interact is an important part of the GM’s job.
General Principles
– A single trauma will usually impact two humours and should move them in opposite directions. Examples: (getting burned increases choleric while decreasing phlegmatic; getting stabbed decreases sanguine while increasing choleric; falling decreases sanguine while increasing melancholic; cold increases phlegmatic while decreasing choleric)
– Degree of illness is determined by the greatest spread between highest and lowest humours. This is referred to as the number of points of opposition.
– When a character has two humours in 6 points of opposition, he falls unconscious and will probably die soon.
– It is possible for a trauma to have a healing effect (classically this would include “bleeding” someone with an excess of sanguine humour).
– The fiction should reflect imbalances in the characters’ humours. GMs should remember the “tell them the consequences and ask” move and follow it up with “inflict harm” if characters are pushed against the limits of their humours.
For example:
A magus who was wounded earlier in the session (-1 sanguine, +1 choleric) gets in an argument with the reeve of a nearby village. The GM warns the player that with his choleric humour out of balance there could be consequences for actions taken in anger. The magus lashes out with his magic, incinerating the impudent reeve. In addition to the standard effects from the move, the GM inflicts +1 choleric on the magi to reflect the anger displayed.
A maga with +2 melancholic needs to stay up all night to complete a ritual to close a portal before a demon comes through. The GM points out how tired she is already feeling, but the maga pushes on. She closes the portal and saves the covenant but suffers an additional +1 melancholic to reflect her complete exhaustion.
– There is no need to track humours for NPCs, though the GM may choose to do so. An NPC will be out of action (unconscious and possibly dying) when she suffers anywhere from 2-5 points of harm to a single humour with a single attack (this is the NPC threshold). Attacks that do less than the threshold should be included in the fiction, but the GM doesn’t need to record anything. Use caution when setting thresholds. It can be difficult for magi to inflict 4 harm with a single attack, and 5 might make a creature nearly invulnerable (which is OK, as long as that’s your intent).
– Magical beings have strengths and weaknesses (and perhaps immunities) to the humours. For example, a fiery demon might be immune to choleric imbalance – it’s as angry as it’s ever going to be! On the other hand, a dragon could be immune to fire, but other effects might still imbalance its choleric humour.
So, I’ve heard a bunch about Sagas of the Icelanders over the last week (I know, I’m a little behind on such things).
So, I’ve heard a bunch about Sagas of the Icelanders over the last week (I know, I’m a little behind on such things). I have money and a strong desire to purchase this product. All I’m missing is somewhere or someone to bridge this chasm…
My Googlefu lead me to many forums, reviews and links back to the Indiegogo page, but I wasn’t able to find a place to exchange my currency for Gregor’s product.
Can anyone help me? Gregor Vuga?
While bumbling about on my Ars Magica hack, I came up with an idea for tracking damage/harm.
While bumbling about on my Ars Magica hack, I came up with an idea for tracking damage/harm.
In keeping with the medieval paradigm, health is based on the four humours (melancholic, phlegmatic, choleric and sanguine).
What if each humour had say, 3 boxes representing how far out of balance that humour was. Taking 3 boxes of damage to any one humour causes the person to fall unconscious. A fourth box could cause death.
Damage would be applied to the most appropriate humour, based on the source. Likewise, healing each humour would have to come from an appropriate source in the fiction.
Damage wouldn’t necessarily be physical harm – it could also be caused by very strong emotions or by environmental extremes (magical or otherwise).
Still spitballing here. What do you think? Too complicated for PbtA? Just plain silly?
Important note: Apocalypse Corn is great stuff.
Important note: Apocalypse Corn is great stuff.
That is all.
Ars Magica fans:
Ars Magica fans:
What do you think of this move?
All Guernicus magi have the following move:
Quaesitor
When you use your status in The Order to make a ruling on a matter related to The Code, roll+Mind. On a 10+ your ruling stands and all magi involved must comply or be in violation of The Code. On a 7-9 the GM chooses one.
– You left a loophole that a learned magi could use to ignore at least one aspect of your ruling.
– You made a small error in your ruling that could come back to haunt you someday.
– While your ruling was correct, it infuriated one or more of the magi involved and they won’t soon forget it.
On a miss, everyone present knows you’ve misinterpreted some part of The Code and your reputation as a Quaesitor will suffer for it.
Another chunk of writing for my Ars Magica hack:
Another chunk of writing for my Ars Magica hack:
Casting
A wizard may substitute +Casting for other basic moves, as follows:
Hack & Slash or Volley
When you use magic to damage someone, roll+Casting. On a 10+ do your damage and choose 2.
+Messy
+Damage (can be chosen twice)
+AP
+Area
+Forceful
+Stun
On a 7-9 do your damage, choose 2 from the list above and one from the list below.
You draw unwanted attention. The GM will explain how.
The magic inflicts 1 damage on you.
Take -1 ongoing to Casting and Book until you’ve had comfortable rest and time to study for a few hours.
Defy Danger
When you use magic to act despite an imminent threat or suffer a calamity, describe the magic you’re using and roll+Casting.
On a 10+, you do what you set out to, the threat doesn’t come to bear. On a 7–9 you do what you set out to do and choose one.
You draw unwanted attention. The GM will explain how.
The magic inflicts 1 damage on you.
Take -1 ongoing to Casting and Book until you’ve had comfortable rest and time to study for a few hours.
Defend
When you use your magic to defend a person, item, or location under attack, roll+Casting. On a 10+, hold 3. On a 7–9, hold 1 and choose 1.
You draw unwanted attention. The GM will explain how.
The magic inflicts 1 damage on you.
Take -1 ongoing to Casting and Book until you’ve had comfortable rest and time to study for a few hours.
So long as you stand in defense, when you or the thing you defend is attacked you may spend hold, 1 for 1, to choose an option:
Redirect an attack from the thing you defend to yourself
Prevent the attack’s effect or damage
Create an opening for an ally giving that ally +1 forward against the attacker
Deal damage to the attacker
Discern Realities
When you use your magic to study a situation or person, roll+Casting. On a 10+ ask the GM 3 questions from the list below. Take +1 forward when acting on the answers.
What happened here recently?
What is about to happen?
What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is useful or valuable to me?
Who’s really in control here?
What here is not what it appears to be?
On a 7–9 ask 1 question from the list above and choose one from the list below. Take +1 forward when acting on the answers.
You draw unwanted attention. The GM will explain how.
The magic inflicts 1 damage on you.
Take -1 ongoing to Casting and Book until you’ve had comfortable rest and time to study for a few hours.
Parley
When you use your magic to manipulate a GM character, roll+Casting. On a 10+ they do it but choose one from the list below. On a 7-9 they do it but choose two.
You draw unwanted attention. The GM will explain how.
The magic inflicts 1 damage on them.
Take -1 ongoing to Casting and Book until you’ve had comfortable rest and time to study for a few hours.
The GM character remembers that you manipulated them.
Aid or Interfere
When you use your magic to help or hinder the magic of a wizard you have a Bond with, roll+Bond with them. On a 10+ they take +1 or -2, your choice. On a 7–9 you also expose yourself to danger, retribution, or cost.
Spellbook
The idea of the spellbook is that when a character uses a spontaneous effect repeatedly she can write it down and then get that effect later with less risk. This can also be accomplished through painstaking research.
When you take a few hours to record the details of a magical effect you’ve created at least 3 times before, roll +Book. On a hit come up with a cool name for the spell and record it in your spellbook. On a 7-9 record the spell with one of the following side-effects.
You draw unwanted attention. The GM will explain how.
As soon as the spell is cast, the magic stuns you until you have a few minutes to rest.
Take -1 forward to Casting or Book (which ever comes first).
When you spend a few uninterrupted weeks researching a specific magical effect, come up with a cool name for the spell and roll+Book. On a 10+ choose 2, on a 7-9 choose 1.
The spell is slightly better than you anticipated. Work with the GM to add a bonus effect or tag.
Research takes less time than you were expecting.
You learn something new about the nature of magic. Mark experience.
On a miss, you either fail to develop a viable spell or choose 2.
Your research attracts unwanted attention. The GM will let you know what kind.
Your research takes twice as long.
The spell is weaker than you intended.
The spell is recorded with a nasty side-effect.
When you channel magical energy and speak the name of a spell from your spellbook, roll+Casting. On 10+ the spell works exactly as written. On a 7-9 the spell works and/or choose one.
You let the spell energy diffuse with no effect.
You draw unwanted attention. The GM will explain how.
The casting takes longer than you hoped, exposing you to a threat of the GM’s choosing.
Take -1 forward to Casting or Book (which ever comes first).