I'm working on a design for a (c?)RPG, but i am stumped on the magic system I want it to work like a mana system, want it simple, but more complex than diablo ii's GOt any ideas?? P.S. NO GESTURESP.P.S If you don't want this entire thread posted on my website please type OPT OUT in your post [edited by - Maxd Gaming on September 18, 2003 9:32:42 PM]

mix your own spells from Ingredients, a-la Morrowind?

Mana as in a meter, or mana as in some cunsumable item ot set thereof?

GIVE MORE INFO INPUT COMMAND CRUSH ALL HUMANS.

What kind of RPG will it be? Can you take into account time? Terrain? Weather? Will there be god(s)? Can (S)He/they be pleased or angered?

Taking potions and getting magic power from them is a tad cliché, so maybe it could be harvested from the world as it''s used. Try to cast a spell, and if the surrounding terrain/the weather/the appropriate god/your character has the property/condition/inclination/strength to make it happen, then it will. Otherwise, fizzle.

Make it some kind of zen situation, where you have to take a moment to find your center, then channel the chi into the desired effect. A brief second of meditation, maybe during a lull in the fight or while another party member covers you, and you can unleash energy waves, or use telekinetic healing powers, or something. This would provide a bit of justification for being able to level up your spells, too.

If you really want useful suggestions from the board, I advise you to give us a little more context. Describe the world a little bit, or the general gameplay style you''re using. Realtime? Turn-based? Hybrid? Other? The mechanics of any system have to mesh properly with the other systems in the game. If you want help, you''ll have to let us share in the creative process. Contrapositively, if you won''t let us see some of your ideas, we can''t do much for you.

Well, I''m thinking a meter increasable (of course).

Here are some ideas I have came up with

A spell talent skill, that increases the likelyness of succedding in casting a spell (experience increased by succedding in casting a spell?)
Exp for Generel Spells, Spell talent, and the specific spell?
A Skill that allows you to write books (or something of the like) to teach other people skills, you can sell the books to other people. The equation for the chance to succeed would be like (Spell Difficulty - Book writing skill) - Spell Talent??

How I shot Web.... How I drove ship.... How I thinks Hard.... How I arent You.... How I....

quote: Original post by Iron Chef Carnage
What kind of RPG will it be? Can you take into account time? Terrain? Weather? Will there be god(s)? Can (S)He/they be pleased or angered?

Taking potions and getting magic power from them is a tad cliché, so maybe it could be harvested from the world as it's used. Try to cast a spell, and if the surrounding terrain/the weather/the appropriate god/your character has the property/condition/inclination/strength to make it happen, then it will. Otherwise, fizzle.

Make it some kind of zen situation, where you have to take a moment to find your center, then channel the chi into the desired effect. A brief second of meditation, maybe during a lull in the fight or while another party member covers you, and you can unleash energy waves, or use telekinetic healing powers, or something. This would provide a bit of justification for being able to level up your spells, too.

If you really want useful suggestions from the board, I advise you to give us a little more context. Describe the world a little bit, or the general gameplay style you're using. Realtime? Turn-based? Hybrid? Other? The mechanics of any system have to mesh properly with the other systems in the game. If you want help, you'll have to let us share in the creative process. Contrapositively, if you won't let us see some of your ideas, we can't do much for you.

Iron Chef, there will be the owners of each server, you will create a character on their server (maybe stored on your computer, just highly encrepted and .PAK'ed (or similar). Your idea of harvesting mana is genius, maybe some areas could be high magic areas where you harvest faster but it also depletes faster and there could be some low magic areas where it takes a long time to harvest? Maybe fizzled spells can actually hurt you (low amounts)???


Realtime game, Weather will consist of RAIN, SUN, CLOUDS, DARK which can be randomly combined over certain areas. There will be quest areas where the weather will be permenant (previously hard-coded). Weather will affect things like speed, visablity and maybe spell likelyness. Certain "classes" can "deploy" items like miniture bases, small walls, etc you cannot deploy in a quest area. The fighting system will be almost identical to Diablo II's (select form of attack and click) except you can dodge attacks by moving to the side (or maybe ducking?). There will be various terrains such as grass, dirt, clouds (yes clouds and yes you can walk on them You must get a fly up by someone with a flying pet though), rocks, cracked up ground etc. You can enter buildings in some situations but the buildings are usually like little teepees or tents. Maybe multiple players can get together to cast a big or better spell? Combining your mana and your Spell talent? Maybe there would be some wards you could cast that affect a small area increasable by the talent of the spell. Maybe no spell level system, you leaarn the spell and you have it, you increase the power of the spell by a ajustable bar, the likelyhood to dcast and the mana requirements increase drastically as you increase the power.

Sorry about the unorganization of this post, i was typing things as I though of them and as I read them in Iron Chef's post



[edited by - Maxd Gaming on September 18, 2003 9:31:15 PM]

Magic simple. You have runes made from diffrent materials. You combine runes in predifed patterns to cast spells. Each material has number of uses and also alters a spell stat.
For instance bone can be used 3 times and increases spell radius.
Iron can be used infinate times, but lowers spell effectivness.


And none of those wimpy little baby spells instead massive world changing spells that can turn rivers to fire and wipe out entire armies.

-----------------------------------------------------
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Sounds like he wants just an MP meter... which is fine, but I never liked it.

I''d go the route of casting times like the Iron Chef suggested, I.E. such and such character is commanded to use Fireball Lv.2, and has to wait 7 Time Units before it can be cast.

Or, if you''re uncomfortable with having the wait after the command, you can have the wait before the command, I.E. during each turn the character has the option to not performing any command, and that counts as part or multiples of a time unit that he can store up and use to cast his magic spells.

As for lending the skills to characters for learning and using purpose, that one requires imagination. You could go with the rune/tattoo/materia method, where the skill is something thats equipped, much like other equipped items. If you want learning, then purpose you can have an equipable spellbook that imparts the skill''s knowledge on them--

For instance:
* Character STEVE equips the Fireball SpellBook.
* Steve is capable of casting Fireball.
* Steve removes the spellbook, steve loses the fireball ability.
* Steve equips the spellbook, and takes off into combat.
* Steve kills Borgnines and earns some points somehow.
* Steve masters Fireball, and can deequip the spellbook, yet retain the ability.

Of course, ideas like that have been done already, you really should do some thinking and figure out what you really want.

quote: Original post by maxd gaming
I want it to work like a mana system, want it simple, but more complex than diablo ii''s

Divide mana into earth, water, fire, and air. Each spell uses a few points of appropriate elemntal mana levels. Regain slowly when near the elements. So while flying you don''t gain earth mana. While diving underwater you don''t gain air mana, etc.

Still simple yet more interesting.

Actually, in my mind I have a variation of 5010''s idea. But I cant get it to paper yet.....Im trying, its just not working