🚀 go-pugleaf

I wrote:
>>      I feel there should be a certain uncertaincy to magic, even
>>              among those who are extremely adept.  To me, magic
>>              is the control of forces beyond the limit of human
>>              knowledge, and as such, must contain a certain risk
>>              and danger.  I do not think it should be a system
>>              whereby a set of given inputs produces a desired
>>              result for everyone, each time it is attempted.
Jonathan@RMIT.edu.au replied:
>I would like to see this idea developed even further.  Is there some
>way that players with access to magic could make up what they want?
>This could then be moderated by the GM.  Since the GM can make up
>what the NPCs can do, the balance is left to fine judgement.

I attempted to create such a system recently.  Magic was intended 
be extremely versatile, and players would create their own spells
as they went along.  I attempted to run it with some very 
inexperienced gamers, however, and the whole thing fell apart.
They had no idea what to do with the magic.  I believe, therefore,
that a role-playing system needs some written down spells in
order to get beginning players started.

This is not to say that I think there should be a very large
number of spells.  I think there should be some to give some
idea of what is possible with magic without getting too many.
I think that the spells should be versatile enough to allow for
multiple effects, as well.  This means that a player would not
need a separate spell to create a Wall of Ice or a Wall of Fire,
as is the case in some RPG's, he would have a spell that could
do either as he saw fit.

This also could be used to address the concern raised by Steffen
O'Sullivan about magic-users using the same spell over and over
again.  My experience has been that I tend to use a limited
number of spells as a player because only a limited number are
of any use in most circumstances.  I believe, if the spells
were more general and the magic-users able to vary the effects
of their spells to some degree, a greater variety of magical
effects would appear in most role-playing sessions.

--
Charles F. Fitzgerald | '....Life's but a walking shadow,
Iowa State University | a poor player, that struts, and frets
cffitzge@iastate.edu  | his hour upon the stage,
                      | and then is heard from no more....'
                      | _MacBeth_, by W. Shakespeare.