Negative Space: magic
- AD&D Magic
- Magic and spells for AD&D.
- Balancing Act
- Balance changes that make magic easier with changes that make magic more difficult.
- Caster Oriented
- Most game magic occurs because the caster does something to draw forth the magic.
- Celtic Wizards
- Celtic wizards carve runes during specific heavenly events. The more powerful the spell, the rarer the required event.
- Changing Magic
- Many times, the “outer trappings” of a game’s magic system is in fact the rules about how magic works.
- Classical magic
- An older form of magic for worlds with “mnemonic” magic systems.
- Different Ways of Magic in the Same World
- Spells from one tradition usually can’t be learned by practitioners of another system.
- Dissecting the Magic System
- When changing the way that magic works in the game, remember that how it works is part of the trade-off of playing a sorceror vs. playing other character classes.
- Do You Believe in the Ways of Magic?
- Varying magic according to the culture that uses it.
- Environment Oriented
- Some magic requires a specific environment to succeed. This is rare in D&D (some Druid spells require specific environments) but common in fantasy literature.
- Esoteric examples of magic
- Examples of odd systems of magic in the World of Highland.
- Gypsy Magic
- Gypsy spells are stored in rings of power. The components and incantations are used when the spells are stored, so the Gypsy wizard can cast spells even when silenced.
- The locked room in a world of magic
- Locked-room-style mysteries in fantasy role-playing games requires strict adherence to the rules of magic, and it requires rules of magic that leave a trail.
- Magic from the Astrotech Rim
- In the Astrotech Rim, spells are clunky, steam-driven things.
- Neogi Wizards
- Neogi tattoo magic is deadly and beautiful.
- Object Oriented
- Some magic is invested in an object that makes up part of the spell or even is the spell.
- Optional Rule for Classical Magic and Psionics
- Using the “Classical Magic” system with campaigns that include psionic abilities.
- The Three Orientations of Magic
- Mixing and matching the categories that magic falls into is one way of coming up with different ways of magic.
- Very Different Ways of Magic
- Ephemeral magic is the best kind of magic to change, because it has no long-term effects.
- The Vision of the Anointed
- Would you believe that good intentions can defy the law of gravity? If not, you wouldn’t make a good politician in today’s America.
- Wood golems
- Tall, gaunt, husks of dead trees, become shadowy guards of weird places.
More Information
- Magic in Antiquity
-
At the University of Michigan, on-line exhibit. This is real stuff, folks, not Players’ Handbook junk.
