Say that five times as fast as you can.
As promised here are the magic guidelines I have been working on for my home brew of Risus. It has been a long road to get to this stage, and all the work below has been based on/inspired by, the hard work of many other tinkerers on many different systems. I have just arranged and nudged all that work in a way that works for me.
MAGIC
All spells have a base difficulty rating of 2. Each aspect you add to the spell increases its difficulty rating and raises the target number needed for success.
Spells have following aspects.
Range: Touch/Ranged/Area effect. +1 difficulty rating per
Time: Instant/delayed/short duration [1 scene]/long duration [1 day+]/permanent, until dispelled +1 difficulty rating per
Damage: harmful/maim/deadly +1 difficulty rating per level
Transformation: difficulty rating depends upon the amount of change required.
Detection: difficulty rating based on how hard a thing is to detect. Its strength or amount of obfuscation.
Protection: increase difficulty rating on how much harm the spell negates or how long it stays in effect to negate it.
Summon/Dispel/Banish: The strength of the spell/effect/supernatural being increases the difficulty rating.
Distraction: +1 difficulty rating for casting in combat or when other dangerous or intrusive environmental influences are in play.
Casting on the fly: +1 difficulty level if the magician decides to ‘wing it’ and make up a spell on the spot. Magic may look spontaneous sometimes but it always works better if you are prepared. Magicians can still prepare the spell and include components [appropriate ones] to reduce the difficulty of casting on the fly.
Concentration: -1 difficulty rating if 1 action is spent preparing the spell.
Component: -1 difficulty rating, if the spell requires some kind of physical component to be consumed upon casting.
SPELL DIFFICULTY RATING
2 Cantrip
5 Minor magic
8 Spell
11 Ritual/Complex magic
14 Unstable/Powerful magic
17 Greater Sorcery/Dangerous magic
20 Miracle/Catastrophic magic
AFFRONT
Affront is the degree of diversion from the natural state of order caused by the magic unleashed by the character or NPC. The universe pushes back against the magicians efforts to make it conform to their will.
Affront works much in the same way as a wealth check. The GM determines the amount of affront caused by the casting of the spell and assigns 1 to 3 die strength. The Player then makes an opposed check with their main magical cliche.
Success means there is no change to their magical cliche and the spell has its intended effect.
A tie manes the spell works and the magician loses 1 die of their main magical cliche due to tiring caused by resisting the backlash of universal affront.
Failure means the spell fails and no effect is achieved. Also the magician must roll on the spell failure table to see if there are any further ill effects. [The spell failure table will follow next post.]
RESISTING MAGIC
Some magics are able to be resisted. If the target is aware of the magical attack, or it goes against the targets fundamental nature or wishes Then a saving throw may be allowed.
Magical attacks that mimic non-magical cliches or attacks/effects generally may not be resisted.
In all cases it is up to the discretion of the GM to allow or deny a resistance check.
If a check is warranted then the character or NPC may make a resistance check with the most appropriate cliche for the type of spell, or their main cliche [usually highest, but it should be the cliche that defines the character or NPC].
The GM assigns a target number and a normal roll follows. Success means that the spell fails, with no other ill effect to the character or the caster. Failure means that the spell takes its intended effect.
EXAMPLE SPELLS
Light 20 [feet]
Time 1 scene +1 DR
Transformation light to dark +1 DR
Ranged 20 foot radius +1 DR
Concentration -1 DR
DR [5]
Affront [0]
Summon Familiar [Task]
Time Complete 1 assigned task +2 DR [1 day]
Summon Minor entity +2 DR
Concentration -1 DR
Component Blood and clay -1 DR
DR [8]
Affront [2D]Next time I will post the spell failure table, some more example spells.
I will also post the expanded cliche list I have cribbed together from all the hard working members of the Risus online community.
Again, thanks for reading,
Don
