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The basic model of Magecraft can be easily altered or expanded upon for a number
of uses with minimal effort.
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SCHOOL TREATMENT
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One way to alter this Magic System is to make it topical, such as limiting Spells
to some mandatory field of focus, such as Death, or Illusion, or Transmogrification
Magic. In this type of variant, you would add a single Knowledge Skill for each
field of study and use it in place of the INT rolls indicated under Spell Creation
and Learning. Also, such fields would be added to the SFX of Spells belonging to
that field.
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Example: Bob the GM likes the mechanical model laid out in this document
but wants to break down the classification of Magic a little finer. He decides
he wants to use Magecraft for three similar but different types of Magic users.
These "Three Crafts" will focus on General Magic, Death Magic, and Nature
Magic. This correlates with a KS: General Magic, KS: Death Magic, and KS:
Nature Magic Skill roll.
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Practitioners of each of the "Three Crafts" can know one, two, or all
three Knowledge Skills, but can only know Spells of a group that they have the applicable
Knowledge Skills for.
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LANGUAGE VARIANT
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Optionally or in addition to the School Treatment, you could have "Magic Languages"
required for particular types of Spells. Characters that can "speak the Language"
of a grouping of Magic can cast Spells that "require" that Language.
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Literacy should be required for this purpose, and to tie the Magic System into the
Language construct, Basic Conversation allows 8- Familiarity Spell Skills; Fluent
Conversation allows 11- to 13- Spell Skills, Completely Fluent allows 14- 16- Spell
Skills, Idiomatic allows 17- to 21- Spell Skills, and Imitate Dialects allows 22-
and up Spell Skills.
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These Magic Languages should have 0 points of Familiarity with all other Language,
but may have Familiarities with each other. If they have 0 points of Familiarity
with other normal Languages the first Language (and any other additional Language
which has 0 point of Familiarity with Languages the character already knows) costs
an extra Character Point to buy.
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Example: Bob the GM changes his mind about using Knowledge Skills for the
"Three Crafts" and decides to use three Languages (General Craftspeak,
Death Craftspeak , Nature Craftspeak) instead and leave the straight INT rolls described
in the Magic System in place. He decides that the General and Death Languages will
have a 2 point familiarity with each other, meaning that if you already know one
learning one of the others cost's one less Character Point, and the Nature Language
has 1 point of familiarity with both.
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DIFFERENT NAME
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You can always change the name of the Magic System from Magecraft to something else
as you prefer, or have several groups of Magic Users based on this mechanic but
with social or "flavor" differences and different names.
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Example: Bob the GM has determined that Magecraft Spells are divided into
three "Schools" General, Death, and Nature. The General group is called
Geralcraft (geh-RAHL-kraft), the Death group is called Dececraft (deh-SAY-kraft),
and Nature Magic is called Ambiacraft (ahm-BEE-ah-kraft). The applicable Languages
associated with each group are renamed to match as well.
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Practitioners of Geralcraft are called Geralmagus (geh-RAHL-moh-goose), practitioners
of Dececraft are called Decemagus (deh-SAY-moh-goose), and practitioners of Ambiacraft
are called Ambiamagus (ahm-BEE-ah-moh-goose).
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NEW PACKAGE DEALS
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Another excellent method for altering the feel of this type of Magic is to create
custom Package Deals that are tied directly into a setting.
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Example: Bob the GM wants creates a Basic Package and three Composite Packages
for his "Three Crafts" Magic System. He has a complete Magic System ready
to drop into play.
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Later Bob decides he wants a "Divine" style of Magic based on this mechanic
as well. He simply adds 1 more Composite Package, a new Grouping and Language called
"Deusvontade" (day-OOS-von-TAH-day) which has a 0 point familiarity with
Geralcraft and Dececraft and a 2 point familiarity with Ambiacraft, practitioners
of which are called Deusempregus (day-OOS-imp-ray-goose).
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Bob also makes some notes on adding a fifth "underground" or "Craft"
dealing with Demon summoning and trafficing. He decides it will be called Diavocraft
(dee-AHVOH-craft), its practitioners will be called Diavoempregus (dee-AHVOH-imp-ray-goose).
and it's language will have 1 point of similarity to both Geralcraft and Dececraft.
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