[DL] "Slow" Magic (Was: Cabbala)

[Dan Davenport <danield@flash.net>]

(Second try on this message.)

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: "Slow" Magic (Was: Cabbala)
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2000 16:03:16 +0000
From: Dan Davenport <danield@flash.net>
To: deadlands@gamerz.net
References:
<20001113185935.YKPU625.tomts8-srv.bellnexxia.net@[216.209.211.130]>
<3A0FF34F.C2CCAED6@flash.net> <3A0FF928.7C98C4D3@flash.net>
<001d01c04db9$2119c780$ae7c68d5@tinypc>

"sam.desmith" wrote:

> The end point of this discussion was the
> idea of having an Arcane Background: Cabbala (or Qabbala, or K'haba'lah, or
> whatever) that's similar to Hucksterism, but is sufficiently different to
> make them mutually exclusive, using Professional: Theology in place of
> Hexlslingin'.

I agree with your thinking here. Caballism would seem to be more
sorcerous than miraculous -- a kind of Divine magic. And this ties into
an idea I've been kicking around off and on for some time now.

I've been thinking about how to emulate the kind of "slow" magic upon
which Hoyle was trying to improve. It seems to me that something along
the lines of the Castle Falkenstein magic system would be appropriate.

The three elements to my idea -- which hasn't really been fleshed out --
are as follows:

1) A power level, expressed as a skill but possibly unrelated to an
attribute, that determines how many cards the sorcerer can draw per
round per raise (see below).

2) A casting skill level based upon one of the mental attributes --
Knowledge or Spirit, probably, depending upon the magical tradition. The
number of success and raises on a casting roll is multiplied by the
caster's power level to determine the number of cards drawn in a given
round.

3) The caster can continue to make rolls and draw cards until he is
satisfied that he has enough power to achieve the desired effect, BUT...

4) ...each card drawn costs a point of Wind, with a Black Joker doubling
the amount of Wind lost that round.

Again, this is pretty tentative. What I'm trying to simulate is a slow
and costly system of magic that can achieve impressive effects given
enough time and power. It could use standard hexes, just taking a
different route to achieve the same result. As in Castle Falkenstein,
I'm figuring on multiple casters to be able to pool their resources in a
single casting, although I'm unsure of the mechanics I'd use.

Dan Davenport

-- 
"Beware the inveterate punster, Doyle, it's a sure sign of brewing
mental disturbance." -- Jack Sparks (to Arthur Conan Doyle), _The List
of 7_