My Folk Magic Rules

[Sinisalo]

I've posted up a set of rules for Folk Magic on my website. I would be grateful for any thoughts on it from the eminent minds on this forum.

http://www.clan-tula.co.uk/folkMagic.asp

 

[Rurik]

They look very solid and with a very Gloranthan flavor (more so than some of the official magic systems). It is a bit confusing that you call them folk magic when judging by the side bar they are intended to be used in conjunction with the Players Guide folk magic.

I'd venture to say they could be used as a replacement for either MRQ Folk Magic (being a bit more powerful) or even Rune Magic (a little bit less powerful, but easier to learn with only one skill and your rules fit the setting better). I don't think it would break the game balance either way.

One question though - in the box at the top of the article you say you use a heavily houseruled version of MRQ with no combat actions, but you give casting time in Combat Actions. Is your writeup intended to be use with MRQ CA's as written, or do you really mean something different than the 'standard' combat actions?

Personally, I think I'd like to see casting times get faster with higher skills, as it seems a bit slow as written, but that is just me. Maybe something like at a certain skill you can cast X magnitudes per action. For example at skill 30 you can cast 1 magnitude per action, so a 3 point spell takes 3 actions, but at skill 40 you can cast 2 points per action, so the same spell would only take 2 actions, or some such.

 

[Sinisalo]

I'd venture to say they could be used as a replacement for either MRQ Folk Magic (being a bit more powerful) or even Rune Magic (a little bit less powerful, but easier to learn with only one skill and your rules fit the setting better). I don't think it would break the game balance either way.

They are meant to be somewhere between battle magic, HQ common magic and to replace MRQs Folk Magic. I like some bits from the MRQ Folk Magic, the singing/chanting frex, but you can't use it to attack people which I believe Folk Magic should allow. I also don't believe they are going to support it, so redesigning three pages of effort is not going to unbalance anyone's game. If Blood of Orlanth has much Folk Magic i'd be happy to eat my words.

One question though - in the box at the top of the article you say you use a heavily houseruled version of MRQ with no combat actions, but you give casting time in Combat Actions. Is your writeup intended to be use with MRQ CA's as written, or do you really mean something different than the 'standard' combat actions?

I've got my own strike rank system. CAs work, I can see that, it's just not to my taste. My folk magic is no use for anyone else unless I fit it in to MRQ as it is written. I was just warning people that I've never played CAs so I may have made mistakes trying to fit it in.

Personally, I think I'd like to see casting times get faster with higher skills, as it seems a bit slow as written, but that is just me. Maybe something like at a certain skill you can cast X magnitudes per action. For example at skill 30 you can cast 1 magnitude per action, so a 3 point spell takes 3 actions, but at skill 40 you can cast 2 points per action, so the same spell would only take 2 actions, or some such.

Yeah I like that. I'll give it some thought. I'm a stickler for scalability so I don't know whether there is any issues there without looking into it.

Thanks for the nice comments!

 

[The Greek]

I don't think there is much Folk Magic in Blood of Orlanth. It does get some space in Dara Happa Stirs, though.

 

[TRose]

Look interesting . Might try them out.