Uncommon Magic

[Tobnac]

If you choose to have Common magic as an Advanced Skill, how many points should be available to spend on spells?

I've created a very gritty setting where Common Magic is available only to very few persons like village witches, changelings and persons born with the Gift. However, I don't know how many spells they should be able to acquire during character creation. I do not want to change the rules in any fundamental way, besides the fact that I've made common magic something uncommon.

If you buy the skill Common Magic (in my Swedish translation, simply Trolldom) for 10 free points, it seems like a deal to good to be true if you get six points worth of spells in the package. However, these shady characters are usually shunned be society and have to keep their abilities hidden. Sorcery (Svartkonst) is considered even worse, and are the magic of villains and characters gone bad.

 

[Tobnac]

Alright, I've found an answer at: http://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/viewtopic.php?f=79&t=52070&hilit=common+magic. The Runequest-rule about 1/10 of your skill level feels about right, but feel free to elaborate the subject.

 

[Mixster]

Yeah anything from 1/20 to 1/5 of your skill value seems ideal if there are also social repercussions from knowing magic.

 

[Tias]

Here's my suggestion, which is what I think I'm going to use on the setting I'm writing at present:

Common Magic is a restricted skill, so you have to join organizations to cast them. So, Common Magic is taught by sorcerous organizations such a Wizard Guilds, Witches Covens, Changeling Cults etc. for your examples. Since you want use to be connected with a stigma, apply a penalty for cult membership: Likely social ostracizm at a minimum, membership possibly punishable by death if the stigma is at inquisition-era Europa levels.

This fits in with the Legend emphasis on Cult membership (which you may or may not use for yourself), and then Trolddom and Sortekunst (Hej från söder! ) are taught only by cults that are proscribed or outcast.

If what you are saying is that you don't want any magic user to start off too powerful, then stick with the decimal rule you found, it seems like a good solution without adding too complex extra rules.

 

[Tobnac]

Man tackar!