Topic: About RMs Magic System

[baux]

RM2 product Spell User Companion had a section in it called Spell Shaping. In short, it was a pre-Arcane method of casting spells.
[...]

what is "Arcane" ?

thanks you in adcance :-)

[Rasyr-Mjolnir]

Arcane -- one theory says that "arcane magic" is the magic from before it was codified into the three realms.

Another says that is basically a type of "omni-realm" magic, spell lists that are slightly more powerful and dangerous, but that are learned equally easily by all three realms.

So, for Spell Shaping, Arcane is basically magic before the 3 realms, and spell shaping was pre-arcane -- think of it like a timeline...

first came spell shaping
then came arcane (individual flexible spells -- kinda like harp)
then came spell lists (safer, and easier to learn/cast)
then came the three realms (safer and easier to learn/cast again)
then came hybrids (combining realms for additional power)
then came omni-realm (classed as arcane again because it combines all 3 realms)

At least that is how I like to think of it... 

[pastaav]

I would say Arcane is pretty much the word used to describe "spell user not limited by the realm division". There are a number of ideas of how this can be realized as a rule mechanic.

The RMSS system implemented this as a super realm that had more powerful spells, but more nasty spell casting rules.

The RM2 companions did give access to just about any spell list to the arcane spell user. The Spell Users Companion that OLF talk about is also RM2, but have even more advanced (and less play tested) ways to break out of the realm harness.

If you dig around on the forum you should find plenty of discussions about what Arcane should be (if not these discussions has disappeared when we have switched forum software).

[OLF, i.e. Olf Le Fol]

Here's a good starting point.

Anyway, so, for my part, I use Spell Shaping, added to spell lists, added to Realms of Magic as power sources but without tying any spell list to a particular realm, added to Spell Research, allowing my spell casters to easily learn and cast their commonly used spells (the ones within their spell lists), have a few special spells not in spell lists (the Researched ones) that were hard to learn but easy to cast, yet to be able to produce any magical effect they want any time through Spell Shaping, though it's an expensive and hard to cast way. Therefore, they have no limitation on what they can do, provided they have enough magical knowledge and power (not even realm limitation).

[rdanhenry]

"Arcane" is RM2-ese for "power creep".

[providence13]

hahaha.. pretty much..yeah.

[yammahoper]

The real problem with arcane magic in RM is that while more powerful that the realm spell list, there is no significant difference in them, or their use.  So the fumble range is double, big deal.

Arcane magic is raw, primal and dangerous.  Add some danger to your game tagging flaws to the use of arcane such as power burn (1 hit per pp/level of the arcane spell cast), slow recovery (pp used to cast arcane magic recover at number of ranks in pp dev per sleep cycle, or half the average of In, Em and Pr mods if you prefer), mystical attraction (every arcane spell cast has a 10% chance of being detected by a mystical creature, be it demon, ethereal plane denizen, local mages, etc), magic allergys (-15 to rr's from Ess, ment and Chan), etc, etc, etc.


Without such flaws, arcane magic is indeed nothing but fancy ubur magic.

[thrud]

Otoh, with such flaws it should be more powerful imho.

[providence13]

mystical attraction  (every arcane spell cast has a 10% chance of being detected by a mystical creature, be it demon, ethereal plane denizen, etc)

I like to use this for any realm. 1%/lvl. After a few "random" encounters, the PC's stop throwing around high level spells unless they absolutely have to.