Can someone tell me how Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG's "unpredictable magic" aspect functions?
Wizards make a spell check.
D20 + Intelligence modifier +caster level. Possibly other modifiers.
Then you roll on a chart. Each spell has a chart.
Low roll and the spell fails , possible misfire, corruption.
Corruption are mutations. Height change. Forked tongue. Tentacles. Beast face. Gills. Feathers. Fun.
High spell rolls can be devastating.
Compare Magic Missile.
14-17 one missile does d4 + level damage, must have line of sight, but automatically hits.
30-31 2d6+1 missiles that do 1-8 + level each and may be directed at separate targets.
Instead of having hundreds of different spells, DCC has less than two dozen. When you cast a spell, you roll D20 plus modifiers and the higher your roll the more badass your spell might become. The effects of a basic spell can become quite impressive. AKA, instead of having a dozen versions of healing spells, you roll for the Healing spell which could heal everything from one point to curing them entirely.
As your wizard gains levels, your D20 bonus rises which makes the range of results a tad "safer", but you can always roll a 1 and suffer all sorts of bad stuff.
I'm not a DCC fan, but many players are quite happy with the randomness.
I've played a good bit of DCC and not seen much 'corruption' at all. It's much more common to just fail and lose the spell.
More common is rolling high and getting some result far more powerful than intended/desired. I had a near TPK with a sleep spell that hit top rank... and the same with Flaming Hands.
You can get a sense of it by downloading the free Crawler's Companion, tap/click Spell, and pick a spell.
https://purplesorcerer.com/crawler.php
Spell Selection
[ATTACH=CONFIG]3519[/ATTACH]
Spell Result in this case I rolled a 33 on a Fireball.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]3520[/ATTACH]
The crawler's companion is nifty in that not only it roll the result, but also has a lookup mode where you can just tap the number corresponding to what you or the player rolled and it tells you the result. It is the best utility for any RPG ever made.
To anyone who's actually played magic-users in DCC: How often does magic use turn out to be counterproductive, under this system? How counterproductive does it turn out to be, when it does -- has anyone ever had an experience of a spell misfire getting a party member killed?
Quote from: Simlasa;1092399More common is rolling high and getting some result far more powerful than intended/desired. I had a near TPK with a sleep spell that hit top rank... and the same with Flaming Hands.
When I ran a playtest of the Emerald Sorcerer for Goodman Games, the wizard used his single 1st level spell Enlarge to expand a locked door out of its frame. He rolled too well and it popped like a bat out of hell. I roll to see if the wizards was in the line of fire (3 to 4 on a d6), he was. Then he failed his save, got nailed by the door and died.
Quote from: estar;1092403When I ran a playtest of the Emerald Sorcerer for Goodman Games, the wizard used his single 1st level spell Enlarge to expand a locked door out of its frame. He rolled too well and it popped like a bat out of hell. I roll to see if the wizards was in the line of fire (3 to 4 on a d6), he was. Then he failed his save, got nailed by the door and died.
Oh, that was you! I remember reading about that incident when I was first looking into the game.
I wouldn't say the magic is 'counterproductive' all that often, just unpredictable enough that it's entertaining. Some spells will let the caster choose lower level effects but othertimes you don't want to be standing too close to the caster. You can also burn Luck or do some blood magic to put oomph into your spell (my wizard was covered in scars).
I did kill another PC once when a spell went wild... but it was one of my alternates so no one got bent about it.
At about 4th level my wizard started shutting down some confrontations before any melee could happen. That Sleep spell I mentioned truncated the dungeon we were in, taking out all the final big-bads (as well as our party of PCs).
I love DCC, particularly for its magic... but if you're someone who cannot stomach any randomness... or have fits when you lose a character... pick another game.
Quote from: Simlasa;1092411I love DCC, particularly for its magic... but if you're someone who cannot stomach any randomness... or have fits when you lose a character... pick another game.
Oh, I don't object to randomness or to losing a character; I just object to losing a character
because of sheer randomness, especially when the randomness is introduced explicitly to nerf the effectiveness of the primary function I chose the character for.
Fizban from
Dragonlance is very entertaining to watch, but I don't want to play him (without the hidden backstory factors that ensure what he does always turns out to be for the best in the very end, however much short-term inconvenience they cause).
Quote from: Stephen Tannhauser;1092414Oh, I don't object to randomness or to losing a character; I just object to losing a character because of sheer randomness, especially when the randomness is introduced explicitly to nerf the effectiveness of the primary function I chose the character for.
See, I don't see DCC's casting rolls as a 'nerf' on caster powers at all. IMO they make playing a caster a LOT more fun, and let magic feel strange and unknowable... scarier. That feeling of engaging with something weird and dangerous is primary reason I want to play a magic-user.
Thank you all for the info!
Quote from: Spinachcat;1092302Instead of having hundreds of different spells, DCC has less than two dozen.
There are 716 spells in the world. No more, no less. ;-)
Only around 80 are listed in the book.
Besides failure causing corruption or nasty side effects, they have mercurial magic.
When a wizard learns a new spell, they have to roll on a table for how the spell manifests for them.
I had a wizard with very poor luck roll the affect that "someone they know dies every time they cast" the color spray spell.
You can also acquire a Patron. A very cool part of the game. More spells too. There is also a DCC Companion- more spells, coming soon.
A Wizard with a Patron of Bliddleglop the Lord of Slime will be very different than a Wizard who's Patron is Glinlelith the Elven Queen. Very cool.
Patrons are probably one of the best parts of DCC.
Seriously- look up some Patrons. Pretty neat stuff.
This all sounds pretty neat, my local comic/gameshop actually has some DCC books in stock, I'd probably pick one up if I didn't already but ACKS just a few days ago. Maybe on payday. Then again, I have more games to play than I really have time to play them.
Quote from: Slambo;1092630This all sounds pretty neat, my local comic/gameshop actually has some DCC books in stock, I'd probably pick one up if I didn't already but ACKS just a few days ago. Maybe on payday. Then again, I have more games to play than I really have time to play them.
There is a short quick start book around. They had it for free last Free Rpg Day 2018.
Quote from: DocJones;1092586There are 716 spells in the world. No more, no less. ;-)
Only around 80 are listed in the book.
80 in the core book? I was sure it was far, far less than that. I'll have to reread it.
83 spells not counting the unique Patron spells or Cleric spells (which operate a bit differently than Wizard spells). There are a number of additional Patrons in print now and each of those comes with a few of its own spells to offer as well.
Also, some Wizard spells are multiple spells in one that let higher rolls choose lower effects. So something like 'Force Manipulation' (IIRC) covers energy shields, floating discs, and small missiles. At first you'll seldom get exactly what you want out of it... but go up a few levels and you can make it work for you much more often.
There are two Patron books.
Angels, Daemons, and beings between.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/190773/Angels-Daemons--Beings-Between-Dagon-Edition?term=angels+daemons
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/234019/Angels-Daemons--Beings-Between-Volume-2-Elfland-Edition?src=hottest_filtered
And a spellbook.
http://goodman-games.com/store/product/liber-arcanum/
Do DCC clerics have the same issue? Is divine magic unpredictable? Psionics?
Given that DCC seems to have incorporated this from the ground up, how would you adapt unpredictability to arcane magic in D&D (3E/3.5) ?
I haven't seen any Psionics.
Clerics fall out of favor and get disapproval from their Deity. they don't mutate or anything like that , but instead must atone. Things like - lose their healing ability for a few days, Cannot turn undead. Losing the use of that spell for the day. etc, depends on the roll. It can reset the next day, since the Cleric is supposed to pray, meditate, etc. Can be offset with sacrifice. Penalties also for healing a person of opposing alignment.
From what Ive seen Patrons for Wizards have more detail and stricter penalties for failure than the Gods of Clerics.
Magic isn't "fire it & forget it" like D&D. If you are successful in casting- you can keep casting that spell later.
Same goes with Clerics- but their chance of failure goes up each time. So they are penalized if they keep bugging the "Big Guy' for favors.
I find that playing a Cleric in DCC reinforces the notion of being devoted to a deity/cult more than just about any game I've played, except maybe Runequest/Mythras. In DCC I've prosyletized and converted PCs and NPCs to my faith, I've built shrines and temples, and done all sorts of sacrifices, oaths, and atonements. Much more fun than vanilla D&D Clerics I've played (or seen played). Not that you can't do those things in vanilla, but DCC pushes it.
Wizard Patrons are generally weirder, scarier... I've not seen any Clerics eaten by their gods, yet.
For more fun , check out Fighters & Dwarves - " mighty deeds" !
Very neat Simlassa!
Quote from: kythri;1093103Do DCC clerics have the same issue? Is divine magic unpredictable? Psionics?
Given that DCC seems to have incorporated this from the ground up, how would you adapt unpredictability to arcane magic in D&D (3E/3.5) ?
Cleric spells also variable effects, based on the spell check roll plus mods. For example, here are the lowest and highest success for "Divine Symbol":
lowest: For a duration of 1d6 rounds, the cleric can attack with his holy symbol as if it were a magical weapon of +1 enchantment. It deals 1d8+1 damage (modified by Str, as usual), with an additional +2 damage bonus against unholy creatures.
highest: For a duration of 1d6+CL days, the cleric can attack with his holy symbol as if it were a magical weapon of +4 enchantment. It deals 1d20+5 damage (modified by Str, as usual), with an additional +4 damage bonus against unholy creatures. In addition, as long as the cleric is visible to his allies and followers, they receive a +2 bonus to saving throws and morale checks. Finally, the cleric also receives a +6 bonus to all spell checks to turn unholy while using his holy symbol when under the influence of this spell.
Deity Disapproval can be atoned for. Corruption has no mechanic for reversing, rather it is up to the player and GM to find in-game means (e.g., pacts with demons, difficult and elaborate quests to collect esoteric items to develop an elixir that *may* reverse *some* corruption, perform difficult and elaborate quests to obtain divine favor, etc.)
Also, cleric spells are not mercurial.
As for incorporating it into D&D (3/3.5), I have no idea. Instead, I would port my game to DCC -- YMMV. :)
Quote from: Stephen Tannhauser;1092414Oh, I don't object to randomness or to losing a character; I just object to losing a character because of sheer randomness, especially when the randomness is introduced explicitly to nerf the effectiveness of the primary function I chose the character for.
I agree with Tannhauser. A lot of people really like the randomness/dangerousness of magic in some games. It balances out (you can say that instead of "nerfs") the powerfullness of the magic.
In general, I don't care for it and neither do my players. I can see one of my players creating a character whose magic goes wrong a lot on purpose for a particular campaign. And my wife made a character who followed a chaos deity, so her magic would manifest with a random Element (using on of the basic elemental Elements to accomplish the purpose of the spell).
But generally, we just see magic as a tool, and our system keeps magic more in line with what non-magic folks of similar skill can accomplish.
Quote from: Simlasa;1092439See, I don't see DCC's casting rolls as a 'nerf' on caster powers at all. IMO they make playing a caster a LOT more fun, and let magic feel strange and unknowable... scarier. That feeling of engaging with something weird and dangerous is primary reason I want to play a magic-user.
The more I hear about DCC, the more I think "I need this game."
What about the funny dice, though?
Edit: Just saw The Crawler app.
Quote from: Tod13;1093508I agree with Tannhauser. A lot of people really like the randomness/dangerousness of magic in some games.
What are some other games that have random/dangerous magic? It really is my flavour of choice.
I know WFRP has some nasty ways spells can go wrong, and Earthdawn has a similar danger if precautions aren't taken.
Symbaroum has its Corruption mechanic, and Unisystem has ways spells can take on a life of their own and go rogue.
Any others with that sort of thing?
Quote from: Simlasa;1093618What are some other games that have random/dangerous magic? It really is my flavour of choice.
I know WFRP has some nasty ways spells can go wrong, and Earthdawn has a similar danger if precautions aren't taken.
Symbaroum has its Corruption mechanic, and Unisystem has ways spells can take on a life of their own and go rogue.
Any others with that sort of thing?
Low Fantasy Gaming has a good Dark and Dangerous magic system that is easily tweakable. I use a mash-up of it and the Mercurial Magic stuff from DCC in my 5E game.
https://lowfantasygaming.com/
The author hangs out here as Psikerlord
https://www.therpgsite.com/member.php?10870-Psikerlord
Quote from: Simlasa;1093618What are some other games that have random/dangerous magic? It really is my flavour of choice.
I know WFRP has some nasty ways spells can go wrong, and Earthdawn has a similar danger if precautions aren't taken.
Symbaroum has its Corruption mechanic, and Unisystem has ways spells can take on a life of their own and go rogue.
Any others with that sort of thing?
I don't really remember offhand. Moonsweeper gave a popular answer. Since it isn't my cup of tea/coffee, I don't tend to retain that in memory. Sorry
Quote from: moonsweeper;1093634Low Fantasy Gaming has a good Dark and Dangerous magic system that is easily tweakable. I use a mash-up of it and the Mercurial Magic stuff from DCC in my 5E game.
Oooh... that looks like something I'd enjoy. Thanks.
Quote from: Aglondir;1093616The more I hear about DCC, the more I think "I need this game."
What about the funny dice, though?
Edit: Just saw The Crawler app.
They explain how to roll the extra dice using a "normal" set in the rules, and also how to eliminate them if you don't like them. It's a very customizable system.
Quote from: Stephen Tannhauser;1092402How often does magic use turn out to be counterproductive, under this system?
Rarely. It's much more common just to fail to cast and lose the spell for the day.
Quote from: Stephen Tannhauser;1092402How counterproductive does it turn out to be, when it does -- has anyone ever had an experience of a spell misfire getting a party member killed?
Never lost someone to a spell misfire. Rarely the caster will have to take a mutation, but you do everything in your power to avoid that.
Which I'm okay with. In a long campaign your number comes up sooner or later anyway, so "there's mutation but really it's rare" is a feature not a bug.
Quote from: Aglondir;1093616The more I hear about DCC, the more I think "I need this game."
What about the funny dice, though?
Edit: Just saw The Crawler app.
You can pick up a quick start booklet pretty cheap. The dice arent much either if you know where to look. No more than a normal set.
Quick start $2;
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/220858/DCC-RPG-Quick-Start-Rules
Impact Elfball dice aren't bad either.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Impact-Elfball-Dice-Dungeon-Crawl-Red-w-White-7-MINT/133082518148?hash=item1efc561284:g:dDQAAOSwzIJdAKbk:sc:USPSFirstClass!18109!US!-1
Quote from: Dave R;1093660Rarely. It's much more common just to fail to cast and lose the spell for the day.
How frequently does that happen, then? I'll grant that simply losing a spell without effect isn't
as bad as an actively damaging backfire, but it's still not great -- it's essentially one of your major game-influencing actions being pointlessly wasted, especially at low levels where you may not have many of them. (I'm assuming that DCC uses the same rememorize-after-casting mechanic that original D&D does.) And you don't need a major backfire to get a party member killed, you just need to be neutralized from having any effect at the wrong moment.
I appreciate the atmospheric effect of "playing with mighty and unpredictable forces", but -- and this may be my old-school grognard side kicking in -- I do have a distinct preference for reliable effectiveness, and I suspect I'm far from the only gamer who does. I'd much rather see something where the risk is proportional to the stakes: let a mage choose what level of risk he's willing to countenance in return for the potential reward -- you can have a guaranteed but low-power result, or you can try for a high-power result at the risk of a wasted spell or high-power backfire. (Or maybe I've misunderstood and this is exactly how it works? I've failed my Reading Comprehension checks before.)
Quote from: Stephen Tannhauser;1093778How frequently does that happen, then?
About half the time at first, but you can get it up as you level, or by taking stat damage when it matters for wizards.
Quote from: Stephen Tannhauser;1093778I'll grant that simply losing a spell without effect isn't as bad as an actively damaging backfire, but it's still not great -- it's essentially one of your major game-influencing actions being pointlessly wasted, especially at low levels where you may not have many of them. (I'm assuming that DCC uses the same rememorize-after-casting mechanic that original D&D does.)
I have no idea why you would assume that.
Losing the spell for the day is in place of D&D memorization requirements - you can keep casting a spell until you lose it. There is a chance you lose a spell the first time you try it, but you never start the day with only one spell.
I just found a quickstart book at a comic shop for 5 bucks and am excitrd to try this sysyem out from this thread.
Quote from: Dave R;1093822I have no idea why you would assume that. Losing the spell for the day is in place of D&D memorization requirements - you can keep casting a spell until you lose it.
See, now, that makes a
huge difference to my assessment of the situation. I had no idea that was how it was set up.
(The reason I assumed it was still the basic Vancian cast-and-forget model is basically because whenever I hear a game is "OSR" I assume that means "exactly like Dungeons & Dragons unless explicitly specified otherwise". And
nowhere in this thread -- or the original "Change 1 Thing about D&D" thread -- does it specify that in DCC, you
don't have to re-prepare a spell once cast in order to use it again.)
Quote from: Stephen Tannhauser;1093824See, now, that makes a huge difference to my assessment of the situation. I had no idea that was how it was set up.
(The reason I assumed it was still the basic Vancian cast-and-forget model is basically because whenever I hear a game is "OSR" I assume that means "exactly like Dungeons & Dragons unless explicitly specified otherwise". And nowhere in this thread -- or the original "Change 1 Thing about D&D" thread -- does it specify that in DCC, you don't have to re-prepare a spell once cast in order to use it again.)
Yeah, I mentioned it. But its easy to miss in this thread. Its no big deal, no blame. Its 4 pages.
"Magic isn't "fire it & forget it" like D&D. If you are successful in casting- you can keep casting that spell later.
Same goes with Clerics- but their chance of failure goes up each time. So they are penalized if they keep bugging the "Big Guy' for favors. "
Chill Touch spell for example:
1- (spell) Lost, failure, and worse. Roll d6 modified by Luck.
0 or less: corruption + misfire + patron taint
1-2: corruption
3: patron taint (or corruption if no patron)
4+: misfire
2-11 - spell loss, failure
12-13- success.....(and spell is retained)
I like it. It makes magic a bit dangerous and unpredictable.
Another thing that I don't think has been mentioned is "The Funnel". The first adventure is a bit of a blood bath. Each player gets 4 or so 0 level normal guys. The butcher, the baker the candlestick-maker- with appropriate crap equipment. Examples:
Dwarf herder - staff and a sow
Elf sage - dagger and pen/parchment
Halfling haberdasher- scissors (as dagger) and 3 fine suits
Human cheesemaker - cudgel (as staff) and some stinky cheese
Human cooper- crowbar(club) and a barrel
A few coppers and another random piece of equipment. That's it. If you survive the first adventure you pick a class and start as Level 1. Elf, Dwarf Halfling is race as class.
==============
Wizard & Cleric we pretty well covered.
Fighter fights and has "mighty deeds" - think criticals or some other cool move. Arrow through the hand/disarm, push a group of foes down the stairs or over a balcony, hamstring the Ogre, defend an ally, throw your shield, whatever. Dwarf is a Fighter with some race abilities. Elf is the fighter/mage, but is more 'fey', burned by iron. Halfling can fight with 2 weapons and has more Luck. Thief has thief skills and more Luck.
What would you say are the best funnel and then starter adventures to convey the DCC differences? I'm well familiar with old school style but not DCC rules itself. Only a handful of my players have played an explicitly old school game, though I certainly incorporate such elements. I'm thinking if I try a DCC session with them, it will be pitched as old school pushed hard.
Quote from: Steven Mitchell;1093865What would you say are the best funnel and then starter adventures to convey the DCC differences? I'm well familiar with old school style but not DCC rules itself. Only a handful of my players have played an explicitly old school game, though I certainly incorporate such elements. I'm thinking if I try a DCC session with them, it will be pitched as old school pushed hard.
Id say a good funnel is "Hole in the Sky". Ive also used " the Emerald Enchanter" as a funnel though its not meant for that. " Sailors on a Starless Sea" and " Dread on Demon Crown Hill" are good too.
After they hit level 1 there are many other good adventures.
Quote from: Blood Axe;1093832"Magic isn't "fire it & forget it" like D&D. If you are successful in casting- you can keep casting that spell later.
Same goes with Clerics- but their chance of failure goes up each time. So they are penalized if they keep bugging the "Big Guy' for favors. "
Just to be clear... Clerics can cast without gaining Disapproval as long as their casting rolls remain outside their Disapproval range... which starts at one.
They might fail a spell cast, but unless it's a natural 1 they don't gain Disapproval. Once they roll a 1... then their Disapproval range increases (to 1-2). Actual Deity Disapproval (requiring a roll on a chart of consequences and atonements) remains set at 1. A Cleric can buy down their Disapproval range by making some sort of sacrifice (my cleric of a nature goddess usually destroys some object in her possession that represents technological civilization. Her Disapproval usually builds after a fight and she has to use Lay On Hands a lot, particularly if it's on oppositely aligned PCs).
Either way, they can usually just keep trying to cast the spell... unless they got a 1, rolled on the Disapproval table and had the spell taken away until the Deity's conditions are met.
Deity Disapproval isn't as rare as Wizard's Corruption, but it's generally not as horrific or dangerous either.
Yeah, thanks Simlasa. I was just spitting out some basics. Thanks for clarifying. Fun game. Worth checking out. The Annual will be out soon too.
Quote from: Blood Axe;1093878Yeah, thanks Simlasa. I was just spitting out some basics. Thanks for clarifying.
I'm just fond of playing DCC Clerics, because the rules really keep your relationship with your God/Goddess in the forefront.
DCC really could use something like the Patron books, full of different Gods with tailored spell lists, Disapproval charts. and unique spells. I've been messing around with one for Cthulhu... which focuses on dreaming, weird mathematics, and seafood.
Quote from: Simlasa;1093880I'm just fond of playing DCC Clerics, because the rules really keep your relationship with your God/Goddess in the forefront.
DCC really could use something like the Patron books, full of different Gods with tailored spell lists, Disapproval charts. and unique spells. I've been messing around with one for Cthulhu... which focuses on dreaming, weird mathematics, and seafood.
Ha! Funny you say that. I just had a thread on that topic at the Goodman Games forum. I agree with you 100%.
So many detailed Patrons. No detailed Gods.
Someone pointed out " the lesser key to Celestial legions" ( i think that's the title). There are also some detailed Gods coming in the Dcc Annual.
Quote from: Blood Axe;1093883Someone pointed out " the lesser key to Celestial legions" ( i think that's the title).
Oooh! Sold!
Quote from: Simlasa;1093894Oooh! Sold!
Its available as pdf on Drive thru , but if you message the creator on Kickstarter you can possibly buy a print copy.
For 0 level funnels, Crepuscular #1 Sanctum of the Snail is another good one. I'l give some links.
Sanctum of the Snail
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/240336/Crepuscular-1-Sanctum-of-the-Snail?term=sanctum+of+the+snail
Emerald Enchanter
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/103720/Dungeon-Crawl-Classics-69-The-Emerald-Enchanter?term=emerald+enchanter
Hole in the Sky
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/153387/Dungeon-Crawl-Classics-86-The-Hole-In-The-Sky?term=Hole+in+the+Sky
Id say my favorite would be The Hole in the Sky. Sanctum of the Snail is neat too, and includes a Patron or possible lesser God. The Emerald Enchanter is ran as a 0 Level funnel even though it is for Level 2 characters. Mid way there is jail, dungeon, etc that replacements can be made available if needed. Otherwise I ran it as 0 level funnel, no other changes.
These are also available in print by Goodman Games in their online store.
Quote from: Simlasa;1093894Oooh! Sold!
Celestial key pdf
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/271422/Lesser-Key-to-the-Celestial-Legion?term=lesser+key+to+celestial
Kickstarter
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2038851623/the-lesser-key-to-the-celestial-legion
I contacted the creator on Kickstarter and he sold me a print copy.
Quote from: Blood Axe;1094095For 0 level funnels, Crepuscular #1 Sanctum of the Snail is another good one. I'l give some links.
Sanctum of the Snail
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/240336/Crepuscular-1-Sanctum-of-the-Snail?term=sanctum+of+the+snail
Emerald Enchanter
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/103720/Dungeon-Crawl-Classics-69-The-Emerald-Enchanter?term=emerald+enchanter
Hole in the Sky
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/153387/Dungeon-Crawl-Classics-86-The-Hole-In-The-Sky?term=Hole+in+the+Sky
Id say my favorite would be The Hole in the Sky. Sanctum of the Snail is neat too, and includes a Patron or possible lesser God. The Emerald Enchanter is ran as a 0 Level funnel even though it is for Level 2 characters. Mid way there is jail, dungeon, etc that replacements can be made available if needed. Otherwise I ran it as 0 level funnel, no other changes.
These are also available in print by Goodman Games in their online store.
Its kinda funny cause the quickstart funnel is called portal from the stars iirc, basically the same name as hole in the sky.
I got to run Portal recently, and it was a blast, i need to get the full rules of this game asap.
Unfortunately i have a problem with one player who rolled bad on the mercurial magic table for his spells and doesnt want to play. Speaking of which i dont think anyones talked about mercurial magic in this thread have they?
From what i gathered. When you learn a new spell it has some random effect appended to it when you cast it.
Yeah, very similar names- completely different adventures. The Hole in the Sky also has a potential God/Wizard Patron. Fun little adventure.
Yeah , mercurial magic gives a special effect when a caster uses that spell. Its different for EACH SPELL, not the same for all spells.
They also have different "manifestations", pretty cosmetic.
Lets look at FLY spell for example. d4
1- target manifests wins (angelic or demonic depending on alignment)
2- target is surrounded by thousands of tiny birds that lift him in the air
3- clouds manifest at the targets feet
4- nothing
MAGIC MISSILE manifestations d10
1- meteors
2- flaming arrow
3- force arrow
4- screaming clawing eagle
5- black beams
6- balls of lightning
7- splash of acid
8- ray of frost
9- force daggers
10-force axe
Mercurial effects can be:
-Anima drain- wizard suffers corruption every time he casts the spell unless he spellburns
-Slow cast- spell takes twice as long to cast
41-60 is no effect
-Mentalism- the caster can use this spell with ESP alone, no movement, speaking or materials needed
-Phase out- the Wizards phases out becoming invisible & invulnerable but cannot interact , 1d6 rounds
-Necrotic drain- the nearest living creature other than caster takes d6 damage, for every 2 damage the spell result is +1
-Great power- roll twice for any random effect of the spell and caster can choose which to use
-Psychic shield- in the round after casting the Wizard gets a +2 to AC & Will saves as he encased in a protective barrier. Lasts 1 round.
Most are not beneficial. If you don't like it, you can always ignore mercurial effects and manifestations.
Quote from: Slambo;1094106Unfortunately i have a problem with one player who rolled bad on the mercurial magic table for his spells and doesnt want to play. Speaking of which i dont think anyones talked about mercurial magic in this thread have they?
Mercurial effects give a personal flavor to spells... pushing the idea that no two spellcasters have exactly the same way of doing things... that all 'Spider Climb' spells are not the same. Some effects can be a boon... some can be funny or evocative... a few might be annoying. Certain grimoires might have a common 'theme' of mercurial effects for the spells they contain... certain mentors or Patrons can add a similar taint.
There's a few times where a spell was cast just to get the mercurial effect associated with it (localized thunder storm).
In our games there can be various reasons for them... so if a PC doesn't like the effect but wants that spell, they can try doing some research to remove/alter it... find/buy/create a charm that cancels all mercurial effects... or find a copy of the spell from a different source and swap it out. It's back to DCC's refrain, "Quest for it!".
Read up on all those funnel adventures. "Sailors on a Starless Sea" looked most like something I would enjoy from what I can tell in that brief research. I'm not necessarily interested in the "metal" vibe touted as a strong point for some of them.
Ill try getting him to try that, i though i did say that it was different for each spell but maybe i didnt. Anyway i mighy do another funnel adventure since i have some other friends that are interest, will probably try hole in the sky just cause the name is similar.
Quote from: Steven Mitchell;1094118Read up on all those funnel adventures. "Sailors on a Starless Sea" looked most like something I would enjoy from what I can tell in that brief research. I'm not necessarily interested in the "metal" vibe touted as a strong point for some of them.
I haven't noticed any ' metal vibe'. Hole in the Sky is neat.
Sanctum of the Snail is less serious, still a good adventure.
Quote from: Simlasa;1093880I'm just fond of playing DCC Clerics, because the rules really keep your relationship with your God/Goddess in the forefront.
DCC really could use something like the Patron books, full of different Gods with tailored spell lists, Disapproval charts. and unique spells. I've been messing around with one for Cthulhu... which focuses on dreaming, weird mathematics, and seafood.
The LFG Cultist class requires the "cleric" to adhere to their god's tenets in order to use magic safely. If they don't have "favour" at the time of invoking a blessing, they risk a "Divine Rebuke". The divine rebuke table (and related Rite of Atonement table) would be easily ported into other games. https://lowfantasygaming.com/2018/11/06/low-fantasy-gaming-the-cultist/
Quote from: Psikerlord;1094939The LFG Cultist class requires the "cleric" to adhere to their god's tenets in order to use magic safely. If they don't have "favour" at the time of invoking a blessing, they risk a "Divine Rebuke". The divine rebuke table (and related Rite of Atonement table) would be easily ported into other games. https://lowfantasygaming.com/2018/11/06/low-fantasy-gaming-the-cultist/
Im a backer of the recent Kickstarter. Id recommend this game. Very cool.