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+--- Thread: How do you limit yourself w/ magic? (/showthread.php?tid=11124)
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RE: How do you limit yourself w/ magic? - Chillsmack - 04-19-2015
I'm totally with Hammersmith on this one: I don't like the over use of spells and can't help but eyeroll when I see someone who RPs using magic for everything (as if we need to be constantly be reminded you can conjure fire).
My taste in fantasy has, over time, changed to lean more toward low-fantasy when it comes to the prevalence of sorcery and magic weapons. Granted, Final Fantasy is a high fantasy game in that the world is not based on the real world at all, and magic is more common place as a tool, but I never considered it to be something "easy" nor did I ever get that feeling from the setting of any previous installments (disregarding of course that it's a video game first and foremost, not a novel with deep world-building) so that's not how I write the supernatural in FF14. I don't just believe magic should have limitations, I believe it should be a test of discipline. Some RPs write magic like people can just pick up conjury and thaumaturgy or arcanima after a couple hours or days. I'm more of a "takes years of intense practice and study to acchieve even the the simplest stuff" kinda guy myself.Â
I'm also not big on the "everyone has a magic item for everything" approach: I understand and like the idea of magic serving as a power source in an industrial sense (i.e. magicite/materia in multiple installments), and I really enjoy the idea of ceruleum and how its refined in FF14's setting, but not a fan of "Little Suzianion has a magic locket that can teleport her anywhere that she's had since she was three because her grandparents bought it for her on her birthday."
That's just my opinion though. Different strokes for different folks.
RE: How do you limit yourself w/ magic? - Aaron - 04-19-2015
A simple rule my friend told me when I use to write magic mage stories.
"If the move sounds utterly ridiculous, it probably is utterly ridiculous. "
Example, you're a runestone.Â
'Mage Ex blinks and a ifrit hot ball of fire begins to burns through her opponent"
^ ridiculous.Â
"Mage Ex arced their hand out in a sweeping motion leasing an array of dense small bullet like fireballs at their opponent."
^ not ridiculous.
RE: How do you limit yourself w/ magic? - Aduu Avagnar - 04-19-2015
Nako's magic tends to be low-middling power. For instance, he can summon a carbuncle, make fireballs, push people back with wind etc, rather than doing shit like flare, or super-awesome magic effects.
As for balance, I gave him a pool of magic, which is currently sitting around the 75-100 mark. whenever I come up with an effect for him to do, I assign it a level, 1-3 1 being a cantrip or basic spell, 3 being the more intermediate stuff. Whenever he casts a spell, I check the level of it, and subtract that from his current pool. Once he dips below a certain threshold, it makes it harder for him to cast spells. example:
Nako has a current pool of 75.
He casts spells until he drains his power down to around 50.
From this point on, level 3 spells cost double to cast.
keeps going till around 25
From this point on, level 2 spells cost double and level 3 spells cost triple.
When he gets to 0 power, he is tapped out, and unless he has a manner of replenishing his magic to hand, he cannot cast any more for a given period of time.
sometimes, depending on what is happening, certain locks are lifted and he can occasionaly cast higher level spells, but of course, they drain him of his aether quicker.
The pool of magic reflects both his mental concentration as well as his actual level of aether, meaning that he also cannot cast conjury once he is drained. He is too mentally exhausted to do so.