I am of the completely opposing view to Hammersmith.
I think magic is super freakin neat, and opens up a ton of possibilities for RP you couldn't otherwise have.
But I will also admit I am a fan of 'magic at a price'. I love how completely and utterly creepy it can be. How, if left unchecked, it might be the most messed up thing you ever have the (mis)fortune to encounter, especially to the caster using the magic. They, more than anyone, are likely to know the full extent of the 'prices' at hand, and would likely be the ones paying them. I mean, in a world where mere beliefs can have a physical manifestation under the right conditions, where Aether is very much connected to life and death, can and will solidify into natural formations if in high enough quantity, and too much of it is practically the equivalent of being radioactive, (among so much else) there are a lot of neat 'consequences' to be had for getting into it too heavily. The game itself provides with a number, both in passing and with some amount of focus.
And I suppose some people will look at that instead and see purely power to be utilized. But I see it very much as a give and take that can take a lot. The limits themselves, what 'the price' of power is, and its potential for how it does what it does are what makes it most interesting to me.
Furthermore, coming up with creative ways a magic user can utilize spells outside of sheer combat is half of the fun; granted, the downsides are what make it even better and open up interesting doors for RP. I know that I never built my character with much combat in mind. He has a lot of Aether, but actually using it well in combat (or 'well' at all) is an entirely different beast, and his fighting ability leaves much to be desired. It's sufficient so he can wander and not be killed stepping foot into the open, but it's nowhere near the prowess that I've seen other characters use, which is basically what I was hoping for.
Instead, a theme of his is much more 'how too much Aether can be a Real Problem and Gets In The Way of Everything', and has led to some interesting RP, nevermind given some neat conflict to the character and those who know him. He's looking for answers, and his interactions with others will determine where he goes and what he learns.
To me it's all much more a matter of thinking about the concepts further than merely all the potential virtues of a thing, and then consider at what cost the virtues come. That's where you can get some interesting writing opportunities.
I'd also like to add that I am so glad you put that link there. I've been wondering for a while what this 1.0 Thaumaturge was about, and that list gives me some neat ideas. *u* ... I kind of wish it had stayed along those lines now, tbh.
I think magic is super freakin neat, and opens up a ton of possibilities for RP you couldn't otherwise have.
But I will also admit I am a fan of 'magic at a price'. I love how completely and utterly creepy it can be. How, if left unchecked, it might be the most messed up thing you ever have the (mis)fortune to encounter, especially to the caster using the magic. They, more than anyone, are likely to know the full extent of the 'prices' at hand, and would likely be the ones paying them. I mean, in a world where mere beliefs can have a physical manifestation under the right conditions, where Aether is very much connected to life and death, can and will solidify into natural formations if in high enough quantity, and too much of it is practically the equivalent of being radioactive, (among so much else) there are a lot of neat 'consequences' to be had for getting into it too heavily. The game itself provides with a number, both in passing and with some amount of focus.
And I suppose some people will look at that instead and see purely power to be utilized. But I see it very much as a give and take that can take a lot. The limits themselves, what 'the price' of power is, and its potential for how it does what it does are what makes it most interesting to me.
Furthermore, coming up with creative ways a magic user can utilize spells outside of sheer combat is half of the fun; granted, the downsides are what make it even better and open up interesting doors for RP. I know that I never built my character with much combat in mind. He has a lot of Aether, but actually using it well in combat (or 'well' at all) is an entirely different beast, and his fighting ability leaves much to be desired. It's sufficient so he can wander and not be killed stepping foot into the open, but it's nowhere near the prowess that I've seen other characters use, which is basically what I was hoping for.
Instead, a theme of his is much more 'how too much Aether can be a Real Problem and Gets In The Way of Everything', and has led to some interesting RP, nevermind given some neat conflict to the character and those who know him. He's looking for answers, and his interactions with others will determine where he goes and what he learns.
To me it's all much more a matter of thinking about the concepts further than merely all the potential virtues of a thing, and then consider at what cost the virtues come. That's where you can get some interesting writing opportunities.
(04-16-2015, 08:40 AM)Warren Castille Wrote: Creativity, mostly. The Runestone is frequented by people using magic to a lot of creative degrees; In the first night there I saw rolling flame wheels, knives made of ice and conjured lava waterfalls. All of it made perfect sense in the "manipulating the elements" sort of style.
Thaumaturge curses, though, are probably chalked up to that damned 1.0 split. You can see what the class used to be capable of here and using filters you can see all of the old attacks for all classes. 1.0 THM was a much different beast. 1.0 CNJ, too. Technically speaking, Arcanist is vastly improved from what it was in 1.0 as well.
I'd also like to add that I am so glad you put that link there. I've been wondering for a while what this 1.0 Thaumaturge was about, and that list gives me some neat ideas. *u* ... I kind of wish it had stayed along those lines now, tbh.
