[MUD-Dev] Looking for a Magic System (inspired by Bartle's book)

[Eli Stevens (WG.c)]

erik wrote:

> The Question: Does anyone have a magic system or a scrawling of a
> list that they wish would get implemented either for free or for a
> fee provided I like it?

> I am not looking for anything crazy complicated super serious... I
> am looking for something cute and fun, like drag a empty potion
> bottle + green spider venom + moon dust = slow or some such.  But
> in a way that variations in ingrediants provide variations in
> results...

I've thought about this some as well*, and came up with a few rules
that define what I see as an "interesting" magic system:

  - More outcomes/possible spells than rules.

  - Wide range of effects.

  - Allows for both creators and consumers to enjoy the system.

As I see it, DnD magic is one rule = one spell.  All of the spells
fit into a general pattern, but each spell/rule is pretty much
one-off.  In general, each spell exists in a vacuum.  I want to use
the combinatorial explosion.

What I don't want to see is small/big/bigger/biggest
fire/ice/acid/lightning/poison/flower
ball/bolt/arrow/beam/ray/explosion.  I want the system to be able to
create spells like fireball, fly and invisibility without targetting
those effects - they just fall out naturally.

Finally, I want to allow people to both make spells, and use them
"off the shelf."  A system that fits the above is going to be
complicated, and not everyone will enjoy creating with it, but they
should be allowed to tinker.

What I've concluded (correctly or not) is that what I want for such
a system is a programming language, once you strip off all the
flavor. Look back at the three rules - they fit to a T.

  - Define an "API" that provides/limits the spell's ability to
  impact and react to the world.

  - Give primitives that allow hooking the world/character input
  APIs to the output APIs.

  - Assign cost to the above.

  - Coat with eye of newt/gestures/runes/words of power/pixie dust.

Now, when it comes down to actually doing it...  Yeesh.  Ideas are
cheap; the money's in the implementation.

Eli

[*] - Are the archives going to be coming back any time soon?
_______________________________________________
MUD-Dev mailing list
MUD-Dev at kanga.nu
https://kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev