Seriously, if I had a regular group, I'd buy MagicQuest. As it is, I'm using the A!S mechanic to work out the magic system in order to write about it ins short stories intelligently.
Before I go into detail, I already know that it is not straightforward. It is designed that way because magic the foundation of magic in this world has some irreducible complexity. This makes life difficult for players and I am aware of that.
A spell requires at a minimum, something to be spoken and a token to focus the energy. Many spells require some kind of physical movement to shape the spell and sometimes material is needed to be consumed by the spell. For example, most spellcasters speak the spell and use their wand as a token to focus the energy. Other spells require pointing at a target, in addition to a spoken phrase and using a wand. (Not every token is a wand, new spellcasters use blue dots on the backs of their hands, some use an amulet, a brazier, a bowl, a sword, a mummified animal carcass - anything is fair game.)
There are two kinds of spellcasters - a spellcaster can either be a tahares or a paucalus.
A tahares can naturally create more powerful spells (more damage or range) but are not skilled in the technical aspects of magic. Thus, they are more likely to fail when casting a spell and also more likely for the failure to be catastrophic. It is not unusual, though not mandatory, that a tahares has disadvantages having to do with being unable to focus, think strategically, etc.
A paucalus can naturally control magical energy better (much smaller chance of failure) but are not able to produce the power of a tahares. When a spell needs to be cast right the first time, call a paucalus. It is not unusual for a paucalus to have a trait similar to Compartmentalized Mind from GURPS or to have advantages to concentration.
Regardless of the path a character chooses, all magic is governed by five elemental foci, or schools. They are roughly equivalent to earth, fire, water, wind, and void. I don't have the files with me that describe this in more detail, but it is very similar to the Chinese way of thinking about the interaction of the five elements. Each element has a focus on a part of the body, a part of nature, etc. When I post the notes, it will make more sense. It is not the D20 way of thinking of elements.
Every spell has four parts that can be determined by the spellcaster:
an elemental focus
a path
a shape
and a measure of control or guidance.
The elemental focus, as explained earlier, is a category or school the magic falls under. Each of the five elements has an advantage over another element, and a weakness to another element. Many spellcasters choose to specialize in one or two elements in their careers.
The path is the action of the spell. A spell that transforms a creature into stone would have a path of change or transformation. Paths transcend schools of magic. There are spellcasters that choose to specialize in a specific path across the five elements. For example, some are healers, others are conjurers, and many more. (there's no cure disease spell, there's five. Each element allows a heal disease spell to work on a different aspect of the body.)
The shape is the amount of mana a spellcaster puts into a spell. Excess energy above what the spell requires at a minimum can be used to extend a spell in range, area of effect, multiplying damage, penalties to attribute rolls for targets of the spell, etc.
The measure of control or guidance is the concentration of the spellcaster to prevent failure of the spell. This includes performing the right gestures, pronouncing the verbal part of the spell correctly, etc. Every spell requires the spellcaster to perform an action that ties the mana to the physical world. Some spellcasters would describe it has trying to calculate several variables at once.
All of that to get to the game terms:
In essence there are three attributes for magic/paranormal. To prevent non-spellcasters from zeroing out those three attributes, everyone starts with threes and buys 'up' depending on the campaign level.
Mana is a derived attribute. This is a measure of how much magical energy a character can use. A character that uses 100% of their available mana in a day has a very small chance of contracting a magical, incurable disease. The disease constantly drains mans until LIF is drained. The treatment for this disease will allow the spellcaster to live, but they will never be able to cast a spell or use magical energy again.
Every spell has a TN and a mana cost. Adding more mana allows for a change of one specific attribute of a spell such as damage, range, increased area of effect, increased chance of success, better accuracy (bolt), etc. No spellcaster can spend more mana than their 'Power' attribute for any one spell. If a character has an ENR of 7, they cannot spend more than 7 mana to cast a spell. Spells range in mana costs from 1 to 10. There are spells with a high TN and low mana cost and vice versa, however most spells have a TN on par with their mana cost. Most TN12 spells cost 1 mana point, TN15 two points, etc.
All spellcasters must purchase a trait to choose one type of spellcaster. This trait gives a bonus to a specific path, but prevents them from buying a trait to offset their penalties.
A tahares gains a bonus to the 'bolt' path. A bolt is a spell that delivers an attack of magical energy on one target. A tahares cannot purchase the Magical Control trait, being a tahares automatically gives a disadvantage to spell success in the same level as the advantage to the 'bolt' path.
A paucalus gains a bonus to the 'wall' path. A wall is a spell that protects every creature being a wall of magical energy. A paucalus cannot purchase the Magical Power trait, being a paucalus automatically gives a disadvantage that lower their ability to expend mana in the same level as the advantage to the 'wall' path.
Each elemental focus is a Skill Group. Each spell is a skill under a specific group. When a character purchases an Elemental Focus Skill Group, he or she automatically receives a wall, bolt, and blast spell. A blast spell is similar to a bolt except that the energy attacks a specific area, causing harm to all within the radius of the spell. It delivers less damage to each target than a bolt.
In creating characters, I found that a character choosing two traits (one for type of spellcaster, another for bonuses to a specific metamagic ability), three schools of magic, and a total of 15 spells costs 90 skill points. In a Cinematic campaign, this leaves room for a few other skills and a weapons skill.
I'm sorry, but my specific example is on another computer. I hope to post the rest within the next two weeks. Sound interesting? Believe it or not, this is a condensation of a 30+page document that explains the mechanics of magic. Any thought appreciated.
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