Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ucla-cs.ARPA
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!hplabs!sdcrdcf!trwrb!trwrba!cepu!ucla-cs!mccolm
From: mccolm@ucla-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Magic and Material Components
Message-ID: <4950@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 22-Apr-85 18:58:45 EST
Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.4950
Posted: Mon Apr 22 18:58:45 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 25-Apr-85 07:49:24 EST
Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department
Lines: 72

A lot has been said about magic and material components recently, so I
thought I would chip in with a different point of view.  Ask yourself the
following question:  "Why does a wizard bother with material components,
anyway?"

Certainly not just to please the referee.  By nature, an FRP game should not
have any incredibly difficult or time-consuming process (such as recording,
or even worse collecting material components) out of gratuitous power trips
by the referee.  It's true that material components can go a long way to
limiting the use of magic.  This is how it should be.  But if this is true,
it should be because the magic requires the use of the components.

Why does magic require material components?  No matter what explanation you
have, it boils down to this:  The spell power, or at least some part of it,
derives from the natural properties of the component.  Ever wonder why the
component for Fireballs includes sulpher?  It's because it's appropriate.  In
other words, the sulpher has a metaphysical likeness to the effect of the
spell.

But then there's Clerics and Druids, who use items of their religion, which
are not consumed by the spell (for the most part).  These are not properly
material components at all, but talismans, a topic largely ignored in most
game systems.

Because of this, I have in my own magic system instituted a system of material
components and talismans that profoundly affect the spells with which they are
used.  The basic idea is that using a material component makes it easier to
achieve the desired effect, and makes more powerful effects possible than
would be possible without them.

I use a manna point system, so the material components merely make the spell's
manna cost lower.  But, since some people do not use manna cost systems for
perfectly good reasons, a material component (or lack of one) could be taken
as altering the effect of the spell by changing the caster's effective level
of casting.  So, it takes quite a powerful magician to cast a given spell
without the component, while a wimp with the required component does just as
well.  I don't have any idea what the schedules would be, but take a cue from
the Druid's list of what happens if they use holly berries instead of Greater
Mistletoe.

Next, if one particular component is just right, shouldn't other, more or less
related components be usable, though not as good?  I like this idea, because
people get inventive about the materials they're going to use.  Keep in mind
that the spell that needs Black Dragon Blood will still work with cheap acid,
but the penalties of the substitution will be severe, and Baking Soda would
be worse than nothing at all.  Also, it takes a lot of pressure off the
referee when it comes to making up the material component for the spell a
player has researched.  The ideal component can be really nasty and hard to
get, but don't feel bad.  It'll still work with lemon juice if you're not too
particular that it now does 1/8th your level in dice, instead of 2*level.

Of course, use of a really bad component can cause spell failure, misfire,
backfire, and other really fun things.

About talismans, this topic is largely ignored by most rule systems, and I'm
trying to put it into mine, but basically, a magician is trying to accentuate
the effects and power of a spell through using a magic, holy (to the caster),
historically valuable, or metaphysically significant object as an assistance
in casting the spell.  What effects this has on the talisman I shudder to
think, but the spell should be a bit, or a lot, stronger, or weaker, depending
on the nature of the talisman used.  I'm using essentially the same mechanism
as that for material components, which may get me into a lot of problems,
but I'll find out in a hurry.

Final note:  while the above proceeds from an idea that I like quite a bit,
it takes a LOT of work to get it up and running.  If you intend to do this,
take note.  No-one said it would be easy.  But I think the appeal of a
material component system based on accentuating the power of spells has much
to say for it, and I think most players will gleefully flock to the bat caves
to dig for guano, knowing that their ability to blow away those who don't
frequent the caves will be greatly improved.
						   -Eric