Magic
The Essence of Magic in TTRPGs
Spellcasting
Spellcasting is the most iconic form of magic in a fantasy setting, and so in GnG we put a lot of effort into getting it right.
Firstly spells are not small actions, they are vast trees of abilities that casters can use to solve a myriad of problems. Casters start with only a couple of spells and learning new ones is a great feat. As the casters power grows they will be able to use their known spells to a much greater extent.
Secondly the source of a casters abilities is vital and drastically changes how they cast spells at all. Not only do sources change which spells you have access to and the skill used to cast them but they also all have their own independent talent trees with unique abilities that completely change the way that they play.
Finally, casting spells is a dangerous act, and every time that a caster attempts to do so they risk facing a backlash. Depending on the type of caster, the type of spell, and how badly they failed the backlash can change severely. From something as small as loosing feeling in your fingers to something as devastating as being transformed piece by piece into an eldritch abomination, backlashes can really change the campaign.
Psionics
The mental strength of a Psion is precisely what gives them their power, rather than having to rely on spells they have innate abilities to manipulate reality.
Psions can specialise in telepathy allowing them to communicate, control, and manipulate creatures minds. Telekinesis is also a path for Psionics allowing them to move and manipulate physical objects with their mind.
But there are also more exotic disciplines such as Void which involves using negative energy to counteract magic or Biokenisis which involves manipulating organic matter in others and yourself.
Logomancy
Power words are a powerful tool, whether they be used for destruction or creation. Logomancers are innately some of the strongest wielders of magic in existence however it is incredibly hard to control. A logomancer may go most of their life knowing only 1 Power word, but even that is enough to make them a monumental power. Most of the time, due to its incredibly taxing nature, a logomancer will have to supplement their magic with another form to use for more common occasions.
Elementalism
Elementailsts take very different approaches depending on the element that they focus on. Air is elusive, fire destructive, earth defensive, and water supportive. But even with this divide Elementalists within the same element often diverge even more. Each element has its own form, this gives a framework for how the element is manipulated but more than that they also all have their own talent trees with many abilities to pick from.
Elementalism is not as taxing as the other forms of magic however it requires strict attention and an incredible focus, because of that it can be disrupted by others much easier.
Resurrection
Bringing back creatures from death is an areas of magic that changes the way the entire game is player, if it is too easy then players will act reckless knowing that there is always a way out, if it is impossible then 1 bad accident could ruin a campaign forever. So in GnG we wanted to make a balance where resurrection was possible but difficult, and left lasting consequences.
Because of that we have made sure that resurrection isn’t just something that can be performed like any other kind of magic, it requires preparation , special rituals, magical components, and even then it may not succeed. However, if it does, the person that comes back will not be the same as before, that is for certain.
Anti-magic
Opposing magic is something that any wielder of magic can do, however it is never simple. Whether it be a permanent and ancient seal on a door or a spell slung mid-combat there are always 2 forces at work. The force enacting the magic and the one repelling it, these two forces must compete to overpower one another. In GnG we implemented this through things like spell duels that have 2 or more spells actively fighting against one another.
Monster Magic
Magic is a lot to manage and for a player managing their 1 character who they’ve slowly built over a long time it works, but a GM who may be managing more than 1 magic user, for the first time, simultaneously that is not possible. So when creating monsters who use magic we made sure to simplify it greatly, however this doesn’t mean that GMs are not allowed to use the more complex versions.