tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664355878657420803.post4995144751524689677..comments2024-03-26T03:05:58.787-05:00Comments on Dragons Gonna Drag: LotFP Spell Point Costs Using "A Spell Point Theory" (Green Devil Face #4)Justin Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885816572933013245noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664355878657420803.post-80342035655097923992017-05-31T10:37:36.488-05:002017-05-31T10:37:36.488-05:00No problem. And yeah, I'm definitely not a mat...No problem. And yeah, I'm definitely not a math nerd either, but I have a best friend who is, and I bet he'd approve...right before proposing some sequence of numbers that is even more esoteric.<br /><br />As for the problems of "preventing magic-users from just casting magic missile over and over again forever" and "introducing an interesting new subsystem that is just complex enough BUT NOT TOO COMPLEX," I don't have any easy solutions off the top of my head, unfortunately. But these lines of thought seem worthy of pursuit.Justin Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05885816572933013245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664355878657420803.post-59867585980946058632017-05-31T08:18:29.636-05:002017-05-31T08:18:29.636-05:00Ah, very cool. Thank you! I'll give that a per...Ah, very cool. Thank you! I'll give that a perusal! cadorettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11180016760386493467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664355878657420803.post-31561963664742096102017-05-31T07:51:11.177-05:002017-05-31T07:51:11.177-05:00Well, here's one take on the subject. :)
http:...Well, here's one take on the subject. :)<br />http://dragonsgonnadrag.blogspot.com/2016/03/initial-thoughts-on-lotfp-playtest_26.htmlJustin Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05885816572933013245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664355878657420803.post-69443968033193094472017-05-31T07:08:03.631-05:002017-05-31T07:08:03.631-05:00In re: the additional spell points, yeah, I though...In re: the additional spell points, yeah, I thought it would be a minor tweak worth throwing in, just for the reason you note.<br /><br />Note: I am no math nerd, but when I was chatting with my wife (also no nerd) about your article and Raggi's original, she was knitting and spoke two words in reply "Fibonacci sequence." I'm like, huh? Then she ran through a quick explanation, said it's a thing that artists, knitters, and math peeps are big on, and it's like a universal principle. Doesn't scale well at higher levels, with your costs and James's point spend, unless we want MUs essentially devastating the world at 11th level...<br /><br />Hmmm... kind of genre apropos. In any event, you can easily column out the sequence to 20th level, but the numbers get ridiculous. <br /><br />I saw on G+ the one referee of mixed opinion about the ability of a low-level MU blowing away a bad guy (Lucia from BitCh, in this case). Got me thinking that maybe spell points can be used as counterspells/spell duels a la Wonders & Wicknedness -- an MU could either hold an action or roll to see if they can react in time to spend points to cancel the spell being cast at them.<br /><br />But at that point, we're getting into a complexified sub-game, or at least skirting its frontier. I would be interested in knowing what's in the playtest doc, since everyone who has it says it's a big improvement. cadorettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11180016760386493467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664355878657420803.post-72100341670920998772017-05-30T22:19:27.027-05:002017-05-30T22:19:27.027-05:00Happy to be of service. :)
There are SO MANY Appe...Happy to be of service. :)<br /><br />There are SO MANY Appendix N stories I need to read. Vance's work is definitely near the top of the priority list. But yeah, I've never really been in love with D&D's "Vancian" magic system. I'm generally fine with it, but I'd prefer to do things differently if I could find or come up with something else that worked well enough.<br /><br />The Fibonacci thing sounds complicated, but also kind of charming. I suppose it's no worse than using a saving throw table or a spells per day table or the to-hit table from B/X. At least the Fibonacci Sequence is predictable to math nerds and not just D&D nerds who have studied the rule book over and over.<br /><br />Adding the modifier to the caster's starting spell points could be a good way to get around the problem of starting with spells you can't afford to cast, at least for some characters. I don't think it would "break" anything much more than this system already does as written. It could probably work quite well.Justin Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05885816572933013245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-664355878657420803.post-34643997742600528252017-05-30T16:03:57.806-05:002017-05-30T16:03:57.806-05:00I suppose I should read Vance to see what all the ...I suppose I should read Vance to see what all the hubbub is about, particularly since some designers I love and respect have retained "fire and forget" -- but I've never like Vancian magic, and I've been playing/running D&D since 1977. I've seen multiple spell point systems, "mana", and even bold attempts to do "freeform" magic, but nothing quite as simple and possibly elegant as JEV-IV's spell point system in GFD #4. I love how you've pulled the spells and rated them -- thanks for doing that! <br /><br />Originally, I thought about a similar spell point system using a proportional increase of cost and spell point acquisition, based on the Fibonacci sequence, just because math spirals and golden means are cool. Once you get past 10th level or so, though, it gets very unwieldy.<br /><br />What do you think about allowing the caster to add the modifier of their casting stat to their spell point total? Not per level, but just once to the initial total? It makes 'em more powerful at lower levels, but eventually evens out. I thought about this just to reflect some individuality for casters based on ability, and just because it seemed like a cool thing to do. cadorettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11180016760386493467noreply@blogger.com