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Role Playing => The Art of the Game Master => Topic started by: Delbareth on November 16, 2007, 02:49:49 PM

Title: Rules about the Drellis and Karrym effect
Post by: Delbareth on November 16, 2007, 02:49:49 PM
Hello again!

As I said on the post in the Khoras World section, I have developped specific rules to take into account the impact of Drellis or Karrym. I don't play in D&D but perhaps it could help to develop similar things (or other things) in the D&D rule system.


First of all, I have 4 types of "paranormal" fields :

Magic :
It deals with the use of specific spells, like in a lot of game. There is few hundreds spells with very precisely described effects, duration, range, area of effect, etc... This was the original system of my set of rules. It is quite rigid but well described.

Sorcery :
I wanted to have an field of "magic" which was more flexible than the standard magic with already written spells. That's why I developped a new system based on arcana : Time, Space, Power, Controle, and the arcana presented on Khoras site (Mentalism, Corporealism, Metamagic, Etherealism...). The sorcerer decide to put a level in each arcana and a quite complexe formula/table gives the time to prepare the spell.

Faith :
It is a way to obtain "miracles" from deities. There is some of them written in order to help the followers for what to ask, but it's an open system. It's completely free since deities can do what they want. It could appear to be very powerful but of course deities do not accept any demand. Deities have also their own field of interest, and one can not ask a miracle to cure to a deity of murderer. Eventually, the faith and the actions of the follower is put into the balance to accept or refuse the miracle.

Spiritism :
It's the way to call spirit and to "convince" them to carry out some tasks. All this system is based strongly on a Willpower contest between the spirit and the shaman. If the shaman succed to control the spirit, he can tell him to do one thing or another (depending of the spirit characteristics). Of course, a powerful spirit can accomplish great things, but it's more difficult and also very dangerous to attempt. This system is quite simple, few things are written about what spirits can do and possibilities are large. Nevertheless, it's the more dangerous of the four type of non natural field.



The Drellis/Karrym rule system :
So now, I have developped a system to introduce a negative perturbation during Drellis phase, and a positive perturbation during Karrym phase (both unpredictible). This system is divided in four parts (one for each domain), and each part is divided into a positive part and a negative part. However, all these part are based on the same system :

I use two D20 to determine the type of perturbation and their magnitude. So I a have a table with several column for the type of effect and 20 rows for the magnitude. Moreover, about 40% of the case are throw-again-case, to obtain an additionnal (and often different) effect. It enables to have at least 1 effect (less than 100% because of some "zero-case"), at least 2 effects (40%), at least 3 effects (40%*40%), etc... So, one knows neither the type of effect, nor their number, nor their magnitude.


Of course the tables are very different depending on the positive/negative effect and on the field concerned.

Magic :
As the system is rigif and well defined, it was easy to obtain these table : increase/decrease of the duration, of the range, of the area, damage to the caster, uncontrolable effect, less/more powerfull spell, etc...

Sorcery :
Even if the system is completely different from magic, a bonus/malus in an arcane leads to an increase or decrease of the duration, range, area of effect, control like in the magic system.

Faith :
For that it was more difficult, since deities are intelligent being and have a more powerful control on their spells. Nevertheless, Drellis effect can reduce chance to obtain a miracle (the deity do not want to appear weak if the miracle isn't well controlled), have side effect and so on... Karrym phase can induce positives side effects, gift of a power to the follower (the ability the cast the miracle himself for a period of time), or simply improved effect. But it can also reduce chance to obtain the miracle for the same reason as before.

Spiritism :
I guessed that spirit were more powerfull in Karrym phase and less powerfull during Drellis phase in the real world. During the first one, they are excited and are easier to attract in the real world, but are less controlable and it can lead to problems for the shaman. During the Drellis phase, spirit do not want to enter the real world because they would be weaker, and are then more difficult to call. Moreover they can substitute a weaker spirit just before being attracted, or they can simply bite back the shaman for calling them.


I would like to insist on the fact that the effects are completely unpredictible, but not always bad or good. For example, if someone casts a spell in order to use it immediately, it's not a problem if the duration is divided by 10. Or if a magician cast a spell for someone close to him, a reduction of the range is not problematic. Sometimes, it could kill the spell or make it unuseful (speaking all languages for 1 second for example). Other time it can lead to a quite fantastic improvement, for example if a flight spell is lengthened 100 times, or if the ability to detect lie become a personnal power.


Ok I don't know if I was clear, and I don't know how it could be applied to D&D system. Especially, it fits with a system with few spells or miracles, but I think it's a little bit heavy if 10 spells are cast for each fight. Perhaps some of you (hey lurkers, you are concerned! ;) ) will be hum... how to say... full of inspiration!  :)
Title: Re: Rules about the Drellis and Karrym effect
Post by: avisarr on November 17, 2007, 07:01:08 PM
I love reading about new magic systems. This looks like a very interesting system. Thanks for sharing it.
Title: Re: Rules about the Drellis and Karrym effect
Post by: tanis on January 13, 2008, 03:30:31 AM
And very well done with the tables and adapting sun phases.