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Welcome to the SL Magic system!

History

This system began out of a desire to run a game where a home-grown magic system would work with the seamless combat of FS3's combat system. As such, it was built entirely around how FS3 works. It grew over time as I learned ruby and Ares.

I began working on this magic system in the summer of 2018. It entered Alpha in September 2018, and we opened Spirit Lake in Beta in January 2019. Since that time, there have been several substantial overhauls and many more minor changes. There are things in the system now that I once swore I'd never code - and many things in the system that I've coded two or three times as I've learned better.

Philosophy

I chose to build on FS3 because I wanted something that shared its core principles. I wanted something that was easy to use and supported roleplay, emphasizing story while supporting risk and conflict.

Specifically, I wanted something that put roleplay in the spotlight, letting the heavy work of spells and magic happen in the background.

The code should do almost all of the work for you, freeing players and GMs to focus on the story. GMs should not be required to track details such as mod bonuses, spells which expire, manually changing damage, etc. Combat spells are entirely automated; if I can't automate it, I don't add it to the system.

Utility spells that are not related strictly to combat require GM interpretation, but no OOC tracking.

This also means that the magic system is largely limited to things FS3 can do. There are no conditions like poison, no damage over time, etc.

Overview

• Magic is divided by Schools, with certain spells belonging to certain Schools.
• Characters have a Major School and Minor School. These are represented by groups.
• Magic is an Attribute; Schools are Actions Skills.

Spells

• Magic is accomplished by casting a spell.
• Spells can create several magical effects at once.
• Spell-casting is a result of a School+Magic roll.
• Spells cost magic energy to cast.
• Spells each have a level. Spells cannot be 'leveled up' - instead, you must learn a new, higher version level of the spell.
• Higher level spells are more difficult and require more magic energy to cast.
• Spells are learned over time.
• You must have a spell of the previous level before you can learn a spell of the next level.
• Only a certain number of spells can be learned.

Spells are entirely customizable in the SL magic system. They can accomplish a wide variety of effects, including applying modifiers, inflicting damage, doing an FS3 attack, applying a shield to prevent damage, healing, and more.

Potions

• Potions are single-use, consumable items which carry the effect of a single spell.
• Only some spell effects can be obtained via a potion.
• Potions take time to create.
• Potions can only be created by those who know the applicable spell.

Magic Items

• Magic items can bestow certain mods or spells on those who equip them.
• Only one magic item can be equipped at a time.
• Magic items can be automatically bought or added by staff.

Magic Items are completely customizable. There is no system for crafting magical items; they can only be added to the system by staff.