This product is simply magnificent! As the previous editions and incarnations of this product it just drips with the theme you have chosen. Magic is the best part of rpgs to me and this is at least in the top three magic related products I have ever seen, including the biggest productions.
I have only quickly skimmed it through, but wanted to offer one mistake and one suggestion. The page talking about hearth magic has an error were it says heath. The other thing is about Wyrd element. You have put it up as purely negative effects, but in my meager understanding all kinds of positive effects and protective enchantments are a classic genre too. A witch casting a good luck charm over the departing fellowship etc. I think it would make the product even better.
Wyrds giving good luck was on my mind when I was puzzling out the project, but got set aside because a *lot* of the systems Witchery might be applied to are very light, low-numbers stuff, which break very very easily under heavy bonus stacking - and being able to bless and curse, both, means that such stacking would get *really* accessible.
I figured I'd come back to it and try and solve that, but never came up with anything satisfying.
I am not surprised that you had already thought about that. I do not disagree with you about the concept of bonus stacking can break things. However I feel that it is all about scale. It could be that s good luck charm or such works for a month, but only negates one danger after rolling once, unless it is very very specific. Trading power of the blessing to wider applicability and vice versa.
It was great to hear your thoughts however, I see your point of view.
This is excellent work! I realize it's aimed more at folk magic, but if it were to be used for a more traditional fantasy setting, how would you go about handling offensive spells like fireball and lightning bolt? Would it be a case of using Brew to create the spell components? Or would the GM add a new Conduit? I notice the section on Elements mentions you can add your own, but Arts and Conduits don't, so I'm not sure if they're intended to be exhaustive lists.
I mean, you can add as you like, but the pieces are already right there. Here:
The Bonfire Reborn
(Fire-Conjuring Taglock)
The Taglock for this spell is the ashes left behind from a bonfire. A pinch of these are drawn from whatever pouch, and exhorted to remember. They are then flung away as quickly as possible towards a target, as the ashes transform back into the flames of that fire for a few moments.
Anytime! And, yeah, it takes a little extra thinking, like, I want this effect, that's Element-Art, but which Conduit? But *most* of the usual fantasy magic effects are doable with a bit of messing around.
I was thinking for a long time about how one can do a formula, where you can combine different keywords in a specific order to make new spells, and this certainly hits the spot!
I'll be doing a hack/whateveryouwouldwanttocallit system where I'll definitely try to integrate this to see how it feels.
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Hi, just wanted to let you know that I'm working on adapting this for the Ironsworn: Starforged system:
https://nixonkraken.itch.io/witchery-for-ironsworn-starforged-system
OooooooOoooh! Sweet!
This is a simple effective vancian-magic-killer. Completely changed my take on fantasy spell systems, opened a lot of doors, give it a read!
Hi Levi,
This product is simply magnificent! As the previous editions and incarnations of this product it just drips with the theme you have chosen. Magic is the best part of rpgs to me and this is at least in the top three magic related products I have ever seen, including the biggest productions.
I have only quickly skimmed it through, but wanted to offer one mistake and one suggestion. The page talking about hearth magic has an error were it says heath. The other thing is about Wyrd element. You have put it up as purely negative effects, but in my meager understanding all kinds of positive effects and protective enchantments are a classic genre too. A witch casting a good luck charm over the departing fellowship etc. I think it would make the product even better.
Wyrds giving good luck was on my mind when I was puzzling out the project, but got set aside because a *lot* of the systems Witchery might be applied to are very light, low-numbers stuff, which break very very easily under heavy bonus stacking - and being able to bless and curse, both, means that such stacking would get *really* accessible.
I figured I'd come back to it and try and solve that, but never came up with anything satisfying.
I am not surprised that you had already thought about that. I do not disagree with you about the concept of bonus stacking can break things. However I feel that it is all about scale. It could be that s good luck charm or such works for a month, but only negates one danger after rolling once, unless it is very very specific. Trading power of the blessing to wider applicability and vice versa.
It was great to hear your thoughts however, I see your point of view.
This is excellent work! I realize it's aimed more at folk magic, but if it were to be used for a more traditional fantasy setting, how would you go about handling offensive spells like fireball and lightning bolt? Would it be a case of using Brew to create the spell components? Or would the GM add a new Conduit? I notice the section on Elements mentions you can add your own, but Arts and Conduits don't, so I'm not sure if they're intended to be exhaustive lists.
I mean, you can add as you like, but the pieces are already right there. Here:
The Bonfire Reborn
(Fire-Conjuring Taglock)
The Taglock for this spell is the ashes left behind from a bonfire. A pinch of these are drawn from whatever pouch, and exhorted to remember. They are then flung away as quickly as possible towards a target, as the ashes transform back into the flames of that fire for a few moments.
Ah, that makes sense, thanks for the example!
Anytime! And, yeah, it takes a little extra thinking, like, I want this effect, that's Element-Art, but which Conduit? But *most* of the usual fantasy magic effects are doable with a bit of messing around.
Amazing stuff, gonna go through it more thoroughly but after a quick skim, it seems promising!
Thanks!
It does pretty much everything *I* want out of a magic system, so it's nice to hear I'm not entirely alone in that!
I was thinking for a long time about how one can do a formula, where you can combine different keywords in a specific order to make new spells, and this certainly hits the spot!
I'll be doing a hack/whateveryouwouldwanttocallit system where I'll definitely try to integrate this to see how it feels.