Hey everyone! I’m reading through ICRPG in preparation for running my kids on a homebrewed system, and I’m a bit confused about how basic magic works in the core system (i.e., not the advanced Magic section). Without the Spell Burn die, is the intent that characters can just cast spells as often as they want with no limits? Or is there an additional mechanic there that I’ve somehow missed? I’ve seen other threads about spending HP, but I can’t seem to find that anywhere in the latest book.
Core magic mechanics in Master Edition
Alex
#2
ICRPG is roll to cast. The big limiter is the roll. If you fail, you don’t cast successfully. A 1 is usually a mercurial fail (p.320). However, some folks play with spell burn also, but over the years, we have really seen that phased out, as most normal folks don’t just sit there and spam the same spell round after round (and if they do, then put spellburn back in). The rationale is if a fighter can swing a sword every round, why can’t my mage cast every round?
Stun points are usually spent to boost the power and effect of a spell, but you could also use that mechanic as a bit of a mana type system. See the rules in Master Edition in the Magic section, p.318. You could also have a caster burn hit points per the old Magic rules. You could also use the Roll or Burn rules on p.319.
Deathbare
#3
Ferd,
For your kids - yeah I’d roll it as Alex laid out. Missing the cast is punishment enough (might want to keep those target numbers low!!)
P.S. Maybe when they get PG13 age you can start looking into Dungeon Crawl Classic magic rules - which are the gold standard for what magic in a fantasy world is all about.