Stealing creative inspiration from other sources
Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2020 4:19 pm
I plundered the spellbook of a rules-light table top rpg and found the following magical utility effects of note:
- generating light - already a thing, distyr
- hovering storage - This would be a great effect. Put a bag, crate, what-have-you in the magical circle, it floats up and follows you around for the duration. Very handy. Should probably have a weight limit.
- temporarily recoloring objects - This would be fun, albeit not outrageously useful. It could help a clever thief though.
- removing morale penalties from bad food (taste only, not texture) - again, fun but not outrageously useful. Most of the really demoralizing food in the game is a texture AND taste issue
- commune with the dead - would be a great source of lore, but also horrible to deal with all the ramifications, don't implement without very sound lore reasons on why it can only be done with specific dead NPCs
- detect other magical effects - This would be a useful on-the-fly ability, but most effects at present are visually distinct. Will be more useful after trap-like occult effects exist
- make a mob non-hostile - This is already the schtick of bards, rangers, and primalists, so arcanists don't need it
- become invisible - already the realm of muffle/blur
- create a loud or inaudible (only in the caster's mind) alert when a creature enters the area - this would be an awesome roll arcana vs. stealth effect and a boon to anyone aiming to be discrete
- remove another magical effect - this is classic wizard schtick but I dunno how to make it work here aside from possibly disarming occult trap-like effects
- view what happened in the room in the past - ALSO a great source of lore for which the other ramifications would be too horrible, also don't implement without specific lore reasons on why it only works with certain places/times
- alter appearance to match another - a great disguise effect, again very useful for the arcane charlatan
- create illusory doubles - most often useful in combat and somewhat redundant with the warding sphere. Could be distinctly useful if it made regular attacks also carry a feint effect.
- put foes to sleep - also iconic wizard spell, would make a good occult circle trap, may step on bard toes
- contain a creature in a cage of force - another great occult circle trap, not as useful when mobs don't walk into rooms with other mobs but I imagine that is an alpha safety feature that will eventually go away
- shapechange into another form - more the thing of the primalists
- summon a creature - potentially useful, not sure what form that'd take
- see through illusions - useful as a direct negation of (illusory doubles, temporarily recoloring objects, magically altered appearance, and blur (possibly)
- short-range teleportation - always useful, tends to negate climb and create lots of "well why can't I just teleport to that part of the room that is inaccessible but in the room description" and thus problematic
- bar creatures (of a certain type) from entering an area - also useful for people trying to be discrete/secure
- create an extra-dimensional safe place - fun but if either the cage of force or the above circle of protection effects are implemented, not as useful.
- creation of magical gates - This is a better way to handle teleportation as the casting arcanist(s) must have been able to get to both places already. Should probably have a range limitation or duration limitation or both, should carry potential for BAD THINGS TO HAPPEN (like permanent exile) if arcanists link areas with hostiles (say, a snowy pass with hungry, scaly things) and areas of civilization (say, a town mine).