Monday, March 3, 2014

New Spells for Magic Realm

I have been thinking about new spells and figured I would post here to get some feedback. These are just rough ideas. I would need to polish and play test them.

CONVERSION (I/White), one native groupPermanent: The targeted native group becomes friendly to the character for the remainder of the game.

Thoughts: A powerful spell, mitigated by the fact that it is permanent and thus ties up a chit. I could see the Pilgrim taking this as his second spell based on the layout of the board, but he would have to use it very sparingly. Using enhanced magic rules makes this way better, but you still need to energize it.

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LEVITATE (VII/Any), one characterDay: The targeted character can change paths on bridges.

Thoughts: Any spell that allows you to move more freely is very powerful. This would be a great choice for the Elf, Woods Girl, Magician or Pilgrim. I thought of making it VII/Gold, but decided to open it up.

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MIRROR IMAGES (III/Gold), spellcasterInstant: 1-6 (roll & consult chart) duplicates of the caster are created. Each duplicate immediately pulls a single enemy from the spellcaster's sheet onto its own sheet, as though the duplicate had lured the target in the luring step of the encounter phase. Duplicates that do not lure a target disappear and are lost.

The caster designates one of his MOVE chits and a move direction. All duplicates "play" this move during combat resolution. The caster is not forced to play the same move (chit or direction) as the duplicates and the MOVE chit played by the duplicates does not count against the caster's usage or fatigue for the round.

Duplicates have -- vulnerability and any hit will destroy them.

Duplicate Chart
1 -- 6 duplicates
2 -- 5 duplicates
3 -- 4 duplicates
4 -- 3 duplicates
5 -- 2 duplicates
6 -- 1 duplicate

Thoughts: I am not 100% sure about this one because the mechanic is clunky. Still, this is a potential life saver for the Elf or Wizard who runs into a space they can't handle.

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SERPENT TONGUE (VIII/Any), all the Serpents in the spellcaster's clearingDay: The spellcaster controls all of the Serpents and Vipers in his clearing.

Thoughts: Same as Control Bats, but I changed the ritual to VIII because talking to snakes seems vaguely sinister. I am not sure about this one, as I am not sure anyone would ever take it over the other VIII options that exist. An option would be to move it to VII.

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SUMMON AID (VI/Any), one nativeCombat: The spellcaster sacrifices 1 gold and then summons the top native from any group that has been discovered and is at least friendly to him. The native will fight with the character until the combat ends. If the native is killed, the group's relationship drops by one level.

Thoughts: A neat idea, but it favors the Magician heavily, because he if the only mage that has access to VI rituals with friends on the board. Ultimately, Transform might always be a better bet for the three characters that have access to this spell.

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TORCH BEARER (II/Grey), one characterInstant: The caster must be in a cave clearing to cast this spell. The character converts a chit into a "Torch Bearer" chit which represents a cave spirit summoned to aid the target. As long as the Torch Bearer chit is held by the character, he gets one extra phase/day in the caves.

As soon as the character ends a phase in an outdoor clearing, the chit is fatigued.

Thoughts: Like many, I am not a fan of the various "extra phase" spells, as they are almost never worth the effort. This spell allows a character who plans to make an extended journey into the caves to cast once early on, and gain a benefit for several days. Taking this spell allows a character other than the Dwarf to play a "get to the caves" strategy.

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WALK THE WOODS (II/Grey), one characterDay: The target is able to walk the woods for the day.

Thoughts: This is pretty darn powerful, but no more than Transform or Broomstick. Still, I am concerned that it would be a must-have for anyone who could take it. It would definitely be in my Druid's picks. Another option would be VII/Grey which takes it off the Druid and Witch lists, and gives it to the Magician and Wizard (who needs it less). The Elf, Woods Girl and Pilgrim would be able to cast it, but would need Grey magic.

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WARP WOOD (II/Grey), spellcaster's clearingCombat: No bow, crossbow, staff, pike, or spear can be played on their alerted side. No natives or monsters with these weapons are immediately flipped to their non-attacking sides and can no longer change tactics.

Thoughts: I like this idea, but I am not sure how much use it would get. There are only a couple of cases where this spell would save you. Great against the Woodfolk and the Spear Goblins and overly-antagonistic Elf players. The Lancers ought to be devastated by this spell, but they aren't. Of course, I am not sure the natives need any more trouble from pesky characters.

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WISP GUIDE (VII/Gold), spellcasterDay: The caster can use all hidden paths for the day, but he doesn't learn any of them.

Thoughts: A good spell for the Elf and the Woods Girl.

I am still trying to think of more. I am interested in hearing your thoughts and ideas on these.

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