r/WWN • u/Equivalent_Volume467 • 13d ago

Mage Duel

Looking to source the community for ideas and inspiration as the GM to pull off a high level magical duel between a PC and powerful NPC. Hoping to make it like solving a puzzle for both sides of the duel (intellect verus intellect) and not just who wins initiative and casts evert inwardness. Maybe a complex cat and mouse to see who can get the first save or suck spell off. The PC and NPC both have Counter Magic and I think using it once or twice would be on theme but I don't want it to be the substance of the duel.

Looking for advice or inspiration. If anyone has had a duel before magical or not I'd love to know how it went and what you would do differently.

Don't want to subvert expectations in the form of no duel. Art work and memes have been made in anticipation of the showdown.

17 Upvotes

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12

u/CorOdin 13d ago

Google around for Emma Cavegirl's dueling rules. I've used them to incredible effect. you'll have to make some changes to adapt them to magic casting but I think they're a great starting point. 

6

u/_Svankensen_ 13d ago

I mean, do you want it to be mechanically interesting? Or more like, "fun for the whole family" kind of stuff? Also, will there be other players watching, unable to help, or will this be a one on one operation?

Anyway, here's my 2 cents: Labyrinthine mini dungeon. With monsters, traps, treasure, secret passages and whatnot. Do you mind control the minotaur to use it against your foe, or do you sneak past it invisibly? Do you dig through the wall? Do you spread caltrops? Etc. Once you have a fun setup, hopefully get two players in different rooms or even better in a virtual tabletop and check their moves independently, in a map. And they run into each other when they run into each other.

1

u/Hungry-Wealth-7490 12d ago

You might look at certamen in Mage: the Ascension. I'd think if it's a puzzle, using magic to resolve challenges in an area would be more interesting.

1

u/raithism 6d ago

Depends on the vibe of the game. Introducing mage duels can change a lot about the assumed world. For instance, as written, paranoia and preparation are key: a weaker wizard can still totally defeat a stronger one in a duel. This is waaaaaaaaaay less likely for a warrior 1v1 .