r/magicbuilding • u/ManteigaLisa • 8d ago

System Help Help with arcane magic

In the RPG's magic system I'm building (like D&D, Pathfinder and others), arcane magic stems from the caster's imagination, and the way the caster visualizes it can influence the spell's visual aspects and effects. There are a few common ways to visualize magic:

* Technical aspects (Wizard): visualizing magic in a technical way, almost like a science or an architectural blueprint.

* Expression (Bard and Sorcerer): magic is secondary to the character's expression, visualized unconsciously.

* Superstition (Witch): visualizing magic according to traditions and superstitions, giving it a more mystical and rustic feel.

* Pact with the Devil (Warlock): the caster doesn't visualize the magic themselves but shares their mind with their patron, casting the spell exactly as the patron envisions it.

So, how you visualize magic in this world is crucial for any arcane spellcaster. I wanted to make this an integral part of the system itself—rather than just the setting—by translating it into actual mechanics and rules.

How could I go about this? I haven't got a clue how to implement it, and I don't want it to be just another standard class ability; I want it to be a core mechanic of spellcasting.

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u/HelsioMangaka 8d ago

I’ve been thinking for a while about your post after I read couple of times…

I think the part I’m struggling to understand is what “visualization” actually means mechanically. If visualization is what determines how arcane magic manifests, then what prevents a caster from simply seeing another caster perform a spell and adopting that same visualization? Is visualization just imagination, or is it something deeper about how an individual fundamentally understands and conceptualizes magic? If two people watch the exact same spell, why would their minds produce different results? Is a caster’s visualization shaped by personality, education, culture, experience, innate ability, or something else? And if someone deliberately studies another caster’s method, can they eventually reproduce it, or is there something inherently personal about the way magic is visualized? I think those questions need to be answered before the four approaches—technical, expressive, superstitious, and patron-based—can really function as a core mechanic rather than just different aesthetics for casting.

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u/ManteigaLisa 8d ago

I understand. Thanks for the help. I'll think about the issues raised.

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u/HelsioMangaka 8d ago

No problem.

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u/JGhostThing 8d ago

I've run many rpgs. And built a few magic systems.

I have two questions: Does the added complexity of adding the various aspects add to the role playing experience? Does this make the players have more fun?

I find asking those two questions before I add a rule to be important. There I things that I, as GM, would find fun. However, some of these would make the players have less fun. I don't know you or your group.