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AN IDEA FOR A NEW TYPE OF MAGIC USER (GREY WIZARD)
Posts
Jparker1984
2008
Jparker1984
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CloseOk, I love magic users in RPGS. For me, it's hard to pick from White Wizard and Black Wizard (or what ever wordings you like, if not familiar with Final Fantasy.) So when I first set my eyes on a Red Wizard, I was thrilled that I could use both magic types at the same time. Though not so much when I discovered they are really limited on what magics they use AND on magic power.
I came up with the Grey Wizard for my game. Magic user to the fullest, shitty ATT, DEF and SPD, but good MAG and MP. A Grey Wizard can use both White and Black magic with no limitations on availability or power. Only thing is, you can't have both at the same time. You would simply have to switch what type of magic you want to use for the time being (not able to switch in battle.)
I came up with the Grey Wizard for my game. Magic user to the fullest, shitty ATT, DEF and SPD, but good MAG and MP. A Grey Wizard can use both White and Black magic with no limitations on availability or power. Only thing is, you can't have both at the same time. You would simply have to switch what type of magic you want to use for the time being (not able to switch in battle.)
Demicrusaius
877
I kinda like that idea. Maybe you could even work it into your character design, like it's one character who has split personality disorder or something.
Being able to switch in battle still seems reasonable though, especially if it costs some MP and a turn to switch.
Being able to switch in battle still seems reasonable though, especially if it costs some MP and a turn to switch.
Jparker1984
2008
author=Demicrusaius
I kinda like that idea. Maybe you could even work it into your character design, like it's one character who has split personality disorder or something.
Being able to switch in battle still seems reasonable though, especially if it costs some MP and a turn to switch.
I like the thought of the split personality, but the character that is the Grey Wizard in my game isn't a very important character. So, I'm not sure I can justify the extra effort in doing that. I did think it was a neat idea though.
As for switching in battle, perhaps I can do that. I've been discussing that with my real life friends that test my game.
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
If you can't change in battle this seems pretty much indistinguishable from having two characters, one a white mage and one a black mage. It could also be considered the simplest class change system in the history of the universe, to look at it another way.
Jparker1984
2008
author=LockeZ
If you can't change in battle this seems pretty much indistinguishable from having two characters, one a white mage and one a black mage. It could also be considered the simplest class change system in the history of the universe, to look at it another way.
True enough, I guess it makes sense to have changing in battle possible, but should I also allow it out side and what penalties should I give for doing either of the two.
Billwilliams
1159
Might make more sense as a priest than a mage. Each day the character must choose which aspect of their god to manifest, (the Creator or the Destroyer).
I think that losing a turn to make the change is already penalty enough... No, scratch that. Significantly reduced attack, defense, and speed is already penalty enough. There should be no extra punishment for making that change. You should be able to freely select any spell at any time you want, otherwise you are still better off with just a white and a black mage in your party.
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
Well I can think of about a billion different penalties that would work. For starters, literally anything that any enemy in any RPG can do to you. Also, a lot of other things.
Some random examples:
- Kill the caster, forcing him to be revived in order to cast the other group of spells
- Kill the caster three rounds later
- Reduce his MP to 0, or to some number that isn't 0
- Paralyze him for a certain number of rounds, or until healed, or until damaged
- Confuse the caster, causing him to cast the new spells at the wrong targets for the first round, or for several rounds, or until something else happens
- Inflict any other fucking status effect on the caster
- Make spells temporarily cost extra MP
- Do any of those things to the entire party, or to the entire party except for the caster
- Make the caster draw aggro
- Limit it to once per hour, or a certain number of times per dungeon, or some other cooldown
- Apply a random chance of failure
- Require some reagent that costs gold and must be purchased ahead of time
- Lower the hero's affection levels for the gray mage, reducing his chances as the romantic option
- Require a Street Fighter style combo to be input
- Require a series of Dance Dance Revolution style rhythmic button inputs
- Require the player to solve a puzzle that involves moving around matchsticks or finding a hidden object in a picture
- Make the player solve a classical Greek riddle
- Ask for a redeemable code to be entered that is obtained by paying $0.99 at your online store
- Have the player blow into the microphone
- Require the player to carry the game while jogging for 20 minutes
- Instruct the player to write a 500 word essay about why he or she needs to use the spell in this situation, which must be emailed to you, which you will then evaluate, and send the player a one-use code to allow the transition if you find the quality of writing satisfactory
- Start a reality TV show in which players must sign up as contestants and then live for one month on an island where the only other life forms are a thousand hyenas with radios strapped to their heads, and the radios are all playing MMM-Bop, and the player who has killed the most hyenas at the end of the month without getting killed by hyenas, getting killed by the other contestants, or committing suicide because they went crazy from all the 90s boy band music wins the ability to switch between the two schools of magic
Some random examples:
- Kill the caster, forcing him to be revived in order to cast the other group of spells
- Kill the caster three rounds later
- Reduce his MP to 0, or to some number that isn't 0
- Paralyze him for a certain number of rounds, or until healed, or until damaged
- Confuse the caster, causing him to cast the new spells at the wrong targets for the first round, or for several rounds, or until something else happens
- Inflict any other fucking status effect on the caster
- Make spells temporarily cost extra MP
- Do any of those things to the entire party, or to the entire party except for the caster
- Make the caster draw aggro
- Limit it to once per hour, or a certain number of times per dungeon, or some other cooldown
- Apply a random chance of failure
- Require some reagent that costs gold and must be purchased ahead of time
- Lower the hero's affection levels for the gray mage, reducing his chances as the romantic option
- Require a Street Fighter style combo to be input
- Require a series of Dance Dance Revolution style rhythmic button inputs
- Require the player to solve a puzzle that involves moving around matchsticks or finding a hidden object in a picture
- Make the player solve a classical Greek riddle
- Ask for a redeemable code to be entered that is obtained by paying $0.99 at your online store
- Have the player blow into the microphone
- Require the player to carry the game while jogging for 20 minutes
- Instruct the player to write a 500 word essay about why he or she needs to use the spell in this situation, which must be emailed to you, which you will then evaluate, and send the player a one-use code to allow the transition if you find the quality of writing satisfactory
- Start a reality TV show in which players must sign up as contestants and then live for one month on an island where the only other life forms are a thousand hyenas with radios strapped to their heads, and the radios are all playing MMM-Bop, and the player who has killed the most hyenas at the end of the month without getting killed by hyenas, getting killed by the other contestants, or committing suicide because they went crazy from all the 90s boy band music wins the ability to switch between the two schools of magic
I laughed my ass off at every one after "Greek riddle"..
I think the most effective way to punish a player for the transition would be disallowing a certain number of turns after the switch, but that means this magician-swap is only really useful in boss fights. Most random encounters don't last more than 4 rounds, so your player is just going to be spamming the black mage skills like there's no tomorrow and he'll only ever see the white mage in tougher fights. That'd mean the white mage will only be brought out for healing, which would be kinda annoying each and every time you got hit by the enemy.. and by the time he's out, you've probably healed yourself with items instead. If the buffs are worth it, then it might be a different case.
I think what would be sweet is to make it so you can't switch class, and the grey mage is just one class of its own altogether. He could then have his own personal "skill tree" where the player can spend his AP or whatever after he levels on what skills they want. Naturally, there'd be offensive white, defensive white, offensive black, and defensive black magic trees which the player could go straight down and have nothing but offensive black magic, or they could have a mix of lesser spells but also some healing spells. There'd also be the "merged" skills where you require certain black magic and certain white magic skills to unlock some super awesome white/black mixed skill that.. I dunno, heals your party while also giving them a fire affinity.
I think the most effective way to punish a player for the transition would be disallowing a certain number of turns after the switch, but that means this magician-swap is only really useful in boss fights. Most random encounters don't last more than 4 rounds, so your player is just going to be spamming the black mage skills like there's no tomorrow and he'll only ever see the white mage in tougher fights. That'd mean the white mage will only be brought out for healing, which would be kinda annoying each and every time you got hit by the enemy.. and by the time he's out, you've probably healed yourself with items instead. If the buffs are worth it, then it might be a different case.
I think what would be sweet is to make it so you can't switch class, and the grey mage is just one class of its own altogether. He could then have his own personal "skill tree" where the player can spend his AP or whatever after he levels on what skills they want. Naturally, there'd be offensive white, defensive white, offensive black, and defensive black magic trees which the player could go straight down and have nothing but offensive black magic, or they could have a mix of lesser spells but also some healing spells. There'd also be the "merged" skills where you require certain black magic and certain white magic skills to unlock some super awesome white/black mixed skill that.. I dunno, heals your party while also giving them a fire affinity.
Jparker1984
2008
Perhaps I can have just the loss of turn for the switch. Also, I can have the Grey Wizard level up each magic type. In an effort to prevent the player from spamming one particular magic type, you don't get good spells unless you level up the type (obviously.) Now that I think about it, I'm essentially creating a job system, just meant for one character.
EDIT: Normally, to get magics for your wizards in my game, you just buy them from a shop like you would equipment or items. Maybe I can have the Grey Wizard obtain the magics a different way.
EDIT: Normally, to get magics for your wizards in my game, you just buy them from a shop like you would equipment or items. Maybe I can have the Grey Wizard obtain the magics a different way.
Muninn
2233
Come to think of it, wasn't this system used more or less exactly for the main character of Visions & Voices? The only real difference is that the Wanderer had two different types of MP, and he would cause the party to slowly regenerate whichever type of MP wasn't used by his current aspect.
TheNecromancer
3160
What you describe is pretty close to a Scholar in Final Fantasy 11.
wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Scholar
wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Scholar
xavion
0
For some starting points then you've got skill trees, random finds, side quests, crafting, learning from other party members, learning from enemies, plot driven, minigames, skill checks, gain from level ups, gain from items, temporarily gain from items and repeated use for permanent learn, eating single use item versions of them, magical crystals, beating you at 4D tic-tac-toe, worshipping gods, defacing temples, all known but only useable at specific times of day or constellation alignment, eating other mages, a magic crafting system based on over 60 different elements mapped on to a torus, and some other stuff that I probably shouldn't put down to keep this from getting stupider.
Of course there is probably some stuff I haven't put down but you should probably be able to find something in that list that's at least slightly useful.
Of course there is probably some stuff I haven't put down but you should probably be able to find something in that list that's at least slightly useful.
Jparker1984
2008
author=Trihan
Oh man I am totally making my magic users in Tundra gain new spells by eating other mages.
Cannibal Wizard!!!!!!!!!!!
Killer Wolf
1235
I'm a little late to the party, but here we go:
The "Grey" Jedi path in Kotor was interesting. They could use both lightside and darkside, but with an increased cost.
Maybe a way of balancing the Grey Wizard is to make duplicates of the skills that have a higher casting cost, or a slightly reduced effectiveness.
In one of my back-burner projects, the mage characters must make contracts with spirits to earn new spells/powers. It was my way of explaining away why so many magic user archetypes can't use bows, swords, armor, etc. The spirit/devil/demon/entity/willed essence that the mage makes a contract with has conditions. That way, the mage characters in my game could have started off with the same equipment potential as anybody else, but in order to gain more magic power they have to give up on things.
One spirit requires that the mage never uses a potion (draught, elixer, whatever you want to call it) during battle. If he does, he loses the favor of the spirit, and thus the spells associated with it. It sort of makes any trying situation a test of faith. Does the player stay true to their promises, or abandon the old ways in favor of science/chemistry and anger the spirits/gods.
It would be left up to the player to decide if the really powerful magics justify the most strict of prohibitions the spirits can demand.
Of course, this was tied to the theme, partially. The only reason the spirits of the old ones helped people in the new era gain magic power was because they liked being able to exercise control from beyond the Veil. The hope was that mages would lust after more and more power, giving up more and more of their free will in the process, until the mage would finally give up their own spirit in exchange for power, thus allowing one of the entities to possess them and escape the void.
The "Grey" Jedi path in Kotor was interesting. They could use both lightside and darkside, but with an increased cost.
Maybe a way of balancing the Grey Wizard is to make duplicates of the skills that have a higher casting cost, or a slightly reduced effectiveness.
In one of my back-burner projects, the mage characters must make contracts with spirits to earn new spells/powers. It was my way of explaining away why so many magic user archetypes can't use bows, swords, armor, etc. The spirit/devil/demon/entity/willed essence that the mage makes a contract with has conditions. That way, the mage characters in my game could have started off with the same equipment potential as anybody else, but in order to gain more magic power they have to give up on things.
One spirit requires that the mage never uses a potion (draught, elixer, whatever you want to call it) during battle. If he does, he loses the favor of the spirit, and thus the spells associated with it. It sort of makes any trying situation a test of faith. Does the player stay true to their promises, or abandon the old ways in favor of science/chemistry and anger the spirits/gods.
It would be left up to the player to decide if the really powerful magics justify the most strict of prohibitions the spirits can demand.
Of course, this was tied to the theme, partially. The only reason the spirits of the old ones helped people in the new era gain magic power was because they liked being able to exercise control from beyond the Veil. The hope was that mages would lust after more and more power, giving up more and more of their free will in the process, until the mage would finally give up their own spirit in exchange for power, thus allowing one of the entities to possess them and escape the void.
That's a really cool idea, Killer Wolf.
My take on it is that magic (or spellcrafting as it'll be known) is only possible by having imprinted gems/runes/macguffins surgically implanted into the body, which draw their power directly from the spellcrafter's vitality to facilitate the effects (making the user physically weaker to the point where using conventional weaponry would be useless, and they're unable to support their weight in heavy armour) Most go with the forehead because it results in the most potent links, but there may also be minor spellcrafters who just have it done on the wrists or ears.
The procedure for implanting them is brutal and extremely painful, so only a handful of people have ever been known to have it done.
That's not as cool as your thing. :(
My take on it is that magic (or spellcrafting as it'll be known) is only possible by having imprinted gems/runes/macguffins surgically implanted into the body, which draw their power directly from the spellcrafter's vitality to facilitate the effects (making the user physically weaker to the point where using conventional weaponry would be useless, and they're unable to support their weight in heavy armour) Most go with the forehead because it results in the most potent links, but there may also be minor spellcrafters who just have it done on the wrists or ears.
The procedure for implanting them is brutal and extremely painful, so only a handful of people have ever been known to have it done.
That's not as cool as your thing. :(
Whoa, whoa! So, the Grey Wizard does not become a White Wizard after death? I mean, when you're up against a Bolrog...
Nevermind.
Nevermind.
Neverm0re
341
author=Trihan
Oh man I am totally making my magic users in Tundra gain new spells by eating other mages.
I made a custom D&D class for an evil campaign that did this, called a Necrophage. Turned out to be a REALLY creepy character.
