Over at RPG Blog II, they ask the question: "What's Your Favorite Magic System?".
Since this blog is overwhelmingly focused on LBB-style OD&D, it probably will come as no surprise when I say "Hedge Magic".
Wait, what?
It's true. I prefer vancian magic, although not with as many frills as post-0e versions of D&D. There's a certain appeal to Ars Magica-style verb+noun, and Fantasy Wargaming's astrological aspect-base magic is a guilty pleasure... but the one I think has the most appeal and usefulness without being either overpowered or too limited is S. John Ross's little hedge magic system. I also like a couple of the magic systems in GURPS Fantasy II (Madlands,) specifically soulless poetic magic and Savarginian themed magic, but perhaps they are too open-ended... unless maybe I combined them with hedge magic.
Now there's an idea...
I would say there are two magic systems that appeal to me:
ReplyDelete1st: mainly for atmosphere, is Warhammer RPG. You may cast your spells as many times/day as you like (no limits). But failures on the casting rolls are very dangerous. And with failures often affecting everyone near you, it makes magic very feared and shunned (which is exactly how it is protrayed in the setting).
2nd: for its flexibility: High Action Role Playing (HARP), by the same guys who gave you Rolemaster. It is a point-based system, but almost every spell is expandable. For example, add another point to double the range, add a few more points to increase damage, or expand the radius of the spell. So a "burning hands" could scale to a "flame blast" to a "fire ball" or "fire wall", all using the same spell.