Persona: Bog-standard for a freeform game. Pick what sort of critter / person / object you are, what it looks like and its personality. Could this lead to "imbalance" if Player 1 wants to play Hokel the Local Yokel-turned wizard, and player 2 is playing Narzyaxnamrazamry the 3,000 year-old tech dragon? Actually no - both characters are newly-minted planeswalkers after all, and roughly of equal power as one another - which is to say, Hokel and Narzy are probably equal in a fistfight
and a spell-fight. Unrealistic? yeah, but it's magic (the gathering) I ain't gotta explain shit!
Spells: Who has what? From where? Huh? Okay, this is more of a "system" thing thna the last part. Just off the top of my head...
1) Each player begins with two colors; one primary, one secondary (these can be the same color)
2) The primary color gives so many points that can be put towards purchase of spells. The secondary gives slightly fewer.
• You can only buy spells of the color reflected by the sphere granting those points.
• Point value is determined by rarity; Common = 1 point, Uncommon = 2 points, rare = 3 points (mythics would be unavailable to starting characters)
•
Hybrid cards can count for any one of their colors (The example could be a spell known by anyone who has blue
or black as one of their colors.)
• To have a
multicolored spell, the mage must have access to all colors involved (The example could only be cast by someone who uses both red and green)
•
Colored artifacts count as that color.
•
It can get a little complicated... (Example could be used by anyone who has Blue,
and White
or Black)
• Non-colored artifacts cost double point value to purchase (?)
3) Each spell a planeswalker knows is represented by a token of some sort; a cluster of crystals, a song, a mummified pork chop, whatever suits the wizard and the spell involved.
4) In any given fight, a spell can be cast only once for each individual token the wizard has (spells with plural names still only happen once, but get plural instances for theatrical purposes).
5) Upon defeating a rival wizard, the victor can confiscate any one spell token from the vanguished.
Any spell token is up for grabs. And yes, the winner may choose. The loser ceases to have access to that spell.
6) By claiming a token of a new color, you gain the ability to cast and learn spells from that color
7) New spells can be acquired through effort to learn in less... combative ways. best done through RP.
Also... Theme bonus? If your character hails from, say, Kamigawa, and all his spells are from those expansions, you get bonus points to spread around?
Conflict resolutionI propose a simple D6 system; Essentially, every spell or action you do has
some effect, but with the results of a 1d6 roll improving or lessening that effect. This does lean heavily on the DM's storytelling ability, but hey - quick 'n' dirty, right? Say your hill giant minion just got smacked in the face with a lightning bolt. if the bolt's caster rolls a 3 or better, your giant is fried. 1-2, your Giant still gets crispier-than-average, but doesn't flop over dead. I imagine someone out there has a better idea for this...
