The first thing to ask yourself is, what role will magick play in your game. That is, how available is magick? What can be done with it? Who can use it? By answering these questions you’ll be able to fit magick into your game more easily. In a world where magick is rare, hard to do, and limited in its applications will have magick play a role much different than one where magick is common, easy, and can be used than just about anything



Society’s attitude towards magick will also play a part in how the art is used, but in large part most societies’ attitudes will be shaped by the ubiquitousness of the ars arcana. For instance, in a world where magick is rare and hard to do, limiting the practice to a few individuals, magick will be suspect in most lands, surrounded with superstitions and suspicion. In a world where magick is common and easy to learn, then most societies will look upon it as pretty much a part of life. Most folks may even know a minor casting or two to use in their daily lifes.



Ars Magica by Jonathan Tweet and Mark Rein-hagen is a good example of a world where magick is rare, hard to learn, and of limited utility. There wizards are viewed with suspicion, often live isolated from mundane society is colonies of like-minded individuals, and sometimes get involved in the sort of things that give grown men severe anxiety.



Dangerous Journeys: Mythus by Gary Gygax and Dave Newton is an example of a world where magick is fairly common and versatile, though somewhat hard to learn (assuming one has the talent in the first place). Here magick can be, and likely is, used for many things. Mining, manufacturing, agriculture, the theater. Just about anything you’d care to think of. Most of the time the people of the world of Mythus take magick as part of the background noise. But, the more powerful dweomers do raise concern. After all, a casting that improves the quality of an item is beneficial to all concerned, but a casting that renders a square mile of forest a death trap is to be treated with respect.



Let it also be noted that in both Ars Magica and Mythus a magus is someone to be treated with deference and respect, if one has any wisdom at all.



There are other RPGs where magick is given a (sometimes decidedly) different treatment. In Sorcerer (author?) the prospective dweomercræfter must make a pact with a demon, the more power wished, the stricter and more numerous the conditions. As power is gained the more humanity the sorcerer loses, until he becomes an unhuman beast. In Dungeons and Dragons clerics and paladins are expected to abide by a deity’s strictures, or lose all spells he would otherwise have available to him.



Now how would magick affect society?



That depends. When magick is rare and can only be used to certain things, then its impact will be limited. No doubt an inventive person will be able to find new ways to use old castings. But overall the impact of magick on the world will be limited.



When magick is common and can be used for almost everything, then its impact will be great. Construction, medicine, communications, many others will be affected by magicks available to make life easier for people. For instance, dweomers that ease child birth would make it a lot easier to have children. Add magicks for the many (and often deadly) complication that can accompany labor, and you have lower mortality among mothers and children.



Continuing with medical magick, you would also have spells for treating disease, easing chronic conditions, and healing wounds. Think of what the last could do for NFL teams with injury problems.



Pest free crops, parasite free pets, secure spoilage free storage for food stuffs and valuables. Think of what the ability to cleanse water of “impurities” (salt for example) could do for coastal settlements or those whose only supply of water is brackish.



Now give a thought to your players. It never pays to underestimate the creativity of the typical role-gamer.



Take, for example, a spell that makes plants grow quickly and profusely. Think of the adventuring uses. The party’s trying to escape from a superior foe, the spell could be used to make the path they’d just used overgrown and so appear unused for some length of time. If a thorn bush is nearby, it can be made larger, bushier, and thornier. Might give a pursuer pause, or present an obstacle to another’s progress and so channel his movements into a desired course.



I could go on, but I think you’re getting the point.



So, when considering the affect of magick on the game world, take into account what role magick plays in the world, and what it could (or might) be used for. This does add more work to all you need to do to run the game, but it does add to the player’s enjoyment of the game.



One last thing, when a player comes up with an ingenious way to use a spell, don’t forbid it. Remember it instead and have the party’s opponents use it as well. If the good guys can do it, so can the bad guys.



Coming Up: What if you lived in the DnD world? (Or any fantasy RPG world for that matter)