On Magic(k?) III

Welcome to the final installment of my three part mini-series on magic. If you have not yet read the first two installments (appropriately called On Magic(k?) I and II) I would suggest you do so before you read this column. In this installment I will wrap things by discussing magical miscellanea. I will present these in no particular order, enjoy at your leisure.

Gods & Heroes

In the cultural context nothing is as closely linked to magic as gods and heroes. Wherever one can find these mythical figures one is virtually certain to encounter spells, magic items, rituals and spontaneous magical phenomena. What is interesting from the roleplaying perspective is that one rarely finds spectacular and / or powerful magic happening at any great distant from gods and heroes. From the roleplaying perspective this, IMO, opens two interesting venues. First, one might consider why powerful magics only occur around these mythical beings. Perhaps these beings bend the very fabric of reality itself. This would explain why political upheavals, natural catastrophes, the resurfacing of ancient mysteries and other strangenesses regurarly occur around the player characters (who can usually be considered heroes). Second, if one only allows heroes and gods to invoke powerful magic the big problem of making high magic medieval worlds seem internally consistent is solved.

Finally it is important to note that gods and heroes are, in virtually all cases, very closely linked. Often heroes have the blood of gods in their veins (this can also be used in roleplaying; say by having heroes discover that they possess celestial ancestry. Something that could explain their power, importance and their strange fate - most likely forced upon them by their divine ancestors). Also gods are often heroes that reached apotheosis. A concept that deserves, IMHO, more attention than it gets in modern roleplaying.

The In-Between

Magic is always mysterious and profound. Even everyday magic (say Hindus blessing the cash register in the name of Lakshmi before opening shop) is always something special, something on the edge of the mind that can never be fully grasped. It thus only makes sense that magic around the world has always been linked to the in-between (consider the law of magic: As above so below). Magicians live in towers (between heaven and earth), in caves (between the underworld and the world of light), they practice their rituals during the solstices, in the twilight. The list goes on and on. In effect virtually every state of in-between has probably been connected to magic at one point or the other (to name a particularly strange example: It was believed that one could become a witch by standing nude between the high- and low-tide marks at the seashore).

IMO the in-between makes a great storytelling tool. I believe that everyone is, on some level, aware of the connection between the twilight of reality and magic. If that is the case the use of the in-between should strike a chord with the players without requiring any sort of rule changes.

Magic Items

Magic items are, in most mythologies, far more common than spells or wizards. Virtually every hero owns an enchanted object or three. While roleplaying heroes often possess the same amount of magic items there is still, IMHO, a lot that they can learn from their mythological counterparts. In real world mythology magic objects are never without history, name, indeed without personality. Even more important magic items in myths always have an important function in the story that is being told. They tend to have taboos associated with them that, if broken, get the hero into trouble (usually the type that points him in the right direction). Also they tend to be of use, especially if employed creatively, to overcome a great obstacle. Finally, the acquisition of magic items in mythology is always a extraordinary and meaningful event.

IMO it may be a good idea to give every magic item in your game a history a name, perhaps a taboo and, most important of all, an important situation that can only be solved with the help of the item. This situation should be general enough that you can add it to the game when you feel that it would be appropriate. If you are feeling really magical you can have the players encounter omens that hint at the situation. If things work out (and they should) the item will, after the situation is overcome, be dear to the players, lifting it above and beyond the status of a mere tool.

Natural Magic

Every culture around the world believes that certain features of the natural world are intrinsically magical. Mountain springs that cure any ailment, animals whose body parts provide magical powers, herbs that allow one to enter the spirit world, rock formations that are the seat of a god, caves that lead to the underworld; the list is endless. The great benefit of this natural magic, from a game perspective, is that it is very down to earth (if its effects are not too spectacular) while still being, well, magical. IMO making the world of a game at least slightly magical is a good way of making it exotic and mysterious without sacrificing suspense of disbelief.

IMO the best way of adding natural magic to a game is to use it as plot device. Make it necessary for the players to find and employ some sort of natural magic to overcome an obstacle. This process should perhaps be broken down into learning about the natural magic and the quest to actually find it. After the obstacle is overcome the players can of course tap the resources of the natural magic again, which may seem as a danger to game balance. IMO however it is very easy to keep natural magic from getting out of hand. First of all there is the limitation of geography. Even if the magic comes from a certain plant, that plant will only be found in one part of the world. An even more effective control mechanism is simple ecology. Let us say that the wings of a rare bat, when made into a girdle, provide invisibility (the girdle, of course, is either very fragile or becomes useless after a use or two). If the players now hunt these rare bats it is quite likely that they will become rarer and rarer and eventually go completely extinct. It is quite possible that only enough bats exist for two or three girdles. On a similar note springs may become tainted if too many bathe in them and magical groves defiled if they are regularly visited. Do be aware that players may come up with the idea of breeding magical animals or cultivating magical plants. Such a venture is, in my evil GM opinion, doomed to fail. Natural magic only remains magical if it also remains natural. Finally players who abuse the gifts of nature may find themselves hounded by druids or perhaps feeling themselves gradually grow feral.

Divination

Divination is another form of magic common to cultures around the world. Divination always works along the same lines: A diviner, who is usually also a wizard of some sort, observers (either with a question in mind or simply wanting a general look at what the future will bring) a random pattern. This can be the casting of dice, the flames of a fire, a flock of birds, the layout of entrails or pretty much anything else. By studying this pattern the diviner is then able to find the answer to his questions. He believes that this is possible because everything is connected in the eyes of a magician. And because the magician believes that even the smallest grain of sand holds all the wisdom of the world (again as above so below).

In roleplaying divinations are notoriously tricky. Players are far too unpredictable for a GM to tell what exactly the future will bring. IMHO divinations are best handled as follows: Successful divinations should predict the future unfailingly (with the possible exception of player death which can prove them wrong. However the information glimpsed from divinations should describe a general event not an exact situation. Examples might include: You will fall in love with a boy wearing green, one of your friends will be killed by man who carries a skull and so on. Now let your players know that these events will transpire no matter what they do. This should add a good deal of tension to the game. In the examples above the game will get interesting indeed whenever a "boy wearing green" or a "man carrying a skull" makes an appearance. The real trick here is that you, the GM, need not have any idea how the event will come about. Simply keep the divination in mind when planning adventures and playing the game. If a situation comes about that lets you fulfill the prophecy do it. Do not worry if your efforts are thwarted by the players, you can always try again.

One further fun way in which divinations can be used is to impose magical taboos along the lines of: "You will loose your kingdom if you ever walk under the full moon carrying a wounded rabbit". Now all you must do is, this will require careful and devious planning, force the player (a bit of railroading is O.K. its magic after all) in a situation where he can either break the taboo or suffer in some way. If I take the example above I might get the player into a situation where he is alone with a friendly NPC in the woods. The NPC would then be turned into a rabbit by a curse invoked by some woodland being. In a subsequent combat the NPC rabbit would get so severely mauled that he could no longer walk. Unfortunately the player learns that his friend will forever remain a rabbit lest he is returned to his human form by dawn. The only one who can lift such a curse is a witch living a few miles away, and the full moon is already rising.

If you are feeling particularly evil the saved "friend" could later betray the player who looses his kingdon as a result. A nicer version could have the being who cursed the NPC ally with the player's enemies (this alliance brings down the kingdom) due to its anger at the player for revoking its righteous punishment.

Note that divinations that impose taboos usually work best if they are invoked a long time before they actually become reality. This ensures that that the realization that the taboo is about to be broken is shocking and intense.

Finally please be aware that some players hate having their fate determined for them. If even one player reacts with strong aversion when confronted with a divination it is probably best to scrap the idea.

I apologize for the long gap between this column and the last. Unfortunately real life has reared its ugly and worksome head. As a result I will only be writing a new I.M.O. every month from now on.

Thanks for reading. Till next time.