Magic - February 2017

[Legendary Sidekick]

We're still in the testing phase and I haven't yet finalized spells. At least for now, let's have a few that you already know but with adjustments. Since spells are cast once-per-battle, I want to make them worth casting, so I'm thinking they should last multiple rounds.

Roll a 1, 1 round; roll a 2, 2 rounds, etc. / 0 = fail, but you don't lose the spell for failing. If this works and is interesting, we keep it.

Spoiler: what we did

Blades of Ice
Casting Round: MAGIC roll determines # of rounds spell will last

* MOVEMENT, SELF = skate fast; skate on the surface of water
* MOVEMENT, OTHERS = leave a trail of sticky ice wherever you skate
* FIGHT = sword of ice or ice skate
* MAGIC = slippery ice / COMBO = encase enemy in ice
* SHOOT = ice javelin or snowball


Nature's Call
Casting Round: MAGIC roll determines # of rounds spell will last

* MOVEMENT, SELF = move stealthily; climb effortlessly; swing tree to tree, ledge to ledge, etc.
* MOVEMENT, OTHERS = leave climbable vines on walls or swinging vines on trees, ledges, etc.
* GRAPPLE = vine
* MAGIC = vines constrict / COMBO = vines slam enemy
* TRAP = root


Heaven's Arrow
Casting Round: MAGIC roll determines # of rounds spell will last

* MOVEMENT, SELF = fly
* MOVEMENT, OTHERS = swoop by friends and the wind can carry them along
* FIGHT = feather fan blade or wind kick
* MAGIC = thunder / COMBO = lightning
* SHOOT = angel-feather arrow or dart

NOTE: when you combo, you can switch back and forth between fight/shoot and magic, allowing you to mix damage and effects.

(So if you're a nymph, you're better off rolling MAGIC, then switching to FIGHT or SHOOT—depending where your target is. If you're a huntress, you're better off starting with FIGHT or SHOOT, then switching to magic. In other words, roll as many dice as you can.)



Let's give Kell blades of ice, Sigrlinn can have heaven's arrow, and I'll give you both nature's call.

EDIT - I will simplify the spells a bit. Details to follow in next post.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Spell List Update 2/23

Spoiler: convoluted mess

So, if the game has cards, each element would include a spell list for certain heroines. The reason spells are character-specific is that the amazon sucks at magic and is awesome at fighting, so it doesn't even make sense for her to cast an attack spell. I kinda like the way we're handing the game now, where casting is slow, which gives the monster an opportunity to disrupt the spell.

Nymph abilities (Spell Strike and Shield Maiden) will allow the Nymph to use magic instantly, though without the combination of damage and effects you get from casting a spell normally.


Bear in mind that physical dice would have:
* shield / 2 sides
* hit / 3 sides
* combo / 1 side


HUNTRESS
DEFENSIVE
* Earth: shield = hide / 2+ shields = hidden path
* Air: shield = feather-fall / 2+ shields = flight

ATTACK SPELL
* Earth: hit = minor FX / combo+hit = major FX
* Air: hit = minor FX / combo+hit = major FX

BEAST-SPEAKING
* Beast: combo = beast-whisper
/ combo-hit = beast-speak
/ triple-hit = mind-meld


AMAZON
DEFENSIVE
* Water: shield = underwater breathing
* Fire: shield = fire-walker

SWORD MAGIC
* Water + Fire w/ Sword: combo = "A Sword of Ice and Fire" - instantly kill off an enemy with <7 HP.


NYMPH
ATTACK SPELL
* Earth: hit = damage ~or~ minor FX / combo = damage ~or~ minor FX + Spell-Strike…
/ combo-hit = damage + minor FX ~or~ major FX
/ triple-hit = damage + major FX

* Water: hit = damage ~or~ minor FX / combo = damage ~or~ minor FX + Spell-Strike…
/ combo-hit = damage + minor FX ~or~ major FX
/ triple-hit = damage + major FX

SPELL-STRIKE
Use FIGHT dice to inflict add'l damage with your staff.

SHIELD MAIDEN
* Earth: shield = each shield…
…creates a hedge-maze wall
…covers an existing wall with climbing ivy
…or smothers a burning surface in a rock garden

* Water: shield = each shield…
…creates an ice-castle wall
…makes an existing wall too slippery to climb
…or freezes the surface of water

* Earth + Water: 2+ shields = create a pool of water

* Earth ~or~ Water: 3+ shields = create 2+ walls and a ceiling
/ 4 shields = create an enclosed area with 4 walls

MONSTRESS TRANSFORMATIONS
* Beast + Earth: combo = dryad
/ combo-hit = kentauride

* Beast + Water: combo = naiad
/ combo-hit = mermaid

* Beast: combo-hit = copy form of a known monstress (Arachnid, for example)
/ triple-hit = giantess
/ add'l hits = keep growing! (height is based on roll, so roll a 10 to grow 10x your height!)


FAIRY
ATTACK SPELLS
* Air: hit = damage / combo = summon Thunderbird…
/ combo-hit = damage + minor FX
/ triple-hit = damage + major FX

* Fire: hit = damage / combo = summon Firebird…
/ combo-hit = damage + minor FX
/ triple-hit = damage + major FX

T-BIRD/FIREBIRD
Use MAGIC dice to inflict damage while riding your bird.

FAIRY TRANSFORMATIONS
* Beast + Air: combo = dove-winged fairy
/ combo-hit = hummingbird fairy
(fast-flying; too small to ride a Fairy Mount,
which would only slow her down anyway)

* Beast + Fire: combo = bat-winged fairy
/ combo-hit = firefly fairy
(becomes a speck as bright as the sun;
able to cast fire attack spells or ride her firebird,
but cannot shoot or use fairy dust)

* Beast: combo-hit = butterfly-winged fairy
/ triple-hit = fairyfly fairy
(too amoeba-sized to be seen;
is harmless and dust-free)

Note: the dove-wing, bat-wing and butterfly-wing forms are basically cute failures.
Only the tinier forms actually change the fairy's abilities.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

A much simpler way to accomplish the above may be to have spell "levels."

So, roll a 1 with magic dice for a level 1 spell. Roll a 2 for level 2, etc. It doesn't matter if you roll combos or multiple hits, as long as you roll a certain total.

In this case, only the nymph would roll shields for her Shield Maiden spell, and every other spell would just come down to rolling a certain number.

I find that I come up with the simplest solutions by coming up with a convoluted mess, then finding the good in it, and weeding out the crap.

I also noticed that as I design cards, I want to make the text fit on the card in a way that is still visually interesting, so I have to simplify things in order to avoid a card full of many words!

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Spell List 2/25

Here's what the spell list looks like if I just have spell levels. It's not final, but here's where I'm kinda going with magic…

Amazon: Lv.2 max / water & fire
Huntress: Lv.3 max / earth & air
Fairy: Lv.4 max / air & fire
Nymph: Lv.5 max / earth & water

Spoiler: something that works, but was tweaked a bit more

Earth
Lv.1 - Stealth Grass (H/N) grow grass to hide 1 person (2 people if you roll 2, 3 people if you roll 3...)
Lv.3 - Hidden Passage (H/N) create a 30 yd path the party can move through unseen (40 yd if you roll 4, 50 yd if you roll 5...)

Lv.2 - Entangle (H/N) grow wild plants to slow all in a 20 ft radius
Lv.5 - Thorns (N) entangled foes take damage

Lv.4 - Wall Flowers (N) create a 40 ft long wall or make an existing 40 ft tall wall climbable


Air
Lv.1 - Light Wind (H/F) wind slows a fall for 1 person or object
Lv.3 - Heavy Wind (H/F) wind moves a person or object 30 ft in any direction, including up, and ensures a safe landing, if desired

Lv.2 - Heaven's Arrow (H/F) SHOOT next round; each arrow fired hits 2 targets or 2 times

Lv.4 - Thunderbird (F) summon a t-bird, roll magic for lightning spear attacks while mounted; lightning combo damages and stuns


Water
Lv.1 - Ama Diver (A/N) - cast above water; breathe underwater for 1 minute
Lv.3 - Ama Mermaid (N) - grant 3 minutes of underwater breathing to 1-3 friends

Lv.2 - Sword of Ice (A/N) - create an ice sword; ice combo encases a foe in ice
Lv.5 - Blades of Ice (N) - create an ice weapon of choice and don ice armor; ice armor makes you immune to all damage and FX, but breaks when you take damage; rolling a 10 gives you 2 layers of ice armor, a 15 gives you 3 layers, etc.

Lv.4 - Frozen! (N) - make a 40 ft radius slippery AND encase enemies in ice


Fire
Lv.1 - Fire-Walker (A/F) - cast where air is breathable; become immune to burning and smoke for 1 minute
Lv.3 - Rocket Boost (F) - fly at 3x human speed

Lv.2 - Legendary Sidekick (A/F) - FIGHT next round; your flying kick will create an explosion that inflicts 2x damage or destroys an object

Lv.4 - Firebird (F) - summon a firebird, roll magic for flame blade attacks while mounted; fire combo inflicts double damage


Beast
I think I'll make a special card for every beast form/ability, and save this for the Lv.5-8 pack's attack deck. Since changing form would mean changing stats, this seems necessary.

Magic Combos
I like the idea of combining magic, so the Lv.9-12 deck will come with magic combos that combine pairs of elements.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

2/27 - Update based on a board with "squares" that are 10 yards x 10 yards.

Movement is same as any other RPG since it's based on actual speed of people and animals. Let's stick to cheetahs being the fastest animals. No need for monsters to be faster than that!

10 yds/round = One Movement
20 yds/round = Run (two "movements", no action) or Charge (run in straight line and attack)
40 yds/round = Sprint (run in straight line without performing any other action)
100 yds/round = Cheetah Sprint (100m in 5.95 seconds) or Hummingbird Flight (15 mps = 98.425 feet per 6s round)



EARTH

Lv. 1 Climbing Ivy - Grow a stalk of ivy 10+ yards tall.
Lv. 3 Stealth Grass - Create a hidden passage 30+ yards long.

Lv.2 Entangle - Cover 200+ sq.yds. in plants (2+ squares, if using a map).
Lv.5 Thorns - Plants attack entangled foes, inflicting 5+ damage.

Lv.4 Wallflower - Create a 40+ yard long wall of flowers (4+ sides of a square on a map).



AIR

Lv.1 Friendly Sky - Allow 1+ person to feather-fall.
Lv.3 Wind Tunnel - All who enter are forced to fly a 30+ yard path!

Lv.2 Heaven's Arrows - SHOOT 2+ times as many arrows next round.

Lv.4 Thunderbird - Summon a bird with a 40+ yard movement! Roll magic for lightning-spear attacks, or touch water to stun sea creatures within a 100 sq.yd. area.



WATER

Lv.1 Ama Diver - Breathe underwater for 1+ minutes.
Lv.3 Mermaid's Kiss - Breath underwater until you emerge from the water, and allow 3+ friends a minute of underwater breathing.

Lv.2 Blades of Ice - Create an ice weapon. If you combo with this weapon, roll a minimum of 2+ dice.
Lv.5 Ice Armor - Blades of Ice includes armor that has 5+ HP, but loses 1 HP per round. You cannot be damaged or affected while your armor has HP.

Lv.4 Frozen! - Freeze a 400+ sq.yd. area (4+ squares on map). All enemies in the area are encased in ice for the next hour. However, a giant creature will easily break the ice one minute, or in one round if it's bigger than the frozen area.



FIRE

Lv.1 Fire-Walker - Spend 1+ rounds in a burning or smoky area unharmed.
Lv.3 Rocket Boost - Fly 30+ yards per movement while "sprinting" through the air.

Lv.2 Explosive Kick - Leap charge distance; inflict 2+ times damage with your flying kick!

Lv.4 Firebird - Summon a bird with a 40+ yard movement! Roll magic for flame-blade attacks, or touch wood to start a fire.



PROJECTILE

Roll MAGIC to channel an element, then remain where you stand for 1+ rounds to cast MAGIC projectiles that inflict damage!

Earth Projectile: Rock Launcher
Water Projectile: Snowball
Air Projectile: Thunderbolt
Fire Projectile: Fireworks



COMBO EFFECTS from Projectile or Weapon Damage:

EARTH - Crash: enemy is knocked 10 yards into the air, stunned, then takes fall damage next round and remains stunned for a second round (x2 damage vs. flying enemy)
AIR - Electricity: stun all enemies in a 10x10 area
WATER - Snowball: re-roll 2 dice per combo (but no more than your maximum # of dice)
FIRE - Explode: x2 damage

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Too complicated. Will update once I figure out what an attack card looks like.