Tree Magic

From Sagataflwiki

(Difference between revisions)
Jump to: navigation, search
(See also: adding a table structure)
(Moving the article stage to 'stub')
 
(12 intermediate revisions not shown)
Line 4: Line 4:
The idea is to make it easy for the reader to decide whether this article is relevant to his current goals, so include hugely important advice here, in a second paragraph, if you think it is necessary.
The idea is to make it easy for the reader to decide whether this article is relevant to his current goals, so include hugely important advice here, in a second paragraph, if you think it is necessary.
<div id="tabcon"></div>
<div id="tabcon"></div>
-
== Subject ==
+
== Mechanics and Requirements ==
-
=== Examples I ===
+
There are basically four questions to be answered in order to cover all the in-game mechanics regarding Tree Magic. Who can Enchant a tree and what methods are available to him? How much does it cost, in terms of personal Essence, to Enchant a tree? How long does it take for the magic to be fully ingrained in the tree and be 'operational'? How can the Character be better at Tree Magic if he wants to make this area a specialization of his? This chapter addresses each of these topics and lists all the answers and the options available.
-
== Getting more in depth ==
+
=== Spells from the Plant Realm ===
-
=== Examples II ===
+
The most obvious way to go about when Enchanting a tree is to use one of the several available spells within the [[Plant Realm]] of magic. There are four such spells, forming a ladder, starting with Enchant Tree I up to Enchant Tree IV. Each spell, upon its completion, gives the Character a certain number of Tree Levels (see Chapter on costs below) that he can use to put an effect into a tree.
 +
 
 +
Magical effects that can be imbued into trees belong to one of four different categories: Sentience, Aura, Enhanced Bloodline and Health/Life. When a Character is casting an Enchant Tree Spell, all the Tree Levels that the Character gets upon completing the spell shall go toward one or more effects belonging to the same category. That is, one cannot cast a Spell that gives 4 Tree Levels in order to imbue an Aura effect that costs 3 Tree Levels and a Sentience Effect that costs 1 level as well. In order to imbue effects coming from different categories into a tree, different Enchant Tree Spells must be cast, and the Tree Levels obtained can be used only for the effects within a single category.
 +
 
 +
If the spell being casst gives more Tree Levels than are needed for the effect, only those required are effectively used (and Essence costs are beased only on the Levels used); all the remaining Tree Levels are lost.
 +
 
 +
=== Specific Lore ===
 +
Just as with [[Familiar]]s, a Character can pursue a magical act without ever learning the appropriate spells frome the Plant Realm. Instead, a specific Lore (name of the lore here) exists which allows the Character to bypass the need for those spells and focus and specialize on the Tree Magic aspects he is most interested in.
 +
=== Magical Power ===
 +
=== Lunar Power ===
 +
=== How to calculate Essence Costs ===
 +
Tree Levels are an abstract way to measure how much Essence is required to imbue a given effect within a tree permanently. The conversion factor from TLs to Essence is fixed: one Tree Level costs 0.2ES regardless of the Character. Specific Powers (e.g. TreeBrother, see below) can then be selected in order to decrease the number of Tree Levels needed to achieve a given effect. This has two consequences: the obvious one is that a Character uses up a smaller amount of Essence to achieve the same effect. Also, for Characters using Plant Realm spells to Enchant a tree, lower level Spells are required to get the necessary number of Tree Levels (the higher the spell level, the more Tree Levels it gives the Character upon its completion), thus decreasing the overall Fumble chance in the process.
 +
 
 +
In order to find out how much Essence your planned magical tree will end up costing you, simply tally all the Tree Levels for the rituals involved, applied all relevant discount and then convert it to Essence cost using the conversion factor indicated above. In terms of Essence cost, effects belonging to different categories don't impose any additional restriction or requirement. The Tree Levels needed are tallied and converted to Essence, regardless of the category the effects belong to. Just remember that effects from different categories each need its own dedicated Enchant Tree Spell to be cast.
 +
=== Growth Time Interval ===
 +
Enchanting a Tree is ''not'' a fast process. This type of magic is not suited to fast tactical challenges, as it takes moons, sometimes years, to develop and bear fruit. As such, planning ahead becomes very important.
 +
The basic measure of how long it takes for a certain effect to grow magical into the tree is called Growth Time Interval (GTI). Its standard span is 3 years, but the Character can develop specific Mysticisms to modify it (see the section on Fast Enchantment below).
 +
The GTI is used in three rituals, the first of which is a mandatory step in all Tree Enchanting processes. The base duration can be reduced by spending more Essence and taking the Speed Up I or Speed Up II options. Both options are available in all three rituals, but their cost (in additional Tree Levels, hence additional Essence expenditure) depends on the ritual being worked. All costs are detailed under the relevant section.
 +
{|
 +
! Ritual !! Base Duration !! SpeedUp I !! SpeedUp II
 +
|-
 +
| Prepare the Tree || 3 yrs (1 GTI) || 6 moons || 1 moon
 +
|-
 +
| Enlarge a Tree || 3 yrs (1 GTI) per size || 6 moons per size || 1 moon per size
 +
|-
 +
| Awaken a Tree || 15 yrs (5GTIs) || 3 yrs || 6 moons
 +
|}
 +
The table is calculated for the standard GTI duration. Taking the Speed Up I option divides the duration by 6; taking the Speed Up II option divides the original duration by 36.
 +
=== Enhancing Powers ===
 +
Sometimes being able to do something is not enough for a Character. Sometimes the Character concept requires him being particularly well versed at some specific aspects, because that's where his life led him to and that's where his interests lie. Tree Magic has two related Powers that allow a Character to be better than a 'standard tree magician' along two different lines.
 +
==== TreeBrother ====
 +
The TreeBrother Power entitles a Character to ES discounts when Enchanting trees, so that he will usually be able to Enchant more. The Power comes into three levels. The first is TreeBrother I (tree type name). This halves the Tree Levels for all the rituals regarding a specific type of tree (e.g. all oak trees, all plums trees, ...). See the section on the Essence Costs for a better understanding of how Tree Levels work. The result is that the Character will find Enchanting a specific type of tree particularly cheap (and will probably do most of his Enchanting on said type of tree as a result). The second level is TreeBrother II. The benefits gained from TreeBrother I (specific), that is halving Tree Levels, is extended to all trees, regardless of their type. The final level is TreeBrother III: in addition to the discount provided by TreeBrother II, this level allows the Character to pay much less when Preparing a Tree (see dedicated section below). Specifically, the Tree Level cost for the various Prepare rituals is reduced by one and then halved, so that Prepare I is free (0 levels) and Prepare II and III are heavily discounted.
 +
 
 +
{|
 +
! Power Level !! Discount !! Special
 +
|-
 +
| TreeBrother I || Halves the Tree Levels for a specific type of tree ||
 +
|-
 +
| TreeBrother II || Halves the Tree Levels all trees ||
 +
|-
 +
| TreeBrother III || Halves the Tree Levels all trees || Tree Levels for Prepare rituals are reduced
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
==== Fast Enchanter ====
 +
The standard Growth Time Interval is 3 years. A Character can develop a Mysticism in order to reduce this interval. This impacts the time it takes the tree to grow magical (that is the time the Character must wait before he can start putting magic into the tree), the time it takes the tree to be Awakened and the time it takes the tree to be magically Enlarged. Of these three cases, the first one (wait time while preparing the tree) is mandatory; the other two depend on the effect the Character is interested in putting into the tree.
 +
 
 +
Some specifics on the Mysticisms TBW.
 +
 
 +
== Steps to Enchant a Tree ==
 +
=== Preparing the Tree ===
 +
=== Enlarging (Optional) ===
 +
== Effects ==
 +
=== Sentience ===
 +
=== Life-related Effects ===
 +
=== Radiance Effects ===
 +
=== Fruits ===
== Advice ==
== Advice ==
Include any and all pertinent advice here. The goal is to increase the chance of each player having fun, by giving advice helping the player to decide whether to buy the ability or not (if the article is about one or more abilities) or use the option (if the article is about something that characters can choose to do), and later on how to make use of the ability (e.g. to avoid any pitfalls that aren't extremely obvious).
Include any and all pertinent advice here. The goal is to increase the chance of each player having fun, by giving advice helping the player to decide whether to buy the ability or not (if the article is about one or more abilities) or use the option (if the article is about something that characters can choose to do), and later on how to make use of the ability (e.g. to avoid any pitfalls that aren't extremely obvious).
Line 29: Line 84:
Talk briefly about what the purpose of the mechanic is. Omit this section if it is extremely obvious to the target audience.
Talk briefly about what the purpose of the mechanic is. Omit this section if it is extremely obvious to the target audience.
== Quick mini-glossary ==
== Quick mini-glossary ==
-
Explain terms of great relevance to the subject matter of the article here, but not terms that are of generally great importance (e.g. RD).
+
Tree Level (TL)
 +
 
 +
Growth Time Interval (GTI)
 +
 
== See also ==
== See also ==
Include links here, to other articles that are highly pertinent to the subhject matter of this one. Remember <br> linebreaks before or after (but not both!).
Include links here, to other articles that are highly pertinent to the subhject matter of this one. Remember <br> linebreaks before or after (but not both!).
Line 40: Line 98:
<!-- Use this to "shift down", as the article progresses. Remember, only one completion tag at a time should be "un-commented" -->
<!-- Use this to "shift down", as the article progresses. Remember, only one completion tag at a time should be "un-commented" -->
-
[[Category:No Content]]
+
<!-- [[Category:No Content]] -->
-
<!-- [[Category:Stub]] -->
+
[[Category:Stub]]
<!-- [[Category:ICart]] -->
<!-- [[Category:ICart]] -->
<!-- [[Category:NCart]] -->
<!-- [[Category:NCart]] -->

Latest revision as of 22:58, 7 December 2010

Describe - briefly - what the article is about, in 1 or 2 sentenes, or 3 at the most.

The idea is to make it easy for the reader to decide whether this article is relevant to his current goals, so include hugely important advice here, in a second paragraph, if you think it is necessary.

Contents

Mechanics and Requirements

There are basically four questions to be answered in order to cover all the in-game mechanics regarding Tree Magic. Who can Enchant a tree and what methods are available to him? How much does it cost, in terms of personal Essence, to Enchant a tree? How long does it take for the magic to be fully ingrained in the tree and be 'operational'? How can the Character be better at Tree Magic if he wants to make this area a specialization of his? This chapter addresses each of these topics and lists all the answers and the options available.

Spells from the Plant Realm

The most obvious way to go about when Enchanting a tree is to use one of the several available spells within the Plant Realm of magic. There are four such spells, forming a ladder, starting with Enchant Tree I up to Enchant Tree IV. Each spell, upon its completion, gives the Character a certain number of Tree Levels (see Chapter on costs below) that he can use to put an effect into a tree.

Magical effects that can be imbued into trees belong to one of four different categories: Sentience, Aura, Enhanced Bloodline and Health/Life. When a Character is casting an Enchant Tree Spell, all the Tree Levels that the Character gets upon completing the spell shall go toward one or more effects belonging to the same category. That is, one cannot cast a Spell that gives 4 Tree Levels in order to imbue an Aura effect that costs 3 Tree Levels and a Sentience Effect that costs 1 level as well. In order to imbue effects coming from different categories into a tree, different Enchant Tree Spells must be cast, and the Tree Levels obtained can be used only for the effects within a single category.

If the spell being casst gives more Tree Levels than are needed for the effect, only those required are effectively used (and Essence costs are beased only on the Levels used); all the remaining Tree Levels are lost.

Specific Lore

Just as with Familiars, a Character can pursue a magical act without ever learning the appropriate spells frome the Plant Realm. Instead, a specific Lore (name of the lore here) exists which allows the Character to bypass the need for those spells and focus and specialize on the Tree Magic aspects he is most interested in.

Magical Power

Lunar Power

How to calculate Essence Costs

Tree Levels are an abstract way to measure how much Essence is required to imbue a given effect within a tree permanently. The conversion factor from TLs to Essence is fixed: one Tree Level costs 0.2ES regardless of the Character. Specific Powers (e.g. TreeBrother, see below) can then be selected in order to decrease the number of Tree Levels needed to achieve a given effect. This has two consequences: the obvious one is that a Character uses up a smaller amount of Essence to achieve the same effect. Also, for Characters using Plant Realm spells to Enchant a tree, lower level Spells are required to get the necessary number of Tree Levels (the higher the spell level, the more Tree Levels it gives the Character upon its completion), thus decreasing the overall Fumble chance in the process.

In order to find out how much Essence your planned magical tree will end up costing you, simply tally all the Tree Levels for the rituals involved, applied all relevant discount and then convert it to Essence cost using the conversion factor indicated above. In terms of Essence cost, effects belonging to different categories don't impose any additional restriction or requirement. The Tree Levels needed are tallied and converted to Essence, regardless of the category the effects belong to. Just remember that effects from different categories each need its own dedicated Enchant Tree Spell to be cast.

Growth Time Interval

Enchanting a Tree is not a fast process. This type of magic is not suited to fast tactical challenges, as it takes moons, sometimes years, to develop and bear fruit. As such, planning ahead becomes very important. The basic measure of how long it takes for a certain effect to grow magical into the tree is called Growth Time Interval (GTI). Its standard span is 3 years, but the Character can develop specific Mysticisms to modify it (see the section on Fast Enchantment below). The GTI is used in three rituals, the first of which is a mandatory step in all Tree Enchanting processes. The base duration can be reduced by spending more Essence and taking the Speed Up I or Speed Up II options. Both options are available in all three rituals, but their cost (in additional Tree Levels, hence additional Essence expenditure) depends on the ritual being worked. All costs are detailed under the relevant section.

Ritual Base Duration SpeedUp I SpeedUp II
Prepare the Tree 3 yrs (1 GTI) 6 moons 1 moon
Enlarge a Tree 3 yrs (1 GTI) per size 6 moons per size 1 moon per size
Awaken a Tree 15 yrs (5GTIs) 3 yrs 6 moons

The table is calculated for the standard GTI duration. Taking the Speed Up I option divides the duration by 6; taking the Speed Up II option divides the original duration by 36.

Enhancing Powers

Sometimes being able to do something is not enough for a Character. Sometimes the Character concept requires him being particularly well versed at some specific aspects, because that's where his life led him to and that's where his interests lie. Tree Magic has two related Powers that allow a Character to be better than a 'standard tree magician' along two different lines.

TreeBrother

The TreeBrother Power entitles a Character to ES discounts when Enchanting trees, so that he will usually be able to Enchant more. The Power comes into three levels. The first is TreeBrother I (tree type name). This halves the Tree Levels for all the rituals regarding a specific type of tree (e.g. all oak trees, all plums trees, ...). See the section on the Essence Costs for a better understanding of how Tree Levels work. The result is that the Character will find Enchanting a specific type of tree particularly cheap (and will probably do most of his Enchanting on said type of tree as a result). The second level is TreeBrother II. The benefits gained from TreeBrother I (specific), that is halving Tree Levels, is extended to all trees, regardless of their type. The final level is TreeBrother III: in addition to the discount provided by TreeBrother II, this level allows the Character to pay much less when Preparing a Tree (see dedicated section below). Specifically, the Tree Level cost for the various Prepare rituals is reduced by one and then halved, so that Prepare I is free (0 levels) and Prepare II and III are heavily discounted.

Power Level Discount Special
TreeBrother I Halves the Tree Levels for a specific type of tree
TreeBrother II Halves the Tree Levels all trees
TreeBrother III Halves the Tree Levels all trees Tree Levels for Prepare rituals are reduced

Fast Enchanter

The standard Growth Time Interval is 3 years. A Character can develop a Mysticism in order to reduce this interval. This impacts the time it takes the tree to grow magical (that is the time the Character must wait before he can start putting magic into the tree), the time it takes the tree to be Awakened and the time it takes the tree to be magically Enlarged. Of these three cases, the first one (wait time while preparing the tree) is mandatory; the other two depend on the effect the Character is interested in putting into the tree.

Some specifics on the Mysticisms TBW.

Steps to Enchant a Tree

Preparing the Tree

Enlarging (Optional)

Effects

Sentience

Life-related Effects

Radiance Effects

Fruits

Advice

Include any and all pertinent advice here. The goal is to increase the chance of each player having fun, by giving advice helping the player to decide whether to buy the ability or not (if the article is about one or more abilities) or use the option (if the article is about something that characters can choose to do), and later on how to make use of the ability (e.g. to avoid any pitfalls that aren't extremely obvious).

Please note

Clarify, elaborate, try to predict and answer questions that are somewhat likely to be asked during character creation or during play.

Mini-FAQ

Put in sub-sections (three ='s) each containing multiple Q&As, and insert a blank line between each individual Q&A.

sub-section

Q:
A:


Q:
A:

The world

A section mainly for the GM, or worldbuilder, about the world impact of the phenomenon, e.g. an Item Creation Power, or an attribute or other stat that may sometimes be starkly high or low relative to the Human average.

World impact

Talk about the effect on the world that this phenomenon would realistically have (taking into account such facts of human nature as greed, ambition and sexual impulses).

The Ärth setting

Talk about how this trait appears and functions in the Ärth historical fantasy setting.

Design Notes

Talk briefly about what the purpose of the mechanic is. Omit this section if it is extremely obvious to the target audience.

Quick mini-glossary

Tree Level (TL)

Growth Time Interval (GTI)

See also

Include links here, to other articles that are highly pertinent to the subhject matter of this one. Remember
linebreaks before or after (but not both!). link
link

Table structure to use

A B C
1 2 3
4 5 6

The above is a table with 3 colums and 3 rows, with the first row being bold-faced and having its text centered. Do not mix the ! and | symbols in the same row. Apart from that, hopefully it is obvious how to add and remove rows and lines.

Personal tools