Since the last play test I have been trying to figure out exactly how to balance magic in the system, as in its current state it is incredibly broken when built around. I’ve spent the last week going over a handful of possibilities with one major one finally sticking with me that will change the entire core of the game.
So as of today, we will be abandoning our attachment (what little we had left of it) to being a PbtA-inspired system and going hard into more SWADE now than anything else by ditching basic modifiers for attributes and assigning dice to them instead.
While this change will have major impacts on how the game will be played, it will not compromise the core of the original I had built, which is to be a more narrative system than miniature combat like it’s famous 20th cousin twelve times removed Dungeons & Dragons.
So what do I mean by assigning dice to attributes? As of now, each attribute will begin with a D4 die at character creation. Players will still be able to increase two of these attributes at the beginning of character creation by one die type up to a D6.
This rule will also apply to Magika now, which will start out at d4 as well. What does this mean for the game? Well, during combat, instead of adding a bonus from, for example, Might and Magika to a melee attack roll, you’ll instead now roll your Might and Magika dice together like you would originally roll the 2d6. While some bonus modifiers will still be around for the occasional Feat or Help action, it will restrict the rolls to being less broken overall and make hitting those challenge ratings for more difficult things tougher.
What does this mean for casting Magika? When casting a spell, your Magical Girl will get to use two rolls of her Magika die, so a base level roll would be 2d4 plus modifiers.
In order to make this change have a less intense impact to combat I’m going over averages rolled between all dice combinations I can think of and applying that information to combat encounters to make them as fair but challenging as possible.
However, this new mechanic is not the only thing added. I will also be adding in a Mana mechanic as well to reduce spamming of Magika while giving enough Mana to allow it to be useful still.
By spending a point of Mana, you will be able to add an effect to your spells casted. You can spend multiple points of mana to add more effects to it, up to a number of times equal to half your Magika die. So a d4 Magika would allow spells to have up to 2 effects on it for 2 Mana.
Additionally, Overdrive will be nerfed as well, allowing you to use it by spending a number of Mana equal to 1/2 the Magika die, making a d4 being added to your rolls cost 2 Mana to use.
With all these major changes, a question may still be lingering in the back of your mind: “This is great and all but does this mean I’m only rolling my attribute die when I’m not gaining my Magika die to it?”
Social rolls and non-physical rolls like Smarts, Will and Charm are still a work in progress with this new system build but I’m not without ideas! I’m experimenting with odds and determining what can be done and how to make this system feel just as smooth as PbtA while keeping its own personality.
That is it for the day, I hope to have more for you on Saturday for normal post day!
Corgimancy Games Development Blog 