Author Topic: Witch-CRAFT: A vague idea for a crafting system for folk magic, input pls?  (Read 2145 times)

FlattedFifth

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Arcanists manipulate the weave, Divine casters receive spells from their gods, but what about actual witches, characters who can achieve very minor and limited magical effects by working with the power inherent in certain items. Ritual magic, folk magic, hedge magic, it all involves pulling power from physical objects and directing it. How about a craft skill system that does just that. Here's my, admittedly vague, ideas do far. 



Abilities: Wisdom and Charisma

Tools: Athame (ritual dagger, can be used on another char to create a vial of blood specific to race and gender), Altar table (portable), Basin (new tool, for catching rain water, used outdoors while raining it creates vials of water that are specific to time of day and phase of moon)

Raw Materials: To be decided, but except for the aforementioned vials of blood and rainwater I think it could be done mostly with items that are already in the game; some herbs, dolls, rags, clumps of hair


General guidelines:

1) The craft would create fetishes, each different type of fetish is stackable to 10 and has a one-time use of a certain spell effect chosen for its general "witchiness", see Spell Effect Ideas below. A single fetish is destroyed upon use much like a potion or varnish.

2) All spell effects created by these fetishes would be modified to make them in some way less powerful than comparable spellcasting class versions. Limited in caster level, or llimited in application (such as "Polymorph Self" only turning the user into a cat, crow, bat, or small dog), or both

3) Any fetish that adversely affects a target other than the user will require a successful hit on a ranged touch attack (except, of course, ones that already have a range of "touch").

4) There would be little or no overlap with existing craft skills. No "invisibility", because there's a potion for that. No "magic weapon" because there's an alchemical varnish for that.



Spell effect ideas

1 DC 15
Bless
Camouflage
Doom
Entangle
Protection from Alignment
Ray of Enfeeblement
Shield
Sleep

2 DC 20
Blindness/Deafness
Charm Person or Animal
Darkness
Lesser Dispel
Summon Creature II (Creates a "homonculous" servant, maybe much less powerful than a badger, but with higher ac and is a "construct" class creature )
Tasha's Hideous Laughter

3 DC 25
Animate Dead
Bestow Curse ((VOODOO DOLL, WOOT! ))
Clairvoyance/Clairaudience
Remove Curse
Vampiric Touch

4 DC 30
Contagion
Fear
Polymorph Self (cat, dog, bat, or crow only)
« Last Edit: February 06, 2017, 03:24:57 PM by FlattedFifth »

ladylena

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Re: Witch-CRAFT: A vague idea for a crafting system for folk magic, input pls?
« Reply #1 on: February 06, 2017, 01:30:02 PM »
I do like this idea. It would be great for rp. However, there are a lot of items already that are one use that have various different effects, but being able to craft something specifically would make for great rp.

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FlattedFifth

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Re: Witch-CRAFT: A vague idea for a crafting system for folk magic, input pls?
« Reply #2 on: February 06, 2017, 01:38:16 PM »
I do like this idea. It would be great for rp. However, there are a lot of items already that are one use that have various different effects, but being able to craft something specifically would make for great rp.

I agree whole-heartedly about the rp factor. I'm aware that there are some treasure table items that have a certain number of charges that do things like some of this (and if there's specifically already a "Voodoo Doll" then the craftable item that casts Bestow Curse could be a literal eyeball called "The Evil Eye"** )

The whole idea of this makes me want to make a half-Vistani rogue or bard witch, probably with the "Warding Gesture" feat. :D

**Disclaimer: I'm aware that RL folklore "evil eye" is not a dismembered eyeball
« Last Edit: February 06, 2017, 01:44:56 PM by FlattedFifth »

Miuo

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Re: Witch-CRAFT: A vague idea for a crafting system for folk magic, input pls?
« Reply #3 on: February 07, 2017, 03:42:51 PM »
I really like this, and would loooooove it. But I'm torn on some of the suggestions, some would take quite a bit of work to implement id imagine. If this did come about it may just be easier mechanically to focus on how the other crafts currently make their materials available. Rather than trying to make new ones from scratch to collect rain water that is day/night/season/moon phase specific.

Though I'd definitely go int as the main focus, since it comes off as something one learns and devotes time and study too, and then either wisdom or charisma. I'd definitely remove the doll though and make a separate item specific to the craft. As the current one is a Voodan doll, which is a part of an established faith. And that feels a bit like stepping on that faiths toes for something that really isn't about the faith. Perhaps keep the same idea, and item appearance. But the lore/name, with a higher curse, spell then the voodan doll to keep the idea but still keep them separate.

One other issue would perhaps be the diverse range of materials it seems to make, while other crafts all tend to make essentially the same base item. Potions, Varnishes, etc. For suggestion purposes it may be a good idea to try and break them down into simplified groups. So potion items, usable items (like the doll), and then maybe wand?

FlattedFifth

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Re: Witch-CRAFT: A vague idea for a crafting system for folk magic, input pls?
« Reply #4 on: February 08, 2017, 02:22:33 PM »
I really like this, and would loooooove it. But I'm torn on some of the suggestions, some would take quite a bit of work to implement id imagine. If this did come about it may just be easier mechanically to focus on how the other crafts currently make their materials available. Rather than trying to make new ones from scratch to collect rain water that is day/night/season/moon phase specific.

It would be easier to script some tools, one for blood and one for rainwater, (and a small silver spade for dirt from different locations) than to create spawn points throughout the server for completely new ingredients. The blood, rainwater, dirt, et cetera, is part of the ritual that empowers the fetish, but not part of the fetish itself.

Here's what I have in mind so far for how the process works:
To create a Fetish (or charm, or talisman, or ju-ju bag, or whatever you want to call it) you need, in addition to the ingredients that will make up the physical object that will hold the spell, 6 things:

An altar (portable table upon which to work)
An Athame (Your ritual knife, used not just for cutting objects and people, but for directing energy like a wand does in Harry Potter)
Representatives of all four elements: Fire (a small brazier), Air (incense), Earth (clumps of dirt or clay) and water (either blood or rainwater, depending upon the ritual).

The Witch gathers up the four elements on her Altar, one on each corner, and places the actual ingredients of the fetish in the centre. These ingredients could be mostly stuff already found on the server, for example a homonculous made from dung and a rat corpse. An effigy doll made from a doll, rags, and a clump of hair. A protection from evil charm made from a holy symbol and belladonna. Just examples.

After gathering the four elements that will power the fetish, and the physical objects that will make up it's material form, the witch then uses her Athame to direct the power from the four elements into the fetish and, if successful, has a charm object that contains a one time use of a low-powered spell, that she can then save for later use or give away or sell.


Right now I'm thinking that the water and earth sources of power will be different depending upon the school of magic of the spell effect. For example, rainwater and dirt from a graveyard, both gathered during an autumn night of a new moon for necromancy. Sand from a desert and water from a mountain stream both gathered during a spring day of a full moon for divination, *shrugs* Something like that. Maybe leave out the time-related parts. Depends on how much of a pain in the bottom the devs think this should be.

I'm thinking that if blood from specific races and genders is substituted for water, then the caster lvl of the resulting fetish would be raised by 1.

Earth and water will be generated by new tools: a silver spade and a ritual basin. The spade will have a unique power, self only, that you activate and, if you're in the right location, will generate the clump of earth with the appropriate type of area, time of year, time of day, and phase of the moon (might be good to have them storable in those little herbalism bags). The basin tool creates vials of rainwater flagged the same way, but only if you're outdoors and it's raining. Blood is gathered by targeting another player with the special power of the Athame, it's considered a touch-range attack that does one hp of damage.




Though I'd definitely go int as the main focus, since it comes off as something one learns and devotes time and study too, and then either wisdom or charisma. I'd definitely remove the doll though and make a separate item specific to the craft. As the current one is a Voodan doll, which is a part of an established faith. And that feels a bit like stepping on that faiths toes for something that really isn't about the faith. Perhaps keep the same idea, and item appearance. But the lore/name, with a higher curse, spell then the voodan doll to keep the idea but still keep them separate.


All of this is totally up in the air, a vague and general idea. The spell effects I listed are just ones I like for "witchiness". My suggestion is first that there would BE a Witchcraft craft skill, the details can be worked out later. Just because I have several ideas about details, does NOT mean I'm married to them.

As to the voodan doll, I did recently take a close look at one in game. Its caster level is WAY higher than what I had in mind for this. Maybe a dismembered eyeball called "The Evil Eye" would be better, or a little doll called "Sinister Effigy", or something.


One other issue would perhaps be the diverse range of materials it seems to make, while other crafts all tend to make essentially the same base item. Potions, Varnishes, etc. For suggestion purposes it may be a good idea to try and break them down into simplified groups. So potion items, usable items (like the doll), and then maybe wand?

As to what the skill creates, sorry if I wasn't clear. Yes, this creates one and only one specific type of item. What I had in mind is not potions or wands or anything like that. It creates Fetishes. Ju-Ju Bags. Charms. Talismans. Call them what you will, they're little items (appearance and name varies on what they do) that contain the magical effect, one use, that you carry around and break to release the spell stored inside them. They are from the "Miscellaneous Small" category in the toolset, and are stackable in inventory to a max of 10. Think of those little trinkets and charms old village women sell by the side of the road to ward off the evil eye, or grant luck.

dark_majico

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Re: Witch-CRAFT: A vague idea for a crafting system for folk magic, input pls?
« Reply #5 on: February 20, 2017, 12:03:12 PM »
A nice idea but you could just cast these spells anyway and roleplay that you are a hedge witch, we also have flavour items like animal figurines and voodan dolls, a rag doll, you can place on them on the ground or exchange them with characters in game and achieve this without anything new being created.

Philos

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Re: Witch-CRAFT: A vague idea for a crafting system for folk magic, input pls?
« Reply #6 on: February 20, 2017, 01:24:03 PM »
Or...we can just expand the alchemy system in place- allowing the creation of low to mid level spells in consumable item form. We already have a huge selection of for potion making/ herbalism, going all the way up the the heal spell. A bit of equity for the existing crafting systems would be welcome.

A few things I'd like to see craftable perhaps with stronger versions and DCs:

Bottled Black
Oil of Fiery Burning
Flash Powder
Thunderstones
Hypnotic Powder
Poisons in general
Witches Baleful Brew - (Baleful Polymorph - Single Use)
Witches Benign Brew - (Polymorph Self - Single Use)
Freedom Fighters Fire - (Wall of Fire - Single Use)
Flask of Oil - (Knock/Grease - Single Use)
« Last Edit: February 20, 2017, 01:37:22 PM by Philos »

FlattedFifth

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Re: Witch-CRAFT: A vague idea for a crafting system for folk magic, input pls?
« Reply #7 on: February 21, 2017, 11:10:11 AM »
A nice idea but you could just cast these spells anyway and roleplay that you are a hedge witch, we also have flavour items like animal figurines and voodan dolls, a rag doll, you can place on them on the ground or exchange them with characters in game and achieve this without anything new being created.

The point is for there to be something, like herbalism, that creates minor magical effects without necessitating a spellcasting character. Hedge magic, or folk magic, is not as powerful as the effects generated by those adept at manipulating the Weave, or being granted power by a God, yet they can still be a lot of fun.

dark_majico

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Re: Witch-CRAFT: A vague idea for a crafting system for folk magic, input pls?
« Reply #8 on: February 22, 2017, 04:48:16 AM »
Well this is going into the realm of Homebrew and this isn't what the Prisoners project is about, and what your proposing is a lot of work for something that doesn't need to be done, as I said before you can achieve these affects by multi classing.