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[Krash]

Heh, I suppose, but that was more of an example than anything else.  The reward, risks and costs would have to be balanced.

EDIT:
And lets not forget, not only rituals would require components.  More mundane spells, like say infravision (just an example) could require a plant or somesuch to be burned while casting.  This would also make the alchemy arc even more interesting.

[ December 06, 2007: Message edited by: Krash ]

[Brog]

Jack Vance's Dying Earth series has a very nice portrayal of magic.
Yes, I know, I know, D&D borrowed from it and now hundreds of other games have copied from D&D.  But go back to the origin and you'll find it's far more epic.

Arcane projects on an enormous scale are much more DWARF FORTRESS than spell slinging, anyway.  Carve a spiralling labyrinth from the rock in the shape of a mystic rune, and then engrave the correct symbols in precise locations all over it.  Redirect the river to flow according to the astrological signs.  Inscribe glyphs across an entire mountain face.

edit: Build a massive pyramid to channel the power of the cosmos!

[ December 06, 2007: Message edited by: Brog ]

[Red Jackard]

quote:Originally posted by Brog:
<STRONG>Arcane projects on an enormous scale are much more DWARF FORTRESS than spell slinging, anyway.  Carve a spiralling labyrinth from the rock in the shape of a mystic rune, and then engrave the correct symbols in precise locations all over it.  Redirect the river to flow according to the astrological signs.  Inscribe glyphs across an entire mountain face.</STRONG>

These are all very DF-like, although they could be expanded upon!

[Brog]

quote:Originally posted by Red Jackard:
<STRONG>
These are all very DF-like, although they could be expanded upon!</STRONG>

Here's a possible implementation that might actually work in terms of gameplay:
- First, specify the effect you want.  Higher crop yields, stronger steel, fiery defenses, submissive demons, whatever.  This could use a simple scripting language, this part needs more thought.
- Next, set a mage to research it.  This takes some time, and he may require certain materials.  Just make him demand random items and make no further progress until they've been obtained, similar to a strange mood.
- Eventually the mage completes his research and provides you with a blueprint containing a map of what you need to build, and whatever inscriptions need to be made on it.  The complexity of the blueprints is proportional to the complexity of the desired effect.
- Finally, build the structure.  (A non-trivial engineering project in its own right.)

[puffs]

quote:Originally posted by Brog:
<STRONG>

Here's a possible implementation that might actually work in terms of gameplay:
- First, specify the effect you want.  Higher crop yields, stronger steel, fiery defenses, submissive demons, whatever.  This could use a simple scripting language, this part needs more thought.
- Next, set a mage to research it.  This takes some time, and he may require certain materials.  Just make him demand random items and make no further progress until they've been obtained, similar to a strange mood.
- Eventually the mage completes his research and provides you with a blueprint containing a map of what you need to build, and whatever inscriptions need to be made on it.  The complexity of the blueprints is proportional to the complexity of the desired effect.
- Finally, build the structure.  (A non-trivial engineering project in its own right.)</STRONG>

I'd think it'd be interesting to have a hidden point-buy system where a higher degree of difficulty of the effect lowers the probability that the mage will be succesful in researching it or casting the spell. That way you can have a skill progression so that beginning wizards will only be able to do minor lay magic, while legendary wizards might be able to change your biome or cause an eclipse or single-handedly turn a bronze colossus into a huge pool of molten bronze/whatever.

It'd be interesting if there were wizarding enclaves/societies which operated as a separate civ and/or race, and periodically sent their representatives to gather spell components or research in your particular region and would definitely add a new gameplay aspect, especially when larger-scale civ interactions are implemented. I'd imagine that a wizard-ruled civ would make any neighbor tread lightly around them...imagine if some power-hungry wizard turned your lush forest into dead, barren wastelands in order to cast some demon summoning, but you couldn't do jack about it because they'd murder you even if you went to seige the wizard tower with every dwarf in your fort!