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[TheOtherHorseman]

This is completely and disgustingly long. You have been warned.

So, I was thinking about how magic might be introduced for the dwarves at some future date. It'd be a cool thing to have around, and a mark of status for someone to be able to say that they support a small but thriving community of Spelldwarves.

While introducing magic opens up a lot of cool and insane ideas, because it basically strips away the need for realism and lets you do whatever you damn well please, it is important to not overshadow the more mundane aspects of dwarfy life completely, not to mention the distant "Run a Wizard's Tower" mode.

So, here's my idea. Introduce the following:

New Buildings -
(Wizard's) Sanctum, Book Binder, Library

New Skills -
Wizarding, Papermaking, Book Binding

Now, an explanation of each, in an order that makes sense to me.

Papermaking: I am calling it one skill but I can see three ways to make this. One unit of some plant -> papyrus
One unit of skin -> Parchment
One log -> Stack of papers

Now, I can see these three being done at the resource-relevant workshop (minus carpenter for the log), but it might be better to move them all into one central workshop, perhaps the...

Book Binder: Wherein books could be created. They would be blank books for future use by spelldwarfs and other folks.
What could books be used for?

Wizards could make them into spellbooks, which will be detailed later.
Dwarves of Legendary skill may be compelled to write How-To manuals, the reading of which by other dwarves could increase their rate of skill-up in the relevant skill.
Nobles and other accomplished dwarves may feel compelled to write memoirs, histories, legends, and fiction which could be read by dwarves on break to increase happiness.

Possible replacement for this when the dwarves become more technologically advanced: Printing Press, for mass production.

Library: This is where all books made are stored. This could be a small, standing-room only place, or a sprawling area with tables and chairs so dwarves can sit down and read.

How-to manuals for the faster skill-ups, other things for pleasure, and spelldwarves could get research done here.

When the economy kicks in, books could be sold, but again, always keeping one copy on hand so more could be made from it.

Now, on to wizards. I see dwarves as having a limited sphere of magic available to them, tied strongly to earth and maybe just a little booze. Anyway, for any wizards to be had, you would have to have a Wizard's Sanctum.

I see this as being a room defined from an object rather than a workshop. Perhaps a stone/wood/metal bookstand? Anyway, once you have a sanctum and whatever other requirements seem like a good idea, you will attract a new noble: The Archmage (or high wizard, or Grand Thaumaturgical Dwarfish Poobah, etc.)

The Archmage will, once (s)he settles in, begin creating a spellbook and then searching for 1-2 dwarves with latent magical talent to train as apprentices. The number of apprentices might be increased depending on how grand and secluded the Archmage's rooms are.

Once the apprentices finish training (read: reach a specific level of wizarding skill) they are full on wizards and will want their own sanctums and spellbooks, and can take on apprentices. The total number of allowed wizards will have to be some function of total dwarf population, lest magic spread among you like a virus.

Because wizards won't do work. They're as bad as nobles, if not worse. The only commands they respond to are magic-related.

Wizards will eat, sleep, lounge around, study in their sanctum/research in the library to increase their wizarding skill, and do the most important thing: Wander.

I see spell research as happening similarly to research in the game Evil Genius. They will wander your fortress until something catches their eye. It will inspire them to create a new spell, which will give a healthy boost to wizarding ability. Once the spell is created, they will know it, and it will be copied and sent to the library for dispersal among the wizarding population.

So, something like...

Wizard noticed a stonefall trap. "SWEET BEARDED GOD OF ALE! I COULD PROBABLY CREATE A SPELL THAT DID THAT!" or saw lots of sad dwarves and came up with an enchantment to put on wells that boosted their joy, or on viewing a fire imp sodomizing your defense force is inspired to create a fireball spell.

Spells could be classed in two general categories - the kind that your wizards use on their own in day to day life (fireballs for self-defense, levitation to float over rivers and caverns, etc.) and the kind that they'll do on command (enchantments, grand ensorcellments, etc.)

Large rituals would require specific numbers of wizards, with a certain number being of set skill level.

This also would open the door for magical threats with magical solutions.

Example: A Demon besieges your fortress with a batallion of Hell's finest, and you have to hold them off until your wizards can come up with a randomly researched solution (Vanquish in combat? Banish to hell? Bind into the soul of a newborn child and made to slumber, creating a freakish super-dwarf that will kill you all if and when it snaps? Maybe just prolong the inevitable by placing anti-demon wards and magical traps?)

I'm tired of writing now. I'm also tired of making it look like I'm working in the office while writing all of this. Feedback?  :p

[Aquillion]

Magic is planned for a later date, but I don't think there are any plans to give the dwarves that sort of magic.  Dwarves are practical, down-to-earth creatures; they don't usually study magic so directly.  They sometimes create magical artifacts, yes, but you wouldn't have a dwarf throwing fireballs, causing earthquakes, turning their enemies to stone or doing anything flashy like that.  Most of the magical stuff they do is in the things they make--their artifacts, maybe some things the alchemist brews up, that sort of thing.

I could see a sort of half-religious dwarven runemaster, though, putting runes on doors and other structures to try and ward off vermin and evil spirits or to slow rot and decay. They could also decorate weapons and other items with them, maybe making them more effective against undead or somesuch.  You'd probably need to use silver, gold, or some other precious metal in the runes, of course.

And dabbling in that sort of thing isn't good for your mental stability. If your runemaster went insane then they could run around decorating your halls with runes that make anyone who looks at them uneasy, or runes that attract vermin and cause rot.

[Capntastic]

I think it was mentioned that there might be a Wizard mode at some point that involves being a wizard and making a tower full of beasties and stuff?  That would be fun.

But as for magic in general, I really enjoy the fact that it's not ever-present as in other Roguelikes.  Too much magic in a game makes it lose its..magic.

[LordNagash]

I like the original posters idea, but I really don't know if it would suit the game. As Aquillion said, dwarves aren't really the spell-slinging types.

But I like the idea of the runemaster too. the only thing is, how are you going to differentiate things with runes on the screen?

[Aquillion]

quote:Originally posted by LordNagash:
<STRONG>But I like the idea of the runemaster too. the only thing is, how are you going to differentiate things with runes on the screen?</STRONG>

Well, the effect of runes would have to be fairly slight to keep it from being unbalancing...  slight enough that the player can't quite be sure that they're working, but significant enough that they can't entirely dismiss the possibility.  With that limited of an effect, it probably wouldn't be necessary to display them except when the player is in some special 'view runes' mode, where they'd flash so the player could check to ensure that all of their main entrances have at least some charm over the mantle.

[TheOtherHorseman]

Eh, if you'll read what I'll wrote, you'll note I wasn't excessively consistent. I talked about earth-related magic and then proceeded to mention fireballs and levitation.

I chalk it up to being at work and not being able to focus my thoughts.  

Anyway, I stand by this. Enchantments, wards, runes, and such are fully within the scope of hairy midgetkind.

[Quiller]

Of course, some versions of dwarves have them not highly inclined to magician type magic, but being comfortable with divine magic.  One thing that the game doesn't have that most fantasy worlds do is religion.  Perhaps dwarves are an atheistic bunch here, but there is that God of Blood in the title which seems to imply there are gods about.  And lord knows, some healing magic would be nice...

[Jim]

when wizard dwarfs die, the death announcement should be:
"[Dwarf Name] has become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."

[Shujaa]

I just hope there will be a stone golems at some point