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Yes. It should be easily accesed and everyday stuff, like in nethack or A.D.O.M.

21 (9.6%)

Yes. It should be hard to access and not typical say the magic word and you shoot lightning magic.

137 (62.6%)

I don't really care.

13 (5.9%)

Only in the form of reactions.

24 (11%)

No.

24 (11%)

Total Members Voted: 219

[Asmageddon]

I think it should not only be rare, but also pretty weak, with powerful magic reserved for dragons, daemons and other supernatural creatures.

Mages should be existent, and their magic should be strong, but only things like telekinesis, short levitation, inflicting pain upon others, perhaps hurling fireballs or summoning lesser ghosts or something, but nothing like flying, magic missiles and other abstract stuff.

There also shouldn't be mana, rather that mages can continually cast spells, usually needing preparation, and becoming tired because of this.
Ideal kind of magic would be something like in Tolkien books or The Witcher, perhaps even little rarer.

[jaxy15]

It should be sort of like the first game.
Petrification, teleportation of body parts and all that.
With a chance of failing.

[m4davis]

I think that there should be some sort of system to making places of magic for example if a legendary miner bleeds into a river it has a small chance of becoming magic and the more stuff like this happens the bigger the chance. and I should have some constant effect of people some being just a little thing like people feeling sick around it and big things like transforming body parts

[Urist is dead tome]

I think that there should be some sort of system to making places of magic for example if a legendary miner bleeds into a river it has a small chance of becoming magic and the more stuff like this happens the bigger the chance.

Possibly making battle grounds haunted?

[darkflagrance]

I think that there should be some sort of system to making places of magic for example if a legendary miner bleeds into a river it has a small chance of becoming magic and the more stuff like this happens the bigger the chance.

Possibly making battle grounds haunted?

In theory, the mechanics we have now already allow for haunted battlefields. Who's going to bury the corpses of those who fall at faraway battlefields during the Army Arc? Adventurers who venture there in search of the legendary sword of a fallen general will have to deal with the spirits of his angry forgotten retainers.

[Nasikabatrachus]

I think that there should be some sort of system to making places of magic for example if a legendary miner bleeds into a river it has a small chance of becoming magic and the more stuff like this happens the bigger the chance.

Possibly making battle grounds haunted?

In theory, the mechanics we have now already allow for haunted battlefields. Who's going to bury the corpses of those who fall at faraway battlefields during the Army Arc? Adventurers who venture there in search of the legendary sword of a fallen general will have to deal with the spirits of his angry forgotten retainers.

I've been thinking of making a haunted fortress for a while. I've already had one demon-haunted fortress with great weapons trapped inside, it was quite memorable just retrieving some adamantine short swords and axes.

This just highlights the fact that magic is already quite present in Dwarf Fortress. Right now it's an untappable force of nature; the nature of the changes is making it more controllable, not inserting it. I support making it very difficult to control magic in the way we think of the archetypal wizard controls magic--fluidly, on command, and with great force--but I still hope there's a possibility of eventually doing so in-game. That way the bloody, chthonic, medieval feel of the world is retained while allowing for the occurrence of the truly spectacular.

[Mountain-King]

My ideal magic system would be either very weak ("folk magic" type stuff - divination, curses, blessings, communicating with animals and supernatural creatures) or very strong (making a tornado, turning a valley into a lake, blighting the land, creating a forest, calling up the wrath of a god, etc.) with very little in the middle. Weak magic would be fairly common, but strong magic would be very rare. Like, you'd need to do a long ritual and either a lot of people or one legendary wizard and be in a magical location and maybe offer up a living sacrifice or hundred. And even then it would be extremely unpredictable.

[Ahrimahn]

 I think that adding magic in would be a good source of fun but put limits on it like if you do stuff that too powerful for your skill level you violently explode and several Daemons appear to rip you and either your party or the town you are in to pieces. or have it work like Warhammer and have wizards be always on the verge of murderous insanity and explodey daemon summoning.

[Angel Of Death]

Magic should definatly have downsides. For example: fire bolt (if it's ever put in, which it probably won't be) would set an enemy ablaze but lower dodging stat by 1 level.

[Farmerbob]

Alchemy yes.  Hocuspocus fingerwriggling no.

Let dwarves use blood and animal bits and minerals and whatnot to create potions.

Soldiers with potions of steelskin made from hides, steel and blood, to make them nearly indestructable for a time in combat, or crafters with potions of Creativity to induce moods.  Hawkeye potions for archers.  Neural regenerative potions for wounded dwarves.  The list goes on and on.

[Urist is dead tome]

Alchemy yes.  Hocuspocus fingerwriggling no.

Let dwarves use blood and animal bits and minerals and whatnot to create potions.

Soldiers with potions of steel-skin made from hides, steel and blood, to make them nearly indestructible for a time in combat, or crafters with potions of Creativity to induce moods.  Hawk-eye potions for archers.  Neural regenerative potions for wounded dwarves.  The list goes on and on.

Oh please no potions! I'd be fine with a potion that would make you fight better but making you indestructible is going too far.

[Jeoshua]

For potions, I'd say the same thing I tell people I GM for in pen and paper RPGs:

You want a potion that heals you up instantly in the middle of a battle?

Rocks fall.

Everyone dies.

[Angel Of Death]

Alchemy yes.  Hocuspocus fingerwriggling no.

Let dwarves use blood and animal bits and minerals and whatnot to create potions.

Soldiers with potions of steelskin made from hides, steel and blood, to make them nearly indestructable for a time in combat, or crafters with potions of Creativity to induce moods.  Hawkeye potions for archers.  Neural regenerative potions for wounded dwarves.  The list goes on and on.

NO, NO NO! That's way too powerful.

[Urist is dead tome]

Possibly an adrenaline potion that would mimic the benefits of the dwarven martial trance?

[Farmerbob]

Alchemy yes.  Hocuspocus fingerwriggling no.

Let dwarves use blood and animal bits and minerals and whatnot to create potions.

Soldiers with potions of steelskin made from hides, steel and blood, to make them nearly indestructable for a time in combat, or crafters with potions of Creativity to induce moods.  Hawkeye potions for archers.  Neural regenerative potions for wounded dwarves.  The list goes on and on.

I said nothing about what drawbacks might be associated with potion use.

Potion use might drive a dwarf into a year-long recovery in the hospital where all they can do is eat, drink, and talk to the doctor.  A second potion use would kill them if they are not fully recovered from the first.

A regeneration potion to clear all bad effects on a badly crippled dwarf might also reduce their effective age, drop all of their skills to zero and rearrange their stats.  THEN they would need a year long recovery in the hospital before being able to be active again.

Perhaps give all potions a small chance of simply turning a dwarf into a maximum stats legendary wrestler in a berserker insane mood.  Or maybe making them explode and anyone that touches their blood has a chance of being affected by the potion.

Lots of FUN can be added to potion use.