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[G-Flex]

Call me strange, but I don't really think Toady needs other people to think of "lightning bolt" for him. Hell, I don't think that requires thought in the first place.

[Catastrophic lolcats]

I really like how Dwarf Fortress is now. Actual dark fantasy instead of just a fantasy game set in a war zone like other games that claim to be.

The dwarf fortress world is a depressive unforgiving place where all the species just barely cling onto life. It's full with many dangerous creatures, brutal deaths and uncaring gods.
If there was ever a magic system I want it to be in theme with the rest of the game. Crafters could make strong items via moods or long hard work, warriors could get divine favours for their devotion to battle, other "magic" would take the form of long alchemy processes with extracts from rare plants and beasts which a person would have to devote their life to attempt to understand and produce. Items could absorb events around them, like a battleaxe becoming evil because it was used to waste a town of innocent villages.

Heres a crappy example of what I would like to see:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Eyesticker the Hope of Bays: This is a legendary cow bone crossbow from Dwarven legends. Eyesticker radiates hope and inspires even the lowest recruit. Beware it's barbed bite! It was created by Reg Flametouch in 456 at Fallengardens. It was of poor quality. In 457 it was sold to a Trader Urist Lowstone the Torch of Fog. In the summer of 457 Urist's caravan was attacked by goblin bandits. The defenders fought from wagon circle. Urist slayed 10 goblins in the battle. While Urist suffered major injuries, the attackers were defeated. In 458 Urist died of infection. In 460 Eyesticker became lost in history. In 1230 the Mountain Halls of Bronzelance discovered Eyesticker in underground ruins.
Eyesticker is associated with bravery and peasantry.

I don't like the idea of spells, sorcerers or anything that has to be explained with "a wizard did it". Powerful artefacts that could do horrific or great things would be a great additions to the game, even if it's just for legends mode.

[Hyndis]

The artifact thing is awesome as well. Allowing artifacts to provide some sort of magical protection or effect, including possibly cursed artifacts, would be very interesting.

For example, in myth Excalibur's scabbard had the ability to heal its wearer. Unfortunately Arthur lost the scabbard just before an important battle...oops.

[Solace]

Something that exuded an effect of some kind would make for some interesting planning, as well. Item X is helpful if set up near your enemies... of course, you need to get someone over there and set it up, or set it up and herd your enemies toward it. For example, the 'upright sword" that seals things off? Or, say, a bucket that, when built into something, causes drowning within some squares of it. More of a "map effect" than sword-with-plus-two-fire-damage.

[Waparius]

I'm a fan of ye olde idea of the wandering wizard, who shows up at a particular fortress with an odd and difficult request. If the player agrees to the wizard's request they have a particular amount of time to get x amount of nether-caps or whatever; if they succeed then for the next year dwarves, say, don't need to drink, or all the cats get turned into war dogs or something. If they fail then a bunch of dwarves turn into statues, or it doesn't stop raining, or plump helmets turn into rats. Or something.

[Naryar]

Well... while evocation spells (Fireball, Lightning Bolt, etc) are cool, Transmutation spells (spells that change an object or creature into another) are more fitting to dwarves and would most likely require more thought from the player. And are even cooler.

Rune-engraved catapult ammo that transforms into magma when it touches the ground, or a magic trap corridor that changes stone into magma/soil into water when enemies walk on it ? Yes. Sand into water ? Yes. Lead into gold ? Of course. Or super, temporary battle shapeshifting for dwarves. Legendary metalsmith wearing all bronze equipment into bronze colossus or legendary ranger wearing dragon leather into dragon ? HELL YEAH !

And magic artifacts, of course.

[Evil One]

I have only two requirements RE: Magic...

1) Magic should be moddable not procedurally generated (if we want dwarves that can use D&D style magics we can put them in).

2) Each of the races should have a default magic style, Dwarven would be artifact and runes based IE they don't actually cast spells, Elves would be Animal and plant based (they can call up animals and plants to their aid), ETC.

[Naryar]

2) Each of the races should have a default magic style, Dwarven would be artifact and runes based IE they don't actually cast spells, Elves would be Animal and plant based (they can call up animals and plants to their aid), ETC.

So, dwarves are divine spellcasters, humans are classic fireball toting wizards and elves are druids ?

[Ahra]

id call them runesmiths.

[Evil One]

So, dwarves are divine spellcasters, humans are classic fireball toting wizards and elves are druids ?

Well dwarves basically just make really cool stuff, that if it's good enough can become magical... But the other two are more or less correct.

Also magic (be it items or spellcasters) should be extremely rare.

[Uristocrat]

If magic is implemented there should be (at least) 2 types:

Artificting - This is what dwarves do.  They create objects of unspeakable power.  Hammers that shoot lightning.  Barrels that are always full of booze.  Doors that kill when you try to pick them (f'n kobolds).

Druidry - This is what elves do.  Through magic, animals, plants, and entities can be made into monsters.  Sort of like creating abominations in other games.  They fight alongside their creators, until their magic runs out and they go rogue.


Humans could do crosses between these two types, and gobbos don't do squat except get obliterated by Urist McCrafter's Artifact Axe that gets +2 for ripping your skin off.

I'd give the elves elemental spirits (a la spirits of fire) as well as abominable animals.  And I'd make it so that they go rogue (killing everyone but themselves) after their creator dies, instead of when the magic runs out.  Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense for anyone to create them in the first place if they were like time bombs that would attack you eventually.

[GotIt_00]

I gotta say no magic too. Also, my troll meter went through the roof on this post. Maybe I'm paranoid, but "freezeball?"

[FallingWhale]

Toady doesn't want FIREBALL he wants wizards doing stuff until they make fireballs.

[Hyndis]

Artifacer type magic, like making very rare enchanted items that have passive magical effects, would be nice, and also would combine well with the existing artifact system.

Those artifact pig tail thongs you get may have some use. Or a statue may have an area effect around where the statue is made. Or a bucket could be always full of water and never need refilling.

[werechicken]

I'd like more of a call of the cthulu style magic spells, especially for goblins, demons and forgotten beasts. I.E. Turning dwarves skin to glass, teleporting creatures inside dwarves, teleporting organs out of the dwarves and other extremely horrific stuff.

I'm pretty sure none of those would be clichés