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[iron_general]

I like the aforementioned ideas involving books, runes and Alchemy but worry about this system becoming too industrial, and thus mundane. The books and runes mentioned seem rather easy to mass produce and  "rune traps" just seem like another type of weapon trap (though runes might be a good way to explain the way levers now work). I'd prefer to see powerful and rare magics with dire consequences for failure, summoning and deity related magics lend themselves well to this. One might summon a demon willing to turn lead to gold or , depending on the skill of the practitioner, a violent spirit. Gods could be equally fickle. I have heard a lot of talk of artifact related magic on other threads, this seems dwarfy to me. The consequence to failure in such a case might be damage to the artifact.
In such a system, even if the ability to harness such powers was common there would be an incentive to only use such powers sparingly. Thus preventing any sort of industrial magic.

[smasher89]

Slaves to Armok chapter 1 had a magic system, which, while fun, was ridiculously broken. It took a very small amount of time and absolutely zero effort to make an enemy's head explode, teleport their brains out of their body, etc.

It did take a damn lot of effort to regrow a pinky, though.

 Yeah i played it once, it was hylarious, but its the "idea" I think it was intentional, a way of saying: its more easy to destroy than create...

I like the aforementioned ideas involving books, runes and Alchemy but worry about this system becoming too industrial, and thus mundane. The books and runes mentioned seem rather easy to mass produce and  "rune traps" just seem like another type of weapon trap (though runes might be a good way to explain the way levers now work). I'd prefer to see powerful and rare magics with dire consequences for failure, summoning and deity related magics lend themselves well to this. One might summon a demon willing to turn lead to gold or , depending on the skill of the practitioner, a violent spirit. Gods could be equally fickle. I have heard a lot of talk of artifact related magic on other threads, this seems dwarfy to me. The consequence to failure in such a case might be damage to the artifact.
In such a system, even if the ability to harness such powers was common there would be an incentive to only use such powers sparingly. Thus preventing any sort of industrial magic.

 You have seen "legends mode" right??? just see at world generation phase the dead quantity! I know that to this times, they are caused by the number 1 resource of fun in DF: mega beast and wars! but as I mentioned on the "alchemy-magic esque" stuff, only fools will be too greedy and pay the price, so that would explain those number of deaths! maybe much people tryes it, but only a few survive and become magic users! at least I see at taht point of uniqueness...

[Beznogim]

The way I see it:
- mages are the nobles. There are different types of them - necromancers, conjurers, mind-dominating ones, etc. - but the Fortress might contain only one or two of them.
- some of the other dwarves, who have right personality trait, may become mage apprentices, forming some sort of a cult, being able to cast minor spells and assisting the mage in casting complex spells or doing dirty work, like drawing pentagrams. If the mage somehow dies, one of his apprentices will become noble mage instead, if his magic skill has become quite high.
- dwarves may become enchanters - they make magic runes and encrust them in weapons and armor or set them as traps (make enemies fall asleep, for example). The more skilled dwarf is - the more powerful runes he produces.

[inEQUALITY]

I love how everyone is giving what THEY want the magic system to be. Why not just have it gen'd, as already planned? I don't want the same magic system every game the same way I don't want the exact same forgotten beast busting down my doors every game.

[smasher89]

I love how everyone is giving what THEY want the magic system to be. Why not just have it gen'd, as already planned? I don't want the same magic system every game the same way I don't want the exact same forgotten beast busting down my doors every game.

 Thats we are doing, its a suggestions topic! so if the developer of the game likes one of those ideas he may implement it, in the way he would like! and we are thinkg about OUR ideas, meaning original things, not just generic things like you are thinking...

The way I see it:
- mages are the nobles. There are different types of them - necromancers, conjurers, mind-dominating ones, etc. - but the Fortress might contain only one or two of them.
- some of the other dwarves, who have right personality trait, may become mage apprentices, forming some sort of a cult, being able to cast minor spells and assisting the mage in casting complex spells or doing dirty work, like drawing pentagrams. If the mage somehow dies, one of his apprentices will become noble mage instead, if his magic skill has become quite high.
- dwarves may become enchanters - they make magic runes and encrust them in weapons and armor or set them as traps (make enemies fall asleep, for example). The more skilled dwarf is - the more powerful runes he produces.

 Yeah tought the heir master position --- disciple, thing seem a bit "martial arts" way, its magic, not takwondo or karate... but applying magic to things or objects in teh world mnore than runes seems a good idea, like some short of applying forces to a door to seal it? or sealing HFS or demons into scrolls or items and them summoning them? some short of thing like that, but involving a great effort and a lot of parameters more than just attributes of the mage?

[peskyninja]

first we need nobles...

[Waparius]

In one of the Dwarf Fort Talks, they went into magic a fair bit. According to Toady he wants to get artifacts properly magical before he really goes into wizards and the like for Fortress mode - the example, IIRC, was an artifact cabinet that enhanced the quality of anything put into it and covered it in gold decorations. This will take a while - dwarves have to be able to wear amulets and things and report on finding out what this or that artifact does in a way that doesn't lower FUN potential - but I really like it; it's in keeping with the whole  low-fantasy feel of the game.

People in other threads have mentioned having a wizard who will occasionally visit and demand something ridiculous from the fort. If they have it all ready when the wizard comes back he casts some kind of spell, like turning all the weapons in the fort into masterwork steel or turning all the cats into peasants.

Both of these are the things I like the most. Of course that was before all the necromancy and Secrets stuff happening now. But it would still be neat to have a dwarf make, say, an artifact bronze statue that turns into a friendly Bronze Colossus whenever enemies attack.

[inEQUALITY]

 Thats we are doing, its a suggestions topic! so if the developer of the game likes one of those ideas he may implement it, in the way he would like! and we are thinkg about OUR ideas, meaning original things, not just generic things like you are thinking...

What I'm saying is it sounds like people are trying to each push their own hardcoded magic systems. That's very non-DF and quite unfun. Especially when none of us seem to see eye-to-eye on the kind of magic we want to see. Now if Toady wants to take these ideas and use bits and pieces as parts of a gen'd system, I'm all for these different kinds of ideas. I just hate how a few posts seemed to take it to; THIS is how magic MUST be done in DF.

[Putnam]

 Thats we are doing, its a suggestions topic! so if the developer of the game likes one of those ideas he may implement it, in the way he would like! and we are thinkg about OUR ideas, meaning original things, not just generic things like you are thinking...

What I'm saying is it sounds like people are trying to each push their own hardcoded magic systems. That's very non-DF and quite unfun. Especially when none of us seem to see eye-to-eye on the kind of magic we want to see. Now if Toady wants to take these ideas and use bits and pieces as parts of a gen'd system, I'm all for these different kinds of ideas. I just hate how a few posts seemed to take it to; THIS is how magic MUST be done in DF.

Indeed. Personally, I think that magic MUST be done in DF this way:

Randomly generated.

[inEQUALITY]

Indeed. Personally, I think that magic MUST be done in DF this way:

Randomly generated.

+1

[Hitty40]

Indeed. Personally, I think that magic MUST be done in DF this way:

Randomly generated.

+1

+2

And here comes the quote pyramid spam...

[m4davis]

Indeed. Personally, I think that magic MUST be done in DF this way:

Randomly generated.

+1

+2

And here comes the quote pyramid spam...

+3

[smasher89]

Indeed. Personally, I think that magic MUST be done in DF this way:

Randomly generated.

+1

+2

And here comes the quote pyramid spam...

+3

+4 + INFINTE!

 So it should end here, right... NOW?

 Thats we are doing, its a suggestions topic! so if the developer of the game likes one of those ideas he may implement it, in the way he would like! and we are thinkg about OUR ideas, meaning original things, not just generic things like you are thinking...

What I'm saying is it sounds like people are trying to each push their own hardcoded magic systems. That's very non-DF and quite unfun. Especially when none of us seem to see eye-to-eye on the kind of magic we want to see. Now if Toady wants to take these ideas and use bits and pieces as parts of a gen'd system, I'm all for these different kinds of ideas. I just hate how a few posts seemed to take it to; THIS is how magic MUST be done in DF.

Indeed. Personally, I think that magic MUST be done in DF this way:

Randomly generated.

 Totally agree, but that should be very complicated, I mean, a randomly generated system its very complicated or nearly impossible... one thing its that creatures get randomly or proceduraly generated or they got their own traits or apperance things from their own, but proceduraly generated systems seems to be completely impossible without making presets!

[Hitty40]

Indeed. Personally, I think that magic MUST be done in DF this way:

Randomly generated.

+1

+2

And here comes the quote pyramid spam...

+3

+4 + INFINTE!

 So it should end here, right... NOW?

 Thats we are doing, its a suggestions topic! so if the developer of the game likes one of those ideas he may implement it, in the way he would like! and we are thinkg about OUR ideas, meaning original things, not just generic things like you are thinking...

What I'm saying is it sounds like people are trying to each push their own hardcoded magic systems. That's very non-DF and quite unfun. Especially when none of us seem to see eye-to-eye on the kind of magic we want to see. Now if Toady wants to take these ideas and use bits and pieces as parts of a gen'd system, I'm all for these different kinds of ideas. I just hate how a few posts seemed to take it to; THIS is how magic MUST be done in DF.

Indeed. Personally, I think that magic MUST be done in DF this way:

Randomly generated.

 Totally agree, but that should be very complicated, I mean, a randomly generated system its very complicated or nearly impossible... one thing its that creatures get randomly or proceduraly generated or they got their own traits or apperance things from their own, but proceduraly generated systems seems to be completely impossible without making presets!

No, it shouldn't end.

[Nil Eyeglazed]

Even if magic is going to be randomly generated, it has to be randomly generated inside of certain frameworks.  Saying "generate it randomly!" doesn't answer all questions.

For instance, will random generation have the possibility of making a D&D style fireball spell that you can cast 1 time per day when you're a 4th level magic user?  No.  Not unless you build in class and level and usage per day and fireballs.  (And I don't think Toady wants that kind of magic anyways.)