Wheel of Time game mechanics?

[Mr Fox]

Once upon a time I ran a Wheel of Time game (TT)... the problem I had with the d20 system was that I found it very inadequate at portraying channeling from a game mechanics perspective. The system seemed flat and well, inadequate is the best word I can think of. It just lacked the flavor of channeling in the novels. In my table top game my group created house rules to address some of the problems, but it was still just a few house rules cluged onto a lackluster system.

(Knowing that I am definitely not the greatest mechanics guy around)... I would appreciate advice/help/etc on creating a system to better reflect channeling as it was in the books. The d20 wizard-like spell lists of weaves was just boring and had no soul. Naturally I'd love to have a way to do it in the ST system since White-wolf mechanics are what I'm most familiar with, but it could be d20, or anything else so long as it mirrors what is possible in the books.

I'd like the channeling system to do the following:

1) Some weaves are common knowledge, some are rare. However, it should be possible for a channeler can create entirely new weaves. (This is particularly important since I would like to run a game based in a time period before the setting in the novels in which channeling is just being discovered.)

2) Strength in the One Power should have an effect on the game (This was completely lacking in the d20 mechanics). In the novels a channeler's strength has direct effects from how many weaves they can perform at one time to how strong the effects of the weaves they create are. This also grows over time as the channeler grows more skilled.

3) Crap, I composed this post before I left work and had a third thing that I wanted to mention, but I lost the post and had to rewrite it and now I can't remember my third point. *grumbles*

Sugestions/help/etc would be appreciated... Thanks.

[SalmonMax]

GURPS is pretty flexible, as far as magic goes. The "core" rules can be easily modified. In GURPS, your strength in magic is based on the level of the Magery advantage you have...the more Magery, the higher your effective stat for controlling and casting is...thus the harder the spells, under the worse circumstances you can cast.

Each spell is a separate skill however, leaving room for powerful mages who know little magic...or old timers who haven't got a lot of oomph left, but can pull of magical stunts that leave whippersnappers with their mouths dangling open.

The limiting factor on magic in GURPS is your Fatigue score. Each spell costs fatigue to cast (how much depends on the spell, and your skill in it). Run your fatigue too low, and you suffer movement penalties and so on. Run out, and you're out cold.

Core GURPS magic isn't perfect for WoT channeling, but it comes closer than d20. I'm pretty sure with some tweaking it would work great. In fact, a long time back, I was working on a GURPS: Wheel of Time conversion for my own use.

You might be able to kludge something together out of M&M too, but it wouldn't be very streamlined.

[Mr Fox]

Actually that's a very good point Smax.

The 'fatigue' factor is something that absolutely must be included in any channeling system. In the books that was the way it worked, there were no 'spells per day' crap like d20, it was all about how tired you were and channeling takes it out of you, even if you are one of the most powerful channelers. Tossing lightening bolts around wears you out a whole lot more than minor weaves.

Incidentally, I know nothing really about gurps... so the downside to that would mean having to learn an entirely new system and buy more books... not entirely out of the question if that's the best system to use, but it wouldn't be my first choice if it could be made to work within d20, ST or another system I'm already familiar with.

[SalmonMax]

You MIGHT be able to conduct extensive surgery on the WoD Mage rules to make them work. You'd have to scrap the various types of magic in the book and replace them with the Five Elements...dots in them represent your mastery of each of Air, Earth, Fire, Water and Spirit weaves. Some types of weaves would require minimum masteries in multiple elements.

Specific weaves could be purchased with the "rote" rules, to represent specific spells that are learned, rather than improvised via freeform weaving.

Then just transform the Mana stat into a more general Fatigue stat. Some basic weaves don't cost fatigue, but most will cost one or more. You might want to change the mechanic by which Fatigue is determined, or create a Merit that raises Fatigue, as some individuals in WoT (exceptional ones, admittedly), demonstrate remarkable endurance.

[Firanis 'Fi' Flux]

I remember seeing on the HERO system forums (specifically Fantasy HERO) they had an extensive thread on modeling various mechanics, but since they've updated the forum (and shifted to sixth edition) apparently it has been lost.

I did find this thread where someone was trying to collect the information again. Before, they had rules for Aiel fighting styles, Warders and their cloaks, using the One Power, Burning Out and being Severed/Gentled/Stilled, Ogier, Blademaster Forms, lots of stuff. HERO system is admittedly a very complex system, but it is actually very good for modeling whatever specific effect you need.

I know you were looking for a system you were already familiar with, but thought you might want to take a look at this - if nothing else, it will give you an idea of what you might need to take into account using another system.

(P.S. Just finished reading The Towers of Midnight, second part of the last book. Sanderson is doing an excellent job closing the series for Jordan)

[Mr Fox]

Absolutely agree. Sanderson is doing a great job, these last two books have been full of good stuff. Now we've got a year to wait for the final installment.

Click to reveal..

******SPOILER ALERT*******

Only thing I'm not pleased with is Aviendha's vision of the future. I seriously hope something comes up in the next book to throw that into question. I would not be happy with that being a certainty. I'd much rather the future were open to full speculation on what might happen after the last battle, or better yet I'd like to see the Seanchan set back into position where they weren't a complete threat to the rest of the world.

[Galahad]

Have you ever seen Naruto d20? The system the creators use for Chakra and Ninjutsu is pretty much exactly what your looking for I think. It also includes fatigue and using more power than you have available if memory serves me correctly. It shows how powers can have rarity and also allows for the easy creation of new abilities and is actually encouraged by many of the people who run the system.