|
|
|
Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/09/100-days-of-halloween-elements-of-magic.html
Going back a bit when the D&D 3.5 edition of the game was all the rage and ENWorld began publishing material under the OGL and d20 STL. This one covers the mythic magic of our World.
Elements of Magic - Mythic Earth
PDF in a zip file. 58 pages. Front and back cover supplied as separate JPG files.
You can tell this is the early days of PDF publishing. The publisher provides a README file to explain how use the layers to make a print-friendly PDF. Vey nice I have to say. Very polite.
This book largely assumes that you will be using this in a modern d20 game where magic is real. There is an appendix in the back about using it with "Fantasy d20" coughD&D3.5cough.
Preface
A one-page overview of what this book is and how it is updated from it's predecessors (other Elements of Magic books).
Chapter One: Myths
This chapter is the foundation layer for playing a "mythic" game. This covers what sorts of myths you to use or create for your game. The default is a modern high fantasy. We get some very basic examples of how myths work in the world. Such as the abduction of Persephone causing the seasons to a basic overview of A Hero with a Thousand Faces monomyth.
Honestly, there could have been a lot more here.
Chapter Two: Spellcasting and Magical Traditions
This covers the spell-casting basics. This includes "regular" spell casting and ritual magic. Magic is largely a skill-based system. Because of this any class can cast spells but some are going to be better trained than others. There are new backgrounds, new skills, and of course lots of new feats. Feats are the primary vehicle to differentiate the various magical styles. It works much better than it would seem or even to anyone that is "feat exhausted."
In truth, the feat system is really rather perfect for this, or maybe, this book's conceptualization of these different mythic traditions is well suited for feats. In other games, these would be all different classes or sub-classes. Here it is entirely possible to build an arcane dabbler that knows a little runic magic, some voodoo. Your dabbler will never be an expert in anything due to the limited number of feats you can take, but that is also true in real life. They are also designed to provide some interesting playability if you do take more than one Tradition feat.
Examples of some magic items and a ritual spell are also given.
Chapter Three: The Magic of High Fantasy
This is our campaign world; magical modern Earth. They make a distinction between our Earth, "Terra" and the magical Earth, "Gaia." It is not a particularly new idea, but it is well executed here and that is the important part. Detailed within are various organizations that exist on Gaia that are related to magic. There is the governmental "Bureau" that act as the law enforcement in the magical world and "The Knights of the Round" that enforce the treaties with the Fey. There is room for many more.
We are also given The Mage, an Advanced Class for d20 Modern. This rounded off with some NPC Mages.
Chapter Four: Spells
Spells here are applications of magical skills. The ten skills are Attack, Charm, Create, Cure, Defend, Divine, Illusion, Move, Summon, Summon, and Transform. Each skill must be trained. So it is easy to see you can have generalists in all skills and experts in just a few. Each skill has a number of spells associated with it. You can design spells as needed with whatever enhancements seem to work the best. Each enhancement requires a skill rank. So four enhancements mean four additional skill ranks.
The system takes a little bit to learn but is easily adaptable and usable in play.
Appendix
This covers converting the Mage advanced class to a Base class for use in Fantasy d20 worlds.
It is obvious to me that this was someone's favorite campaign model for a while. There are a lot of really great ideas here and few I'd like to try out. Reading it now I am taken by how much of this could be ported over to True20 or even a modern OSR game.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
It took me a while to start liking this product. At first I was a bit miffed as it was/is advertised as being compatible with EOM: Revised. However, its not. Evaluatingi t as a standalone product though, its great and is a system that in some ways is better than the eom. THere's no record keeping and it makes spells really simple to cast, especially for the DM. It also gives spell casters something else to do in battle other than talk. I've since made this compatable with the EOM. <br><br>
<b>LIKED</b>: I liked the simplicity and the focus on the concept.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: I wish it was more compatabile with the eom. <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Absolutely excellent! The "Elements of Magic" series of books are the essential resources for a true magic system. With this expansion, the magic can be brought more easily into a D20 Modern or D20 Future campaign.
I continue to be amazed by the scope, yet simplicity, of Elements.
I just wish EN would continue (books of Epic Spellcasting, Spell Books, Magic Item Books, etc., etc.).
You can't go wrong with this gem!<br><br>
<b>LIKED</b>: Best magic system since Ars Magica (and that's saying A LOT).<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Honestly... Absolutely nothing.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I had heard a little bit about EN Publishing?s Elements of Magic prior to reading Elements of Magic: Mythic Earth, so I was somewhat intrigued from the start. As I read this book, however, my enthusiasm for it quickly grew. Here was an e-book that was edited and proofread better than many print products that I?ve read, and with an interesting, flexible, and fun magic system that?s pretty easy to plop into any modern or fantasy d20 game. Allow me to explain where my enthusiasm comes from.
The e-book starts with an introduction, as you?d expect, and then leads into a very intelligent discussion of myth, legend, folktale and superstition. It not only discusses what these things are, exploring various types of myths, including the Monomyth and the Fellowship Cycle, but it does a very good job of explaining why myth can make a good game better. This is not just a theoretical essay, it?s a guide for breathing new life into your game, for adding resonance to quests that might feel somewhat generic otherwise.
As interesting as this discussion is, however, the real meat of the product is the magic system, and it is very, very good. Magic is broken up into a series of spellcasting skills?skills like Create, Attack, Illusion, and Charm, to name a few?which you gain access to by taking Tradition feats. A Tradition feat represents the spellcasting tradition that you follow?again, to name a few: Stage Magic, Dreamtime, Necromancy, and Classical Fey?and give you access to certain spellcasting skills as class skills. To cast a spell, you simply choose the effect that you want, including range, duration, and other particulars, and work with the GM to find an appropriate level and DC. Then you cast the spell. It sounds like magic might slow the game down, doesn?t it? It really doesn?t. Spontaneous casting, as described above, takes two full rounds to use. To mitigate this, you can create ?signature spells?; basically, spontaneous spells that you?ve created beforehand, that do the same thing every time you cast them, but only require a standard action to cast. Thus, the flexibility is maintained, and the game is sped up considerably.
Granted, the book is not without its problems. There are a very few editing mistakes, and I can think of a few places where some errata is needed. For example, the book explains that, in order to cast a spell of higher level than is normally possible, you must take Strength burn. However, at certain points in the text, a different penalty (the fatigued condition) is referred to. In another part of the book, a few Tradition feats are provided for standard fantasy d20 (the system is designed with modern d20 in mind). However, one of these feats requires the use of action points, which are normally unavailable in fantasy d20. However, little things like this do nothing to detract from the overall superb quality of this product. Perhaps the best thing I can say about it is that I fully intend to use it in my own game, and I?m very, very excited about it.
UPDATE: I recently had the opportunity to playtest some of the rules presented in this product. While I stand by my rating, and I'm still very enthusiastic about the magic system presented, I'll admit that it might err a little bit on the side of being overpowered. I plan on using a 'mana gathering' mechanic (somewhat similar to what's presented in the Thieves' World Players Guide) to reign it in a little bit. When I've playtested that particular idea, I'll update this review again.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Great writing, intelligent discussions, and excellent artwork. Not only that, but the magic system is perhaps one of the most interesting, flexible, and balanced (at least, against itself) systems I?ve seen for quite some time. Also, for those looking for a little flavor with their crunch, there?s a lengthy section on the default campaign setting for Elements of Magic: Mythic Earth, a setting called High Fantasy for modern d20. It?s well-written and very interesting, and gives you a lot of good examples of how to create spells via the system.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Very little. There were a few errors and items requiring minor errata, but nothing game-breaking. It's also possible that using this magic system could make mage characters a little too powerful; I'm not entirely convinced of it, but the possibility is there.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br><BR>[THIS REVIEW WAS EDITED]<BR>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mythic Earth is the latest product using E.N. Publishing?s award-winning Elements of Magic system. However, unlike the previous EoM product, Lyceian Arcana, Mythic Earth is not a supplement to Elements of Magic Revised. Mythic Earth presents a simpler, streamlined version of the Elements of Magic rules, and stands on its own.
While Mythic Earth does have a focus on Modern d20, it doesn?t limit itself to that. Most of the rules presented work in either Fantasy or Modern d20. Likewise, there?s an appendix at the end of the book that details the Fantasy d20 versions of some of the Modern-specific material.
Mythic Earth is heavily slanted in its campaign scope. While there?s no reason the material in here couldn?t be used in any sort of game, it doesn?t really stray beyond the bounds of a mystical Earth. The idea here is that there is a parallel world, called Gaia, where magic and magical creatures reside. Forced away from Terra (Earth) long ago, they?re now returning. The why?s of the situation are left open to individual GM?s for their campaigns.
Chapter one basically covers the idea of running a mythic game. It talks about what the basic style of myths are, and how to alter that for a group of heroes. It also covers some of the common archetypes that spring up in various myths around the world.
Chapter two covers the basic mechanics of spellcasting. In Mythic Earth, spellcasting isn?t the province of a character class. Any character can use magic, assuming he has the proper skills and (most likely) feats. Magic is divided into two types. Ritual spells are spells that require only a skill roll in Knowledge (arcane lore). However, they require a number of rounds and successful skill checks to cast. The DCs tend to be higher also, as this form of magic is basically the characters forcing magic to work for them.
The second form of magic presented is that of magical traditions. Magical traditions are feats you take representing the style of magic that you?re not only trained in, but believe in. If you take Animism, for example, you believe your power is granted to you by spirits. It is possible to take more than one magical tradition feat, though you can?t use more than one tradition at a time (unless you have the feat that lets you do just that).
Each magical tradition grants access to a certain number of magical skills. Magical skills are purchased like normal skills are, and there are ten magical skills in all (such as Attack, Charm, Move, etc.). The class skills are those granted by your magical tradition(s). All others are cross-class skills. Likewise, you can?t even take cross-class magical skills unless you have at least one magical tradition.
People who have Elements of Magic Revised will recognize the magical skills as being the streamlined form of magic from that book. The way these work is that you use the appropriate magical skills at the appropriate level (making a moderate illusion might only need 10 ranks in Illusion, even if you have 15 ranks) and then make a skill check with that skill after two rounds of casting. A successful check lets you cast the spell, though failure can cause a mishap, which may even result in you taking damage. This system obviously allows for a great deal of flexibility, especially if you allow for the variant that lets you mix and match multiple skills into a spell for a more diverse effect.
The tradition feats are quite imaginative, each granting a special bonus and penalty in addition to certain magical skills. In addition, several are quite amusing. For example, after Animism is Anime-ism, the tradition that lets you cast spells in the style of anime. Don?t think that it?s all fun and games though. There are also traditions such as Blood Magic, Voodoo, Spanish Inquisitor, and Christian Magus, to name just a few. Also present are other feats that simply modify spellcasting directly. Unlike tradition feats, these just change effects the spell has (similar to metamagic feats).
Magic items and their construction are also covered. Like the rest of the system, this is fairly streamlined from what you may be familiar with. Any magic user can create one-shot items. Items that are permanent require a Craft Permanent Spell feat to make, but otherwise aren?t much more difficult. What is difficult is making an item at all. You need to spend Craft Points to make an item, and you only get some of those from spending Action Points. Since the stronger items can have Craft Point costs of tens of thousands, you most likely won?t be making many magic items.
Chapter three covers the default campaign setting for Mythic Earth: the High Fantasy setting. Despite the name, it covers the modern Earth where magic is returning (described above). Two organizations are presented, the magical law-enforcement agency called the Bureau, and the magical creature-hunting Knights of the Round. Following this is the Mage advanced class, which represents greater training in whatever your magical tradition is. A few magic items (mostly for moving back and forth from Terra to Gaia) are also presented, as are five sample characters.
Chapter four showcases the magic skills in depth. Each skill has its particular uses (called enhancements) covered, such as the Defend skill allowing you to make spells that use antimagic, damage reduction, energy resistance, etc. Each particular use has a number of ranks that you need to have. If you want to make a defensive spell that will give you DR (+2 ranks) and energy resistance (+1), you?ll need at least three ranks. The more powerful and more diverse your spells are, the more ranks you need.
The Appendix covers Fantasy d20 conversions of Modern d20 material. Things like using XP to make magic items instead of Craft Points are covered, as is the Mage as a base class. Finally, it gives us three more magical traditions, based on fantasy-world magic styles.
All in all, Mythic Earth is definitely a winner. The real issue I had with the product was how it treated the Fantasy d20 applications as an afterthought. While the mechanics of using the material presented here are adequate, the idea of fantasy mythic gaming is given virtually no coverage. This gives the sense that the product is being somewhat forceful in having its system used in its default campaign world. This wouldn?t be such a big deal if the product was geared only towards Modern d20, but by billing itself as being available for use with both Fantasy and Modern systems, I can?t help but hold the lack of Fantasy support against it.
That said, Mythic Earth presents a great magic system that maintains the same feel that made Elements of Magic Revised a winner, while still altering it enough to make it feel perfect for your Modern game, whether you use the High Fantasy campaign setting or not. It does an excellent job of capturing the feel of ?real? magic, and that shines throughout the product. I heartily recommend that you inject a little myth into your game.
<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: The flexible but not complex magic system. The way it focused on "real world" magic traditions, but wasn't bound by them. How it was delightfully interesting to read. It had a great pre-made campaign setting that gave enough to paint a picture of the setting, but limited enough to allow for plenty of GM freedom.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Despite what the ad said, Fantasy d20 was obviously a second-class citizen in this product. Constructing magic items seemed inordinately difficult the more powerful they were.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For those of you not familiar with the line, Elements of Magic is a stand alone magic plug-in for d20 fantasy games. Elements of Magic: Mythic Earth is an updated, revised, and streamlined supplement for magic used in both fantasy and modern day games. It?s fully compatible with any d20 fantasy and d20 modern game out there.
It?s a great system and allows players and game masters to really control magic and make it do almost anything. Sacrificing a little power for a lot of flexibility, Mythic Earth is the best magic system available period.
The product itself has a solid and clean layout. The first primary section is on mythic settings and creating a unique mythos for your game. Spellcasting and magical traditions covers the basic mechanics of casting spells. This chapter includes magical traditions (backgrounds), new feats and magical skills.
The third chapter, the Magic of High Fantasy, covers more background organizations, a new advanced class for d20 Modern (the Mage), types of magic items, and sample characters. The sample characters are fully written out and have full descriptions of the signature spells available to them. This section also discusses certain types of mythic creatures, such as faeries and dragons.
Chapter four is devoted completely to spell mechanics. This section is worth the price alone, as it gives detailed and comprehensive rules for creating and using spells in a game.
The Appendix gives detailed rules on converting Elements of Magic revised to the Mythic Earth rules, which would incorporate any standard fantasy d20 game. It also includes a long list of sample tradition feats, which modify what magical abilities are available.
The sidebars stand out really well and make reading and referencing the document simple. The bookmarks are well organized and structured, also an aid in reference. It runs 58 pages, one of which is the license, two of which are contents and the title page. The edition I received had the front and back cover images separate, so I assume it was the version for POD.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: The rules, the layout, the bookmarks, the writing, the sidebars and highlights.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: There aren't many other products or settings out there that use this system. That's unfortunate.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Log In 
