The way most RPG's would have it, magic users are little more than humanoid artillery pieces dressed in robes. A lone wizard could incinerate armies with a mere gesture, a cleric would be a one-man hospital who could cure every disease, heal any wound and raise people from the dead if need be. Nowhere is there a price tag attached to magic, it always works in cornucopian fashion provided that there's enough juice in the blue bar or enough Vancian slots filled. In such games, one wonders why mages simply aren't running the show, making all them pesky warrior-lords who inexplicably rule such worlds implode? Why are peasants toiling away at their fields when low-level clerics can wave their hands about and create water and food? The power structure would heavily favour magic users, the economy would run around in a straitjacket, seems the verdict.
The problem, it seems to me, is the way RPG systems work. They're based around parties where each individual is specialised in a skill useful to that party. Since the fighter can always swing his sword and the thief can always pick his locks, the mage must always be able to cast his spells. Unfortunately, this line of reasoning takes the mystery out of magic.
So, if I were to make a game, I would have considered this:
Make magic divine. It is a gift from the gods, dispensed at the gods' discretion (if it was all a matter of syllables and gestures, everyone would learn it eventually). Let the character work for like 1/3 of the game pleasing their god of choice, and then have them ascend as that deity's chosen one (ie, become a mage). The gift of magic should reflect the god - a chosen of the God of War would probably be something akin to Shadowrun's physical adepts, whereas those chosen by the Goddess ofLove Sex would be able to influence and bend minds. Let the character then create their own spells from a list of effects, and give every such effect a power level. The character should only be able to use a set amount of power within a specified time limit/before resting/before sacrificing something to that god/performing rituals/whatever (because of this, ironman mode and survival á la RoA should be an integral part of the game). If the character uses too much power in one sitting, something bad should happen - temporary insanity, physical injury, a tentacle sprouting from their forehead (Tzeentch!), premature aging etc etc. The chosen one would also be the agent of their god, and would risk losing their powers if they did something that god didn't approve of (which requires some good lore and writing, especially in the case of overtly evil gods).
Flame away.
The problem, it seems to me, is the way RPG systems work. They're based around parties where each individual is specialised in a skill useful to that party. Since the fighter can always swing his sword and the thief can always pick his locks, the mage must always be able to cast his spells. Unfortunately, this line of reasoning takes the mystery out of magic.
So, if I were to make a game, I would have considered this:
Make magic divine. It is a gift from the gods, dispensed at the gods' discretion (if it was all a matter of syllables and gestures, everyone would learn it eventually). Let the character work for like 1/3 of the game pleasing their god of choice, and then have them ascend as that deity's chosen one (ie, become a mage). The gift of magic should reflect the god - a chosen of the God of War would probably be something akin to Shadowrun's physical adepts, whereas those chosen by the Goddess of
Flame away.