Classless, version Llama
Each level, you get either:
- One Power (new skill at rank 1 or upgrade existing skill 1 rank), and 2 Mana
- One Superpower (bundle of supernatural abilities), and a bundle of stat adds that go with it
Every 4th level, you get a stat add. Cuz 5e.
Powers
Power list (subset):
- Fire
- Life
- Frost
- Drain
- Infernal (invocation)
- Faery (invocation)
Roughly equal to a 5eA Discipline/Sphere
Fire
Rank 1
Choose one:
- Immolate
- Wildfire
- Burning Hands
Choose X:
- Fireball
- Flame Jet
- Wall of Fire
- Conflagrate
Rituals:
- Start a fire
- Control fire
How powers should work
Each power has:
- Description of things you can definitely do easily (cantrips and rituals)
- Description of things you can conceivably do, but with some risk of failure and/or cost (Mana and/or Use Magic)
One way it might work:
- Spell effects are still arranged in 5 ranks, as per system 6
- At rank X, everything of rank <X is "easy", X is "doable", and >X is "big magic or impossible"
- Thus, at rank 1, rank 0 cantrips are "easy", 1 is "doable with risk", and 2 might be possible with risk, cost, and other sacrifices
- Anything specifically listed, you can do, as long as you spend the Mana and pass any required skill checks (i.e. Use Magic)
- Anything within the bounds of the abilities you can do is also doable with Use Magic / Big Magic
Thus, you don't need to spend skill ranks to learn individual spells, but rather by advancing your skill rank, you can make all spells of a given rank "easy"
Mana costs don't change in this model (though they might not be needed at all with Use Magic).
Skills
Basic skills:
- Investigate
- Perception (read a bad situation)
- Charisma (manipulate someone)
- Fighting
- Marksmanship
- Fortitude
- Willpower
- Use Magic
Kind of a combination of ability score and skill.
Investigate
As Monster of the Week
Perception
Read a bad situation, notice enemies, etc
Charisma
As Monster of the Week
Fighting
Moves:
- Kick some ass
- Success: you do damage, and either take none in turn, or take damage but establish an advantage of some sort
- Mixed: do damage, take damage
- FAilure: do no damage, still take damage
Marksmanship
Like Fighting, but puts you at less risk (unless the enemy is also using ranged weapons)
Fortitude
Moves:
- Take a hit (Soak)
- Tough it out (Fort save)
Willpower
Moves:
- Contest of wills
- Establish dominance
Use Magic
As Monster of the Week, except you can't invest directly in it. Instead, you invest in individual magical sub-skills, such as Fire, Life, Force, Empathy, Undeath, etc. They all obey the same core rules, but deal with specific domains of magical power.