house rules Archives : Page 4 of 5 : Untold Realms

Magical Styles in The Fantasy Trip

In a previous article, I wrote about some suggestions for fighting styles in The Fantasy Trip. As with fighting styles, there can also be magical styles as well. Magical styles can cover a wide range of game effects, but I want to suggest a use similar to that of fighting styles: something to add color and background flavor, treated much like a talent.

Gaming

Fear and Loathing in TFT

One gaming aspect that was missed in The Fantasy Trip was fear. Why does that matter? One view was that most adventurers seemed to be psychotic killers who were never affected by all of the blood, gore, monsters and the supernatural that were all around them. Another is that in the years since TFT was published, roleplaying has come a long way.

Magic & Sorcery

Spells From Heroes & Other Worlds

Since the 1980s, The Fantasy Trip has been a big influence on fantasy gaming. A number of games out there were either influenced by TFT (or its creator, Steve Jackson) or are modern versions of TFT itself. One of those games is Heroes & Other Worlds, by C. R. Brandon. Here are some spells from HOW.

Magic & Sorcery

Thieving Spells

Sometimes being bad feels good. The popularity of thieves as characters in roleplaying games is proof of that--whether traditional fantasy thieves or Mafia-types, players love their rogues. While The Fantasy Trip has a number of spells that aid the wizardly thief, players can always use a few more. Here are a few more thieving spells to help you be bad...

Gaming

Fighting Styles in The Fantasy Trip

As much of a tactical game as The Fantasy Trip is, it is kinda generic when it comes to actual fighting. But it would be nice to add some kind of color to combat, something that adds some flair--something that can give players options. That's where fighting styles comes in...

Magic & Sorcery

Magical Backlash in The Fantasy Trip

I've always been intrigued with the idea of magical backlash--something fantastic when a wizard screws up. Even a wizard with a stupidly high IQ can fail a spell on a roll of 16, 17 or 18. Unfortunately, the canon rules for Advanced Wizard do not take into account when a wizard suffers a critical failure. Here are some suggestions for rectifying that omission.