A major benefit of Open Legend RPG over others is the way magical effects are constructed. There are no spellbooks! While I love reading RPG books, I dislike reading and comprehending spell listings. Open Legend gives easy tools to simplify this.
The concept of a 'spell' in Open Legend can be one of a few things, generally referred to as 'Favored Actions' in the example Archetypes given in the rules. They can be damaging attacks, just like you would make with a sword or bow, Banes - which are harmful effects, generally placed on enemies, or Boons - helpful effects placed on oneself or an ally.
These effects are also not limited by levels of power or slots, so you can use each of them as many times per day/game as you like! Most require a simple action to use, the same as an attack in combat.
One of the most fun and creative things to do in Open Legend is take these general, mechanical game effects and transform them into unique actions that describe your character's methods. Taking the time to change the rules text 'I make a damaging attack' into the spell 'I summon a cyclone of ice shards' really adds fun and flavor to your Open Legend game!
Instead of just saying 'I attack with Energy', you could say 'I summon my inner power and release a plume of blue flame'. It sounds more interesting and evokes the sense of a powerful spell! If you like the way it works, name it and add it to your Favored Actions like this: 'Plume of Blue Flame (damaging attack): Energy v. Guard'. This doesn't change the way you roll dice but it can have a major effect on the way you play the game. Unique names for effects help you to define how your character acts and thinks!
Bane attacks are used to place negative statuses upon enemies (or other targets). Banes include Silenced, Stunned and Knockdown. Use your attribute to invoke a Bane on an enemy, forcing them to try to Resist in order to remove the effect. Banes can be very helpful in combat strategy or in dealing with Non-Player Characters (NPCs), such as invoking the Dominate Bane to force a guard NPC to open a locked door. Using a Bane attack, your could make a statement like 'I summon the otherworldly presence of my dark patron, using my Supernatural Presence to bend the guard to my will,' which is more flavorful than saying 'I invoke Dominate'.
Boons are used to place positive statuses and effects upon Player Characters (PCs) or allies. Boons are great for changing the way the game works, in favor of the players. They include Fly, Heal, Haste and more; each has a powerful effect that the player must roll using their Attribute dice to invoke. Instead of simply saying 'I invoke the Fly boon using Alteration', you could say, 'I cast the spell 'Wings of Radiance' which makes glowing wings appear on my back, allowing me to hover in the air'.
An important part of Open Legend is that these effects (damaging attacks, Banes, Boons) aren't limited to Extraordinary Attributes and don't have to represent spells. They could be the special attacks of a thief or the effects of advanced technology. You can define the rules of an action and then have it appear in the way you prefer. It makes it easy to have a customized game but common rules, so you can use Open Legend for any setting with any group!
The concept of a 'spell' in Open Legend can be one of a few things, generally referred to as 'Favored Actions' in the example Archetypes given in the rules. They can be damaging attacks, just like you would make with a sword or bow, Banes - which are harmful effects, generally placed on enemies, or Boons - helpful effects placed on oneself or an ally.
These effects are also not limited by levels of power or slots, so you can use each of them as many times per day/game as you like! Most require a simple action to use, the same as an attack in combat.
One of the most fun and creative things to do in Open Legend is take these general, mechanical game effects and transform them into unique actions that describe your character's methods. Taking the time to change the rules text 'I make a damaging attack' into the spell 'I summon a cyclone of ice shards' really adds fun and flavor to your Open Legend game!
Instead of just saying 'I attack with Energy', you could say 'I summon my inner power and release a plume of blue flame'. It sounds more interesting and evokes the sense of a powerful spell! If you like the way it works, name it and add it to your Favored Actions like this: 'Plume of Blue Flame (damaging attack): Energy v. Guard'. This doesn't change the way you roll dice but it can have a major effect on the way you play the game. Unique names for effects help you to define how your character acts and thinks!
Bane attacks are used to place negative statuses upon enemies (or other targets). Banes include Silenced, Stunned and Knockdown. Use your attribute to invoke a Bane on an enemy, forcing them to try to Resist in order to remove the effect. Banes can be very helpful in combat strategy or in dealing with Non-Player Characters (NPCs), such as invoking the Dominate Bane to force a guard NPC to open a locked door. Using a Bane attack, your could make a statement like 'I summon the otherworldly presence of my dark patron, using my Supernatural Presence to bend the guard to my will,' which is more flavorful than saying 'I invoke Dominate'.
Boons are used to place positive statuses and effects upon Player Characters (PCs) or allies. Boons are great for changing the way the game works, in favor of the players. They include Fly, Heal, Haste and more; each has a powerful effect that the player must roll using their Attribute dice to invoke. Instead of simply saying 'I invoke the Fly boon using Alteration', you could say, 'I cast the spell 'Wings of Radiance' which makes glowing wings appear on my back, allowing me to hover in the air'.
An important part of Open Legend is that these effects (damaging attacks, Banes, Boons) aren't limited to Extraordinary Attributes and don't have to represent spells. They could be the special attacks of a thief or the effects of advanced technology. You can define the rules of an action and then have it appear in the way you prefer. It makes it easy to have a customized game but common rules, so you can use Open Legend for any setting with any group!
I adore this function of Open Legend. Absolutely adore it.
ReplyDeleteAgreed! One of my favorite things about Open Legend is the way that it supports and encourages strategic play while allowing for creativity and freedom. Thanks for the comment!
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