RPG Review: Dragon Age Boxed Set 1 - Part 3: Magic

What You Get

Dragon Age gives a bit of edginess to the magic-users. People coming from Dungeons and Dragons will need to be aware of a few things before picking up the game.

The first thing to be aware of is that, while Dragon Age is a class-based system like D&D (and its derivative works), Dragon Age players only have one class option, Mage, if they wish to play a spell caster; there is no spell casting Cleric/Priest class. Though this may seem an oversight, it really is not. The campaign background consists of one deity that exists, known as “The Maker”, who struck down those who committed a sin equivalent to Eve eating the Apple of Eden in ancient history, and cursed them into Darkspawn, evil creatures of darkness including demons and the undead. This premise, right from the start, sets up magic as a dark force to be controlled at best but ideally eliminated. As a result, in this mythos, a priest would really just be a fighter going forth to kill and destroy all magic. To further this edginess and tie in with this background, magic wielding characters are set up as either renegades or regulated. (I will visit the classes a bit more in my next post about Character Creation).

The second thing to be aware of, which ties in nicely in with this whole dark-magic-centered concept, is the fact that anyone that casts spells is subject to demonic possession. To further the paranoia around this, there are a number of references to this throughout both rulebooks, including mechanical bonuses and class features centered on fighting such possession off.

The third thing to realize is that the Vancian spell paradigm in which a mage character randomly memorizes spells from spell books, casts them without fail, and rememorizes more when there is a break in the action does not exist in Dragon Age. Instead, Dragon Age mages learn spells more like skills and possess a set number of mana points they can use to power a spell again and again until they run out. Spells are not assumed to be cast successfully in Dragon Age; an Ability Test is required just to manifest a spell. If the roll is a failure, the mana points are spent but no spell manifests. This mechanic unifies it with combat mechanics in that the Dragon Die can be used to create stunts as I mentioned in my previous post. While spells in Dragon Age, like Vancian systems, can be prevented from manifesting or affecting a target if the target makes a successful Ability Test, armor does not negate spell casting ability; it merely makes the Ability Test required to cast spells more difficult. 

My Take

First off, let me say the lack of a Cleric/Priest is a pretty solid one. The strategic role of that class can be filled with a fighter for combat or a mage for healing as well as any other miraculous effects. The ability of spellcasters to wear armor all but finishes off the need for the class. The three classes with only one magic-wielding class paradigm is pretty clean in terms of forcing the player to choose a strategic role. The more dramatic role of the “faithful” adventurer usually captured by a cleric/priest can be captured by a regulated mage; the role of a “badass” mage can be captured by a renegade mage. I will cover other dramatic aspects of this three-class-system in my entry about Character Creation.

Second, NOWHERE in either of the two books provided in the product does it describe the conditions, percentile chance, or any other mechanics of how and when such a cool thing as demonic possession would happen to a spell caster.  There is no Table of Contents to help find it (as mentioned in my previous installment, if I may beat a dead horse), and there is nothing in the Glossary or Index to lead you to it. There are mentions that it can happen in the Player’s Guide in several places (the campaign description "Welcome to Ferelden", the Magic section, and in the background text for the Character Creation section) but ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT IT IN THE GAME MASTER’S GUIDE! 

...What? Really? Nothing in the Game Master’s Guide? You are waiting for a player to buy another source book for such details for such a fundamental concept to the game world? Knowing this, as a player, means to me that the threat of possession can be completely blown off and that I can cast spells with impunity at least until 6^th level, when the next boxed set kicks in or my director buys another boxed set or resource that contains these rules. Until then, I am pretty sure that if I were forced to play this game (see my previous post for what it would take to do so) I would be playing a renegade mage character every time, and you can be darn sure I am going to be going around mind-blasting people, blowing up villages, and just making non-magical characters’ lives hell! BOO YAH! Then I will retire at fifth level, a single point shy of sixth, and live a nice quiet life outside a nice, secluded Dalian Elven village in peace...

...Ahem...

...O. K., I'm back..

Third, I can see why they chose a non-Vancian paradigm, especially since I was never fond of it anyway. I can also see that the designers wanted to unify combat and spell casting with Ability Tests and make them both more dramatic with a single mechanic e.g. stunt points. I even see the need for mana points to keep mages on a leash so they don’t go around laying siege to the entire continent. Unfortunately, the addition of the Ability Test to cast a spell seems to make a being mage casting a powerful spell less exciting, regardless of whether I just flame-blasted a poor little street urchin who tried to pick my pocket or froze an approaching dragon with nothing but my gaze, because the one thing that separates my character from the others and makes him special also makes him less dependable.

Conclusion

If you don’t like a cleric-less game, you might wish to forgo this game and play something else. Likewise, if you don’t like making a roll just to have your character successfully cast a spell, you may want to pass on this game, as the primary game mechanic of stunts rests on it. Also, if you don’t like the stunt point mechanic you may want to pass on it anyway. 

Now, if you are willing to jump in whole hog and embrace these paradigms, I think it will be very satisfying in terms of running a magical character in this campaign. If you like the game world but want to play with D&D or a similar system, just eliminate the Cleric/Priest class, open cleric spells up to mages, and let everyone wear armor. 

..Oh, one last thing. Check out the picture of the mage above. That is waiting for you(r) preteen and teenaged kids on page 27 if you buy this set! Looks a LOT more palatable than those old pictures from the Elmore days, no? Only Aleena the Cleric could hold a candle to her, and she wasn't wearing a top like THAT! Wow. 

Aleena The Cleric 

What is HiBRiD^TM about THIS?

Let’s be real. I generallt don't play clerics, as I think as a class it is kind of wishy-washy and designed for min-maxers.  Many times, the priest is played by someone who wants to hedge their bets because they can’t commit to a role. Other times, a player running a cleric/priest wants to cast spells without getting slaughtered by a kobold sneezing on his character, without having to give up wearing armor, and/or without suffering the multiclass penalties for being able to fight and sling mana. Still, other times, clerics/preists are played by someone who aesthetically prefers those spells (I always loved the priest/cleric necromancy spells as well as blade barrier!) or someone who wants to be obnoxious and push some faith on all who come within range (PC and NPC alike) as an attempt to steal the spotlight or (more benevolently) roleplay a unique character. The removal of the class altogether is very HiBRiD^TM, as it simplifies the character concept of the magic user without removing depth which can be easily supplied through other means (again, see my next entry on Character Creation for more on this). Additionally, the elimination of the class gives the campaign a very Black Company (by Glen Cook...check it out) feel that aesthetically pleases my HiBRiD^TM sensibilities.

The whole concept of demonic possession is always fun. Always. While the whole world of Cthulu bores me to tears (almost as much as Dr. Who), playing in any game where the Infernal can mess my character up is AWESOME! The whole demonic possession/dark paradigm of magic is very HiBRiD^TM! It adds a dark dimension that makes magic interesting and makes me want to play in this world (albeit with the HiBRiD^TM system!). The lack of a critical failure system neutralizes some of this great potential, however and prevents it from being scary as it possibly could be. Imagine: Critical Fail on the Ability Test...instant possession...demon possessing PC mage’s body starts mercilessly slaying all the good guys who are already fighting the Darkspawn minions...Nice!

Finally, while the ability to wear armor while casting a spell is totally HiBRiD^TM, the use of an Ability Test just to successfully cast a spell is totally not HiBRiD^TM. When my character swings a sword, I know it is swung; I am just waiting to see the consequences of that swing. When my Dragon Age mage casts a spell, however, it feels like I am rolling just to see if my character can pull his sword out of its scabbard; two more rolls are still required to determine the consequences of that spell if damage is inflicted. HiBRiD^TM aspects, whether they are mentalic, kinetic, correspondent etc., require no die roll simply to manifest the ability, just like no die roll is required just to pull a blade from its scabbard. It just happens. Only one roll is used to determine how it affects the target. This makes HiBRiD^TM (and Vancian systems, for that matter) faster, more empowering for the player, more exciting, and ultimately...more HiBRiD.