RPG Review: Tiny Horsies The Role Paying Game - Part 4: Magic

What You Get

Tiny Horsies is not a game of battle mages, dark magic, or defilers of the land. It is, instead, a game of creatures using magic to solve problems, and sometimes, to kick a little butt. 

The magic abilities open to a character are determined by the type of tiny horsie (see Part 2 to learn more about horsie types). Unicorn and Pegacorn horsie PCs (I like to think of them as “magical horsies”) possess Magical Attributes and are able to use them as if they were just another attribute, or may purchase levels in the Magical Object attribute to be able to create magic objects. Terra and Pegasus horsie PCs (or, in other words, might I say “nonmagical horsies”) cannot possess Magical Attributes, however, they can still obtain access to magical effects by purchasing the Magical Object Attribute and putting points into it as magical horsies can.

The individual Magical Attributes have consistent effects that are described in the book and may be enhanced by spending points on them, just like any other attribute. The Magical Objects Attributes can be used to create items that manifest identical effects to those manifested by Magical Attributes or a number of additional effects that are listed in the book.

Spending points on the Create Magic Objects Attribute increases the number of types of items, the number of types of abilities, or the level of power of the items a horsie may create. Magical objects have an Attribute Level just like any of the horsie’s other Attributes, enabling them to be used in an exact manner during character action resolution. For the most part, magic items described in the book are one-shot disposable items with their own Magical Attributes.

My Take

The system appears on the surface to be an apparent dichotomy of two magic systems that in theory seem different, as one is a skill-based system used by only the “magical horsies”, and one is akin to a Vancian System with physical components for both magical and nonmagical horsies. The neat thing is that the mechanics of the two systems are identical, so they flow together seamlessly during play.

There are some other features worthy of note.

First, there are only 18 magical effects described in detail in the book. Specifically, the magical horsie abilities and scrolls make the following effects available to horsies:

• Telekinesis
• Order
• Cancel Magic
• Energy Ray
• Transformation
• Healing
• Teleportation

Potions enable horsies to create objects with the following effects:

• Aversion
• Healing
• Underwater Breathing
• Charisma
• Invisibility
• Illness
• Curing Diseases
• Cure Magical Conditions
• Truth
• Rest
• Sleep

It would seem there are more magical effects for potions when compared to scrolls or magical horsies at first glance. Like everything else in the game, however, the rules say that these are common, not absolute, and that horsies may find other magical items and effects over the course of their adventures. And of course, horsies and Game Masters can always develop and playtest their own. For our home campaign, we say all effects are available to all items or magical horsies. If a Unicorn wants to be able to Breath Underwater, then we follow the rules for that potion ability and the horsie may have it as a magical attribute instead. If a Terra wants to make a potion of teleportation, have at it!

Upon reading the effect descriptions, only one is really able to inflict damage, the Energy Rays. There are no fireballs, lightning bolts, or life draining touches, although a Naughty Horsie might have these…hmm, that is an idea for a game…I have to go write that down…back in a minute…

...O. K., I’m back

Energy rays in Tiny Horsies are unique from normal damage-causing spells in other games,  because,  in addition to their ability to inflict damage, they also have a secondary effect as well. When a character chooses to purchase an energy ray for a character, a specific ray type must be declared, which also determines the special ability the ray provides. A darkness ray, for instance, may be used by the horsie firing it to see in the dark. It also specifically cancels out a light ray if it is fired at the horsie. In our home campaign, we use the rules for damage and side effects of energy rays, but allow the players to define how they manifest. Our resident flying manatee manifests the fire energy ray as a large cloud of gas that comes out of her butt, and our little wolfie likes to manifest his fire energy ray as fireballs that spring from his paws.

One final note: As I previously pointed out, of the 18 magical effects described in the text, only one has a real potential to do damage to other creatures. Even that effect has side abilities associated with it to make it more useful as a tool rather than a weapon. This keeps the magic system in alignment with my original point in my other chapters of this review: that Tiny Horsies treats combat as just one way to solve a problem, not the end-all-be-all of character action.

Conclusion

The Tiny Horsies magic system is functional , easy to use, and consistent with the mechanics used for the rest of the game. While only an eyelash shy of a score of effects are described, they are functional and will cover routine situations horsies will come across.

For mechanic-loving, simulationist gamers who want to lay waste to legions of evildoers, look elsewhere.

For role players, people who want to manifest combat with flair and pizzazz, problem-solving players looking for unique ways to solve problems, and creative types that want a system that allows for easy creation and testing of unique spells or magical effects, the magic system is easy to learn, quick to resolve, and fun to tinker with.  

What is HiBRiD about this?

As the 3 of you that have read the blog regularly know, HiBRiD has no magic system per se, though I have created a wrapper to convert D&D (and its derivatives' ) spells into skills (only requiring a task roll when characters are allowed a saving throw). This allows spells to fit within the framework of the HiBRiD system, making the development of further magical spells easy by offloading it onto other systems and enabling players to use the books they have already bought without having to feel like they wasted their money) and ensures the focus remains on heroic action rather than the spellcasting itself.

The 18 defined spell descriptions provided in Tiny Horsies provide just enough diversity and clarity to give free-form gaming groups the fundamental guidelines needed for designing their own spells and magical effects to fit within their own games. This is in alignment with HiBRiD, as they lie in a zone where they are not so crunchy as to prevent the unpredictable yet entertaining effects from Game Master interpretations (as 3E and beyond spells are) while still having just enough structure to keep the core effects well-defined so as not to take away from the story (unlike Storyteller systems, where the spells often can take spotlight away from the heroes).