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All right, fine! Here are some example magic skills. Are you happy, now? Shamanism - The power to see, communicate with, and command the spirits that inhabit every person, place, and thing in nature. However, the more powerful the spirit, the bigger the favor they'll ask in return. Spirits could want just about anything, from food offerings to vows of loyalty. Telekinesis - The ability to create force by thought. The psychic can levitate, push, crush, or shatter anything they can see. (The GM should determine how much force an average telekinetic can produce, but limiting it to normal human strength is usually pretty balanced.) Occult Lore - A broad knowledge of mythology, rituals, and the Black Arts in general. Occultists know ritual spells for any occasion (though they can take hours to complete), have a command of occult history, and can identify magical creatures, objects, and phenomena. |
Skills in Nameless are meant to be broad in scope, and the mystical arts are no exception. If you want a character with magic powers, you should talk to your GM about what you want your magic to do. You'll have to determine the limits of the new magical skill, what the character sacrifices to use it, and get your GM's approval. Elementalism, Kaballah, and Shamanism would all make great magical Skills.
Alternatively, more focused paranormal abilities can be created as Talents or Tricks. Astral Sight, Levitation, and Tarot Divination are all good possibilities. Magical flaws like "Apocalyptic Visions," "Missing Time," or "Sees the Dead" can add a lot of depth and detail to a character.
In most games, Magic will work best if it follows some kind of internal logic. "Because its MAGIC!" is rarely an adequate explanation. Manipulating astral energies, making deals with supernatural beings, self-sacrifice, and complex symbolic or numerological systems are all valid magical techniques found in the real world. Feel free to use them... at least as inspiration.
The key is to treat magical actions like any other actions. Magical attacks can work using the basic rules for action & combat: just substitute Magic skills for Combat skills, and swap Will or Intellect for Brawn and Agility. Characters trying to defend themselves from magic can use Skilled or Unskilled actions, with the optional rules for Counter-Attacks. Handle injuries and locks/holds as normal.
At this point, you might be saying to yourself, "They think this is a magic system? They didn't even give me any magical skills or spells or anything. What a rip-off!" If so... you've got some attitude, mister! Besides, we feel that leaving the magic system wide open like this makes it easier for players and GMs to customize magic to any campaign. Whether you're running modern magic, high fantasy, or psionics, the same basic rules can always be applied.
Plus, each of the Nameless game settings will include their own magic and other strangeness!