


This “price of power” mechanic is absolutely wonderful to behold for players and GMs alike, and really sets Call of Cthulhu apart from other magical titles on our list. Soon, they will acquire so much knowledge and power that the Keeper will watch that last bit of sanity drain, and the game gives birth to yet another cultist. What’s more, each time they cast their spell, they expend precious sanity points as the true nature of the universe unravels their feeble human conceptions of space and time. We Keepers are well aware that even just a little power will corrupt a player quickly. However, veterans of this madness-inducing game will know that over a long campaign, especially curious players may find themselves nose-deep in any number of ancient tomes, plumbing the secrets of the old gods to use against their adversaries.
#Tabletop roleplaying games with at will magic skin#
Magic? In a horror game? Many may think that it is simply a tool for the Keeper to throw at poor, squishy investigators in order to watch their skin bubble and slough off (yes, that’s indeed spell in CoC). This entry may surprise some of our readers. While newer editions don’t touch on this little tidbit (and divine casters ignore it entirely), the mechanic makes for an easy way to introduce players to the role of a spellcaster a method that also allows for a mage’s book of spells to grow in power and complexity as the player learns new strategies. Within the cannon of most official D&D settings, this mechanic exists because casting spells actually removes the knowledge of the spell from the casters mind and memory, and they must again learn it before they can use it once more. A wizard receives a certain number of spells each day, and must recover this knowledge by resting and studying the spells again. D&D, throughout its many iterations, has presented the player with a simple and effective means to cast spells. We must, of course, pay our respects to the progenitor of prestidigitation. How many spells have been slung, creatures conjured, fireballs flung, and missiles magicked over the many years, and in how many ways? I’m certain I couldn’t list them all, but I’m happy to bring to you the most incredible and interesting five sorcerous systems. Ever since the dawn of role-playing games, when Gygax himself first walked the untrodden grounds of mystical tabletop storytelling, magic has played a key role in this wonderful hobby.
