Troupe: Doomsday uses an ad-hoc magic system which means there are no pre-conceived spell lists. While this gives a sorcerer tremendous freedom in how to use their magic, it also can be a bit overwhelming, both in what to do and how to factor the cost of the spell. I thought a walkthrough of a classic fireball-type spell might help illuminate the cost calculations of a spell so let’s give it a try!
Fire in the hole! Let’s build a better fireball spell
Fireball is usually a third-level spell though it is notoriously overpowered, doing the Troupeequivalent of six strain over its area of effect. To determine the magnitude of the spell (how many successes or boons the sorcerer will need to roll to cast it), we need to break down what the spell is doing. The sum of each of those individual elements will be the spell’s magnitude. For fireball, it might work like this:
- Reach out to a point in the near distance.
- Ignite it.
- Expand that fire to engulf an area.
- Intensify the fire.
Each one of these steps increases the magnitude by at least one. Steps one to three would add one cost each. At this point, it would be a magnitude three spell that would cause one strain to everyone caught in the blast.
Intensifying would cost a variable amount. Instead of baking that into the cost of the spell itself, we can just say that any boons beyond the required three increase the strength of the effect. So if the casting sorcerer manages five boons instead of three, the damage of the spell increases from one strain to three.
In fact, we can streamline this spell even further into something that would encompass both fireball and firebolt-type spells. If the sorcerer targets a thing instead of just a mote of air, they could cast the spell, needing only two boons: one to reach out to the target and the second to ignite it. Excess boons could then be spent to expand the effect, intensify it, or some combination of both.
Of course, this is only one version of how this spell might work and a clever sorcerer will seek out ways to avoid or mitigate circumstances that add to a spell’s magnitude, such as using an existing flame instead of igniting one.
This pattern demonstrates how spells work in Troupe. The magnitude of the spell is determined by the distance to the effect, the scope of the effect, and the strength of the spell effect. To adjudicate a spell, as the referee, walk through the spell’s method with the sorcerer’s player and determine the magnitude. After that, roll some dice and see what happens!
