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This is for a project I am working on and would like to know what type of wizard combat have you been drawn too?

For example, in Legend of the Seeker the TV series wizards have an internal amount of energy they are born with. This energy determines what type of stuff they can do. A wizard with less energy has a considerably more difficult time beating someone greater than him/hersef

Harry Potter universe has a couple different things going on. Harry potter seems to to be a combination of some inborn strength, how practiced you are, and the wand you are using.

D&D is all about the spells you know and your level. A person who has a lot of levels over another can destroy a weaker opponent. Those of like strength it is more of a strategy contest.

Wheel of time is kind of like Harry Potter, but with a lack of wands if I remember correctly. Infact it might be more about your inner strength than anything.

So if you were going to design a LARP magic system, then which one of the above concepts do you like and which one's do you not like? Please explain why. If you disagree with my assessment of the above then we dont need to argue just describe how you see it and what you like or don't like/

. . .complex question

i do enjoy the basic idea of given time and skill, a wizard can be really powerfull. such as D&D were you know basic little spells, then as you grow can control the weather and such. as for combat the big effect spell combined with long charge or cooldown seems to simulate this.

my favorite idea for mage combat would be more of our Empath, flicking the rist and sending glowing orbs at your enemy. however i have always liked the idea of self sacrifice in spellcasting, drawing on your own life almost to the point of death to speed up or power up your spells to destroy your opponent. if i had to compare it to our empath it would be spending life to reduce the charge time.

im also a fan of the running mage fight, ducking in and out, chasing and running from each other as you throw your magic. this is something hard to do in a larp setting, as spells and channels require charge times, and thus break the combat. it can be seen slightly better in the spells we have that let you continue to throw 5 magics and the like till your out or hit, but you cant move and that breaks the idea as well.

. . . .

Not sure what I prefer. My current system is an impractical mix.

Some abilities can be "cast" straight from the life-energy that most "normal" things possess in varying degrees, I think mechanically this is similar to life-points but not quite. To be a "wizard," one has to dedicate themselves to the study of solidifying this energy into a more practical, usable form (Ala similar to "mana"). Mechanically, this is reflected in a variety of ways I haven't had luck deciding on.

Some spells you would get for free at game-on, like say a racial-type spell. If I put it into FH setting, it would be something like a guthrie getting a free use of recall, or a valkyn'vi getting a free use of necropsy. I also have something akin to a random spell-grab (like wild magic). "Trained" wizard-type abilities consist of a few different ways of doing so. Most require a focus item once you start ranking up (think of it as a grounding device for when the energy is expended), higher trained casters have access to using "Codexes" (Which have to be phys-repped) which are essentially formulae so complex that one is simply not capable of memorizing them. Mechanically, some spells require one to spend "Action points" between games to "memorize" them ahead of time, because they are to complicated to use on the fly.

But I haven't decided if said system gives you X copies of the spell to use at a game, or if it gives you the spell to use at the game utilizing "mana," (Which makes learning spells similar to preparing a spell list) or both for different types.

My game is slightly more magic heavy than FH. My difficulty is variety while balancing it so it's not ungodly complicated (my 1st priorty). Part of the balance, ability-wise, is that most magical traditions require way more in the way of preparation and upkeep and is less flexible once you get to the more powerful "spells."