Copying this over from How would you fix AO's power system? - #125 by Gamehero14
Lore
So, first of all, all magics are now aspects of the gods, copied and borrowed by Prometheus, along with his own personal magic. Thus, there are now 17 in total; one for each Olympian, one for Hestia, one for Hecate, one for Hades, and one for Prometheus. Not all of these are available to the player at the start—or even at all.
Magics List
- Fire (Prometheus).
- Lightning (Zeus). Rare. It is said that when one bearing Lightning magic appears, the world best prepare for change.
- Water (Poseidon).
- Death (Hades). Incredibly rare. Only a few known instances of its use, and each time it did, a great many perished. Not usable by the player.
- ??? (Hera). Speculated to exist, but there is no definitive proof on what it is. Not usable by the player.
- Earth (Demeter).
- Support (Hestia). The only magic given willingly by its goddess. Not usable by the player.
- Sun/Light (Apollo).
- Moon/Shadow (Artemis).
- Metal (Hephaestus).
- Rage (Ares). Is not born with, Rage manifests in those who have experienced true grief. Empowers weapons and other things, having no abilities by itself. Is usable by the player.
- Temperance (Athena). Similarly to Rage, Temperance is made in a soul, not something they are born with. Not usable by the player.
- ??? (Aphrodite). I have no idea, lol. Not usable by the player.
- Wind (Hermes). Ngl, this one’s pushing it, but I wanted to have the original seven.
- Madness (Dionysus). Not usable by the player.
- Pure Magic (Hecate). The first magic stolen by the Firebringer, and the basis on which the others were built. The player’s magic reverts to this when they get an item to reset it. In-lore, it’s the magic people use through childhood which develops into a proper magic in adolescence.
Additionally, the Titans can also provide magic, though Prometheus never stole from them, and thus humans cannot be born with them. None of these could be used by the player.
- Time (Kronos). Yes, this would be ridiculously, comically powerful.
- Endurance (Atlas). Incredible, unending strength.
- Protection (Leto). Yeah, I’ve got nothing on how this one would work, lol.
- And more, but I have no idea what they’d be off the top of my head.
Next, Aura is now an individual’s Genii*—their spirit own manifest as a guardian. It protects from all forms of harm, and also acts for the user, acting as both armor and a weapon. In-universe, it is described sometimes “as if wind suddenly came before [their] flesh, firmer than steel.” Bypassing this Genii requires either one’s own of greater power, to wear it down, or for the user to let it down willingly, as they would need to do to allow for surgery on themselves.
*Genii come from Ancient Roman beliefs, I am not spouting fantastical nonsense here.
History
Following the events of the Odyssey, the gods grow reclusive from the world. Prometheus, having been freed by Heracles, senses the twilight of the Olympians approaching, and works to facilitate the rise of man as a replacement. He tricks the other gods into freeing Metis from Zeus’s skull, who births a son, the one prophesied to overthrow Zeus. Prometheus manipulates the boy, who possess the power to steal magics, and together, they take the gods’ powers. Spare Hestia, who gives hers willingly.
Prometheus then distributes magic to humanity, but is here found out by the gods. He, Metis, and Zeus’s son are all struck down, but the gods are weakened. And worse still, by killing these three, their magics also are granted to humanity, and one receives the magic of Zeus’s son. The Olympians are then all slain by human hands, and so man, design by Prometheus and imbued with the soul of a god who would slay his father, inherits the world.
But in the struggle, Zeus collects his remaining power, and strikes down his slayer with a bolt which splits the earth, transforming it forever into islands.
Magic-Boosting Items
Magic is bolstered when it is “reminded” of its origins. This is can be done through carving divine-related patterns being onto imbued gemstones. Machines cannot do this, for creating magic items is only possible for that which themselves has magic, and it is done through an investment of time, human wisdom, and inspiration.
This may or may not be me implementing anti-genAI messages in the game. Let me have this.
Armor
Armor is still useful. One’s Genii is imperfect, and cannot fully block more powerful attacks, resulting in some graze damage. Armor negates such grazes, but cannot actually stop magic on its own without a Genii.
I mean, dude, magic blasts through several tons of solid rock in-game. There’s no way in hell normal metal stops it.
Mechanics
Builds and spirit are gone.
Player Combat Options
The player now presses a key to enter “fighting” mode, wherein they gain access to their moveset.
All players cap out at 10 moves, which they access by pressing 1-5, and can cycle between page 1 and 2 with [Q]. These are freely customizable, depending on what magic the player is using and what weapons they have. This balances out builds by making it so that nobody has innately more options than others, and by late-game, you!re having to make choices of what your build includes. That said, you also have no artificial limits on what you can use.
The player also has an [R] move, which is a heavy attack.
T-jumps don’t go as high, and the player’s stamina regen is halved while in the air. That said, players cast projectiles above themselves while grounded, while making it easier to use moves on the ground. T-jumps also retain momentum from prior movement, meaning that you can go far by dashing and quickly T-jumping.
Magic freezes the player in-place still, but weapons (mostly) no longer do so, even if they have a startup.
Blocking uses [F]. Yes, this is notable enough to warrant a sentence. Also, the keybind can be changed. All of them can be, besides the number key attacks, which have to use the number keys.