The Basics of Power Arcs in LitRPG Magic Systems 

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Very insightful video, these key factors are interesting to think about.

I am playing in a couple different TT RPGs (using VTTs) and in both groups we have decided to eliminate the "XP" acquisition issues. So our "progression curve" is party based instead of character based (ex: doing quests and side quests). And it is pretty much set by the DM and how quick (in real calendar time on a per session basis) we level up and acquire power. It's been pretty fantastic because you can just play the game and explore the world and experience things instead of always trying to get "kills" or use all your skills even for silly situations, etc. We really get to sit back and enjoy low level play without some pressure to power level up. In other words, the world becomes more important than the power fantasy. In terms of "power curve", I've had a long time hatred for games (especially TT RPGs) where there is a diminishing return to leveling. Either by higher levels taking forever and/or the level delta not mattering much as time goes on. It feels like a "balance" issue that systems run into and they don't know how to solve it. Super high level characters are difficult to design challenges around for example. Well, this is one issue, sure. But another one is that a level 10 fighter can take on a level 20 fighter fairly easily because the level 20 fighter didn't really gain power at the same rate as the first 10 levels. I prefer the absolute delta approach. If the enemy you are about to fight is N levels higher (ex: 5) then they are a "red skull" to you. You will get your but kicked. I don't care if you are level 10 (vs 15) or level 100 (vs 105). It's a barrier and you must progress some other way first. It's tricky to do and really depends on the system being used (magic being one of the trickier areas) ... I'm presently designing a system to handle all of this gracefully. It is fun, but challenging! I like hard power-gating though ... it keeps a sense of danger. Otherwise, what is the point?

Your channel made me start dming, iam still pretty bad at it but man POWER SYSTEMS are the best thing ever. i just love different magic/power systems. They make games, anime, manga interesting its literally the core of the story fr

Great video, thanks for sharing it.

Progression is a vital thing to figure out. I'm thinking about writing the story of a boy's apprenticeship in the magic system I made and managing his learning rhythm is a large part of my concerns

I find that actual linear growth will feel like it is slowing down over time. This is like how the difference from having $10 to $100 feels more like the difference from $1,000 to $10,000 rather than $1,000 to $1,090. For progress to feel linear, it should be exponential. Or put another way, dragons tend to cover a wider range of power levels than street thugs do.

Nice

Well, I finally finished my novel, Asmodeus the Avatar, and the Serpent Beast the Devil 👿 - The title perhaps. It was my final war and just after that ended the book, and left it in a condition of wanting more. For a battle it was not as epic as I would have wanted but, it helped in now saying it's done. I was basically stalling for the last couple of weeks looking for an epic enemy, none appeared, so it was hell and its removal. So it was my son who said "Just end it", he's impatient. but it was the solution it was simple. There was a bunch of stuff that I was still working on and without completion, the unanswered of what came of it all. A light story bantering of the Queen's heroics and ... The needle thread was still sowing away. I actually could have kept writing as I think that is one of my problems, I personally did not want the story to end... I was enjoying my own characters and the story they were in. I think a small part was now I have the cleaning to do in the story... which I might have offset, the dislike of it...Part of making a novel tho... The funny is I actually slept for 24 hours afterward. Perhaps all the mental anguish I made of it... now gone. I think what you saying is perhaps build a "roller coaster" ride of a story, as a type of tycoon series you can make one like at Santa Clause Village, or the big Chino, it is what I just thought of while you were describing that as you can upgrade it as your season moves forwards. The ride is based on gravity and it is how you make that ride flow, without stalling somewhere in the middle or it runs so fast it is over and done with. When it's all about holding the tension of excitement and terror of it all. I also ran into where it did not feel earned but expressed it, as I was being kited along by the One True God like he's the actual storyteller of all the stories. All right my God what are "you" up to, bread crumbing me along this journey, knowing there is more yet I do know not which is going to happen or do I? and just missed it in the details, as I'm no longer green as I once was. I rarely had a written blueprint for my roller coaster design, I simply felt it, well true to my INFJ character of having a 20" bowie knife of intuition, far beyond the average user with an exacto knife of the same, that and God did make me into the 8th Element, a "weaponized weaponry" I'm doing what I was supposed to do, as to why I was chosen. "yes that is right" the reader exclaims. Brilliant video always my Head Wizard of magic engineering - your new title :)