Mana Regeneration in TabletopRPGs

[PlutoniumDragon]

So here I am creating my own roleplay system. (Yes I know there already are to many unfinished once out there) (It is well under way btw.) So. Mana regen. Due to the inherent lack of a computer and the clumsiness of the sleep-to-regen-mana/spells I have saved this topic for some while in order to be solved. I just cant find a solve. Is turn based regen to way to go? Skip mana regen intierly? Do you have other solutions?

Please help.

 

[White Masquerade]

So here I am creating my own roleplay system. (Yes I know there already are to many unfinished once out there) (It is well under way btw.) So. Mana regen. Due to the inherent lack of a computer and the clumsiness of the sleep-to-regen-mana/spells I have saved this topic for some while in order to be solved. I just cant find a solve. Is turn based regen to way to go? Skip mana regen intierly? Do you have other solutions?

Please help.

Off the top of the head, make mana regen a choice. You wither attack or mana regen yourself. That works well in conjuction with turns, but should be fine if you at least have an order of operations.

 

[Birdsie]

It's very, very difficult to actually get a good grasp on the situation. I can't judge how you should handle mana regeneration since I know nothing about the system you are making.

 

[official clown business]

Whether it's mana, energy, stamina, or something else entirely, it's definitely a resource you can play out in all sorts of ways.
I personally recommend systems that play more towards attrition, making mana or abilities of high power a limited resource that provides you with much more options in an encounter. If you burn it too early, you're fucked.

If this is a style you could be interested in, you might want to see what I've listed below:

• Mana doesn't regen and can't be restored quickly during encounters. There are no special abilities or items that allow you to gain a bunch of mana back once you've used it, so cast those spells wisely.
• Health and Mana are the same resource. Using abilities is both physically and mentally taxing, and casting spells repeatedly can be just as harmful as a one-two to your face.
• There's no Mana, but there are Limited Abilities that are powerful, but can only be used once per encounter or every few hours, whatever your preference is.

Of course attrition isn't everyone's favorite. You might want to try other methods instead:

• Nope, no Mana! There's a bunch of Abilities that require you to wait several turns between usage.
• You don't start with any Mana. It'll build up over time, and you can spend an action to accelerate the process.
• Stick with turn-based regen. What you use up eventually comes back over time and through other methods, ensuring your tank won't be empty for long.
• Et cetera et cetera.

Naturally, these can be combined in all kinds of ways.

You do what you feel is best, but I believe the idea of attrition and limited resources is effective, just because of the fact that it can make encounters feel less prolonged and it may even be easier to keep track of.

 

[PlutoniumDragon]

Thank you for your most intrecate answer!

In my system (as it stands) stamina is (sort of) represented by action points and mana by, well mana. I do like the idea of actionpoints being able to be burnt to regain mana but then slowly to increase the value of mana.

I have spells that can burn health for mana but thats a whole different thing. Further action points are the uniform currency of do stuff fast in a turn. There are no base bonus action points. (though such can be gained of sorts from perks)

 

[Idea]

Well, I used maths. In my VRmmorpg rp, which I intended to give the vibe of feeling like a game as one of it's goals, I took the time to figure out what equations would give me an acceptable rate of regen per level.