How about an RP which examines magic from two different angles? As magic is purely fictional, it can be approached in a variety of ways. Two of these are as a science and as an art. I would like the play the wizard, while I am looking for a lady who can play a sorceress. Note that this isn't necessarily 18+, and even if it was, the emphasis is on the magic.
All too often, magic is played as simply "Merlin tossed a fireball and it exploded, killing the knight." In other words, it is treated like it was a replacement for a gun or a rocket launcher. IMHO, we are missing out on a great deal of creativity by doing this. The two approaches are by now means set as they are (or even limited to two!), although I believe that these cover a good deal of ground:
Wizard: A mage who has had to study magic in an academy and learn it as a science. For him, magic is like math or science, in that it is something which can be learned by observation, studied over time, and mastered by learning the rules governing its operation. Magical theories are to be tested and subject to rigorous review by fellow mages, and new spells are made by careful experimentation. Study and practice define a wizard (think of Hogwarts if that helps), and frequent collaboration with colleagues ensures that magical knowledge is widely shared. Of course, there are some wizards who hoard information for themselves. While sufficiently powerful wizards could get away with it and maintain their reputation, it is considered bad form. Also, as anyone can learn it, Wizardry is far more meritocratic than other forms of magic and may be considered democratic to an extent. Wizards also tend to be far more skilled with the technical side of magic, such as enchanting items or figuring out the specific steps needed to achieve an effect.
Sorcerer: (Female form is sorceress). A mage who was born with magical power. Sorceresses treat magic as an art to be sure, but they truly consider it to be an extension of themselves. Intuition and feeling drive magical power for a sorceress (I'll use the female form for this one), and while their magical powers are great, they don't really understand how their magic works. This lack of understanding is secondary to the fact that their magic accomplishes what they wish it to, largely by force of will or desire. As sorceresses don't have an academic knowledge of their magic, there is little collaboration. In fact, as magic is a highly personal thing for them, it would be hard to share such knowledge at all, although they do have schools which teach them how to control their magic (more like Professor X's school), it does not teach them how to develop magic powers to begin with (which would be unnecessary for them anyway). Sorcerous power is present from conception, but only manifests in notable ways from puberty onward (I hope that isn't too stereotypical). Sorcery is considered elitist, as it seems arbitrary as to who is born with such magic, and such power is completely unearned. That said, one can take the opposite view by arguing that even the merest peasant can be born with such power, while only the rich (or the upper middle class) can readily afford years of wizard school.
In game terms, wizards would have more spells, but would have a somewhat lower power output for most of them relative to a sorceress. He could cast them for longer, though. A sorceress would have more power per spell, but know fewer of them and would exhaust her magic much faster. While wizards are more flexible on the whole (they know more spells), a sorceress might be able to use a spell she didn't know before if she experiences an extreme of emotion (like making flowers bloom if she is extremely happy, or using a fireball spells when extremely angry when she couldn't when calm). Furthermore, her magic would strengthen or weaken depending on her emotions and her physical condition, whereas a wizard's magic depends on his ability to think clearly. The sorceress' magic would also run the risk of getting out of control if she is upset, while a wizard's spells can mess up if he isn't focusing on the task at hand. If either of them deplete their magical power, they need to rest to recover it.
Of course, all of this is fictional. As such, there is no right or wrong way to do this. I am open to all ideas.
All too often, magic is played as simply "Merlin tossed a fireball and it exploded, killing the knight." In other words, it is treated like it was a replacement for a gun or a rocket launcher. IMHO, we are missing out on a great deal of creativity by doing this. The two approaches are by now means set as they are (or even limited to two!), although I believe that these cover a good deal of ground:
Wizard: A mage who has had to study magic in an academy and learn it as a science. For him, magic is like math or science, in that it is something which can be learned by observation, studied over time, and mastered by learning the rules governing its operation. Magical theories are to be tested and subject to rigorous review by fellow mages, and new spells are made by careful experimentation. Study and practice define a wizard (think of Hogwarts if that helps), and frequent collaboration with colleagues ensures that magical knowledge is widely shared. Of course, there are some wizards who hoard information for themselves. While sufficiently powerful wizards could get away with it and maintain their reputation, it is considered bad form. Also, as anyone can learn it, Wizardry is far more meritocratic than other forms of magic and may be considered democratic to an extent. Wizards also tend to be far more skilled with the technical side of magic, such as enchanting items or figuring out the specific steps needed to achieve an effect.
Sorcerer: (Female form is sorceress). A mage who was born with magical power. Sorceresses treat magic as an art to be sure, but they truly consider it to be an extension of themselves. Intuition and feeling drive magical power for a sorceress (I'll use the female form for this one), and while their magical powers are great, they don't really understand how their magic works. This lack of understanding is secondary to the fact that their magic accomplishes what they wish it to, largely by force of will or desire. As sorceresses don't have an academic knowledge of their magic, there is little collaboration. In fact, as magic is a highly personal thing for them, it would be hard to share such knowledge at all, although they do have schools which teach them how to control their magic (more like Professor X's school), it does not teach them how to develop magic powers to begin with (which would be unnecessary for them anyway). Sorcerous power is present from conception, but only manifests in notable ways from puberty onward (I hope that isn't too stereotypical). Sorcery is considered elitist, as it seems arbitrary as to who is born with such magic, and such power is completely unearned. That said, one can take the opposite view by arguing that even the merest peasant can be born with such power, while only the rich (or the upper middle class) can readily afford years of wizard school.
In game terms, wizards would have more spells, but would have a somewhat lower power output for most of them relative to a sorceress. He could cast them for longer, though. A sorceress would have more power per spell, but know fewer of them and would exhaust her magic much faster. While wizards are more flexible on the whole (they know more spells), a sorceress might be able to use a spell she didn't know before if she experiences an extreme of emotion (like making flowers bloom if she is extremely happy, or using a fireball spells when extremely angry when she couldn't when calm). Furthermore, her magic would strengthen or weaken depending on her emotions and her physical condition, whereas a wizard's magic depends on his ability to think clearly. The sorceress' magic would also run the risk of getting out of control if she is upset, while a wizard's spells can mess up if he isn't focusing on the task at hand. If either of them deplete their magical power, they need to rest to recover it.
Of course, all of this is fictional. As such, there is no right or wrong way to do this. I am open to all ideas.
