Let's start discussing Witches

"Triplis;15591086" wrote:

"MasonGamer;15591035" wrote:
I was thinking, more along the line of an object, the Holy Grail. I didn't get too far into Harry Potter to know the full details about Horcruxes.
when a Sim drinks, nectar or water from the enchanted cup they are granted:
Immortality - Live forever.
Invincibility - from fire, lightning Water, or emotional death, nothing can kill them
Eternal Youth - Freeze aging.
and to humans - could grant them the Arcane Trait.

People forget Immortality and Eternal Youth are two separate things. you can live forever but that doesn't mean you are forever young.

I was thinking of talismans and conduits, objects that store your Sorcerer's magic, it's like the Book of Life, except it's not a one time use. it's a entity that constantly takes note of your sim's progress.

I think a spell book should be the Sorcerer's Default Conduit.
but if the player wants, there are other optional conduits, When they start buying/collecting wands/staves, their buy a Cauldron, after they enchant their broomstick, or Magic Mirrors
these other objects can also be used as talismans.
it should be noted other sims can get hold of the sorcerer's talisman, (After they reach a certain level in Arcane lore, and is able to identify it as your main talisman and know how it works) they can absorb the sorcerer's current powers.
if the Talisman is destroyed or is no longer durable and breaks the Sim's the Arcane Trait will be disconnected' Your Sim will lose all ties to their magic, in someways you are now mortal.

FWIW, Horcruxes are basically objects that the person puts part of their soul into, such that if their "normal" form is killed, they aren't truly dead and can get a body back with some doing. Without going into spoilery details of the story, it was considered a dark/evil thing to do, since it fragments your soul.

But I think the soul angle of it would be far too dark for TS4, so that's why I used the word "essence."

A spell book as the talisman/conduit is probably a good idea, since it'd be so much easier to implement, given that we already have the Book of Life. I like the sound of that.

I'm not sure about the process of severing one's connection to magic though. I guess it touches on a larger question, actually, which is: Should being a Sorcerer be something that you can "obtain," like being transformed into a Vampire? Or should it only be something you get by being born with a propensity for magic? (e.g. through birth bloodlines and through CAS)

Cause it seems like it could be rather messy (coding-wise) if all you have to do to take away some's magic power is destroy their talisman (unless the process of destroying a talisman has less to do with the object itself and more to do with executing a special interaction, like curing a vampire? I could be wrong about the difficulties, but that is how it strikes me). But at the same time, on a gameplay level, it might be more interesting if arcane ability is something you can learn, as opposed to only having it innately.

That's why Magic is So Complex.

Magic itself, I believe it is a form of energy so it follows the Laws of Energy, "Energy can't be created or destroyed, rather it can be harnessed, conserved, or transferred.
By definition "Arcane" is a mysterious and illusive understood by few, therefore it can't be learned and wield by just anyone, it's not that easy.
One with the Arcane trait, a Sorcerer, can Harness, Conserve and Transfer manipulate energy, magic, at will.

That's why I say Severe the Connection, It gives the player hope that there is away to restore the Sim's connection to Arcane trait, to regain access magic once again. Think of it as the Reconfiguration Potion, except, there's a bit of an extensive challenge.

To answer the Questions.

it should be both, You can be born with the Arcane ability, of course at least one Parent must Be A Sorcerer/Sorceress.
-it should be very rare that both parents are human and the child has the Arcane ability.
-If one parent is a Sorcerer, and the other is Human it is possible for the Child to be born with the Arcane Ability, but also connection is Severed.
Energy can be dormant if You're parent or you know a Sorcerer, with the power of the Elements, You can ask them to awaken your powers, by Mysticism.

or you could cheat it in, traits.equip_trait arcane as it works with Vampires and Aliens.

If A human Steals a Sorcerer's Talisman, and absorbs the Sorcerer's Power. Essentially they are stealing a part of the Sorcerer's magical Identity. the Human's newfound powers is not his/her own, and they are leeching off the original power... Should original Sorcerer's Conduit be destroyed, those who are leaching of the original will lose "their" power too.

Talismans, I don't want to call it a tether, but in away that's what it is.
In away It's a Failsafe, but also a liability.
you don't need it in your inventory, or on your Lot to cast spells, it just needs to exist.

in the events you lose your power, your talisman can revive what you've lost, but I also believe Magic Comes With A Price, if it's destroyed you lose what you have. and Since it's a conduit, to me it makes sense, that you just lose the connection, and not the ability as a whole.

I just think it's a good idea why not make a real spell book that actually has a UI. It's similar Vampire's Strengths and weakness, but For Sorcerer's it's in Chapters of 10, each chapter contains different areas of magic, and you the player gets to chose what you want your sim to learn.
and from what you highlight in the book is what your sim will use when They Duel, or fight other supernaturals and humans.

and it's vital that you do keep it safe, because if you straight up lose the book, I don't know how you misplace a cauldron, or if you lose the wand, silly mistakes You can't access the Spell Book UI window. (No I don't want it to be built into the actual UI.)