I rediscovered the Greek Magical Papyri when creating the magic systems for Fire Tales, while specifically looking for historical magic systems. What I found here was somewhat influential on a game design pillar I am calling "Magical Magic."
Many of these spells are fairly minimal in their impact (Spells for winning at gambling games, relieving headaches) but you do have some RPG classics like invisibility spells, protection spells, etc.
Is the Greek Magical Papyri a gameable magic system for a tabletop roleplaying game? Yes and no. I believe a useable magic system could be made from some of the spells[1], but I also believe many of the spells would need to be excluded for various reasons[2].
Below I've copied some of my favorite spells from the text. (Please note that there is a ton of extremely triggering/unethical and bizarre
spells in these texts. The ones I picked out to show here tend to be
among the more interesting[3][4] as well as the least problematic. If you do seek out the rest of the text be aware of this.)
Favor and victory charm: Take a blood-eating gecko that has been found among the tombs and grasp its right front foot and cut it off with a reed, allowing the gecko to return to its own hole alive. Fasten the foot of the creature to the fold of your garment and wear it.
Adapting this spell: This spell allows 1 reroll and then becomes inert.
For migraine headache: Take oil in your hands and utter the spell "Zeus sowed a grape seed: it parts the soil; he does not sow it; it does not sprout."
Adapting this spell: This spell has no mechanical benefit except when it makes sense.
Against every wild animal, aquatic creature and robbers: Attach a tassel to your garment and say: "LOMA ZATH AION ACHTHASE MA . . . ZAL BALAMAON EIEOY, protect me, NN, in the present hour; immediately, immediately; quickly, quickly."
Adapting this spell: This spell provides some bonus to protection/AC for a single hour.
A means to learn from a die whether a man is alive or has died:
Make the inquirer throw this die in the [above] bowl. Let him fill this with water.
Add to the [cast of the] die 612, which is [the numerical value of] the name
of god, i.e., "Zeus," and subtract from the sum 353, which is [the numerical value of] "Hermes." If then the number [remaining] be found divisible by two, he lives;
if not, death has [him].
Adapting this spell: This spell could easily function exactly as it describes.
Indispensable invisibility spell: Take fat or an eye of a nightowl and a bail of dung rolled by a beetle and oil of an unripe olive and grind them all together until smooth, and smear your whole body with it and say to Helios: “I adjure you by your great name, BORKE PHOIOUR IO ZIZIA APARXEOUCH THYTHE LAILAM AAAAAA IIIII OOOO IEO IEO IEO IEO IEO IEO IEO NAUNAX AI AI AEO AEO EAO” and moisten it and say in addition: “Make me invisible, lord Helios, AEO OAE EIE EAO, in the presence of any man until sunset, IO IO O PHRIXRIZO EOA.”
Adapting this spell: This spell also functions as described and makes you invisible until the next sunset.
Request for a dream oracle: Take a strip of clean linen and write on it the following name. / Roll it up to make a wick, pour pure olive oil over it and light it. The formula to be written is this: “HARMIOUTH LAILAM CHOOUCH ARSENOPHRE PHREU PHTHA HARCHENTECHTHA.” In the evening then, when you are about to go to sleep, being pure in every respect, do this: Go to the lamp, say 7 times the following formula, extinguish the light / and go to sleep. The formula to be spoken is as follows: “SACHMOUNE PAEMALIGOTEREENCH, the one who shakes, who thunders, who has swallowed the serpent, surrounds the moon, and hour by hour raises the disk of the sun, 'CHTHETHONI' is your name. I ask you, lords of the gods, SETH CHREPS: reveal to me concerning the things I wish.”
Adapting this spell: This spell allows you to ask 1 question of Set which is answered via dream-vision.
To win at dice: “THERTHENITHOR DYAGOTHERE THERTHENITHOR SYAPOTHEREUO KODOCHOR make me a winner at dice, / O prevailing Adriel.” Into your hand say: “Let not even one person be equal to me, for I am THERTHENITHOR EROTHORTHIN DOLOTHOR, and I am going to throw what I want.” And say this repeatedly, and then throw. Another way you must say the formula is: “Let not even one of these playing with me be equal, and I am going to throw what I want.”
Adapting this spell: This spell gives you a 50% chance to automatically win at dice games, but must be cast every time.
There is a very blurry boundary between many of these spells and prayers. The voces magicae can often be assumed to be invocations of a "true" or
"secret" name of specific deities allowing the invoker to channel some
of their divinity. This is often paired with some ritual involving materials that relate to the request being made. This is part of what inspired the Invocation system to exist as it does in Fire Tales.
[1]And doing so would make an interesting thought experiment at least
[2]redundant spells, spells that are complex in a way that doesn't translate well to tabletop, spells that are very unethical in their aims or method of casting
[3]At least from a game design perspective
[4]I also focused primarily on spells that were short enough to function well in an RPG
Magic Systems Somewhat Reminiscent of This:
Wolves Upon the Coast - Magic Outside of Levels
Beyond the Wall
Kill Clerics, Become Warlocks
.jpg)
