Initially I planned to use FUDGE for the solo game with my girlfriend but in the end we decided to use Chad Underkoffler’s PDQ system (the core rules are freely available on the Atomic Sock Monkey website). The PDQ system is rules light, uses descriptive qualities instead of standard attributes, skills, etc. and is exactly what we need for the game we had in mind.

But the free rules available on the site lack rules for supernatural effects like magic or psionics. But both should play a role in the campaign I’ve planned, so do you guys have any idea how a simple magic system in PDQ could work? Magic should mainly be spell/ritual based much like in the “Call of Cthulhu” game. And psionics should mostly be ESP. The easiest way would be to make magic and psionics just another qualities and just improvise. But I think especially ritual magic would need a bit more background.

So my question to you is: how would you make magic work in PDQ?