Magic

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These rules only matter to wizards, and only in worlds where magic exists. If you are not creating a wizard for a magical setting, you can safely skip this chapter.

Magic is a powerful force manipulated using skills called spells. By casting spells, a wizard can direct magical energy – known as mana – to produce almost any effect. This is a fickle art in some settings, a precise science in others.

The best wizards have an inborn ability to learn and use magic, called Magery. Anyone with any degree of Magery is called a mage. In many game worlds, only mages can use magic. In all worlds, they are better with magic than non-mages.

Learning Magic

Anyone can learn most spells – although in some worlds, you must be a mage to use the spells you know. Some spells specify a particular level of Magery as a prerequisites: if you lack the required Magery level, you cannot learn the spell.

Each magic spell is a separate skill, learned just like any other skill. Most spells are IQ/Hard skills, but a few potent spells are IQ/Very Hard. Spells have no default – you can only cast spells you know.

Add your Magery to IQ when you learn spells. For instance, if you have IQ 12 and Magery 3, you learn spells as if you had IQ 15. In addition, reduce the time required to learn spells (but not the point cost) by 10% per Magery level, to a minimum of 60% the usual time at Magery 4; e.g., Magery 3 would let you learn spells in 70% the usual time.

The maximum level of Magery available in your world is up to the GM. Most GMs will want to limit PCs to Magery 3 or 4.

If you know more than a few spells, you may wish to make a "grimoire." This is a list of the spells you know and your skill with each, along with the energy cost, time to cast, duration, etc. for each spell. This saves a lot of reference time in play!

Prerequisites

Any spell but the most basic has one or more prerequisites: requirements you must meet in order to learn the spell. If the prerequisite is another spell, you must have at least one point in the prerequisite spell before you can study the advanced spell. Some spells require a minimum Magery level; for instance, "Magery 2" means you must have Magery 2 (or higher) to learn the spell. A few spells require a minimum basic attribute score, an advantage, or even a mundane skill.

Other Pages about Magic

• Mana
• Casting Spells
• Different Kinds of Magic
• Alternative Magic Systems
• Spell List
  • Air Spells
  • Animal Spells
  • Body Control Spells
  • Communication and Empathy Spells
  • Earth Spells
  • Enchantment Spells
  • Fire Spells
  • Food Spells
  • Gate Spells
  • Healing Spells
  • Illusion and Creation Spells
  • Knowledge Spells
  • Light and Darkness Spells
  • Making and Breaking Spells
  • Meta-Spells
  • Mind Control Spells
  • Movement Spells
  • Necromantic Spells
  • Plant Spells
  • Protection and Warning Spells
  • Sound Spells
  • Technological Spells
  • Water Spells
  • Weather Spells

Glossary of Magical Terms

abort: To stop the casting of a spell before its completion.

backfire: A critical failure when casting a spell.

base skill: Your unmodified skill with a spell; compare with effective skill.

basic spell: A spell with no other spells as prerequisites.

cancel: To end your own spell before it would normally be over.

caster: The person casting a spell.

class: A group of spells that use the same special rules. Three examples appear in this glossary: Melee spells, Missile spells, and Resisted spells.

college: A group of spells that deal with the same subject – fire, healing, etc.

effective skill: Your base skill, plus any modifiers (usually penalties) for range, circumstances, etc. A caster rolls against effective skill.

Enchantment spell: A spell for creating permanent magic items. See Magic Items.

energy: The "cost" to cast a spell. You may pay this in either FP or HP. Some game worlds offer alternative energy sources.

grimoire: The list of spells you know (and more generally, any book of spells).

mage: Anyone with the Magery advantage.

Magery: The advantage of being "in tune" with magic.

maintain: To continue a spell after it would normally end. This costs more energy, unless you have high skill.

mana: The ambient magical energy manipulated by spells. Different areas (or worlds) have different levels of mana; see Mana.

Melee spell: A spell that "charges" your hand or a magic staff with harmful energies that affect the first target you strike.

Missile spell: A spell that summons a magical projectile that you must "throw" at the subject.

Prerequisites: A requirement for learning a spell. Means exactly what it means for skills; see Prerequisites.

Resisted spell: Any spell that must overcome the "power" of its subject before it works.

spell: A skill that produces a specific magical effect when used successfully.

subject: The person, place, or thing on which a spell is cast.

wizard: Any user of magic, whether he is a mage or not.