Technological Spells

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Traditionally, most magical settings are TL4 or below – pre-industrial. Introducing magic to a post-industrial setting, however, can create fascinating new developments for players and GMs to explore. In a setting where high technology and magic coexist, spells that manipulate and support the tools and features of the mechanized world must logically arise.

Unlike other spells, many Tech spells are technological skills and must be learned at a particular TL. When a mage is expert with magic designed to interact with TL10 technology, he is at a penalty when trying to power a TL11 blaster or trying to drain the energy from a TL7 flashlight battery.

These penalties also affect prerequisites. To use a Tech spell as a prerequisite, you must have it at the level associated with spending one character point on the spell. Thus, a mage trying to learn Reveal Function/TL9 must either know Seek Machine/TL9 at IQ-2, Seek Machine/TL10 at IQ-1 (to compensate for the -1 penalty), or Seek Machine/TL8 at IQ+3 (to compensate for the -5 penalty).

Machine Spells

For the purpose of these rules, a machine is a tool that in some way uses, stores, or transforms power in order to do its job. Thus, a hand drill doesn't qualify, but an electric drill does. A spring-powered pocketwatch is a machine, while a sundial is not. The GM has final say regarding any gray area.

In some cases, it may be important to assign an attribute to a machine for purposes of determining spell resistance. For most purposes, the machine's HT is appropriate for this purpose; most machines have HT 10, unless specified otherwise.

Machine spells are intended for use on machines without sapience or free will; as a rule, they should not affect any being that would ordinarily be built as a character. They should affect most machines with IQ 5 or less, and some machines with the Automaton meta-trait. AIs and other sapient machines should be controlled with Communication and Empathy or Mind Control spells (though the GM may wish to assess a -4 penalty for controlling an "alien" mind). At the GM's discretion, the more physical Machine spells, like Glitch or Malfunction, may work on sapient machines.

Seek Machine/TL

Information

Identifies the direction and approximate distance of the nearest machinery of any sort. The caster can also specify that he is looking for a specific sort of device; lasers, computers, light sources, etc. Any known examples of technology may be excluded if the mage specifies them before casting. Use long-distance modifiers.

Cost: 3.

Time to cast: 10 seconds.

Energy Spells

TODO

Radiation Spells

TODO

Metal and Plastic Spells

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