Ritual Magic

Ritual Magic uses most of the basic rules for magic presented in the G.U.R.P.S. rules with a few alterations...

Firstly Magery

The typical rules for magery are as follows:

Magery Advantage

You are magically adept. This advantage comes in levels. You must purchase Magery 0 before buying higher levels of Magery. 

In Alethia all Magery levels are "One College Only", meaning that when you take levels in Magery you have to pick which of the 8 colleges you would like to learn or improve. 

Ritual magic is also slightly slower to manifest than Blessings and Essence powers, every time a mage casts a spell using Ritual magic add a single concentration maneuver before the actual casting as prep. time.

As a result, Each level of Magery costs only 3 points.
The information below about Magery lists the price at 10, this is the base price without the limitations listed above.

Magery levels have a Prerequisite number of spells of that same College equal to twice the level of Magery you have.  Thus in order to have Magery 3 you are required to have learned at least 6 spells from that College. 

 The 'Flexible' list of spells is the exception, there is no school for those spells, instead they belong to, and count towards the number of spells you have for the Colleges in which you place the spells.

Magery

5 points for level 0; 10 points / additional level (max level = Rank Modifier)

Magery represents your general aptitude for the manipulation of magical energies.  This is an advantage not a skill that you roll it is a general aptitude that modifies other rolls related to essence use.
This advantage comes in levels. You must purchase Essence Use 0 before buying higher levels of Essence Use.

Magery 0 :
This is basic “magical awareness,” a prerequisite for learning magic in most worlds.
The GM makes a Sense roll when you first see a magic item, and again when you first touch it.
On a success, you intuitively know that the item is magical.
A roll of 3 or 4 also tells you whether the magic is helpful or dangerous, and about how strong it is.
Those without Magery do not get this roll!
5 points. 

Magery 1 + :
Higher levels of Magery make it much easier to learn and use magic. Add your Magery to IQ when you learn or use ritual magics.
For instance, if you have IQ 14, Magery 3 lets you learn spells as if you had IQ 17.

Add your Magery level to Perception when you roll to sense magic items, and to IQ when you learn Thaumatology skill (p. 225).
Reduce the time required to learn new spells in play (but not the point cost) by 10% per Magery level, to a minimum of 60% of the usual time at Magery 4.
For instance, with Magery 3, you would learn spells in 70% the usual time. 

Powerful spells require a minimum level of Magery as a prerequisite, so be sure to skim the Spell List (pp. 242-253) when deciding how much Magery you need.

Note: that high Magery lets you produce powerful results with even the most basic spells.

10 points/level (on top of the 5 points for Magery 0).

• Each level in this skill adds 1 to your base IQ for the purpose of determining:

  1.  difficulty when manifesting Essence powers

  2. on Sense rolls when dealing with Essence effects

  3. on Perception rolls when spotting, identifying, and examining Auras

  4. With Learning and Utilizing ritual magic

Special Limitations 

Dance: You must be free to use bodily motions in order to cast spells. You are not freed from rituals requiring movement as your spell level increases. However, you need not speak at all to cast your spells. -40%.

Dark-Aspected: You can only use your powers in darkness. Regardless of the time of day or night, any light greater than candlelight or starlight deprives you of your abilities, though your aura reveals that you are a mage. -50%.

Day-Aspected: You can use your powers only when the sun is in the sky – on average, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. During solar eclipses, you have no powers! The effects of other astronomical events are up to the GM.  When the sun is down, you have none of your magical abilities, although a look at your aura reveals that you are a mage. You are not affected by being in buildings, underground, and so on; only the sun’s position matters. You know automatically (if you are awake) when it is one minute to sunrise and one minute to sunset. -40%.

Musical: You must use a musical instrument in order to cast spells. You can never cast spells silently. -50%.

Night-Aspected: You can only use your powers when the sun is not in the sky – on average, from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. When the sun is up, you have none of your magical abilities, although a look at your aura reveals that you are a mage. You are not affected by being in buildings, underground, and so on; only the sun’s position matters. You know automatically (if you are awake)  when it is one minute to sunrise and one minute to sunset. -40%.

One College Only: Your Magery only benefits the spells of a single college and the Recover Energy spell. You learn other spells as though you were a non-mage, and can only cast them in high-mana areas.  You may still count such spells as prerequisites for spells in your own college. You cannot detect magic items unless they contain at least one spell of your college, in which case you roll normally for detection on first sight and first touch. -40%.

Solitary: Your magical abilities are at -3 for every sapient being within five yards of you, and -6 for anyone touching you. As partial compensation, you get a roll vs. IQ to notice any time a sapient creature enters or leaves the five-yard area around you –but this only works on a single person. If there is already someone standing next to you, you won’t notice if someone else approaches. -40%. 

Song: You must be able to sing in order to cast your spells. You are not freed from the ritual of speaking to cast spells as your spell level increases. -40%

Mana in Alethia

It can be confusing when talking about mana to have both ambient mana levels and mana points.
When dealing with Ritual Magic only ambient mana levels are considered as all ritual magic draws on the mana in your environment to produce it's effects.

Mana is the ambient energy that empowers magic.

Magic will work only if the mana level of the game world or specific area allows it, as follows: 

• Very High Mana:
  Anyone who knows spells can cast them. A mage who spends FP to cast a spell on his turn gets those FP back at the start of his next turn.  However, all failures are treated as critical failures – and actual critical failures produce spectacular disasters! Very high mana is extremely rare in most settings.

• High Mana:
  Anyone who knows spells can cast them. This mana level is rare in most worlds, but some game worlds have high mana throughout.

• Normal Mana:
  Only mages can cast spells. These spells work normally, according to all rules given in this chapter. This is the default mana level in most fantasy settings: mages use magic, others don’t.

• Low Mana:
  Only mages can cast spells, and all spells perform at -5 to skill, for all purposes. (Magic items are similarly affected; see Power of a Magic Item, p. 481.) However, critical failures have mild effects or no effect at all.

• No Mana:
  No one can use magic at all. Magic items do not function (but regain their powers when taken to an area with mana). This mana level occurs in isolated spots in magical worlds, but entire game worlds can lack mana, making magic use impossible.

In Alethia only the areas around the Divine Pillars fall into the range of Normal Mana, everywhere outside the normalizing effects of the Pillars falls into the High or Very High mana range. Low Mana is very rare, and No Mana is unheard of.

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 (Fire) 2” means you must have Magery (Fire) 2 (or higher) to learn the spell. A few spells require a minimum basic attribute score, an advantage, or even a mundane skill.

CASTING SPELLS

You must know a spell in order to cast it, unless you possess a magic item that lets you cast it. Tell the GM what spell you are casting, then take Concentrate maneuvers for the requisite number of turns. At the end of the last second of concentration, make a success roll for the spell.

Casting a spell works like any other use of a skill. Roll 3d and compare the total to your effective skill: your base skill with the spell adjusted by any applicable modifiers. Modifiers depend on the class of spell. If your roll is less than or equal to your effective skill, the spell works. If it is greater than your effective skill, the spell fails.

On a success, mark off the spell’s energy cost against your FP or HP. Its effects take place immediately. On a critical success, the spell works especially well.

Details are up to the GM, who should be both generous and creative.

Whatever else occurs, there is never an energy cost if you get a critical success when you cast a spell.

On a failure, the spell does not work.

If success would have cost energy, you lose one energy point; otherwise, you lose nothing.
Exception: You must pay the full energy cost even on a failure for an Information spell.

 On a critical failure, you must spend the full energy cost and the spell fails . . . badly!
The GM may use the Critical Spell Failure Table or improvise some other “backfire” he finds amusing.

Critical Spell Failure Table

Roll 3d on the table below. If the result is inappropriate – or if it is the result that the caster intended – roll again. The GM is free to improvise instead of using the table. Improvisations should be appropriate to the spell and the situation, and should never kill the caster outright.

3 – Spell fails entirely. Caster takes 1d of injury.

4 – Spell is cast on caster (if harmful) or on a random nearby foe (if beneficial).

5-6 – Spell is cast on one of the caster’s companions (if harmful) or on a random nearby foe (if beneficial).

7 – Spell affects someone or something other than its intended target – friend, foe, or random object. Roll randomly or make an interesting choice.

8 – Spell fails entirely. Caster takes 1 point of injury.

9 – Spell fails entirely. Caster is stunned (IQ roll to recover).

10-11 – Spell produces nothing but a loud noise, bright flash of light, awful odor, etc.

12 – Spell produces a weak and useless shadow of the intended effect.

13 – Spell produces the reverse of the intended effect.

14 – Spell seems to work, but it is only a useless illusion. The GM should do his best to convince the wizard and his companions that the spell did work!

15-16 – Spell has the reverse of the intended effect, on the wrong target. Roll randomly.

17 – Spell fails entirely. Caster temporarily forgets the spell. Make an IQ roll after a week, and again each following week, until he remembers.

18 – Spell fails entirely. A demon or other malign entity appropriate to the setting appears and attacks the caster. (The GM may waive this result if, in his opinion, caster and spell were both lily-white, pure good in intent.)

DISTRACTION AND INJURY

If you use an active defense against an attack, or are knocked back, knocked down, injured, grappled, or otherwise distracted while concentrating, make a Will roll at -3 to continue casting your spell. On a failure, your spell is spoiled and you must start over.

If you are stunned while concentrating, your spell is automatically spoiled.

If you are injured but not stunned while concentrating, and succeed on the roll to avoid distraction, you may cast your spell. However, the shock penalty for your injury reduces your effective skill. See details on shock.

CASTER AND SUBJECT

The “caster” of a spell is the person who is attempting to cast it.

The “subject” of a spell is the person, place, or thing upon which the spell is cast. If you are casting a spell on yourself, you are both caster and subject. The subject can also be another being, an inanimate object, or even a patch of ground. If the subject is a place, the caster can “touch” it by extending a hand over it or touching the ground, as appropriate for the spell.

TIME REQUIRED

Most spells take two seconds to cast.

Take the Concentrate maneuver for one turn to draw in the ambient mana and center yourself, then a second Concentration maneuver to manifest your spell, then attempt your skill roll at the end of your second turn. If you succeed, the spell takes effect instantly. 

Whether you succeed or fail, your turn ends as soon as you roll the dice. 

Example: Wat wants to cast Create Fire, a one-second spell. On his turn, Wat says, "I'm preparing to cast a spell." on the first turn.  Then when it comes back to him, if he wants to finish the spell he could say “I’m concentrating on Create Fire.” This uses his entire turn. He then rolls the dice for his spell. If he succeeds, he creates fire – but either way, Wat’s turn ends. 

Some spells take more than one second to cast. This requires multiple, consecutive Concentrate maneuvers in combat. Make the skill roll at the end of the last turn of concentration. 

You may “abort” an unfinished spell before it is cast, at no penalty, but you must start over if you wish to try again.

Example: If a spell takes three seconds to cast, you must spend three turns doing nothing but concentrating. You roll the dice at the end of your third turn.

ENERGY COST

Each spell has an energy cost.

When you cast the spell, you must pay this cost in either FP or HP.
The better you know the spell, the less energy you need to cast it.
If you know it well enough, you can cast it at no cost.

Exception: Never reduce the cost of a Blocking spell.

At certain thresholds of power and skill with a spell the energy required to cast it is reduced.  To reduce the cost of a spell you need an IQ = 10 + x, Magery = x, and a skill with the spell = 1 + x, where x is the amount the cost of the spell is reduced. 

For Example: to reduce the cost of the Fireball spell by 2 FP you must have an IQ of at least 12, a Magery (Fire) of at least 2, and a skill level of 3 in the Fireball spell.

Apply the same reduction to the cost to maintain a spell. Calculate the entire cost for a spell (for instance, by multiplying cost for the size of the subject or the area affected) before applying energy cost reductions for high skill. Energy is still going into the spell, but your skill lets you draw it from the surrounding mana rather than supplying it yourself! 

You normally pay the energy cost of a spell in FP. You can recover lost FP by resting. A mage with the Recover Energy spell (p. 248) recovers FP faster than normal.

Burning HP

You may also expend life energy to pay the cost of a spell. Mark off some or all of the cost against HP instead of FP – the spell is actually harming you! 

You are at -1 on your spell roll per HP used. This is instead of the usual shock penalty for injury, and High Pain Threshold has no effect. 

Using HP to power spells is dangerous, but it may be necessary if you are badly fatigued and must cast another spell. You may “burn” HP until you fall unconscious. Should a failed HT roll indicate that you have died, you do not actually spend the HP. Instead, you fall unconscious. 

Treat HP lost this way just like any other injury.

MAGIC RITUALS

To cast a spell, you must usually perform a ritual that involves gestures and speech. If you can’t perform the ritual, you can’t cast the spell! For instance, if the ritual for a spell requires you to speak, you cannot cast the spell if you are gagged or under a spell of silence.

The higher your skill with a spell, the easier it is to cast: it takes less time, requires less energy, and has less stringent ritual requirements. See the list below for details. In all cases, “skill” refers to base skill, not effective skill. 

The only modifier that matters here is the -5 for low mana, if applicable.

• Skill < 10 – Magery 0
  Ritual: You must have both hands and both feet free for elaborate ritual movements, and you must speak certain words of power in a firm voice.
  Time: Doubled. 

• Skill 10-14 – Magery 0
  Ritual: You must speak a few quiet words and make a gesture.
  Time: As listed. 

• Skill 15-19 – Magery 1
  Ritual: You must speak a word or two or make a small gesture (a couple of fingers are enough), but not necessarily both. You are allowed to move one yard per second while taking the Concentrate maneuver.
  Time: As listed. 

• Skill 20-24 – Magery 2
  Ritual: None! You simply stare into space as you concentrate.
  Time: Halved (round fractions up to the next second). Minimum casting time is still one second. 

• Skill 25-29 – Magery 3
  Ritual: None.
  Time: Divided by 4 (round up).

• Skill 30-34 – Magery 4
  Ritual: None.
  Time: Divided by 8 (round up).

• Skill 35-29 – Magery 5
  Ritual: None.
  Time: Divided by 16 (round up).

• Skill 40+ – Magery 6+
  Ritual: None.
  Time: Divided by 32 (round up).

Certain spells always require a specific ritual. Such requirements override the rules above. For instance, high skill has no effect on the cost to cast Blocking spells or the time to cast Missile spells.

LIMITS ON EFFECT

The effects of many spells vary with the energy spent. For instance, a healing spell might heal 1 HP per energy point, or a combat spell might inflict 1d damage per point.

If the spell description sets no upper limit, then you may spend as much energy as you can afford! 

The more you spend, the greater the effect. If the spell specifies a finite range of effects and associated energy costs, though, you cannot exceed the upper limit without a high level of Magery (see below).

If either type of variable spell is cast on the same subject more than once, only the spell with the most powerful effects counts – multiple instances of a given spell do not “stack” or add in any way. Spells that heal, damage, or otherwise permanently affect the subject are an exception: you may cast such spells repeatedly, healing or damaging the subject by the full amount each time.

Magery and Effect

Talented mages may exceed the usual limits for spells that allow a finite number of “levels of effect” (dice of damage, bonuses to skill, etc.). The upper limit is the higher of the standard number of levels or the caster’s Magery level. 

Example: Major Healing allows you to spend 1, 2, 3, or 4 energy points to heal 2, 4, 6, or 8 HP. It has four levels of effect.
Magery 10 would let you revise this limit to 10 levels of effect – you could spend 1-10 energy points to heal 2-20 HP!

DURATION OF SPELLS AND MAINTAINING SPELLS

Some spells produce an instantaneous effect when cast and then end immediately. Other spells last for a fixed “duration” (given for the particular spell, but most often one minute) and then wear off – unless you maintain them. If you can maintain a spell, the energy cost to do so is given in its description, following the casting cost.

When the spell reaches the end of its duration, you may continue the spell by paying its maintenance cost. If you do, the spell continues for another interval equal to its duration. This takes no time and requires no skill roll. Distance is not a factor. 

Example: The Light spell notes “Duration: 1 minute” and “Cost: 1 to cast; 1 to maintain.” It ends after a minute unless, at the end of that minute, you spend one more energy point to maintain it. If you do, it lasts another minute.

You may repeat this process for as long as you wish, provided you can supply the required energy. As long as you are conscious, you know when one of your spells needs to be renewed. However, you cannot maintain a spell while you sleep, and you cannot “hand off” a spell to someone else so he can maintain it for you.

High Skill and Cost to Maintain

Energy cost reduction for high skill also applies to the cost to maintain a spell. This can reduce maintenance cost to zero. For instance, if you know a spell at skill 15-19, you may reduce its maintenance cost by 1; if this cost is 1 to begin with, you can maintain the spell indefinitely at no energy cost! 

Concentration and Maintenance

You can maintain a spell without concentration unless the spell requires constant manipulation and change; e.g., to maneuver a levitating object. Spells like this require you to take the Concentrate maneuver only. If you are distracted, injured, or stunned, you must make a Will roll at -3. If you fail, the spell does not end, but it remains in precisely the state it was in when you were distracted, and does not respond to change until you can concentrate on it again. On a critical failure, the spell ends.

Casting another spell does not break concentration, but you suffer a skill penalty for doing two things at once.

CASTING SPELLS WHILE MAINTAINING OTHER SPELLS

You can only cast one new spell at a time. However, you can cast new spells before older ones end. Apply the following modifiers whenever you cast spells while you have other spells active:

-3 per spell you are concentrating on at the moment. See the individual spell descriptions to learn which spells require concentration.

-1 per other spell you have “on” at the moment. A spell that lasts permanently (as indicated in the spell description) does not carry a penalty.

Canceling Spells

Sometimes, you will want to end a spell before its full duration is up. If you specify a shorter duration when you cast the spell, the spell lasts exactly the time desired. If you suddenly decide to “cancel” a spell before its time is up, though, you must pay one energy point (from FP or HP) to do so, regardless of the spell or your skill level.

DURATION OF SPELLS AND MAINTAINING SPELLS

Some spells produce an instantaneous effect when cast and then end immediately. Other spells last for a fixed “duration” (given for the particular spell, but most often one minute) and then wear off – unless you maintain them.

If you can maintain a spell, the energy cost to do so appears alongside the cost to cast. When the spell reaches the end of its duration, you may continue the spell by paying its maintenance cost. If you do, the spell endures for another interval equal to its duration. This takes no time and requires no skill roll. Distance is not a factor.

Example: The Light spell (p. 110) notes “Duration: 1 minute” and “Cost: 1 to cast; 1 to maintain.” It ends after a minute unless, at the end of that minute, you spend one more energy point to maintain it. If you do, it lasts another minute.

You may repeat this process for as long as you wish, provided you can supply the required energy. As long as you are conscious, you will know when one of your spells needs to be renewed. However, you cannot maintain a spell while you sleep, and you cannot “hand off” a spell to someone else so he can maintain it for you.

High Skill and Cost to Maintain

Energy cost reduction for high skill also applies to the cost to maintain a spell. This can reduce maintenance cost to 0. 

Concentration and Maintenance

You can maintain a spell without concentration unless the spell requires constant manipulation and change; e.g., to maneuver a levitating object. Spells like this require you to take the Concentrate maneuver only. If you are distracted, injured, or stunned, you must make a Will roll at -3. If you fail, the spell does not end, but it remains in precisely the state it had when you were distracted, and does not respond to change until you can concentrate on it again. On a critical failure, the spell ends.

Casting another spell does not break concentration, but you suffer a skill penalty for doing two things at once (see Casting Spells While Maintaining Other Spells, below). 

Changing Maintained Spells

A spell with a variable area of effect cannot be expanded after it has been cast. However, a wizard may choose to maintain only part of a spell’s area, paying the maintenance cost for only a portion of the original area affected. 

Duration Types

There are five classes of duration for spells: instantaneous, temporary, lasting, permanent, and enchantment. 

Instantaneous
Instantaneous spells produce an instant effect when cast and then end immediately. Note that some instantaneous spells appear to last longer because they leave behind a persistent but nonmagical effect – Flesh to Stone, for example, instantly turns a living being to stone and ends, leaving behind a stone statue.

Temporary
Temporary spells are spells that require the continuing expenditure of energy to maintain. If it has a cost to maintain, it is most likely a temporary spell. Only temporary spells count as spells “on” (see below). 

Lasting
Lasting spells do not require maintenance, but have a limited effective duration. Typically, they last until some event ends the spell. Bless is a good example; the spell lasts until the blessing is used. 

Permanent
Permanent spells create a magical effect that lasts indefinitely. Zombie is a good example: the magic force that animates the body persists until the body has been physically destroyed. A permanent spell, unlike temporary and lasting spells, does not end in a no-mana zone, but it is suspended until the subject leaves the zone. At that point the spell resumes.

Enchantments
Enchantments produce a still more enduring magical effect – usually one that generates other magical effects in turn. Enchantments are not dispelled by spells like Dispel Magic or Remove Curse. Like permanent spells, enchantments are suspended, not dispelled, by no-mana zones.

Spell Endurance

Spells usually resist other spells or attacks with the effective skill of the wizard who cast them. Some temporary and lasting spells, however, can be whittled away by repeated assaults.

Such spells are said to have Endurance. Like an enchantment’s Power, a spell’s Endurance at casting time is equal to its caster’s effective skill. However, it may be reduced by later events. A spell’s description always discusses whether the spell has Endurance and at what Endurance the spell fails and dissipates. 

Some spells my require 'Fading' rolls which is a 3d6 roll made against the spells remaining Endurance.

One Try 

Some spells only provide a wizard with one chance. These spells note “One Try” in their descriptions. If such a spell fails, the caster (and any assistants) may not try that spell again on the same subject. Some spells permit only a single try within a given time period – “one try per week,” for example. In this case, the caster(s) may try again after the appropriate time has passed. If no time period is specified, the caster(s) may never try again.

CASTING SPELLS WHILE MAINTAINING OTHER SPELLS

You can only cast one new spell at a time. However, you can cast new spells before older ones end. Apply the following modifiers whenever you cast spells while you have other spells active: 

-3 per spell you are concentrating on at the moment. See the individual spell descriptions to learn which spells require concentration.

-1 per other spell you have “on” at the moment. Only temporary spells carry this penalty.

SPELL CLASSES

Each spell falls into one or more classes that define how it works in play. These classes are not mutually exclusive, except as noted below.

Regular Spells 

Most spells fall into this class. A Regular spell affects only one subject. 

Its energy cost assumes a human-sized subject – that is, one with Size Modifier 0.
For a subject with a positive SM, multiply cost by 1 + SM: x2 energy for SM +1, x3 for SM +2, x4 for SM +3, and so on.
There is no cost reduction for a subject with a negative SM. A few Regular spells give special cost schemes that override these rules.

Regular spells work best if you can touch or see the subject.
You do not have to see through your own eyes; any spell that lets you see by magical means will do.

If you cannot touch the subject, use your Magery level as a range increment suffering a -1 penalty for every number of yards equal to your Magery.  Figure distance at the moment you roll the dice for the spell.
For Example: If Samantha wants to cast Minor Healing on an ally 4 yards away with a Magery (Body) of 2 she would suffer a -2 to the casting for range.

If you cannot touch or see the subject, there is a further -5 penalty. There are two ways to direct such a spell: 

• Name a target location.
  For instance, if you specify “One yard beyond the other side of this door,” you’ll get whoever is standing on the other side of the door.
  If there is nobody there, you wasted the spell.

• Name a subject.
  e.g., “The closest person in the next room,” or, “George, who I know is around here somewhere.” The GM determines the actual range to the subject. This is risky! If the subject is farther away than you think – or simply absent – you are inviting failure or even critical failure!

No physical barrier affects a Regular spell. Unless the spell backfires, a Regular spell never hits the wrong target.

Area Spells

These spells affect an area rather than an individual.
They are cast on a surface – floor, ground, etc. – and their effects extend four yards (12 feet) up from that surface. A few Area spells work differently; see the individual spell descriptions for details.

The size of the area governs the energy cost, but not the difficulty of the roll. The cost listed for an Area spell is its “base cost.” The actual cost to cast the spell is equal to base cost multiplied by the radius of the area of effect in yards: x1 for a one-yard radius (one space), x2 for a two-yard radius, x3 for a three-yard radius, and so on.

Some Area spells have a fractional base cost, such as 1/2 or 1/10. You must spend a minimum of one energy point on these spells. A few Area spells specify a minimum cost; you must always pay the minimum cost, even if this is larger than the base cost multiplied by the desired radius.

If an Area spell affects living beings, it affects everyone in the area of effect. You may choose to affect only a part of the area, rather than the whole circle, but the cost is still the same.

If you cannot touch some part of the affected area, apply a skill penalty to your distance in yards from the nearest edge of the area as you would with a Regular spell (Based on your Magery Level).

Melee Spells

Melee spells “charge” your hand or magical weapon with harmful energies that affect the first target you strike. These spells require two skill rolls: a roll against spell skill to cast the spell, and a normal melee attack roll to hit your target with your hand or staff.

To cast a Melee spell, concentrate for the required time, roll against spell skill at the end of the final turn of concentration, and pay the energy cost.

There is no distance modifier – you are casting the spell on yourself!
On a success, you energize your hand or staff with the spell’s magic.
On your next turn, you must do one of two things with your spell: hold it or attack with it.

If you hold your spell, your hand or staff remains “charged.” This has no energy cost and requires no skill roll. You cannot cast another spell while holding a Melee spell. You can take any other combat maneuver (but an attack with the energized hand or staff discharges the spell). A parry with that hand or staff does not discharge the spell; an attack is part of the ritual, and nothing else works.

A held Melee spell on a staff persists only for as long as you wield the staff. If you lose hold of your staff, even for an instant, the spell drains away harmlessly. If someone grabs your staff, and you are both holding onto it on your turn, your attempt to wrench it free counts as an attack, and your opponent instantly suffers the spell’s effects!

To attack, roll against DX or an unarmed combat skill to hit with a hand, or the appropriate Melee Weapon skill to hit with a staff. This is a standard melee attack. Your target may attempt any active defense.
If he succeeds, your spell is not triggered; you may try again next turn.
If he fails, your melee attack does its usual damage and your spell affects him immediately.

Armor protects normally against some Melee spells, not at all against others. If the spell is one that ignores armor, neither an unarmed parry (even with an armored limb) nor a block will protect the target from the spell. Even if such a defense wards off the melee attack, the spell arcs through the target’s armor or shield and affects him.

Note: that some Melee spells are Resisted. These spells require a second roll against spell skill, when the spell actually takes effect, to overcome the target’s resistance.

Missile Spells

This class of spells encompasses long-distance “projectile” or “bolt” attacks, such as Fireball and Lightning.
Missile spells require two skill rolls: a roll against spell skill to cast the spell, and a roll against Innate Attack skill to hit the target. To cast a Missile spell, you must concentrate for one second. At the end of your turn, roll against your skill with the spell. There is no modifier for distance – you are creating a magical missile in your hand. On a success, you may invest one or more points of energy in the spell, to a maximum number of energy points equal to your Magery level. The missile then appears in your hand, “charged” to the desired level.

On your next turn, you have three options with your missile: 

• make a ranged attack with it

• hold it

• enlarge it 

If you opt to enlarge your missile, you must concentrate for another second. At the end of your turn, you may invest more energy in the spell – anything from one point to an number of points equal to your Magery level. This does not require a skill roll. The turn after that, you have the same options: attack, hold, or enlarge.

On your fourth and subsequent turns, you may only attack or hold. You cannot spend more than three seconds building up a Missile spell. Once you stop enlarging a Missile spell, you may “hold” it in hand, ready to attack. You do not have to launch the missile until you want to. While holding a Missile spell, you may move up to your full Move, take a Wait or Aim maneuver, or even attack using the hand that isn’t “holding” the missile. You may defend normally.

However, you cannot cast another spell.

There is one drawback! If you are injured while you have a missile “in hand,” you must make a Will roll. If you fail, the missile immediately affects you!

When you are ready to attack, roll against your Innate Attack skill to hit. 

This is a standard ranged attack, subject to the usual modifiers for target size, speed, and range. Once launched, the missile flies in a straight line to the target. Physical barriers affect it just as they would affect any missile weapon. Your target may block or dodge, but not parry. If he fails, he is hit and the spell affects him. The strength of the effect depends on the energy invested. Most Missile spells inflict 1d of damage per point of energy. 

Damage Resistance – whether natural or from armor – protects normally against damaging Missile spells.

Blocking Spells

A Blocking spell is cast instantly as a defense against either a physical attack or another spell. It is the magical equivalent of a block, parry, or dodge (and often counts as one of these defenses; see the spell description for details). You may cast only one Blocking spell per turn, no matter how skilled you are. You cannot attempt a Blocking spell against a critical hit.

If you try a Blocking spell, it automatically interrupts your own concentration. You lose any spell you were preparing exactly as if you had failed the Will roll to resist a distraction. If you are holding (not casting) a Melee spell, it is unaffected. If you are holding a Missile spell, you cannot enlarge it further but may retain it for later use.

Blocking spells do not get an energy cost reduction for high skill.

Information Spells

Information spells are cast to gain knowledge. Some require you to touch the subject, while others function at a distance; see Long-Distance Modifiers (box) for range penalties. Spells intended to find things are at -1 per “known” item you choose to ignore in your search. Most Information spells have additional special modifiers, so be sure to read the spell description carefully.

When you cast an Information spell, the GM rolls for you in secret. If the spell succeeds, the GM gives you the desired information – the better the roll, the better the information. If the spell fails, the GM says, “You sense nothing.” On a critical failure, the GM lies to you! Regardless of the outcome, you must always pay the full energy cost for the spell. 

Information spells generally allow only one attempt per day by each caster (or ceremonial group). “Seek” spells are an exception to this.

Except where specifically noted, Information spells have no duration. They grant a momentary glimpse of insight and end immediately; there-fore, you cannot maintain them.

Resisted Spells

A spell of any type can also be “Resisted.” A spell like this works automatically only on a critical success. On a regular success, your spell must defeat the subject’s resistance to work.

The subject always has a chance to resist, even if he is unconscious. A conscious subject is aware that something is happening, and may choose not to resist. Individuals who are unconscious, unfamiliar with magic, or wary of hostile magic always try to resist.

To resolve a Resisted spell, you must first succeed at your skill roll. If the spell has a single subject (that is, it isn’t an Area spell), you have a penalty equal to the subject’s Magic Resistance (p. 67), if any – even if he is willing! On a failure, the spell fails and the subject notices nothing. On a success, note your margin of success; e.g., if you rolled a 6 against an effective skill of 13, you succeeded by 7. If the subject is living or sapient, the Rule of 16 applies (see The Rule of 16, p. 349). There is no such limit if the subject is a spell. The subject then attempts a resistance roll. A character resists using the attribute or other trait indicated in the spell description – usually HT or Will. 

The subject’s Magic Resistance, if any, adds to his resistance. A spell resists using the caster’s effective skill when he cast the spell.

Compare the subject’s resistance roll to your skill roll in a Quick Contest. If you win, your spell affects the subject. If you lose or tie, the spell has no effect – but you must still pay the full energy cost! A conscious subject feels a slight mental or physical wrench (depending on which attribute he resisted with), but no other effect.

You know whether or not the subject resisted your spell.

Resisted Area Spells: 

When casting an Area spell that is Resisted, make the usual success roll for the spell and record your margin of success if you succeed. Everyone in the area gets a

resistance roll, and those with Magic Resistance get double the usual benefit. Your spell affects those who make their roll by less than you did.

Special Spells 

These spells follow special rules given in the spell description.

Magic Staffs

A “magic staff” is any wand or staff imbued with the power to extend your reach for the purpose of casting spells. It gives three main benefits:

• Touching a subject with your staff lets you cast spells on that subject at no distance penalty. This is useful in situations where you must cast a spell on a subject you cannot touch with your hand (e.g., when casting a healing spell on someone trapped under rubble).

• Pointing with a staff reduces the range to a distant subject by the length of the staff. This is valuable for Regular spells, as a one-yard wand shaves 1 yard off distance penalties, while a two-yard quarterstaff can cover up to 2 yards of range! You can point as part of the ritual to cast a spell. Tell the GM you are pointing at the subject when you start concentrating. (This might warn an unwilling subject!)

• A staff can carry Melee spells. This gives them more reach, and lets you strike and parry without putting your hand in harm’s way. A magic staff can be any length up to two yards. A wand is Reach C, too light to do damage, and uses Knife or Main-Gauche skill. A long wand or short staff is Reach 1, functions as a baton in combat, and uses Short-sword or Smallsword skill. A full-length staff is Reach 2, counts as a quarterstaff in combat, and uses Staff or Two-Handed Sword skill. In most game worlds, a suitable ordinary item can be enchanted as a magic staff for $30, but it must be made from once-living materials (wood, bone, ivory, coral, etc.).

Long-Distance Modifiers

Use these modifiers for Information spells that work over long distances, such as “Seek” spells. Certain advantages also use these range penalties. If the distance falls between two values, use the higher.

Distance Penalty

Up to 200 yards 0

1/2 mile -1

1 mile -2

3 miles -3

10 miles -4

30 miles -5

100 miles -6

300 miles -7

1,000 miles -8

Add another -2 per additional factor of 10.