Magic Overview

Capacity

A character's Capacity is essentially his magical battery. It limits how much power can be channelled over the course of a day.

By default, a character's Capacity is equal to endurance * 1/2 spellcasting ability (default Intuition).

Capacity is only spent when a spell is cast that is difficult for the caster.

Capacity is recharged whenever a character gets more than 6 hours of sleep.

Overspending Capacity

A character can spend as much capacity as he or she wants, but if you spend more capacity than you have there are consequences. For every point spent over your total, you take 4 points of damage. You may continue casting even when you have no capacity left, but you take a -2 to spellcasting checks and the same damage rules as above apply.

Casting Spells

When a player casts a spell, they describe the effects they would like it to have. Nothing is impossible. As a spell is described, the GM will produce a DC for it, and decide which discipline(s) it falls under. Some effects may be achieved by a number of different disciplines - Flight, for example, can be achieved in numerous ways.

Casting

When the DC is exceeded by five points or more, the spell costs no Capacity. If you exceed by fewer than five, the spell costs the difference in Capacity. For example, if the DC for a spell is 25 and you roll a 30, the spell costs nothing, whereas if you roll a 27, it costs three Capacity. If you succeed in casting a spell but do not have sufficient capacity to cast it, the cost is deducted as 4 times the difference in HP (unless otherwise mentioned).

Failure

Spells that fail do nothing (except occasionally for Sorcerers). No matter what, the Capacity is spent. For example, a spell with a DC of 25 failed with a roll of 22 costs 8 capacity.

You can never spend more than 10 capacity on a single spell roll (meaning you can spend more on a mixed spell). If you roll a natural one (which still counts as a roll of 1) you can spend up to 15 capacity.

Determining DC, etc

See: Developing Spells

Casting Time

Spells usually cost 4 AP to cast, but there may be exceptions. Mixed spells or particularly powerful spells may cost 6 (or potentially more), though not always.

Mixed Spells

While most effects can be cast using only one discipline of magic, in some cases desired effects may only be achieved by combining two or more disciplines into a single spell.

The one big rule of making mixed spells is that you cannot use them to combine two discrete spells, and thereby reduce casting time. You cannot get away with casting a single spell that gives you flight and lets you shoot a fireball, but you can make a spell where you fly by shooting fire out of your feet.

To cast a Mixed Spell, the GM determines a DC for each discipline involved. This may be the same DC but often will not be. The caster then makes a check for each DC, succeeding or failing and spending Capacity as per the rules listed above.

If all checks are successful, the spell is cast. If all of them fail, the spell fails as above.

If only part of the spell fails, there is a 50% chance that the successful check(s) will carry through, often with unintended results. For example, perhaps one is casting a Flesh/Earth spell to make one's skin into stone. If the Flesh check is failed and the Earth check is successful, the caster's skin may turn to stone without having the flexibility granted by the flesh portion, and so they may be immobilized.

Sustaining Spells

Spells whose effects last longer than a single round must be sustained by setting aside some Tenacity specifically for the spell equal to the amount of Capacity the caster spent in casting the spell.

• If a caster is using his tenacity to sustain spells and the tenacity cost of a new spell costs more than his free tenacity, sustained spells get dropped. The caster gets to choose which spell is dropped.
• The minimum Tenacity cost of a sustained spell is 1. If a spell's Capacity cost is 0, then its sustain cost is still 1.

Magical Advancement

The magical disciplines (see below) are like skills - they are advanced in the same way.

Any player may take ranks in magical disciplines...

Intuition

The Default. Until a player otherwise specifies, all their magic is Intuition-based. Characters who use Intuition are called Mages.

Mages are people who have a natural understanding of how one or more branches of magic work. They are the core of magic - people with simply some natural talent. They follow all default rules. The other three have limitations.

Intellect

Casters that use Intellect are called Wizards.

Wizards have had extensive schooling or have done research themselves on the subject of how magical forces interact, and have a strong understanding of magical theory. Most are trained by schools, of which there are many.

The main benefit of being a wizard is that spells can be prepared beforehand. By figuring out the theory, working out equations, and writing down basic notes, the Wizard can hold a spell in memory and not risk overdrawing himself when the time comes to cast it.

A wizard may spend 1 hour a day preparing spells. He may design any spell which he would be able to cast with a roll of 15. Up to twice his intelligence in such spells may be held at a single time. When a spell is cast, it is used up, so it is sometimes useful to prepare copies of spells.

Because Wizards are used to taking the safe route, however, and are not used to channeling raw energy unstudied, when they overdraw Capacity they take 8 damage per point overdrawn instead of 4.

In addition, Wizards cannot take ranks in the Life discipline.

Will

Casters that use Will are called Adepts.

Adepts focus on one (or rarely two) disciplines of magic. They are specialists, and their will is connected inextricably to this type of magic. Through discipline and focus they hone their ability, until it is a part of them.

Adepts which take ranks in only 1 discipline gain a +4 to all checks made in that discipline, a +8 to all saves against effects from that discipline, and a -2 to all saves against other magical disciplines.

Adepts which take ranks in 2 disciplines gain a +2 to all checks made in those disciplines (this stacks if a spell includes both), and a +4 to all saves against effects from those disciplines (again stacking if the targeting spell uses both).

Adepts cannot take ranks in more than two disciplines. An adept which has only one discipline may take a second at any time. If the adept wishes to change disciplines, they may but must give up all ranks invested in the previous one.

Charisma

Casters that use Charisma are called Sorcerers.

Sorcerers are born to magic. Their soul is so powerful it leaks, and their energy is rash, wild, and flowing.

When Sorcerers overdraw Capacity they take 2 damage per point overdrawn instead of 4. In addition, they can cast from disciplines of magic they have no ranks in, though they take a -5 penalty on such checks.

When a Sorcerer fails a casting check, however, they burn double capacity. Sorcerer spells that are failed always are cast in some form, and always act unpredictably (unlike the 50-50 chance for other casters). This means they can fail the DC by one or two points and be ensured that the spell will work at least in part, but they always risk a massive failure.

Magic Disciplines

Perception

Air

Fire

Cold

Flesh

Mind

Water

Rock and Soil

Metal

Plant

Light

Darkness

Life

Motion - Imbues nonliving material with motion

Prestige Categories

Ranks cannot be taken in Prestige Categories until something something level 5?

Creation Space