Magick Rules

Item Enchantment Rules | Magick Adept Abilities | Mana Field Strength | Meditation | Philosophy of Magick | Ritual Magick | Runic Magick | Runic Spell Effect Rules | Sources | Spell Casting and Options | Thaumaturgical Law

A DISCLAIMER (PLEASE READ):


I DO NOT, AND NEITHER DOES ANYONE THAT HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS GAME, SUPPORT OR PRACTICE THE ACTIVITIES OF SATANISM, OCCULT MAGIC, HUMAN SACRIFICE, ANIMAL SACRIFICE, OR OTHER ACTIVITIES THAT LEAD TO WILLFUL HUMAN DEGRADATION OR HARM. I HAVE NO RELIGIOUS OR PERSONAL AGENDA IN PRESENTING THIS INFORMATION, BESIDES THE EXPLANATION OF A RULE SYSTEM TO GOVERN THE USE OF MAGIC WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE GAME ALONE. THIS SECTION IS INCLUDED FOR COMPLETENESS AND THE FOR THE FACT THAT THIS GAME DEALS WITH SUBJECTS OF A FANTASTIC AND MAGICAL NATURE. PLEASE DO NOT BE OFFENDED BY USE OF TERMS OR SUBJECTS THAT TOUCH ON THE OCCULT OR ON MATTERS OF A RELIGIOUS NATURE. THIS MATERIAL IS ONLY TO BE USED FOR GAME PURPOSES AND NOT FOR ANY REAL WORLD ACTIVITY. IF YOU ARE UNABLE OR UNWILLING TO SEPARATE REALITY AND MAKE-BELIEVE, PLEASE CHOOSE A DIFFERENT HOBBY THAN ROLE-PLAYING AND GET SOME PROFESSIONAL HELP. THANK YOU.

My Game Philosophy on the Practice of Magick

First of all, I want to get something off my chest. I'm sure everyone reading this is wondering, "Why on Earth does he feel the need to add that extra "k" on the end of the word magic?" And I'll say this, "Because I like it that way. It's an older, more archaic, less common spelling (like faerie, instead of fairy) and it distinguishes to me between sleight of hand magic tricks, and raw, supernatural Magick!" That's all I'll say about that.

Now, before I talk about magick rules, I wish to explain a bit of philosophy behind it, so that players who wish to be wizards understand why they aren't going to raise continents from the sea as soon as they get their pointy hat and magick wand. Magickal effects are created by the focusing and manipulation of the ambient mana field of the earth. Mana is a spontaneous field that occurs naturally and exists around ley lines. Ley lines are straight lines of magickal force that appear out of the earth, run for a distance and then disappear back into the ground (they can be as short as a few meters, but usually run for 10's or 100's of miles). Ley lines are usually long lasting (existing for hundreds or thousands of years in the same place and orientation), but certain ones may experience instability and fluxate in location and orientation before stabilizing or collapsing. The mana field they generate penetrates local reality on all levels. Because of this, manipulation of the local mana field allows influence of local reality. Also, the weaker the local mana field, the more difficult magick effects are to produce. But the mana field, to affect reality, must be directed the presence and focus of an intelligence (not necessarily a sentient being though). The stronger the personal focus or Will of the intelligence, the greater the effect they have on localized reality (similar to how the presence of a mass will deform space-time into a gravitational well). Because of this, through the manipulation of this mana to weaken local reality, the magick-user is able to work his will upon a small region to a degree, if he has the power and control necessary.

Now Mana is renowned for being fickle and unwieldy in untrained hands, for a number of reasons. The creation of magickal effects requires an energy source to act as a catalyst for the ambient mana field to weaken reality. The general case is that the caster utilizes some of their own physical energy reserves (Strain) to catalyzes the magickal effect. The greater the effect or disturbance in reality created, the larger the energy catalyst that is required. Additionally, because of the laws of physics and thermodynamics, several problems arise out of disturbing or altering normal reality. One, it can generally only be done on a limited scale and usually only in the immediate vicinity of the caster. This is because a caster's Will operates in a similar fashion to gravity (or other fields) in that its power diminishes as distance increases from the source (i.e. the caster). Also, because the ambient reality field is usually strong and resilient, no single human body can produce enough energy to deform the reality field for very long. Therefore the majority of magickal effects are limited in duration. Finally, mages or persons who manipulate mana are interacting with organized energy fields. The second law of Thermodynamics dictates that entropy is always increasing. Additionally, entropy acts to move all things to the lowest state of equal energy and to destabilize organized systems. These two facts operate in such a fashion that the ordinary magick-user is very much in danger of spontaneously combusting if his isn't careful. The lowest energy state is usually thermal or heat energy, and raw mana or Strain that is released by accident, generally enters the world in this form (possibly turning a would be sorcerer into a wizard flambe'). For all these reasons, magick use is difficult, dangerous, unstable, and expensive to accomplish. Additionally, for these reasons, it is easier to create damaging or disorganizing effects than to heal or create organized matter.

But various methods and techniques aid the magician. There are ways of focusing the Will like a lens to make it more effective, and storing Strain like a battery, to have more energy available for large effects. Rituals and sacrifices can also aid in releasing usable Free Strain for crafting magick, and there are means of defining and channeling more efficiently the effects to be produced, through the use of Runes and Names. Therefore, magick is the pursuit of the mad genius or the cautious savant, with the weak, the stupid, and the careless quickly dying of their own mistakes.



Mana Field Strength

The field strength of mana varies across the landscape, dependent upon known and unknown variables. The known variables are ley lines, which are "streams" or "rivers" of mana that cross the land. They emerge and disappear without warning and are generally about a meter wide, running in a straight line for widely varying amounts of distance. They are invisible except to mages and some animals (who can feel them like static electricity or see a faint glow at night). However plants, trees and grass tend to bend slightly parallel to them , as if buffeted by a breeze. Normal levels of Mana (which generally occur within 50-100 miles of a ley line) produce no other effects besides allowing magick to occur. On ley lines, the Mana Level is considered High within the line itself and for about 100 meters on either side of the line. Intersections of two or more ley lines produce a Nexus (1 meter circle), where Very High levels of Mana occur within the Nexus and High levels occur in a 100 meter circle around the Nexus. In High or Very High Mana areas, spell effects are increased in power. Because of this, many mages or wizards live or have built towers on these spots. Where there are no ley lines within 100 miles, then areas tend to be Low Mana, and hinder spell use. Area where no ley line is within 500 miles, or anywhere that the Mana has been exhausted by a great magickal effort or battle are No Mana areas and no magickal effect cannot occur there. See Table below for exact effects.

Mana Level Effect
No Mana -No magickal effects may be produced

-Sources are drained of a single point of Charge per day

-No Meditation possible

-Magick Items do not function
Low Mana -Cost is 2 Strain per Rune of Spell

-All Magick Skills or Tests are -1

-No Meditation possible
Normal Mana Normal Rules and Effects
High Mana -One Extra Strain per Round is available for magick use
in ambient Free Strain Pool (non-cumulative)

-All Magickal Skills or Tests are +1

-Meditation recovers 5 points of Strain per hour
Very High Mana -Three Extra Strain per Round is available for magick use in ambient Free Strain Pool (non-cumulative)

-All Magickal Skills or Tests are +2

-Meditation recovers all used Strain in one hour

-Sources gain a single point of Charge per day



Runic Magick

In SIMRPG, the magick system that I use is Runic Magick. I simply find it the easiest, most free-form, and least limiting that I can devise. Some players prefer discrete and individuals spells to cast (i.e. Fireball, Healing Hands, Invisibility, etc...) while others want to be able to create various different effects as they see fit, without being restricted to only the known or defined cantrips and spells. Both types can be accommodated by the Runic System, but if some other method of magick-user works better for you, go for it. I simply suggest that spells are (a) remembered and do not have to be memorized before use, (b) spells are assigned a cost in Strain that determines how expensive they are to cast (and therefore how powerful they are) and limits their use or abuse, and (c) each spell is learned as an individual skill based on Wisdom (but should easier to learn than other skills or it would be too expensive to know more than a few). But that is left up to the GM to work out.

Runes are signs or shapes that are associated with a concept. Like Japanese characters, each expresses a complete idea in an of itself. The interaction between Runes placed in sequence makes clear an intention or action, and it is through this that magick is performed. For the basic concept I have borrowed heavily from the Futhark Rune System that was developed in ancient Scandinavia (supposedly a gift from Odin to his worshipers and wisemen after he allowed himself to be crucified on Yggdrasil, the world tree, and gave up one of his eyes for knowledge). But the runes as I use them have only a passing similarity in meaning. GMs are free to devise their own Runic systems, or use this one.

Rune Significance Rune Significance
w Air d Light/Dark
F Animal/Beast t Knowledge/Name
m Body S Magick/Destiny
h Break/Weaken/Harm o Man/Sentient
E Communicate/Separate q Mind
I Control/Bind e Move/Travel
y Create/Produce r Necromancy/Spirit
b Earth J Plant
P Fire x Protect/Guard/Warn
g Food/Offering/Object A Sound/Signal
D Summon/Teleport z Strength/Repair
H Healing/Fertility T Transform/Alter
p Illusion/Mystery l Water

(To Download a Rich Text Format list of the Runes, click here)


The Basics of Spell Casting is this:

Each Rune is a Wisdom based skill, and is learned as any other skill. When a Wizard casts a spell, he first decides what the spell effect will be. The GM decides what Runes are required the create the spell effect, out of the Runes that the Wizard knows (if the Wizard is trying the create a fireball and doesn't know the Fire Rune, tough luck). The Wizard then expends the minimum Strain to power the spell and invokes the runes in sequence, Testing each skill involved as he goes. If he succeeds at all his skill tests for the Runes the spell functions as desired and dictated by the GM, and the Wizard can spend additional Strain to enhance the spell's effect. If he fails in one or more of the Skill Tests, the spell either doesn't function, or functions in a skewed manner without the effect of the failed runes. As each Rune is Tested, the Wizard either says it aloud or draws it in the air or on a surface. If the mage is incapable of doing so (gagged and bound, they may not cast the spell.

Example: Normungundersson the Wise is a Mage of wondrous power (he thinks). To prove this, he decides that he wishes to erect a statue of white marble to himself using magick. Since there's no white marble about, the GM rules that not only will he have to shape the rock, he'll have to create it as well. So Normungundersson chooses the Create, Control, and Earth Runes. He invokes each successfully, so magickally there appears marble that the mage can easily shape to his will as long as the spell lasts. Now all he needs to do is succeed on a Sculpting Skill test to get his nose to look right.

But its not quite that simple (unless the GM just allows it). There are rules which I use to govern the use and cost of spell effects. I use them as guidelines only in the back of my mind and try to go with the flow and improvise as much to suit the situation. But if I have an over eager mage, it is necessary sometimes to hold him to the letter of the law to prevent him from ruling the game. The basic rules for governing magick effects are below, but don't let the rules get in the way of simplicity, ease of play, and general fun. It is a good idea to read and familiarize oneself with the rules, but after that, feel free to ignore them if they are too complex for your game, too restrictive, or don't cover the current situation.



Spell Effect Rules

A spell is constructed around one or more Runes. The player decides what effect they want to achieve. The GM determines the Rune(s) necessary to form or direct this magickal effect and the power (Strain) necessary to create it. The player and GM work to modify the idea or effect to make it feasible. Then the player has his character expends single Strain point for each Rune involved in the spell. A character can only invoke one Rune a second, so a maximum of two Runes per round. If a Spell has more than two Runes, the caster continues casting until he has finished the last Rune. He may then dictate that the spell occurs in the round at the time that he finishes, or at the start of the next round. The player Tests against the skill of each Rune in turn, in the order dictated by the GM or by the rational construction of the spell effect. If the player fails any of the tests, the GM may either (a) decide that the spell has failed totally and that no effect is produced, or (b) the spell, if possible, functions in some fashion without the influence of that rune, creating a partial or uncontrolled effect but not the true design of the spell. Whichever occurs, the Strain spent on the Runes is used up.

Base Levels of Spell Effect

A spell that is cast only with sufficient energy to power the Runes has the following limitations:

Once a spell is cast, if a caster expends more energy, the spell limitations are increased to a point set by the GM or by a combination of the natural potential (Attribute values) of the caster and how much additional Strain he is willing to expend on the spell to increase its effects beyond the Base Level of Effect.



Increased Magickal Effects

All values listed below are assumed to be Strain that is expended after a spell is cast and the minimum of one Strain per Rune used is spent. Also note, that each Strain spent is dictated to be for a single aspect of the spell (Duration, Volume, Range, Damage, etc...). One point of Strain can not count for two different aspects (Duration and Volume). Also note that the caster can chose to limit the spell effect to any portion up to the maximum of the spell's full effect (for instance he can choose to halve duration, or end it at any time, up to the amount of time he has spent Strain for). Finally, the caster can choose to spend additional Strain on the spell to increase or continue its effect as long as the Spell is still operating (until the end of the last round of the Spell's duration). After that, he must cast the spell again and spend all necessary Strain if he wants to produce the effect.



Learned Spells and Rune Strings

If a mage wishes he may decide that a particular spell, cast by the combination of two or more runes (a Rune String), would be especially useful to learn it as its own skill. If this is the case, the spell starts off at a skill level of the lowest Rune involved in the Rune String minus the number of other Runes involved in the String (no lower than two), and the character spends this number of Character Points to learn it (and the amount of time the GM designates to practice it). The skill is based on Wisdom, so if Wisdom is increased, the skill also increases. And the skill may be increased as per a normal skill (see Character Development Section).

The advantage of learning a Rune String as a separate spell is essentially two-fold. One, the casting time for the spell is halved (rounding up), with a minimum time of one second. Two, the Strain cost of the spell (only the cost in Strain to activate the Runes involved) is halved (rounding up), minimum of one Strain to cast. This is because the spell is dedicated to producing a single effect and operates more efficiently than several separate Runes being used to design an effect. Once the spell is cast, it's basic effect can be increased as per normal at a normal cost (see above). The spell also operates will an effect as if it had used the number of runes in the original Rune String (for the purposes of Damage and Healing).

Example: Ian the Healer has been in a number of battles where every second counted in saving the life of a friend. He decides that the incantation of Heal, Man, Body would be a useful Spell to know, as it takes a round and a half to cast and costs 4 Strain even to Heal someone (this is not the cost of casting, but it includes a single point for Increased spell effect because the base level effect is no Healing, so at least one Strain must be spent to increase the spell's effect to create Healing - see above). Well he decides he will learn the Rune String as a Spell, so the GM figures the result. The casting time of the Rune String is one second per Rune for a total of 3 seconds (a round and a half). Halved is 1.5, rounded up to 2. The Spell would take 2 seconds to cast (one round). The Cost to cast of the spell is 3 Strain (one Strain per Rune). Halved is 1.5, rounded up to 2 Strain. The Spell would cost 2 Strain to cast. Ian decides this is worth it. He knows the Heal Rune at level 14, the Body Rune at level 12, and the Man Rune at level 10. The Man Rune is the lowest, so the starting skill in the spell would be 10 - 2 (because besides the Man Rune, there are 2 other Runes used in the spell). The skill would start off at level 8. Ian decides that he wants to adjust it. He will include a second Heal Rune to increase the spells effect. So the Rune String is now Heal, Heal, Man, Body. Normally as a Rune String this would cost 4 Strain to cast and take 2 rounds to cast. But because everything was already rounded up, it still costs the same and takes the same amount of time to cast as a Spell. But the skill will now start off as 10 - 3 (because there are 3 other Runes is the spell) for a starting skill level of 7. Ian decides that's okay. He spends a day practicing at the GM's direction and then spends 7 Character Points. He now knows Ian's Healing Demeanor Spell (that's what he calls it) at a skill level of 7 and may improve it as per a normal skill. When he casts it, it will take only a single round to cast and cost only 2 Strain. Additionally, for every point of Strain expended to Heal, it will heal 4 points of Health, because it operates as efficiently as a 4 Rune String spell. Ian thinks this spell is going to work out fine.

If a caster wants a spell that when cast has more than the base level of effect, he may design a Rune String and figure the Cost of the Rune String plus any additional cost for increasing it's power to the level desired. He may then learn this Spell as above (lowest Rune skill minus one for every other Rune involved in the Spell) with its cost and effects minimums as before. The time to cast the spell is halved (rounding up), with a minimum of 1 second. The cost for casting and increasing the spell to the level desired is assumed to be a lump sum. This total cost is halved (rounding up), minimum of 1Strain, and recorded as well. Finally, when the spell is cast, it operates only at that set level or less (at caster's direction). It's effects cannot be increased in any fashion beyond the original set limit because it is designed to function at a certain level. For a short list of example spells, you may follow this link.

Example: Taking the above Example, lets assume that Ian not only wanted to learn the Spell, but learn it at a set level of effect. The spell was a 4 Rune spell (Heal, Heal, Man, Body). But Ian wants to set the amount of healing it will do. He decides that he wants to spend a single point on Healing in the Spell, so th spell would automatically Heal 4 points of Health (one point for each Rune involved). Additionally, he wants to make the spell have a Ranged component, so he no longer has to be right next to his friends. He decides a point of Strain in this will suffice, increasing the distance the spell can affect a target to Ian Alertness (10) in meters away. The total is now 6 points for the Rune String. If Ian learns the spell like this, the cost of 6 is halved to 3 Strain and the casting time of 4 seconds is halved to 2 seconds. However, if he learns the spell, it may never heal more than 4 points of Health per casting or extend beyond 10 meters away, because of it's design limits.

The Effect of Intense Rune Study

If a character knows a Rune at a Skill level of 20 or higher (unusual but possible) then that Rune may be cast in zero time (does not take an action to invoke). This is because the Rune may be activated by thought, instead of saying it aloud or drawing it in the air or on a surface. A Test is still required to activate it, but it takes no time to do so (note that only a single attempt is allowed to activate the Rune in a spell; the mage cannot keep trying the Rune and take no time to do so. If he fails his Test, he must wait at least one second before trying again). If a character knows a Rune at a Skill level of 25 or higher, that Rune does not cost any Strain to invoke (this does not apply to Enchanting or to any situation besides straight spell casting). These effects are cumulative with each other (i.e. a Rune known at level 25 takes no time to cast and costs no Strain to cast). These effect arise out of the attunement and great disciplined focus of the caster's mind on the Rune. Their familiarity makes them more able to effectively work with the Rune. No other bonuses for high level knowledge of Runes exist (besides not worring about anything but Critical Failures when casting them).

Thaumaturgical Law

The Laws of Thaumaturgy that govern the use and application of Ritual Magick are several fold. Each describes a method of putting one's finger on the balance of reality and helping it tip toward what the caster wishes to describe. The methods in sum provide a way a mage may more aptly and efficiently focus his magick, whether Runic or otherwise, to target a subject or to produce an effect. Because of their more subtle and individual nature, the effects often take more time to produce but than Runic magick, but can be as, if not more, effective and are generally less costly in Strain. The GM is the final arbiter of the interpretation of any of the Thaumic Laws of Magick. Anytime a character wishes to get an idea of what might be required to invoke a Law of Thaumaturgy, the GM should Test their Thaumaturgy Skill. If successful, he may supply information about what would be useful. If they fail, they have no ideas. If they Critically fail, they receive wrong information or guess incorrectly. If they Critically Succeed, they may recieve several hints or suggestions. Whether the casters chooses his own attempt or uses information supplied by the GM, he may try to invoke a Thaumic Law. If the GM thinks something definitely will, or will not work, he may rule the result a success or failure out of hand. If he is unsure or unwilling to judge, he may make the character Test his Thaumaturgy Skill to see if he correctly invokes the Law to a beneficial result. As a general rule, it takes a minimum of one round to invoke a Thaumic Law, and often quite a lot longer than that, at the GM's determination.

Law of Alchemy
-The attributes without mirror the powers within

This law states that within a magickal context, powers and influences arise from natural associations. Usually this is applied to living or once living objects. A fly's leg has the power to stick to walls. A fish's gill has the power to breathe water. A bird's wing has the power to fly. It is an essential relationship between function and the inherent magick that can be evoked from it. If the GM approves an object to represent a desired result or power from the spell, the caster has a +1 to any single spell skill or can sacrifice the item for 5 extra Strain.

Example: Gemgord the Hermit wishes to cast a spell of Flight. He decides that it will be easier if he uses a Thaumic Law to help the spell. The Tests his Thaumaturgy Skill and tells him that the wing of a flying bird (preferable a bird of prey) would allow him to invoke the Law of Alchemy. He procures a bird's wing and casts the Spell using Move, Body, Man, and Air. He spends a point of Strain for each Rune and then burns the bird's wing. The sacrifice gives him 5 extra Strain, which he spends on Duration (it Increases the spell Effect to 5x his Vitality in Rounds). He then flies up into the air and away.

Law of Association
-As above, so below

This law describes the fact that the macrocosm and microcosm are mirrors of each other. The Heavens above are reflected in the Waters below. This law indicates that essential connections can be made by demonstrating or establishing a similarity in characteristics between two things. If the Law of Association is invoked to create a connection or produce and effect for a spell, then the mage has a +1 on a single skill involved in the spell or has an extra 5 Strain to spend on the spell.

Example: Tehatu has a warrior friend who is about to enter a fight. Tehatu wishes to help protect his friend from the enemy blades, so he Tests his Thaumaturgy skill and decides that he can invoke the Law of Association to help. Tehatu chooses a solid piece of granite and a shaves a small piece of skin from his friend. He lays the piece of skin on the stone. He then takes a small blade and tries to cut the skin, blunting it on the stone underneath. Through this, Tehatu tries to connect the hardness of the stone with his friend's flesh, making it equally tough and impervious to blades. The GM is unsure, so has Tehatu Test his Thaumaturgy Skill. Tehatu succeeds, so he has 5 extra Strain to spend on a spell that will toughen his friends skin.

Law of Contagion
-Once together, always together

This law states that all things remember their associations, and that links can be made through this. An artifact that this law applies to is called a contagious item. A piece of wood remembers and is contagious to the tree it came from, but is not contagious to all trees. A wedding ring remembers and is contagious to the person who wore it, but is not contagious to all rings. A hair remembers the animal or person it came from, but is not contagious to all animals or people. This law is important especially when a spell has a specific and/or unique target, specifically a person. If a part of an inanimate target is used, then the caster has a +1 to any single spell skill. If a Possession of an animate target is used, then the caster has a +1 to any single spell skill or the target has a -2 to their Will to Resist the spell. If a physical Remnant of an animate target is used (hair, nails, blood, tears, etc..) then the caster has a +2 to any single spell skill or the target has a -5 to their Will to Resist the spell (bonuses for a Possession and a Physical remenant are cumulative, but multiple different items of either type increase the bonus only -1 enemy Will or +1 to one caster spell skill per extra item, for a maximum bonus of 0 target Will or +5 to one of the caster's spell skill).

Example: Fodus wants to curse a long-time enemy of his with sickness. But he must overcome the target's Will to do this. He has managed to procure a bit of his hair and a fingernail cutting, as well as a cloak he wore for a while. Using these things, he wants to invoke the Law of Contagion to help his curse. The first Remnant (hair) gives a -5 to the target Will, the second (nail), because it is another Remnant, only gives another -1 to the target's Will. The Possession (cloak) gives a -2 to the target's Will. This is a Total of -8 to the target's Will. Fodus is almost sure to win his contest of Wills so his curse will likely be effective.

Law of Flame
-Fire permeates all

This law describes that fire, or a similar source of energy, provides the power for the spell and allows the breaking of the barriers between a small scale ritual action and a larger scale change in reality or the world. Also useful are other natural sources of energy, like a waterfall, a volcano, a whirlpool, a cliff with a gale force updraft, and the like (GM's fiat as to anything that could be tapped to produce strong kinetic or heat energy). For every meter of flat, circular radius that a energy source encompasses, the caster has an extra Strain to spend on the spell (up to a maximum of 10). Note that this bonus only applies if the source is included in a ritual and does not apply for regular spells.

Example: Gemgord wants some extra energy for a small ritual where he will heal his friends leg. He builds a large fire that is 6 feet across (it is 3 feet or 1 meter in radius) so he gets a single extra Strain. He invokes the Law of Flame, burning his friends bloody bandages as a sign of destroying the wound and to incorporate the fire into the spell. He successfully invokes the Law of Flame and casts the spell, using the extra Strain to aid in the Healing.

Law of Names
-To Name a thing is to own a thing

To Name something is to define it and effect a kind of control over it. Names can be words or a sigil or sign representing something, but must be unique and specific. Generally, only individual and unique items or targets may be named, and usually it is only after the name has been inscribed on them. Persons may choose a True Name for themselves (see True Names). This allows them a +1 skill bonus to all spell skills used when they are the target of a spell they cast and they use the name (so it is easier to heal oneself or cast a spell on oneself). Also, any one effect (Duration, Healing, etc...) is increased by one level (as if an extra Strain had been spent on it). However, the disadvantage is that anyone else who knows their True Name also gets this bonus when casting on them and the Named target gets no Will Test to resist the spell, so most mages guard their True Names with paranoid caution.

Example: Cadrius the Silent decides that since he is a lone traveler, he casts most of his spells on himself (except those cast on enemies). He decides that he will Choose a True Name, and chooses Rosef as that Name. He also designs a sigil to represent that Name. He carves the Naming Rune and the sigil into a piece of cow bone, spends 2 Strain on the spell, and pricks his thumb, allowing some of his blood to mingle in the Runes. He burns the bone and eats a bit of the ash, sealing the Binding. Later, when he wishes to travel over a gorge, he decides he will transform into a bird. He spends 3 Strain (One for Each Rune, the Name does not cost a Strain to use) and casts the Runes Transform, Man, Rosef, Animal and adds a +1 to each of the Rune Skills because he uses his Name. He succeeds, and chooses Duration to be increased by one because of the Name use. He then spends 5 more Strain on Duration, so it is (5 + 1 for the Name = 6 x his Vitality of 10 =) 60 rounds or 120 seconds (2 minutes). That is enough time for him to get airbourn, fly over the gorge, and cover some ground before turning back into a man.

Law of Rule
-Dominance or submission

This rule states that when two opposing Wills clash, one must rule the other before any influence or spell can be enacted. By the act of dominion over another, one then has power to affect the person or intelligence for good or ill. Dominion can be establish willingly, by the target accepting the caster's control, or it may be established unwillingly by force of Will. The only advantage of this Law is that it allows a spell to personally affect a target, instead of just a general area (see Directed Contests of Will).

Example: Johannus the Red wishes to cause his enemy to fear him and run in terror. Johannus' Will is 11 and his enemy's Will is 9. Johannus casts the spell Harm, Mind, Man and spends 3 Strain (one for each Rune). But since it is a personal attack, he must overcome his enemy's Will before the spell will work. He engages in a Directed Contest of Wills. He Tests his Will and succeeds. His enemy Tests his Will and succeeds. So Johannus Tests his Will again, and succeeds. His enemy Tests his Will and fails. Johannus has established Dominion over his enemy so his spell effect can occur through that measure of control. The enemy feels a growing panic, is convinced that Johannus will destroy him easily, and turns and flees.

Law of Sympathy
-Like produces like

This law states that an action on a small scale will produce a similar effect upon a larger scale. It describes the unification and connection between the infinitesimal and the infinite in their progression and movements. It is also described by the statement that the universe is composed of wheels within wheels, turning in unity. The movement of one wheel affects another, whether larger or smaller. If a Sympathetic connection can be invoked for a spell, the caster has a +1 to one skill involved in the spell or 5 extra Strain to spend on the spell.

Example: Jakanus the Seer wants to move a fallen tree off his friend, who is trapped under it. He takes a piece of bark from the tree (which is considered Contagious to the tree as per the Law of Contagion) and set it upon the ground. He chooses to invoke the bark as part of the Law of Sympathy. Because no component can function to invoke more than a single Thaumic Law in a spell, he chooses the bark to by Sympathetic rather than Contagious. He invokes the Law of Sympathy by casting the Runes Move, and Plant (spending 2 Strain) and then carefully and slowly lifting the bark from the ground and placing it further away. By this action, he establishes that the small movement of the bark is linked to a desired larger movement of the tree, off the ground and away from his friend. He successfully invokes the Law of Sympathy and gets 5 extra Strain, which he puts into Mass and is now able to move (5 x 10 x Str 8 = ) 400 pounds of Mass (this is only for lifting, not for creating - see spell effect rules). He is able to lift the tree up, not entirely, but enough for his friend to crawl out from under it.

Rituals and the Use of Thaumaturgy

A ritual is any series of actions that, by use of the Laws of Thaumaturgy, seeks to produce a magickal effect. A Runic Spell can also utilize the Thaumic Laws to help it, but generally is limited by how much time is spent, so that the more Laws invoked, the longer the spell is until it becomes more like a ritual than a spell. Rituals do not by definition have to take long, but the more time and energy spent in preparation and execution of one, the more effective and efficient it is in producing the desired effect (I differentiate spells from true rituals in that the minimum amount of time I usually set that for a real ritual is one hour total for preparation and execution of the ritual and the casting of the spell). A ritual may involve the use of Runic Magick (which generally speeds things up and requires fewer components) or it may be done just with the Laws of Thaumaturgy alone (which requires more components and more time). Not that all bonuses mentioned in the Laws of Thaumaturgy and below are cumulative, but each single skill can only have up to a +5 modifier total, no matter the source of the bonus. If the GM doesn't want to role-play the whole ritual, he may simply have the character Test his Thaumaturgy Skill, plus whatever other Skills are involved, and decide if it was successful.

Free Strain Pool
The Free Strain Pool is the accumulated energy (Strain), besides their caster's own, that is available for the ritual. This Strain may come from invoked Thaumic Laws, helpers, sacrifices, longer ritual times, or special sources (including magickal sites or locations). The Free Strain must be spent at the time of the spell's casting. Any that is left over, rapidly dissipates into the ambient mana field and is lost.

Components
A component of a ritual is any physical object or substance that is used to invoke one of the Thaumic Laws. Each component may only operate for a single Thaumic Law, with the caster and GM deciding which component operates for which law. See above for effect of each Law (general case is +1 to a single spell skill or 5 extra Strain in the Free Strain Pool)

Rite
A rite is any physical action or demonstration that is meant to invoke one of the Thaumic Laws. Each rite may operate to invoke only one Thaumic Law. Usually, each rite involves one or more components. See above for effect of each Law (general case is +1 to a single spell skill or 5 extra Strain in the Free Strain Pool)

Time Spent
The longer amount of time that a ritual is performed, the more subtle and less sudden its influence is, so it has a either a greater chance of working or operates more efficiently. For each hour in a row spent on the ritual beyond the first, either a single skill involved in the spell gets a +1 modifier (the maximum bonus is +5 for any single skill) or the caster has an additional 3 points of Strain in the Free Strain Pool to use for casting. The extra time spent can be anything actively directed toward the Ritual (chanting, dancing, praying, singing, concentrating on the spell) but can't be anything constructive that would take the caster's attention away (he couldn't knit, or Meditate, or anything like that without interrupting the Ritual).

Example: Hadrius the Enchanter spends four hours working on a ritual to call rain. At the end of the four hours he casts the spell. Because he has spent three hours longer than necessary on the ritual, he may either add a +3 bonus to any skill, or have a +1 bonus to any three skills, or have 9 extra Strain to cast with, or a combination of these three (i.e. 6 extra Strain and one skills with a +1 bonus). He adds a +1 bonus to his Summon Rune Skill and a +1 bonus to his Water Rune Skill and uses the 3 Strain in the spell and casts it.

initiates, Apprentices, Novices, and other Helpers
The additional aid and concentration of other people is helpful for a ritual. For each person beyond the caster who is present and concentrating on the ritual for the full length of the ritual (by chanting, praying, meditating, etc...) the caster has a +1 bonus to a single skill involved in the spell (up to a +5 bonus for any one skill). Additionally, if the person is willing they may, at the rituals conclusion and the time of the spells casting, add their Strain into the spell effect. Each normal person may give up to 1/2 of their Total Strain (rounded down) for the ritual, while a Magickal Adept who is aiding may give up to all their Strain (going unconscious in the process). The Strain that is given up is added to the Free Strain Pool for the caster's immediate use in the spell.

Example: Gargatha the Sorceress has two apprentice girls which are helping her. She performs the ritual while the two of them hold candles and chant to concentrate on the spell. When the spell is cast, Gargatha has a +2 bonus to any single spell skill or has a +1 bonus to any two spell skills. Additionally, each apprentice has a Total Strain of 9. They both give up half their Total Strain to the ritual, each adding (9 x 1/2 =) 4 Strain to the spell, for a total of 8 Strain. This Strain is added to the Free Strain Pool from which Gargatha will use to power the spell.

Sacrifices
Sacrifices are things that are destroyed to release their power for magickal use (E=mc2 so mass equals energy times the speed of light squared - physical matter therefore can be converted into usable energy). Dependent on what is sacrificed, the amount of energy released differs. Any released energy goes into the rituals' or spells' Free Strain Pool

Object or Material Sacrifice
An object or material sacrifice is a physical object or substance that is sacrificed. The more ORGANIZED or ordered the object, the more energy it produces for use. Sand or ash would be practically worthless to use, but a gem, or a cut diamond with it's ordered structure would likely provide a good measure or power. Naturally occurring minerals or similar substances are judged on their internal order (crystals are more ordered than amorphous solids), but are less effective because they have only internal order. A crafted item has not only internal order, but external order imposed on it during its creation, so produces more power. For physical objects, GM's are left to their own devices to decide how much power a sacrifice can produce (usually the more expensive an item, or the greater amount of time and energy to produce or purify it, the more power). Obviously, a larger diamond produces more energy than a smaller one, but only significant differences in mass should matter. As a suggestion, per full pound or part thereof, an item produce 1x its power. Per level of order (1-10) or per 100 marks of value, the item produces 1 point of power (Strain). If it is a crafted item it produces 1 points of power (Strain) either per amount of effort that went into making it (on a scale of 1-10) or per full day spent working on it.

Example: Hadrius the Enchanter needs a lot of power for his spell. He decides that he will use a small diamond, a Giant Conch Shell and a small bowl of precious Gonkian China for his spell. The diamond is easiest. It's 1000 mark diamond that took five days for a jeweler to cut and is a few carats is: 1000/100 = 10 x (5 days x 1) x (1 pound or part thereof) = 50 Strain. The Conch shell is difficult, but lets assume that its about a pound, is reasonably ordered, and that the Conch snail itself took a while to make it. We'll assign a base level of order of about 5 x 1 pound x 2 (because although the shell was grown for years, it was not crafted) for a value of 10 Strain. Also, the China, which is clay (and not that ordered) and weighs a pound, has a value of around 200 marks and we'll guess that it took a day of shaping, 2 days of glazing, a day of firing, and 2 days of painting (6 days of work). So thats 12 Strain for the bowl. Hadrius has 72 Strain to spend on the spell.

Live Sacrifice
Unfortunately for their victims, unscrupulous persons (IN THE GAME WORLD ONLY) are also willing to include animal or human sacrifices if they think the need is great enough or the return of energy is worth it. The GM is left up to determine what, if any, live sacrifices are allowed that a character may perform. The formulae for determining how much Strain is released by a Sacrifice is very simply. The amount of Strain is equal to the Will value of the victim, times their Total Strain value. Therefore the sacrifice of a sentient being will produce more than the sacrifice of an animal. I will make no moralistic judgments on live sacrifices and only state that they are an activity to be practiced within the game only, if at all.

Example: The Priests of Naaun have an annual ritual where they sacrifice a bull to cast a spell to insure a good harvest. The Bull has a Strength of 15 and a Vitality of 12, so his Strain is ((15 + 12) /2 =) 13. His Wisdom is 2 and his Man is 2, so his Will is ((2 + 2) /2 =) 2. Will 2 x Strain 13 = 26. The power released by the sacrifice is a total of 26 Strain for the spell.

True Names
A True Name, as described by the Thaumic Law of Names, is a unique and specific label for a thing or a person. It refers only to that thing or person and no other. An object or location may only have a True Name if a Mage has carved the Name into the Object or within the local and performed a Spell to Name it (using the Runes Name and Property). If a person has a true Name, they must choose it for themselves. The Name is then bound to them by a simple ceremony where they carve the Naming Rune and the Name or a Sigil that represents it into a tablet of wood, bone, coral, ivory, or any once living substance. Two Strain are spent (one for each Rune) and then a drop of their blood is allowed to seep into the carving. The tablet must be burnt and some of the ashes consumed by the Named person, then the Binding is complete. The Name can only now be removed if the person performs the ritual again, but this time breaks and destroys the tablet, instead of burning it. The advantage of Naming oneself is that magick is more potent. For spells that one casts on oneself with the use of a True Name or the Sigil that represents it, then each spell skill involved has a +1 bonus and any one effect the caster specifies (Duration, Healing, Range, etc..) automatically is increased by one level (as if an extra Strain was spent on it). However, if an enemy learns one's True Name, then the same effects occur. Also, the Named subject has no Will Test to Resist the enemy's spell. For this reason, True Names are jealously guarded.


Magick Adept Abilities

A Magick Adept (an Extra which may be bought at character creation only) is one who is a sort of natural lens for magick. They are more aware of the ambient mana field, better able to work with it, and generally more proficient at magick. One who is a Magick Adept has several advantages.

"Burn" Health
An Adept is so attuned to magick, that by sacrificing some of his own life energy (Health) he may convert it into Strain that goes into the Free Strain Pool. This Strain may only be used for magick. The process is not very efficient, so for each 2 points of Health that the Adept "Burns," he receives 1 point of Free Strain. This takes no time and does not require an action. All "burned" health is treated as normal damage. Note that the nature of this sacrifice means that the Strain may never be used to Heal the Adept himself. It may be used to Heal others, or create other magickal effects, but never for personal Healing. Any "Burned" Health may only be recovered by the body's natural healing processes (see Health Section on Recovery) or by another person Healing the Adept.

Detect Adept Presence
An Adept makes ripples in the mana field by their very presence. Another Adept may be able to detect these ripples if they are close enough. If two Adepts pass within about a half-mile of each other, each may make an Alertness Test to see if they detect the other's Presence. If they are successfully, a second Alertness Test will determine the general distance and direction of the other Adept. A Critical Success on either Test means that they have very exact knowledge of the other Adept's location or that, if they have met or sensed the other Adept before, they recognize his Presence.

Detect Magickal Item
When an Adept first sees a magickal item, the GM should make a secret Test against the Adept's Alertness. If it is successful, then the Adept sees the item as having an aura or glow. This indicates that the item is magickal. The stronger the glow, the stronger the magick, although no indication of th type of spell is available by this ability. If the Adept fails this role, they GM should Test the Adept's Alertness again when they first touch the item. If they succeed, they feel the item's magick now. If they fail, they won't realize the item is magickal until told or demonstrated.

Detect Mana Field Strength
This ability is an adepts awareness of the ambient strength of mana. The stronger the ambient mana, the easier it is to work magick. Sometimes the mana is so strong that the mage can actually draw on it to partially power spells. The Adept can detect the local field strength in a general fashion by a successful Alertness Test. A second Alertness Test, if successful, will detect the direction (and relative distance to) the closest high level mana area or local (range is limited by GM or about 5 - 10 miles).

Focus
An Adept can concentrate his Will to a degree that it can bolster his magickal abilities. If the Adept does nothing but concentrate for the round (no movement or even talking), if he makes a Successful Will Test he can maintain an already cast spell for the a single additional round without cost. He may continue to do this each round, until he fails a Will Test or is distracted by an attack or injury (or having water dumped on him type of thing). If he stops or is interrupted in Focusing, he must spend Strain before the end of the round or the spell effect ends.

Example: Hardius casts Create Darkness (using Create and Darkness Runes) and spends 1 Strain for each Rune and then Tests then successfully. He then spends 2 Strain to encompass a volume equal to 2x his Wisdom in meters3 or (his Wisdom is 13, so this 2x 13 =) 26 m3. The darkness covers 3 meters wide and 3 meters deep and 2 meters tall (24 m3 total volume, okay since this does not exceed the maximum volume of 26 m3). He doesn't want to expend any more Strain, but the darkness will only last a round (2 seconds) unless he does or he Focuses. He chooses to Focus, does nothing for the round that the darkness lasts except concentrate and Tests his Will successfully. Because he succeeded, the darkness continues for the next round as he supports and maintains it by Will alone. In this new round, he Tests Will again, and succeeds, so the darkness continues for the third round. In the third round, he tries to Focus but fails his Test. He decides he doesn't want to spend Strain to make the darkness last longer, so lets it disappear at the end of the third round.

Meditation
An Adept, because of their connection to the mana field, may regain Strain faster than by sleeping if they draw on the ambient mana field. This is called Meditation. The caster sits or lays quietly for an hour, unmoving and unspeaking, concentrating on absorbing the ambient energies available. While meditating, the Adept is utterly unaware of his surroundings. After the hour is up, they may Test against their Meditate Skill. If they succeed, they have regained 3 Strain for the hour. If they fail, they have regained no Strain. If the Critically Succeed, they have regained Strain up to their Total Strain. If they Critically Fail, they lose control of the mana field and the energy is spontaneously released as heat and flame (called MageFire) which does 1D8 points of fire damage to everything within a meter, including them and dissipates with distance (expanding in a circle - anything 1-2 meters away receives 2 less points of damage, anything 2-3 meters away receives 4 less points, anything 3 or more meters away recieves 6 less points, etc..; if no damage is done, then the energy is spent). If they are disturbed significantly during this hour (being attacked, having a bucket of water dumped on them, etc...) they must Test Will or they are mentally stunned for a round and the hour is wasted. If they succeed, then they may continue to Meditate, or awaken normally and act as normal that round (but the hour is wasted). Note that it is easiest to Meditate while still in relation to the ambient mana field, and if a mage is moving they have a negative modifier to their Meditate Skill (-1 in a ship on a calm day to -5 in a horse cart on a bumpy road). Also not that Meditation does not refresh the mage like sleeping does, and cannot replace sleep in the long term.

Create Source
As an extension of Meditation, a mage can collect and transfer a small measure of his energies into a physical vessel. This vessel stores the energy like a battery, until drawn on. Such a vessel is called a Source. A source may be any physically discrete inanimate object that is whole in itself (a stone, a staff, a pendant, a ring; but not a cliff face or a ship or a chain, because they have several components or parts) and must be large enough for the Magick Rune to be written or inscribed on it. When a source is first created, it must be Dedicated. This involves inscribing the Magick Rune on the object and then Meditating successfully for an hour to match it's vibrational harmonies to their mage's (no Strain is recovered for this Meditation). At then end of the hour, the mage must then immediately spend 3 Strain and go into the Tasks of Gathering and Balance (another two hours of must be spent in Meditation but only a single successful Test is required; no Strain is recovered for this Meditation and does not count as a Ritual for the purposes of recieving bonuses to skills or extra Strain for longer time spent or anything else). The Tasks are simple mental ways to collect energy and instill it in the object, and then prevent entrophy from causing the object to explode in the mage's face. After the two hours are up, the three Strain have been used, and one of those Strain points is placed in the object. Three Strain are necessary, one to "open" the Source, one to "charge" the Source, and one to "close" the Source to prevent the "charge" in the object from leaking out. No more than a single point of Strain may be placed in a Source per two hour Meditation period. The object is now a Dedicated Source and the point of Strain may now be drawn from the object at any time by the mage (it is instantaneous and takes no time and does not require an action). The mage may also now at any time, perform the Tasks of Gathering and Balance by Meditating for two hours successfully (the Dedication is only performed when first making the item) and then spend another three Strain to put one of the points of Strain into the object. Through this method, the mage may build up a substantial "charge" in a Source over time. The mage may at any time "draw" any or all of the Strain that is in a Source. The Strain remains available only during the round it was "drawn" for the casting of spells. After that, the Strain dissapates into the ambient mana field. Also, this Strain may not be used for any purpose but powering spells (it cannot replace Strain spent by the caster and bring up his Current Strain). Note, that if ever a Source has all the Strain removed from it, then it loses it's Dedication and must be Re-Dedicated before it can be "charged" again. Also note, that Sources are considered magickal items and can be detect by any Adept. If an Adept is aware of a Source, they may draw any or all of the Strain out of, regardless of who has "charged" the Source. If two mage's touch a Source and both try to "draw", either the one with the highest Wits succeeds, or a Mutual Contest of Wills ensues, and the winner can "draw" on the Source.

If a mage fails the Meditation Test for Gathering or Balance, the 3 Strain are lost and the Source does not gain a charge for that ritual. If a Mage Critically Succeeds on the Test, they do not have to expend Strain but are able to draw on the ambient mana field to supply energy and the Source gains a point of Charge. If they Critically Fail, they are mentally stunned for a round and the Strain is released as spontaneous heat and flame as per a normal Meditation Critical Failure (see above). If a Source or the Magick Rune of the Source is ever destroyed (broken in half, tossed in a fire, rubbed or scratched out, etc..) then any Charge within it is released in the quickest way, as MageFire (heat and flame). For every point of Strain in the Source, assume that it has been spent on damage and so is equal to the number of Runes Used for the purposes of calculating how much damage has been done. The meter the Source is in receives fire damage equal to that dice number. For every meter further away (in a circle), the damage is decreased by 2 points until the effect dissapates. Finally note that an Enchanted Item cannot be Dedicated as a Source and a Source may not be Enchanted into a Magickal Item.

Example: Ian wants to create a Source because he keeps running out of Strain at inconvenient times. He chooses to use his Staff as his Source (hoping it won't break in combat). He inscribes the Magick Rune on it (Tests the Rune and the his Woodworking skill successfully) and then spends three hours and Tests Meditation once, for Dedication, and succeeds. He spends 3 Strain and tests Meditation one more time (for the Tasks of Gathering and Balance) and succeeds. He now has a staff which is a Source with 1 point of Charge (Strain) in it. He then performs the Tasks again twice more, spending a total of 6 Strain (3 Strain per performance of the Tasks) and spends four hours (2 hours per performance of the Tasks) and Tests Meditation two more times (1 Meditation Test per performance of the Tasks). He succeeds and now, having spent 6 Strain, has Charged the Source with 2 more points of Strain (for a total of 3 points of Charge). He then rests and travels for a while, Charging the staff when he has time and energy to spare. Then, one day he is attacked by a group of roadside bandits. He Source is now Charged with 15 points of Strain. As they run toward him he grips his staff and casts the spell Create Fire (using the Create and Fire Runes). He Draws on the Source for the two points required to activate the Runes. He succeeds on his Rune Skill Tests and drawing on the Source again to increase it's effect. He spends a 4 Strain on damage and 1 on volume, increasing the effective number of Runes Used to 6 (1D8 + 1D6 damage) and the volume to his Wisdom (12) in meters3. All this takes only one round (one second for each of the Runes and it takes no time to draw on the Source) and one meter in front of Ian a patch of ground 6 meters wide and 2 meters long bursts into flame (the falme is only a meter high, so that's 12 meters3). This keeps back most of the bandits, but one of them fires a crossbow bolt that makes Ian drop his staff into the fire by accident. As the Staff catches fire, the Magick Rune holding the staff's energies in check is destoryed and the remaining Charge explodes into the world as MageFire. The Staff had only (15 - 7 for the spell =) 8 points of Strain left. This equals (8 x 2 + 2 =) 18 maximum points of damage. The meters the Staff is in recieves 1D10 + 1D8 points of damage. Expanding in a circle, for each meter away the damage is reduced by 2. The GM rolls the damage as a 13. Ian is only a meter away, so takes (13 - 2 =) 11 points of damage. The bandits are 6 meters away so take (6 x 2 =)12 points less of damage or (13 - 12=) only 1 point of damage. Anything 7 or more meters away escaps unscathed as the blast peters out. The bandits are terrified by this display so flee. Ian picks his charred body off the ground and limps away, thinking that although he is still in one piece, he will be wiser next time and not use his staff as a Source.

Special Runic Knowledge
Adepts are alone among the workers of magick that can understand, learn, and invoke the Magick / Destiny Rune. All other Runes may be learned and cast be normal persons who are have been taught the lore and means. But the very nature of the Magick Rune is such that only an Adept can truly understands its dimensions of meaning and may invoke it successfully. Note that this does not mean that an Adept automatically knows the Magick Rune, it simply means that he may learn it (from another Adept).



Enchantment and Runic Items

One of the great advantages of a Runic Magick system is that enchantment of items and the creation of charms or talismans are built right in. Enchantment functions in one of two ways. Charms, Talismans, Scrolls, and the like are magickally scribed so that they can produce a spell or effect a single time only. They are quiescent until invoked by the wielder or by some trigger condition that occurs. After that, they have no more power. These items are called Spelled items. Enchanted items are objects that have magick bound into them. They are capable of producing an effect as long as they are powered. Because of this, they are more difficult and expensive to craft and closely guarded by their owners. One of the reasons that magick items of any kind are rare is that it is only a Magick Adept that can make them (because only an Adept can know the Magick Rune, which is required). And they seldom choose to do this unless it suits their purposes and then they generally keep the item. Rarely are items given away or stolen, and never sold for even the weaker of Enchanted items would command a price that even King's would find high. And few people know the working of such items or care to meddle with the unnatural arts of magick, so they remain in the hands of their creators, those daring or lucky enough to find a lost one, or the the unscrupulous and greedy.


Creating Spelled Items

The creation of Spelled items is not difficult for an Adept. Any item of surface large enough for the Runes of the spell to be drawn or inscribed upon is sufficient. This includes paper, bone, wood, metal, leather, or almost anything. All that is required by the mage is knowledge of the Magick Rune, knowledge of any Runes involved in the spell effect that the item will create, and sufficient knowledge of a craft skill to draw, paint, carve, or in some manner scribe the Runes onto the item. The rules are simple too. The mage decides what item he will use and effect the item will cast. He first Tests against his Craft skill. If he fails, he inadvertently destroys or badly defaces the item so that it no longer is a good surface to scribe on and he must find a different item. If he is successful, He then Tests against the Magick Rune, and then each of the Runes involved in the spell. Each Rune involved (including the Magick Rune) takes a minimum of 10 minutes to carefully and successfully scribe onto the item (he may carve only a Rune a day until finsihed, if he wishes, but 10 minutes at the least). If any of the Tests fail, he has not only failed to correctly inscribe the Rune, but has defaced the other Runes as well, ruining the surface and requiring a new item to be found. If he Critically Fails, the GM should note the Rune and remember it. The mage thinks he has correctly scribe the Rune, but in actuallity it is wrong or flawed and the spell will not function, or will function without the Rune when activated. If all the Tests succeed, then the item is created. Note that for the spell effects, the Magick Rune does not count as one of the number of Runes Used when calculating damage or healing. It simply prepares the item and makes it able to retain the spell until invoked. Note that spelled items are usually called charms or talismans.

The item can be one of two types. The first is an Unpowered spell, where the mage only crafts the item and when invoked it will activate only if it can draw the energy for the spell from the wielder (the user pays the Strain cost and can increase the effect as per a normal spell). The second type is a Powered spell, where the mage expends all the Strain necessary to cast the spell and increase its effect to the desired level as he carves the item (a point of Strain for each Rune is expended when that Rune is carved and any Strain for Increased effect is spent if all the Runes are successful. If the item is flawed or ruined, those Strain spent so far are lost). This item is a spell with a set level of effect and when activated requires only the wielder's choice that the item is invoked or whatever trigger condition is set by the mage or the spell (i.e. A phrase, a Name, immersion in water, etc..).

As a final note, when activated, the Runes themselves are consumed and destroyed when they create the spell. If the runes were drawn on, they ink or paint or substance burns off and away (igniting anything that is very flammable, especially if the item was a scroll). If the item itself was inscribed into the object (carved into wood, scratched into metal, etc..), the item itself is consumed by the spells effect (the metal turns molten, the wood burns to ash, etc..). The only good reason to cut runes into something is the fact that the Runes are less likely to be damaged. If the Runes are obscured or marred in some significant fashion, the GM may roll randomly or decide whether or not they will still function (I.e. if a Spelled scroll got wet, the ink would start to run and marr the Runes. If it got slightly damp and it ran a little, it might still work. If it was dunked in a river, it probably would not function and the item would be worthless and any Strain expended on it would be lost as the scroll could no longer create the spell).

Example: Ian the Healer is worried about a friend of his who is going on a dangerous journey. Ian can't go along, but wants to help. Therefore he decides he will create a Spelled item that will Heal his friend any one time at need. He knows the Woodcrafting skill, so he chooses a flat piece of wood to work on. He also knows the Magick Rune, plus the Rune of Heal, Man, Body, which is the healing spell he wants to scribe. Finally, since his friend may be tired or injured, he decides to craft a Powered spell. He takes the piece of wood and tests his Woodcarving Skill successfully. He works with his knife on the wood and is able to get good results. He carves for 10 minutes, then spends a Strain and Tests the Magick Rune. He is successful. He continues carving and spends 10 minutes, expends a point of strain and Tests the skill for the Heal Rune, The Body Rune, and the Man Rune each in turn (30 minutes, 3 more Strain, and 3 Tests). He succeeds on all of them, and then he expends the rest of the Strain to power the spell. He expends 4 more Strain for Healing Effect (total of 12 Health will be healed). Finally, he wills that the item will activate if it is willfully invoked by the weilder or if it touches blood, and finishes. He has spent 40 minutes carefully carving and has spent 8 Strain total to make the item. He gives the item to his friend and makes him wear it on a leather thong around his neck, to protect him on his journey.


Creating Enchanted Items

The Creation of Enchanted Items generally takes longer amounts of time because it is so much more expensive. This is because to allow the item to retain the ability to create the spell as long and as often as it is powered, it must be thoroughly imbued and saturated with energy (Strain). For this reason, the method is basically the same, but the cost is much higher. The mage chooses an item (hopefully durable, because the same problem with marring the Runes applies to an Enchanted item as to a Spell item (see above)) and decides the spell he wants to cast. He also determines what Increased Effects the spell will have (if any) as they are set permanently at the item's creation. Once he has determined that he must do the following. For each Rune involved in the spell, he must spend a minimum of an hour on the Rune (he can scribe a Rune a day or spread them out even further, but must spend at least an hour on the Rune), then expend 25 Strain for the Rune, then Test the Craft Skill used and then the Rune Skill used (including Magick Rune, and he must test the Craft skill again new for each Rune used). Only if he does all of the above successfully is the Rune correctly scribed on the object. If he fails at any time on any Test, the entire project is a failure and all expended Strain is lost. Once all the Runes have been successfully scribed, he then must spend 10 Strain for each normal point of Increase to the spell Effect (i.e. instead of 1 Strain for each Increase to Effect like for a normal spell, and Enchantment costs 10 Strain per normal point of Increase to Effect; so increasing the Duration from the Base Level of 1 round to an number of rounds equal to the Enchanter's Vitality, which normally costs one point of Strain, now costs 10 Strain). Any Increases become a permanent part of the spell and are set to the Enchanter's Attributes at the time of Enchantment, not to the wielder's or users Attribute Values. The caster may take whatever time he wishes to set the Increases (days to gather his poweror perform rituals), as long as the item is not activated. The first time the item is invoked, whatever level of Effect that had been set is permanent. If the Item is not invoked, the final part is that the caster decides the means of activation (he can inscribe a Name into the item which must be said for it to work, or whatever the GM allows). Once all this has been done, the item is Enchanted.

An Enchanted item is quiescent until activated. To activate it, the wielder simply expends a point of Strain per Rune that composes the spell, not including the Magick Rune. Therefore, an Enchanted Ring of Flying, with the Runes of Magick, Move, Body, and Air costs 3 Strain (one each for the Rune of Move, Body, and Air) to activate. The spell effect lasts only as long as the Enchanter had set with any Increases and its effect is only as the Enchanted set with Increases. The wielder may, at his choice, limit the spells effect or duration to any portion of the full effect set by the Enchanter. If no Increases were used, then the Spell lasts only the Base Level of Effect. The spell can be maintained by the wielder, at a cost of 1 Strain per additional length of time equal to the spell's normal amount of Duration (no other change in the spell can be done). If the spell ends without being extended, it may be recast by expending the normal amount of Strain again (1 point of Strain per Rune involved).

If an Enchanter wants an item that will be less exhausting (i.e. cost less Strain) to activate, then he can at the time of Enchantment, when he is spending points for Increases also spend Strain to make the item Self-Powered. For every additional 50 points of Strain spent, the item has one point of self-power. This essentially means it takes one less point of Strain to activate it. Therefore, an Enchanted Ring of Flying with two points of Self-Power (cost 100 points to the Enchanter) and the Runes Magick, Move, Body, Air costs 1 Strain to activate (3 Strain to activate normally with 2 Strain being supplied by the items Self-Power, therefore the wielder needs spend only Strain). Note that Self-Power is only for the casting of the Spell. The User must spend an additional Strain to extend the Duration another length of time equal to the spell's normal Duration as above. If an Enchanter wishes an item to function all the time (i.e. a Ring of Flying that will work on demand with no Strain cost) then he simply buys enough points of Self-Power for the Full amount of a User activating the Item (i.e. 50 points of Strain per Rune, not including the Magick Rune, that is involved in the Spell). If an item is Totally Self-Powered, then the Enchanter must specify whether it always functions, functions only on command or will, or functions only under set conditions. Note tht no matter what, an Enchanted item draws on the ambient Mana field and will never function in a No Mana Area and may not function properly in a Low Mana Area (in a Low Mana Area, amount of Self-Power is halved and rounded down, so User must spend any necessary additonal Strain to make the item function).

Example: Dorthymus the Ancient wishes to create a Golem servant for himself. Since he is concerned about wasted time and effort, he will use the Runes he knows best to create it. He decides he will create a Straw Golem (essentially an animated Scarecrow). He and the GM confer and decide that the required Runes for a mindless Straw Golem is Magick, Create, Control, Move, Body, and Plant. But Dorthymus wants a servant with some initiative and able to reason for itself. Therefore he includes the Mind Rune as well, to give his creation some free will (but hopefully not so much that it will rebel against him). Note that the creature will have no voice unless the Sound Rune is added. At 25 points per Rune, the cost is 175 Strain just to create it. But if all he spent was that, it would only function for a round when activated it (see Base Level Effect). He wants something that will always be able to work as long as needed, so he needs to make it completely Self-Powered. It will cost 300 additional Strain to make it totally Self-Powered (50 points per Rune besides the Magick Rune). Still, he has a lot of time on his hands, so he sets to work. He builds a decent Scarecrow and then on a flat stone he carves the Runes. For each Rune, he spends an hour carving, spends 25 Strain (using sources, sacrifices, and rituals to provide it) and then Tests his Stone Carving skill and the Rune Skill. Amazingly, he succeeds on all of them. He takes a day for ritual carving of each Rune (so he can accumulate the 25 Strain), and so it takes a week to finish carving. He then spends another week on long rituals that build up 50 points so that he can pay for the Self-Power (He holds 11+ hour Rituals around a huge bonfire and has a couple of apprentices helping). At the end, he carefully inscribes the Golem's Name (Haybeard) on the stone and finally specifies that the Golem will function when anyone says the Golem's Name and until the Golem's Name is said again. With that he implants the stone in the main body of the Scarecrow (kind of like a heart) and the Enchantment is done. He speaks aloud "Haybeard" and the Golem awakes, ready for service. Dorthymus smiles and gets ready to rest from his efforts while the Golem cleans up.