Magic: An Overview

A Quick Discussion

Magic is omnipresent in some genres and utterly absent in others. I provide here a sample magic system I have developed toward fluidity and ease of use. I leave it up to the GM to decide if Magic exists, and whether they use this or another system. But it should be noted that I have put few caps on the power level of mages. And with good reason I feel. Magic is a powerful but fickle force, that must be wooed as much as controlled. But for those with the gift, few things are beyond their grasp.

Thaumaturgical Theory & The Source of Magic

Magic (as all true practitioners know) interpenetrates reality; interweaving with it on many levels. The source of magic is streams of astral & ethereal power that flow over, around, and through the universe, the earth, and the planes. These streams are termed ley lines. Some follow rigid paths while others wind or knot. Each has their own unique flavor, alignment, power level, and other qualities. But that generally can be ignored. For the magic practitioner, they provide a near limitless source of energy (termed mana) for the will to shape. A Magic-User, here after termed mage, channels the energy of the nearest ley line(s) through their mind and body, shaping and funneling it as they do. By this action they catalyze the localized disruption of reality and can remake a small piece of it by the exertion of their will, natural ability, and training. This remaking is the visible part of magic.

By their nature, these perturbations in reality are transitory. Reality, like an endless rubber band, stretches for a time to accommodate the distortion created by magic, but rapidly resumes its original form. Therefore, the longer duration of magic, the more difficult the effect. Also, the will of the mage enforcing the change is like a localized field. It weakens as distance from it's center increases. So the further from the mage, the more difficult the magic. Additionally, the greater area being affected, the more difficult the magic. In fact, nearly all changes to increase the power, the effect, or the influence of the magic increase the difficulty of performing it. Nearly all mages easily perform cantrips like a dim glow or a candle flame. But only truly powerful and skilled mages can work magic on a grand scale.

Magic may sound like the answer to all problems, but it is dangerous. Because a mage is handling raw energy, a misstep can be catastrophic. Thermodynamically, the lowest and most favorable state for any random energy that enters the universe is heat. Therefore, careless mages are in serious danger of spontaneously combusting. All this tends to scare off or kill off the weak and incompetent early on, leaving only the disciplined, the lucky, and the insane (and the latter two don't tend to last much longer). It is advised for would-be mages to consider that any peasant may be able to learn a simple spell to charm away warts or call sheep, but a lifetime of dedication is required for those who would wield magic as an known ally and as a weapon.

Magic: character Creation

Magic Attribute

Any character which actually possesses an innate ability with magic (instead of simply possessing knowledge of spells) is termed an Adept or a mage. This is representing by the character having an additional Attribute, Magic. But it is only persons of strong mental equilibrium who can naturally access this power. And the stress upon mind and body of being a natural conduit of mana means that there are usually physical and mental compensations for this "gift." This is represented by the fact that a character gets no extra Attribute Steps to spend if they choose to have the Magic Attribute. Therefore they have the same number of point overall, but fewer points per Attribute.

It also must be realized that magic takes more than an innate ability. Magic must be cajoled, forced, studied, and understood. It is equal parts genius, experience, discipline, and persuasion. Because of this, no Adept may start out with a Magic Attribute higher than any of their 4 Mental Attributes (Insight, Knowledge, Will, Charm). It may also never be raised above any of them during character Advancement. The only time that Magic can exceed the value of any of the Mental Attributes is when an Adept experiences an Imbalance. Note that the GM is free to disregard these rules, but I have instituted them to limit the power and influence of magic, as well to greatly slow the growth of a mage's power. If a faster growth is desired, perhaps limit Magic to the average of the Mental Attributes.

Imbalance

In the case that one or more of an Adept's Mental Attributes is temporarily or permanently lowered below their Magic Attribute, they are Unbalanced. Their mental equilibrium has been disturbed. Therefore, they are lacking some critical component of the necessary "balance" needed to access magic normally. They may still attempt magic as normal, but all Difficulties are +2 for each point that each Attribute is below Magic. This Modifier is lost or reduced when the mage's "balance" is restored (i.e. Attributes raised equal to or above Magic).

Spells & Runes

The innate ability for Magic (i.e.) Magic Attribute, allows one to attempt any magical effect. But it is not required to have a natural ability with magic to actually cast spells. Any character may learn a specific spell as Skill via the normal route. But for characters without Magic, their Skill Pool for that spell is only the Step they have in that Spell. And they may only cast spells they have a Step in. Adepts, on the other hand, may also know spells. But when casting, they add their Magic Attribute to the spell they are casting to form the Skill Pool. Therefore, not only are Adepts more versatile, they tend to be more proficient spell casters.

But Adepts are not limited to predefined spells. They may also learn more general ways of creating magical effects. Runes are ways of dealing with the universe via ideograms or sound-forms that make affecting it easier. Similar to the way Japanese characters contain a great deal of meaning, these Runes are a metaphorical way of describing an object, idea, or effect that encompasses a great deal of meaning in a singular shape or sound. They act to channel an Adept's focus more efficiently. Runes are learned just like Skills (higher Skill denoting greater understanding and affinity for the Rune).

However, invoking Runes operates differently than normal skill use. Runes are divided into two categories, Commands and Domains. Commands describe the types of control that a mage can exert over Domains. Domains describe the natural elemental divisions of the physical and metaphysical worlds (according to the occult view). All Runic magic arrises from the combination of one Command and one Domain The GM is left to determine which Domain & Command combination is most appropriate. If the player wishes to use one which is related but not an exact match, the GM may assign whatever penalties he feels might apply (my preference is for hefty ones). When a caster invokes the magic effect, he uses his Magic Attribute Step + the lower of his two Rune Steps (he is limited by his familarity with the Runes, so can only control them as well as he understands them), though he is required to invoke both for the spell effect.

Note that activating or invoking each Rune or spell counts as an action (and requires either speaking them aloud or tracing them). A spell may be cast over several actions, several rounds, or several hours (as long as no interruption occurs). A spell is considered to take effect when a mage releases it or after he finishes invoking the final Rune or component. But if a mage wants to cast the spell in a single round (or cast a spell in addition to an another action), then he will lose one Step per each extra action as per normal. A List of Common Runes is included below (Note that the Runes listed below utilize the Form/Technique pairing that appears in Ars Magica, published by White Wolf. This is not an attempt at copywrite infringement; I simply find it a nice general method of matching Runes to create magic effects and it works for me. If you want something more involved feel free to change the number or types of Runes to your hearts content).

Magic: In Practice

Ley lines

Because magic can only exist where enough energy to power it exists, the location of ley lines is important. Some are stable for millennia, while others may shift constantly or at regular intervals. The confluence of ley lines is also of importance, because the crossing of ley lines (called a ley line nexus) creates regions of "turbulence" where reality is a bit weaker. Therefore magical effects are more easily accomplished. Equally, there are regions without a ley line within 100's of miles, or only exhausted and long dead ones. Thus, areas may be described as Dead (No Mana), Low Mana, Normal Mana, High Mana, and Very High Mana. The table below elaborates upon this.

Exhaustion

Channeling raw energy throw ones body exacts a toll upon the mage. The more complex or encompassing the desired end, the more energy required and the more difficult it is. The standard idea is that every attempt to cast magic, successful or not, increases the difficulty for all further magic by +1 (This Difficulty Modifier is termed Exhaustion). This Exhaustion is cumulative, so that the second spell cast is +1 Difficulty, the third is +2, the fourth is +3, etc.. The GM is free to increase this Difficulty Modifier if the spell effect is especially exhausting or draining. The only way a mage may rid himself of Exhaustion is through rest. And hour of rest (that means nothing more strenuous than reading or knitting) will eliminate 1 point of Exhaustion. The mage may only reduce Exhaustion down 0, never negative. Note that if a spell Critically Succeeds, then the caster suffers no Exhaustion for that spell (even if he still fails to cast it) and the effect (if the spell is successful) is enhanced in any fashion the GM deems appropriate (i.e. light spells are brighter, damaging spells are more potent, etc..)

Backlash

As discussed above, magic is an unstable and hard to control effect, deriving as it does from the manipulation of raw energy. If the mage fails his Skill roll for the magical effect, nothing more than Exhaustion happens to him. But if he fails the skill attempt by 10 or more, he suffers Exhaustion as normal and he experiences Backlash. Backlash occurs when the mage accidentally releases or fails to contain the energy he is channeling. Instead of being directed for an effect, it simply pours uncontrolled into his body, wracking him with pain and cooking him from the inside. Failing a magic Skill roll by 10 or more means the mage takes the spell's Difficulty in energy/fire damage. He must make a Physique roll (Armor cannot help) and take whatever Wounds are appropriate. In the event that a mage critically fails his skill roll, the energy is released in an explosion of flame, centered on the mage. Everything in 1 yard of him (including the mage) takes the spells Difficulty in Steps of energy/fire damage. For every yard beyond that, the damage is reduced by 2 until the blast peters out.

Spell Difficulty

As mentioned before, as a spell's effect and complexity increases, the Difficulty of handling the increasing energies involves grows. Although the GM is free to use whatever method they wish to determine Spell Difficulty (including going by gut instinct), a guideline is included below. For this guide, a spell's Initial Difficulty is dependent on the range to the nearest ley line. The Default assumed level is Difficulty 4.

Target, Mass, or Volume

A spell can affect limited number of targets; can affect or move a limited mass; or can affect a limited area (to a height specified by the Size of the Created object or a Default level of 10'). Generally a spell effect applies to only one of the above. If it applies to more than one, the GM should choose which is the more appropriate (often the more Difficult one) or count each Difficulty Modifier as cumulative. Note that a spell that only creates something (i.e. Light without source) has no target and a spell that affects something the Size of a handful of sand or smaller can be assumed to have no Target Modifier. Also note that the table below shows Maximum values for Mass and Area. Therefore, something that weighs 11 lbs. is +3 Difficulty to move, not +2.

Range

A spell generally occurs within 3 feet (1 yard) or Touch Range of the caster. Further than this and spell becomes more Difficult to perform. The Range component specifies the distance at which a spell effect occurs, is centered upon, or extends from.

Modification

A spell that affects or alters a target's abilities or skills adds +1 Difficulty for every 2 Steps (or portion thereof) added or subtracted to a single Attribute or Skill. Note that nothing may be reduced below Step 0. Reducing the Physique Attribute to Step 0 simply will temporarily knock the victim out or make them too weak to stand for the spell's duration. Reducing the Senses Attribute to Step 0 will render the victim incapable of receiving sensory stimulus (i.e. blind, deaf, etc..) for the spell's duration. Note that unless the target of this type of spell is willing, the spell is always considered to be a Personal Magic Attack on the target and is always resisted by the target's Will.

Transformation/Alteration

This is the most subjective part of judging magic Difficulty. Changing one element to another is Difficult (Elemental Change). Changing one shape to another is easier (Form change). But neither is readily done. Like Modification, Transformation or Alteration is always considered a Personal Magic Attack on the target unless they are willing. Other than that, a GM should judge by the difference between the original form and material to the final form or material to assess how Difficult the spell is. Supplied below is a guideline.

Damage

Any spell that produces damage through natural means (i.e. fire or large stones) is assessed by its Size (but can be resisted by natural immunities or armor). If a mage wishes to create a magically damaging effect (which cannot be resisted by armor and which can do non-lethal damage if wished) or enhance natural damage (i.e. making a normal fire as hot as Dragon's Breath) then for every 2 Steps (or fraction thereof) of Damage per Round of Duration the Difficulty is increased by +1.

Creation/Summoning

Any spell which Creates something from nothing or Summons something to a location has an increasing Difficulty based on Size. The Size of the item is the basic Difficulty Modifier. In Addition, for Creation, the complexity of the item also adds to the Difficulty (it is easier to create a sword than a man from scratch); for solid objects with no moving parts is no modifier, for objects with moving parts it is +1, and for living objects it is +2. For Summoning, the additional Difficulty is the distance from caster. The GM assess this as they wish but assume a +5 for anything further than the horizon and +10 for anything from another plane (astral, ethereal, or elemental - and the Summons may be resisted). Note that no mage can Unmake or Destroy something utterly - that is the providence of the Gods; mages must do it via spells or attacks that do Damage.

Healing

Any spell that cures Wounds or Disease has a Difficulty Modifier based on the severity of the Injury or Infection. Additionally, there are three factors that make Healing more Difficult than normal spells. (1)It difficult to fight the entropic forces of decay; (2)there is a great deal of delicacy involved in Healing; and (3)healing is Permanent on the subject (until re-injured) so it has no fixed Duration (in fact Healing spells may never have a Duration). Therefore, each Healing attempt only reduces the severity by one (thought he subject may be fully healed with a critical success). Therefore, for truly serious afflictions, multiple Healing attempts may be required. Alternately, a single Healing may be attempted, but the Difficulty Modifiers are cumulative for the spell.

Duration

Any spell that lasts for more than an instant has a Duration. This determines how long the effect lasts or persists. Effects are never Permanent unless explicitly stated by the text or the GM (Heal spells are an example of a Permanent effect). Creation/Transformation spells have a set Duration during which any created or altered states are sustained by the drawn mana. After this is consumed, the Transformed target reverts to the original state and any Created objects evaporate.

Generally a spell ends when the specified Duration ends (or at anytime the caster wishes it to before then). However, there are two methods by which Adepts may continue spells. A caster may, at any time before the spell ends, draw extra power and Infuse that to the spell's pool for added Duration (counts as an action). This is done by simply making a Magic roll against the Difficulty of the added Duration. If this Infusion fails or succeeds, it still counts as a spell for the purposes of Exhaustion. If the Infusion Critically Fails, then the mage suffers Backlash as normal and the spell they are Infusing fails. Alternately a spell, after its Duration has lapsed, may be Maintained by the mage (does not count as an action). This means that they are concentrating on feeding it energy in a steady flow. But this means that the mage must continue to concentrate a portion of their attention on the spell. No roll is required and it does not cause Exhaustion, but for every spell that is being Maintained by the mage they are -1 to their Magic Step. Therefore, the mage may not Maintain more spells simultaneously than he has Magic Steps. If a mage's concentration is successfully interrupted (they fail a Will roll when injured, etc..) then any spells that were being Maintained immediately end. If the GM feels this is too nice, then simplify it to be that every spell Maintained subtracts one Step from all Actions more complex than talking or walking.