Magic/Mental Powers

For the purposes of this section, I will refer to magic and spells, but all these instances can refer to mental abilities or superpowers interchangeably as needed for your setting.


Casting

Spells are cast instantaneously, unless they are a ritual, and they are treated as ranged or melee attacks as appropriate for the spell (e.g., a fireball is ranged, and a chilling touch is melee). When a spell is cast, the caster rolls a d20+Casting skill bonus against the DC indicated in the spell listing plus or minus any adjustments or ADV/DIS as determined by the GM. On a success the spell effects are applied to the target, on a failure, the spell fizzles and the caster gains the fatigued condition for one round unless otherwise stated in the spell description. On a natural 20 or a natural 1, the critical effects portion of the spell listing takes effect as appropriate.


Learning Spells

Different settings may have alternative ways of assigning spells that a caster knows or dictating how magic works, but in the base game anybody has the potential to learn magic and all spells that a caster learns are a specific formula unique to each caster and they must discover that formula for themselves. Reading a spell formula from a scroll or spell book does not grant the caster the ability to cast that spell at will afterwards. However, they can use that written copy of the spell to aid in the research of their version of the spell. Casters can only learn a spell if they first research the spell for at least one week and then successfully roll a d20+Create Magic skill check against the DC to successfully cast the spell. If they succeed, they learn the spell and can cast it at will, but if they fail they do not learn the spell and cannot attempt to learn it again for at least one week. If they have access to a written copy of a spell to aid in research, they reduce the DC by 2. If they have access to a teacher, they can reduce the time to research by a number of days determined by the GM. Both the written spell copy and the teaching bonuses can be applied at the same time. For example:

  • A caster wants to learn a sleep spell and has no scroll to reference and is doing all their mental practice and research on their own. It will take them one week to finish their research and they will need to roll against a DC of 10 to create their version of the spell.
  • A caster wants to learn a sleep spell and has a scroll to reference. It will take them one week to finish their research and they will need to roll against a DC of 8 to create their version of the spell.
  • A caster wants to learn a sleep spell and they are working with a teacher at the wizard college and a copy of the spell in a spell book. It will take them 4 days to research the spell with the teachers help and they will need to roll against a DC of 8 to create their version of the spell.

Scrolls/Spell books/etc.:

A caster can also create a scroll or other written form of a spell on a d20+Create Magic skill bonus against a DC10. That scroll or written form of the spell can then be cast by anyone, regardless of magical skill by using the command word written onto the scroll. All normal effects are in place for a successful or failed roll or for critical successes or failures.

Rituals:

Spells with a ritual signifier after the name require at least 3 participants to successfully cast. Only one of the participants needs to know the spell and is designated the lead caster, but all the participants must concentrate for the duration of the spell, and anybody disturbed during the ritual casting must make a Mental Fortitude skill check against a DC of 10+ (either the amount of damage taken, or an amount set by the GM for non-damage disturbances). If they fail, they lose concentration and they are no longer a participant in the ritual. If the number of participants drops below the minimum requirement for the ritual before completion, the ritual fizzles and all remaining participants gain the fatigued condition. Some especially powerful rituals may have additional participants or other requirements laid out in their listings. Once the casting duration is complete, the lead caster rolls a Cast Magic skill check against the spell DC adding a +2 bonus to their roll if they have additional participants above the minimum required. The spell listing for the ritual will outline what happens on a success, failure, or critical roll.

In addition to the number of participants requirements, particular rituals may describe additional items, places, or times necessary to successfully cast the ritual (e.g., Sally the Great wishes to cast the ritual to banish the evil god Morbus. This specific ritual, in addition to requiring three participants, also calls for the sacrifice of a specific follower of Morbus and be conducted in the Circle of the Three Stones at midnight).

GM Tips:

In modifying a DC for a spell success, the GM should consider the experience of the caster and any other mitigating factors of the situation. A few examples of all these considerations are:

  • Experience of the Caster
    • If the caster does not have a lot of experience casting a spell of that power or the spell is new to them, you could add a couple points to the DC (i.e., Fred has just started using magic and is casting a sleep spell for the first time, so you change the DC from 10 to 12).
    • If the caster has been around for a while and is casting a relatively weak spell or they have cast this spell a lot in the past, you could take away a couple points to the DC (i.e., Fred has been using magic in the world for several years and has cast that same sleep spell dozens of times now, so you could change the DC from 10 to 8).
  • Mitigating Factors
    • The caster is attempting to cast a spell in a difficult to concentrate environment (i.e., Fred is trying to cast a spell on the deck of a ship in a massive storm, so you could increase the DC a couple points)
    • The caster is attempting to cast a spell in a very controlled and advantageous environment (i.e., Fred is trying to cast a spell in his wizard college classroom with the instructor guiding him, so you could decrease the DC a couple points) 


Countering a Spell

A caster who has not cast a spell that round and is not engaged in melee, can attempt to counter a spell being cast by an opponent that they can see. Countering is an opposed roll between the two spell casters with each rolling a d20 + Counter Magic skill bonus. When a spell is countered it fizzles, but the caster does not gain fatigue since they are assumed to have cast it properly, but the effect was nullified by the counter. If the spell is not countered, the caster proceeds to cast the spell as normal (e.g., Fred's party is in combat with a group of goblins and their witch doctor. During the second round Fred declares that his character is going to move behind the line of fighters in the party and not make an attack. The witch doctor declares that it is going to cast a fireball spell. Since Fred has not cast a spell that round and is not in melee with another goblin, he decides to counter the witch doctor’s spell. Fred and the witch doctor both roll d20 and add their respective Counter Magic bonus to their rolls. If Fred rolls higher, the witch doctor's spell fizzles with no other effect, but if the witch doctor rolls higher, he can roll to hit as normal for the fireball spell).

Stat Block for a Spell:

  • Name
  • Effect
  • DR Applies
  • DC
  • Critical Effects
  • Special Effects/Notes


Sample Spells

Fireball

  • Causes 10 points of damage to all creatures in a 10-meter radius of the blast point. Blast point can be placed 20 meters from the caster.
  • DR: Applies
  • DC: 15 
  • Critical Effects: On a critical failure, the fireball blast point is on the caster, on a critical success the damage is doubled. 
  • Special Effects/Notes: Flammable items in the blast will either be incinerated or caught on fire. GM will determine the effects of these fires and whether they spread or not.

Sleep

  • Causes all creatures in a 10-meter radius of the blast point to fall asleep for 10 minutes. Blast point can be placed 15 meters away from the caster.
  • DR: N/A
  • DC: 10
  • Critical Effects: On a critical failure the caster falls asleep, on a critical hit all creatures that would normally make a Mental Fortitude check are unable to resist the spell.
  • Special Effects/Notes: Does not affect creatures that do not sleep (e.g., undead). Each creature in the area of effect rolls for Mental Fortitude with a DC 10+casters Casting bonus and, on a success, can resist the spells effects.

Summon Demon (Ritual)

  • Calls a demon from the pit into the casting circle and allows the lead caster to command the summoned creature.
  • DR: N/A
  • Critical Effects: On a critical failure the participants are knocked unconscious, and the lead caster is struck for DMG 10. On a critical success the demon is bound to the lead casters will without making a Mental Fortitude check.
  • Special Effects/Notes: The ritual takes 4 rounds to complete. When the demon first appears after the ritual is completed successfully, the lead caster and the demon make opposed Mental Fortitude rolls and if the caster wins, he can command the demon for 1 up to one hour or until the GM determines that some event has caused the demon to try to break its bonds and another Mental Fortitude opposed roll is required. The caster may release the demon from servitude at any time before the hour is up if they wish and the demon instantly returns to whence it came. If the demon wins the Mental Fortitude opposed roll, it is free to do whatever it wants for the hour that it exists on this plane (often this involves immediately attacking the caster for daring to try and control it). While controlling the demon, the caster cannot command it to kill itself or knowingly perform an action that would lead to certain death (e.g., you cannot command the demon to chop its own head off or leap off a thousand-foot cliff, but you could command it to attack someone since the demon is not certain to die in the combat).