Before we can discuss the powers and types of magic we first need to get a grounding of how the multiverse is made up.
Thus we can see that the prime material plane where the characters dwell is actually part of the elemental planes. These planes comprise the four basic elements at the periphary surrounding the demi-material planes of dust, smoke, shadow and dozens of others which in turn surrounds the prime material plane. Following the logic it can be seen that the prime material plane is in fact simply a mish mash of all the elemental planes put together. No one elemental plane dominates the prime material, creatures which inhabit the other planes often find it relatively easy to slip betweeen the boundaries in to the adjacent planes.
The planes of heaven and hell exist in another dimension to the elemental planes which is why the priestly and elemental magic do not co-exist. In the diagram power for a character can only flow vertically or horizantally between the planes but not both.
Surrounding the planes are the ethereal and astral planes. They have a 1:1 relationship with the other planes, all points existing in all the planes however travel is at different speeds.
It is possible to see from the Ethereal to the Prime plane but not normally vice versa. In the ethereal you may travel in any direction as there is no ground. Equivalent prime material plane speed is (10 + intelligence) mph. Speed of travel is controlled by thought. Unconscious characters may be carried at normal speed but if they are awake their thinking brain controls their maximum speed.
The astral plane may contain structures of its own and is compressed in space compared to the prime material plane. Equivalent prime material plane speed is 10 x (10 + intelligence)mph.
These can perform their powers anywhere on the elemental planes. They employ their powers by direct manipulation of the elemental forces and channelling the forces from their home plane. Wizards have more problem than priests when travelling towards heaven or hell as their powers are designed to work within the elemental planes and not pass the boundaries in the vertical direction. Rather than preventing the mage casting the more powerful magics however (as happens to priests) it reduces the level of spell available to him.
| Spell / Prayer Level |
Power points |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 |
| 3 | 3 |
| 4 | 5 |
| 5 | 7 |
| 6 | 9 |
| 7 | 11 |
| 8 | 14 |
| 9 | 17 |
Each spell/proyer has a difficulty factor associated with it which must be reached before the spell will work as planned. The base difficulty is
10 + spell/prayer level
However rolls lower than the skill level only mean that the spell was not as effective as expected, the fireball will be cooler or the charm easier to throw off
The spell difficulty is rolled against the highest power level of the spell using the skills in the normal way.
Wizard
Intelligence + casting ability + 2d8
Priest
Willpower + Faith + 2d8
If it has two levels such as Elemental and Force then the one in which the caster has the lowest power over that required is used.
Each spell has a default attribute which will be affected by the roll, normally damage, area or saving throw. The difference between the difficulty and skill rolled is checked against the appropriate table to determine the effect.
If any spell is bodged a wild surge may result. See wild surges.
Against spells or prayers the saving throw is
12Mages and priests sometimes are captured and tied up or gagged (or both). In these circumstances it may still be possible to cast a spell or prayer however they take a penalty to their skill.
Mages need a feat to be able to attempt mumbled or silent casting and then need to roll a saving throw based on 10 + spell level. If the throw fails the spell simply does not work.. Priests have an easier time as gods do tend to want their priests to carry on the good work (or evil deeds). Priests still suffer a penalty to the casting skill but do not have to roll a save to see if the prayer fails.
The penalties for bound and gagged are cumulative.
If in direct melee it is impossible to cast a spell that takes more than 2 segments to perform. Longer than this and that spear will have an intimate knowledge of your entrails.
To determine the success of the prayer the priest must increase the difficulty by 1 for each 5 stamina points (or part of) or 1 wound point taken.
e.g.
If saying a 1st level prayer and the priest gets hit for 6 stamina they must roll a constitution save of
10+1 (base)+ 2 (6 SP) = 14
| Situation | Example | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Possible movement | Stationary horse | +2 |
| Continuous slow movement | Walking horse | +6 |
| Medium movement | Trotting horse | +8 |
| Fast / unpredictable movement* | Galloping / frightened horse | +11 |
| Hours of sleep |
Percentage recovered |
|---|---|
| 4 | 20% |
| 6 | 50% |
| 8 | 100% |
After resting characters need to spend time reading their books or praying to their god.
Each wizard can automatically dispel their own magic. In addition they have a natural chance of dispelling other mages spells. To dispel a spell a wizard must concentrate on the spell to be dispelled and employ 1 more power point than the original caster. The difficulty is the same as if casting it, i.e.
10 + spell level
In order to make a spell permanent that is not naturally so, a continuous channel of power must be opened to the plane from which the magic flows.
The steps for creating a permenant spell are
| Succcess level | Duration |
|---|---|
| 0 | 1 year |
| 1 | 10 years |
| 2 | 100 years |
| 3 | 1,000 years |
| 4 | 10,000 years |
To create a permanent wall of fire
Obviously the caster must be capable of casting an elemental spell at 5th level. The casters' staff is acting as a focus for the spell.