MAGIC

Table of Contents

• Spells
  • Range
  • Duration
  • Elements
  • Cantrips
  • Spell Descriptions
  • DIY Spells
• Materia
  • Crafting Materia
• Ephemera
  • Crafting Ephemera
• Artifacts

Spells

A Spell is a supernatural power made possible by permanent magical tools called Materia, expendable Ephemera , or from an inborn Trait. Regardless of method, anyone who can cast a Spell is a Caster.

Range

A condition of willing imagination into reality is applying limits to the space it can affect. Every Spell has a Range in the usual Zones. Range:0 means it affects self or other in the same Zone, and Range:1 or more means it can reach that many Zones out.

Casters can concentrate and double the Range on a Spell if it uses a Check. This lowers the Check to a d12 as usual, just like aiming a ranged weapon.

Duration

Magic may be eternal, but time has meaning, and attention has limits. A spell either takes place all at once or requires focus to prolong.

• Instant Spells end after casting. Consequences such as burning ships, healed wounds, etc. remain.
• Lasting Spells end when dispelled, if the caster discards the magic item, if they choose a new target for that Spell, or just decide it is over.

A caster can maintain any Lasting Spells they can currently cast, even all of them at once. If the caster wants to maintain a Lasting Spell on more than one target, they must have that many “copies” of it.

Elements

Damage-inflicting Spells may have an Element as a prefix, such as Bolt, Cold, Fire, etc. For example, a Fire Blast could be a gout of flame, red hot lance, or a howling magma bat. An Elemental Spell is more effective against those vulnerable to the Element and less effective against those resistant to it. If there is no Elemental prefix for a damage-inflicting Spell, it does regular physical damage.

COMMON ELEMENTS

Cantrips

Casters may use almost any Spell casually to achieve more minor effects, called Cantrips. For example, a Caster with a version of Blast[Fire] that could reduce a man to ashes could instead light a room with a flickering mote of flame or lay down a magical spiral sigil to heat a cooking pot. These can aid a narrative action, improve outcomes, and act as tools. They should not approach the effects of a more suitable Spell, however.

Spell Descriptions

The following covers many Spells that may or may not be available in your setting. Their titles are intentionally generic, as they are just aspects of the Materia or Ephemera they belong to. To make these more flavorful and interesting, tie them to their item in a creative way.

LIST OF SPELLS

• Abjure: subtle mental defenses. WP-affecting Spell Checks targeting the caster must score a Critical to take effect. [Range 0, Lasting] Incoming Cha vs. WP Spells need a Critical to take effect.
• Adhere: selectively sticky. After casting this Spell, climbing (Move), or Grapple Actions drop to half DF. Other Actions aided by adhesion may also benefit. [Range 0, Lasting] Half DF for climbing (Move) and Grapple Checks.
• Attract: a powerful force holds in all who enter a Zone. This is an un-Checked Grapple Action with the Spell Rolling 1d8+Cha Grapple versus the Roll of everyone in that Zone. This Grapples any losers as usual, but the Caster suffers no effect if they lose. [Range 0, Instant] 1d8 +Cha Grapple Roll vs. all in Zone.
• Backlash: unwary attackers will face retribution. The caster or target can use 1d12 +CHA on melee clashes instead of their usual weapon. Often uses an Element tag. [Range 0, Lasting] 1d12 +CHA for melee clashes.
• Burst: fires a lethal spread over an area. This automatically hits everyone in the Zone, friend or foe, for 1d8 +Cha damage. Elements can make this Spell more interesting. [Range 2, Instant] 1d8 +Cha damage to all in target Zone.
• Barrier: calls up a wall or other obstacle. This provides Hard Cover and a DF 10 + Cha obstacle versus those trying to Move in or out of the zone it blocks. [Range 1, Lasting] Creates Hard Cover, obstacle DF is 10 +Cha.
• Berserk: a strike that hungers for more blood. If this Melee Attack results in a Felling Blow, make another free Melee Attack on another foe in the same Zone. [Range 0, Instant] Free Melee Attack afterward if a Felling Blow.
• Blast: fires off a powerful magical ranged attack, usually paired with an Element tag. This is a Ranged Attack for 1d12 +Cha damage. Reskinning can make this Spell more interesting. [Range 2, Instant] Ranged Attack, 1d12 +Cha damage.
• Cache: Store items weightlessly in a weird space pocket and retrieve them at will. This stores up to 10 +Cha Load. Putting something in or taking it out is a Use Action, or a Grapple for the unwilling. If the Spell ends the contents spill out. [Range 0, Lasting] Store up to 10 +Cha Load.
• Charm: A mesmerizing aura makes the caster very convincing to others. This halves the DF for mundane Cha-based Checks such as Parley and Perform. It is dangerous to overuse, as targets may come to realize they were under your influence later. [Range 1, Instant] Half DF for mundane Cha Checks.
• Commune: telepathically links a group of willing minds who may “speak” to each other silently, at any distance, with no language barrier. This links up to ten plus the caster’s Cha minds until they or the Caster cut their connection. The Range of zero only applies when adding minds. [Range 0, Lasting] Telepathically link up to 10 +Cha minds.
• Confuse: The caster’s banter and gestures bewilder the target. This is a Parley (Cha vs WP) inflicting the Confuse status if successful. [Range 1, Lasting] Parley Check to Confuse target.
• Copy: soaks up the flavor of incoming magics. The caster can copy any Spell that targeted or affected them while active. The new Spell replaces the Copy Spell until ended. [Range 0, Lasting] Copy any Spell that affected the caster.
• Cure: transmutes toxins. Roll 1d12 +Cha and reduce poison Buildup by that amount. If this drops Buildup below the target’s Base HP, any non-lethal (Incapacitated, etc.) Status inflicted by the poison ends. Also purifies food and drink. [Range 0, Instant] Reduce Buildup by 1d12 +Cha.
• Deadeye: Guidance from beyond. If this Attack fails, a following gambit to avoid failure is vs. half the target’s actual AF. [Range 0, Instant] If the Attack Fails, half AF on Gambit to succeed.
• Disguise: temporarily alters the target’s Description, i.e., facial features, skin color, weight, apparent age, sex, etc. This is a Craft (Cha vs. WP) Check, but only a Critical can disguise the unwilling. Dropping or dispelling reverts the target to their original form. [Range 0, Lasting] Craft Check (Cha vs. WP) to revise Description.
• Edify: grants expertise in a specific field. Gain the benefits of a supplemental Career or Origin until the Spell ends. [Range 0, Lasting] Gain a Career or Origin until ended.
• Empathy: gains insight from the minds of others. This halves the DF on Insight Checks vs. WP and allows the caster to detect a lie as an Outcome answer. [Range 2, Instant] Half DF on Insight Checks, may detect lies outright.
• Enfeeble: causes weakness and uncertainty. This is a Parley Check, and success means the target must reroll a single die from any Rolls (damage, Rally, casting dice, etc.) and take the lowest result. [Range 1, Lasting] Parley Check, target Rerolls any Rolls and takes lowest.
• Flight: fly through the air with great speed. Flight is at double normal speed in any direction. Easily overcomes most obstacles, falls, and ground hazards without a Check, half DF for the rest. [Range 0, Instant] Fly in any direction at double speed.
• Float: glide through the air with the greatest of ease. This easily overcomes most obstacles, falls, and ground hazards without a Move Check, and halves DF for the rest. Move actions may be in any direction, including up. [Range 0, Lasting] Negate fall & ground hazards, half DF on Moves vs. obstacles.
• Grease: covers the ground with a slippery aura. This inflicts a 1d4 +Cha penalty to nearly any action taken within the target Zone. Can also be useful for oiling large mechanisms. [Range 1, Lasting] Zone turns slippery, inflicts 1d4 +Cha Penalty.
• Haste: save up time from idle moments. This stores the Action it took to cast as a “free” other Action later. Once used, they may cast it again to store a new idle Action. Assume casters with this Spell have an Action stored unless they spent it that Scene. [Range 0, Lasting] Save an Action for later.
• Hazard: creates a persistent dangerous area, such as a flaming rampart or a looming sphere of pure nothing. This inflicts 1d6 +Cha damage to all in or passing through the target Zone. If another Hazard is cast on the same area, it negates both. [Range 1, Lasting] All in Zone take 1d6 +Cha damage.
• Heal: fixing delicate organisms with magic is far more difficult than blasting them to bits or turning them into frogs. Nevertheless, Healing magic allows impossible feats of medicine, halving the DF of Recovery Checks. [Range 0, Instant] Half DF for Recovery Checks.
• Hold: move things from a distance. The caster can take regular Actions like Attack, Grapple, or Use from a Zone away, using Cha instead of Str. If grappling, the caster does not take damage back from the target’s Grapple Roll-off. [Range 1, Instant] Act at range using Cha as Str.
• Imbue: create Materia and Ephemera. This allows the use of the caster’s crafting-related OCS to create magic items related to it. For example, a Blacksmith Career could create magic weapons, armor, or tools. This takes up resources and a Crafting Montage, as well as a Quest if the item is a Materia. [Range 0, Instant] Craft Ephemera and Materia.
• Imperil: dulls the ability to react to danger. This is a Parley Check, success halves the target’s AF until ended. [Range 1, Lasting] Parley Check to halve target’s AF.
• Insulate: a subtle but effective buffer against attacks with Element tags, such as Fire, Bolt, Void, etc. They are also comfortable in extreme weather even if not dressed for it. [Range 0, Lasting] half damage from Elements.
• Morph: changes the target into the specified creature, such as turning a human into a frog or a chicken into a dragon. Each Template is a different Spell. This is a Check of Cha vs. WP, with Success applying the Template to a willing target and a Critical to an unwilling one. [Range 0, Lasting] Check Cha vs. WP to replace Template.
• Patch: fills and bolsters a grievous injury, negating its effect temporarily. This works on anything that can Stagger, even undead and constructs. [Range 0, Lasting] Negate Stagger while active.
• Phase: walk through solid objects and even people. This is a Move Action that automatically passes obstacles and walls but cannot end in a Zone filled with solid matter. It does not protect the caster from physical attacks. There are variants of this Spell that look more like a short teleport. [Range 0, Instant] Move action that passes obstacles and walls.
• Pierce: bypasses or ignores armor. This is a Ranged Attack inflicting damage equal to the target’s Rally die +Cha. [Range 2, Instant] Ranged Attack for target’s Rally die +Cha dmg.
• Protect: deflects peril in desperate situations. The caster takes half damage from a Felling blow, ending this Spell. Can be recast later for further protection. [Range 0, Lasting] Felling blow does half damage.
• Purge mystical tricks to mend the damage to reality caused by other Spells. This grants a d20 to Dispel Checks even if the dispeller does not have the same Spell. [Range 1, Instant] Dispel Checks always use d20.
• Repel: a wave of force pushes others away. This is an un-Checked Grapple (Push) Action inflicting 1d8 +Cha Grapple damage to all in the target Zone. Any “losers” who fail the Grapple Roll-off are pushed one Zone away from the target. Unlike a regular Grapple, the caster does not take damage in return if they lose the Roll-off. [Range 0, Instant] Resist 1d8+Cha Grapple Roll-off or shift one Zone away.
• Scry: The caster may peer into a remote location. This allows an Insight Action about what is going on in an area of interest. This area can be of any distance away, but anyone within gets the eerie feeling of “being watched.” Those in the location with may target the caster with WP-affecting Spells. [Range 0, Instant] use Insight Action about target area.
• Séance: the dead speak to you in their subtle way. When in a Zone with the remains of sentient beings, the caster makes an Insight Check on Cha vs. the mortal WP of the local dead (usually 11). The answers depend on what those who died in this area could know. [Range 0, Instant] Question the dead with a Cha Insight Check.
• Seeker: fires a guided magical bolt, usually paired with an Element tag. This is a Ranged Attack inflicting 1d8 +Cha damage. If the caster misses and wants to use a Gambit, halve the target’s AF for the Gambit. [Range 2, Instant] Ranged Attack for 1d8 + Cha dmg, if a miss, half AF on Gambit.
• Shell: Surrounds the caster with a force field. The caster or target gains Armor (AP) equal to 10 plus their Cha. This does not stack with worn armor or increase the Rally die. [Range 0, Lasting] Armor AP equal to 10 +Cha.
• Smite: a surge of incredible might. This Action imbues the target’s next Str Roll with an extra die of the same type. After the Roll, this Spell ends. [Range 0, Lasting] Add a die to an upcoming Str Roll.
• Spring: leap into the air like a moon jump. This lets the caster or target take their usual Move in any direction, halving fall damage and DF for most obstacles. The character must land each Round. [0, Lasting] Move in any direction, halve fall damage and DF for obstacles.
• Summon: creates an obedient semi-real servant of the caster’s own design. Create an NPC with a Threat Base equal to the Caster’s level divided by four, rounded up as usual. They can take on Load from Traits up to their Threat base, but their Template must have the Unstable Trait (-2 Load) and cannot include their own Innate Summon Spells. A summon disappears when fallen or dispelled but can be resummoned. Design this creature outside of game time as not to interrupt play. [Range 0, Lasting] Calls up creature with a Threat of ¼ caster Level.
• Sustain: fuels the needs of the body. Those under this Spell do not suffer from thirst, hunger, fatigue, or suffocation. This Spell does not fix existing Deprivation effects. It just keeps them from accumulating. [Range 0, Lasting] Cannot gain new Deprivation effects.
• Teleport: snaps the caster back to a preset location. This is cast while in the target Zone. At the beginning of any of their later Actions, the caster may instantly return to it with anything they are carrying. [Range 0, Lasting] Sets a Zone that can be returned to instantly later.
• Vanish: An illusion makes the target invisible. This is a Sneak Action at half the usual DF that also grants Soft Cover (-4). Other Actions do not gain this benefit. [Range 0, Instant] Soft Cover (-4 to hit), Sneak Check at half DF.
• Vorpal: a devastating and savage attack that seeks out the weak points of a foe. If it succeeds, the following Gambit for a Critical Success is vs half AF. [Range 0, Instant] If the Attack succeeds, half AF on the Gambit to Critical.
• Zombify: raise a nearby corpse as an undead servant. They arise as a Zombie with a Threat Base equal to the Caster’s level divided by four, rounded up as usual. Zombies keep their original gear and Traits but lose their Concepts. They gain the Undead (0 Load) and Unstable (-2 Load) Traits. A Fallen or dispelled zombie cannot be reanimated. [Range 0, Lasting] Raises undead servant with Threat Base of ¼ caster Level.

DIY Spells

If reskinning an existing Spell does not cut it, you can make one from scratch using the existing ones as guidance. A popular method is to give those using the Spell half DF at something specific and add a little extra something for fun. If especially powerful, you may want to limit its use or give it interesting drawbacks. If it is integral to the setting it may work better as an Artifact.

SPELLS

Materia

A Materia is an item permanently imbued with magical power. These grant their wielder one or more Spells to cast at will. For example, a sword that can burst into flame, a flying broom, a wolf tattoo that springs to life, etc.

Casters must spend a single WP to attune their minds with a Materia before they can cast its Spells. This WP does not come back until they discard the item or someone else spends a WP to wield it.

Most are found, stolen, or granted. Few are made or bought. Prices vary wildly in the rare places they are offered, and the risk to the seller is astronomical. The Insight Check to reveal the Spells in an a found Materia is usually vs. DF 10. Using WP also reveals the Spells but is less useful when divvying up loot.

Crafting Materia

To create a Materia, a character with the Imbue Spell must create a Superior version of that item (Critical). They must also incorporate a symbolic item that reflects the intended Spell(s). For example, a Roc feather for a flying carpet or the last breath of a king for a crown of necromancy. This component must be dearly bought with a worthy Quest. Symbolic components gained too easily lack the metaphysical gravitas to fuel Materia.

Poetry aside, the DF for this Crafting Check is the same as creating an item of its type, i.e., five plus the maximum on the damage or Rally die. This results in an item that grants one Spell. An item can be imbued with more than one Spell by adding the max die again for each. Miscellaneous non-combat items like wands or capes typically count as 1d4, making them prime targets for enchantment.

MATERIA CRAFTING DF

A Materia may be reforged into a different item type at the same difficulty, without a new Quest.

EXAMPLE MATERIA

• Codswallop: A flail shaped like a fish. The scales can move on their own for a devastating chainsaw effect. Reaching into its mouth reveals an extradimensional hiding place for all manner of goods. Spells: Cache, Smite.
• Dormant Demon: partial possession by an indolent entity blocks other mental intrusions. Just hope it doesn’t wake up. Spell: Abjure.
• Ember of the First Flame: A still-burning coal stolen from the first fire of the gods, before it was made harmful to man. When laid on the chest of the ill or maimed, its primordial warmth suffuses them with life. Spell: Heal.
• Flying Carpet: a small fine carpet that unrolls and floats on command. If passengers also ride, their Load applies to the owner as if carried. Spells: Float, Flight.
• Halo Cutter: this glowing golden halo hovers over the bearer’s head, shedding light as a lamp. More importantly, it protects their soul from outside influences and can swoop out to dismember those who offend. Spells: Abjure, Seeker.
• Hand of Glory: This Candelabra made from a hideous waxy dead hand is the envy of every thief or ambitious intruder. Pressing it against an obstacle allows the wielder to pass through to the other side like a ghost. Spell: Phase.
• Necropants: an ugly pair of pants made from human skin. Grants incredible speed and has unnaturally deep pockets. Spells: Spring, Cache.
• Thighbone Flute: this macabre musical instrument has three special tunes. One disorients listeners, one blasts them away from the wielder with a wall of sound, and one controls an undead servant. Spells: Confuse, Zombify, Repel.

Ephemera

Small expendable items imbued with power. They enable any sentient being to cast a single Spell one or more times but break when it ends. For example, drinking a potion, using a scroll, firing an arrow, etc. The Spell uses the wielder’s Attributes, and otherwise counts as originating from them.

Ephemera tend to be small compact items of negligible weight, priced at about 100 cp each. Scrolls and potions are popular, but many creators punch things up by crafting them out of more thematic ingredients. Selling them nets half price at best. The Insight Check to reveal the Spell in a found Ephemera is usually vs. DF 5, DF10 if exotic or unfamiliar. Many will have their use written on the label.

Unlike Materia, Ephemera inflict little strain on the mind and do not lower WP. Unfortunately, they do not hold out for as long either. Those with Lasting durations end when a new Montage begins.

Crafting Ephemera

To create or add a charge to an Ephemera, one needs the ability to cast the Imbue Spell and the desired Spell. This is a Crafting Check, usually Wis vs. the local Travel DF. Criticals yield an extra Ephemera. Creating an Ephemera eats up about 50 cp each time due to materials.

EXAMPLE EPHEMERA

• Black Meat: a dried strip of dark oily flesh from some awful interdimensional centipede. Its taste is repugnant but fascinating, heightening senses exponentially as the mind tries to correlate the contents of the mouth. Spell: Alarm.
• Blade Pitch: the contents of this sulfurous sachet alight when rubbed across a weapon, turning it into a brand of fire. Spells: Smite [Fire].
• Blessed Larva: an enchanted cocoon in a small woven basket. If it successfully Purges the magic, it hatches and flies away as a full-grown moth. If it fails, it crumbles into ash. Spell: Purge.
• Crimson Cap: this vivid red mushroom sends the eater into a fighting trance. Spell: Berserk.
• Horse Chestnut: hurl this to the ground and a vegetal horse arises. Good for a quick escape but obstinately plants itself into the ground when its time runs out. Spell: Summon [Riding Horse].
• Mordant Herb: this bitter leaf counteracts poison and disease when properly enchanted. Spell: Cure.
• Portal Chalk: a bit of chalk. The caster draws a door, setting that place as the destination. Later, they can draw another and step back through the original destination door. Spell: Teleport.
• Pyrocart: a chunky copper cartridge that loads into a flame Staff. Spell: Blast.
• Star-squid egg cluster: this cluster of hard nacreous globules hardly registers as a living thing, but when hurled down forcefully it erupts into a maelstrom of flailing tentacles. It is rumored that new dormant clusters appear in the wreckage years later. Spell: Hazard.
• That’s It in a Nutshell: the final word of a dying mystic, revealing the secret to life, the universe, and everything. When cracked open, thunder and trumpets peal from beyond, drowning out the words of enlightenment and hurling bystanders out of reach. Spell: Repel.
• Thorn of Agony: this clove-like thorn brings renewed vigor when driven into the flesh of an injured ally. This is unspeakably painful and does no favors for their friendship. Spell: Heal.

Artifacts

These are fundamental magical flaws, laws, glitches, or events in the game setting, far beyond the mischief of a Spell. Their effects can be absolute and unfair, such as a youth-granting fountain, a perilous cubic void, random distortions in time, etc. Others may even seem trivial or random, such as cooking the perfect boiled egg. Artifacts are so diverse they are best left to narration; some affect the workings of entire planets. They can break characters, games, or worlds. They are supposed to.

There is usually only one such Artifact in the setting, and the owner may attract a great deal of attention just for having it. Most are more trouble than they are worth. Those that are sentient and don’t get along with their bearer may withhold power to chastise them. Some have unpalatable motives of their own, such as world destruction, ranch dressing, utter conformity, etc.

Those taking the great risk of selling an Artifact can name their price. The Insight Check to reveal what an unfamiliar found Artifacts does is usually vs. DF 15. Those that can communicate are usually more than eager to reveal it that way.

An Artifact may also be a Materia, but this is just begging for trouble.

EXAMPLE ARTIFACTS

• Gold Verbena: this auric herb pops up every spring in a random patch of dirt. The eater transforms into any creature they desire and stays that way until it is eaten by a new finder next spring. This works like the Morph Spell but cannot be dispelled or dropped. Powerful figures seek this herb out in a bloody yearly contest.
• Infinity Lance: this long black pole extends into infinity when a button on its handle is pressed, piercing all in its way for 1d6x10 damage before snapping back to its original length. Occupied planets and interstellar beings are few and far between, so the chances of accidentally impaling one and provoking a war are… probably slim?
• Shakedown Monument: this is life-sized statue of one man holding another upside down, with coins falling out of his pockets. When touched, it takes the item your character wants most (be honest) from someone else and teleports it right to them. If the original owner tries to use the statue to get it back, it disappears forever.
• Tiny Banjo: when given to a mouse, it grabs the banjo and does a pitch perfect impression of Paul Newman singing “Plastic Jesus” from the movie Cool Hand Luke. It then goes back to being a normal mouse, if better for the experience. As useless as this sounds, up-and-coming bards will do about anything to hear the alien melody which has infected the musical landscape.