scarmiglionne4
2013-03-06, 08:44 PM
I will be making three classes for this style of spell casting; The Mage of Light, The Mage of Darkness, and The Mage of Gloaming.
These rules are inspired by The Riddle of Steel, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Sieken Densetsu. I wanted spells to be more accessible to new players and to foster imagination and role-playing. These are just the basics of the spell casting mechanic. There will be more advanced rules for more improvisational spells.
SORCERY LIMITS
Sorcery CANNOT:
• Duplicate and substitute for the use of a skill
• Detect any information as it is explicitly written in terms of the rules as the players would understand them
• See events in the future without a ritual
• Create/Summon living creatures
• Enable any kind of planar travel or entrance into any plane of existence other than the Prime material plane
• Instantly transport to a location the caster cannot see
• Grant magical ability to those that do not already have it
• Raise the dead (though it could animate the dead)
• Reverse or stop aging
CASTING SPELLS
To cast a spell a mage must first conceive of the spell’s desired effect(s). Then, they must “build” the desired effect using one or more of the 12 sorceries. A spell can require any combination of the 12 sorceries to build the desired effect. Using more than one sorcery is called BONDING.
The 12 sorceries have affinity towards manipulating certain types of effects. These are defined below.
The EARTH sorcery evokes stone, earth, and acid. EARTH deals with all types of matter, so it affects all corporeality. This includes living things, once–living things, and non-living objects since all of these things are said to come from the earth.
EARTH sorcery BONDS to manipulate defense, resistance, endurance, and toughness.
The AIR sorcery evokes wind and electricity. It deals with anything of the AIR or is AIR-like.
AIR sorcery BONDS with effects that target the brain and nervous system on a physical level.
The FIRE sorcery evokes flame and heat and BONDS to destroy or damage.
The WATER sorcery evokes water and cold. It deal with anything if the WATER or is WATER-like. WATER sorcery BONDS to restore vitality and cure or inflict physical ailments.
The LIGHT sorcery evokes positive energy and light. It deals with revealing that which is concealed; divination, scrying, and focused perception.
LIGHT sorcery BONDS to absorb energy and reduce damage.
The DARKNESS sorcery evokes negative energy and the dark. It deals with the that which cannot be seen and the void. It
DARKNESS sorcery BONDS to aid in removal, dispelling or simply concealment.
The LIFE sorcery evokes plants, animals, and poison. It deals with life, death, wakefulness and sleep.
LIFE sorcery BONDS to manipulate life, whether restoring life to the dead, stealing life from the living, or bestowing life in objects.
The HEAVEN sorcery evokes the moon and stars. Heaven sorcery deals with higher mental faculties inherent in the Omnisiel.
HEAVEN sorcery BONDS to redirect magical energies and drain energy from creatures subject to Strain.
The CONTROL sorcery is manipulation. It changes and shapes that which already exists or is created with other sorceries.
CONTROL sorcery BONDS to cause a spell to persist in an area regardless of whether or not targets currently reside there.
CONTROL sorcery BONDS to cause a spell to persist in an area regardless of whether or not targets currently reside there.
Typical CONTROL effects:
- Bestow a +/-1 typed bonus/penalty to Attack and Damage
- Bestow +/-1 typed bonus/penalty to Armor Class and/or Saves
- Bestow/Remove Conditions: Dazed, Dazzled, Entangled, Fatigued, or Shaken
The CREATE sorcery makes something exist that previously did not.
CREATE is typically used in a BOND to expand an effect to cover an area. This makes a spell, typically one that covers an area, be subject to a Reflex save.
The SENSE sorcery grants perception without focus.
It BONDS to create illusions that better appeal to the senses. It is also used to imbue sorcery with “artificial intelligence” so that it can respond to a programmed response to a stimulus.
The TRANSCEND sorcery eliminates spatial inconveniences. It aids in transportation, communication over great distance, summoning, banishment, or anything that brings something from one place to another.
TRANSCEND sorcery BONDS to increase range and is the sorcery needed for ranged touch attacks.
PROFICIENCY AND POTENCY
In theory, a mage could have a spell do practically anything within the sorcery limits. However, a mage is also limited by his PROFICIENCY, which is measured by his skill in Spellcraft and his POTENCY which is measured by his level of Concentration.
PROFIENCY is how many different sorceries can be BONDED to cast a spell. POTENCY is the strength and size the spells are limited to.
Area spells require a POTENCY one level higher than the intended damage. For example, if you wanted to cast a fire spell with a single target that does 2d4+2 damage, it would require Potency III. To make a similar fire spell that affects a burst or cone that deals 2d4+2 damage would require Potency IV.
The area and range of a spell is measured in spaces. The area can be of any shape so long as it covers the amount of adjacent spaces allowed or less, and is symmetrical. This will work with either a hex or square grid.
PROFICIENCY LEVEL
{table=head]Spellcraft Skill mod|Proficiency|Bond Limit
6+|Novice|1
9+|Adept|2
12+|Expert|3
15+|Master|4
18+|Grandmaster|5
30+|Lord|None[/table]
POTENCY LEVEL
Concentration
Skill Mod Potency
5 I
7 II
9 III
11 IV
13 V
15 VI
17 VII
19 VIII
21 IX
23 X
25 XI
30+ XII
POTENCY
Range and Area measured in spaces
{table=head]Potency|Power|Enchantment|Range|Duration|Area
I|1d3|+/-1|1|Instant|--
II|1d4+1|+/-1|2|1 round|5
III|2d4+2|+/-1|3|2 rounds|5
IV|3d4+3|+/-2|6|3 rounds|5
V|4d4+4|+/-2|10|4 rounds|5
VI|5d4+5|+/-2|12|1 min.|9
VII|6d4+6|+/-3|14|2 min.|9
VIII|7d4+7|+/-3|16|3 min.|13
IX|8d4+8|+/-3|18|4 min.|13
X|9d4+9|+/-4|20|10 min.|16
XI|10d4+10|+/-4|40|20 min.|16
XII|10d6+10|+/-5|80|1 hour|25[/table]
TYPICAL EFFECT TYPES
While a sorcerer can do nearly anything with sorcery within his limits, there are a few effect types that are the most common.
EVOCATIONS are spells which have an instant effect. These typically inflict damage of a certain type.
Example Evocation Spell Formula: A 6th level mage of darkness wants to cast a fire spell. He wants the effect to fill an area centered within 10 spaces, so he chooses CREATE. He wants to damage type to be fire, so he chooses FIRE. Using the POTENCY table he opts for POTENCY V so he can deal 4d4+4 fire damage to a 5 space area.
The simple formula is CREATE-FIRE V.
ENCHANTMENTS are spells that persist over time. These typically either bestow bonuses/penalties to a specific die roll, or bestow a specific condition.
Example Enchantment Spell Formula: A 6th level mage of light wants to grant a +2 bonus to attack and damage to herself and her nearby companions. She needs to effect to fill an area of 9 spaces. She chooses CREATE to make the effect cover an area. She chooses CONTROL to change the attack and damage. Using the POTENCY table she opts for POTENCY V so she can achieve the desired area. The effect grants a +2 morale bonus to everyone within the 9 space area. The bonus will last for 4 rounds.
The simple formula is CREATE-CONTROL V.
These rules are inspired by The Riddle of Steel, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Sieken Densetsu. I wanted spells to be more accessible to new players and to foster imagination and role-playing. These are just the basics of the spell casting mechanic. There will be more advanced rules for more improvisational spells.
SORCERY LIMITS
Sorcery CANNOT:
• Duplicate and substitute for the use of a skill
• Detect any information as it is explicitly written in terms of the rules as the players would understand them
• See events in the future without a ritual
• Create/Summon living creatures
• Enable any kind of planar travel or entrance into any plane of existence other than the Prime material plane
• Instantly transport to a location the caster cannot see
• Grant magical ability to those that do not already have it
• Raise the dead (though it could animate the dead)
• Reverse or stop aging
CASTING SPELLS
To cast a spell a mage must first conceive of the spell’s desired effect(s). Then, they must “build” the desired effect using one or more of the 12 sorceries. A spell can require any combination of the 12 sorceries to build the desired effect. Using more than one sorcery is called BONDING.
The 12 sorceries have affinity towards manipulating certain types of effects. These are defined below.
The EARTH sorcery evokes stone, earth, and acid. EARTH deals with all types of matter, so it affects all corporeality. This includes living things, once–living things, and non-living objects since all of these things are said to come from the earth.
EARTH sorcery BONDS to manipulate defense, resistance, endurance, and toughness.
The AIR sorcery evokes wind and electricity. It deals with anything of the AIR or is AIR-like.
AIR sorcery BONDS with effects that target the brain and nervous system on a physical level.
The FIRE sorcery evokes flame and heat and BONDS to destroy or damage.
The WATER sorcery evokes water and cold. It deal with anything if the WATER or is WATER-like. WATER sorcery BONDS to restore vitality and cure or inflict physical ailments.
The LIGHT sorcery evokes positive energy and light. It deals with revealing that which is concealed; divination, scrying, and focused perception.
LIGHT sorcery BONDS to absorb energy and reduce damage.
The DARKNESS sorcery evokes negative energy and the dark. It deals with the that which cannot be seen and the void. It
DARKNESS sorcery BONDS to aid in removal, dispelling or simply concealment.
The LIFE sorcery evokes plants, animals, and poison. It deals with life, death, wakefulness and sleep.
LIFE sorcery BONDS to manipulate life, whether restoring life to the dead, stealing life from the living, or bestowing life in objects.
The HEAVEN sorcery evokes the moon and stars. Heaven sorcery deals with higher mental faculties inherent in the Omnisiel.
HEAVEN sorcery BONDS to redirect magical energies and drain energy from creatures subject to Strain.
The CONTROL sorcery is manipulation. It changes and shapes that which already exists or is created with other sorceries.
CONTROL sorcery BONDS to cause a spell to persist in an area regardless of whether or not targets currently reside there.
CONTROL sorcery BONDS to cause a spell to persist in an area regardless of whether or not targets currently reside there.
Typical CONTROL effects:
- Bestow a +/-1 typed bonus/penalty to Attack and Damage
- Bestow +/-1 typed bonus/penalty to Armor Class and/or Saves
- Bestow/Remove Conditions: Dazed, Dazzled, Entangled, Fatigued, or Shaken
The CREATE sorcery makes something exist that previously did not.
CREATE is typically used in a BOND to expand an effect to cover an area. This makes a spell, typically one that covers an area, be subject to a Reflex save.
The SENSE sorcery grants perception without focus.
It BONDS to create illusions that better appeal to the senses. It is also used to imbue sorcery with “artificial intelligence” so that it can respond to a programmed response to a stimulus.
The TRANSCEND sorcery eliminates spatial inconveniences. It aids in transportation, communication over great distance, summoning, banishment, or anything that brings something from one place to another.
TRANSCEND sorcery BONDS to increase range and is the sorcery needed for ranged touch attacks.
PROFICIENCY AND POTENCY
In theory, a mage could have a spell do practically anything within the sorcery limits. However, a mage is also limited by his PROFICIENCY, which is measured by his skill in Spellcraft and his POTENCY which is measured by his level of Concentration.
PROFIENCY is how many different sorceries can be BONDED to cast a spell. POTENCY is the strength and size the spells are limited to.
Area spells require a POTENCY one level higher than the intended damage. For example, if you wanted to cast a fire spell with a single target that does 2d4+2 damage, it would require Potency III. To make a similar fire spell that affects a burst or cone that deals 2d4+2 damage would require Potency IV.
The area and range of a spell is measured in spaces. The area can be of any shape so long as it covers the amount of adjacent spaces allowed or less, and is symmetrical. This will work with either a hex or square grid.
PROFICIENCY LEVEL
{table=head]Spellcraft Skill mod|Proficiency|Bond Limit
6+|Novice|1
9+|Adept|2
12+|Expert|3
15+|Master|4
18+|Grandmaster|5
30+|Lord|None[/table]
POTENCY LEVEL
Concentration
Skill Mod Potency
5 I
7 II
9 III
11 IV
13 V
15 VI
17 VII
19 VIII
21 IX
23 X
25 XI
30+ XII
POTENCY
Range and Area measured in spaces
{table=head]Potency|Power|Enchantment|Range|Duration|Area
I|1d3|+/-1|1|Instant|--
II|1d4+1|+/-1|2|1 round|5
III|2d4+2|+/-1|3|2 rounds|5
IV|3d4+3|+/-2|6|3 rounds|5
V|4d4+4|+/-2|10|4 rounds|5
VI|5d4+5|+/-2|12|1 min.|9
VII|6d4+6|+/-3|14|2 min.|9
VIII|7d4+7|+/-3|16|3 min.|13
IX|8d4+8|+/-3|18|4 min.|13
X|9d4+9|+/-4|20|10 min.|16
XI|10d4+10|+/-4|40|20 min.|16
XII|10d6+10|+/-5|80|1 hour|25[/table]
TYPICAL EFFECT TYPES
While a sorcerer can do nearly anything with sorcery within his limits, there are a few effect types that are the most common.
EVOCATIONS are spells which have an instant effect. These typically inflict damage of a certain type.
Example Evocation Spell Formula: A 6th level mage of darkness wants to cast a fire spell. He wants the effect to fill an area centered within 10 spaces, so he chooses CREATE. He wants to damage type to be fire, so he chooses FIRE. Using the POTENCY table he opts for POTENCY V so he can deal 4d4+4 fire damage to a 5 space area.
The simple formula is CREATE-FIRE V.
ENCHANTMENTS are spells that persist over time. These typically either bestow bonuses/penalties to a specific die roll, or bestow a specific condition.
Example Enchantment Spell Formula: A 6th level mage of light wants to grant a +2 bonus to attack and damage to herself and her nearby companions. She needs to effect to fill an area of 9 spaces. She chooses CREATE to make the effect cover an area. She chooses CONTROL to change the attack and damage. Using the POTENCY table she opts for POTENCY V so she can achieve the desired area. The effect grants a +2 morale bonus to everyone within the 9 space area. The bonus will last for 4 rounds.
The simple formula is CREATE-CONTROL V.