POW and Magic

Generally speaking, characters use either Magic Points to cast magic or Dedicated POW to store and cast magic.

Magic Points

All characters start play with Magic Points equal to their POW Characteristic score. A character’s POW score also acts as a maximum limit for the amount of Magic Points a character can store at any one time. Characters cannot be reduced below 0 MPs. A character reduced to 0 MPs may fall unconscious for a period of time when it is reduced to 0 MPs (RQII). 

Regaining Magic Points (HR)

Characters will regain Magic Points equal to their POW/10 (round down to a minimum of 1) at the end of every hour in which they lose no MPs. Characters suffering negative physical states (shock, exhaustion, starvation and so on) regain MPs much more slowly and will regain POW/10 (round down to a minimum of 1) MPs at the end of every 10 hours in which they lose no MPs.

Dedicated POW

Many types of magic require a character to dedicate some of their POW in order to learn and cast spells. POW that is dedicated to some esoteric knowledge cannot be used for other purposes. Dedicating POW reduces the number of Magic Points available to the character by 1 point for each point of Dedicated POW. A character with 12 POW would normally have 12 Magic Points but if they have Dedicated 4 points of POW then they are reduced to 8 Magic Points.

If a character frees up Dedicated POW  the appropriate number of Magic Points are regained immediately. 

If an effect reduces a character’s POW and their Dedicated POW is now greater than their actual POW then the character immediately undedicates enough POW to reach equality. In some cases, e.g. a pact with a demon, this may cause multiple problems...

Dedicated INT (HR)

As with POW, some magical traditions require the magician to dedicate an amount of INT in order to memorise the spell. Any INT that is dedicated to something cannot, therefore, be dedicated to anything else. Rune Magic and Sorcery most commonly require their practitioners to dedicate INT to learning spells.

Spell traits

All spells have a selection of traits the define the parameters of the spell: e.g. whether takes effect for a limited duration or has an instant effect. The default settings for spells varies by each magical tradition.

Active:  Any target which leaves the spell’s range ceases to be affected by the spell.

Area (X): The spell affects all targets within a radius specified in metres.

Casting Time (X): The spell takes the indicated number of Combat Actions to cast.

Concentration: The spell’s effects will remain in place so long as the character concentrates on it. Concentrating on a spell is functionally identical to casting the spell, requiring the spellcaster to continue performing the actions required by the casting of the spell. If the caster loses concentration, the spell immediately ends.

Duration (X): The spell’s effects will stay in place for the number of minutes indicated instead of the normal duration.

Instant: The spell’s effects take place instantly. The spell itself then disappears.

Enchantment. This spell is an enchantment and for the spell to be successfully cast the caster must succeed in both their normal spell skill as well as with a test of their Enchantment skill in a single roll.

Incompatible (with spell X). If a spell is cast on a target that is currently under the effects of an incompatible spell then, if the incoming spell is greater in magnitude (naturally or due to overcharging) the new spell takes effect and the old one is dimissed. If not, the incoming spell fails.

Instant:The spell’s effects take place instantly and the spell itself then disappears.

Magnitude (X): The spell can only be cast at the Magnitude specified.

Permanent: The spell’s effects remain in place until they are dispelled or dismissed.

Progressive: The spell can be cast at a range of Magnitudes.

Ranged (X): the spell can be cast at a range of up to X in metres.

Resist (Evade/Persistence/Resilience): The spell’s effects do not take effect automatically. The target may make a Evade, Persistence or Resilience test (as specified by the spell) in order to avoid the effect of the spell entirely. Note that Resist (Evade) spells require the target to be able to use Combat Actions in order to evade. Spells with the Resist (Evade) trait generate Combat Manoeuvres just like missile weapons.

Self: The spell can only be cast on the caster.

Summoning. This spell is a summoning and for the spell to be successfully cast the caster must succeed in both their normal spell skill as well as with a test of their Summoning skill in a single roll.

Touch: Touch spells require the character to actually touch his target for the spell to take effect. The spellcaster must remain in physical contact with the target for the entire casting. This overrides the normal trait of Ranged.

Trigger: The spell will lie dormant until an event stated in the description takes place. The spell then takes effect and is expended.If the spell is not triggered before the spell's duration expires then the spell ends without any effect.

Resisting Magic

The skills of persist, resistance and Evade can be used to resist the effects of spells with the appropriate resist trait. Evade works slightly different to resilience and persistence. These resistance rules work the same way for all magic systems.

To attempt to resist a spell pit the appropriate resistance skill against the caster's spell skill.

Effects of resistance for Persistence and Resilience tests:

• Critical or normal success: spell does not take effect on the target.
• Partial success: If the spell has specific instructions then follow that spell's instructions. Otherwise, a partial success in resisting a spell has all of the following effects.
• If the spell has the duration trait, the duration is reduced to half (round down to a minimum of 1). Eg. A Duration 5 spell takes effect at Duration 2 instead.

Effects of resistance for Evade tests:

• Critical or normal success: either the spell misses the target or the target dives out of the spell's area of effect.
• Partial success: If the spell has specific instructions then follow that spell's instructions. Otherwise, a partial success in resisting a spell has all of the following effects.
• if the spell does damage, the damage done is halved (round down to a minimum of 0).

Spell Effect Stacking (HR)

Spells that have identical effects do not have those effects add together; instead the effect generated by the spell with the highest Magnitude takes priority. For example, say Joe was targeted by 2 spells increasing his STR - a sorcery spell of Magnitude 3 increasing his STR by 3 and a Common Magic spell of Magnitude 2 increasing his STR by 4. As the sorcery spell was the highest Magnitude its effect would be used so his STR would be +3 rather than +4. Not ideal for Joe.

Sometimes spells that seem to do the same thing may in fact work together. For example the sorcery spell "damage resistance" prevents all damage that is less than or equal to its Magnitude while the rune magic spell Protection adds Armour Points equal to its Magnitude. In this case Damage Resistance either totally protects the target (in which case the Protection spell is irrelevant) or has no effect in which case the Protection kicks in.

Spell Priority (HR)

If two versions of the same spell are cast on the same target then the highest Magnitude spell automatically dispels the lowest Magnitude spell. If both spells are the same Magnitude then the more recent spell dispels the older one and takes effect immediately. If both spells are the same Magnitude and both cast at the same time then they both fail.

Example: Arshvin has Bladesharp 1 on his sword but has run into more danger than he expected. He also knows Bladesharp 3 so decides to cast that on his sword. The new Bladesharp is a higher Magnitude than the old one so the old one is dispelled.