Chapter VII: Magic
T able 7-1: T he w Inds of m agIC
Colour
Common Name
Runic Name
Associated College of Magic
Associated Lore
White
Light
Hysh Azyr
The Light Order The Celestial Order The Gold Order The Jade Order The Amber Order The Bright Order The Grey Order The Amethyst Order
Light
Blue
Celestial
The Heavens
Yellow Green Brown
Gold Jade
Chamon Ghyran
Metal
Life
Amber Bright Shadow Amethyst
Ghur Aqshy Ulgu Shyish
Beasts
Red Grey
Fire
Shadow Death
Purple
Example: Altronia, an Elf Master Wizard, attempts to cast the fiery blast spell, which takes a half action. With a Magic Characteristic of 3, she can roll up to 3d10 to cast a spell. Since the fiery blast has a high Casting Number (21), she opts to roll all her dice. Her Casting Roll is 7+7+7=21. This equals the Casting Number and so the spell is cast successfully. C hannellIng and I ngredIenTs There are two ways you can increase your chances of casting a spell. First, you can make a Channelling Skill Test right before the spell is cast. Doing so is a half action. Channelling helps you focus the energy of the Winds of Magic. If the test is successful, you add a bonus equal to your Magic Characteristic to your Casting Roll. If you use Channelling, casting a spell must be your next action. Your other option is to use special ingredients. If you have the correct ingredient, it provides a bonus of +1 to +3 to your Casting Roll. An ingredient is only good for one casting of a spell and you must decide to use it before you make your Casting Roll. The availability of ingredients can vary depending on your location and the nature of the item, but generally speaking ingredients that provide a +1 bonus are Common, a +2 bonus are Scarce, and a +3 bonus are Rare. The more esoteric ingredients can’t be found in any shop and must be acquired personally, often at great risk. T he w ays of w Izardry The Elves teach that the eight Lores of Magic are but a fragmented version of the high powers wielded by their mages. Confronted by the raw power of Chaos, Human minds are apt to crack and shatter, leaving even the stoutest of men naught but a gibbering husk. To guard against this, the Orders of Magic look upon just one face or aspect of magic, and channel all their understanding through this. Those who wield magic are frequently strange seeming to normal men. Just as Wizards shape the Winds of Magic, so too are they shaped by the power that flows through them. Magisters come to reflect the lores they study, and even see the world in terms of their college. Many practitioners see shimmering colours and tides of power flowing across the skies; this is known as “Witchsight”. A Bright Wizard may be drawn to the warm and crackling energy dancing about the head of a cackling pyromaniac, or transfixed by a flickering flame. An Amber Magister may speak of the beast magic flowing through animals and wild places, in the snarl of a captive bear, or the poise of a mighty warhorse. Simple folk, of course, mutter that Wizards are mad, reaching for the nails and witch pyre at the first excuse.
Divine spellcasters, typically known as Priests, use faith and religious rituals to work magic. Thus Wizards believe that their own inner strength powers their spells, while Priests believe that their spells are gifts from the Gods in return for devotion and prayer. Divine Magic tends to be safer than Arcane Magic because it is so highly ritualized. All magic has its risks, however, as is amply demonstrated by Dark Magic. This is a subset of Arcane Magic, whose practitioners are willing to take even greater personal risks for increased power. For more information on Dark Magic, see page 159. m agIC and The r aCes Halflings and the Dwarfs seem to possess a resistance to the influence of the Aethyr, and they do not have spellcasters like the other races. Amongst the Elves, the ability to manipulate this power seems commonplace, if not “natural” to their highborn kind. In Humans, only a few are born with the power to see and use the Winds of Magic. Of every thousand babies born, perhaps one may possess a talent with magic. Of every thousand with talent, one may have a remarkable talent, and for every ten thousand with a remarkable talent, there may be one powerful enough to become one of the legendary Battle Wizards. In most, lack of training means that their abilities never emerge, or manifest as minor strangeness and “hedge” wizardry. l earnIng m agIC Before you can start casting spells, you must meet four criteria: • You must have a Magic Characteristic of 1 or more. • You must know the Channelling skill. • You must speak an Arcane Language. • You must have access to spells through the Petty Magic, Arcane Lore, Dark Lore or Divine Lore talents. The quickest way to meet all these criteria is to get into a spellcasting career, such as Priest or Wizard. Only these careers have an increase to the Magic Characteristic on their Advance Scheme. C asTIng s pells When you want to cast a spell, you must draw upon the power of the Winds of Magic and focus it into your desired effect (the chosen spell). To do this take the cast action and then roll a number of d10s equal to your Magic Characteristic. Now total the dice. This is your Casting Roll. If the result is equal to or greater than the spell’s Casting Number, it is cast successfully. You may roll a number of d10s less than your Magic Characteristic if you want to (and indeed, it’s often a good idea). Casting is often an extended action, which means you must continue casting a spell until it’s finished. As per the normal rules, you may abort the spell part way through, but this means all actions taken thus far are wasted.
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