|
|
With special thanks to Lezentauw, whose foray into Magic
System design inspired me to write this Magic System. Also Tancred
and Gulpii who both provided feedback on some of the finer points of
the system's functionality that lead to refinement / clarification. |
|
GM Notes
on Spellweaving
|
| Spellweaving (SPELL WEAVE-ING), practitioners
of which are properly called Spellweavers (SPELL WEAVE-ERS), is
a flexible Magic System, but is not as well suited to combat
situations as some other Magic Systems. |
| However, if given sufficient time and can
set themselves up well in advance, Spellweavers can work
powerful magic. |
| Spellweaving has a strong central concept,
and can handle different nuances and flavors by setting some
simple parameters, allowing for both easy customizability, as
well as rival / variant approaches within the same setting. |
| Casting Model |
| Spellweavers use the
"Locus Casting" Model, which is
Skill based. Each Spellweaver
purchases separate EGO based Power Skills that correspond to HERO System base Powers that they can build Spells from
"on-the-fly", called Spell Skills. Each Spell Skill
functions similarly to a Cosmic Variable Power Pool, but only for effects
built on the corresponding base Power. |
|
Thus if a Spellweaver wishes to cast Spells based on the Ranged Killing
Attack (RKA) base Power they must buy a Spell Skill for Ranged Killing
Attack. Similarly if a Spellweaver wanted to cast Spells based on the Flight
base Power, they must buy a Spell Skill for Flight. |
| Every non-Special base Power in the
HERO System is a candidate for a Spell Skill, subject to GM discretion. |
| SPELL SKILLS |
|
Each Spell Skill corresponds to a single base Power in the HERO
System, such as Flight or Energy Blast or Telepathy.
|
|
Active Points of Spell |
-AP/10 |
|
Active Points
exceed INT |
-(AP-INT)/10 |
|
Combat In Melee
Range |
-3 |
|
Combat within 4" |
-2 |
|
Combat further
than 4" |
-1 |
|
Casting in a Half
Phase |
-2 |
|
Casting in a Full
Phase |
-1 |
|
Casting in a
Minute |
+1 |
|
Casting in 5
Minutes |
+2 |
|
Casting in 20
Minutes |
+3 |
|
Casting in an
Hour |
+4 |
|
Casting in 6
Hours |
+5 |
|
Casting in a Day |
+6 |
|
Each -1/4 in
Limitations |
+1 |
|
|
The normal cost of Power Skills applies; 1 point for a
familiarity, 3 points for an 9+(EGO/5) Roll, +1 to the roll for 2
points each.
|
| SPELL
EFFECTS |
| Using the
Spell Skills is easy; a player simply writes up a Power Effect,
called a Spell Effect, based upon a Power for which they have a
Spell Skill and get approval from the GM to cast it. |
| Assuming
permission is granted the player makes a Spell Skill roll with
the Spell Skill appropriate to the Spell Effect, modified by a
number of criteria. If the Spell Skill roll is successful the
Spell Effect goes off, if not it fizzles |
|
| FAST CASTING PENALTY |
| Casting a Spell Effect in Spellweaving is
normally a 1 Turn Skill usage.
However a Spellweaver may attempt to cast a Spell Effect faster than this,
but take a penalty on their Spell Skill Roll to do so. |
| A Spellweaver takes a -1 penalty
to their Skill Roll if they attempt to cast a Spell Effect as a Full Phase
Action, and a -2 penalty if they attempt to cast a Spell Effect as a 1/2 Phase
Action. Spellweavers may not buy Penalty Skill Levels vs. this Time Penalty. |
| COMBAT CASTING PENALTY |
| Spellweaving is not well suited to being
used in chaotic combat situations, and casters take penalties to their Spell
Skill rolls when attempting to cast Spell Effects in or near a combat. |
| Casting Spell Effects in combat incurs a -1 penalty
to Spell Skills if an opponent is more than 4" away, a -2 penalty if
the caster is
within 4" of an opponent, and -3 penalty if the caster is in melee range with an opponent.
Spellweavers may buy Penalty Skill Levels vs. this Combat Penalty. |
| ACTIVE POINT PENALTIES |
| Spell Skill rolls suffer the standard -1/10
Active Points penalty. Thus if a Spellweaver attempts to cast a Spell Effect
with 50 Active Points they take a -5 penalty on their Spell Skill roll. |
| INT MAXIMA |
| Spellweaving requires a high degree of
Intelligence and quickness of wit to excel at. When Spellweavers attempt to
cast more powerful Spell Effects, their mental acuity is an important
consideration in their chances of succeeding. |
| Spell Effects that
have an Active Cost greater than the caster's INT suffer a -1 penalty to the
Spell Skill roll for every 10 Active Points the Spell exceeds the casters
INT by. |
| Thus if a Spellweaver with a 20 INT
attempts to cast a Spell Effect with 50 Active Points, they suffer a -3
penalty (50-20 = 30, 30/10 = 3). |
| Five (5) point Skill Levels with INT Based Rolls can be applied to offset this
penalty (and only this penalty). |
| SKILL LEVELS AND SPELL SKILLS |
| A Spellweaver may apply Overall Skill Levels
or All Skill Levels to their Spell Skills, assuming they are not 1 point Familiarities.
Spellweavers may not buy Skill Levels with Spell Skills as a "Tight Group". |
| ALLOWED LIMITATIONS |
| Spell Effects cast by Spellweavers do not
require any Limitations to be applied to them. However, a Spellweaver can
chose to use Limitations with their Spell Effects to make a Spell Effect
easer to cast. |
| Each time a Spellweaver casts a Spell
Effect they may
choose to apply one or more of the following Limitations: |
- Incantations
- Gestures
- Concentration
- Increased END
- Exhausting: SE (Always Occurs): AP/10 in LTE
(-1/2) or AP/5 in LTE (-1)
|
| NOTE:
"Exhausting" is represented as an always occurs Side Effect that causes the
Spellweaver to take either the Active Points divided by 10 in Long Term
Endurance for a -1/2 Limitation or the Active Points divided by 5 in
Long Term Endurance for a -1. This is in addition to any other END Costs. |
| However, since the Real Cost of a Spell
Effect has not direct impact on a Spellweaver, these Limitations do not need
to be tallied in the normal fashion. Instead for each -1/4 in Limitations
applied to a Spell Effect the caster benefits from a +1 bonus to their Spell
Skill roll to cast that Spell Effect. Thus if a Spellweaver applies -1 in
Limitations from the above list to a particular Spell Effect, they would
gain a +4 bonus to their Skill Roll to cast that Spell Effect. |
| EXAMPLE: Lezentae the
Spellweaver has a 20 INT, 2 Overall Levels, and a 16- Spell Skill for Energy
Blast (modifiable to 18- with Overall Levels). With this Spell Skill
Lezentae can cast any Spell Effect based upon Energy Blast at will. |
| Running into a group of bandits
Lezentae decides a 5d6 Radius (+1) EB is just the thing; this Spell Effect
has 50 Active Points. |
| Lezentae is in Combat, but the closest opponent
is more than 4" away for a -1 penalty, he is casting the Spell as a Full Phase
Action for a -1 penalty, the Spell has 50 Active Points for a -5 penalty, and the Spell
exceeds his INT by 30 points for a -3 penalty; in total Lezentae has is
taking a -10 penalty to his Energy Blast Spell Skill roll. |
| Lezentae chooses to Incant, Gesture
with Both Hands, 1/2 DCV Concentrate, and pay x3 END for a total of -2 in
Limitations; each -1/4 grants a +1 bonus to the Spell Skill Roll so the
total bonus is +8. |
| The net modifier for Lezanetae to cast
this Spell Effect is a -2 penalty, which makes Lezentae's
modified Spell Skill roll a 16- with Overall Levels or 14- without Overall
Levels. If Lezentae makes his Energy Blast Spell Skill roll, the Spell
Effect is successfully cast. The Spell Effect will cost 15 END to cast whether the Spell Skill roll is successful
or not. |
| ADJUSTMENTS |
| Adjustment, Aid, and Transfer have Maximum
Effects. However, due to the nature of Spellweaving a Spellweaver could
theoretically just constantly refactor such a Power for multiple castings
and gain an effect entirely out of line with the considerations of game
balance, common sense, and fun. |
| To prevent this sort of abuse if a
Spellweaver uses a Spell Skill to create a Power Construct, they cannot use
that Power Construct and then use a different Power Construct built with the
same base Power to affect the same person until the original effect has
completely faded away. |
| They can however continue to use the same
Power Construct on that person using the normal rules for increasing maximum
effect for the respective base Powers. |
| EXAMPLE: Tanc'rhad the
Spellweaver has the Aid Spell Skill and uses it to cast a Spell Effect based
on the following Power Construct upon his ally Gaul'phi: |
| Aid 2d6 to STR, Delayed Return Rate
(points return at the rate of 5 per Month; +2) (60 Active Points) |
| The Maximum Effect of this Aid is 12
points. Tanc'rhad can use the Spell Effect on Gaul'phi several times if need
be, but cannot exceed 12 points of effect. |
| Further once Tanc'rhad has used this
Aid on Gaul'phi he cannot use the same Spell Skill to make another Spell
Effect based on Aid and use it on Gaul'phi until the original Aid to STR has
completely faded away. |
| MULTIPLE SPELL SKILLS |
| At the GM's discretion a Spellweaver could
take the same Spell Skill multiple times, and use one application of a Spell
Effect based on Aid, Transfer, or Absorption once per Spell Skill. |
| EXAMPLE: Tanc'rhad the
Spellweaver has taken two Spell Skills with Aid and thus his ally Gaul'phi
could benefit from two Spell Effects based on Aid cast upon him by
Tanc'rhad. |
| TRIGGERS |
| Trigger is an important Advantage to
consider within the context of this Magic System. Triggered Spell Effects
allow a Spellweaver to cast their Spell Effects in relative safety, using
many Limitations to gain a large bonus to their Spell Skill rolls, and
effectively float large Active Point Spell Effects for later use in
"heightened circumstance". |
| To maintain game balance, Spell Effects may be on Triggers but the
same Spell Skill may only have one "set" Trigger at a time. At the GM's
discretion a character might be allowed to buy the same Spell Skill multiple
times so that they can maintain multiple Triggered effects for that kind of
Power. |
| Thus if a
Spellweaver has the Energy Blast and Ranged Killing Attack Spell Skills, they
could have one Triggered effect set for both. |
| END is paid and any other negative effects
such as LTE are applied when the Trigger is set. |
| DETECTING TRIGGERED EFFECTS |
| Triggered Spell Effects are detectible by
those with appropriate Detects and Danger Sense, unless the Triggered Spell
Effect also has Invisible Power Effects vs. those senses. |
| COMPOUND AND LINKED
POWERS |
| A Spellweaver may use
Spell Effects based on Compound Powers or multiple Base Powers linked together if they have
the relevant Spell Skills
for each base Power involved in the Power Constructs. However, the
Spellweaver uses the lowest relevant Spell
Skill involved for the Spell Skill roll. The Active Point and INT Maxima
penalties for casting the Spell Effect are based on the Total Active Points of the Power Construct. |
| SKILL CHARACTERISTICS BY POWER TYPE |
|
The Spell Skill Rolls use a base Characteristic determined by
the type of Power the Spell Skill represents, as summarized in
the adjoining table. |
|
Adjustment |
PRE |
|
Attack |
DEX |
|
Body-Affecting |
STR |
|
Defensive |
CON |
|
Mental |
EGO |
|
Sensory |
INT |
|
Sense-Affecting |
COM |
|
Movement |
GENERAL |
|
Default |
EGO |
|
|
Movement Powers are General, and thus have a base 11- Roll. |
| Powers that fall into multiple
Power Types can use any one of the Characteristics appropriate
to it of the player's choice, determined when the Spell Skill is
added to the character. |
| Any other Powers that don't fall
into one of the identified Power Types are EGO Based. |
|
| Restrictions |
| There are a number of
restrictions which apply to this type of Magic Use, as follows. |
| NUMBER OF SPELLS
SKILLS KNOWN |
| There is no upper limit on the number
of Spell Skills a Spellweaver can know; they can have as many as they can
afford. However due to the efficiency of the Magic System at the lower end
there is a minimum requirement. |
| In order to be a Spellweaver and use Spellweaver Spell
Skills a character must know at least five Spell Skills and spend at
least 15 points on Spell Skills. Individual GM's may remove this restriction or
replace it with some other arbitrary limit. |
| With new characters this is easily
achieved as part of the character's design, but if a character already in play
decides that they want to become a Spellweaver then they must first save up
15
character points in addition to any other in-game necessities such as finding a
mentor and spending enough time to learn the Spell Skills. |
| EXAMPLE: Gorja is a character that has been
played for a while by Rick. Rick decides that he wants Gorja to become a
Spellweaver and talks to the GM about this. The GM agrees to allow it and
thus in game Gorja seeks out and makes an arrangement with a Spellweaver
mentor, but until Gorja has 15 Experience Points available to "buy into"
Spellweaving all he can do is "study and practice" in game. |
| Once Gorja has acquired the necessary Experience Points and put in
the required time to learn his initial complement of Spells, it all sets in
and he is able to use his Spellweaving Spells. |
| SPECIAL EFFECTS (SFX) |
| Magic Spells have very broad Special Effects. In
addition to any specific SFX that a particular Spell might have such
Electricity for a Lightning Bolt Spell or Fire for Flamebolt Spell, all
Magic Spells also automatically have the additional SFX of Magic, plus either Arcane or Divine
(Generally Arcane for systems based on
Spellweaving, but not necessarily), the type of
Magic (Spellweaving), and finally the
caster themselves leave a detectible signature on their Spell Effects as part of the SFX. These
mandatory SFX cannot be altered by any means, including Variable Special
Effects. |
| Note: An Arcane Magic
Spellweaving Spell is always Magic, always Arcane,
and always a Spellweaving Spell. Additionally all of the
Spell Effects cast by a particular Spellweaver have a "signature" that identifies the
Spell Effect as originating from them. |
| EXAMPLE: Gorja the Spellweaver casts Jolting Arc, an Electricity based Energy Blast
vs. ED. This Spell as cast by him has the following SFX:
Arcane, Spellweaving, Gorja, and Electricity. |
|
DISALLOWED BASE POWERS |
| Not all Base Powers are appropriate for use in
Spellweaving and are summarized in the following list: |
- Characteristics bought as Powers
- Extra Limbs
- Faster Than Light Travel
- Find Weakness
- Negative Levels
- Perks bought as Powers
- Skills bought as Powers
- Talents bought as Powers
|
|
REQUIRED/FORBIDDEN MODIFIERS |
- Only Limitations from the Allowed Limitation list are permissible
- No
Spell Effect may take Extra Time
- No Spell Effect may be on Charges
even if Charges becomes an Advantage
- All Spell Effects must either cost END by default or take the "Costs END"
Limitation
- Spell Effects may take Reduced END
- Spell Effects may take "Costs END Only to Activate" where
allowed by the rules normally
- All Costs END only to Activate Spell Effects must have a defined termination,
expressed either as a duration or a specific and reasonably common event
- No Spell Effect can Require a Skill Roll to be cast;
the Spell Skill itself serves this purpose.
|
| ALLOWED LIMITATIONS |
| As discussed previously in the Spell Effect section,
only specific Limitations are permitted for Spell Effects. No other
Limitation maybe be applied to Spellweaving Spell Effects. |
| NO EXTRA TIME |
| Even if a variant of this Magic System overrides the
Allowed Limitations list, Extra Time is not appropriate to this Magic
System. The Spellweavers Casting Modifiers chart gives appropriate bonuses to
Magic Skill Rolls for taking more than one Turn to cast a Spell Effect. |
| NO CHARGES |
| This Magic System is not compatible with Charges, even
if Charges are taken at a level that would normally be an Advantage. |
| COSTS ENDURANCE |
| The single greatest restriction on this Magic System is
that all Spells must cost Endurance to activate. This
serves to restrict the frequency of Magic Use over a short term period, such
as combat scenes. It also prevents or discourages certain Power Constructs
from being used by Spellweavers due to mechanical conflicts or inefficiency. |
|
ENDURANCE RESERVES |
| Spellweavers may
not use a Magic Endurance Reserve. |
| CONTINUING EFFECTS |
| Continuing or Constant Spells are
possible with Spellweaving but unless they only cost END to activate they will
deplete the Spellweaver's END quickly. |
| NO REQUIRED SKILL ROLL |
| All Spell Effects require a Skill Roll
with the appropriate Spell Skill for no Limitation value to be cast.
No Spell Effect may take the Required Skill Roll Limitation to indicate the associated Spell Skill. |
| SPELL RESISTANCE |
| The
Spell Resistance
concept is not applicable to Spellweaving Magic. |
| SPELLCRAFT |
| Spellweaving does not
interact with the Spellcraft ability. A character can not use Spellcraft to
cast Spellweaving Spells Effects. |
|
|
| MAGIC ITEMS |
| Some Spellweavers can craft Magic Items and can even
"enchant" people with abilities like a Magic Item, if they have a
Spell Skill for the Transform Power. |
| This is accomplished using the "Adding Powers" rules under Transform, adding Powers to a
mundane object or person. This does not cost character points, and GM's
should regulate its use. A convenient means of controlling the proliferation
of this type of item is to insist on a very common "Heal Back" clause for
the Transform, such as contact with Dispel Magic. |