|
Sample Sorcerer:
Rialta For'anvor |
| Sorcerers are flexible and powerful complements to any adventuring group. Rather than studying long hours,
conducting research and experimentation into the wee hours, and approaching Magic as a scholarly pursuit,
Sorcerers tend towards a more rough-and-ready for action approach to their Magic.
Sorcerers tend to make good adventuring Magic Users, with the ability to respond well to unexpected events. |
| Focus |
| Compared to other professions Sorcerers emphasize
the application of direct power. Sorcerers sometimes rely on Magical devices such as Wands, Scrolls, and Staffs but their Spell repertoire is their primary weapon and tool. Though initially they might tend to be a little "fragile" compared to more physical professions due to the steep
point costs of their Magic abilities, a Sorcerer can mature into a very potent and difficult to downplay force.
|
| Compared to their close cousins, Wizards,
Sorcerers emphasize having a
shrewdly chosen selection of Spells with very little overlap. Unlike a Wizard who can casually learn
just about any Spell they come across if they like, Sorcerers need to be a little more selective
due to stiffer requirements regarding how many Spells they may know per
Spell Level. |
| Sorcerers start off a little more robust than their Wizardly counterparts due to the increased flexibility of their casting model being more forgiving and
adaptable. As a Sorcerer progresses, they tend to shape up into competent and dependable
Spellcasters, safe at all speeds so to speak and quite formidable. However in the higher ranges of power less flexible/more specialized characters
such as Wizards can easily outstrip Sorcerers in terms of raw power or ability. |
| A player can expect their
Sorcerer to have a difficult time of it initially, and to be challenged by
the steep price of escalating their Magical capability, but can rest
assured that the payoff will be worth the struggle as the game progresses. |
| Means to Power |
| Sorcerers learn to cast Spells, often making
use of props such as incantations, gestures, material components, etc. to
assist them in the casting of their Magic. Sorcerers go through various levels
of understanding and capability as they advance. |
| As they gain
experience, their ability to manipulate the metaphysical Laws of Magic
increases, as does the mental endurance required to focus their will.
Essentially, as they progress their ability to cast
larger and more powerful Spells increases assuming they
spend character points accordingly. |
| SPELL LEVEL MULTIPOWERS AND SLOTS |
| Sorcerers use the "Spontaneous Casting" Model,
which is based on the idea of stacked Multipower (MP). The number of Spell
Level Multipowers a Sorcerer has, and the number of Charges on each are the
primary determinant of how powerful that Sorcerer is. It is imperative for a serious
Sorcerer to invest as many points as
possible into their MP's. As a rule of thumb about 60%
of a Sorcerer's Experience should be dedicated to getting larger MP's, more
Charges on their MP's, and more slots in their MP's. |
| SPELL SCHOOL SKILLS |
| Sorcery is a flexible model that can be fitted to many types of Magic just by switching the Magic Skill list around. By default it is assumed that
Sorcerer will either piggy-back on the Wizardry paradigm of topical Magic "Schools" inherited from xD&D or more commonly just use
Spellcraft instead. |
| Sorcery is based around a theory of Effect, categorizing the study of Magic into "Schools" organized according to
the end effects of a Spell. In other words, Sorcerers very practically
organize their Spells by classifying what they actually do, regardless
of the "how". |
| The following table summarizes the general
focus of each Spell School. Also included in the table are Item Creation
Skills that some Sorcerers use to create Magic Items. |
| Abjuration |
KS: Abjuration |
Spells which ward, protect, dispel,
or cast out. |
| A straightforward,
practical, and very focused School. Augmentative (by granting protection
from harm), this School is also the most direct way to counter the
abilities of opponents. |
| Signature Spells: Alarm,
Banishment, Dispel Magic, Guards & Wards, Protection from Spells |
| Conjuration |
KS: Conjuration |
Spells which Summon an entity from
the caster's Plane, Call an other-worldly entity to the caster's Plane,
Create new temporary objects or substances from thin air, or create
passageways thru the higher dimensions. |
| A complex and diverse
School, with a lot of offensive capability but also some utility Spells.
|
| Signature Spells: Acid
Arrow, Cloudkill, Conjured Blade, Phasedoor, Planar Binding, Summon
Monster (I-IX) |
| Divination |
KS: Divination |
Spells that provide information,
knowledge, or awareness. |
| Perhaps the most focused
of the Schools, and the most overlooked. Providing no offense or
defense, and in fact having no measurable effect other than in the mind
of the caster or those included by the Spell, Divinatory Magic can
nonetheless be incredibly enabling. |
| Signature Spells:
Analyze Foe, Clairvoyance, Comprehend Languages, Detect Secret Doors,
Foresight, Legend Lore, Scrying, True Seeing, True Strike |
| Enchantment |
KS: Enchantment |
Spells that affect the minds or
behavior of others, either via subtle (Charm) or overt (Compulsion)
means. |
| A much misunderstood
school, many people confuse the term "Enchant" with the idea of
"Enchanting" Magic Items. Enchantment is a passive-aggressive School,
with Spells that usurp will and control from sentient targets through
often subtle means. |
| Signature Spells: Charm
Person, Domination, Feeblemind, Hold Person, Suggestion |
| Evocation |
KS: Evocation |
Spells that manipulate energy,
including pure Magical Force. |
| The flashiest and most
offensive of schools, Evocation is direct and very powerful, but not
very subtle or flexible. Excelling at destruction and inflicting damage,
Evocation also has some defensive capability and some utility spells via
its ability to create Force structures. |
| Signature Spells: Chain
Lightning, Fireball, Fire Shield, Force Sculpture, Force Wall, Magic
Missile, Meteor Swarm, Wall of Fire |
| Illusion |
KS: Illusion |
Spells that affect the senses of
others, either via altering the sensory characteristics of an existing
thing (Glamer), creating false sensory input either visibly (Figment,
Pattern) or directly in the minds of others (Phantasm), or semi-real
constructs that can have a measurable physical effect structured from
material from the Transitive Plane of Shadow (Shadow). Illusion also has
some spells that manipulate or interact with the Transitive Plane of
Shadow directly. |
| The sister School to
Enchantment, Illusion is one of the more complex and difficult to
understand Schools of Magic. Lacking the direct physical effects of the
less conceptual Schools, Illusion can nonetheless be used offensively,
defensively, and augmentively. |
| Signature Spells: Blur,
Color Spray, Hallucinatory Terrain, Images, Invisibility, Mirror Images,
Shadow Evocation |
| Necromancy |
KS: Necromancy |
Spells that manipulate life force,
the flesh of organic beings, energies from the Plane of Negative Energy,
and all things to do with the Undead. |
| In many ways Necromancy
is a meta-School, combining elements of all the other Schools applied to
a particular pursuit. It has some Spells that fit the definition of
Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion,
or Transmutation, but which are classified as Necromancy due to the fact
that they pertain to the Undead or Negative Energy. Subsequently,
Necromancy is a very self-sufficient School with many "toolbox" style
Spells that have a very specific and narrow use. |
| Signature Spells: Call
Vampire, Cause Fear, Chill Touch, Control Undead, Create Flesh Golem,
Disrupt Undead, Enervation, Halt Undead, Raise Zombie Horde, Ray of
Enfeeblement, Wail of the Banshee |
| Transmutation |
KS: Transmutation |
Spells that alter or enhance the
properties of objects, creatures, or physical laws of reality. |
| The most practical and
utility-oriented School, Transmutation Spells come in endless
variations. Perhaps the most diverse of Schools, it's also one of the
easier to understand; its purpose is to reorder the world to suit the
Caster's current wishes. It is the ultimate augmentative School, and can
indirectly provide offensive and defensive effects as well. |
| Signature Spells: Bull's
Strength, Change Self, Craft Iron Golem, Disintegrate, Fabricate, Fly,
Make Catman, Polymorph, Stone Skin, Water Breathing |
| Univeral |
Casters Best
School Skill |
Spells that combine elements of
several Schools, affect Magic directly, or involve concepts so basic
that Magic Use would not be possible without them. |
| The Universal group
contains Spells that belong to no one School and
encompasses both the most powerful and the most unassuming of Spells. All
Spells dealing with the manipulation of Luck or Time, direct crossing of
Dimensional boundaries, or the powerful reality warping Wish Magics
fall into Universal, alongside the most rudimentary building blocks of
Wizardry. |
| Signature Spells: Arcane
Mark, Astral Projection, Clone, Detect Magic, Ethrealness, Lucubration,
Plane Shift, Read Magic, Symbol, Teleportation, Time Stop, Wish |
| Item Creation Skills |
| Artificing |
KS: Artificing |
Used to create Magic Rings, Staves, Miscellaneous Magic
Items, Weapons, Armor, and other Permanent Magic items. |
| Scroll Scribing |
KS: Scroll Scribing |
Used to create Magic Scrolls holding
a readied Spell needing only a few words or a gesture (or the
equivalent) to complete. Can also be used to transfer Spells from one
caster to another. (Ephemeral Magic items) |
| Wandcrafting |
KS: Wandcraft |
Used to create Ephemeral Magic Wands
that have a typically store a single Spell effect and have a finite
amount of Magical energy stored in them allowing them to use 1 specific
Spell a certain number of times. (Ephemeral Magic items) |
| Alchemy |
KS: Alchemy |
Used to create potions, powders,
special inks, and the like Alchemical Items are always Ephemeral. |
|
|
| SCHOLAR |
| All of the Spell
School Skills used by Sorcery are Knowledge Skills; thus the Scholar Enhancer can be used to reduce their cost and is recommended. |
| SPELLCRAFT |
| In a campaign where the
GM allows
Spellcraft,
Sorcerers may opt to use it
instead of or in addition to Spell School Skills. |
| If Spellcraft is allowed in the campaign,
then Sorcerers that have the actual Spell School Skills gain a +2 bonus to any Magic Skill Roll when
using the appropriate Skill roll for the Magic Effect in question; thus a
Sorcerer with KS: Illusions would gain a +2 bonus to recognize, learn, or
create an Illusion Spell. This caveat helps to keep School Skills balanced
with Spellcraft. |
| METAMAGIC |
| Sorcerers can take one or more of the
Metamagic abilities described in the
Vancian Magic
System. |
| MAGESIGHT |
| Sorcerers can take the Mage Sight Talent
as described in Fantasy HERO for 5th Edition, but most do not bother as
they can generally have a Detect Magic slot in their 0 Level Spell
Multipower and use it when needed. |
| LONGEVITY |
| Sorcerers may take Life Support
(Longevity) at the ~200 year level or perhaps higher if the GM allows.
However, this is not appropriate to all settings. |
| DISTINCTIVE FEATURE |
| Working with Magic marks Sorcerers in
subtle ways, and they might have a recognizable aura that is detectable by
those with appropriate senses. Sorcerers can take the following
Disadvantage if the GM allows as a personal Disadvantage. In cultures
where magic users are more unusual and subject to extreme attention, the
value of this Disadvantage will be higher. |
|
DF: Sorcerer (Not Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction;
Detectable Only By Unusual Senses; Not Distinctive In Some Cultures) |
| Disadvantage Value: -5 points |
| Learning
New Spells |
| In addition to paying the cost of new Spells as
ultra-slots
in their MP's, a Sorcerer also has to "learn" new Spells before they can add them to their Multipower Pools as described below. Also, with their hard limit on number of slots per Spell Level,
Sorcerers tend to choose their Spells carefully indeed. |
| A Sorcerer may attempt to learn any Power
Construct based Spell that can be fit into their Spell School concept or via Spellcraft, is
Charge Based, will fit into one of their MP's,
and satisfies all of the restrictions affecting Sorcery. |
| It takes one hour of study per Spell Level of the Spell, and at the
end of this period of time the Sorcerer makes a Magic Skill Roll with the
appropriate Magic School Skill at a penalty of -1 per Spell Level (Level 0 Spells count as 0 in this case). The Sorcerer may opt to study the
Spell twice as long as necessary for a +1 bonus to the roll, with each doubling
of time granting a cumulative +1 bonus; thus if the Sorcerer studied a Spell for
four
hours per Spell Level they would gain a +2 bonus to their eventual Skill Roll
for two doublings. |
| Example: Lirian has discovered a scroll bearing
Sorcerous Flames, a 5th Level Evocation Spell
designed for Sorcerers with six Charges. Lirian has Spellcraft, an
Spell Level 5 MP with available slots, enough Experience Points to afford
the new Spell, and the Spell satisfies all of the requirements and restrictions of
her Sorcery MP's. Therefore
she is able to learn the spell. |
| Lirian studies the Spell for five total hours (1 hour
per Spell Level) and then makes a Spellcraft Roll with a -5 penalty (for a 5th Level Spell).
She could have spent 10 Hours studying for a +1 bonus to her Spellcraft Roll, or 20 Hours for a +2
bonus and so on. If she succeeds at the roll she must pay the cost of
the new Ultra-slot in character points, and adds the Spell to her
Spell Level 5 Multipower. |
|
FAILURE TO LEARN |
|
If a Sorcerer attempts to learn a new Spell and fails the Skill Roll, they
may not attempt to learn the Spell again until they have raised their
applicable Skill Roll by +1. |
|
Alternately, the Sorcerer may attempt to recreate the Spell instead; if
they succeed at creating the Spell then they automatically are
considered to have learned it and must add it to their Known Spell
List, and pay the Real Cost for the slot. |
|
ACQUIRING NEW SPELLS |
|
Generally a Sorcerer learns a Spell from an acquired Scroll or
Spellbook. Regardless of the source of the Spell, the actual design of
the Spell cannot be altered in this process; to alter the Spell a
Sorcerer would
effectively have to create the altered version as a new Spell.
|
|
However, a Sorcerer may come across a Spell that is compatible with
their Magic System but has the wrong number of Charges to synch up with
their Sorcery MP's Charge totals. The number of Charges
on such a Spell can be adapted
to the correct amount necessary for the Sorcerer's appropriate Sorcery
MP without interfering with learning the Spell or counting as altering the Spell
so long as the Spell remains in the same Spell Level by Active Points.
|
|
SIMILARITY BONUS |
|
If a Sorcerer attempts to learn a Spell
that is very similar to
one they already know, the GM should consider allowing a
similarity bonus for
learning a "variant" prorated for the degree of
similarity and ranging from a +1 bonus up to the Spell Level of the Spell the
Sorcerer already knows
(treat Level 0 Spells as +1 in this case). |
|
When determining the degree of similarity, compare common specific SFX and
intent, same base Power, and same Power Modifiers as the principal
considerations. |
|
As a general rule of thumb, if all three categories
are aligned then grant 100% of the bonus; for each category that differs deduct
33% of the bonus. Thus if two Spells shared a common SFX and intent, such as two
Lightning based Spells that were intended to do direct damage, but built on
different base Powers (such as EB, RKA, HKA, or HA), and differed in the Power
Modifiers, then no more than 33% of the possible similarity bonus should be
awarded. |
|
If a Sorcerer were learning a Spell that was identical in every
particular to a Spell they already knew, differing only in dice of effect or
with an additional adder then the similarity bonus should be equal to the Spell
Level of the version that they already know. |
| Example: Lirian talks to her Wizard friend
Jasper Maskelyne and he lends her a Spellbook with more of Eravar's Spells
in it. Jasper recommended a more powerful version of the Eerie Evisceration;
Eravar's Efficacious Evisceration, which is a 8th Level Area of Effect
version of the Spell. Again, the Spell does not violate any Sorcery usage or
design restrictions, she has an MP for 8th Level Spells with an open slot,
and enough Experience Points to pay for the ultra-slot if she learns the
Spell. |
| Because Lirian already knows a lesser
"Spell Level 5" version of the Spell the GM grants a +5 bonus to
her KS: Evocation roll to learn it. Eight hours of study later Lirian makes
a KS: Evocation Skill Roll at a net -3 penalty (-8 for its Spell Level, +5 Similarity Bonus) and succeeding adds the ultra-slot to her 8th Spell Level MP. |
|
NON-SORCERY SPELLS |
|
A Sorcerer can also learn any non-Sorcery Spell they encounter if it fits into
an appropriate Sorcery MP, and can be covered by one of the Sorcery Spell
Schools without being mechanically altered. This takes twice as long as learning a
Sorcery Spell and imposes a -2 penalty in addition to all other penalties. |
|
In the case of a non-Sorcery Spell that is Charge based,
altering the Charge count to synch up with the appropriate Spell Level Gestalt
for an individual Sorcerer total does not disqualify the Spell from being learned via this method as
long as the Spell is otherwise unaltered and meets all the restrictions of
Sorcery. |
|
If all else fails and the Sorcerer cannot learn such a Spell
directly, they can also always just
create a new Sorcery Spell
that mimics or approximates the non-Sorcery Spell using the rules for
creating new Spells detailed below. |
|
NOTE: Of the sample
Spells provided, the Spells for Wizardry can easily be
adapted for use with Sorcery, simply adjust the Charges total to the
appropriate number for an individual Sorcerer's Sorcery MP's. |
| LEARNING WIZARDRY SPELLS |
| If the default Spell Schools are used
then the primary source of Spells for Sorcery are Wizard Spells.
Sorcery and Wizardry can be considered to be facets of the same kind of
Magic, since they share the same Skill model. |
| However Wizard Spells are always designed with only one Charge, which is an
issue for the multiple Charge oriented Sorcery MP model. To facilitate
Sorcerers using Wizard
Spells (and other similar one Charge based Spells), the number of Charges of
a Spell may be raised to the appropriate total for a Sorcerers Multipower
without the Sorcerer needing to recreate the Spell in order to alter it. |
| Further, Sorcerers do not suffer the
doubled time necessary to learn the Spell or the -2 additional penalty they
that affects learning other non-Sorcery Spells. |
| Example: Lirian has discovered a scroll bearing
Eravor's Eerie Evisceration, a 5th Level Wizardry Evocation Spell
designed with only one Charge. Since the Spell is Instant, raising the Spell
from one Charge to six Charges does not increase the Active Cost of the Spell.
Lirian studies for five hours, makes a Spellcraft roll at -5. If successful
she adds the Spell to her 5th Spell Level MP and pays the cost of the ultra*slot
in Character Points. |
| AFFECT OF INCREASING CHARGES
ON ACTIVE POINTS |
| In some cases, typically involving
Continuous Charges, increasing the number of Charges can raise the Active Point cost of a Spell and thus
raise it's "Spell Level". In such a case, a Sorcerer may either keep the total number of
Charges at a level that does not increase the Active Point Costs of the
Spell or learn and slot the Spell at it's new Spell Level as determined by
its increased Active Points. |
| Example: Lirian wants to
learn a flight-granting Elementalism (Air) Spell called Windriding. |
| Windriding:
Flight 13", x8 Noncombat, 2 Continuing Charges lasting 1 Hour each (+0),
Rapid Noncombat Movement (+1/4) (45 Active Points); Not Usable In Enclosed
Spaces (-1), Extra Time (Full Phase, Only to Activate Constant or Persistent
Power, Delayed Phase, Character May Take No Other Actions, -1/2),
Concentration (1/2 DCV; -1/4), Gestures (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4) |
| Real Cost: 1u |
| This Spell normally has 45 Active
Points with one Continuing Charge lasting one Hour and is thus considered a
2nd Level Spell. Lirian has her Sorcery MP's set up to handle six 2nd and
six 3rd Level Spells per day and would like to increase Windriding to six
Charges to take full advantage of this. |
| However, increasing the Spell
beyond two Continuing Charges for one Hour each bumps the Spell past 45
Active Points and thus makes it a 3rd Level Spell. Lirian's player opts to
increase the Spell to 2 Charges and keep it a 2nd Level Spell. |
| SORCERY OPTION: SAVANT LEARNING |
| This option is in
effect in my campaigns |
| In some settings it may be appropriate
for Sorcerers with Spellcraft to be able to learn some basic Spells without need of instruction or
access to Spellbooks and the like. This allows Sorcerers to be naturally
occurring Spellcasters. However, I recommend some practical limit on this as
otherwise it removes one of the Control Factors in place to balance this
style of Magic (the Acquisition Control Factor). |
| I recommend that if this option is used
Sorcerers with Spellcraft may "naturally develop", i.e. learn Spells without instruction or
creation, any Spell of up to 60 AP ("3rd Level Spells") that is not the
specific named creation of another Spellcaster, and that is chosen from a
list not of the players own creation. |
| Example: When Lirian
first developed her Magic, it happened naturally as she
matured into an adult. Suddenly, she had the ability to work Magic and
though it took practice she found she could Fly around, project Lightning
Bolts, and other similar basic effects. |
|
Thus she might have learned a general Fly Spell and a
general Lightning Bolt Spell, but she could not have intuitively learned
Vorenars Rapid Aerial Transit or Uthien's Three-pronged Sizzler variants of
those basic Spells. |
| Creating
New Spells |
| Sorcerers usually lack the patience to create their own
Spells, but by default they have the potential to do so. However, to create
a new Spell a Sorcerer must actually have the appropriate School Skill for
that Spell; Spellcraft cannot be used to create a new Spell. |
| One concern for
Sorcerer's creating new Spells is that they must have enough Experience Points available to pay for the new Spell if they are successful, and the new Spell will take up one of their Spell Level MP Slots; if the
Sorcerer cannot afford the new Spell's cost as an ultra-slot or doesn't have enough slots left in the appropriate Spell Level MP then their
attempt to create the new Spell will inevitably fail. |
| INABILITY TO CREATE NEW
SPELLS |
| This option is in
effect in my campaigns |
| By default, any Sorcerer with the
appropriate Magic Skills can create their own Spells. If for some reason a
particular type of Sorcerer cannot make their own Spells, they may take a
Physical Limitation Disadvantage indicating this. However, this probably
shouldn't be allowed for a
Sorcerer using Spellcraft since Spellcraft may not normally be used to make new Spells with already; at a
minimum the severity should be sharply decreased in such a case. |
| Arcane Spell Sterility: Phys Lim: Cannot create
new Spells (Infrequently, Greatly Limiting) |
| Disadvantage Value: -10 points |
| SPELL DEFINITION |
|
There are four steps to follow when defining a new Spell: |
- Determine Intent of Spell
- Determine Power Construct of Spell
- Determine Type of Spell
- Determine Level of Spell
|
| 1) DETERMINE INTENT OF SPELL |
| First, decide what the Spell is
supposed to do, in general terms. Is the Spell supposed to burn an opponent
to death, allow people to fly around, summon forth a demon, etc. |
| 2) DETERMINE POWER CONSTRUCT OF SPELL |
| Next design the Spell using the Power creation rules in
the HERO System 5th Edition Rulebook. Check the Spell for compliance to the restrictions affecting
Sorcery described above. |
| 3) DETERMINE TYPE OF SPELL |
| Once you know the intent of the Spell, determine the appropriate school of
Sorcery for the
effect you desire. Due to the straight forward Effects oriented nature of
Sorcery this is usually easy to do.
For example, if you are making a Spell that launches burning flames at a
target its probably an Evocation Spells.
|
| 4) DETERMINE LEVEL OF
SPELL |
| The final step is simple; just divide
the Active Points of the Power Construct produced in Step 3 by 15 to
determine the "Spell Level". The Spell Level will determine the penalty
involved in Skill Rolls to both create and learn the Spell to a Sorcerer's
Known Spell List. |
| RESEARCH &
EXPERIMENTATION |
|
Once the new Spell has been defined and agreed upon
between the GM and the player of
the Sorcerer , in-game the Sorcerer must conduct Research & Experimentation (R&E)
for a number of Hours equal to the total Active Points in the Spell. |
|
The Sorcerer must have appropriate materials for R&E, and some of these necessary materials
may be quite expensive and/or difficult to acquire, at the GM's discretion. |
|
During this time, the Sorcerer must make a School Skill or
Spellcraft check after every full Day of R&E with a -1 penalty per Spell Level. A full day
of R&E means at least six hours uninterrupted. |
| During this time, the Sorcerer must make
a School Skill check after every full Day of R&E at a -1 penalty per Spell Level of the Spell. The Sorcerer can opt to
take extra time to make success more likely; if they take twice as long
between checks they get a +1 bonus per doubling of time; thus two days per
check grants a +1 bonus, four days a +2, eight days for a +3 bonus and so on. |
| If any of the Sorcerer's daily R&E checks are failed the Sorcerer has botched the job somehow and
cannot create the Spell. The Sorcerer may not try to create that Spell again until their appropriate Magic Skill Roll has been raised a level, starting
over again at the beginning of the Research & Experimentation cycle. |
| Example: Lirian trains with her Wizard friend Jasper Maskelyne long enough to learn KS:
Transmutation (in addition to Spellcraft) and is thus able to create new Transmutation Spells if she wishes. As part of her studies Jasper tasks her to replicate a Spell he has already created in the past as a lab exercise. Lirian researches the basic guidelines Jasper has given
her and manages to recreate the cantrip, Maskelyne's Marvelous Magnifier, a
Spell with 15 Active Points. |
| She spends 15 hours of in-game time conducting Research and
Experimentation for this Spell. At the end of each day that she works
on the Spell she must make a Transmutation Skill Roll at -1 (for 15 Active
Points). Spending two days before making a roll will grant a +1 bonus, and
if she took 32 bays to work on the Spell before making a roll she would
receive a +5 bonus on her Transmutation Skill Roll for that time bracket.
|
In this case for such a simple Spell Lirian simply studies 15 hours straight all in one day and
makes her KS: Transmutation roll easily. She has successfully created the Spell, but since she is a
Sorcerer this has the unfortunate side effect of taking one of her Spell
Level 0 slots and she must be able to pay for the ultra-slot.
|
| SIMILARITY BONUS |
| If the new
Spell is very similar to one the Sorcerer already knows, the GM should
consider allowing a hefty bonus on the creation of a "variant". Thus if a
Sorcerer is adjusting modifiers or dice of effect or making a more powerful
version of a Spell they already know, they should benefit from a
significant bonus, up to the Spell Level of the existing Spell they are
basing the new Spell on (treat Level 0 Spells as +1 in this
case). |
|
When determining degree of similarity, the same principles discussed earlier for
learning Spells should be applied. |
| LEARNING A NEWLY CREATED
SPELL |
| A Sorcerer automatically knows any Spell
they have successfully created and must pay the cost of the ultra-slot as well. |
| Creating New
Magic Items |
| Sorcerers tend not to make a lot of Magic Items as a rule
(since most of them use Spellcraft), but Sorcerers that have Spell
School Skills may make any Magic Item they
also have an appropriate Item Creation Skill for; as described
on the Creating
Magic Items Page. |
| Sorcerers can only use Wandcrafting, Scroll Scribing,
and Alchemy to create Ephemeral Items from Spells that they have in their
Spell Multipowers. Sorcerers can use Artificing to create Permanent Magic
Items, but the Active Points of the individual abilities in the Item cannot
exceed the size of their largest Spell Multipower's Reserve. |
| As noted in the Magic Item creation guidelines, in
addition to the Item Creation Skill, a Sorcerer must also have the
appropriate Magic School Skills for the effects they are trying to place
into Magic Items; Spellcraft cannot be used for this purpose. |