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Magic

In Talislanta’s New Age, there are many different types of Magic being practiced, each with its own traditions, theories, and techniques. And these are only the faded descendants of the great arcane disciplines of old, evidence of which can still be found among the many ancient ruins scattered across the continent.

Talislanta’s very existence, peoples, and geography are products of magic. Magical storms still sweep the continent, leaving sorcerous mutations in their wake. Impossible and fantastic creatures inhabit all corners of the world. Magic, in some form or another, is part of every Talislantan’s life.

Orders

An Order is a school of Magic, like Wizardry or Necromancy — think of it as a character’s field of magical expertise. There are twelve Orders practiced by Talislantan magicians of the New Age, described in detail later in this chapter. Though each interprets magic in a different way, a set of common, underlying principles governs its effects. Note that Orders are not Skills, and are not used for Action Table die rolls.

Players should concentrate on learning all about the Magical Order (or Orders) their characters have studied. This information describes how magic works for members of that Order, and how such spell casters view the practice of Magic. Learning an additional Order requires 100 weeks of training (100 XP).

Modes

A Mode is a general type of spell-effect, such as Illusion, Conjuration, etc. There are nine different Modes that together describe all the powers and abilities of modern magicians, described in detail later in this chapter. Players should be familiar with the Modes that their characters know, as this tells them the kind of spells they can cast. GMs should know about how Modes work as well. Modes can be acquired like any other Skill, at a cost of 20 XP.

Spell Definitions

Spells in the Talislanta setting are defined by their parameters. Range, duration, effect, etcetera are all set at the time the spell is researched and scribed. Only the spell level is variable. Thus all spells have a Base Difficulty rating, which includes all penalties and bonuses except the spell level itself. The exceptions are the Conjuration, Illusion and Transmutation Modes, which must also have the level specified in order to achieve the defined spell effect.

For example: the spell Sassan’s Firey Motes has a Base Difficulty of -12, which includes all modifiers except the spell level, which determines the damage inflicted. The spell Glitterheal has a Base Difficulty of -4, as it is a 4th level Transmutation (healing) spell.

Magicians often have several versions of a spell scribed in their spellbooks, with only minor variations, to give them added versatility. For example, a wizard might have Glitterheal, a level 4 healing spell, and Healing Radiance, a level 12 healing spell.

Another example: Kaa, an Ur Shaman, knows three variations of the “Whispering Nightmares” illusion spell. The first is low level and fills the targeted area with faint whispers from the Nightmare Dimension, which is enough to frighten Darklings and superstitious Ur who enter her cave without invitation. The next is higher level, but also causes the whispering nightmares to visibly appear. The highest level version causes them to appear and creates the sensation of phantasmal fingers clawing at the intruders, doing no real damage but making them feel as if they’re being attacked.

Why not always use the most powerful spell you know, then? Why should your character learn any low level versions? Because you will not always be at full strength, and using your strongest spell can be risky if you are suffering spellcasting penalties.

Spellcasting

In the Talislanta game, a spell can either be cast from memory or from a written work such as a scroll or book. The following sections explain how these two methods work in the game.

Casting Spells from Memory

  1. Stating Intent Choose a spell from among those your character has mastered. Keep in mind your character’s magical Order, how its members cast their spells, and whether or not they use material components or rituals of any sort.

Once you’ve done this you can describe the type of spell the character is casting and its intended effect. Is the spell attacking something nearby? Is the magician cooking up a diabolical curse? Is she waving her arms and chanting? Is she drawing arcane runes in the dirt? The important thing is to state your Intent clearly, so the GM and other players can picture your action in the scene.

  1. Choosing Spell Level Each time a spell is cast from memory, the player must decide how much energy his character will invest in it. In game terms, the quantity of energy behind a spell is known as its Spell Level. Magicians can usually cast a spell at any level desired. However, the higher the Spell Level, the more difficult the spell is to cast, and the greater the chance of a magical Mishap.

  2. Determining Bonuses and Penalties After the magician’s player has described the spell and the desired effect, the GM must determine if any bonus or penalty will be applied. This is done before the player rolls to cast the spell.

Use the character’s modified Skill Rating in the chosen Mode as the primary modifier. To determine the Spell Difficulty, add the Spell Level and the Base Difficulty. Compare the two figures to get the modifier that will be applied to the player’s Action Table roll.

Cyrila the Aeromancer has a skill rating of +7 in the Move mode and wants to cast “Touch of the Wind” (a Move mode spell with a Spell Difficulty -6). Her final Action Table modifier is +1 (7 - 6 = 1).

  1. The Casting Roll To determine whether the spell is successful or not the player rolls a d20 on the Action Table, applying the GM’s modifier to the die result.

  2. Judging the Result After the player rolls, the GM interprets the Action Table result, taking into account the specific circumstances surrounding the action, and other factors, as follows:

Casting Spells from Written Works

Magicians can also cast spells by reading them directly from magic scrolls or spellbooks. There are benefits and drawbacks to this method. When casting a spell from a written work, the magician receives a bonus to her casting roll. However, this type of spell casting requires up to 1 minute (10 rounds).

Written spells can be written in one of two ways, detailed or brief. The detailed version of a spell, such as is found in spellbooks, contains all the background, esoteric information needed for learning, researching, or enhancing a spell. The brief version, on the other hand, contains no extraneous information, merely the basic instructions for spellcasting.

Spellbooks contain more than just the spells themselves. They are repositories of magical knowledge. Each spell includes notes from the author, scribbled diagrams of arcane energies, a history of unusual events that have occurred in its use, tips on how to avoid or lessen mishaps with that spell, and more. It is for this reason that a spellbook is required when performing spell research or enhancing a spell. While it is possible to cast a spell directly from a spellbook, it is not easy because the spell is not laid out in a simple, easily-read format. Using a spellbook affords a +3 bonus to the casting roll, but requires 1 minute (10 rounds).

Scrolls are simplified, edited versions of spellbooks. Only the essence of the spell is scribed, step-by-step instructions on casting it. This makes scrolls ideal for casting a spell, affording a +5 bonus to the casting roll, and requiring 2 rounds.

A magician may use a scroll or spellbook to cast a spell he or she has not yet learned. In this case, the bonus to the spellcasting roll described above does not apply.

Note that is it possible to have a book where spells are written in brief, as on scrolls, or to have an exceptionally long scroll with all the detail of a spellbook. In any case, use the rules mechanism that applies to the format of the spell, not the medium. An engraved circle of protection, the runes on a stone witchgate, or the magic words on a map are all examples of brief spells on non-scroll surfaces.

The standard spellbook is roughly 400 pages, and each spell takes a number of pages equal to its Base Difficulty plus enhancement levels, if any. Arcane logbooks are spellbooks with just enough pages for a single spell. A brief, scroll-like spell entry takes 1 page. Most magicians are careful to guard their books from those who might want to steal their secrets.

Scrolls are lightweight and easily carried, and can be reused any number of times. Scrolls generally contain a single spell, though additional spells can be written on longer scrolls. Each spell after the first adds an additional round to the casting time due to having to scroll through to find the desired spell.

Casting Archaen Spells

Archaen spells, though generally more difficult to cast, are treated the same as modern spells within the scope of these rules. The magician must know the Order and Mode of the spell in question. A pyromancer can cast Sassan’s Firey Motes using his Attack mode rating. A modern magician must possibly learn extinct Orders like Erythrian Battle Magic before casting any spells from these ancient Orders.

Magical Mishaps

There are few things a magician dreads more than a Magical Mishap. Here is a list of possible Magical Mishaps that originally appeared in the first edition of the Talislanta game, back in 1987.

Counterspells

Any spell or magical effect can be dispelled by casting a counterspell of the same Mode. If the counterspell is of a different Order than the original spell, the magician takes an additional -5 penalty to his casting roll. Counterspells have the same range and duration as regular spells of the same Mode.

First, the magician must successfully cast the counterspell (follow the normal spellcasting procedure). Then compare the level of the counterspell to the level of the spell to be countered. Use the level of the counterspell as a positive modifier and the level of the spell or magic to be countered as the Degree of Difficulty then roll on the Action Table. Full or Critical Success means the spell has been countered, and its effects negated. Partial Success means the spell’s level and its effects have been reduced by half (round up). Failure means the counterspell has no effect, while a Mishap may actually strengthen or extend the duration of the target spell (GM’s ruling).

For example, Alanar casts a Level 9 spell that creates a Wall of Winds between him and his rival, Cyrila the Aeromancer. However, Cyrila is proficient in this Mode (Ward), and is of the same Order as Alanar. She successfully casts a counterspell at Level 8, hoping that this will be sufficient to dispel her opponent’s magic. After her spellcasting roll, Cyrila’s player rolls again at a penalty of -1 (her level 8 counterspell minus Alanar’s level 9 spell = -1). She rolls a 17, for a result of Full Success. Alanar’s barrier sputters and dissolves before his eyes.

The Spell Penalty

Casting spells from memory is mentally exhausting. A spellcaster may cast a number of spells per day equal to their WIL (minimum of one) without incurring a spell penalty. Each time a spell is cast beyond this limit, the magician incurs a cumulative penalty of -1 on further spell casting die rolls for that day, with one exception: spells that result in a Critical Success do not contribute to this penalty. A minimum of seven hours of rest is required to recover normal spellcasting abilities. “Rest” includes sleep, meditation, or any other form of relaxation.

Torren the Wizard wants to cast “Arkon’s Bolt of Destruction.” He has already cast three spells in the last few hours, so Torren suffers a minus 3 Spell Penalty (in addition to any other Action Table modifiers). After the spell is cast, Torren’s player notes on his character sheet that Torren’s new Spell Penalty is -4. The next time he casts a spell, he will take an additional -4 penalty to his casting roll.

Using Magic in the Game

Because there are literally thousands of spells, charms, powers, and principles at work in the various magical disciplines of the continent, the Talislanta game system does not try to cover them all. Rather, a solid framework is provided for the mechanics of magic, allowing players and GMs to create their own spells using the nine Modes as guidelines.

In the section where Orders are described you’ll find some sample spells for various Modes. Use spells similar to these when you first begin playing Talislanta. Then, once you are more familiar with the rules, you can create additional spells. As play progresses, you can record the spells that your character commonly uses, building your character’s personalized “spellbook”.

About Orders and Modes

An Order is a field of magic or magical tradition, such as Witchcraft, Wizardry, and Mysticism. Members of the same Order derive their magical powers from the same source, and tend to observe similar rituals and practices. In present-day Talislanta there are twelve known magical Orders. Some believe that other Orders may have existed in ancient times; if so, they are now forgotten by the magicians of the New Age. Most magicians belong to a single Order, though some elect to gain proficiency in additional fields of magic; Cymrilian magicians, for example, study many different magical traditions at the Lyceum Arcanum, Talislanta’s foremost school of magic.

Individuals can learn a new Order at a cost of 100 weeks of training (100 XP) (see Chapter Three: Skills & Quirks for more information on acquiring new Orders).

A Mode is essentially a spell-effect, such as Conjuration, Illusion, and Transmutation. Modes can be used in one of two ways. Modes are used as a basis for creating original spells. Each Order uses Modes in a different way; the differences are substantial enough that even if a magician knows the Mode, Enchantment, in one Order, she will not be proficient in the same Mode as it is practiced by members of other Orders.

Note that Modes can be acquired and improved as explained in the rules for Skills (see Page 63). Orders can be acquired, but cannot be improved as they are never used for Action Table Die rolls.

Limitations of Talislantan Magic

Modern Talislantan magic is not free-form or spontaneous. Rather, it is a precise discipline that involves the memorization of hundreds of formulized spells. A magician cannot “make up” a spell at a moment’s notice or improvise while spellcasting. It is the player’s job to come up with interesting spell names and effects during the game, but the magician character is assumed to have known those spells all along. The spells that the player invents must fit within the style of the magician’s Order, the game-mechanics of the chosen Mode, and the practical restrictions of all modern Talislantan magic.

Modern Talislantan magic cannot:

Note that these restrictions do not apply to the ancient magic of the Archaen Age.