House Rules & Rule Constructs

A Short Discourse on Magic

Abstract

Many and different systems have been proposed for how to handle magic and related effects in Fantasy Hero. I've written several systems of these in the past. After much thought on this topic, and in particular, much studying of both the system portrayed in the Fantasy Hero book and the system I wrote for Adventures Club, I've opted to create yet another system.

Part of my purpose in this system is to give Fantasy Hero magic "flavor", something lacking in the rather bland and generic system detailed in the Fantasy Hero books. I wanted to create a sense that "magic is everywhere and in all things"; also, I wanted to make magic a somewhat expensive proposition, to encourage those who would follow it's paths to do so with some degree of dedication. The concepts detailed below have been described insofar as how they relate to both Mages and Clerics. Mentalism and Healing are also addressed in this article, but they are very different from magic and somewhat limited in nature, with these talents all falling into a small number of select categories referred to as "gifts".

Definitions

Faithful: A congregation of followers of a particular deity. A priest of said deity is capable of harnessing the power of his congregation's faith.

Holy Ground: Ground that has been sanctified by a High Priest

Holy Relic: An item of great religious importance, imbued with a small portion of the power of a deity.

Ley Line: The line between two nodes, much weaker than nodes themselves, but like them has a constant source of 'mana' that can be tapped.

Mana: Endurance used to power magic.

Necromancy: A type of magic that uses the released energy of a newly killed living thing as a source of 'mana'. Generally not a popular archetype.

Node: A large font or sink of power of a specific constant size. The size determines how much 'mana' can be drawn at any given instance (one second) of time.

Powerstone: A gem or other item that can store 'mana'.

Note: All of the power sources described in this article can have quirks, if the GM so desires.

Mage Abilities

Magical Aptitude (Magery)

There are four levels of Magery, costing 10 points for each level. Each level corresponds to a power level of mage. The levels are apprentice, journeyman, master, and adept. As long as at least one level of magical aptitude is purchased at character creation, addition levels may be gained with later experience. The level of Magery also defines as active point limit for spells used by the mage (this limit may be exceeded only with GM permission). The individual classes of mage are as follows:

Apprentice: must have one level of Magery and 15 points spent in spells; can only use personal endurance to power spells. Limit of 25 Active points for any spell.

Journeyman: must have two levels of Magery and 30 points in spells; can draw either from personal endurance, or from a Powerstone, using the Tap Powerstone skill. Limit of 50 Active points for any spell.

Master: must have three levels of Magery and 45 points in spells; can draw from ley lines using the Tap Ley Line skill, as well as endurance and powerstones. Limit of 75 Active points for any spell.

Adept: must have four levels of Magery and 60 points in spells; can draw from all of the above power sources and also tap nodes using the Tap Node skill.

Skills

Tap Powerstone (INT Based Skill) (requires Magery level 2) (Cost: 3, +1 / 2)
This skill allows a mage to draw power from a powerstone. The amount of power that can be drawn is a function of the user's level of Magery and his personal endurance. A journeyman can only draw power from any one stone equal to his own endurance. A master can draw up to double that, and an adept can draw as much as the stone has available. It is possible to draw from more than one stone at a time, but each skill rolls are at -2 for each additional stone the mage is tapping. If the mage is not in physical contact with the stone while attempting this skill, long distance modifiers will be used as a penalty to the skill roll.

Tap Ley Line (INT Based Skill) (requires Tap Powerstone, Magery level 3) (Cost: 3, +1 / 2)
This skill is similar to Tap Powerstone, except that it allows a master or adept mage to draw power from a ley line. Unlike a powerstone, drawing energy in this manner does not reduce the energy of the ley line, and this power can be used again the next time a spell is cast. Again, a master mage can draw no more energy than double his personal endurance for each spell, while an adept is limited only by the strength of the ley line. As with powerstones, more than one ley line can be tapped, but must roll separately for each at a -2 to all skill rolls for each ley line beyond the first. Also, the same long distance penalties apply for attempting to tap a ley line at range.

Tap Node (INT Based Skill)(requires Tap Ley Line, Magery level 4) (Cost: 3, +1 / 2)
This skill is similar to Tap Ley Line and Tap Powerstone. It allows an adept to draw power from a junction of ley lines, called a node. The only limit the adept has on the amount of energy available for each spell is the power of the node. The same penalties apply for attempting to draw from more than one node, or attempting to tap power at range as for ley lines and powerstones.

Detect Energy Use (Detect + Ranged, Cost=8, all normal enhanced sense modifiers applicable)
This skill allows a mage to sense when someone is drawing magical energy from a power source other than that mage's personal endurance. Distance penalties as per senses are applied as appropriate. Also, if the other mage is drawing from a ley line, the skill is at +2 and at +4 if the opposing mage is drawing from a node.

Spells

Standard Limitations: Skill Roll Required (generally, EGO based), Prerequisite Ability (Magical Aptitude of appropriate level), Concentration, Cost END (if power normally 0 END). There is also a limitation on the type of effects that may used to build spells: Mental powers are generally not allowed, as are Clairsentience, Teleportation, and Healing effects (however construed). These limitations may only be deviated from with express GM approval.

A note on gestures and incantations. Though many mages may portray these arcane hand gestures and incomprehensible phrases as an intrinsic part of spellcasting, anyone who has studied the art of magic in any depth realizes that all of that folderol is just a show to "impress the rubes". Magic is generally seen as interconnecting bands of energy, which flow through everything. Magical Aptitude (Magery) can be defined as the ability to "pluck" these energy bands in an appropriate manner to cause a desired outcome.

With the exception of meta-spells (spells dealing with magic itself, like the ones detailed below), a mage must have a tight, unifying theme linking his spells together (ie. a common special effect). The creation of new spells requires a Spellcraft skill (modeled after Inventor), and the process does take time (I use the rules variant that suggests that certain skills do actually take a realistic amount of time to use). Learning a spell that someone else has researched (and provided you with the appropriate information) takes far less time than the creation of a new spell (but the Spellcraft skill is used to determine the character success in this venture as well).

Seek Powerstone

Seek Ley Line

Seek Node

Break Powerstone Tap (Resisted by Tap Powerstone skill)
This spell allows the caster to prevent someone else from using a powerstone. The caster can choose to block any or all opposing mages from using the source while freely permitting others to use it, but each opposing mage resists separately.

Break Ley Line Tap (Resisted by Tap Ley Line skill)

Break Node Tap (Resisted by Tap Node skill)

Clerical Abilities

Clerical Aptitude

Clerics derive power from their gods, as opposed to mana. Therefore, a character that uses clerical power can not tap into powerstones, nodes, or ley lines. However, there are equivalent sources. Clerical Aptitude, for experience point purposes, has the same costs (10 points per level) and affect on spells as Magical Aptitude. The level of Clerical Aptitude also defines as active point limit for spells used by the mage (this limit may be exceeded only with GM permission). The four clerical levels are:

Aspirant: Equivalent to Apprentice. Must have one level of Clerical Aptitude and 15 points spent in spells; can tap only into personal faith (endurance) for spell casting. Limit of 25 Active points for any spell.

Acolyte: Equivalent to Journeyman. Must have two levels of Clerical Aptitude and 30 points spent in spells; can tap into holy relics, which function equivalently as powerstones. Limit of 50 Active points for any spell.

Priest/Priestess: Equivalent to Master. Must have three levels of Clerical Aptitude and 45 points spent in spells; an also tap into a large congregation of faithful (for example, a small town), which is equivalent to ley lines in power and frequency of appearance. Limit of 75 Active points for any spell.

High Priest/Priestess: Equivalent to Adept. Must have four levels of Clerical Aptitude and 60 points spent in spells; can also tap into fonts of holy ground, such as a some temples or Cathedrals, certain graveyards, etc.

Gaining or Advancing in Clerical Aptitude is equivalent to gaining Magery. This represents the cleric becoming more aligned with their chosen deity, thus able to tap into more of the powers.

There is another major difference between Clerics and Mages (aside from the power source) is the adjustment to spell casting from holy and unholy ground. This bonus/penalty varies from +5/-5. For example, in a small temple of your deity, you would get a +2 bonus to spells, while enemies attacking might get a -2. If you were in the head cathedral, the bonus would be +4 to +5, depending on the strength of the deity. In a like aligned deity's small temple, you would still get a +1 bonus or so. This bonuses and penalties are up to the game master, but should be consistent. Be careful when you march into hell on a heavenly cause! However, this also means that hard to cast spells, or important ones that had better work correctly, should be cast on holy ground for their bonuses.

Clerics also have spells and skills equivalent to mages.

Clerical power and Magical (mana) power are totally different. A cleric can not detect a magical item and vice versa, except in the most basic sense (i.e. detect magic/blessing will show the caster that item, relic, node, font, whatever, is either clerical or magical in nature).

Skills

Tap Holy Relic (INT Based Skill) (requires Clerical Aptitude 2)
This skill allows a mage to draw power from a holy relic. The amount of power that can be drawn is a function of the user's level of Clerical Aptitude and his personal endurance. An apprentice can only draw power from any one relic equal to his own endurance. A Priest/Priestess can draw up to double that, and a High Priest/Priestess can draw as much as the relic has available. It is possible to draw from more than one relic at a time, but both skill rolls are at -2 for each additional relic the cleric is tapping. If the cleric is not in physical contact with the relic while attempting this skill, the long distance modifiers for seek spells should be used as a penalty to the skill roll.

Tap Faithful (INT Based Skill) (requires Tap Holy Relic, Clerical Aptitude 3)
This skill is similar to Tap Holy Relic, except that it allows a Priest or Priestess or above to draw power from the followers of their deity. Unlike a holy relic, drawing energy in this manner does not reduce the energy of the congregation (obviously!), and this power can be used again the next time a spell is cast. Again, a priest can draw no more energy than double his personal endurance for each spell, while a high priest is limited only by the strength of the congregation. As with holy relics, more than one congregation can be tapped, but must roll separately for each at a -2 to all skill rolls for each congregation beyond the first. Also, the same long distance penalties apply for attempting to tap a congregation at range. In this manner, with enough skill and a group of clerics, a whole city (or larger?) of faithful could be tapped! Bring on the holy wars....

Tap Holy Ground (INT Based Skill) (requires Tap Faithful, Clerical Aptitude 4)
This skill is similar to Tap Faithful and Tap Holy Relic. It allows a High Priest to draw power from a holy area, such as a temple or sacred ground. The only limit the high priest has on the amount of energy available for each spell is the power of the area. The same penalties apply for attempting to draw from more than one area, or attempting to tap power at range as for a congregation or holy relic.

Detect Energy Use (Detect + Ranged, Cost=8, all normal enhanced sense modifiers applicable)
This skill allows a cleric to sense when someone is calling on the power of their deity through a power source other that the cleric's s personal endurance. Distance penalties as per senses are applied as appropriate. Also, if the other aligned cleric is drawing from the power source, then the knowledge automatic.

Spells

Standard Limitations: Skill Roll Required (Generally EGO based), Prerequisite Ability (Clerical Aptitude of appropriate level), Concentration, Cost END (if power normally 0 END). There is also a limitation on the type of effects that may used to build spells: Mental powers are generally not allowed, as are Clairsentience, Teleportation, and Healing effects (however construed). These limitations may only be deviated from with express GM approval.

A note on gestures and incantations. Though many mages may portray these arcane hand gestures and incomprehensible phrases as an intrinsic part of spellcasting, anyone who has studied the art of magic in any depth realizes that all of that folderol is just a show to "impress the rubes". Clerical magic is generally seen as lines of force emanating from the heavens, subtlety exerting control over everything in the Realms. Clerical Aptitude can be defined as the ability to "nudge" these lines in such a way as to dramatically decrease the subtlety of this control.

With the exception of meta-spells (spells dealing with magic itself, like the ones detailed below), a cleric's spells will be limited to those spell effects which fall into the sphere's of influence of his deity. The creation of new spells requires a Spellcraft skill (modeled after Inventor), and the process does take time (I use the rules variant that suggests that certain skills do actually take a realistic amount of time to use). Learning a spell that someone else has researched (and provided you with the appropriate information) takes far less time than the creation of a new spell (but the Spellcraft skill is used to determine the character success in this venture as well).

Seek Holy Relic

Seek Faithful

Seek Holy Ground

Break Holy Relic Tap (Resisted by Tap Holy Relic skill)

Break Faithful Tap (Resisted by Tap Faithful skill)

Break Holy Ground Tap (Resisted by Tap Holy Ground skill)

Psionic Gifts

Psionic gifts are not magic. Within the mind, heart, and soul of a person there are channels that are never opened in most people. The ability to manipulate magical energies; as well as the ability to channel the powers of a deity; are, in there own ways, examples of channels which have been opened in the mind of the wielder. They are, however, examples of the most powerful gifts. The abilities that make up the remainder of the defined gifts are considered to be psionic talents as opposed to true magic. Magic cannot, in truth, duplicate these abilities; even though on the surface they seem much weaker than true magic. Due in part to the great difficulty in controlling psionic abilities, they tend to have limited combat usage. Psionic gifts are also physically draining to use.

Possession of a psionic gift comes with two requirements. The character must possess the skill to manipulate the gift (a standard 3 points +1 for 2 points EGO based skill); and the character must possess the gift (built from Hero powers, detailed below). The skill must be bought at the time the character is created, but the power may be bought later with experience (as a way to represent someone having the potential, but not the ability yet). The power descriptions below are not absolutes. Psionic abilities can be improved upon.

Standard limitations: Skill Roll required, Increased END Cost, Concentration.

The gifts that have been catalogued so far are as follows:

Mind Speech: Mind speech actually encompasses two separate but related abilities that are usually (but not always) found possessed together. Projecting, which imparts the ability to actually communicate mentally over great distances; and Thought Sense, which allows the reading of another's thoughts. (Note: Even though there are potentially two separate effects that make up this gift, there is only one skill the character need have - both abilities will use the same skill as their controlling skill roll.)

Fetching: The ability to move objects with the strength of ones thoughts; near objects being easier to move than far ones.

Farfetching: A difficult and draining ability to use, this gift gives one the ability to move objects instantly from one spot to another.

Farsight: Not, as the name implies, the ability to simply see great distances; but the ability to actually change the center of one's focus, unimpeded by obstacles. When using this gift a person sees a distant locale as if they were actually there.

Foresight: The ability to see into the future. One of the rarest of the psionic gifts, and has never been fully controlled.

Empathy: A powerful gift that allows one to read and, with practice, manipulate the emotions of others. Note: Even though there are potentially two separate effects that make up this gift, there is only one skill the character need have - both abilities will use the same skill as their controlling skill roll.

Emotion Sense

Firestarting: A practical and useful gift, but unwieldy to use as a combat tool (although highly tempting to try). One that permits the wielder to cause substances to spontaneously ignite.

Healing

Like Psionic gifts, the Healing gifts are not magic. There are a unique set of gifts that permit the knitting of flesh, bone, mind, and spirit. Neither true magic nor clerical abilities can truly duplicate these gifts; and psionics can only duplicate the Empathic healing (some think that these may actually be the same talents, but possessed by people of different callings).

Possession of a healing gift comes with two requirements. The character must possess the skill to manipulate the gift (a standard 3 points +1 for 2 points EGO based skill); and the character must possess the gift (built from Hero powers, detailed below). The skill must be bought at the time the character is created, but the power may be bought later with experience (as a way to represent someone having the potential, but not the ability yet). The power descriptions below are not absolutes. Psionic abilities can be improved upon.

Standard limitations: Skill Roll required, Concentration, and Extra Time.

The healing gifts that have been catalogued so far are as follows:

Empathy: The ability to heal the broken spirit and sort out emotional difficulties.

Mind Healing: Permits correcting more deeply rooted metal disorders. A dangerous gift in the hands of the unscrupulous as it allows one to make radical changes in the mind of the patient.

Healing: The most visibly effective of the healing gifts, permitting one to mend the battered body.

New Rules

Powers

Break Tap
To use the Break Tap, the character states his target (the powerstone, ley line, relic, etc. being tapped) and makes an attack roll. If the roll is successful, roll the Break Tap dice, and read them like normal dice looking for the BODY total. The number of BODY is the number the person tapping the target must make his Tap Powerstone skill by in order to maintain his tap. If the character using the Break Tap power continued to feed END into the effect, the character trying to re-establish contact with his source still applies the minuses to his roll.

Aid
I use the rule correction that Steve Peterson made sometime after 4th edition came out. Aid cost 10 points per die.

Limitations

Mass Limit
The limitation is primarily for the power Teleportation. The default mass that could be moved via Teleportation would be 100kg (normal heroic human mass). The limitation reduces the effect mass that can be effected by half for -1/4.

References

Parts of this article were inspired by a Charles J. Cohen's and Kevin Janka's adaptation for GURPS of the magic from Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar (Herald Mage) novels. {http://www.io.com/~ftp/GURPSnet/Magic/lackey.txt}

 

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