Mulletmanalive
2009-08-24, 05:51 PM
I'm sure this has been done to death on the boards, but here goes.
I rather liked the idea that magic was about preparing rituals, trafficking with gods and demons and doing a lot of hand waving. To that end, I came up with a system of magic based on skills. This was not an attempt to balance things, rather it actually made spellcasting a little more powerful [though a lot of spells had to be rewritten] but much less useful in battle. It has been playtested.
I present them to you as peers. This first post concerns the core rules. I'll get to specific spells and a listing of the Cleric and Arcanist classes when i have the time. If anything is unclear, let me know and i'll see if i can't clear it up a little.
These rules were made to replace the normal spellcasting rules for my Mecha Victoriana setting, a variant of Dragonmech by Goodman Games: Enjoy!
"The invocation of magic, in the truest sense, the pure sense, rather than the incense waving of religious fools, is a purely rational process: In our universe, perception affects reality and by creating certain shapes or flows and observing them, the effect they represent is imposed on reality. In order to create these shapes, however, the human mind requires assistance; the drawing of invocation circles and the speaking of specific words are necessary to condense magical energy into the correct shape for these effects to occur, though those truly familiar with the arcane shapes can mentally impose them upon the energy flows that they accumulate and direct without assistance."
Spellcasting Skills and Feats:
In order to cast spells, characters in the MV universe need specific feats and skills. These are as follows:
Skills:
General Notes: MV has two additional rules related to skills.
Risks: Normally, rolling a 20 on an attack roll yields an automatic success and a 1 yields and automatic failure. This does not happen with skills but people have been known to push themselves beyond their limits for death or glory. When making a skill check with a skill that the character has at least one rank in and fewer than his maximum [3+level], he may increase his Threat and Error ranges by an amount of up to the maximum number of ranks allowed in skills for characters of his level, minus the number of ranks he has.
Error ranges acrue from 1 up and if a roll is made in the error range, then the check fails automatically as if they had rolled 10 less than the DC of the check.
Threat ranges acrue from 20 down and if a threat is rolled, [we usually use a 20 as a threat anyway and add to it], then 1d10 is rolled, with the '0' counting as a zero and added to the skill check.
Specialisation: If a character has at least 2 ranks in a skill, he may pay 2 skill points to specialise in it. Doing so allows them to choose a single sub-category of the skill and gain a +5 bonus on checks made in the area [Actually a -5 adjustment to DCs but it makes little difference]. This does not effect ranks in any way and cannot be used on any check relating to magic.
Knowledge (Arcana) :
The depth of an individual's studies into the occult is measured by their ranks in Knowledge (Arcana). This skill covers things like myth and folklore and an understanding of the entities at work therein. It focuses mainly on the fantastic but also includes elements of Fae and the like. It is used for the following purposes:
Determining what a character knows about Alien [Pseudonatural], Fae [Fey] and Demonic [Evil Outsiders in general] entities and whether they can exploit weaknesses in the afforementioned.
The character's Arcane Caster Rank [CaR from here], effectively their caster level for determing spelle effects is based on their ranks in this skill.
The effects of certain spells [some run off skill checks]
Determining which arcane spell is being cast by another character in order to respond to it.
Knowledge (Religion) [Int]:
Knowledge and understanding of the divine and those things that are taught by religious organisations around the world. Often, a specialisation is taken in one specific religion such as Catholicism or Buddhism, either as a scholar or as a devotee and teacher. The study of religion comes with a surprising spread of information and the skill is used for the following:
Determining the details of religious ceremonies and customs produced by religion in the environment [Turbans for Sikhs, Shoes for Muslims, Fish on Fridays for Catholics etc].
Recognition of demonic [Evil Outsider], Angelic [Good Outsider] or possibly Fae [for pagan or 'ground' religions] entities and the identification of the weakness of such.
The character's Divine CaR is based on their Ranks in this skill.
Rolled to determine the effects of certain spells, most notably healing spells.
Determining which divine spell is being cast by another character in order to respond to it.
Prayercraft [Cha]:
Prayercraft is different to Knowledge [Religion] in that it is more connected to the divine on a direct level. This is a skill derived from direct experience of magic and checks are rolled to see if the character successfully calls upon his deity's favour each time he casts a spell.
Retry: The ritual may be begun anew but if a check is failed all previous work is erased.
Note: Failing at a Prayercraft check can have consequences for the character if it is failed by a margin of 5 or more. You may take 10 but not 20 with a Prayercraft check.
Spellcraft [Int]:
Actually drawing an invocation circle and forcing your mind to visualise the strange and often seemingly insane 4-dimensional shapes that arcane spellcasting requires calls for a completely different skill than mere academic study.
Retry: The ritual may be begun anew but if a check is failed all previous work is erased.
Note: Failing at a Spellcraft check can have consequences for the character if it is failed by a margin of 5 or more. You may take 10 but not 20 with a Spellcraft check.
Feats:
Divinist:
You know how to call upon your deity in a manner that will cause them to respond.
Description: You may use the Prayercraft skill to cast Divine spells. You must still have a Grimoire to cast spells.
Note: Though it is not required to have a Religious feat when choosing this ability, tapping into the divine without true faith is a serious risk. All failures are punished rather than just significant casting mishaps and you will not be allowed near the prayerbooks or beads of any religious body.
Occultist:
You have learned the most basic levels of spellcasting in the true and 'rational' way [in reality, you understand what you're doing little better than priests do...]
Description: You may use the Spellcraft skill to cast Arcane spells. You must still have a Grimoire to cast spells.
Note: This feat is RARE. If you take it, your family will either be really rich and eccentric or you are a member of either the Royal Society or the Thule Society.
Ancient Arcana:
You have learned to unpick the mysteries of the past and determine what patterns were used in the spells told of in myths. You can use old stories and inscriptions on ruins as if they were a grimoire, though their content is somewhat random.
Prerequisites: Occultist, Spellcraft 8 Ranks.
Description: You may find spells in strange places connected to the past. This includes storybooks and ruins. You may make a DC 30 Search check to try to locate a suitable reference and work from there. The spell uncovered is determined by the GM but will have a DC 5 lower than it would normally for its level.
Good examples of this might be decyphering what Merlin may have cast at some point or possibly how Moses parted the sea [the feat actually allows the Occultist a certain creative link to the insane logic of magic on a subconscious level rather than actually allowing them to repeat a spell from the book].
Practiced Spellcaster:
You have practiced long and hard with your spells and have the wounds and scars to prove it.
Prerequisites: Divinist or Occultist
Description: Your CaR with one type of magic is increased by +4, though no more than you level [if you are 3rd level when you take this, you only gain a +3 bonus].
Spellcasting Preparation:
In most basic terms, magic is cast using incantation circles and candles and stuff. A spellcaster preforms a ritual, usually by rote, in order to summon and control a specific amount of power and direct it in a specific manner. Arcane and Divine magic are effectively from the same basic source and Psionic power uses a different set of mechanics [yes, I redid those as well, perhaps in another post].
To cast a spell, one needs the following:
The spell's formula
A suitable space to draw the Invocation diagram
Materials to make the circle
Time enough to create the circle and cast the spell
[B]0-Level Spells:
The exception to the above is 0-level spells, the so called Cantrips and Orisons. These do not require any preparation or buildup. Characters with the ability to cast spells gain a small number of these for free as noted in the feat descriptions. Additional 0-level spells can be carried in a Grimoire and take up half a page.
The Formula:
Getting hold of the formula for any given spell is not easy. They are usually held in a number of small private collections, often in places like the middle east. Formulae are written into 'Grimoires' a generic term for spellbooks, though this can include such things as scrolls, stone tablets, tattoos, table tops, Mosaics, prayer beads or strips of leather.
Refer to Complete Arcane for a more detailed treatment of this, but in general, a Grimoire is a book the size of a library dictionary with 300 pages, each of which an carry one 'level' of spells. Note that certain spells are usually kept together because they are variations of each other. For instance, Monster Summoning spells [these are some of the spells that are refitted at the bottom of the section] would occupy about 247 pages of a grimoire once all 22 levels of the spell are taken into account and if the character is relying on their order to supply their books, then the grimoire is likely to be a training book and include them all.
Most spellcasters prepare their own travelling grimoires but getting access to new spells requires diplomacy or Favours and should be roleplayed; spellcasters below a certain rank in their orders are usuallly kept away from the most powerful spells in an attempt to prevent delusions of godhood.
Space for the Diagram:
A casting circle is not just a diagram on the floor; it is a mechanism for creating and controlling ribbons of energy, keeping them inside a sort of shield while shaping them into the correct reality warping shapes.
For divine casters, this is often more a case of writing a specific verse of scripture on the ground and concentrating on it, though Buddhists [some Buddhists anyway] use circular diagrams called mandalas.
Drawing the Diagram and summoning the power necessary to activate it takes 1 Full round action per level of the spell being cast. This must be completed in one go and any action that causes the caster to fail a Concentration check ruins the process.
Normally, a Diagram takes up one 5ft square. If a spell is being cast cooperatively [see later], then each character involved requires a straight side of the enclosure to stand at, hence:
{table=head] Casters | Square
up to 4 | 5ft
Up to 8 | 10ft
Up to 12 | 15ft
Up to 22 | 25ft [/table]
Attacks can be made to damage the diagram itself by breaking the lines and smearing the image. Any explosive attack that includes the circle in its area has a chance of damaging the diagram. The diagram must make a save based on its construction materials with a DC equal to the effects of the spell. It can be directly attacked as a Fine Immobile target using melee or ranged attacks.
Diagram Materials:
Making a diagram requires something to make it from. This can be as simply as drawing in the dirt with a stick to having the circle carved into the finest marble. The primary thing that this quality determines is the save DC it has against area attacks [though it certainly effects the mobility of the object in the case of engraved versions...]. All the below saves are limited by their surface. Use the more fragile material out of the medium and surface.
{table=head] Material | Save
Dirt and Stick | +0
Powder [Dust, Salt, Gunpowder] | +0
Chalk | +2
Ink | +5
Paint [dry] | +8
Burned | +10
Cut in Wood | +10
Cut in Stone |+15
Cut in Metal | +20[/table]
Time:
As previously mentioned, it takes time to draw the circle and pull together enough power to make the ritual succeed. A spell takes 1 round per level of the spell under normal circumstances.
Precision Casting:
When you have time, it is possible to put more theory into practice than you possibly could when hurrying. Though not a great deal of use in combat, extra time may be spent preparing the spell diagram and using an extended chant to make the spell more likely to succeed.
For each minute spent on the diagram beyond the first, up to 30, the caster gains a +1 bonus on their Spell/Prayercraft check, to a maximum of their bonus in the relevant Knowledge. If their bonus is still higher, additional hours may be spent to gain a further +1 bonus each. The cap on the bonus remains the same.
When used with cooperative casting, this bonus is applied automatically due to the incredible amount of time involved but is determined based on the average skill bonuses of the primary caster and his least competent assistant.
Completing the Ritual:
Possibly the simplest part of casting the spell is the skill check that is made to ensure that the spell goes off as intended. Making this check takes an amount of time described in the 'Casting Time' section of the spell itself.
The actual difference between the preparation time and the 'casting time' of a spell is that during this period, a selection of pyrotechnics occur, usually as waste products and side effects of the casting process. A spellcaster sheds light that is visible at some distance, roughly equal to a lantern at this time and becomes a magnet for fire. Most spellcasters avoid combat like crazy for this reason.
Casting Difficulty:
Each spell has a DC needed to cast it. This is calculated as follows:
Casting DC = 10 + [Base Multiplier x Spell level]
In most cases, the Base Multiplier is 5 so the formula actually looks like this:
Casting DC = 10 + 5 per level
The Base Multiplier is increased by Spell Resistance, Counterspelling attempts and reduced by feats such as Spell Focus. [See the sub-bars on Counterspelling and Advanced Spellcasting Feats respectively].
Success on the Check:
Passing the check means that the spell has been cast without a hitch. The spell is resolved as normal for the D&D game.
Failure on the Check:
If the check to cast a spell is missed by 4 or less, then the spell simply fails to occur or goes harmlessly awry. Perhaps a fireball speeds off into the sky or the mirror remains cloudy in a Scrying attempt.
If the check is failed by 5 or more, a mishap has occurred and the caster will regret it [hopefully living to do so too]. The following are defaults but GMs should feel free to be creative:
Summoning spells summon something of comparable power to the intended creature, which then breaks free and goes after the caster. The creature remains for about 1d8 rounds or until it is slain.
Spells that alter physics [time distortion, creation of energy, teleportation] usually summon an Alien [Psuedonatural] being from beyond the stars somewhere near the caster, often on the other side of a barrier. This creature is neither enraged or friendly but generally hostile to life and usually avoids any sounds of fighting. Congratulations, you just made the world a little bit grimmer.
Augmenting spells send a disruptive surge through the target, causing Fatigue.
Sometimes spells go after different targets, flying off in a random direction or affecting the caster [5% per level of the spell involved in the mishap]. These results are mercifully rare [from the caster's PoV].
Non-aggressive Divine spells usually ruin the character's luck. They suffer a cumlative -1 penalty on all saves and their Psyche scores for the rest of the day.
Adverse Conditions:
Weather and the like can disrupt spells. Trying to cast even a cantrip in a violent storm, on the back of a violently moving mech while wearing armour and tangled in a net is next to impossible. The following conditions apply the following penalties to casting skill checks. They stack.
{table=head] Condition | Penalty
Blinding Winds, Rain or Sleet | -5
Driven Hail or Dust | -10
Vigourous Motion [moving mount or mech] | -5
Violent Motion [Running mech, ship in storm] | -10
Earthquake or equivilent | -15
Wearing Armour | Armour check penalty[/table]
These effects are in addition to any concentration checks needed while preparing the spell or if attacked while casting.
Casting Without Diagrams:
Nestled like a footnote is the ability to cast spells without drawing diagrams. In class level terms, easily enough achieved but actually very rare in the world because there are so few people sufficiently willing to cast spells with great frequency to gain them and far fewer people willing to teach the insane and reckless this complex art.
Certain classes benefit from a supply of Æther [literally 'bread, fuel'] on a one per class level basis. These classes also grant a limited number of spells that the character learns sufficiently well that they can form the shapes/perform the chants in moments, without external aid.
Only spells that are 'Known' in this manner can be cast with Æther, each Æther allowing one spell level to be cast; one could spend 3 Æther to cast a third level known spell for instance.
Æther is held within the body and is refreshed each time that the character Ætherges to snatch 10 uninterupted minutes of rest. Æther cannot be combined with ritual diagrams, hence you could not pay for part of a spell's power cost in Æther, nor prepare a diagram beforehand and power it with Æther.
Spell Resistance:
Some beings, through accident or design, cause magic to go wrong, or at least more likely to go wrong, when it is directed at them. For instance, Demons have a Spell Resistance equal to their Charisma Modifier.
Spell Resistance is added to the Base Modifier of the spell, effectively increasing the casting DC of the spell by the spell's level per point of Spell Resistance the creature has. Spell resistance can be somewhat overcome by certain feats [a blessing for would be demon hunters].
Spell Resistance still applies to 0-level spells, increasing their DC by the value of the Resistance [i.e. a +4 resistance increases the DC by 4]
Spell Effects:
Spells all have effects; there would be no point in casting them otherwise. In MV, however, the things that determine the power of spells are slightly different so normal D&D spells need to be converted slightly.
Caster Rank:
Each character with the ability to cast spells has a Caster Rank [CaR], equal to the number of ranks that they have in the relevant knowledge skill. This is used in place of the "Caster Level" of the spell.
A CaR is equal to the characters Ranks [not bonus] plus possibly the bonus for the Practiced Spellcaster feat. This means that the limit on it is the character's level + 3 normally, +12 in the most extreme cases.
Hence, a fireball has a range of 400ft + 40ft per point of CaR, while a character with a CaR of 9 could create a wall of force lasting 9 rounds.
Saves:
The MV game replaced the 'poor' save with one equal to half character level so spells became rather too easy to resist under the previous incarnation. Thus, the Basic Save is included. Most spells that do not produce poisons or Death effects use the basic save, which is calculated as follows:
Basic Save DC = 10 + 1/2 CaD + Spell level
Attack Rolls:
Some spells require 'Touch Attacks' in order to make their effects stick. As MV uses level based defence adjustments, this is replaced with a 'Use Occult' check against the target's Defence.
A Use Occult check has a bonus equal to the character's Character Level plus their Dexterity modifier.
If the intention is that the spell hits anything that the character can see, then a Spot check against the target's defence or Hide [whichever is relevant] may be made instead.
Armour Against Magic:
Armour's Hardness bonuses apply against attacks made with spells. Remember that energy behaves in different ways when interacting with Hardness as follows:
{table=header] Energy Type | Hardness
Force | x1
Fire | x2
Lightning | x2
Cold | x4
Acid | x1
Sonic | Ignored
Holy | x1*
Unholy | x1*[/table]
* Holy and Unholy damages are special and carrying a holy/unholy symbol dedicated to the opponent of the damage's ultimate source [the sigil of Lucifer against Iahovah for instance] doubles the character's hardness against the damage type.
Healing Spells:
Though they will be covered in more detail later, Healing spells have an annoying weakness in their nature that must be kept in mind.
Each time that an individual receives a Healing effect, they gain Healing Resistance +1. This resistance increases the Base Modifier of the spell [normally 5] by +1, effectively increasing the DC by the character's [Healing resistance x the spell level]. Thus, it is usually best to save healing magic for when people are at the limits of your ability to heal them.
Counterspelling:
Counterspelling is a staple of fantasy stories. In MV, as magic is basically like building a house of extradimensional cards, jamming energy in in the wrong places can cause that whole house to come crashing down disasterously.
Countering a spell has two stages, firstly, one must identify the spell being cast and then jam energy in the form of Æther, into the casting.
A caster may attempt to identify a spell as a reaction that costs an Attack of Opportunity. If you have the Combat Reflexes feat, you could therefore logically attempt to disrupt more than one spell per round. Spending the Æther to actually make the disruption is a free action.
Identifying a Spell:
Actually recognising a spell is very difficult as without incredible amounts of practice, all circles look the same and all chants sound alike. Things can be even trickier if you're attempting to work on the fly when someone casts using Æther.
A character who attempts to recognise a spell before it is cast must make a Knowledge [Arcana] check to identify Arcane spells or a Knowledge [Religion] check to identify Divine spells. Specialisations apply if the spell's school [for arcane] or divine patron [for divine] matches the character's area of expertise.
The DCs are included in the table below. The observer starts in column D and makes one shift for each of the following that is true:
The character is close enough to see the ribbons and light patterns produced by the spell's casting process [Spot DC 5, +1 per 10ft]
The character is close enough to hear the words being spoken by the caster [Listen DC 15, +1 per 5ft]
The character has the spell being cast in their grimoire.
The character knows the spell being cast
Note that it is possible for a spell to actually slide into the 'Spell Level' column; this is intentional.
{table=header] Spell Level | A | B | C | D
1 | 21| 22 | 23 | 25
2 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 30
3 | 23 | 26 | 29 | 35
4 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 40
5 | 25 | 30 | 35 | 45
6 | 26 | 32 | 38 | 50
7 | 27 | 34 | 41 | 55
8 | 28 | 36 | 44 | 60
9 | 29 | 38 | 47 | 65
10 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 70
11 | 31 | 42 | 53 | 75
12 | 32 | 44 | 56 | 80
13 | 33 | 46 | 59 | 85
14 | 34 | 48 | 62 | 90
15 | 35 | 50 | 65 | 95
16 | 36 | 52 | 68 | 100
17 | 37 | 54 | 71 | 105
18 | 38 | 56 | 74 | 110
19 | 39 | 58 | 77 | 115
20 | 40 | 60 | 80 | 120[/table]
Using Æther to Block spells:
Once the spell has been identified, it comes to the actual task of intercepting it. This is done by expending Æther. For each Æther that is spent in this way, the spell's DC is increased as if the target has +1 spell resistance.
In other words, the spell's casting DC increases by the spell's level for each Æther spent.
Advanced Spellcasting Feats:
There is little point in including these in the initial feats section because they refer to mechanics that had yet to be explained. This section contains the following:
A treatment of Metamagic Feats
A treatment of Reserve Feats
Some new or revamped Feats to fit with the new system
Metamagic Feats:
Metamagic feats function much like they do in conventional D&D 3.5. When they are applied to a spell, the effective level of the spell is increased. This increases the DC to cast the spell, the amount of time and effort needed to create the diagram and/or the amount of Æther needed to cast the spell.
One notable exception is that the new level of the spell is used to determine the Base Save of the spell.
The casting time of the spell is unchanged.
Empower Spell [Metamagic]:
Description: All numerical effects discussed only in the text description such as damage, bonuses and miss chances are increased by 50%. For damage dice, increase the number of dice by this many, rounding up. If an effect is derived from a d20 based check of some sort, add 1d10 [0 counting as 0] to the roll.
Using this feat increases the affected spell's level by 2.
Reserve Feats:
Reserve feats are minor abilities that produce effects based on the amount of Æther a character has left in their body. They are basically the result of certain spells leaving burnt pathways in the character's body.
Where a Reserve Feat refers to having a 'spell available' the character must have at least that much Æther remaining in their body and have known a suitably typed spell to begin with. From there, they can invoke the feat by making a Spell/Prayercraft check with a DC of 10 x the level of spell you are simulating.
For example, a mage has Fiery Burst, knows Fireball and has 6 Æther left. He could throw a 2 dice Fiery Blast by making a DC 20 Spellcraft check or, say, a 4 dice blast by making a DC 40 check. Note that he could not throw a 1 dice blast because this is not a powerful enough spell to drive the feat.
The caster level bonus from this Feat is replaced with a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks to cast spells of the nominated school. These bonuses stack.
New Feats:
[I]Note: MV uses different schools as a flavour thing [the Victorians were really keen on qualitative seperation]. I suggest keeping the normal ones here as they would take up loads of space to explain.
Spell Focus:
You are particularly good at casting a specific kind of spell.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast at least 3 Spells from the chosen school
Description: Choose a single school of spells from the MV spell categories, a single kind of energy or a single alignment descriptor. When casting spells from your chosen school, the Base Modifier for the spell's difficulty is reduced by one; normally this makes the DC of the spell 10 + 4 per level of the spell.
Special: This spell may be taken multiple times, each time effecting a different school of spells.
Spell Focus, Greater:
You are a master of one type of magic.
Prerequisites: 3 Spell Focuses. Ability to cast at least 12 spells from chosen school.
Description: Choose a single school in which you already have Spell Focus. When casting spells from your chosen school, the Base Modifier for the spell's difficulty is reduced by a further one; normally this makes the DC of the spell 10 + 3 per level of the spell.
Special: This spell may be taken multiple times, each time effecting a different school of spells.
Spell Mastery:
You know a handful of spells well enough that you don't need your grimoires to cast them.
Prerequisites: Int 13+, Ability to cast spells
Description: Select a number of spells equal to 1 + your Int modifier from your Grimoire. From this point on, you no longer need the grimoire in order to cast those spells. You must still create the diagram and complete the casting ritual to cast them.
Special: If you have the Spells Known class feature, then spells gained from this feat are added to your Spells Known total.
Spell Penetration:
You have mastered the art of making spells stick to those that would reject them. Metaphysically, you could make oil stick to water.
Prerequisites: Ability to Cast Spells, Spell/Prayercraft 4 ranks.
Description:The Spell Resistance of creatures you target counts as being one lower for purposes of you casting spells.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times, though each time you take it, the skill requirement of the next copy you take increases by +4.
Master of Counterspelling:
You have learned hundreds of spells and their signs; only truly canny spellcasters can slip a spell past you.
Prerequisites: Spot 5 Ranks, Listen 5 Ranks, Æther
Description: You are deeply gifted at recognising spells as they are cast. You may take 10 on Spot and Listen checks to determine which column you will use on the table and count as having all non-unique spells in your Grimoire for purposes of what you can recognise.
Æther Surge:
You have a secret reserve of power that you can tap allowing you to fling spells with abandon.
Prerequites: Æther 3+
Description: Once per Mission, you can enter a Surge state as a Full round aciton. When in this state, your Æther pool refills completely during the end phase of each turn [when the initiative stack runs to 0]. A surge lasts for one minute.
Note: This may seem over powered but a Mission is the equivalent of an adventure in a military game, usually consisting of 3-8 encounters.
Rough Casting:
You can cast spells even under the most adverse conditions.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast spells
Description: Once all factors are taken into account, halve the penalty on casting checks, rounding down. In addition, you have mastered the art of drawing well enough with a knife that you can engrave at a normal rate of diagram preparation.
Cooperative Casting:
One final thing of note in MV magic is that it is most often used to create grand spells of world shaking power when it is used at all. If nothing else, summoning and binding even a small demonic army is going to take spells of very great power indeed.
Assistants to casting:
Any character with ranks in the Spellcraft or Prayercraft skills can assist in a spellcasting. Setting up for an assisted spellcasting takes one hour per level of the spell being cast. Each additional character after the primary may make an Aid Another check to provide a bonus on the primary's spellcasting check. The downside of this is that if the check fails, the entire ritual is lost.
Due to the massive amount of time that this kind of preparation requires, the casting always adds a further bonus equal to the average Knowledge skill between the primary and least adept assistant, rounded up.
Every member of the ritual that is to participate, except, perhaps ironically, the primary, must be present throughout the entire rutual's preparation.
Disrupting an Assisted Casting:
Disrupting a ritual casting can be done just like disrupting a normal casting. Note that killing assistants won't affect the spell's competion unless they fall on the diagram and ruin it. Shooting the primary is the simplest manner of stopping such a spell.
It is possible to counter a spell of this type though there is usually some redundancy built into the ritual [i.e. increasing the DC by less than 20 will have little effect on a spell cast by a competent group].
Edit: Replaced Mana with the more Victorian sounding Æther.
I rather liked the idea that magic was about preparing rituals, trafficking with gods and demons and doing a lot of hand waving. To that end, I came up with a system of magic based on skills. This was not an attempt to balance things, rather it actually made spellcasting a little more powerful [though a lot of spells had to be rewritten] but much less useful in battle. It has been playtested.
I present them to you as peers. This first post concerns the core rules. I'll get to specific spells and a listing of the Cleric and Arcanist classes when i have the time. If anything is unclear, let me know and i'll see if i can't clear it up a little.
These rules were made to replace the normal spellcasting rules for my Mecha Victoriana setting, a variant of Dragonmech by Goodman Games: Enjoy!
"The invocation of magic, in the truest sense, the pure sense, rather than the incense waving of religious fools, is a purely rational process: In our universe, perception affects reality and by creating certain shapes or flows and observing them, the effect they represent is imposed on reality. In order to create these shapes, however, the human mind requires assistance; the drawing of invocation circles and the speaking of specific words are necessary to condense magical energy into the correct shape for these effects to occur, though those truly familiar with the arcane shapes can mentally impose them upon the energy flows that they accumulate and direct without assistance."
Spellcasting Skills and Feats:
In order to cast spells, characters in the MV universe need specific feats and skills. These are as follows:
Skills:
General Notes: MV has two additional rules related to skills.
Risks: Normally, rolling a 20 on an attack roll yields an automatic success and a 1 yields and automatic failure. This does not happen with skills but people have been known to push themselves beyond their limits for death or glory. When making a skill check with a skill that the character has at least one rank in and fewer than his maximum [3+level], he may increase his Threat and Error ranges by an amount of up to the maximum number of ranks allowed in skills for characters of his level, minus the number of ranks he has.
Error ranges acrue from 1 up and if a roll is made in the error range, then the check fails automatically as if they had rolled 10 less than the DC of the check.
Threat ranges acrue from 20 down and if a threat is rolled, [we usually use a 20 as a threat anyway and add to it], then 1d10 is rolled, with the '0' counting as a zero and added to the skill check.
Specialisation: If a character has at least 2 ranks in a skill, he may pay 2 skill points to specialise in it. Doing so allows them to choose a single sub-category of the skill and gain a +5 bonus on checks made in the area [Actually a -5 adjustment to DCs but it makes little difference]. This does not effect ranks in any way and cannot be used on any check relating to magic.
Knowledge (Arcana) :
The depth of an individual's studies into the occult is measured by their ranks in Knowledge (Arcana). This skill covers things like myth and folklore and an understanding of the entities at work therein. It focuses mainly on the fantastic but also includes elements of Fae and the like. It is used for the following purposes:
Determining what a character knows about Alien [Pseudonatural], Fae [Fey] and Demonic [Evil Outsiders in general] entities and whether they can exploit weaknesses in the afforementioned.
The character's Arcane Caster Rank [CaR from here], effectively their caster level for determing spelle effects is based on their ranks in this skill.
The effects of certain spells [some run off skill checks]
Determining which arcane spell is being cast by another character in order to respond to it.
Knowledge (Religion) [Int]:
Knowledge and understanding of the divine and those things that are taught by religious organisations around the world. Often, a specialisation is taken in one specific religion such as Catholicism or Buddhism, either as a scholar or as a devotee and teacher. The study of religion comes with a surprising spread of information and the skill is used for the following:
Determining the details of religious ceremonies and customs produced by religion in the environment [Turbans for Sikhs, Shoes for Muslims, Fish on Fridays for Catholics etc].
Recognition of demonic [Evil Outsider], Angelic [Good Outsider] or possibly Fae [for pagan or 'ground' religions] entities and the identification of the weakness of such.
The character's Divine CaR is based on their Ranks in this skill.
Rolled to determine the effects of certain spells, most notably healing spells.
Determining which divine spell is being cast by another character in order to respond to it.
Prayercraft [Cha]:
Prayercraft is different to Knowledge [Religion] in that it is more connected to the divine on a direct level. This is a skill derived from direct experience of magic and checks are rolled to see if the character successfully calls upon his deity's favour each time he casts a spell.
Retry: The ritual may be begun anew but if a check is failed all previous work is erased.
Note: Failing at a Prayercraft check can have consequences for the character if it is failed by a margin of 5 or more. You may take 10 but not 20 with a Prayercraft check.
Spellcraft [Int]:
Actually drawing an invocation circle and forcing your mind to visualise the strange and often seemingly insane 4-dimensional shapes that arcane spellcasting requires calls for a completely different skill than mere academic study.
Retry: The ritual may be begun anew but if a check is failed all previous work is erased.
Note: Failing at a Spellcraft check can have consequences for the character if it is failed by a margin of 5 or more. You may take 10 but not 20 with a Spellcraft check.
Feats:
Divinist:
You know how to call upon your deity in a manner that will cause them to respond.
Description: You may use the Prayercraft skill to cast Divine spells. You must still have a Grimoire to cast spells.
Note: Though it is not required to have a Religious feat when choosing this ability, tapping into the divine without true faith is a serious risk. All failures are punished rather than just significant casting mishaps and you will not be allowed near the prayerbooks or beads of any religious body.
Occultist:
You have learned the most basic levels of spellcasting in the true and 'rational' way [in reality, you understand what you're doing little better than priests do...]
Description: You may use the Spellcraft skill to cast Arcane spells. You must still have a Grimoire to cast spells.
Note: This feat is RARE. If you take it, your family will either be really rich and eccentric or you are a member of either the Royal Society or the Thule Society.
Ancient Arcana:
You have learned to unpick the mysteries of the past and determine what patterns were used in the spells told of in myths. You can use old stories and inscriptions on ruins as if they were a grimoire, though their content is somewhat random.
Prerequisites: Occultist, Spellcraft 8 Ranks.
Description: You may find spells in strange places connected to the past. This includes storybooks and ruins. You may make a DC 30 Search check to try to locate a suitable reference and work from there. The spell uncovered is determined by the GM but will have a DC 5 lower than it would normally for its level.
Good examples of this might be decyphering what Merlin may have cast at some point or possibly how Moses parted the sea [the feat actually allows the Occultist a certain creative link to the insane logic of magic on a subconscious level rather than actually allowing them to repeat a spell from the book].
Practiced Spellcaster:
You have practiced long and hard with your spells and have the wounds and scars to prove it.
Prerequisites: Divinist or Occultist
Description: Your CaR with one type of magic is increased by +4, though no more than you level [if you are 3rd level when you take this, you only gain a +3 bonus].
Spellcasting Preparation:
In most basic terms, magic is cast using incantation circles and candles and stuff. A spellcaster preforms a ritual, usually by rote, in order to summon and control a specific amount of power and direct it in a specific manner. Arcane and Divine magic are effectively from the same basic source and Psionic power uses a different set of mechanics [yes, I redid those as well, perhaps in another post].
To cast a spell, one needs the following:
The spell's formula
A suitable space to draw the Invocation diagram
Materials to make the circle
Time enough to create the circle and cast the spell
[B]0-Level Spells:
The exception to the above is 0-level spells, the so called Cantrips and Orisons. These do not require any preparation or buildup. Characters with the ability to cast spells gain a small number of these for free as noted in the feat descriptions. Additional 0-level spells can be carried in a Grimoire and take up half a page.
The Formula:
Getting hold of the formula for any given spell is not easy. They are usually held in a number of small private collections, often in places like the middle east. Formulae are written into 'Grimoires' a generic term for spellbooks, though this can include such things as scrolls, stone tablets, tattoos, table tops, Mosaics, prayer beads or strips of leather.
Refer to Complete Arcane for a more detailed treatment of this, but in general, a Grimoire is a book the size of a library dictionary with 300 pages, each of which an carry one 'level' of spells. Note that certain spells are usually kept together because they are variations of each other. For instance, Monster Summoning spells [these are some of the spells that are refitted at the bottom of the section] would occupy about 247 pages of a grimoire once all 22 levels of the spell are taken into account and if the character is relying on their order to supply their books, then the grimoire is likely to be a training book and include them all.
Most spellcasters prepare their own travelling grimoires but getting access to new spells requires diplomacy or Favours and should be roleplayed; spellcasters below a certain rank in their orders are usuallly kept away from the most powerful spells in an attempt to prevent delusions of godhood.
Space for the Diagram:
A casting circle is not just a diagram on the floor; it is a mechanism for creating and controlling ribbons of energy, keeping them inside a sort of shield while shaping them into the correct reality warping shapes.
For divine casters, this is often more a case of writing a specific verse of scripture on the ground and concentrating on it, though Buddhists [some Buddhists anyway] use circular diagrams called mandalas.
Drawing the Diagram and summoning the power necessary to activate it takes 1 Full round action per level of the spell being cast. This must be completed in one go and any action that causes the caster to fail a Concentration check ruins the process.
Normally, a Diagram takes up one 5ft square. If a spell is being cast cooperatively [see later], then each character involved requires a straight side of the enclosure to stand at, hence:
{table=head] Casters | Square
up to 4 | 5ft
Up to 8 | 10ft
Up to 12 | 15ft
Up to 22 | 25ft [/table]
Attacks can be made to damage the diagram itself by breaking the lines and smearing the image. Any explosive attack that includes the circle in its area has a chance of damaging the diagram. The diagram must make a save based on its construction materials with a DC equal to the effects of the spell. It can be directly attacked as a Fine Immobile target using melee or ranged attacks.
Diagram Materials:
Making a diagram requires something to make it from. This can be as simply as drawing in the dirt with a stick to having the circle carved into the finest marble. The primary thing that this quality determines is the save DC it has against area attacks [though it certainly effects the mobility of the object in the case of engraved versions...]. All the below saves are limited by their surface. Use the more fragile material out of the medium and surface.
{table=head] Material | Save
Dirt and Stick | +0
Powder [Dust, Salt, Gunpowder] | +0
Chalk | +2
Ink | +5
Paint [dry] | +8
Burned | +10
Cut in Wood | +10
Cut in Stone |+15
Cut in Metal | +20[/table]
Time:
As previously mentioned, it takes time to draw the circle and pull together enough power to make the ritual succeed. A spell takes 1 round per level of the spell under normal circumstances.
Precision Casting:
When you have time, it is possible to put more theory into practice than you possibly could when hurrying. Though not a great deal of use in combat, extra time may be spent preparing the spell diagram and using an extended chant to make the spell more likely to succeed.
For each minute spent on the diagram beyond the first, up to 30, the caster gains a +1 bonus on their Spell/Prayercraft check, to a maximum of their bonus in the relevant Knowledge. If their bonus is still higher, additional hours may be spent to gain a further +1 bonus each. The cap on the bonus remains the same.
When used with cooperative casting, this bonus is applied automatically due to the incredible amount of time involved but is determined based on the average skill bonuses of the primary caster and his least competent assistant.
Completing the Ritual:
Possibly the simplest part of casting the spell is the skill check that is made to ensure that the spell goes off as intended. Making this check takes an amount of time described in the 'Casting Time' section of the spell itself.
The actual difference between the preparation time and the 'casting time' of a spell is that during this period, a selection of pyrotechnics occur, usually as waste products and side effects of the casting process. A spellcaster sheds light that is visible at some distance, roughly equal to a lantern at this time and becomes a magnet for fire. Most spellcasters avoid combat like crazy for this reason.
Casting Difficulty:
Each spell has a DC needed to cast it. This is calculated as follows:
Casting DC = 10 + [Base Multiplier x Spell level]
In most cases, the Base Multiplier is 5 so the formula actually looks like this:
Casting DC = 10 + 5 per level
The Base Multiplier is increased by Spell Resistance, Counterspelling attempts and reduced by feats such as Spell Focus. [See the sub-bars on Counterspelling and Advanced Spellcasting Feats respectively].
Success on the Check:
Passing the check means that the spell has been cast without a hitch. The spell is resolved as normal for the D&D game.
Failure on the Check:
If the check to cast a spell is missed by 4 or less, then the spell simply fails to occur or goes harmlessly awry. Perhaps a fireball speeds off into the sky or the mirror remains cloudy in a Scrying attempt.
If the check is failed by 5 or more, a mishap has occurred and the caster will regret it [hopefully living to do so too]. The following are defaults but GMs should feel free to be creative:
Summoning spells summon something of comparable power to the intended creature, which then breaks free and goes after the caster. The creature remains for about 1d8 rounds or until it is slain.
Spells that alter physics [time distortion, creation of energy, teleportation] usually summon an Alien [Psuedonatural] being from beyond the stars somewhere near the caster, often on the other side of a barrier. This creature is neither enraged or friendly but generally hostile to life and usually avoids any sounds of fighting. Congratulations, you just made the world a little bit grimmer.
Augmenting spells send a disruptive surge through the target, causing Fatigue.
Sometimes spells go after different targets, flying off in a random direction or affecting the caster [5% per level of the spell involved in the mishap]. These results are mercifully rare [from the caster's PoV].
Non-aggressive Divine spells usually ruin the character's luck. They suffer a cumlative -1 penalty on all saves and their Psyche scores for the rest of the day.
Adverse Conditions:
Weather and the like can disrupt spells. Trying to cast even a cantrip in a violent storm, on the back of a violently moving mech while wearing armour and tangled in a net is next to impossible. The following conditions apply the following penalties to casting skill checks. They stack.
{table=head] Condition | Penalty
Blinding Winds, Rain or Sleet | -5
Driven Hail or Dust | -10
Vigourous Motion [moving mount or mech] | -5
Violent Motion [Running mech, ship in storm] | -10
Earthquake or equivilent | -15
Wearing Armour | Armour check penalty[/table]
These effects are in addition to any concentration checks needed while preparing the spell or if attacked while casting.
Casting Without Diagrams:
Nestled like a footnote is the ability to cast spells without drawing diagrams. In class level terms, easily enough achieved but actually very rare in the world because there are so few people sufficiently willing to cast spells with great frequency to gain them and far fewer people willing to teach the insane and reckless this complex art.
Certain classes benefit from a supply of Æther [literally 'bread, fuel'] on a one per class level basis. These classes also grant a limited number of spells that the character learns sufficiently well that they can form the shapes/perform the chants in moments, without external aid.
Only spells that are 'Known' in this manner can be cast with Æther, each Æther allowing one spell level to be cast; one could spend 3 Æther to cast a third level known spell for instance.
Æther is held within the body and is refreshed each time that the character Ætherges to snatch 10 uninterupted minutes of rest. Æther cannot be combined with ritual diagrams, hence you could not pay for part of a spell's power cost in Æther, nor prepare a diagram beforehand and power it with Æther.
Spell Resistance:
Some beings, through accident or design, cause magic to go wrong, or at least more likely to go wrong, when it is directed at them. For instance, Demons have a Spell Resistance equal to their Charisma Modifier.
Spell Resistance is added to the Base Modifier of the spell, effectively increasing the casting DC of the spell by the spell's level per point of Spell Resistance the creature has. Spell resistance can be somewhat overcome by certain feats [a blessing for would be demon hunters].
Spell Resistance still applies to 0-level spells, increasing their DC by the value of the Resistance [i.e. a +4 resistance increases the DC by 4]
Spell Effects:
Spells all have effects; there would be no point in casting them otherwise. In MV, however, the things that determine the power of spells are slightly different so normal D&D spells need to be converted slightly.
Caster Rank:
Each character with the ability to cast spells has a Caster Rank [CaR], equal to the number of ranks that they have in the relevant knowledge skill. This is used in place of the "Caster Level" of the spell.
A CaR is equal to the characters Ranks [not bonus] plus possibly the bonus for the Practiced Spellcaster feat. This means that the limit on it is the character's level + 3 normally, +12 in the most extreme cases.
Hence, a fireball has a range of 400ft + 40ft per point of CaR, while a character with a CaR of 9 could create a wall of force lasting 9 rounds.
Saves:
The MV game replaced the 'poor' save with one equal to half character level so spells became rather too easy to resist under the previous incarnation. Thus, the Basic Save is included. Most spells that do not produce poisons or Death effects use the basic save, which is calculated as follows:
Basic Save DC = 10 + 1/2 CaD + Spell level
Attack Rolls:
Some spells require 'Touch Attacks' in order to make their effects stick. As MV uses level based defence adjustments, this is replaced with a 'Use Occult' check against the target's Defence.
A Use Occult check has a bonus equal to the character's Character Level plus their Dexterity modifier.
If the intention is that the spell hits anything that the character can see, then a Spot check against the target's defence or Hide [whichever is relevant] may be made instead.
Armour Against Magic:
Armour's Hardness bonuses apply against attacks made with spells. Remember that energy behaves in different ways when interacting with Hardness as follows:
{table=header] Energy Type | Hardness
Force | x1
Fire | x2
Lightning | x2
Cold | x4
Acid | x1
Sonic | Ignored
Holy | x1*
Unholy | x1*[/table]
* Holy and Unholy damages are special and carrying a holy/unholy symbol dedicated to the opponent of the damage's ultimate source [the sigil of Lucifer against Iahovah for instance] doubles the character's hardness against the damage type.
Healing Spells:
Though they will be covered in more detail later, Healing spells have an annoying weakness in their nature that must be kept in mind.
Each time that an individual receives a Healing effect, they gain Healing Resistance +1. This resistance increases the Base Modifier of the spell [normally 5] by +1, effectively increasing the DC by the character's [Healing resistance x the spell level]. Thus, it is usually best to save healing magic for when people are at the limits of your ability to heal them.
Counterspelling:
Counterspelling is a staple of fantasy stories. In MV, as magic is basically like building a house of extradimensional cards, jamming energy in in the wrong places can cause that whole house to come crashing down disasterously.
Countering a spell has two stages, firstly, one must identify the spell being cast and then jam energy in the form of Æther, into the casting.
A caster may attempt to identify a spell as a reaction that costs an Attack of Opportunity. If you have the Combat Reflexes feat, you could therefore logically attempt to disrupt more than one spell per round. Spending the Æther to actually make the disruption is a free action.
Identifying a Spell:
Actually recognising a spell is very difficult as without incredible amounts of practice, all circles look the same and all chants sound alike. Things can be even trickier if you're attempting to work on the fly when someone casts using Æther.
A character who attempts to recognise a spell before it is cast must make a Knowledge [Arcana] check to identify Arcane spells or a Knowledge [Religion] check to identify Divine spells. Specialisations apply if the spell's school [for arcane] or divine patron [for divine] matches the character's area of expertise.
The DCs are included in the table below. The observer starts in column D and makes one shift for each of the following that is true:
The character is close enough to see the ribbons and light patterns produced by the spell's casting process [Spot DC 5, +1 per 10ft]
The character is close enough to hear the words being spoken by the caster [Listen DC 15, +1 per 5ft]
The character has the spell being cast in their grimoire.
The character knows the spell being cast
Note that it is possible for a spell to actually slide into the 'Spell Level' column; this is intentional.
{table=header] Spell Level | A | B | C | D
1 | 21| 22 | 23 | 25
2 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 30
3 | 23 | 26 | 29 | 35
4 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 40
5 | 25 | 30 | 35 | 45
6 | 26 | 32 | 38 | 50
7 | 27 | 34 | 41 | 55
8 | 28 | 36 | 44 | 60
9 | 29 | 38 | 47 | 65
10 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 70
11 | 31 | 42 | 53 | 75
12 | 32 | 44 | 56 | 80
13 | 33 | 46 | 59 | 85
14 | 34 | 48 | 62 | 90
15 | 35 | 50 | 65 | 95
16 | 36 | 52 | 68 | 100
17 | 37 | 54 | 71 | 105
18 | 38 | 56 | 74 | 110
19 | 39 | 58 | 77 | 115
20 | 40 | 60 | 80 | 120[/table]
Using Æther to Block spells:
Once the spell has been identified, it comes to the actual task of intercepting it. This is done by expending Æther. For each Æther that is spent in this way, the spell's DC is increased as if the target has +1 spell resistance.
In other words, the spell's casting DC increases by the spell's level for each Æther spent.
Advanced Spellcasting Feats:
There is little point in including these in the initial feats section because they refer to mechanics that had yet to be explained. This section contains the following:
A treatment of Metamagic Feats
A treatment of Reserve Feats
Some new or revamped Feats to fit with the new system
Metamagic Feats:
Metamagic feats function much like they do in conventional D&D 3.5. When they are applied to a spell, the effective level of the spell is increased. This increases the DC to cast the spell, the amount of time and effort needed to create the diagram and/or the amount of Æther needed to cast the spell.
One notable exception is that the new level of the spell is used to determine the Base Save of the spell.
The casting time of the spell is unchanged.
Empower Spell [Metamagic]:
Description: All numerical effects discussed only in the text description such as damage, bonuses and miss chances are increased by 50%. For damage dice, increase the number of dice by this many, rounding up. If an effect is derived from a d20 based check of some sort, add 1d10 [0 counting as 0] to the roll.
Using this feat increases the affected spell's level by 2.
Reserve Feats:
Reserve feats are minor abilities that produce effects based on the amount of Æther a character has left in their body. They are basically the result of certain spells leaving burnt pathways in the character's body.
Where a Reserve Feat refers to having a 'spell available' the character must have at least that much Æther remaining in their body and have known a suitably typed spell to begin with. From there, they can invoke the feat by making a Spell/Prayercraft check with a DC of 10 x the level of spell you are simulating.
For example, a mage has Fiery Burst, knows Fireball and has 6 Æther left. He could throw a 2 dice Fiery Blast by making a DC 20 Spellcraft check or, say, a 4 dice blast by making a DC 40 check. Note that he could not throw a 1 dice blast because this is not a powerful enough spell to drive the feat.
The caster level bonus from this Feat is replaced with a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks to cast spells of the nominated school. These bonuses stack.
New Feats:
[I]Note: MV uses different schools as a flavour thing [the Victorians were really keen on qualitative seperation]. I suggest keeping the normal ones here as they would take up loads of space to explain.
Spell Focus:
You are particularly good at casting a specific kind of spell.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast at least 3 Spells from the chosen school
Description: Choose a single school of spells from the MV spell categories, a single kind of energy or a single alignment descriptor. When casting spells from your chosen school, the Base Modifier for the spell's difficulty is reduced by one; normally this makes the DC of the spell 10 + 4 per level of the spell.
Special: This spell may be taken multiple times, each time effecting a different school of spells.
Spell Focus, Greater:
You are a master of one type of magic.
Prerequisites: 3 Spell Focuses. Ability to cast at least 12 spells from chosen school.
Description: Choose a single school in which you already have Spell Focus. When casting spells from your chosen school, the Base Modifier for the spell's difficulty is reduced by a further one; normally this makes the DC of the spell 10 + 3 per level of the spell.
Special: This spell may be taken multiple times, each time effecting a different school of spells.
Spell Mastery:
You know a handful of spells well enough that you don't need your grimoires to cast them.
Prerequisites: Int 13+, Ability to cast spells
Description: Select a number of spells equal to 1 + your Int modifier from your Grimoire. From this point on, you no longer need the grimoire in order to cast those spells. You must still create the diagram and complete the casting ritual to cast them.
Special: If you have the Spells Known class feature, then spells gained from this feat are added to your Spells Known total.
Spell Penetration:
You have mastered the art of making spells stick to those that would reject them. Metaphysically, you could make oil stick to water.
Prerequisites: Ability to Cast Spells, Spell/Prayercraft 4 ranks.
Description:The Spell Resistance of creatures you target counts as being one lower for purposes of you casting spells.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times, though each time you take it, the skill requirement of the next copy you take increases by +4.
Master of Counterspelling:
You have learned hundreds of spells and their signs; only truly canny spellcasters can slip a spell past you.
Prerequisites: Spot 5 Ranks, Listen 5 Ranks, Æther
Description: You are deeply gifted at recognising spells as they are cast. You may take 10 on Spot and Listen checks to determine which column you will use on the table and count as having all non-unique spells in your Grimoire for purposes of what you can recognise.
Æther Surge:
You have a secret reserve of power that you can tap allowing you to fling spells with abandon.
Prerequites: Æther 3+
Description: Once per Mission, you can enter a Surge state as a Full round aciton. When in this state, your Æther pool refills completely during the end phase of each turn [when the initiative stack runs to 0]. A surge lasts for one minute.
Note: This may seem over powered but a Mission is the equivalent of an adventure in a military game, usually consisting of 3-8 encounters.
Rough Casting:
You can cast spells even under the most adverse conditions.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast spells
Description: Once all factors are taken into account, halve the penalty on casting checks, rounding down. In addition, you have mastered the art of drawing well enough with a knife that you can engrave at a normal rate of diagram preparation.
Cooperative Casting:
One final thing of note in MV magic is that it is most often used to create grand spells of world shaking power when it is used at all. If nothing else, summoning and binding even a small demonic army is going to take spells of very great power indeed.
Assistants to casting:
Any character with ranks in the Spellcraft or Prayercraft skills can assist in a spellcasting. Setting up for an assisted spellcasting takes one hour per level of the spell being cast. Each additional character after the primary may make an Aid Another check to provide a bonus on the primary's spellcasting check. The downside of this is that if the check fails, the entire ritual is lost.
Due to the massive amount of time that this kind of preparation requires, the casting always adds a further bonus equal to the average Knowledge skill between the primary and least adept assistant, rounded up.
Every member of the ritual that is to participate, except, perhaps ironically, the primary, must be present throughout the entire rutual's preparation.
Disrupting an Assisted Casting:
Disrupting a ritual casting can be done just like disrupting a normal casting. Note that killing assistants won't affect the spell's competion unless they fall on the diagram and ruin it. Shooting the primary is the simplest manner of stopping such a spell.
It is possible to counter a spell of this type though there is usually some redundancy built into the ritual [i.e. increasing the DC by less than 20 will have little effect on a spell cast by a competent group].
Edit: Replaced Mana with the more Victorian sounding Æther.