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View Full Version : New d20 modern advanced class: the Mahou Shoujo. Plus: Spell-learning with Plotpoints



mp122984
2007-08-23, 12:33 AM
Okay, so I'm working on this personal project of mine when an idea comes up for an advanced class. I start working on it, but as usual I find that the rules put wording better than I can. So now I have this rather large Frankensteinian copypasted mess. I submit this class in the hopes of getting some tips on how to streamline and improve it. I would appreciate any suggestions, but one thing I would like to note is that for some reason I like my Plotpoints system and would like to keep it in some form. Thank you.

Advanced Class: The Mahou Shoujo
Magic is incredibly rare in the world, but not nonexistent. For reasons unknown, the eldritch powers gravitate to a blessed few. Recently, those who study magic are finding that its occurrence (while still incredibly rare) is increasing among the youth of Tokyo. Perhaps it is the inspiration of the mass media. Perhaps it is the Shadow that Tokyo draws to it. It might be a generation whose minds are more imaginative in years past. Whatever the reason, a very small number are gaining the power of the arcane. They are the Mahou Shoujo and Mahou Shounen. Mahou Shoujo (magical girls) seem to be more common than the Shounen, if only because their popularity in Japanese popular culture encourages girls with arcane abilities to be a little less secretive with them.

Sadly, the realities of magic do not match up to the fantasy. No magical talking animals, for one. Those with arcane powers risk being ostracized for being odd or even crazy. New abilities can pop up at awkward times. And as all such magic users are aware of Shadow, some may find themselves dragged into a war they are not ready to fight. Still, many of these few show a remarkable resilience after the shock. No matter what this strange new path means for them, they learn to add magic’s wonder to the chaos of their own lives.

The fastest path into this advanced class is from the Charismatic hero basic class, although other paths are possible.

Requirements
To qualify to become a Mahou Shoujo (or Mahou Shounen), a character must fulfill the following criteria.
Skills: Knowledge (Popular Culture) 6 ranks, Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 6 ranks, 4 ranks total in any Perform Skills
Other Prerequisites: A character must be 14-18 years old when entering the class.

Class Information
The following information pertains to the Mahou Shoujo advanced class

Hit Die
The Mahou Shoujo gains 1d6 hit points per level. The character’s Constitution modifier applies.

Action Points
The Mahou Shoujo gains a number of action points equal to 6 + one-half her character level, rounded down, every time she attains a new level in this class.

Class Skills
The Mahou Shoujo’s class skills are as follows.
Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft [art] (Int), Craft [writing] (Int), Disguise (Int) Investigate (Int), Knowledge [arcane lore, art, current events, popular culture], Read/Write Language (none), Research (Int), Perform [act, dance, keyboards, percussion instruments, sing, stringed instruments, wind instruments] (Cha), Speak Language (none), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha)

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int Modifier.

Weapon Proficiency
A Mahou Shoujo is proficient with any non-improvised weapon that causes Bludgeoning damage.

Arcane Spells and Armor
The Mahou Shoujo can become proficient in the use of armor, but she still has a difficult time casting most arcane spells while wearing it. Armor restricts movement, making it harder to perform the complicated gestures needed to cast spells with somatic components. When casting an arcane spell with a somatic component, the chance of arcane spell failure depends on the type of armor being worn and whether the Mahou Shoujo has the appropriate Armor Proficiency feat, as shown below.

{table=head]Armor Type | Arcane Spell Failure (Proficient) | Arcane Spell Failure (Nonproficient)
Light | 10%| 20%
Medium | 20% | 30%
Heavy | 30% | 40%[/table]

{table=head]Class Level | BAB | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special | Defense Bonus | Reputation Bonus
1st | +0 | +0 | +1 | +1 | Arcane Skills, Memory Blur, Plotpoints | +1 |+0
2nd | +1 | +0 | +1 | +1 | Plotpoints, Runescribe | +1 |+0
3rd | +1 | +1 | +2 | +2 | Bonus Feat, Plotpoints | +2 |+1
4th | +2 | +1 | +2 | +2 | Spiritual Plotpoints, Plotpoints | +2 | +2
5th | +2 | +1 | +3 | +3 | Enchanted Life, Plotpoints | +3 | +3
6th | +3 | +2 | +3 | +3 | Bonus Feat, Plotpoints | +3 | +3
7th | +3 | +2 | +4 | +4 | Combat Casting, Plotpoints | +4 | +4
8th | +4 | +2 | +4 | +4 | Enchanted Life, Plotpoints | +4 | +5
9th | +4 | +3 | +5 | +5 | Bonus Feat, Plotpoints | +5 | +6
10th | +5 | +3 | +5 | +5 | Tsukai's Symbol, Plotpoints | +5 | +6[/table]

Class Features
All of the following features pertain to the Mahou Shoujo Advanced Class.

Arcane Skills
A Mahou Shoujo has access to the following arcane applications.
Concentration (Con): The normal Concentration skill expands to include arcane applications, as defined below.

Check: You must make a Concentration check whenever you may potentially be distracted while engaged in an activity, including casting a spell or concentrating on an active spell, that requires your full attention.
If the check succeeds, you may continue with the action as normal. If the check fails, the action automatically fails and is wasted. If you were in the process of casting a spell, the spell is lost. If you were concentrating on an active spell, the spell ends.

The table in the Concentration skill description summarizes the various types of distractions. In situations where the distraction occurs while you are casting a spell, you add the level of the spell to the DC.

Try Again?: You can try again, but doing so doesn’t cancel the effects of a previous failure. If you lost a spell, the spell is lost.
Special: By making a check (DC 15 + spell level), you can use Concentration to cast a spell defensively, thus avoiding attacks of opportunity. If the check succeeds, you can attempt the casting without incurring any attacks of opportunity.

Trigger Plotpoint: You may tap into your inner power in times of need and foster it, gaining new abilities as you do so.
Check: Whenever you perform a Skill Check or action, you may make a Concentration check (DC 15). If the check succeeds, you attempt to trigger a Plotpoint (see Plotpoints). You may continue with the action as affected by the Plotpoint (if there is one and it has an effect). If the check fails, the action automatically fails and is wasted. If you were in the process of casting a spell, the spell is lost. If you were concentrating on an active spell, the spell ends.

The table in the Concentration skill description summarizes the various types of distractions. In situations where the distraction occurs while you are casting a spell, you add the level of the spell to the DC.

Try Again?: You can try again, but doing so doesn’t cancel the effects of a previous failure. If you lost a spell, the spell is lost.
Special: You cannot take 10 or 20 on a Concentration check to trigger a Plotpoint unless you are taking 10 or 20 on the corresponding action. You cannot make a check to trigger a Plotpoint if you are already making a Concentration check for another reason, but if the result of that Concentration check is 15 or greater, you trigger a Plotpoint regardless of whether that check succeeded.

Disguise (Cha):The normal Disguise skill expands to include arcane applications, as defined below.
Disguise Self: You may use your arcane ability to muddle others’ abilities to recognize you. You may make a Disguise check to use this ability even when not actually in disguise (although you still take a -4 penalty without a disguise kit).

Check: Your disguise check result determines how good the disguise is. Make one Disguise check even if several people make Spot checks. The GM makes the character’s Disguise check secretly so that the character is not sure how well his or her disguise holds up to scrutiny.

If the character doesn’t draw any attention to him or herself, however, others don’t get to make Spot checks. If the character comes to the attention of people who are suspicious, the suspicious person gets to make a Spot check. (The GM can assume that such observers take 10 on their Spot checks.) If the Mahou Shoujo is in combat, witnesses are considered to be suspicious.

People who know what you look like automatically get to make Spot checks. Furthermore, they get a bonus on their Spot checks.

{table="head"]Familiarity | Bonus
Recognizes on sight | +4
Friend or associate | +6
Close friend | +8
Intimate | +10[/table]

Usually, an individual makes a Spot check to detect a disguise immediately upon meeting the character and every hour thereafter. If the character casually meets many different people, each for a short time, the GM checks once per hour or day, using an average Spot modifier for the group (assuming they take 10).

Try Again?: No, though the character can assume a different version of the disguise again at a later time. If others saw through the previous disguise, they are automatically treated as suspicious if the character assumes a disguise again.

Special: A Mahou Shoujo cannot take 10 or 20 on this application while threatened. This ability also applies to images or video of a Mahou Shoujo who is using this ability. Any person who actually witnesses the Mahou Shoujo using this application automatically succeeds on their Spot Check.

Time: This application may be activated or dispelled as a move action. This does not change the time needed for a normal disguise check. The GM makes Spot checks for those who encounter the character immediately upon meeting the character and again each hour or day thereafter, depending on circumstances.

Plotpoints
The Mahou Shoujo’s key characteristic is the ability to cast Plotpoints. The way a Mahou Shoujo gains spells is both chaotic and oddly predictable. There are many names for these arcane abilities: spells, powers, tricks, magics. But the older Mahou Shoujo have their own term - the Plotpoints.

Whenever a Mahou Shoujo triggers a Plotpoint (see Arcane Skills), a previously unknown arcane spell may be suggested by the player and, if approved by the GM, spontaneously cast on the Mahou Shoujo (if beneficial), or on an appropriate rival or enemy (if harmful). The spell itself does not guarantee success, but it must be appropriate to the situation. Any somatic, material, or verbal components and focuses are not required during this initial casting, but XP costs must be paid if the Mahou shoujo wishes to use the spell at that point. The player and GM may discuss which spell is the most appropriate to act as a Plotpoint, but the GM has the final say on whether or not there is a previously-unknown spell that is appropriate to the situation and which, if any, spell is chosen as the Plotpoint. Only spells that the Mahou Shoujo could actually cast (that is, spells in a level in which she has spell slots) can be triggered as Plotpoints.

A Mahou Shoujo always recognizes when a Plotpoint has occurred, and may make a Will Save (DC 10 + Spell Level) to suppress the spell’s effects. Either way, after the event she adds it to the spells she already knows. Plotpoints usually fill up slots at lower spell levels before they fill up higher level slots, but may not necessarily do so. When a Mahou Shoujo adds a Plotpoint to her repertoire, she also gives it a name or catchphrase; this becomes the “name” and verbal component of that spell.

The Mahou Shoujo is limited to casting a certain number of spells of each level per day, but need not prepare those spells in advance. The number of spells that may be cast per day may be increased by sufficiently high Charisma scores.

A Mahou Shoujo may use a higher-level slot to cast a lower-level spell. The Mahou Shoujo may spend an action point to “trade out” a known Plotpoint (losing it entirely) in exchange for a Plotpoint that is being triggered; in this fashion the Mahou Shoujo is not penalized for filling all the slots of their known spells list.

A Mahou Shoujo casting a plotpoint follows the same rules as a character casting the arcane spell on which the plotpoint is based, except that the normal verbal component of the spell is replaced by the name or catchphrase given to it by the Mahou Shoujo (Any spell that does not have a verbal component is given this component). The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Mahou Shoujo’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the Mahou Shoujo’s Charisma modifier. A Mahou Shoujo replenishes her allotment of spells by sleeping (or resting for those that do not sleep) for eight hours.

Spell List: Any existing arcane spell may be used as a Plotpoint except that Mahou Shoujo may not cast Necromancy spells.

{table="head"]Class Level | Spells | Per | Day | By | Spell | Level
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
1st | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | -
2nd | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | -
3rd | 4 | 2 | 1 | - | - | -
4th | 4 | 3 | 2 | - | - | -
5th | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | -
6th | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | -
7th | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -
8th | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | -
9th | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1
10th | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2[/table]


{table="head"]Cha Score | Bonus | Spell | Slots | By | Spell | Level
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
12-13 | - | 1 | - | - | - | -
14-15 | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | -
16-17 | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | -
18-19 | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -
20-21 | - | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1
22-23 | - | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1[/table]



{table="head"]Class Level | Plotpoints | Known | By | Level | |
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
1st | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | -
2nd | 5 | 2 | - | - | - | -
3rd | 5 | 3 | 1 | - | - | -
4th | 6 | 3 | 2 | - | - | -
5th | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | - | -
6th | 7 | 4 | 3 | 2 | - | -
7th | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -
8th | 8 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | -
9th | 8 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1
10th | 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2[/table]


Memory Blur
Each person who encounters the Mahou Shoujo asks the same question, “How can no one recognize them?” It is the magic of the Mahou Shoujo that gives the answer. The Mahou Shoujo gets a +5 bonus to any Disguise Checks used for the Disguise Self application that is cumulative with any other bonus to a Disguise check made for the Disguise Check application.

Runescribe
Starting at 2nd level, a Mahou Shoujo can create patterns of symbols she can use to store magical power. You can create a rune pattern for any spell you know. Scribing a rune pattern takes eight hours. The purchase DC for the raw materials to create a rune pattern is 10 + the rune pattern’s spell level + the rune pattern’s caster level.

The Mahou must also spend experience points to scribe a scroll. The XP cost is equal to the spell level x the caster level x the purchase DC of the raw materials.

Finally, the Mahou Shoujo makes a Craft (art) check. The DC for the check is 10 + the rune pattern's level + the caster level of the rune pattern. If the check fails, the raw materials are used up but the XP are not spent. The Mahou Shoujo can try creating the rune pattern again as soon as she purchases more raw materials.

Any rune pattern that stores a spell with a costly material component or an XP cost also carries a commensurate cost. In addition to the costs derived from the base price, you must expend the material component or pay the XP when creating the rune pattern.

When a rune pattern is created it disappears, its magical power stored within the Mahou Shoujo. A Mahou Shoujo may store one rune per class level. Casting a spell from a stored rune pattern is identical to casting a spell normally, except that the rune pattern itself appears as a flat image (in a size up to the character’s height squared) either under, behind, or in front of the character as chosen by the Mahou Shoujo when the rune pattern is created.

Bonus Feat
At 3rd, 6th, and 9th level, the Mahou Shoujo gets a bonus feat. The bonus feat must be selected from the following list, and the Mahou must meet all the prerequisites of the feat to select it.

Acrobatic, Attentive, Combat Expertise, Creative, Defensive Martial Arts, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Arcane Skills, Spell Penetration, Great Spell Penetration, Spellslinger (Prerequisite: Cha 13), Tsukai’s Trinket*, any Metamagic feat

* describes a new feat, described at the end of this chapter.

Spirtual Platpoints
By 4th level, a Mahou Shoujo starts wondering what their true purpose in life is. A Mahou Shoujo must choose between light and darkness and add it to their allegiance. Those who choose light add Cure spells to their potential Plotpoints. Those who choose darkness add Inflict spells to their potential Plotpoints. These spells take up a spell slot at the same level as the spell’s Acolyte Level

Enchanted Life
As the Mahou Shoujo gains experience in her powers, she adds appreciation and control as well. At 5th and 8th levels, you can choose one 0-level spell and one 1st-level spell that do not heal or deal damage. These spells become spell-like abilities that you can use at will. They cannot target anyone but yourself, and retain their components. The caster level of these spell-like abilities is the character’s levels in Mahou Shoujo.

Combat Casting
At 7th level, a Mahou Shoujo becomes adept at casting spells during combat. She gets a +4 bonus on Concentration checks made to cast a spell while on the defensive.

Symbol of the Tsukai
By 10th level, the Mahou Shoujo has truly come to grips with their power and has integrated it with their past, their present, and their destiny. Nowhere is this clearer than in the item that the Mahou Shoujo uses to symbolize the intertwining between her magic and herself - the Tsukai’s Trinket.

The Mahou Shoujo gains the Tsukai’s Trinket feat (see New Feats below). If she already possessed this feat, she may now select any item to use for this feat, attuning it using her own memories. Doing so overrides the feat’s normal prerequisite but takes twice as long (fourteen successful checks instead of seven)

In addition, the Tsukai’s Trinket may now be empowered to carry spells within itself, turning it into a Tsukai‘s Symbol. The Mahou Shoujo may empower a Tsukai’s Trinket with one spell of each 4th or lower spell level she knows. Imbuing a Tsukai’s Trinket in this way 12 hours x the spell level of the highest-level imbued spell. When the Mahou Shoujo empowers a trinket, she sets the caster level. The caster level must be sufficient to cast all spells in question and no higher than the Mahou Shoujo’s total class levels in all arcane spellcasting classes (Artificer, Mage, Mahou Shoujo, Techno Mage). The caster level has an effect on the purchase DC of the raw materials to empower the Trinket, the skill check to perform the process, the experience point cost to empower the Trinket, and the DC of a saving throw (if applicable) to resist the effects of the Symbol.

The purchase DC for the raw material that the Mahou Shoujo requires to empower a symbol is 18 + the level of the highest-level spell’s spell leveled stored in the Symbol + the Symbol’s caster level.

The Mahou Tsukai must also spend experience points to create a Tsukai‘s Symbol. The XP cost is equal to the highest-level spell’s spell level x the caster level x the purchase DC of the raw materials.

Finally, the Mahou Shoujo makes a Use Magic Device skill check. The DC for the check is 10 + the highest-level spell’s spell level + the caster level of the spells stored in the Symbol. If the check fails, the raw materials are used up but the XP are not spent. The Artificer can try empowering the Trinket again as soon as he purchases more raw materials.

When a Mahou Shoujo turns a Tsukai‘s Trinket into a Tsukai‘s Symbol, she makes any choices that she would normally make when casting each of the spells. A newly empowered Tsukai’s Symbol has 50 charges. When a Tsukai’s Symbol is used (the equivalent of using a wand), a number of charges are used equal to the chosen spell’s spell level (a 0-level spell uses 1 charge).

Any Tsukai’s symbol that stores a spell with a costly material component or an XP cost also carries a commensurate cost. In addition to the raw materials cost, the Artificer must expend 50 copies of the material component or pay 50 times the XP cost for each such spell when empowering a Tsukai‘s Trinket.

A Tsukai’s Symbol also retains all the abilities it had as a Tsukai’s Trinket. A Tsukai’s Symbol may not be recharged until all its charges have been expended, at which point it becomes it returns to being a Tsukai’s Trinket and the process may be repeated from scratch.

New Feat: Tsukai’s Trinket
You can attune a precious item to assist you in spellcasting.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast spells, a personal item with high sentimental value (you cannot purchase or otherwise acquire an item simply to use it for this feat).

Benefit: You can take a precious item and attune it to your magical powers. Doing so requires a week meditating on the item. This takes seven successful Concentration and/or Knowledge (arcane lore) checks, each with DC 15. Each such check takes one hour and can be made once each day. Failing one of these checks doesn’t mean the entire process is a failure, just that the previous hour has been wasted. However, if you miss a day, the process fails and you must start over (you can use the same item for future attempts if you wish).

A successfully attuned item may be used as a Focus component in the place of the Material or Focus component of any spell you cast provided that the normal component’s purchase DC is 6 or less. (A tsukai’s trinket cannot be used to substitute for a holy symbol, although an item designated by an Acolyte as a holy symbol may be attuned to become a tsukai’s trinket.)

Special: If you lose the attuned item or it is destroyed, you must wait a week before attempting to attune another item.

New Feat: Shadowfilter Spell [Metamagic]
You can modify a spell to harm creatures of Shadow, and only them.
Benefit: You may modify a spell that deals damage to deal lethal damage only to Shadowkind creatures instead. All other effects of the spell remain normal (for example, a Shadowfilter fireball may still set flammable objects ablaze).
A Shadowfilter spell uses up a spell slot one level higher than the spell’s actual level

(For those of you who have actually read this far, thank you. And yes, I will try to learn how to make better tables and indentations when I can.)

Xuincherguixe
2007-08-23, 01:37 AM
*giggles like a (magical) school girl*

mp122984
2007-09-01, 02:38 AM
It looks like my presentation wasn't very good, so I've separated paragraphs by line breaks and used bolding to help individual sections stand out. I've made a few edits as well. I hope it helps, and I'm still looking into fixing my tables.

I've decided that if I really want help with this idea (which I like), that I should explain what I was going for with several parts of it to let the readers know what I was going for. Design notes of sorts. Here are some aspects with explanations.

The Plotpoint System
One of the things I was wondering about when I was making this system was, "How would a magic user learn spells in the absence of spellfiles or spell scrolls?" The Plotpoint system was my answer: the magic would come in times of need. This not only answered the question but had the added flavor of potentially awkward activations. The individualized Verbal Component bits are rather blatantly based on the standard tradition of calling your attacks.

Actually building the Plotpoint system was difficult. I had ideas of "important struggles", etc., but I felt they were too vague. Thus, I added the Concentration application. The GM choosing a spell remains an awkward point for me, and I would greatly appreciate ideas for fixing or replacing it. The Plotpoint system remains my favorite part of this class. I've also been wondering what it might look like as a feat, and I'd appreciate any comments on it.

(Edit: Big thanks to Mewtarthio for his suggestion, which allowed me to come up with a better wording. Let me know what you think of it.)

New Feat: Learn on the Fly
You possess the inspiration and flexibility of spirit that gives you incredible potential in magic.
Prerequisite: Ability to cast spells, any Smart Hero Bonus Feat, any Charismatic Hero Bonus Feat.

Benefit: When performing an action or skill check, you may make a Concentration Check at DC 15. Failing this check also causes the action or check to fail. Success allows you to suggest a spell that the character does not know which would be of assistance in the current situation (The GM may also make suggestions and has final say on what spell is chosen, if any). If a spell is chosen, you may spend an action point to cast that spell without using a spell slot. Spells cast this way do not require verbal, somatic, material, or focus components, but any XP cost must still be paid. In order to cast a spell this way, you must be able to learn that spell normally. For example, a 3rd level Mage may only trigger 0th, 1st, or 2nd level arcane spells in this way. After a spell is triggered this way, you learn this spell and can add it to your spellbook or spellfiles later (if you use them). Spells learned this way are no different from arcane spells learned any other way.

Special: If a character with this feat has a limited number of spells they may know, they may spend an action point to “trade out” a known spell (losing it entirely) in exchange for a spell that is being triggered.

Disguise Self
Of course, one can barely mention the Magical Girl genre without the question of how no one is able to recognize them when they're using their powers. I decided on a magical version of disguise that sought to merely hide an identity, as expanded on with the Disguise Self application and memory blur.

Runescribe
Based on Spell Scroll, except that I decided to focus on the aspect of magical girls that involved symbols appearing when magic was being used. I decided to lower the purchase DC because only a Mahou Shoujo could use her own rune patterns.

Remaining Notes
-Spiritual Plotpoints is there as flavor (given that many magical girls can directly harm or heal).
-Even with the restrictions, I worry that Enchanted Life might be overpowered. I don't want to nerf it completely, but I'm not sure what new restrictions I should add.
-I really don't like having to resort to leaving Maximize Spell as the 10th level ability; it just feels unfitting. I'm trying to think of things, but any ideas on replacing it would be great. (Edit: I've thought of something: The Tsukai's Symbol. I'd like to hear what people think.)

I hope this helps explain what I was going for. I really like this class, am glad that a good number of people have read it (and that even one replied), and really would like some input on what more to do with it. Thank you for reading.

Mewtarthio
2007-09-22, 09:35 PM
Actually building the Plotpoint system was difficult. I had ideas of "important struggles", etc., but I felt they were too vague. Thus, I added the Concentration application. The GM choosing a spell remains an awkward point for me, and I would greatly appreciate ideas for fixing or replacing it. The Plotpoint system remains my favorite part of this class. I've also been wondering what it might look like as a feat, and I'd appreciate any comments on it.

Fixing the GM creation problem is simple enough: Just change the wording from "GM chooses, but the player can suggest" to "player chooses, subject to GM approval." There shouldn't be any problems unless the GM's a bigger than Superman, "I think [i]phantom bullets would be useful here. I make a Plotpoint check."
"No! You shall learn arcane graffiti!"
"But I'm fighting a bunch of heavily armed soldiers with bulletproof vests, and I'd really like to learn phantom bullets!"
"You feel a surge of power rushing through you as the words 'Anne was here' suddenly appear on the wall you're touching! Also, your shots bounce of the soldiers' body armor, and then you get killed in a hail of bullets."
"Awww... You're no fun!"
"Don't blame me, blame the magical forces that give you your power! You should have learned phantom bullets!" and there's really nothing anyone can do in that case short of OOC armed rebellion.

As to the feat... So, if the Techno Mage uses this, does he suddenly get a new spellfile? It seems a bit off. The Mahou Shoujo makes sense when she learns things this way, since she's developing her powers spontaneously, but it seems a bit illogical for people get spells through intensive study.

I suppose all this should be taken with the knowledge that I have never played d20 Modern. I can only give flavor advice here.