Aniikinis
2020-08-16, 03:34 AM
So, I had an idea earlier and, after a bit of figuring out the broad strokes, decided to write it down. Most of this comes from the scroll rules, but the activation condition is basically a tweaked wand. I wanted a simplistic system that could allow for a form of scroll that can be used by any character with a wide variety of possible effects. Depending on some setting elements I'm still fleshing out, I might just remove scrolls altogether and replace them with these, or at least make scrolls rarer. I'm also tempted to allow for Eternal Wands Cards as well, though maybe to allow for a bit of a higher cap on effect level depending on the strength of the system itself.
My main problem right now is figuring out the cost, since it should absolutely cost a lot more than a scroll as it can be used by basically anyone.
EDIT: Added rules for variable effects and special rules for summoning effects.
Spell Cards
A spell card is an effect (such as a spell, ritual, power, mystery, invocation, incantation, summoning effect, or other sort of effect) that has been stored as an image, mathematical, or other graphic form on a specially prepared card. An effect on a card can be used only once. The power and form of the card is used up when the spell is activated. Using a card is basically like casting a spell.
Physical Description
A card is a thick, heavy slip of specially prepared sheet (or multiple sheets pressed together) of fine vellum, high-quality paper, metal, gemstone, or another possible writing or etching platform. An area about 2 3/4ths inches wide and 4 3/4ths inches long (about the size of an average tarot card) is sufficient to hold the effect. The sheet is reinforced along the sides with strips of firm material (usually leather but other materials have been seen) acting as a hem. A spell card cannot hold more than one effect. A card has AC 6, 1 hit point, hardness 0, and a break DC of 6.
To protect it from wrinkling or tearing when not in use, a card is placed within a specially made sleeve. The card is placed in a case of ivory, jade, leather, metal, or wood that is capable of holding many such cards. Most cases are able to hold between 10-15 cards but some larger ones can hold far more. Most card cases are inscribed with magic symbols which often identify the owner or the spells stored on the cards inside. The symbols often hide magic traps.
Activation
To activate a card, the user must access the effect written on it. Doing so involves several steps and conditions.
Decipher the Writing
The graphic on a card must be deciphered before a character can know exactly what spell it contains. This requires a read magic spell or a successful Spellcraft, Psicraft, Martial Lore, or other skill (as determined by the effect in question) (DC 20+Effect Level).
Deciphering a card to determine its contents does not activate its effect unless it is a specially prepared cursed card. A character can decipher the writing on a card in advance so that he or she can proceed directly to the next step when the time comes to use the card. However, unlike with scrolls and similar to wands, the user does not actually need to read the spell or effect contained within to activate it, merely requiring them to use the card itself, allowing for a character without magical ability to use magic through the card even if they do not or cannot know what effect the card holds.
Activate the Card
Activating a card requires a simple command to be taken while in the user's hand, as with a wand. The character must be able to act and/or speak to use the card. Activating a card effect requires no material components or focus. (The creator of the card provided these when scribing the card.) Note that some effects are effective only when cast on an item or items. In such a case, the card user must provide the item when activating the effect. Activating a card effect is subject to disruption just as casting a normally prepared spell or similar effect would be. Using a card is not affected by arcane spell failure chance even if the effect in question is arcane. It is possible to activate a card blindly by making an appropriate UMD check, though the risk tends to outweigh the reward.
The action required to activate the card and use the effect is the same as the action it would be to use the effect in question. A spell that takes a standard action to cast would take a standard action to activate and use while a maneuver that requires a swift action would only take a swift action to activate and use.
Determine Effect
An effect successfully activated from a card works exactly like the effect prepared and used the normal way. Assume the card effect’s level is always the minimum level required to cast the effect for the character who enscribed the card (usually twice the effect’s level, minus 1), unless the scribe specifically desires otherwise.
The card and the inscription therein then crumbles to dust or otherwise becomes destroyed after being used.
Cards with Variable Effects
If a card has a variable effect, such as a Summon Monster, Astral Construct, or Polymorph spell, all possible variables are decided upon the inscription of the effect upon the spell. The exceptions to this rule are effects such as Reality Revision, Wish, Lesser Wish, Miracle, Genesis, Bend Reality, and Shapechange.
Summoning Effects
When inscribing a card with an effect similar to summon monster or summon nature's ally you may, instead of choosing a creature that would be summoned normally by the effect, choose a non-unique creature you are familiar with within the CR limits for the level of the effect. If you decide to use a creatures from a lower CR category, use a number of extra creatures to the summoning effect equal to 1d3+1 if it is a single category lower and increase the die size and modifier by one step for each category further down, capping at d8 and adding extra dice each step thereafter. For example, if a level 9 effect were to use a creature from the level 8 category it would instead use 1d3+1 of them but if it chose to use a creature from the level 3 category it would use 3d8+6 and if it instead used a creature from the level 1 category it would use 5d8+8 of those creatures.
The CR categories are as follows
Base Range
Level
CR range
1
CR 1 or less
2
CR 2-3
3
CR 4-5
4
CR 6-7
5
CR 8-10
Epic Range
Level
CR range
6
CR 11-13
7
CR 14-16
8
CR 17-20
9
CR 21+
Scribe Card [Item Creation]
Prerequisite
At least one level in any manifesting, casting, initiating, invoking, binding, or any such class.
Benefit
You can create a card of any spell that you know of level 5 or lower. Scribing a card takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. The base price of a card is its spell level × its caster level × 75 gp. To scribe a card, you must spend 1/25 of this base price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half of this base price.
Any card 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 scribing the scroll.
Special
Even though the text in the feat specifies spells and caster levels, this can be used for any similar type of effect such as invocations, maneuvers, stances, psionic powers, shadow mysteries, and similar effects alongside their respective effect levels.
Craft Themed Card Case [Item Creation]
Prerequisite
Scribe Card, Craft Wondrous Item, Level 6
Benefit
You can create a spell card case that grants special bonuses to all cards within as long as they all share a descriptor or theme, drawn from a spell chosen during the creation of the case. Creating a themed card case takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. The base price of a themed card case is its spell level × its caster level × 120 gp. To create a themed case, you must spend 1/25 of this base price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half of this base price.
The effect is applied to all cards within the case and is added upon the card's own effect. If a card that does not fit the theme is placed within the case, the bonus is nullified for the duration of time the card is within it and for 1d10 hours afterwards.
Special
Even though the text in the feat specifies spells and caster levels, this can be used for any similar type of effect such as invocations, maneuvers, stances, psionic powers, shadow mysteries, and similar effects alongside their respective effect levels.
Scribe Eternal Card [Item Creation]
Prerequisite
Scribe Card, level 8
Benefit
You can create an eternal card of any spell that you know of level 2 or lower with a maximum caster level of 4. Scribing an eternal card takes one day for each 500 gp in its base price. The base price of an eternal card is its spell level × its caster level × 100 gp. To scribe a card, you must spend 1/25 of this base price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half of this base price.
Any card 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 scribing the scroll.
Unlike normal cards, eternal cards are not expended upon use and are able to be used an unlimited number of times per day.
Special
Even though the text in the feat specifies spells and caster levels, this can be used for any similar type of effect such as invocations, maneuvers, stances, psionic powers, shadow mysteries, and similar effects alongside their respective effect levels.
Scribe Complex Card [Item Creation]
Prerequisite
Level 12, Scribe Card, two other item creation feats
Benefit
You can now create cards that have multiple effects when the card is used. When crafting a card in this manner you must decide if all of the effects are activated at once or if only one is used upon activation but with multiple possible effects. If the effects are activated at once, you must decide the order in which the effects activate when the card is crafted and increases the base price by an additional (spell level x caster level x 150 gp) for each effect after the first. If the effects are chosen upon activation, the base price increases by (spell level x caster level x 200 gp) for each effect after the first.
The total level of all spells within the crafted card cannot exceed the max level you can craft.
Special
Even though the text in the feat specifies spells and caster levels, this can be used for any similar type of effect such as invocations, maneuvers, stances, psionic powers, shadow mysteries, and similar effects alongside their respective effect levels.
Epic Scribe Card [Item Creation]
Prerequisite
Level 21, Scribe Card, three other item creation feats
Benefit
You can now create cards with spells of level 6 to level 9.
Special
Even though the text in the feat specifies spells and caster levels, this can be used for any similar type of effect such as invocations, maneuvers, stances, psionic powers, shadow mysteries, and similar effects alongside their respective effect levels.
Deific Scribe Card [Item Creation] [WIP]
Prerequisite
Level 31, Epic Scribe Card, Epic Spellcasting feat
Benefit
You can now create cards with spells of levels higher than 9.
Special
Even though the text in the feat specifies spells and caster levels, this can be used for any similar type of effect such as invocations, maneuvers, stances, psionic powers, shadow mysteries, and similar effects alongside their respective effect levels.
My main problem right now is figuring out the cost, since it should absolutely cost a lot more than a scroll as it can be used by basically anyone.
EDIT: Added rules for variable effects and special rules for summoning effects.
Spell Cards
A spell card is an effect (such as a spell, ritual, power, mystery, invocation, incantation, summoning effect, or other sort of effect) that has been stored as an image, mathematical, or other graphic form on a specially prepared card. An effect on a card can be used only once. The power and form of the card is used up when the spell is activated. Using a card is basically like casting a spell.
Physical Description
A card is a thick, heavy slip of specially prepared sheet (or multiple sheets pressed together) of fine vellum, high-quality paper, metal, gemstone, or another possible writing or etching platform. An area about 2 3/4ths inches wide and 4 3/4ths inches long (about the size of an average tarot card) is sufficient to hold the effect. The sheet is reinforced along the sides with strips of firm material (usually leather but other materials have been seen) acting as a hem. A spell card cannot hold more than one effect. A card has AC 6, 1 hit point, hardness 0, and a break DC of 6.
To protect it from wrinkling or tearing when not in use, a card is placed within a specially made sleeve. The card is placed in a case of ivory, jade, leather, metal, or wood that is capable of holding many such cards. Most cases are able to hold between 10-15 cards but some larger ones can hold far more. Most card cases are inscribed with magic symbols which often identify the owner or the spells stored on the cards inside. The symbols often hide magic traps.
Activation
To activate a card, the user must access the effect written on it. Doing so involves several steps and conditions.
Decipher the Writing
The graphic on a card must be deciphered before a character can know exactly what spell it contains. This requires a read magic spell or a successful Spellcraft, Psicraft, Martial Lore, or other skill (as determined by the effect in question) (DC 20+Effect Level).
Deciphering a card to determine its contents does not activate its effect unless it is a specially prepared cursed card. A character can decipher the writing on a card in advance so that he or she can proceed directly to the next step when the time comes to use the card. However, unlike with scrolls and similar to wands, the user does not actually need to read the spell or effect contained within to activate it, merely requiring them to use the card itself, allowing for a character without magical ability to use magic through the card even if they do not or cannot know what effect the card holds.
Activate the Card
Activating a card requires a simple command to be taken while in the user's hand, as with a wand. The character must be able to act and/or speak to use the card. Activating a card effect requires no material components or focus. (The creator of the card provided these when scribing the card.) Note that some effects are effective only when cast on an item or items. In such a case, the card user must provide the item when activating the effect. Activating a card effect is subject to disruption just as casting a normally prepared spell or similar effect would be. Using a card is not affected by arcane spell failure chance even if the effect in question is arcane. It is possible to activate a card blindly by making an appropriate UMD check, though the risk tends to outweigh the reward.
The action required to activate the card and use the effect is the same as the action it would be to use the effect in question. A spell that takes a standard action to cast would take a standard action to activate and use while a maneuver that requires a swift action would only take a swift action to activate and use.
Determine Effect
An effect successfully activated from a card works exactly like the effect prepared and used the normal way. Assume the card effect’s level is always the minimum level required to cast the effect for the character who enscribed the card (usually twice the effect’s level, minus 1), unless the scribe specifically desires otherwise.
The card and the inscription therein then crumbles to dust or otherwise becomes destroyed after being used.
Cards with Variable Effects
If a card has a variable effect, such as a Summon Monster, Astral Construct, or Polymorph spell, all possible variables are decided upon the inscription of the effect upon the spell. The exceptions to this rule are effects such as Reality Revision, Wish, Lesser Wish, Miracle, Genesis, Bend Reality, and Shapechange.
Summoning Effects
When inscribing a card with an effect similar to summon monster or summon nature's ally you may, instead of choosing a creature that would be summoned normally by the effect, choose a non-unique creature you are familiar with within the CR limits for the level of the effect. If you decide to use a creatures from a lower CR category, use a number of extra creatures to the summoning effect equal to 1d3+1 if it is a single category lower and increase the die size and modifier by one step for each category further down, capping at d8 and adding extra dice each step thereafter. For example, if a level 9 effect were to use a creature from the level 8 category it would instead use 1d3+1 of them but if it chose to use a creature from the level 3 category it would use 3d8+6 and if it instead used a creature from the level 1 category it would use 5d8+8 of those creatures.
The CR categories are as follows
Base Range
Level
CR range
1
CR 1 or less
2
CR 2-3
3
CR 4-5
4
CR 6-7
5
CR 8-10
Epic Range
Level
CR range
6
CR 11-13
7
CR 14-16
8
CR 17-20
9
CR 21+
Scribe Card [Item Creation]
Prerequisite
At least one level in any manifesting, casting, initiating, invoking, binding, or any such class.
Benefit
You can create a card of any spell that you know of level 5 or lower. Scribing a card takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. The base price of a card is its spell level × its caster level × 75 gp. To scribe a card, you must spend 1/25 of this base price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half of this base price.
Any card 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 scribing the scroll.
Special
Even though the text in the feat specifies spells and caster levels, this can be used for any similar type of effect such as invocations, maneuvers, stances, psionic powers, shadow mysteries, and similar effects alongside their respective effect levels.
Craft Themed Card Case [Item Creation]
Prerequisite
Scribe Card, Craft Wondrous Item, Level 6
Benefit
You can create a spell card case that grants special bonuses to all cards within as long as they all share a descriptor or theme, drawn from a spell chosen during the creation of the case. Creating a themed card case takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. The base price of a themed card case is its spell level × its caster level × 120 gp. To create a themed case, you must spend 1/25 of this base price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half of this base price.
The effect is applied to all cards within the case and is added upon the card's own effect. If a card that does not fit the theme is placed within the case, the bonus is nullified for the duration of time the card is within it and for 1d10 hours afterwards.
Special
Even though the text in the feat specifies spells and caster levels, this can be used for any similar type of effect such as invocations, maneuvers, stances, psionic powers, shadow mysteries, and similar effects alongside their respective effect levels.
Scribe Eternal Card [Item Creation]
Prerequisite
Scribe Card, level 8
Benefit
You can create an eternal card of any spell that you know of level 2 or lower with a maximum caster level of 4. Scribing an eternal card takes one day for each 500 gp in its base price. The base price of an eternal card is its spell level × its caster level × 100 gp. To scribe a card, you must spend 1/25 of this base price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half of this base price.
Any card 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 scribing the scroll.
Unlike normal cards, eternal cards are not expended upon use and are able to be used an unlimited number of times per day.
Special
Even though the text in the feat specifies spells and caster levels, this can be used for any similar type of effect such as invocations, maneuvers, stances, psionic powers, shadow mysteries, and similar effects alongside their respective effect levels.
Scribe Complex Card [Item Creation]
Prerequisite
Level 12, Scribe Card, two other item creation feats
Benefit
You can now create cards that have multiple effects when the card is used. When crafting a card in this manner you must decide if all of the effects are activated at once or if only one is used upon activation but with multiple possible effects. If the effects are activated at once, you must decide the order in which the effects activate when the card is crafted and increases the base price by an additional (spell level x caster level x 150 gp) for each effect after the first. If the effects are chosen upon activation, the base price increases by (spell level x caster level x 200 gp) for each effect after the first.
The total level of all spells within the crafted card cannot exceed the max level you can craft.
Special
Even though the text in the feat specifies spells and caster levels, this can be used for any similar type of effect such as invocations, maneuvers, stances, psionic powers, shadow mysteries, and similar effects alongside their respective effect levels.
Epic Scribe Card [Item Creation]
Prerequisite
Level 21, Scribe Card, three other item creation feats
Benefit
You can now create cards with spells of level 6 to level 9.
Special
Even though the text in the feat specifies spells and caster levels, this can be used for any similar type of effect such as invocations, maneuvers, stances, psionic powers, shadow mysteries, and similar effects alongside their respective effect levels.
Deific Scribe Card [Item Creation] [WIP]
Prerequisite
Level 31, Epic Scribe Card, Epic Spellcasting feat
Benefit
You can now create cards with spells of levels higher than 9.
Special
Even though the text in the feat specifies spells and caster levels, this can be used for any similar type of effect such as invocations, maneuvers, stances, psionic powers, shadow mysteries, and similar effects alongside their respective effect levels.