GURPS Magic System The following is a magic system that I've worked out. It's designed for use with GURPS, but it can be adapted for any other system; the important thing to note is that GURPS skill rolls are made on 3d6, and a Quick Contest of Skills means that both parties make skill checks, and whoever makes by the most or fails by the least wins. I'd be interested in hearing any comments people have on the system. "To summarize the summary of the summary: people are a problem" Russell Wallace, Trinity College, Dublin rwallace@vax1.tcd.ie ***************************************************************************** The first step to using magic is to acquire some magical energy. This is done by humans using the "Meditations of Power" skill. (Magic energy can also be created naturally by some life forms, and by certain powerful spells.) Subtract 10 from your skill to find the amount of energy you can acquire per day. This is also the maximum you can hold onto for any length of time; any energy over and above this drains away at the rate of 10% per minute if not used. Example: Fred the Wizard has Meditations of Power skill of 20. He hasn't cast any spells for a couple of days so he has 10 energy points. He wants to cast a spell requiring 25 energy points, so he uses a magic item to charge himself up with an extra 20; he now has 30 total. He spends a minute setting up the spell, during which time 2 points drain away and are wasted, leaving him with 28. Then he casts the spell, leaving himself with 3 points. Less than 24 hours later, he will be back up to 10 points. The Meditations of Power must be performed every so often to keep up the flow of energy. This is a constant flow, so if you are getting 10 points per day this will be one point every 2.4 hours (although for game purposes it is often simpler to just have the full amount restored overnight). If you go several days without sleep, fall into a coma etc. the flow of energy will stop until you have recovered. Magic energy can exist in two forms, "solid" and "fluid". Fluid form is when the stuff is ready for use in casting spells or whatever; it is generally acquired in this form. It requires a container of some sort (a wizard's mind, a magic storage device etc.) or it will leak away. (The effects of the latter vary; a slow leak will not be noticed, whereas the release of a large quantity in one go might create a large explosion). Solid form is the form magic energy takes when it is in a permanent spell or magic item. (A disembodied spirit might also be composed of solid-form magic energy). Fluid form is converted into solid form in the process of making a magic item. It is most usually bound into some solid object, the destruction of which will convert the solid form energy back into fluid form and release it explosively. For example, a Wand of Fireballs might have permanent spells composed of 200 points of solid form energy, and it might be charged up with another 100 points of fluid form energy for use in casting fireballs. When the latter is used up, it will have to be replaced before any more fireballs can be cast. Note that breaking the wand when fully charged will result in the explosive release of 300 points of energy! Wizards can normally transfer energy to others, and to and from items which are designed for this (though unlike a wizard, an item cannot even temporarily hold more energy than it was designed for; any excess is lost). A wizard can also dump energy into the air, thus losing it (perhaps to avoid detection by a Detect Magic spell; though the process of dumping is itself extremely conspicuous to such a spell). He can also determine by touch whether a person or object contains magical energy, and roughly how much if so. Having acquired magical energy, the next step is to figure out how to use it. This is generally done by casting a spell of some sort. Spells are grouped into five schools of magic: Life, Energy, Matter, Spacetime and Metamagic. (Metamagic spells are ones which manipulate other spells). Each school of magic is represented by a skill, and each spell is assigned a level which represents how complex and difficult to cast it is. Individual spells are too specific to be represented by separate skills, just as a computer programmer character does not have separate skills for C, Pascal, Lisp and Ada. Instead a record is kept of which spells the wizard knows. It takes a couple of hours of studying a spell from a book to learn it; henceforth the wizard will be capable of attempting to cast it, writing it down from memory etc. To cast a spell, make a skill check in the appropriate school of magic, with a bonus of 10 minus the spell's level. Failure means that the spell does nothing, but the energy cost is paid anyway. Example: Fred the Wizard wants to cast a Fireball spell. This is a Level 20 Energy Magic spell, and Fred's skill in Energy Magic is 23, so he must roll a 13 or less to successfully cast the spell. He rolls an 11, which is a success. Now, had Fred attempted to cast the more powerful Firestorm spell, which is a level 32 Energy Magic spell, he would have needed a 1 or less! This means that he cannot possibly cast it at his current level of skill, which means that he cannot learn this spell yet. A wizard can only learn spells which he has at least some chance of successfully casting. On the other hand, had he wanted to cast Light, which is a level 10 Energy Magic spell, he would have automatically succeeded: no need to roll. (Actually the situation is slightly more complex than in this example: spells like Fireball generally have to be cast in conjunction with carrier spells to place the effect at the desired point. Fail to cast the Fireball spell and you're OK, but cast Fireball and fail to cast the carrier spell, and you're toast.) The process of casting a spell generally involves speaking the Words of Power (which can be muttered quietly if necessary) and making a few hand gestures. A wizard unable to speak and/or gesture is at a -4 to cast the spell. Some spells operate continuously over a period of time. The wizard can maintain such a spell as long as he likes, with no limit on what he can do at the same time (including casting and maintaining more spells), but he must pay the indicated energy cost per second. If this is interrupted (either deliberately, or because the wizard runs out of energy), the spell is broken and must be cast again. To create a new spell, the player proposes the spell, the GM determines what school of magic it will belong to, and what casting time, energy cost etc. it will have. The character then spends a period of time ranging from a couple of weeks to many months, after which the player makes a roll to cast the spell, at -20. If this succeeds then the character now knows the spell; otherwise, he may try again as often as desired. In general, spells will require an attack roll to hit a man-sized target at a distance. For example, if a wizard wants to kill someone with a Laser Finger spell, he must roll to cast the spell, and then he must roll to hit the target; failing the latter roll means that the beam hits something else. (On the other hand, using a Fireball spell does not require a roll to get the spell into a given area, though it might require a roll to get it through a castle window.) The skill used is Beam Weapons (yes, this is the same skill used to fire a laser gun; obviously, in a typical fantasy setting, only wizards will have the skill). Skills such as Crossbow and Rifle can be used instead at -2, or DX, Bow or any Throwing skill can be used at -4. The roll is generally made at a +4 (so a wizard without any applicable skill would make an unmodified DX check); this is because laser beams, Fireball spells and the like have no recoil, travel at the speed of light and are unaffected by gravity, and are thus easier to use than projectile weapons. All spells which affect people or objects can be cast on either the caster himself, or a person or object which he is touching at the time. To touch an unwilling person for this purpose generally requires an unarmed combat attack roll; failure means that the spell is wasted. For spells which continue to operate over a period of time, the caster must continue to touch the subject for the entire duration of the spell (unless he uses a Metamagic spell to enable the first spell to continue after the touch is broken). In all spell descriptions, the word "user" refers to the person on whom the spell has been cast, even if this is not the caster. Some example spells follow: ENERGY MAGIC Light Level 6 Casting Time 1 Energy Cost 1 + 1/hour Area N/A This spell creates light of intensity up to the equivalent of a 500-watt bulb (the user can control the intensity of the light at will). Darkness Level 8 Casting Time 1 Energy Cost 1 + 1/10 minutes Area 5m radius This spell creates a globe in which all light is instantly absorbed. Even a Light spell will not do any good, because the light will be absorbed as fast as it is created. The spell will protect against a laser beam, however the energy of the light is converted into heat, so a sufficiently powerful beam could still fry the occupants of the globe. Only visible light is absorbed, so the spell does not interfere with infravision, nor does it protect against a Laser Finger spell. Infravision Level 8 Casting Time 1 Energy Cost 1 + 1/hour Area N/A This spell confers on the user the ability to see heat (the user is still able to see light as normal). Starlight Vision Level 8 Casting Time 1 Energy Cost 1 + 1/hour Area N/A This spell confers on the user the ability to perceive extremely low levels of light. It does not make any difference to the user's vision in daylight, nor does it work in total darkness, but in dim light (such as a dark night) the user can see as well as if it were full daylight. The spell adapts instantly to changes in light intensity, so does not increase the risk of being dazzled by sudden bright light. Shock Level 10 Casting Time 1 Energy Cost 1 Area N/A This spell enables the caster to deliver an electric shock to a target. The shock will certainly stun a human for at least a few seconds, and a HT check must be made to avoid having one's heart stopped. Effects on nonhuman targets vary depending on the nature of the target. Full-coverage plate armor confers immunity to this spell, as the metal will conduct the electricity to earth. Other armor may confer partial protection, at the GM's option. The spell can only be used against targets which are touched, unless a carrier spell is used. Torch Level 10 Casting Time 1 Energy Cost 1 + 1/minute Area N/A This spell causes a jet of extremely hot flame about 20 cm long to emerge from the user's finger; the flame can be used to start fires, melt soft metals, damage opponents in combat etc. Levitate Level 12 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 1 + 1/10 minutes Area N/A This spell enables the user to negate or reverse gravity for himself, at will, thus being able to float up into the air. The maximum upward velocity attainable depends on the strength of the local gravity; the user can only fall upwards at the same speed as he would normally be able to fall downwards. Temperature Control Level 12 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 1 + 1/10 minutes Area N/A This spell makes the external temperature converge towards 20 degrees Celsius for the user, by 10 degrees for every Energy Magic skill level of the caster. (This does not affect the entire area, only the part of the environment actually touching the user.) Example: Fred the Wizard, with an Energy Magic skill of 20, casts this spell and gets sprayed with liquid nitrogen at a temperature of -150 degrees. The spell can adjust this by up to 200 degrees, and since an adjustment of only 170 degrees is needed, Fred is perfectly comfortable. Fred then falls into a lava flow at a temperature of 1,000 degrees. The spell can only reduce this by 200 degrees, so the effective temperature is still 800 degrees. Bye bye Fred. The GM may rule that under certain conditions (e.g. extremes of pressure), the spell is more or less effective. Pressure Control Level 12 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 1 + 1/10 minutes Area N/A This spell can make the user comfortable under atmospheric pressures as low as zero, or as high as one atmosphere per level of Energy Magic skill of the caster. (If a scuba diver adjusts himself to 20 atmospheres, and then uses this spell, he will suddenly find himself in one atmosphere of pressure with no time to adjust, and may die of the bends.) Laser Finger Level 14 Casting Time 1 Energy Cost 1 + 1/10 seconds Area N/A This spell causes a high-intensity infrared laser beam to emerge from the user's finger; the user can then aim it at targets. The beam is powerful enough to disable or kill (depending on the location hit) one person per second, regardless of armor worn; or it can inflict painful burns on five unarmored people per second, or two armored people per second. The beam is visible in air because it ionizes air molecules. It can be switched off at will while maintaining the spell, but the intensity cannot be reduced. Mirror Shield Level 16 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 1 + 1/minute Area 2m radius This spell creates a spherical shell which reflects all incoming electromagnetic radiation of any frequency; this includes light, radiated heat, radio waves, X-rays and gamma rays (but not alpha particles, beta particles, cosmic rays or neutrons). A laser beam striking the shield will bounce off, with a good chance of hitting the firer. The shield does not interfere with outgoing radiation, nor does it impede matter or spells. Obviously it is impossible to see out through the shield (even with infravision) so the spell is best used in conjunction with other means of perceiving objects outside. Fireball Level 16 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 2 Area 10m radius This spell creates an explosion with a radius of 10 metres. The explosion is similar to a Fuel Air Explosive device in that it has both blast and incendiary effects. People and other objects inside the 10 metre radius are destroyed, and people for another 5 to 10 metres outside that are liable to be knocked down, stunned, hit by flying debris etc. However, the blast is too diffuse to be useful against heavily armored vehicles, reinforced concrete buildings etc. Blast Level 16 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 2 Area N/A This spell creates an explosion, which differs from a Fireball spell in that all the force is concentrated into one point. Incendiary effects are minor, and people up to 10 metres away are liable to be injured or killed by the blast. However, the main use of the spell is to destroy heavily armored targets; it is capable of destroying a tank or concrete bunker. Fly Level 16 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 1 + 1/minute Area N/A This spell enables the user to move at will in any direction. The maximum acceleration attainable is 3g, i.e. 30m per second per second (unlike in the case of the Levitate spell, this is constant, unaffected by the strength of the local gravity). This means that in addition to himself, the user can lift no more than twice his own weight (assuming of course that he is physically strong enough to lift even this much!). Globe of Force Level 18 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 1 + 1/minute Area 2m radius This spell causes a spherical, invisible shell of force to appear, centred on the user's body. The globe is an absolute barrier to all matter, in both directions (though it can be broken down by pressures sufficient to collapse atoms, such as obtain in the centre of a nuclear explosion). It does not interfere with light or magic spells at all. The spell does not violate the law of conservation of momentum; pushing on the globe will apply force to the user's body. The globe is anchored in all the atoms of the user's body; thus, setting off a 10-ton bomb just outside the globe will throw the user tens of yards, but will not harm him. (Other people who happen to be inside the globe at the time, however, may very well be harmed by the impact, even though the shock wave and debris cannot reach them.) Conversely, the user can use the globe to push things around, though the amount of force which he can exert depends on his own strength. Remember, however, that the surface is totally frictionless, and therefore things will tend to slide off it. If the user is standing on level ground, nearly half of the globe will be below the surface, and thus will slice away a hemisphere of rock or earth which will occupy the bottom of the globe. This means that the globe cannot be moved without lifting this hemisphere, which is going to be very heavy; the user certainly cannot walk, and will require extremely powerful magic to be able to fly (although he will not have to hold the weight with his own strength; remember, force exerted on the globe cannot harm him). Also, since the inside of the globe is frictionless, a heavy offcentre weight inside it may tilt the hemisphere to one side. If the user was in mid-air at the time the globe was created, and then allows it to rest on the ground, the result will be similar to a giant hamster ball, with the occupants helpless to move (except by telekinesis or suchlike), but the globe can be pushed fairly easily by anyone outside. These disadvantages have been overcome in the Improved Globe of Force spell. The globe is impermeable to liquids and gases, and thus will exclude poison gas, hold air against vacuum, and allow the occupants to survive at the bottom of the ocean. However, after a couple of hours or so the occupants will run out of air to breathe; given the energy cost of the globe, this is unlikely to be relevant in practice. Anything the globe intersects at the time of formation is automatically sliced in two, unless it is protected by some sort of anti-magic defense (even if the target himself has a globe of force up, it will not protect him, except perhaps by keeping his attacker out of range). However, it is not usually practical to use this feature as an offensive weapon in combat, because of the difficulty of getting the range exactly right at the moment the globe goes up. Exoskeleton Level 18 Casting Time 5 Energy Cost 1 + 1/minute Area N/A This spell creates an invisible exoskeleton of pure force around the user. The exoskeleton is permeable to liquids and gases, but is impervious to solid objects both ways. It follows the form of the user's skin; thus, clothes, weapons etc. are outside it. It will stop swords, arrows and bullets; however, an explosive shell will penetrate it. The exoskeleton adds 50 to the user's strength; because it is controlled by the nerve impulses which control the user's own muscles, it can be used even with a broken arm (but not with the arm missing or the nerves damaged). The exoskeleton will conform itself automatically to the user's form, whether human or not, as long as it is at least roughly human-sized. Telekinesis Level 20 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 1 + 1/minute Area N/A This spell enables the user to move objects at a distance, by force of will. The maximum force which can be exerted is equal to the square of the caster's Energy Magic skill, in kilograms; thus, a wizard with a skill of 20 could use this spell to lift 400 kilograms. This spell allows the law of conservation of momentum to be violated; thus, the user can use it to lift himself. An object to be moved must be visible and no more than 1,000 metres distant. Firestorm Level 22 Casting Time 5 Energy Cost 5 Area 50m radius This spell creates a ring of fire which sweeps inwards until within half a seconds a circular lake of fire is formed, giving a visual effect similar to the napalm bombing scenes from the Vietnam War. This lasts for two seconds and incinerates people and other objects within the area (note that fires started by the spell may last much longer than two seconds). It will not generally destroy heavily armored targets. Unlike Fireball, this spell can only be used on the ground, not in mid-air. Improved Globe of Force Level 24 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 1 + 1/minute Area 2m radius This spell is similar to Globe of Force except that the user has much greater control over the globe's properties. He can open and close circular holes in the field (only one at a time, though), and this can be used to turn off the section which would otherwise lock into the ground, thus enabling the user to walk along the ground. He can lower the entire globe while still maintaining the spell, and raise it again instantly when desired (thus making it a viable offensive spell), and even lock the globe's momentum with all occupants (only when the entire globe is up, though), thus making everyone in the globe invulnerable to impact (this creates an environment of free fall within the globe). Nuke Level 40 Casting Time 30 Energy Cost 100 Area N/A This spell triggers thermonuclear fusion in a small quantity of material which contains hydrogen; a bucketful of water will do. The resulting explosion can be up to 1 kiloton per skill level of the caster, but never less than 1 kiloton. Where a carrier spell is used (as is normally advisable) the material to be fused must be placed at the desired point of detonation. (It is common to use a person at the target as the material for fusion). LIFE MAGIC These spells deal with living creatures and other complex systems. The versions given are generally specific to humans or carbon-based life forms; other versions could be designed to be specific to, say, silicon-based life forms, or even computers. All Life Magic spells require a Quick Contest of Skills between the target's HT and the caster's Life Magic skill, if the target does not want to be affected. Diagnosis Level 12 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 1 Area N/A This spell allows the caster to examine a target and determine everything there is to know about the target's physiology, including what species the target is, what if any diseases and injuries he is suffering from, whether he has any mechanical implants (though not necessarily their function) etc. It will not detect magical curses etc. (though it may detect their effects). Stun Person Level 14 Casting Time 1 Energy Cost 1 Area N/A This spell will stun one carbon-based life form of not much larger than human size. Larger creatures will not be affected. Hypnosis Level 14 Casting Time 1 Energy Cost 1 Area N/A This spell will affect one human or humanoid life form. The target will believe that the caster is his friend, and that anything he says is likely to be true (provided what the caster says is within the bounds of reason; obviously false statements will not be believed, and will provide occasion for another Quick Contest of Skills). The target cannot be persuaded by means of this spell to do anything totally against his nature, such as killing himself. If caster cannot successfully communicate with the target (e.g. they speak different languages) the target will still believe that the caster is his friend. Kill Person Level 16 Casting Time 1 Energy Cost 1 Area N/A This spell will disrupt the metabolism of, and thereby kill, one carbon-based life form, of not much larger than human size. Larger creatures will only be stunned. Heal Person Level 16 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 1 Area N/A This spell will heal the injuries of one carbon-based life form of not much larger than human size (larger creatures will only have one part of the body healed, which may be adequate if they are only injured in one place). Even fatal injuries can be healed, e.g. an arrow through the heart (although the arrow must be pulled out first!). However there are limitations: If the brain is destroyed, nothing can be done (this will happen if the brain is deprived of oxygen for a few minutes, or if it is physically destroyed by an injury). Missing organs, limbs etc. will not be regenerated, though the spell will reattach limbs (including a head!) placed against the stump when the spell is cast. The spell will not attach a limb from another person in place of a lost limb, unless the other person is a clone or identical twin. The spell will also cure disease and purge the body of poisons, drugs etc. (even benificial drugs; the spell can't tell the difference). It will reverse the effect of a Kill Person spell. Telepathy Level 16 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 1 + 1/hour Area N/A This spell allows the user to communicate with a known or visible target by mind-to-mind contact. The target gets a +20 bonus to resist attempts to read his mind if he is unwilling. Soul Rider Level 16 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 1 + 1/hour Area N/A This spell allows the user to share the senses of a known or visible target; he sees through the target's eyes, hears what the target hears etc. (This includes the benefit of any spells such as Infravision). The target gets a +10 to resist this. If the attempt is successful, the user's body appears to be asleep while the user is connected with the target. If the target dies while under control, the shock will stun the user for a few seconds as well as returning him to his own body. The user can choose to relinquish the connection and optionally try to connect with someone else at any time while the spell continues. The spell does not enable contact with the target's mind. Regenerate Level 20 Casting Time 4 Energy Cost 2 Area N/A This spell is similar to Heal Person, except that it will also regenerate missing body parts. Remote Control Level 20 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 1 + 1/hour Area N/A This spell allows the user to take over the body of a known or visible target and use it as if it were his own. The target gets a +20 to resist this. If the attempt is successful, the user's body appears to be asleep while the user is controlling the target. If the target dies while under control, the shock will stun the user for a few seconds as well as returning him to his own body. The user can choose to relinquish control and optionally try to take over someone else at any time while the spell continues. The spell does not enable contact with the target's mind, nor use of his skills. Mass Hypnosis Level 24 Casting Time 10 Energy Cost 10 Area 100m radius This spell is similar to Hypnosis except that it will affect all individuals in a large crowd who can see the caster and hear what he is saying. It will not work unless the caster and targets are physically in the same place. Mass Stun Level 24 Casting Time 10 Energy Cost 10 Area 100m radius This spell will have the effect of the Stun Person spell over a wide area. Mass Death Level 26 Casting Time 10 Energy Cost 10 Area 100m radius This spell will have the effect of the Kill Person spell over a wide area. Mass Healing Level 26 Casting Time 20 Energy Cost 10 Area 100m radius This spell will have the effect of the Heal Person spell over a wide area. Mass Regeneration Level 30 Casting Time 40 Energy Cost 20 Area 100m radius This spell will have the effect of the Regenerate spell over a wide area. Mind Virus Level 40 Casting Time 30 Energy Cost 10 Area N/A This spell allows the caster to attempt to plant an idea in someone's mind, in similar fashion to the Hypnosis spell. If the spell is successful, it will install itself in the target's mind. The target will then attempt to convince everyone he meets of the idea (unless the circumstances obviously preclude this, such as in the middle of a fight). Each time this happens, the new target makes a Quick Contest of Skills between his HT and the original caster's Life Magic skill. If this fails, the spell replicates itself into the new target's mind, and he in turn becomes a source of infection. If the target succeeds in resisting the effect, he is not aware that there was magic involved (unless he has magical means of detecting this). Subsequent attempts may be made on the same target, but the target has a +4 to resist the second attempt, a +8 to resist the third attempt etc. Bonuses may be granted or penalties imposed depending on how predisposed the target would be to believing the idea. The magical persuasion will not work over an artificial means of communication, the vector and target must be physically face to face. MATTER MAGIC Create Air Level 14 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 1 + 1/10 minutes Area N/A The user of this spell will find himself breathing pure air even when the ambient atmosphere is unbreathable (e.g. underwater). However, the spell will not do anything about external conditions of temperature and pressure, nor will it protect against contact poisons. Create Water Level 14 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 1/10 litres Area N/A This spell can create up to 1 litre of pure water per level of Matter Magic skill of the caster. Durability Level 16 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 1 + 1/hour Area N/A This spell intensifies the atomic bonds in an item of material, giving it 10 times its normal strength, and also making it resistant to corrosion, fire etc. The amount of material affected can be up to 1 kilogram per skill level of the caster. Duplicate Level 20 Casting Time 5 Energy Cost 1/10kg Area N/A This spell allows the caster to duplicate one object, of mass no greater than 10 kilograms per level of Matter Magic skill. The duplication is not accurate on the molecular level, so any attempt to duplicate a living creature will simply create a corpse. If a magic item is duplicated, the physical object will be duplicated but the magic will not be. The original object to be duplicated must be physically present. Synthesize Level 26 Casting Time 5 Energy Cost 1/10kg Area N/A This spell allows the caster to create matter from nothing; the object or objects created may not total more than 10 kilograms of mass per level of Matter Magic skill. The object must be something that the caster understands and is familiar with, and it must also actually exist in the universe in which the synthesis is attempted, e.g. a wizard from a high-tech universe in a low-tech universe could not synthesize a machine gun because none exists in that universe; a low-tech wizard in a high-tech universe could not synthesize one because he does not understand how it works (though he could learn, and then synthesize one). The spell is not able to create extreme, unstable states of matter; e.g. you cannot use it to create 100 kilograms of material from the centre of a star (which would be at a temperature of tens of millions of degrees and therefore instantly cause a nuclear explosion). This spell can be used to perform the function of the Duplicate spell. However, it is not accurate at the molecular level, so any attempt to synthesize a living creature will simply synthesize a corpse. Note that there is nothing to stop a wizard creating gold and gems with this spell, so these things will no longer be usable as currency in a world where this spell is in use. Improved Duplicate Level 30 Casting Time 5 Energy Cost 1/10kg Area N/A This spell is similar to Duplicate except that it is accurate enough to be used on living creatures. Note that a duplicate of a wizard will not have any magical energy stored (though will be as capable as the original wizard of acquiring some). Improved Synthesize Level 36 Casting Time 5 Energy Cost 1/10kg Area N/A This spell is similar to Synthesize except that it is accurate enough to be used to synthesize a (copy of) a living creature. (Living creatures are too complex to be made up to order; the spell can only be used to create a copy of an existing creature.) Synthesize III Level 40 Casting Time 5 Energy Cost 1/10kg Area N/A This spell is similar to Improved Synthesize except that it can be used to create matter in any state. SPACETIME MAGIC Levitate Level 12 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 1 + 1/10 minutes Area N/A This spell enables the user to negate or reverse gravity for himself, at will, thus being able to float up into the air. The maximum upward velocity attainable depends on the strength of the local gravity; the user can only fall upwards at the same speed as he would normally be able to fall downwards. Fly Level 16 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 1 + 1/minute Area N/A This spell enables the user to move at will in any direction. The maximum acceleration attainable is 3g, i.e. 30m per second per second (unlike in the case of the Levitate spell, this is constant, unaffected by the strength of the local gravity). This means that in addition to himself, the user can lift no more than twice his own weight (assuming of course that he is physically strong enough to lift even this much!). Far Sensing Level 16 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 1 + 1/hour Area N/A This spell allows the user to see and hear things happening at any known or visible location; the use of this spell cannot be detected at the far end except by magic. The user gains the benefit of any spells such as Infravision which he may also be using. Telekinesis Level 20 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 1 + 1/minute Area N/A This spell enables the user to move objects at a distance, by force of will. The maximum force which can be exerted is equal to the square of the caster's Energy Magic skill, in kilograms; thus, a wizard with a skill of 20 could use this spell to lift 400 kilograms. This spell allows the law of conservation of momentum to be violated; thus, the user can use it to lift himself. An object to be moved must be visible and no more than 1,000 metres distant. Teleport Level 24 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 2 Area N/A This spell enables the caster to teleport to any location which he can currently see or where he has been before. The caster may teleport a total of 10 kilograms of material (including himself) per level of Spacetime Magic skill, but he must be touching any other people or objects he wants to teleport. Any material previously occupying the space into which the caster teleports, ends up in the space the caster just vacated. The spell cannot be used to break atomic bonds, e.g. you can't teleport someone's head 10 metres to the left while leaving his body where it is. The caster will have the same velocity relative to his general surroundings on exit as he had when he started. This means that if you teleport to the other side of the world, you will not come out moving at Mach 2 because of the planet's rotation. However, if you teleport out of a car moving at 50 miles per hour, you will still be moving at 50 miles per hour relative to the ground. Exoteleport Level 28 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 2 Area N/A This spell is similar to Teleport, except that the caster need not teleport himself, and need not be touching objects to be teleported; however, they must be visible, and no more than 1,000 metres distant. (They can end up at any distance, however.) Raise Dead Level 28 Casting Time 10 Energy Cost 5 Area N/A This spell will restore one dead person to life, by altering the fabric of reality to cancel out whatever killed him. The person will appear in front of the caster, with all memories intact up to the point of his death, and his corpse, if still reasonably intact, will disappear from wherever it currently is. However, the target will not have any clothing, equipment or whatever that he had at the time of death, nor any stored magical energy. Stasis Field Level 28 Casting Time 5 Energy Cost 5 Area Up to 2m radius This spell stops time within the area of effect. The area (which may be of any shape, within the size limit) takes on the appearance of a perfect mirror. Nothing short of a Nullify spell, or being dropped into a black hole, can harm it. If the caster is himself within the stasis field, the field becomes self-sustaining and will persist unchanged forever, unless it is opened from outside; the way to do this is to cast another statis field around it, which will cancel out the inner one, and then turn off the outer one. Undo Level 34+ Casting Time 10 Energy Cost 20+ Area N/A This spell will change the fabric of reality to undo the effect of something, normally some disaster that the caster wishes to retroactively prevent. The GM should assign point cost and difficulty level depending on the size of the event involved. (This is essentially a more general version of the Raise Dead spell.) Nullify Level 38 Casting Time 5 Energy Cost 1 + 1/10 seconds Area 1m radius/skill level of caster This spell causes everything within the area of effect to cease to exist. The area (whose centre may not be a distance of more than 20 times its radius from the caster) appears as a sphere of perfect blackness; if cast in air, a tornado-force wind will blow into it from all directions. The caster can move the sphere at will at a speed of up to 3 times its radius per second. Nuke Level 40 Casting Time 30 Energy Cost 100 Area N/A This spell teleports material from the centre of the nearest star, creating an explosion of up to 1 kiloton per skill level of the caster, but never less than 1 kiloton. For the spell to work, there must be a star at a distance of no more than 10 million kilometres per skill level of the caster. Alter Reality Level 44+ Casting Time 10 Energy Cost 80+ Area N/A This spell will alter reality in any way that the caster desires, within limits imposed by the caster's skill and available energy. The GM should assign point cost and difficulty level depending on what the caster wants to do. METAMAGIC This school of magic has spells for, among other things, making magic items. This generally involves casting various specialized spells on an object. The object must be specially designed for the purpose; the GM decides the details of this, but generally the more powerful the item will eventually be, the more extreme the requirements. Example: A Wand of Fireballs is made of wood with a core consisting of a single diamond. The outside is carefully engraved with thin wires made of various metals: silver, platinum, palladium, iron, in an intricate design. The spells it contains are: two Battery spells to store the energy required, one Effector spell coupled with a Fireball spell to generate the fireballs, another Effector spell coupled with a Carrier spell to carry the fireballs to the target, and a Durability spell coupled with two Permanence spells to make the wand more difficult to break; the consequences of its breaking would be a) expensive and b) extremely dangerous to anyone nearby. If the wand were to be self-recharging, one or more extra Permanence spells would be needed for this. Detect Magic Level 8 Casting Time 1 Energy Cost 1 + 1/hour Area N/A This spell confers on the user the ability to see magical energy. A wizard with stored energy will appear to be surrounded by a glowing halo; the more energy, the brighter the halo. Magic items will appear to glow; the casting of a spell will appear as a brilliant flash of light. The spell cannot see through solid material. Magic Shield Level 16 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 1 + 1/minute Area 2m radius This spell creates a spherical shell centred on the user, which blocks all magic going inwards. (This means among other things, that a Detect Magic spell cannot be used from within it). Only specialized spells designed for puncturing such shields have a chance of penetrating it. Note that there is a limit to what such a spell will stop; for example, it will not protect against a Laser Finger spell, because the laser beam is not itself magical. Item Shield Level 16 Casting Time 10 Energy Cost 1 + 1/hour Area N/A This spell provides the benefit of a Magic Shield for an item; commonly used to protect magic items from spells like Destroy Magic. It has an open band for recharging and discharging the item. Puncture Shield Level 16 Casting Time 1 Energy Cost 1 Area N/A This spell, when cast in conjunction with a Carrier spell, will attempt to get the Carrier spell, together with the payload spell, through a Magic Shield. A Quick Contest of Skills between the casters of the Magic Shield and Puncture Shield spells determines whether this succeeds. Carrier Level 16 Casting Time 1 Energy Cost 1 Area N/A This is the basic spell for using magic at a distance. Cast before another spell, it can cause the other spell to take effect at any point which is visible, not blocked by solid matter and at a distance not greater than 10 metres per level of Metamagic skill of the caster. Spell Shield Level 16 Casting Time 1 Energy Cost 1 Area N/A This spell, when cast with a Carrier spell, supplies the entire package with the benefits of a Magic Shield until the target spell goes off. Commonly used to defeat Suppress Magic spells. Suppress Shield Level 16 Casting Time 1 Energy Cost 2 Area N/A This spell, when cast at a Magic Shield or similar spell, will attempt to suppress the shield. Each second a Quick Contest of Skills determines whether the shield was suppressed for that second. Destroy Magic Level 20 Casting Time 5 Energy Cost 10 Area N/A This spell will attempt to destroy all solid form magical energy in the area of effect, by converting it back into fluid form. A Quick Contest of the Metamagic skills of the casters of the Destroy Magic and the target spells, determines whether this succeeds. A Magic Shield will exclude this spell. Suppress Magic Level 20 Casting Time 5 Energy Cost 1 + 1/10 minutes Area N/A This spell will prevent the casting of any spells in the area of effect, whether by a wizard or by an item. A Magic Shield spell will exclude it, thus enabling spells to be cast inside the shield to take effect outside, e.g. Laser Finger. However, spells still cannot be carried outside the shield, e.g. Fireball, unless a Spell Shield spell is used. A spell can be cast on one side of a Suppress Magic area, *through* the area, to take effect on the other side. Battery Level 22 Casting Time 10 Energy Cost 45 Area N/A This spell, cast on an item, creates a structure capable of storing magical energy. A Battery spell consists of 30 units of magical energy in solid form, and can store up to 1 unit per skill level of the caster. Lock Level 22 Casting Time 10 Energy Cost 30 Area N/A This spell, when cast in conjunction with an Effector spell, requires anyone using the item to think a code sequence (specified by the caster of the Lock spell) before the Effector spell will work for them. A Lock spell consists of 20 units of solid form magic energy. Permanence Level 24 Casting Time 10 Energy Cost 60 Area N/A This spell, cast on an item, can create a structure within that item capable of supplying a continual stream of energy to another spell. A Permanence spell consists of 40 units of magical energy in solid form, and can supply energy at a rate of 0.1 unit per day per skill level of the caster. Multiple Permanence spells can be used on the same target spell. Effector Level 24 Casting Time 10 Energy Cost 45 Area N/A This spell, when cast in conjunction with another spell which has instant effect, enables the other spell to be cast on telepathic command by the person holding the object the spells are bound into. One or more Battery spells must be provided to power the payload spell. An Effector spell can cast a payload spell in one second, regardless of its normal casting time; furthermore, two or more Effector spells casting payload spells that work with each other (such as Carrier and Fireball) can cast both of them in a single second; thus, a wand of fireballs can be used once per second. An Effector spell consists of 30 units of magical energy in solid form. Analyze Magic Level 26 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 1 Area N/A This spell, when cast on a magic item or other solid form magic, will provide a "circuit diagram" of the whole thing, including complete listings of all the spells involved. An Item Shield or similar spell will defeat it. Disassemble Magic Level 30 Casting Time 2 Energy Cost 1 Area N/A This spell, if in operation during the casting of any other spell (it has to be casting, not continued operation), will take a snapshot "disassembly" of that spell, thereby giving the wizard the details of that other spell. It won't work through a Magic Shield (in either direction).