RPG/Spells

Using Magic

Just about everyone here learns to use magic at some point or another. The fact that the word magic is part of the school’s name should serve as testament to that. Using magic is different for each facet, and is described on their specific page.

Elements

There are ten different elements in which spells can be described. Each spell has one or more element, and may be modified to have more. Here is a description of each element:

Fire: Magic that tends to cause fires which may deal extra damage rounds after it has been cast. Spells with the element of fire are opposite of water-based spells. Fire magic can also produce smoke or steam, which can obscure the battlefield. Mages who specialize in fire magic are assumed to be rash and hotheaded, with a penchant for destruction.

Water: Magic that changes the battlefield, makes weapons harder to see, and obscures vision. Water spells are opposed by fire-based magic. Water spells also often use coldness to create ice, which is great for freezing enemies in their tracks. Water mages are seen as introverted and stalwart.

Earth: Magic that alters the land itself, able to hinder movement or change terrain as necessary. Earth magic is opposite wind. In addition to messing with the ground, Earth magic helps plants grow and thrive, and can even call upon them for assistance. Earth mages are assumed to be one with nature, or, to put it in less friendly terms, hippies.

Wind: Magic that tends to hit multiple targets with invisible gusts of air or allows movement through the sky as easily as one walks along the ground. The opposite element of Earth. The entire sky is the realm of the Wind mage, and they can illicit powerful lightning storms. Wind mages are described by most as flighty and whimsical.

Light: Magic that illuminates an area, reveals hidden objects or enemies, or blinds enemies. Light spells are opposite sound-based spells. Some of the light spells help a mage with their speed, or are simply cosmetic spells that change the look of other spells. Light mages are stereotyped as being obsessed with appearance and neatness.

Sound: Magic that carries through the air to multiple targets, shakes apart objects with vibrations, and overpowers mages’ ability to concentrate. Opposite of light magic. Sound spells are impressive, like stage productions, and their mages tend to put on a show for anyone who might be watching, even if it’s only their target.

Purity: Magic that heals targets, purifies areas, and calls down holy power to enhance one’s abilities or punish the wicked. Opposite of entropy magic. Often seen as the ultimate good element, purity mages are blessed with reputations that precede them for goodness and happiness.

Entropy: Magic that takes advantage of natural chaos, causing targets to break down, people to become confused and act erratically, and luck to enhance. Opposite of purity magic. Entropy spells are unpredictable, and oftentimes so are the mages that cast them.

Mind: Magic that affects a target’s mind, either enhancing it, degrading it, or changing it entirely. The element opposite of body magic. Many of the mind spells are taboo, and those who specialize in them are not received in the warmest of fashions, as there are many who are scared of losing their identity to them. It’s worthy of note that a lot of these spells have “permanent” effects, with a N/A duration. These spells can be cured with another casting of the same spell by a mage wishing to fix the problem (Even ones like memory block), or they can be removed by the student’s self-repair system when they sleep that night. In either of these cases, whether to change back is the choice of the target.

Body: Magic that affects the target’s body, empowering or weakening it, or in some cases giving it a new shape altogether. Opposite of mind magic. Body mages can have a playful yet (hopefully) harmless sadistic streak that shows in their penchant for random transformations. These transformations can be reversed, at the choice of the student, by a reverse-casting or a night’s sleep, like with the similar mind spells.

Opposes	Opposed
Body	Mind
Earth	Wind
Entropy	Purity
Fire	Water
Light	Sound
Mind	Body
Purity	Entropy
Sound	Light
Water	Fire
Wind	Earth

Spells

The details of each spell are as follows:

MP: The MP cost to cast the spell. When the spell is successfully cast, reduce your character’s MP by this amount. You may cast a spell that costs more MP than your character has available. If your character falls below 0 MP, they’ll suffer from mental exhaustion (see page 47). This cost is also used to determine what spells your character can cast based on their level.

Cost: This is what the spell costs to buy in a store. Some facets must pay this cost once, some must pay it every time, some must pay fractions each time they cast, and others may not have to pay at all. It all depends on the facet itself, but this is the base cost of the spell, before modifications.

Difficulty: This is how hard it is for a mage to cast the spell. When the mage makes a casting roll, as described in each facet’s special abilities section, this is the number they must beat with that roll in order to cast the spell. If they fail, they do not waste any components in the spell or any of the spell’s cost, but they do waste any actions it took to cast the spell. In addition, for every 2 points the casting roll is over the difficulty, add 1 point to the DC of the Oppose roll.

Oppose: If you’d rather not suffer the effects of the spell but are being targeted, whether or not you’re casting the spell yourself, you must beat the oppose number with a nonskilled roll of the stat that appears before the number. If you fail, you’re hit by the spell. Some spells you may want to get hit by. In this case, you may choose to fail automatically. Opposing a spell does not take an action. Remember, 1 point is added to this number for every 2 points the casting roll is over the DC. It's harder to avoid spells by a powerful mage, after all. Most characters by default have a means of rolling more than one die for most oppose rolls based on their disposition. How many dice they roll is listed with the disposition, and other abilities, effects and advantages can increase this further, but unless stated otherwise, the roll to oppose a spell always takes the highest die rolled, rather than the total.

Range: How far out you can target the spell. This is represented in feet, and is usually in multiples of 5, which is great, considering mini scale puts 5 feet to one inch. The range also may be “touch”, in which case the caster must be touching the target (within 5 feet), or the caster themselves, in which case the spell isn’t being cast on anyone else anytime soon.

Targets: How many people can be hit by the spell. It’s most likely either 1, or everyone in an area. The area is centered around the square chosen by the mage that’s within the range of the spell (see above). Spells with an area of effect given as a single number, such as 15', hit everything within that radius from the targeted square. Spells with an area of effect given as multiple numbers, such as 10'x10', hit everything within a polyomino area matching the given dimensions with the targeted square being one of the squares in the polyomino and each square in the polyomino being 5'x5'.

Damage: How much damage the spell does to its targets. Some spells heal; those have a negative number listed.

Duration: How long the spell lasts. Usually, it’s in rounds. A round represents ten seconds of time.

Boosting: Most spells can be boosted, or have their attributes improved, by increasing their MP and material costs and difficulty. The rules for doing so are described in the Boosting Magic section. A boosted spell is considered a different spell altogether for the purpose of learning and preparation.

Unique Boost: While most spells can be boosted using the boosting rules, some spells have unique boosting functions, as well. A spell that can be boosted in this way has a section in its description labeled "Unique Boost" in which the mechanics unique to the spell are described. Like with other forms of boosting, each boosted spell is considered a unique spell that must be learned or prepared separately. However, in order to learn or cast a uniquely boosted spell, the caster must also have learned and be able to cast the regular version of the spell. General boosting effects can be applied to uniquely boosted spells, as well, though all costs of doing so are applied after the unique boost costs.