Spell Rules

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Spell Rules
Terminology
Term Name:	Spellcasting
Description:	Characters can cast magical spells or rituals using magic items, consumables or their own 'Power'. Spells can have a wide variety of effects.
Abbreviation or Synonyms:	Magic, Spells
Rule Type:	Gameplay

Magic is a very broad term. It can refer to spells, rituals, items, even a damage type. This page will discuss how the mechanics shared by these things work before getting into detail about how to cast spells specifically.

Magic and Spells

The word magic can mean several things in Novitas. Spells are magical abilities characters have learned how to bring about. Different characters cast spells in different ways, but certain requirements must always be met to cast them. Rituals are generally mystical pieces of paper with arcane writing on them. Characters can precisely follow the instructions given on a ritual to create a particular effect. Spells can also be imbued into a variety of different items to change how they are cast.

A spell is a practice of magic commonly understood by many characters in the world. Each spell does something specific and the effects are the same no matter who is performing it or how they perform it. All over the world, spells are identical.

There are 7 schools of magic: Aegis, Battle, Compulsion, Enchantment, Nature, Necromancy, and Restoration. The schools have themes to the effects they produce. Each school has 10 spells. Spells all have a level from one to five, and each school has exactly 2 spells at each level.

Characters learn spells like other skills, and then use their own magic power points (which are also learned as a skill) to perform the spell. This is the most common form of magic use.

An item or rule that lets you cast a 'Prismatic Spell', allows you to choose which spell it casts based on the criteria listed (generally any spell of a certain level, sometimes a spell of a particular school).

Casting Requirements

The basics of all spell casting follow one set of guidelines. Some items types will add some additional rules specific to those item types.

For a character to cast a spell they must: know the spell, have enough power points available to cast the spell, and have a free hand. If all of these criteria are met they may proceed to casting the spell.

Spell Knowledge

A character knows a spell if they have spent the skill points to learn it. Alternately a character can have access to a spell through a rod or a tome.

Many magic items also cast spells. A character can cast spells out of any item they are attuned to without needing to know the spell, and the item will provide the necessary power to cast. These items do not teach the spell; if a character wants to cast the spell separately from the item they need to have spent the skill points to have learned it.

Power Points

Cast a spell costs its level in power points to cast. Power points are a skill characters can learn, and some items can provide extra power points as well.

Characters can never spend more than 20 magic power points in a single game day. Attempting to do so causes the character to gain an unpreventable Torso Wound condition as the magical energies tear the character apart. This will also cause the spell casting to fail. Abilities that grant characters power points that break cap do not count against this limit.

Some abilities and rules allow characters to pay fewer power points to cast a spell. This cannot bring the spell's cost to 0 power points unless the source explicitly says that it does. Abilities that reduce power point costs do not stack unless they explicitly say they do.

Free Hands

A character must have a free hand to cast a spell. Hands are considered free if there is nothing held in that hand and the attached arm has free unrestricted movement. You must be able to fully raise your hand and can't hold anything between your arm and your body. Worn gear never hinders casting by itself (such as armor and passive bucklers).

When using an item to cast a spell if that item is not worn on your body you must have it in hand, in which case it does not count against your hand being 'free'.

If the target of the spell being cast is an object the caster has in hand, that does not count against your hand being 'free'.

Characters with two Arm Wound conditions cannot cast spells.

Casting Spells (Incantations)

If you've met the requirements, you are now ready to cast the spell. To cast a spell you must speak an incantation. Spells have no fixed incantations. Each character is free to come up with their own schema for how they want to represent the magic they can perform. Incants do not need to be spoken word. They can be sung, chanted, or role-played in other ways.

There are still some requirements for a proper incantation. Incantations must be spoken loudly and clearly enough that players standing 10 feet away will know that a spell has been cast. An incantation also requires a minimum of 8 words, which must include the name of the spell being performed. You may not bluff one spell and then cast a different one (such as by putting multiple spell names into the incantation). The incantation must clearly convey EXACTLY what you are casting. You may not make the incantation gibberish, or attempt to work it into a conversation. It must be both clear that you are casting and what you are casting.

Interrupting Incantations (Failing to Cast)

If an incantation is partially finished and the player performing it gets hit by any attack (even if that hit is fully prevented) the spell is interrupted. The assumption here is that even if you are immune to a fire, it is still disruptive to be engulfed in flames. Pausing in the middle of an incantation for more than a moment will also cause the incantation to be interrupted.

When this happens, nothing is lost (such as power points or item charges), but the incantation must be restarted from the beginning.

Written Incantations

Whenever working with a magic item that includes a written incantation, it must be performed exactly as written. Even if the incantation is something that can be memorized you must still roleplay reading the text from the paper using enough light to be able to read the document.

If a ritual or tome is not written in Common you must also be able to speak the language to use it. Scrolls only require the read magic skill to use them, they are never written in alternate languages.

'No Incant' or 'At Will' Abilities

Some abilities say they are 'at will' or require 'no incant'. These terms mean the same thing. In either case an incantation is not needed to cast the spell. All other criteria of spell casting must still be met.

When you cast a no incant spell you must still announce the spell as you perform it so others know what is happening. Call out the spells name aloud as if it were a standard call.

'Throw a tag bag for <Call>'

When an ability says to throw a tag bag for a particular call it doesn't need to be cast (even if the call normally comes from a spell), you simply take a tag bag and throw it while making that call.

Spell Results

Having successfully performed the incantation the spell resolves, having its effect on the world. You spend the power points required to cast the spell at this time (or destroy the consumable used, expend charges from an item, etc).

Spells follow the normal rules for effects regarding if they stack or not. They also use the same definitions of traits like duration and flag requirements.

Each spell has a range you can use it at. This tells you how the spell (or spell producing item) is directed to its target. You are not required to be able to see your intended target to cast a spell.

• Self: A spell with a range of self can only benefit the caster. When a scroll is made from a spell with a range of self, only someone who knows that spell can use that consumable. Other items that perform a spell with a range of self can be used by anyone.
• Touch: A touch effect is delivered to a willing or Helpless target by touching them.
• Tag Bag: A spell with tag bag range is delivered via throwing a tag bag at an opponent.

• Any spell that creates tag bags gives the character 1 minute to throw those tag bags. At the end of the minute any tag bags generated, but not thrown, are lost.

A spell's target is who or what the spell is cast upon. For example: You can't cast Magic Lock to magically lock a person, only objects that can be opened and closed.

A spell can be identified as a 'buff' spell if it has a range of touch or self AND does not require the target to be Helpless.

Whenever one character casts a buff spell on another character the second character may always voluntarily choose to reject that spell's effect. When they do this they should announce 'No Effect!'. Any power points or consumables used to cast the spell are still consumed.

Remember especially with new players you may need to explain what a spell does, be patient. For offensive spells the explanation is generally taken care of by the calls used. However you may still need to break character for a moment to explain more complicated effects.

References

Spell Durations

Using Flags

Stacking Effects

Ending Spells Early

Spell Listing

Aegis Spells

Battle Spells

Compulsion Spells

Enchantment Spells

Nature Spells

Necromancy Spells

Restoration Spells

Categories: Gameplay Rules | Spell and Item Rules | Power Points

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