Magic

Using Magic

Characters with a Mage attribute of 1 or higher have access to spells. Spells can be found or bought. These spells must first be transferred to a character's personal spell book before they can be used. To cast a spell from the book, the character has to make a roll versus the DL or the spell. If successful, his mana pool is reduced by the amount listed for the spell.

Magic implement

A character who wants to focus on magic usually owns a magic implement. This may be a staff, gauntlet, ring, or a similar piece of equipment. Magic implements are used to store spells that the magic user can later cast without having to spend any mana from his personal pool. Magic implements have to be charged with mana before they can be used and that mana pool is then used to power spell cast from it. As long as it is powered it also grants a thaumaturgy bonus equal to its level. An implement can hold 10 mana per level of the item. Powering the implement is expensive though. For each mana stored in the implement, the caster has to spend two from his personal pool. Implements may be charged in multiple sessions.

A character can only store spells he knows in a magic implement. The stored spell remains in the implement until replaced. A magic implement can store spells up to its level. A level 3 implement may store one 3rd circle spell, but it may also be used to store one 2nd circle and one 1st circle spell or three 1st circle spells.

Mana regeneration

A character gets back his full mana pool for a good night's sleep and receives mana equal to his Mage attribute for one hour of meditation. Magic potions may also regenerate mana.

Casting Spells

In order to cast spells a character needs at least Mage level 1. The thaumaturgy skill is helpful, but not necessary, especially if the character wants to use only a few simple spells. The range of all spells is the line of sight if the spell description does not say otherwise.

Spells are divided into four circles. Spells of the 1st circle are the easiest and less powerful, while 4th circle spell are considerably more powerful and need more skill to be cast.

A caster that wears armor needs to add the AP of the armor worn to the mana cost.

Mana burning

A spell caster may choose to burn additional mana to improve the spell's effects. Each level of mana burn costs half the initial mana cost and raises the spells DL by one. The effects of the mana burn are listed with each spells description. Please note that you have to use mana from your personal pool for mana burning even if you cast a spell from an implement.

Sustaining spells

Usually all spells have a certain duration or cause an instant effect. But there may be cases when a caster wants to sustain a spell over longer periods of time. If a spell can be sustained, it's listed in the spells description. In order to sustain a spell over longer period of time, the caster has to concentrate which penalizes all of his actions by a modifier of -1. The mana cost for sustaining the spell is listed with the spell's description.

Variant: Warrior, Rogue, & Scholar

Magic is very common in WR&M. Everyone with a Mage attribute value of 1 or higher can cast spells. If you want to run a more low-magic game, you can make the following changes:

The Mage attribute is replaced by the Scholar attribute. All skills that used Mage before now use the Scholar attribute. This is a purely cosmetic change, so if this isn’t that important to you, you can of course stick to the Mage attribute.

In order to cast spells a character needs to buy a new talent called “Spellcaster” which gives access to 1st circle spells. Spell casting works as usual, although you are restricted to basic spells when you start with a new character. All other talents that affect your magic abilities (like Blood Mage) need Spellcaster as a prerequisite now. When the character levels up, he can acquire “Advanced Spellcaster” which grants him access to the remaining spell circles.

This optional rule allows low-magic campaigns. By disallowing the Spellcaster talent you can even play without any magic at all.