The Magic Whitepaper

MAGIC

Context-generating beings in the fifth epoch live a life constrained by substance and form. The weight of the past. The structures of order move all around them encasing them, restricting them, changing them.

These are barriers to the expression of will. Will is not naturally expressed in this world.

One is merely flung along the currents of predictability and causality that were initiated in the Third Epoch.

In order to express Will directly one must channel one of the five powers. There are two basic levels of Power and then three higher levels. The higher levels come in two flavors or styles: Divine or Magical

(1) Natural Magic

(2) Racial / Internal Magic

(3) Sorcery/Thaumaturgy/Wizardry <-> Gifts/Clericry

(4) Fate magic/Wild magic <-> Avatar/Incarnate/Dreaming

(5) Draconic/Eldar/God Magic

Once channeled this Will must then be shaped, patterned, and directed. Each power has constraints, limitations and particular strengths available to it.

Schools of study have formed around particular ways to channel the powers. Some of them are recognized as magic, others are not.

PLAY MECHANICS

A: Power

Before a character can utilize magic they need to be able to penetrate the veil of the world. They need to channel the power to them, or touch the source of the power so they can utilize it and manipulate it in some way.

Therefore the skill any user of magic needs is a skill labeled as a A: name of power skill. This skill costs twice as much as any skill to go up in, and acts as a filter skill for the magic being performed. It can be a Divinity Factor (DVF) skill (referred therefore as the skill DA: X Power) or a Spell Casting Factor (SCF) skill (referred to therefore as SA: X Power) depending on how you use your skill of touching a source of power and accessing it.

In order to utilize a magic skill higher than the appropriate A:power skill one must successfully roll the A:power skill to touch the power. Once your chance with A:power goes to 100% or higher you no longer need to roll and it is assumed you can access it.

The A:power skill has a weapon speed of 10 counts. If the skill you are utilizing is less than the A:power skill then you are assumed to be successful in accessing the power. It still takes you the 10 counts to touch the power, which can be sped up. The embrace can be held for DRV + RANK in A:counts before it must be re-generated. It costs 1 MEN to touch the source of power.

Drawing Spell Points

In BT v6.x: one draws spell (the measure of strength or power in a particular magical application) at SCF/5 per count. One always had draped about one SCF/2 in spell in a cloud one could access immediately. You can always use your POW(Power) at 1 POW for one spell.

NOTE: This assumes the standard Manna Level. The Manna Level/10 is multiplied to the draw rate. The standard manna level is assumed to be 10 so it is usually not considered. This will remain true in this change as well. You may consider Manna Level to be the thickness of the veil of the world in the area you are in.

Under this change: One uses MEN(Mental Endurance) at RANK in A: Appropriate Power/2 per count. Each MEN creates a different number of spell depending on the type of A:power and the Manna Level.:

Second Power: 1 MEN = 1 SPELL

Third Power: 1 MEN = 2 SPELL

Fourth Power: 1MEN = 5 SPELL

Fifth Power: 1 MEN = 10 SPELL

Remember: The Manna Level /10 adjusts the above numbers but Manna Level shifts are rare.

One would have "at hand immediately" spell equal to A: Appropriate Power*2. You can always use your POW at one POW per 5 spell.

TO BE NOTED: A major subtle change described therein will have a profound impact on BT 6.x mages: M: spells are no longer SCF. They are now INF.

The First Power: Natural Magics

Natural magics are so common we don't think of them as magic. You could call this the power of natural physics.

(1) Life itself: Instantiating substance and form with soul and animation. Animating a body with life. Being born is an example (Death is a natural magic virus)

(2) Nature itself: Instantiating Substance with animation. Growth is an example (Decay is a natural magic virus)

(3) Elemental Life: The expression of will through elemental substance

(4) Perception/Vision: The capacity to interface with the world is a function of the first power.

All living things naturally channel the First Power. No skill is required. The very nature of our animation is such that every heartbeat draws the first power forth. The Dal-Kon concept of KI and the Dorian concept of Internal Power are both First Power functions.

Required Skills:

(1) Skill of some sort

NOTE: A: First Power is not required- it comes with being a living thing

The Second Power: Racial/Internal Magics

(1) Racial Magic: The preternatural capacities and skills granted by virtue of the shape and attributes one shares with one's race. Dwarven sense of where they have been is an example. (Requires belonging to a racial type)

(2) Craft Magic: The creation of a weapon or item of great craftsmanship that is far superior to an ordinary item of its type.(requires a certain level of skill in crafting or in the skill itself{8 or higher minimum}

(3) Alchemy: The alteration of substance and form with the infusion of will

The skill "KI Focus" probably translates into the skill A: Second Power (KIF skill). No A: skill is required though for the use of Second Power skills

Ghosts and other souls that are no longer instantiated need to actively channel their will and animate as a function of a skill in A: Second Power.

The Third Power

The Magical Third Power

There are three major types of SA: Third Power skills:

(1) Thaumaturgy: locking and unlocking the power in substance and form.

(2) Sorcery: the direct, minimally patterned application of will to the world.

(3) Wizardry:

Sorcery

Every race has a set of expressions of this that can be found on the sorcery table. If you do not know what your race's table is use the standard table which is based on humans.

Witches, Warlocks, and Sorcerers usually operate at this level. It is not uncommon to find people with natural skills in this.

Average cast time of a S:skill: 10 counts, average difficulty: +0 (see tables)

Required Skills:

(1) SA: Third Power no mods, generates 2 spell per 1 MEN (SCF skill)

(2) S: Sorcery skill of some sort (SCF skill)

Wizardry

Wizardry is the application of patterns and extra-worldly power to cause complex and powerful alterations in the fabric of substance, form and/or soul.

This begins to be complex and cannot be described simply.

Average cast time of a M:skill: 20 counts, average difficulty: -30 (see specific skill descriptions)

NOTE: There are nested hierarchies here. There are grand rituals called invocations which could take days and generate thousands of points and have difficulties in the 100s. It is a sliding scale. The above is for a basic bottom-level spell.

Required Skills:

(1) SA: Third Power, DF: -30, generates 2 spell per 1 MEN; (SCF skill)

(2) W: Wizardry school or General skill of some sort (SCF skill)

(3) L: Casting/Ritual language of some kind associated with your W: or M: (INF skill)

(4) R: Rune set associated with your W: or M (SCF skill)

(5) M: Spell of some kind (INF skill)

The Divine Third Power

There are two major types of DA: Third Power skills:

(1) Gifts: a skill accessed/granted to the character via the higher power they are interfaced with

(2) Clericry: channeling the will of the higher power one is interfaced with via patterns and rituals

Gifts

Shaman, Paladins, Mystics, and Heralds usually operate at this level

Gifts are granted typically (with certain GM sanctioned exceptions) as a function of the level of the Summon Divine Aid skill the character has . Every odd level starting at RANK one allows the character to have another Gift skill.

Gift skills are +1 Success Level at all times and never critically fail.

Average cast time of a G:skill: 5 counts, average difficulty: +0 (see specific skill)

Required Skills:

(1) DA: Third Power no mods, generates 2 spell per 1 MEN (DVF skill)

(2) D: "Some Higher Power" (or SELF) (DVF skill)

(3) G: Gift skill of some sort (DVF skill)

Clericry

Clericry is the channeling of patterns and extra-worldly power to cause complex and powerful alterations in the fabric of substance, form and/or soul.

This begins to be complex and cannot be described simply. :)

Average cast time of a P:skill: 30 counts, average difficulty: -10 (see specific skill descriptions)

NOTE: There are nested hierarchies here. There are grand rituals called High Rituals which could take days and generate thousands of points and have difficulties in the 100s. It is a sliding scale. The above is for a basic bottom-level spell.

Required Skills:

(1) DA: Third Power, DF: -30, generates 2 spell per 1 MEN; (DVF skill)

(2) D: "God"/"Self"/"Higher Power" skill of some sort (DVF skill)

(3) L: Ritual/Holy Language of some kind associated with your Higher Power or P: (INF skill)

(4) P: Holy Ritual of some kind (INF skill)

The Fourth Power:

The Magical Fourth Power

There are two major types of SA: Fourth Power skills:

(1) Fate Magics Utilizing the altering of context to shape the reality of the world through disciplined application of patterns and word.

a. Discipline I: The alteration of one attribute of something. The change is permanent but extremely localized and malleable (-100)

b. Discipline II: The creation of a space of reality where new boundary conditions are set and a defined interface exists between the new space and the aggregated reality.(-150)

c. Discipline III: The creation of a Discipline II change that is propagated throughout the agreement reality and becomes instilled and defended by the shared context as a truth.(-300)

(2) Wild Magics: Utilizing the altering of context to shape the reality of the world through applied will and focus

This is new territory- I am not sure what to do with it.

Average cast time of a F:skill: var counts, average difficulty: -100 (see specific skill descriptions)

Required Skills:

(1) SA: Fourth Power, DF: -60, generates 5 spell per 1 MEN (SCF skill)

(2) W: Discipline I, Discipline II, or Discipline III or Alter Reality (SCF skills

(3) F: Fate or Wild Spell some kind (SCF skill)

The Divine Fourth Power

There are two major types of DA: Fourth Power skills:

(1) Avatar/Incarnate Magics Penetrating the veil of the world in such a way that the Higher Power can be clearly expressed through the medium of the wielder

(2) Dreaming: Penetrating the veil of the world and being centered sufficiently in ones self that one no longer is bound by the contextual framework inside of which you had been operating.

This is new territory- I am not sure what to do with it.

Average cast time of a I:skill: var counts, average difficulty: -60 (see specific skill descriptions)

Required Skills:

(1) DA: Fourth Power, DF: -60, generates 5 spell per 1 MEN (DVF skill)

(2) SDA: God/Higher Power/Self (DVF skills)

(3) I: Avatar/Incarnate/Dreaming skill of some kind (DVF skill)

The Fifth Power: Creation Magic

This is not clear- will be about :

Dragons (Word?)

Greater Gods (Will?)

Eldar (Way?)

Required Skills:

(1) A: Fifth Power, DF: -120, generates 10 spell per 1 MEN

(2) L: Dragon Speech/Speech of Creation/True Speech???

(3) SKILLS????? Maybe none? Not clear...