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Learning Spells
Learning Spells
New spells, rituals, or alchemical preparations can be learned by studying spell formulae or finding some mentor (either a spirit or another Awakened individual) to teach you. Some magicians may be lucky enough to have a library of collected scrolls and grimoires passed down from previous generations. They also could have an Awakened family member teach them a new spell.
For the rest of the Awakened, there are online communities such as SpellSource and Magicknet that hold collections of formulae submitted from various traditions. These networks are generally supported by one or more corporations, meaning that in order to use it, you’ll need have a legal SIN and a license to practice magic. Or good fakes. Established magicians sometimes work in the grey area of teaching unlicensed magicians, picking up a little extra nuyen by passing on knowledge to someone not quite as experienced.
If you want to learn alone, you can buy a spell formula. If you want a living, breathing teacher, they usually charge around (Influence skill x formula cost) nuyen - expensive, but usually worth every bit of the jing you spend. Either way, you’ll need a magical lodge of your own tradition. Once you have access to a magical lodge and either a formula or a teacher for the spell you want, you’re ready to try to learn the spell.
Make a Learning test, which is a (Sorcery or Enchanting, depending on the type of formula) + Intuition test. The time you need to learn the spell is equal to 12 days divided by the number of hits you get. If you have a teacher, they can make an Instruction test to add extra dice to your Learning test.
All injury modifiers apply, as do distractions from sustaining spells, poor conditions, and so forth. If your formula or teacher is of a different tradition than you, you take a –4 penalty to the Learning test. While learning the spell, you must devote 8 hours of each day to studying it, otherwise you fail and must start all over. If you get no hits on the Learning test, you fail. If you do end up failing, no Karma is spent but any money you spent on instruction is gone.
Formulae
Formulae
Ritual Spellcasting Formula
Combat Spell Formula
Detection Spell Formula
Health Spell Formula
Illusion Spell Formula
Manipulation Spell Formula
Availability
Availability
3 (Legal)
3 (Legal)
3 (Legal)
3 (Legal)
3 (Legal)
3 (Legal)
Cost
Cost
¥1,000
¥2,000
¥500
¥500
¥1,000
¥1,500
Casting Spells
Casting Spells
Casting a spell has three primary steps:
1) Adjust The Spell
1) Adjust The Spell
2) Roll The Spellcasting Test
2) Roll The Spellcasting Test
3) Deal With The Drain
3) Deal With The Drain
Adjust The Spell
Adjust The Spell
The maximum number of adjustments that can be made is equal to Magic or Sorcery, whichever is higher.
Amp Up: This is for Combat spells only. For each point of base damage the caster wants to add to a Combat spell, increase the Drain of that casting by 2. Base damage for magical spellcasting is the user's (Magic) rating.
Increase Area: Area-effect spells have a base effect of a sphere with a 2 Meter radius. For each increase of 2 Meters in the radius of the area of effect, increase the Drain of the casting by 1.
Shift Area: This can only be done with certain area-effect spells. The caster can shift the area a sustained spell is affecting to another area within spell range. Spells that can have the area shifted are noted in the spell description. This requires a Minor Action and can be done any time. It does not cause drain.
Roll The Spellcasting Test
Roll The Spellcasting Test
The Spellcasting test is (Sorcery + Magic). The number of hits needed and/or the opposed roll are described in the individual Spell Descriptions.
Deal With The Drain
Deal With The Drain
Each spell has a Drain Value, which may be increased by any adjustments the caster makes.
The caster rolls Willpower + their tradition attribute (Logic for hermetic mages, Charisma for shaman) and compares the hits on the test to the Drain Value of the cast spell.
If the hits are equal to or greater than the Drain Value, the drain has no effect.
If the Drain Value is higher than the hits, the caster experiences Stun damage equal to the difference between hits and Drain Value.
If the damage after the Drain Resistance Test is higher than the caster's Magic, the damage becomes Physical.
Drain damage cannot be healed by magic or medkits.
Sustained Costs
Sustained Costs
Magic is wearying and requires concentration, so if you are trying to keep a spell running while doing other things, there will be a price to pay due to the concentration and energy spent maintaining the spell. Whenever a spellcaster is sustaining the spell, they take a -2 Dice Pool Penalty penalty to any action test for each spell they sustain.
Direct Combat Spells
Direct Combat Spells
Direct Combat spells are when you shape the mana in a way that it directly pummels the opposition - the magic is the damage. When you cast a Direct Combat spell, roll Sorcery + Magic opposed by Willpower + Intuition of the target.
Net Hits become damage and are added to any Amp Up damage the character chose.
Damage from Direct Combat spells is not resisted.
Indirect Combat Spells
Indirect Combat Spells
Rather than having the magic do the pummeling, Indirect Combat spells create an effect that causes the damage—igniting a fireball, say, or sparking a lightning bolt.
To cast an Indirect Combat spell, roll Sorcery + Magic vs. Reaction + Willpower. Damage is caster’s (Magic/2, rounded up) + Net Hits + Amp Up Damage.
Targets roll their Body to resist this damage, as they would in physical combat. Indirect Combat spells frequently come with elemental effects.
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