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RULES > MAGIC |
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THE MAGICKS OF DUAL
MAGUS are the Dual equivalent of scientists, they understand magic to be a latent energy (flowing through us and binding us together 'n' all that jazz) much like electricity. They continually try to prove or disprove theoretical learning through practical application and demonstration. They can therefore draw upon all spells and are not restricted to any elemental or alignment divisions. They use the skill Mage (MIND /2) to cast and there is no requirement for a focus other than their mind. They must write their spells down in a spell book as they are often either too complex to memorise or the spell is in the research and development stage of theoretical magic. CLEROS are the holy men and priests of Dual, they believe that magic is a gift to them from their gods. However they also believe that their gods manifest themselves naturally through elements etc. They must pray daily to remain in the favour of their particular deity in order to cast spells. Cleros are either light or dark but get to choose spells from their chosen religion + two other alignments irrespective of the level of the spell. They use the skill Religion (SOUL /2) when casting spells and a focus is required, usually the inclusion of their deity's name in the incantation or prayer and the use of a holy symbol. They will have to choose spells and memorisethem or record them in a prayer book. PAGOS are the shamans and druids, they also believe that Magic stems from the elements and that the gods embody those elements. They do not have to pray to their gods to use spells, as most Pagos believe that the Gods are more fickle than human beings, although sacrificial offerings are quite popular amongst individual religious traditions. Pagos are solely elemental mages and can use spells from their own alignment + the two either side, but never their direct opposite alignment. They use the skill Healing ((Av MIND + SOUL) /2) when casting and there is often a material component involved such as a poultice or potion which coincidentally gives Pagos the ability to cure illnesses, injuries and diseases with the application of herbal remedy rather than casting spells. They know all their spells and given the right circumstance or need can cast any as long as they have the material components to hand. If they can write then they copy their spells down in a formulary, this is used more as a teaching than as a "spellbook", in the the conventional sense of the word. LEARNING SPELLS
Magus pick up skills from books that they find (from defeated opponents perhaps) or buy and will not get to actually research magic of their own until they have become financially independent or can find a benefactor who will pay them to sit around all day theorising and experimenting. Natural selection ensures that there is restricted access to high level wizards and therefore high level spells, but the modifications part of the spell should allow lower level spells to be boosted to be more effective. Cleros get given spells from their god, all spells irrespective of level are available to them, however the ability to successfully cast them may well be out of their reach, therefore novice cleros should choose the spells of lower level that will work most of the time rather than higher level that won't. They must also write their spells down in a prayer book so choosing which prayers to copy is important Spells can be picked up by visiting the temple and using their library and or praying with the high / senior cleros. Pagos need to be taught, although they should be able to pick up new spells by using temple resources in the same way as cleros. It might also be possible to pick up new remedies from the village midwife or shaman. THE CASTING CONCEPT
In game terms this means that a player who has a spell casting skill (MAGE, HEALING or RELIGION) is responsible for the following:
SPELLBOOKS & MEMORISATION
Note: I do not allow the use of PDA's (Personal Desktop Assistants) as these are hardly in keeping with a fantasy setting (e.g. Glimthor whips out his PDA which is running low on battery power and suddenly realises that he is in the middle of a forest with no charging outlet!!) As a counter measure some players may decide to commit several spells to memory, this should be encouraged. However, DM's should also have copies of their incantations to assess whether the spell was miscast or not. SPELL LEVELS Spells are classed in levels. However, these levels do not refer to the proficiency of the caster, rather they are an index of how powerful the spell is and how difficult it is to learn and cast. A Low level or novice spell caster may choose a level ten spell, but if he can't learn it he can't cast it. E.g. MAGE skill of 1 or more is required to learn Level 1 Magus Spells, MAGE skill of 2 or more is required to learn Level 2 Magus Spells, and so on. There are 10 levels of spells in each of the 3 spellcasting Roles (MAGUS, CLEROS & PAGOS). There is no upper limit on the maximum score a PC may have in any of their spellcasting skills, Therefore the more experienced a character gets in the magical arts, the easier it becomes to learn and cast spells LEARNING SPELLS Characters wishing to learn new spells must spend improvement points (IP's) equal to twice the spell level prior to rolling to see if they have succeeded. The roll is then carried out on the opposed roll table, SKILL Vs SPELL LEVEL.
CASTING SPELLS When a character chooses to cast a spell he must always follow the following sequence:
MODIFYING THE EFFECT OF A SPELL Certain spell may allow characters to modify their effects in a number of ways such as range, duration, size, power, number etc. during the casting process and does not require the character to change the verbal incantation element of the spell recital, A spells description shows what modifications are possible for each increase in level of difficulty.
APPLICATION OF MODIFIERS
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SPELLS
BY LEVEL
MAGUS
CLEROS
PAGOS
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RULES > MAGIC |
Last Updated:
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ACH
sphere of magic learns spells in a different way, which fundamentally
describes the ways in which their perception and understanding of magic
differ. I have tried to prevent this from manifesting itself in gameplay
through masses of additional rules for each type of spellcaster, although
some homework will be required by players.
HE
main concept behind Magic in The Lands of Dual is an attempt to make both
the learning and casting processes interactive from the players perspective.
All spellcasting players are responsible for the creation of the mandatory
verbal component of each spell and the storage of such information in
a manner that facilitates the act of casting in.
REATION
of a physical spellbook requires some some thought as to how it will
actually be used when playing the character. For example environmental
factors will affect the spellbook in the same way as any other physical
object. (If made from paper or parchment spell books may be destroyed
or seriously damaged by water and fire and to a lesser degree extreme
cold and wind). Should the player decide to use a pre-bound book in
which to write their spells, they may find as they collect new spells
that they run out of available space and must then use more than one
spell book. My personal recommendation is that mini-filofax make excellent
spellbooks as they are relatively cheap to buy can be indexed and the
binding (6 sprung rings) allows additional pages to be added when required.