MRPG Magic

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The available types of magic are:

  • Earth
  • Fire
  • Wind
  • Water
  • Light
  • Dark
  • Mind
  • Life
  • Death
  • Change
  • Holy

These magics are subdivided in two ways: path and charge.

Spell Lists

There are essentially three different types of spells: learned, gained, and granted.

  • Learned: Learned spells are spells that have to be obtained through the use of scrolls and tomes, using the Transcription and Lore proficiencies.
  • Gained: Gained spells are those that the character automatically gains access to as they level. New gained spells become available every 3 levels for Additive and 5 levels for Subtractive, so at levels 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 21, and 23.
    • Additive Gain: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 23
    • Subtractive Gain: 5, 10, 15, 20
  • Granted: Granted spells are those that the character can only use through a tree-system which can include new spells as well as abilities.

The spell list will only include Learned and Gained spells, while all Granted spells will be found on individual tree-pages.

See: MRPG Spell list, MRPG Spell Trees

Obtaining Spells

However, just because a spell is able to be cast, does not mean the player knows it. For Learned spells, the character will have to track down and obtain special Tomes in order to gain new magics. The character is able to memorize a certain number of spells based on their level(to a maximum of 9 memorized spells). If they have a spellbook, they can then write down additional spells and cast from the book, allowing the player to learn all spells covered under their proficiencies.

Spell Tomes

A tome is a book containing a spell that the player can learn. if the player wishes to memorize the spell from a tome and they have a high-enough lore, they can essentially zap it straight into memory(note that players may only memorize a limited number of spells).

The memorization-check from a tome is: Lore Proficiency + Buffed Intelligence. Players with the Comprehension Skill can also add their Comprehension Modifier to their Intelligence Modifier for calculating their Lore Skill as well as adding their total comprehension X Buffed Intelligence Modifier to the final tally.

Every tome will have a minimum memorization-check listed on it. If the player fails the check, the tome remains in their inventory and can continue to be used to cast spells.

Spell Scrolls

Scrolls, which are primarily a use-item cannot be memorized from the scroll, but can be coppied into a spellbook using the Transcription proficiency. This act consumes the scroll and destroys it. Once a spell is placed in the spellbook, however, it can then be memorized.

The transcription-check for scrolls is Transcription + Lore + Buffed Intelligence - the difference between Transcription and Lore proficiencies. Hence, a player wishing to copy spells from scrolls should have as similar as possible scores in each proficiency. Some facets may allow you to reduce or ignore this penalty.

Casting Spells

There are three types of spells: Fast Cast, Slow Cast, and Weave(See: Mage Wars(Card Game)). Unlike in the card game, however, casting-type determines how long a spell takes to cast.

  • Fast Cast: Instantly, cannot be cast if not memorized.
  • Slow Cast: ...I have to go finish the 'instances and rounds' thing.
  • Weave: Same rules as Slow Cast. Duration is specified by spall and increases by 1 minute for each level and 2 minutes for each rank.

Fast Cast spells the player has memorized are always cast instantly, while Slow Cast takes an amount of time dependent on whether the spell is memorized or read from a spellbook. Weave spells(enchantments) are cast instantly if from memory or around a specific time if from spellbook. Fast Cast spells cannot be cast from a spellbook.

Spells can also be cast from Tomes or Scrolls, in this instance they are treated the same as if being cast from a spellbook.

Only AOE spells have range, single-target spells as considered to be able to hit any target the character can see. Spells do not pass through obstructions.

Weave spells without a specified duration last until some effect removes them.

Spell Effects

Spells have different effects according to which proficiency is used. For example: the spell Healing Ember restores some hit-points if used with the Life Proficiency, removes some statis effects when used with Mind, and does something else under another proficiency. For memorization purposes, it counts as a single spell, while being actually 4 spells in one. This is only found on Progression spells.

Spell Components

Or, rather, what the spells need to have listed on the MRPG Spell list.

Spell name, obviously

Progression: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII. Subtractive spells are treated the same way as additive in this cirumstance. Meaning that even though the first subtractive spells aren't gained until level 5, they are treated as First Progression or Progression I spells. All spells have a progression whether they are gained or learned.

Casting Cost, how much SP it takes to cast.

Description of what the spell does(damage, effect, etc) and damage-types(as some spells can deal multiple damage types), by proficiency.

Spell speed(fast, slow, weave) if its a weave also duration.

Spell Interruptions

Unlike the card game, spells cannot be "countered"(the countermagics have become a part of resistance). Slow-Cast and Weave spells cast from spellbooks can be interrupted.

Nearly anything can interrupt a spell. Each of these counts as an "Interrup Event":

  • Anytime a mage takes any damage
  • Anytime the mage is the victim of an Effect
  • Anytime the player is touched by a powerful enough anti-magic aura.

Additionally, some spells cause interrupt effects.

There is no check for interrupts(except for interrupt spells), however the character can take facets that allow them to ignore a certain number of interrupt events, this does not help with spells that directly cause interrupts.

Spellbooks and Memorization

Each mage(or any class that has traded for a magic-proficiency) will require one or more spellbooks to carry around all of their spells in. Spells can be hot-keyed, but only cast from the currently-equipped spellbook.

Different types of spellbooks can hold different numbers of spells. The Grandmaster Spellbook, for example, can hold up to 40 different spells. However, spellbooks do not like to have to many different types of spells in them, Positive and Negative spells, for example, cannot be stored in the same book. Others spellbooks might accept only spells from a specific magic proficiency.

Spells are placed in the spellbook using the Transcription Proficiency, and can be copied to the book from Tomes or from memory. Once a spell is memorized, it can be erased from the spellbook, if the spell is then "forgotten" from memory, the player looses it, permenantly, unless they find another tome or scroll.

Memorization

The character gains the ability to memorize spells starting at level 2. Every 2 levels up to 14, they gain an additional memorization-slot(for a total of 7). Two additional memorization-slots can be earned through facets, for a total of 9 memorized spells.

In order to change-out known spells, the player must "forget" a memorized spell in a process that will either take several minutes or require them to visit a specific place or NPC in-game. Forgetting a spell should also take at least three steps of verification since it is possible to permanently delete a spell this way. Once the spell is forgotten, the character can then memorize a new spell out of their spell-book in a second process that will either take some time or involve visiting a special place.

Spellbook Tomes

Some spellbooks will contain spells already inscribed.

Spellbooks in Combat

All spellbooks are initially treated as two-handed blunt weapons, and use the Weapon Proficiency, Blunt when making an attack. They deal Mortal Damage. using facets, spellbooks can also be made into 1-handed weapons and eventually dual-wielded. If a spellbook is wielded in the off-hand, a more practical weapon can be wielded in the main-hand.

Spellbook Bindings

Typically once a spellbook has been used it becomes Bound to Character, however players with particularly high Transcription Skills can copy spells from tomes into a spellbook without binding.

Path

Every type of magic is considered part of either the Lesser Path or the Greater Path. The exact nature of the division has never been fully understood, though it is widely regarded that 'Greater Path' magics are more grandious, more complicated, etc, while the Lesser Path is not highly regarded.

Unlike charge, the concept of Paths is artificial, the significance given to each type of magic exists according to its consideration during the early days of the Mage Wars, most likely the First Chaotic Period. Not the 3 and 8 division found very commonly throughout magical hierarchies.

Lesser Path

The Lesser Path magics are:

  • Fire
  • Wind
  • Water

Greater Path

The rest, or so-called Greater Path:

  • Earth
  • Light
  • Dark
  • Mind
  • Life
  • Death
  • Change
  • Holy

Charge

Charge has more to do with the actual mechanics of magic, hence why it does not follow traditional divisional lines. The four cardinal elemental magics(earth, fire, wind, and water) have no charge and are considered neutral. The other 7 are considered either positive or negative. The use of the term 'charge' to describe this was invented sometime during the Dynastic Period, earlier books of lore refer to positive as 'Additive', and negative as 'Subtractive'.

Positive

  • Life
  • Mind
  • Light
  • Holy

Negative

  • Dark
  • Death
  • Change
  • Mind

Spell Resistance

Spell resistance(not to be confused with combat resistance) factors in damage reduction from any magical source(not just enemy casters). And, with the proper gear and facets, a player could become entirely immune to magical damage.

Resistance is a form of damage-reduction and works by percentage, having a combined 100% would reduce the damage to zero.

Stacking Spell resistance stacks. For example: if a player had 15% Ruby Counter-Magic and 10% Lesser Path resistance, they would receive a 25% damage reduction from all fire-based spells.

Cardinal Resistance

As established by the card game, there exist specific counter-magics for three of the four elemental types: Ruby, Diamond, and Sapphire counter-magic work against Fire, Wind, and Water spells respectively. Genesis Counter-Magic will also stop any combination of the three.

There is no counter-magic for earth, making it the only non-resistible spell.

Charge Resistance

You may also take resistances by positive or negative charges, covering the whole range of endo-magics. Unlike path or cardinal, there are no excluded forms, so a player can become entirely immune to engo-magic.

Path Resistance

You can also gain spell-resistance by path, taking either Lesser or Greater(or both) resistances. Greater-path resistance still excludes earth-based spells.

Since path-based resistance covers all magic-types in just two categories, this is the preferred approach. However, items with path-based resistance will be extremely rare.

Genesis Resistance

Genesis is a blanket term for all types of magic, so an item offering Genesis Resistance provides resistance to all magic-types.

See Also

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