I’m a black mage! Deal.

Here are the first ten white magic spells. I will probably expand the descriptive text slightly in the final version, but I want to maintain concision. I’m not sure exactly what the best way to present the requirement for spell check rolls (which are, recall, 1d20 +level +WIS, for white spells). On the one hand, I don’t want to clutter up all the spells with boilerplate like spell check WIS vs. magic defense, as I think it is obvious from the context. On the other hand, I do want the intent to be clear.

And yeah, that’s a black mage picture to the right, on a post about white magic. I don’t have a good white mage image to use that isn’t “borrowed.”

White Magic Spells Level 1

1. Absorb
2. Barrier
3. Courage
4. Cure
5. Endure
6. Gust
7. Light
8. Repel
9. Restore
10. Seal

Absorb

Properties: interrupt, ranged.

Spell contest to cancel all damage from a single target elemental spell, which need not be targeting the caster of absorb. Gain one temporary mana if the targeted spell is successfully absorbed.

Barrier

Properties: ranged, sustain.

Make a spell check (versus an enemy’s attack roll) to deflects mundane missiles directed toward the target of barrier. Mundane missiles include arrows, sling bullets, spears or snow balls, but not boulders. This effect works as an interrupt, but unlike most interrupts does not count toward the standard one interrupt per round limitation.

Courage

Properties: allies, sustain.

Dispel magical fear in all nearby allies. If sustained, grants a continuing +2 bonus to morale and saving throws versus fear.

Cure

Properties: ranged.

Target regains 1 HD +WIS HP. Deals 2d6 +WIS damage if cast against an undead target (half damage on miss).

Endure

Properties: ranged, sustain.

Choose an element. Target gains +1 to saving throws against that element and damage reduction equal to the caster’s WIS to damage of the chosen elemental type.

Gust

Properties: ranged.

Conjure a powerful blast or single target vortex of wind. This wind is strong enough to knock over a charging horse. Vortex will do damage to a flying creature (damage-2d6, half damage on miss). On a hit, the vortex will also knock the flying creature out of the sky.

Light

Properties: light, sustain.

Magical light radiates from the crystal. This light illuminates as a torch and wards against creatures of shadow.

Repel

Properties: area, sustain.

Spell check +WIS versus magic defense forces any affected undead to retreat from the caster. If sustained, any undead affected will retreat before the caster (though they may still fight in melee). The caster must spend another point of mana and make another spell check if more undead are encountered, thought the previous repel effect is maintained.

Restore

Properties: touch.

A medium sized mundane object may be mended or restored to working order. Restore will knit together a cut rope, straighten a bent sword, or repair a broken vase. Restore does not allow a new object to be created from disparate parts.

Seal

Properties: sustain.

Magically lock a door or gate. The spell must be broken for the portal to be opened (picking a lock, forcing a door, or massive damage will not work).

Though the power of spells is roughly proportional to their level, I have attempted to distinguish the utility of the various spells such that low level spells retain utility. For example, while the inferno spell is unarguably more powerful than the blaze spell (doing 3d6 +INT damage to all creatures in a melee), the blaze spell remains useful if, for example, there are friendlies in that melee (as blaze allows one to target a specific enemy, even though it only does 2d6 +INT damage).

One sustained effect may be maintained while the mage continues to cast other spells. So, for example, on turn 1 a black mage could cast electrify to boost the damage output of a frontline combatant’s weapon, and then keep that effect going (without need to spend more mana) while casting blaze to directly damage an enemy at range on turn 2. If the mage wanted to cast weakness (another spell that requires sustaining) on turn 3 against another enemy, however, the electrify effect would end.

Though it is not explicitly spelled out in each spell description, any offensive spell that targets an enemy directly requires a spell check (1d20 +level +INT versus target magic defense). Some spells have reduced effect (rather than no effect), on a miss though (this is indicated by the half property). For example, spells like blaze, frost, and shock always do some damage, unless the target is totally immune to the damage type. (The half property needs a better name.)

I know that the spells are probably overly focused on combat currently, but I plan on adding more utility spells as well.

Black Magic Spells Level 1

1. Blaze
2. Charm
3. Chill
4. Slow
5. Darkness
6. Electrify
7. Frost
8. Ignite
9. Shock
10. Weakness

Blaze

Properties: damage-2d6, fire, half, ranged.

A jet of flame arcs toward a target.

Charm

Properties: psychic, ranged, sustain.

On hit, improves social reaction by one category. May be terminated as an interrupt to inflict 2d6 psychic damage.

Chill

Properties: ice, ranged, sustain.

Target weapon is suffused with bone chilling cold. This weapon inflicts magical ice damage and does +1 damage per hit. Liquid targets must save or freeze.

Darkness

Properties: area, shadow, sustain.

Area is plunged into inky darkness. In addition all light sources within the area are extinguished. Sight within the darkness is impossible.

Frost

Properties: damage-2d6, half, ice, ranged.

A blast of ice against a single target.

Ignite

Properties: fire, ranged, sustain.

Target weapon is wreathed with arcane fire. This weapon inflicts magical fire damage and does +1 damage per hit. Flammable targets must save or ignite. Weapon sheds light as a torch.

Shock

Properties: damage-2d6, half, lightning, ranged.

Lightning arcs from your fingers to strike a single target. May also be useful to power strange devices or mechanical creatures. Becomes a weak area effect (1d6) in a submerged environment.

Slow

Properties: sustain.

On successful spell check, target acts on initiative count 6.

Taint

Properties: poison, ranged, sustain.

Target weapon gains a sickly aura of poisonous corruption. This weapon inflicts magical poison damage and does +1 damage per hit. Any creature hit by a weapon enchanted with taint must save or become poisoned.

Weakness

Properties: ranged, sustain.

Target takes 1d6 damage and an ongoing -2 penalty to all physical rolls.

Much like with weapons, there are some common aspects of spells that can be factored out into properties. In so doing, we can make spell descriptions more concise, and also create other game relationships, such as the oppositional nature of ice and fire spells, or light and shadow spells (I plan on making these oppositional natures part of a basic counter-spell system, in addition to being useful for damaging enemies with certain vulnerabilities).

Some of these properties reference aspects of the abstract tactical positioning system (such as the area property), which will be more fully explained in a separate post.

Spell Properties

Acid

Inflicts acid damage. Save or cause permanent disfigurement, to either sufaces or creatures. Weakens a breakable object subject to acid (such as a door with metal hinges); +2 to future force checks against affected objects.

Allies

Effects all allies that could be reached by a ranged effect.

Area

Affects all creatures in one skirmish melee (the size of a large room). Does not distinguish friendlies from enemies.

Chain

For each hit, allows another target to be selected within the same melee (which requires a further spell check). Think chain lightning, arcing between multiple targets. The first miss terminates the effect.

Damage-N

Inflicts N +INT damage on hit.

Fire

Inflicts fire damage. Flammable objects, such as flasks of oil or bombs, must save or ignite.

Half

Spell still inflicts half damage (or half effect, which should be clear contextually) on a miss.

Ice

Inflicts cold damage. Liquids affected must save or freeze. On successful save, targets still take a -1 physical penalty to actions on their next turn due to the slowing. May be used to create treacherous ice in combination with water.

Interrupt

May be cast out of turn. No more than one interrupt spell can be cast per round by a given spell caster.

Lightning

Inflicts lightning damage. May also be useful to power strange devices or mechanical creatures. Becomes a weak area effect (1d6 area) in a submerged environment.

Poison

Inflicts poison damage.

Psychic

Only works against creatures with a mind or consciousness. If the spell inflicts damage, the damage is psychic, and has no physical manifestation. Generates aura that can be perceived by psychically attuned creatures. On a miss, psychic targets may take a free counterattack as an interrupt. Targets with animal intelligence or lower take half damage on a hit and no damage on a miss if the spell also has the half property.

Ranged

Equivalent in range to a missile weapon. Requires line of sight.

Self

May only affect the caster.

Shadow

The antithesis of light.

Sustain

Spell effect may be sustained indefinitely after the initial mana cast is paid, as long as the caster remains conscious and does not cast another spell with the sustain property.

Touch

Requires touching the target (this is an unarmed melee attack if the target is unwilling).

Here is the core of the magic system. Spell crystals alone function sort of like scrolls (consumed when used, no mana cost), or they can be inserted into foci for repeated use (such use requires mana). I think this creates an interesting and diegetic magic economy while not compromising either simplicity or flexibility. They system for sustaining spells also reigns in the complexity of stacked effects without artificially limiting the power of spells. Right now, I see black and white mages starting with a wand (focus) and 3 crystals of 1 mana spells and red mages starting with a wand and 2 crystals of 1 mana spells.

Magic

Magic is the ability to use the power of mana to reshape reality. On its own, however, mana is raw potentiality. It is dangerous and overwhelming. Only some character classes, notably mages, have the ability to use magic.

Types of Magic

Magic comes in two varieties, black and white. Black magic is mostly destructive and offensive, while white magic is mostly supportive and defensive. The two types of magic are different enough that they require different skills to master. Black mages can only cast black magic and white mages can only cast white magic. Red mages learn how to manipulate both kinds of magic, but this generality comes at the cost of specialization.

Spell Crystals

In order to focus and tame the dangerous power of magic, mages have learned how to encode spells in special, alchemically prepared crystals.

Spell crystals may be used directly to cast the spell contained. No external mana is required, as the spell draws upon the mana originally used to encode the spell, but using a spell crystal in this way consumes it. In other words, when using spell crystals directly, spells may be cast “for free,” but this uses up the crystal, leaving only a worthless, burned out husk.

Spell crystals are considered insignificant items for purposes of encumbrance.

Creating Spell Crystals

Mages can manufacture copies of any spell crystal they have access to, though the process requires expensive material components (50 GP per point of mana spell cost) and takes a full town turn. Sometimes special components, such as unrefined meteor crystals, may be used in place of purchased alchemical reagents for spell crystal creation.

Foci

Spell crystals, on their own, are consumed when used. However, with the help of a focus, mages can use spell crystals multiple times. Foci allow a mage to supply the mana required for spell casting themselves rather than drawing on the inherent mana infused in the spell pattern. Most foci are wands or staves, as something about that shape helps facilitate the channeling of mana. Each focus may hold one spell crystal. Traditionally, all apprentices of the three primary mage orders are given a wand (that is, first level mages begin with one wand focus). Each focus carried is encumbering. Special foci exist that can add benefits to the casting of certain spells. For example, a particular magical staff might add extra damage to fire spells that are cast using it as a focus.

Modifying Foci

Attaching a spell crystal to or removing a spell crystal from a focus is a complicated and delicate procedure, and may only be done during town turns. Any number of foci may be modified (within reason), however, and this does not consume an entire town turn.

Mana

Mages often need to draw on their own personal mana to cast spells, such as when using a focus.

Recovering Mana

A character’s mana is replenished following a night of restful sleep. Certain items (such as mana potions) or spells (such as the black magic spell leech) may allow limited mana recovery between rests.

Temporary Mana

Some items or effects may provide temporary mana. This mana functions like normal mana, but should be tracked separately, and evaporates after combat or one exploration turn.

Casting Spells

To cast a spell, a character must have the ability to use the type of magic in question (black or white) and either consume a spell crystal or spend mana to cast a spell through a focus. No magic is possible without spell crystals.

Magic Defense

PCs use wisdom saving throws to determine their magic defense, but most NPCs have a static magic defense (10 by default).

Spell Checks

Offensive spells require a spell check to determine their effectiveness. Mechanically, this is an intelligence check opposed against the magic defense of any targets.

Spell check: 1d20 +level +INT vs. magic defense

This functions sort of like an attack roll, but for mages, though there are a few important differences, the biggest being that spells that “miss” can sometimes still affect the target, though in a lesser manner. For example, spells with the save-half property still inflict half damage on a miss. For spells with multiple targets (such as area effect spells that affect an entire melee), roll once and compare that roll to each target’s magic defense score to determine the outcome.

Add INT to damage done by spells (to the whole damage, not to each die). For example, a black magician with INT +2 does 2d6+2 damage with a blaze spell.

Sustained Spells

Some spells have effects that persist. Only one persistent effect may be maintained by a mage at any given time; sustaining a spell does not consume any additional mana beyond the initial cost. If another spell with the sustain property is cast, the previous sustained effect ends. Instantaneous spells (that is, any spell that does not have the sustain property) may be cast while sustaining a spell. For example, a black mage that is sustaining the fly spell may cast a shock spell from the air, but if they cast a darkness or invisibility spell (both of which also require sustaining), then the fly spell will end. Sustained spells also end if the caster becomes unconscious.