From Caernest

Contents 1 Magic & Spells 1.1 Casting Spells 1.1.1 Range 1.1.2 Verbal Component 1.1.3 Announce Spell Effects 1.1.4 Expend Power 1.1.5 Spell Effect Precedence 1.1.6 Spell Stacking 1.1.7 Spell Effects In-Game 1.2 Other Magic 1.2.1 Potions 1.2.2 Rituals 1.2.3 Scrolls 1.2.4 Tomes

Magic & Spells

Each player is allowed to define where magic comes from, as long it does not break other rules. They can claim their magic comes from any source as long as it uses the same rules as everyone else does. Spell casting is not hindered by carrying weapons or wearing armor. (A player can wear plate, carry a polearm, and cast spells.)
All mages are limited to 20 points of power (with the exception of Ordained characters). Expenditure of more than 20 points of power in any given shift in strictly forbidden. “Convergence” occurs every six hours: 6:00am, 12 noon, 6:00pm, 12 midnight. At convergence, all power is restored. Spells that have a duration of “Cycle” end at convergence.
Spells last their full duration, unless dispelled. Death does not end a caster's spells. A character may dispel spells they have cast.
Magic is broken down into “Spells” and “Rituals”. Rituals are more powerful than a single person can possibly cast without aid from external sources. There are 7 schools of magic:

• Aegis (protection)
• Compulsion (mind)
• Enchantments (enhancements)
• Nature (elemental)
• Necromancy (death)
• Restoration (healing)
• Void (negative)

Each school of magic has 5 levels of spells with 2 spells on each level tier.

Casting Spells

Range

There are two (effective) available ranges for spells: “Touch” and “Dart”. The target must be in range of the spell being cast to be affected by it. Touch range spells require that the caster touch the target with their hand in order for the spell to take effect. This hand must be not be holding any other items. It is not possible to cast a touch range spell through a foot or other appendage. The caster must touch some part of the target’s body (clothing and armor do not hinder spell casting) and may not cast a touch range spell by grasping a piece of the target’s equipment. A wounded limb cannot be used to cast magic. A player with two arm wounds is unable to use spells of any sort, even to heal their own wounds. Binding a spell caster’s hands will not hinder their ability to cast touch range spells as long as they are able to touch the target. "Dart” range spells require the caster to throw a tag bag (also called a spacket) at the target. The tag bag must strike the target for the target to be affected by the spell. If the tag bag misses, the spell is wasted, and the power is expended.
Tag bags are small cloth beanbags used to represent concentrated darts of magical force. The range of a tag bag spell depends on how far the player can accurately throw the tag bag. Players are required to provide their own beanbags to use when casting magic. Beanbags are constructed of cloth and birdseed so that beanbags lost during play will break down and prevent unneeded liter in the playing area. Beanbags must be pliable and soft to prevent injuring other players when they are thrown. The material used to build the beanbag should be soft, smooth, and a have a tight enough weave that the birdseed does not spill out. Players are not permitted to use stiff or non-biodegradable materials like leather, rubber, plastic, tape, or foil. The material used to make the beanbag can be of any color, but light and bright colors are preferred, making them easier to find after being thrown. The ends of the beanbag should be sewn, tied shut with string, or closed with cloth tape. Never close the beanbag with staples, pins, plastic ties or plastic tape. Players are expected to keep their beanbags in good condition and old, damaged, or soiled beanbags must be removed from play.
Spells deliverable by tag bag will only take effect if the tag bag strikes the target or any of the equipment they are wearing or holding, including equipment such as armor, shields, pouches, and weapons. For this reason, a tag bag cannot be avoided by blocking with a weapon or shield. (Thus requiring the player to dodge the tag bag in order to avoid the spell.) If the tag bag strikes another player, the ground, or other object before reaching the intended target, the spell goes off and affects the accidentally hit target. Because of this, it is possible for the spell caster to inflict friendly fire damage to companions if they are less than accurate with their magic. When a damaging magic spell strikes an object held or worn by a character, the damage is transferred to the area of the body where the object is held or located. (For example, if a character’s shield is hit by a dart from a Magic Swarm spell the damage is applied to their shield arm. The exception to this rule is Magic Strike, which requires a valid hit to take effect). All other tag bag magic, such as Stun or Repel Undead, has an equal effect regardless of where the target is hit. Players may throw (drop, toss, etc.) tag bags in any fashion they like as long as they follow the general combat safety rules. Some spells, such as Repel Undead, create multiple darts of magic with one casting. The player must throw each tag bag separately and may not toss multiple darts in a single throw. Casters are not allowed to carry tag bags openly in their hands unless they have cast a spell that requires tag bags in the last minute. It is required that tags bags be carried in a pouch or pocket until the tag bag spell is cast. Doing otherwise might mislead other players into thinking the mage is “armed” and ready to throw a spell, as a player with a tag bag in hand is assumed to be holding a glowing ball of eldritch energy! These darts are magically created when the incant of a spell is completed, and have a duration of one minute from the completion of the incant. Darts that are not thrown after one minute elapses dissipate harmlessly into the air, and are wasted. Players are always required to actually toss or throw the tag bag at their target; it is never acceptable to simply hold it in your hand and touch your target. It is not required to see the target in order to cast a spell and it is completely legal to cast magic in the dark in the hopes the spell will find a mark. (Touch range spells are obviously less problematic than dart range spells when casting blind.)

Verbal Component

When casting a spell it is required that the magic user summons the spell by speaking an eight word (minimum) verbal incant. Each spell in the character’s repertoire is required to have an eight-word incant designed by the player. Each spell can have a different incant but it is easier to recall the incant if the all the character’s spells share the same one. It is required that the name of the spell being cast be worked into the incant and can count as part of the eight words. An incantation cannot be gibberish or in bad taste, nor can it be worked into common conversation.
Players are required to speak incants in a clear and loud voice. If players ten feet away from the caster are unaware a spell is being cast the caster is not speaking loudly enough. It is impossible for a spell caster to sneak a spell by muttering the incant under their breath. (It is assumed that casting magic creates noticeable environmental disturbances like static electricity or an area of frigid cold making subtle or sneaky casting of magic difficult.) Other players cannot disrupt a spell by simply screaming louder than the caster.
If, for any reason, the caster fails to finish speaking the spell’s incant the spell disrupts and does not go off. This includes players that are out of breath from running. Small interruptions like a cough or sneeze, or pauses in speaking for dramatic effect do not disrupt the spell. Players are allowed to sing or chant incants as long as the song meets all the requirements of normal incants. Taking damage during the verbal component negates the spell. Taking damaging hits to armor and/or magic armor still counts as being damaged. This doesn’t mean the points are spent, but they must begin their incant from the beginning. Offensive spell effects (such as Stun or Fear) also disrupt spell casting, requiring the caster to restart their incant. A spellcaster can cast spells under almost any condition: crawling, walking, running, or even swimming (in theory). (Players should never be in a situation where they are submerged in a body of water). A character is unable to cast magic in a situation where they are holding their breath such as swimming underwater. Gagging a spell caster with cloth will also render the player unable to cast magic as it is assumed they cannot speak loud enough to summon magic.

Announce Spell Effects

Once the player finishes the incant the spell is complete and they must inform the target of the effects. There is no way to disrupt the spell at this point. The mage is required to inform the target of any effects the spell has, such as damage, healing, duration and so on. (The target may also ask questions regarding the spell cast). All of this information must be communicated in a timely manner and with clarity. A target is expected to wait for a caster to explain their spell, if necessary, but should not be put at a disadvantage due to an ill prepared mage. Five to ten seconds is a reasonable amount of time for a magic user to communicate the effects of a spell. If a player is new or confused, it is acceptable to call a Game Hold to explain the effects of the spell, but players may not abuse this rule to their advantage. Confusion in the heat of battle is not an excuse for a target to ignore the effects of a spell.
If the target has the ability to defend himself against the spell, such as with an Anti-Magic Aura, they must call out “NO EFFECT!” so the mage is aware their spell failed. If a “no effect” call is not made, the mage should assume their spell took effect. (Cheating by not accepting the spell effects should result in the caster contacting a Game Master.)
Some spells require the use of blue flags to indicate the presence of a magical field or effect.

Expend Power

At this point the caster should make a mental note of the number of points required to cast the spell and subtract that amount from their Magic Power pool. If the caster forgets the number of power points they have remaining they are honor bound to reduce their available power to one point until the end of the game day. Players who have a hard time remembering their power point expenditure should keep track of it on paper or with another form of record keeping.
Once a spell is cast it remains in play until the spell’s duration expires or a Dispel Magic spell is cast on the target bearing the spell. Magic users may dispel any spell that they have cast themselves at will without having to announce it. To dismiss a spell he or she has cast on another target, the caster must touch the target and remove any previously placed flags. If the target is a conscious creature or is in the possession of a conscious creature, the creature or person must willingly permit the original caster to dispel the spell’s effect. In this instance the target must remove the appropriate flag in place. A caster may not dismiss a spell he has cast without the target’s permission.
Players are not allowed to fake spell casting even if they have magical skills. In game, the casting of magic is assumed to create visible effects like glowing hands or a shroud of light that prevents “faking” a spell. This includes carrying blue beanbags and flags in an attempt to portray spells that are not actually there. Along the same lines, players are not allowed to speak the incant for one spell and then call out the effects of another spell. Tactics of this nature are strictly against the rules and are considered cheating.

Spell Effect Precedence

In the case of overlapping protective effects, any spells that grant immunity take precedence over other spells (e.g. if a Magic Dart spell strikes a target protected by Battle Mastery and Anti-Magic Shield, the Magic Dart would be nullified by Battle Mastery and the Anti-Magic Shield would not be discharged). For non-immunity spells the higher level spell will take precedence over the lower level spell (e.g. Aura of Reflection will take precedence over Anti-Magic Shield). For non-immunity defensive abilities of the same level, the more tailored (specific) application of the ability will take effect over the other. (e.g. Grounding Wire will take precedence over Anti-Magic Shield when being hit with a Magic Dart from Magic Swarm.)

Spell Stacking

Spells or magic items will sometimes have similar or even identical effects.
Items or spells with the same name will not take effect at the same time. For example, if you cast Magic Strike on your weapon twice, you cannot then hit once for eight points of damage, nor can you cast Magic Armor on yourself twice to get four points of armor. Items or spells with the same name also do not queue together. Casting Magic Strike on a weapon twice will not allow you to strike twice for four points of magic damage without recasting the spell between successful hits.
Items or spells with the same type of effect, but different names, will stack (but not queue) with each other. For example, a player casting Toughness, a level one Aegis spell that grants two Body points, who then drinks an Elixir of Toughness, an Alchemical compound that also grants one Body point, will gain three body points. Because the items have different names, they will stack.
Stacking items will NEVER allow a player to exceed normal system limits. These limits are:

• Four damage with a single weapon
• Two damage with two weapons
• Four damage with a ranged weapon
• Two damage with a thrown weapon
• Four points of Body
• Twenty points of Magic Power
• Twenty Production Points
• Five points of Physical Armor
• Four points of Magic Armor

Stacking effects that take place simultaneously will not grant both effects. For example, a player casting a Magic Strike spell on a weapon poisoned with Claw of the Beast could NOT then call “FOUR MAGIC POISON” damage. (The player needs to decide if they want to continue to call poison damage for the duration of the Claw of the Beast poison, or use the Magic Strike spell on the next successful hit. Whatever the decision, the Magic Strike spell would wear off on the next successful hit, regardless of whether or not the magic damage got called.)
Creating a combination of spells or spell-like effects so that the target in question is completely invulnerable to all forms of damage is not permitted. For example a creature with Damage Requirement: Nature CANNOT have Primal Form (which protects them from Nature damage) cast on it. (If at any time this is attempted by a player or NPC, the spell goes off, has no effect, and the power points are wasted.)

Spell Effects In-Game

Spell casting, like every other aspect of the game, requires that all participants role-play through the situation. Players that witness or are affected by magic should act as their character would. A character hit by a dart spell should recoil as if hit by a bullet even if they are uninjured. Characters witnessing a Revive should stand in awe of the fantastic power being displayed.

Other Magic

Potions

Potions are liquid concoctions containing the essence and power of a low level spell. They can be made by a character with the Brew Potion ability. Potions take no special skill to use but are limited to spells of third level or lower. To use a potion, simply role-play drinking the contents, and destroy the potion tag. To administer a potion to another person, even an unconscious or dying person, a player must possess the skill First Aid.
All potions contain one dose, and getting multiple effects from one potion, or sharing the potion with another person will not work. Potions provide their own Magic Power, and it is not necessary to announce that you are using one, or say an incant. Potions are limited to touch range spells; no potion will ever grant a tag bag range spell.

Rituals

Rituals are powerful magical spells too large in scope for a single mind to store and cast as personal magic. Rituals, sometimes referred to as high magic, are very rare and typically involve the creation of magic objects, magic portals, or more powerful versions of common spells. Casting rituals requires special skills (outlined in character creation) limiting their use to more experienced or highly specialized spell casters. They typically come in the form of several pages of written text but have appeared in more unique forms, such as carvings on a stone door. The text contains specific instruction on the process required to cast the ritual spell and there is no guarantee that it will be written in a clear fashion or even in a language the players understand. The casting requirements vary from ritual to ritual and almost no two are ever the same. A typical requirement is the in game collection of components, both rare and mundane, and often results in months of work before a ritual is performed. Besides components, the ritual might also require the caster to conduct it in a certain spot, at a certain time, or in the presence of other players.
In most cases, characters do not require magical skills to search for or possess ritual components. A Game Master will assist players if there is any confusion on this point. Once a player feels they are ready to conduct a ritual they must seek out the Game Master who put the ritual in play and inform them they are ready to proceed. The Game Master will oversee the ritual and inform the player of the results, good or bad. Failing to complete a ritual in a proper fashion can result in some monstrously dangerous side effects including flawed magical effects or even death of the characters involved!
Once a ritual is complete, all the components involved, including the instructions, burn away to ash. A ritual may never be cast more than once per set of instructions (unless specifically stated in the ritual) and players (including Savants) are not allowed to copy ritual instructions in order to reproduce the spell.

Scrolls

Scrolls are handwritten magical storage batteries allowing players to not only cast spells different than those their personal skills allow, but also do so without using Magic Power points. They are difficult to make and their creation is limited to magic-using characters with Production points. In order to use a scroll the character must possess the skill Read Magic and any pertinent Racial Language skills (as it is possible to write scrolls in languages other than common). The player must have the scroll in hand and open to cast the scroll’s spell. The player must read the words directly from the scroll - even if they know what the scroll says. It impossible to cast a scroll in total darkness or when blinded.
The scroll provides its own power and so the casting character is not required to have any personal Magic Power points. The scroll typically provides its own incant and it is required the player use the provided incant as opposed to one of their own creation. Other than the above exceptions, the spell on the scroll follows all the normal rules for spell-casting. Once the spell is cast the scroll burns away to ash and is rendered useless. After using a scroll the player is required to tear up the scroll. It is not possible for players to create their own scrolls by copying scrolls found in game (this ability is reserved for characters with the Savant ability under normal production rules.)

Tomes

Tomes of magic are, in essence, large permanent collections of scrolls. Pages can never be added or removed from a Tome. Tomes typically take the form of bound books but occasionally take other forms, such as tablets or even ornately decorated weapons. A player requires the Read Magic skill as well as any pertinent Racial Language skills to make use of a Tome. A player must possess at least one level in the school of magic represented in the Tome as well as the Magic Power required to cast the spell. For example, for a character to cast a level three spell from a Tome of Restorative magic written in common, they require the Read Magic skill, the Heal Body or Diagnosis spell, and three points of Magic Power.
The player must read the page in the Tome even if they know what it says, so it impossible to cast from a Tome in total darkness dark or other similar situation. The player must have the Tome in hand and turned to the page of the spell. Aside from these additional steps spells cast from a Tome follow all the typical rules of spell-casting.
Tomes of magic only ever contain spells from one school of magic. Tomes typically provide their own incants and it is required the player use the provided incants as opposed to one of their own creation. Unlike scrolls, the pages of a Tome do not burn away when used, allowing the caster to recast the spell over and over again. (The primary advantage of possessing a Tome is that it allows the caster to cast spells of a higher level than they themselves personally possess. This useful advantage combined with the rarity of these devices make them highly sought after objects for magic users and collectors alike.)