Spellcasting

OVERVIEW

CASTING ACTIONS

Spellcasting technically consists of five separate activities:

PHASE	ROLL	DETAIL
RESEARCH	-	Character builds the spell they intend to cast later on.
RECOVERY	SOURCE	Character regains some SPIRIT Pool. Amount is result of roll.
THAUMATURGY	SOURCE	Character binds the spell to their source conduit for casting. Costs 1 Momentum
EVOCATION	SCHOOL	Character casts a spell they’ve researched. TN is target’s Abjuration. Costs SPIRIT.
RESISTANCE	ABJURATION	Target attempts to resist a spell cast at them. TN is Spell’s Might

SPELL ATTRIBUTES

ATTRIBUTE	METRIC	DESCRIPTION
MIGHT	1/TN	straight up damage, generally, though also a TN to save against
RANGE	10m	each point here provides 10 meters of range.
AREA OF EFFECT	10m radius	each point affects all targets within a 10 meter radius from the target.
DURATION	1-4	- 0 points: spell has only an instant duration- 1 point: caster must fully concentrate on this spell to sustain.- 2 points: caster need not concentrate, but spell fails when caster incapacitated.- 3 points: spell sustained even beyond caster death.
COMPLEXITY	SUM	The Complexity of a spell is the sum of all of its Attribute Metrics. In order to bind the spell, the Caster will have to roll their Source against the Spell’s Complexity as TN.

DETAILS

CASTING ACTIVITIES

RESEARCH

Research occurs during downtime, as the character crafts new spells for themselves. Unless the GM rules otherwise, Research is never done during adventuring gameplay. Casters can research as many spells as they like, but as they grow in complexity, it becomes harder for the caster to reliably access them.

RECOVERY

Recovery occurs whenever the caster uses their Source feature to recover Spirit Pool points. As such, the number of times it can be used is limited only by the features of the caster’s Source and their available resources. The number of SPIRIT Pool points recovered is equal to the Source roll made, up to the SPIRIT Pool’s maximum value.

SOURCE	DESCRIPTION
WIZARDRY	Nightly, or 4h rest to absorb ambient energy.
PSYCHOMETRY	Nightly, or transfer Body/Luck to Spirit pool up to roll total.
SORCERY	Nightly, or sacrifice grey matter of another sentient.
RELIGION	Nightly, or render a specific meaningful service to their sponsoring Immortal.

THAUMATURGY

Thaumaturgy, or Spellbinding, occurs when the caster wants to access a spell they’ve Researched during an Encounter. The Caster rolls their Source Ability against the Complexity of the Spell as Target Number:

ROLL	RESULT	DESCRIPTION
0	Botch	Spell cannot be cast during this encounter at all.
1	Sacrifice	Spell can be cast, but at double cost in Spirit
2	Success	Spell can be cast at normal efficacy
3	Triumph	Spell can be cast with at no cost in Spirit

A spell can only be cast after it has been bound via Thaumaturgy during an encounter, and only that spell can be cast until another spell is bound.

EVOCATION

Evocation occurs when the Caster casts a spell, previously bound by Thaumaturgy, on a target. The Caster rolls their School ability against the Target’s Abjuration as Target Number, and results are as follows:

ROLL	RESULT	DESCRIPTION
0	Botch	Spell effect rebounds on the caster.
1	Sacrifice	Spell fails, can be cast at double Spirit cost, or its effect (Might) is halved.
2	Success	Spell is fully effective.
3	Triumph	Spell’s effect (Might) is doubled.

ABJURATION

A caster may attempt to abjure an incoming spell effect, mitigating or negating its effects entirely. The Caster rolls their Abjuration ability against the spell’s Might as Target Number, and the results are as follows:

ROLL	RESULT	DESCRIPTION
0	Botch	Incoming spell’s might is doubled.
1	Sacrifice	Take full effect, or might is halved but caster loses spellcasting ability for one round
2	Success	Spell’s Might is halved.
3	Triumph	Spell has no effect.

EXAMPLES

SAMPLE SPELLS

NAME	FIREBOLT	NAME	FIREBALL
SCHOOL	Fire	SCHOOL	Fire
MIGHT	4	MIGHT	3
RANGE	1	RANGE	1
AREA OF EFFECT	0	AREA OF EFFECT	1
DURATION	0	DURATION	0
COMPLEXITY	5	COMPLEXITY	5
DESCRIPTION	Launches a firebolt from the caster’s fingertips to a target no more than 30 feet away. The firebolt will do 4 points of fire damage to the target.	DESCRIPTION	Launches a fireball from the caster’s fingertips to a target no more than 30 feet away. The fireball will do 3 points of fire damage to the target and any other target in a 30’ radius from the target.