Magic is a common tool in Mid-Land but its origins and sources of power still remain a deep-rooted mystery. Though the effects of magic are universal, all casters attribute their powers to different sources ranging from science to religion. Magic is a very powerful weapon, but is also a versatile tool; though hard to learn, it is perhaps the most powerful force in the world. Spell casters go by many names: mage, magic-user, wizard, cleric, and sorcerer, just to name a few. Learning magic takes a long time and often leaves magic-users weak in other areas, such as combat. Mages must therefore make best use of the abilities they have. Unlike typical fantasy settings, spell casting does not hinder the character from the use of armor, weapons, or non-magical skills like trap-disarming. Mages who spend points to acquire the proper skills may use any weapons and armor they choose. Though the skill point cost is high, it is very possible to have a powerful mage wearing plate armor and wielding a pole-arm.
Unlike fighters who can swing their swords all day long, magic-users have a limited amount of spell power at their disposal. Spell casters must choose when to cast their spells carefully or risk running out of magic at a crucial moment. However, unlike a sword, a single spell is capable of dispatching even the most powerful of foes and changing the tide of a desperate battle. A mage’s body can only channel a maximum of twenty points of power per twelve hours. Players may not exceed this limit under any circumstances. Attempting to circumvent this limit results in the death of the caster and the failure of the final spell.
This section contains the most common spells of each school of magic but in no way encompasses the entire list of magic in the world. Most spells are far too powerful for a mage to learn and cast using their personal power. These powerful spells, called rituals, require special skills, components, and conditions to cast. Characters may purchase the skills required to understand and cast rituals but they cannot create rituals – rituals must be found during game play.
Magic is organized into seven schools of magic that include Aura magic, Battle magic, Elemental magic, Enchantments, Life magic, Necromancy, and Sorcery. Each school contains five levels of spells, each more powerful than the next. Players may learn as many schools and spells as they wish; there are no restrictions on combining schools. It is perfectly acceptable for a character to know spells from what might seem like conflicting schools (Necromancy and Life magic for example). The drawback to studying multiple schools of magic is that it will take the character a long time and many skill points to learn high level spells. Each school has unique advantages and disadvantages, which are summarized on the following page.
The casting of magic involves a calculated process that prevents spell casters from becoming mobile magic machine guns. Unlike fighters, who may throw their swords around with careless abandon, mages must complete several steps before they are allowed to apply the effects of their magic. Players wishing to cast a spell must first meet certain requirements; failing to do so will result in the disruption (failure) of the spell. Spell disruption does not result in the loss of power points. Except for special conditions detailed later in this section, spell casters are allowed to cast magic under almost any circumstance. It is legal for magic-users to cast magic while crawling, walking, running, or even swimming assuming they have a free hand to do so. Magic-users are allowed to cast magic during combat as long as they are not hit with damage (or adverse effects like a stun or charm) during the casting of the spell. If a caster is hit by damage of any sort during step three of the spell casting process (speaking the verbal component) the spell automatically disrupts and does not go off. This rule prevents a spell caster from casting healing or other defensive magic during the act of getting killed and hopefully prevents arguments and rules conflicts. This rule also includes damage inflicted on any physical and magical armor the spell caster is wearing. Because of this rule spell casters must be ever vigilant when casting magic to prevent enemies from exploiting this weakness at a crucial moment. For purposes of this rule, alchemy products are not considered as magic and allow the caster to use such products during the one-minute spell casting delay.
There are five steps to casting a spell and they are described as follows.
1. One minute delay1. One-minute delay: Under no circumstances can a spell caster ever cast more then one spell per minute from any source! This minute delay is intended to reduce the power of spells during a fight and to allow the caster time to do the mental bookkeeping required during magic. The spell caster is allowed to perform other actions such as fighting or moving during the delay. This rule also applies to magic objects that allow a character to cast magic. For example, a character possesses a Wand of Crimson Dart and also has the spell Magic Armor. The character opts to cast Magic Armor before entering a fight and so now must wait one minute before casting Magic Armor again or before using the Wand of Crimson Dart. In-game, this is explained as the inability of the character’s physical body to rapidly channel magic. If a spell fails for any reason, it is not required that the caster wait one minute to start casting a new spell; they may start again at any time.
2. Nominate target: In order to cast a spell the caster must be within range of the spell’s target. There are only two ranges of spells in Mid-Land magic, touch and tag bag. 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 tag bag range spells when casting blind.
Touch range: Touch range spells require that the caster touch the target in order for the spell to take effect. Excluding the spell Crimson Touch, which is delivered with a weapon, all touch range spells are delivered with the caster’s empty hand. 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, so 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. Unlike normal touch range spells, Crimson Touch allows the caster to cast the spell through their hand weapon into the target. The spell goes off the very next time the caster hits a target with their weapon. The full details of Crimson Touch are included in the description of the spell later in this section. Anti-magic auras and Auras of reflection will only stop Crimson Touch from affecting the target. Healing magic and other beneficial spells do not trigger a character’s magical defenses.
Tag Bag: 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. With practice, it is possible to reach ranges of fifteen feet or better with a tag bag! The spell will only take effect if the tag bag strikes the target or any equipment the target is wearing or holding. This includes items such as armor, shields, pouches, and weapons. For this reason, a tag bag cannot be avoided by blocking with a weapon or shield – a player must 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 spell casters who are less-than-accurate with their magic to inflict friendly fire damage on their companions. When a battle 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 battle magic spell the damage is applied to their shield arm. All non-damaging tag bag spells, such as Stun and Charm, have the same 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 chaotic wad. Casters are not allowed to carry tag bags in their hand unless they have cast a tag bag required spell 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.
3. Speak the verbal component of the spell: To successfully cast a spell, a magic user must speak an eight-word verbal incant. Each spell in the character’s repertoire must have a predetermined eight-word incant designed by the player. It is acceptable (and also very common) for incants to have more than eight words. 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 incant cannot be gibberish or in bad taste nor can it be worked into common conversation.
Examples of proper incants:
· “By the power of Monhar I grant you healing hands”! (Ten words)
· “By the essence of dust and bone I repel undead”! (Ten words)
· “My foes are strong, please grant me magic armor”! (Nine words)
· “Grant me the power of an enchanted blade”! (Eight words)
Examples of illegal incants:
· “Goopy, ploop, goopy, ploop, goopy, ploop, magic armor”! (Gibberish)
· “Hey Merik, have you seen my spell book, crimson storm”! (Common conversation)
· “Your mother was a %@#* and she *%$# Orcs, Charm”! (Offensive)
· “Grant me magic armor”! (Too short)
Players are required to speak incants in a clear and loud voice. If players five feet away from the caster are unaware a spell is being cast the caster is not speaking loudly enough. It is impossible for spell casters to “sneak” spells by muttering the incants under their breath. It is assumed that casting magic creates noticeable environmental disturbances like static electricity or an area of frigid cold, thus making subtle casting of magic impossible. Other players cannot disrupt a spell by simply screaming louder than the caster; a piercing battle cry is not a defense against magic! It is not important that other players understand what the caster is saying (the battlefield can be a loud, confusing place), as long as they are aware that a spell is being cast. Players are allowed to sing or chant incants as long as the song meets all the requirements of normal incants.
If, for any reason, the caster fails to finish speaking the spell’s incant, the spell fails and does not go off. This includes players that are out of breath from running. Small interruptions like a cough, sneeze, or second long pauses in speaking do not disrupt the spell. A character is unable to cast magic in a situation where they are holding their breath such as swimming underwater. Gagging a spell caster will also render the player unable to cast magic as it is assumed they cannot speak loud enough to summon magic. As with all disruptions, the character does not lose power points for failing to finish an incant. If the character is hit by any sort of offensive attack during this stage of casting the spell is automatically disrupted.
4. Announce spell effects: Once the player finishes the incant the spell is complete - the caster 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 pertinent effects the spell has such as damage, healing, special effects, duration and so on. The target may also ask questions of the caster. All of this information must be communicated in a timely manner and with clarity. The target is expected to wait for the caster to explain the spell’s effect 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. Confusion in the heat of battle is not an excuse for a target to ignore the effects of a spell. While this process might appear to cause bottlenecks in play, the spells are simple enough that most players will find spell casting easy to understand. After playing for a short time most players learn the effects of the spells and require very little description before accepting the effects. Experienced players usually require only the name of the spell to recognize the effects. If the target has the ability to defend themselves against the spell (with, for example, an Anti-magic aura), they must yell out “NO EFFECT” so the mage is aware that the spell failed. If players fail to call out “no effect” the mage might assume they are cheating and might contact a Game Master.
5. 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 his power total. If the caster forgets the number of power points he has remaining, he is honor bound to reduce his 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.) Using a blank paper book decorated to look like a spell book is a great way to do this and adds atmosphere to the game!
Beanbags: All ranged spells (e.g. Crimson Dart) require beanbags to represent the dart of magical energy created when the spell is cast. Players are required to provide their own beanbags to use when casting magic. Adventures in Mid-Land will provide some beanbags to starting players but players are expected to make their own by the second time they play. Beanbags are constructed of cloth and birdseed so that beanbags lost during play will break down and prevent unneeded liter in the playing area. The size of the completed beanbag should not exceed a tennis ball and should be no smaller than a golf ball. 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. Simple cotton is a great material for building beanbags. 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 should be bright blue in color signifying they are a magical in game effect and making them easier to find if lost during play. The ends of the beanbag should be sewn, tied shut with string, or closed with cloth tape. Never close the beanbag with staples, pins, or plastic ties. Players are expected to keep their beanbags in good condition; old, damaged, or dirty beanbags must be removed from play immediately!
Blue flags: Some spells require the use of blue flags to indicate the presence of a magical field or effect. For example, the Sanctuary spell requires that a blue flag be placed on the ground indicating the center of the sanctuary. All blue flags must be at least one inch wide and roughly twelve inches long. The shade of blue is not important as long as it is a solid pattern and easily distinguishable as blue. With spells that require the player to wear the flag, the flag must be worn around the either of the player’s arms so that it is visible to other players when they look for it. If a spell requires a blue flag and that flag is not present, other players are not required to accept the effects of the spell. A player need only wear one blue flag at a time even if they have multiple flag-requiring spells active at the same time. Players must remove their flags within one minute of the spell’s ending, and may not wear a blue flag continuously in anticipation of casting magic. In conditions where the flag is not easily visible, such as at night, it is legal for players to ask other players, “Do I see a blue glow” in attempt to detect magical protection. Players are required to give an honest answer when asked this question. This question may not be asked of hiding players since the blue glow from a spell would not emit enough light to betray their position.
Dispelling magic: Once a spell is cast it remains in play until the spell’s duration expires or until a Dispel Magic spell is cast on the target bearing the spell. Magic-users are not allowed to dispel any magic, including their own, unless they are using a Dispel magic spell.
Faking spell casting: 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 a form of cheating. It is also not permitted for a character to verbally threaten the use of magic unless their character possesses magical skills. For example, a fighter confronted by several attackers cannot offer the empty threat, “get back or I will use my magic on you”! While this may seem like a viable tactic, it can cause confusion during play and overuse of the idea ruins the atmosphere of the game.
Magic and role-playing: 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 react as their character would. A character hit by a Crimson Dart should grunt and stagger as if hit by a bullet, even if they are uninjured. Characters witnessing a Resurrection should stand in awe of the fantastic power being displayed. Magic is common place in Mid-Land but it is by no means trivial and treating it as such ruins the atmosphere of the game. Spell casters should also share in the role-playing by exaggerating the casting of magic. For example, the caster might trace invisible magical gestures in the air or speak in a loud voice that inspires the thought of power and sorcery.
Spells make up the majority of magic used during play, but are by no means the entire collection of magical knowledge in Mid-Land. The physical limitations that restrict the use of magic have given rise to several secondary forms of spell casting. These allow players to use more magic than normally allowed or to cast grossly powerful spells that cannot be contained in the mortal mind. Players do not start with any of these higher forms of magic when their characters enter play. The three most common forms of secondary spell casting are rituals, scrolls, and tomes of magic and their use is described below.
Rituals: Rituals are powerful magical spells too large in scope for a single mind to store and cast as personal magic. Rituals, often referred to as high magic, are very rare and typically involve the creation of magical 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. Rituals typically come in the form of several pages of written text, but have appeared in less traditional forms, such as carvings on a stone door. The ritual contains specific instruction on the process required to cast the ritual’s spell and there is no guarantee that the ritual will be written in a clear fashion or even in a language the players understand. The requirements for casting a ritual vary from ritual to ritual and almost no two rituals are ever the same. A typical element of all rituals is the in-game collection of components, both rare and mundane, and often resulting in months of work before a ritual is cast. 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. Besides components, a ritual might also require the caster to conduct the ritual in a certain spot, at a certain time, or in the presence of other players. Once a player feels she is ready to cast a ritual, she must seek out the Game Master who put the ritual in play and inform him that she is 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 the death of the characters involved! Once a ritual is complete all the components involved, including the ritual instructions, burn away to ash. A ritual may never be cast more than once per set of instruction and players are not allowed to copy rituals in order to reproduce the spell.
Scrolls: Scrolls are handwritten magical storage batteries that allow players to cast higher level spells than their personal skills allow, and to do so without using personal power points. Scrolls are very hard to make and their creation is usually limited to magical colleges in major cities. Scrolls come in the form of decorated paper sheets typically rolled up and sealed with wax. In order to use a scroll the character must possess the Read Magic skill and any pertinent racial language skills (since 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 spell must be read aloud from the scroll, even if the casting player knows what the scroll says, making it impossible to cast from a scroll in the dark or other similar situation The scroll provides its own power; the casting character is therefore not required to have any personal power points. The scroll typically provides its own incant, and the player is required to use the provided incant rather than one of her own creation. Other than these 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. It is not possible for players to create their own scrolls by copying scrolls found in game.
Tomes of magic: Tomes of magic are, in essence, large permanent collections of scrolls. Tomes most commonly take the form of bound books but may occasionally take other forms such as tablets or even ornately decorated weapons. Tome use, like scroll use, requires that a player possess the Read magic skill and any pertinent racial language skills. In addition, a player must possess at least one level in the school of magic represented in the tome, and must have enough power to cast the selected spell. For example, for a character to cast a level three spell from a Tome of Life Magic they must possess the Read Magic skill, level one Life magic, and three points of power (this assumes the Tome is written in common). Tomes of magic only ever contain spells from one school of magic. Tomes typically provide their own incants and players are required to use the provided incants rather than ones 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 of magic is that it allows casters to cast spells of a higher level than they themselves personally possess. In order to cast a spell from a tome it is required that the player have the tome in hand and turned to the page of the spell. Spells must be read aloud from a tome page, even if the casting player know what the tome says, making it impossible to cast from a tome in the dark or other similar situation. Aside from these additional steps, tome use follows all the typical rules of spell casting. Pages can never be added to or removed from the tome. This useful advantage combined with the rarity of most tomes of magic make them highly sought after objects for magic-users and collectors alike.
