From: sos@oz.plymouth.edu (Steffan O'Sullivan)
Subject: FUDGE 12/12: Section F (6 of 6)
Reply-To: sos@oz.plymouth.edu (Steffan O'Sullivan)
Organization: Plymouth State College - Plymouth, N.H.
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 92 19:29:40 GMT

Version: December 12, 1992

*****************************************************************
LEGAL NOTICE: FUDGE is copyright 1992 by Steffan O'Sullivan.  It may
be freely copied and distributed by any means desired.  This legal
notice must be included with each copy of FUDGE.  No charge may be
made for FUDGE beyond a maximum US$5 fee (at 1992 rates) for materials
and shipping.

A publisher who wishes to include FUDGE in a book of copyrighted
source material or adventures may do so, so long as (1) the
publisher's copyrighted material is longer than FUDGE, (2) this legal
notice is included with FUDGE, (3) there is no extra charge for
including FUDGE in the book, and (4) no changes are made to the words
in Sections A through D of FUDGE.  (Sections E and F may be customized
freely; any references to Sections E and F may be inserted or deleted
as needed in Sections A through D.)

FUDGE was first published in 1992 on internet, and was written by
Steffan O'Sullivan (sos@oz.plymouth.edu) with suggestions from  Martin
Bergendahl, Thomas Brettinger, Robert Bridson, Paul Jason Clegg, Peter
F. Delaney, Jay Doane, Ed Heil, Bernard Hsiung, John H. Kim, Bill
Seurer, Andy Skinner, and others on rec.games.design on internet.

Groo the Wanderer (TM) is a trademark of Sergio Aragones, and use of
the name does not contest the trademark status in any way.
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F  Addenda
----------

This section is for any suggested changes or additions to FUDGE.
Please add such changes to this section (quoting Section number and
name, such as A4.2-d, Gifts), rather than change the original.  Genre-
specific suggestions, such as a sample list of superpowers, or a list
of guns and their damage, also go in this section.  Please include a
date and credit for the change, and, if possible, notify Steffan
O'Sullivan (sos@oz.plymouth.edu), the original author of FUDGE.

F1  Alternate Section A3:  Creation Methods
-------------------------------------------

Date: November, 1992
By: Steffan O'Sullivan

   A3  Random Character Creation
   -----------------------------

   If the GM allows random determination of traits, have the player
   roll 2d6 for each *attribute*.  The results are:

   2 = Terrible
   4 = Poor
   3,5 = Mediocre
   6-8 = Fair
   9,11 = Good
   10 = Great
   12 = Superb

   The player still gets the standard number of free levels, but the
   GM may restrict trading levels.

   For *skills*, the results are read as:

   2-5,12 = Terrible
   6-8 = Poor
   9-10 = Mediocre
   11 = Fair

   The player still gets the standard number of free levels.

F2  Alternate Section B3:  How to Read the Dice
-----------------------------------------------

Date: November, 1992
By: Steffan O'Sullivan

   B3  How to Read the Dice
   ------------------------

   The following dice mechanism can be used by those who dislike
   referring to a table during play.  It returns identical statistical
   results.

   Each person needs two six-sided dice, each a different color or
   size.  One die, set by each player at the beginning of the session,
   is the "good" die, and the other is the "bad" die.  If you only
   have two that are the same color and size (such as borrowed from a
   board game, for example), then when you roll, you should point your
   pencil away from you on the table.  Roll one die to the left of the
   pencil, and the other to the right of the pencil, first declaring
   which is the good side, and which the bad side.

   When an action is resolved, roll both dice, and compare the
   numbers:

   A) If the two numbers are the same (double sixes, for example) or
   are within one of each other (a six and a five, for example), then
   the character has performed exactly as you'd expect: the rolled
   degree is equal to his level in whatever trait was being tested.
   Example: Joe wants to climb an average-looking cliff.  The GM has
   set a degree task of Fair.  Joe's Climbing skill is Fair, so he has
   a good chance of making it.  He rolls a 3 and 4 on his two dice.
   Since the two numbers are within one of each other, he achieves a
   Fair result - enough to climb the cliff.

   B) If the difference between the two numbers is *more* than 1, the
   character has performed either above or below his normal level.  To
   determine which, and by how much, examine the dice.  Remove the die
   with the larger number.  The die that is left is either the "good"
   die or the "bad" die - if the former, then the character did better
   than usual; if the latter, he did worse.  The number on the die
   shows by how much he did better or worse.  Example: Joe is now
   climbing a more difficult cliff: degree task Good.  (That is, it
   takes a Good climber to be able to handle it routinely.)  Joe has a
   pink die, which he has chosen to be the good die, and a blue die:
   the bad one.  He rolls pink 2, blue 5.  Since the difference is
   more than 1, he removes the higher die: the blue 5.  This leaves
   the pink die, which is his good die, so he did better than he
   normally does.  The number showing on top is a 2: he did two levels
   better than his Climbing skill.  Since his Climbing skill is Fair,
   this means he just made a Great climb - which is more than the
   degree task, so he succeeds, possibly in less time than it would
   normally take.

F3  Alternate Section B3:  How to Read the Dice
-----------------------------------------------

Date: December, 1992
By: Steffan O'Sullivan

   B3  How to Read the Dice
   ------------------------

   Instead of 2d6, use a single d20:

   Rolled:     1   2-3   4-7   8-13   14-17   18-19   20
   -----------------------------------------------------
   Levels:    -3    -2    -1    +0      +1     +2     +3

   If a 20 is rolled, roll again: if the result is 11 or more, you not
   only got a +3, you have critically succeeded (see Section B5,
   Critical Results).

   If a 1 is rolled, roll again: if the result is 10 or less, you not
   only got a -3, you have critically failed.

   This system returns a gentle bell curve than the 2d6 method:

   Chance of achieving your trait level: 30%.
   Chance of getting above or below your trait level: 35% each.

   Specifically:
   Chance of getting trait level +/-1: 20% each.
   Chance of getting trait level +/-2: 10% each.
   Chance of getting trait level +/-3: 5% each.
   Chance of getting a critical success or failure: 2.5% each

   Note that even finer tuning can be made using percentile dice, but
   the table becomes unwieldy.

F4  Alternate Section B7:  Opposed Rolls
-------------------------------------------

Date: November, 1992
By: Bill Seurer & Bernard Hsiung

   B7  Opposed Rolls
   -----------------

   Another way to handle an Opposed Roll situation is to have only one
   character roll the dice.  In this case, the degree task is simply
   one higher than the opponent's appropriate trait level.  In the
   example of Lisa trying to seduce Joe, she needs a rolled degree on
   her Seduction skill at least one level higher than Joe's Will
   trait.  If Joe has a Good Will, for example, Lisa needs a rolled
   degree of Great to seduce him.

   This can also work with combat.  Combat actions, then, don't have
   to be simultaneous: each combatant can take turns attacking the
   other, making initiative more important.  If Joe's Sword skill is
   Great, Lisa needs a Superb result to penetrate his defenses.  If
   Joe's Sword skill is only Fair, but his Shield skill is Great, he
   can substitute that when Lisa attacks (if his shield is ready, of
   course).  For his own attack, he would roll against his Sword
   skill, unless he's attacking with his shield . . .

F5  Sample Magic System: FUDGE Magic
------------------------------------

Date: November & December, 1992
By: Steffan O'Sullivan

   F5.1  FUDGE Magic
   -----------------

   Here is a sample magic system, based on the following premises
   mentioned in Section C3, Magic:

   Who can cast: Magicians only (supernormal power needed).
   Levels of Power: yes.  The only game effect is as a reserve in case
      of severe failure, which temporarily drains Power.
   Source of Power: manipulation of mana.
   Reliability: Fair.
   Time to cast spells: depends on potency of spell: 1 minute to days.
      This can be speeded up by taking a penalty to the roll.
   Spells: improvised.  Exact wording isn't important, so magic books
      tend to be collections of effects, not formulae.
   Material Components: none needed, but good use can give a +1 bonus
      to skill.
   Drawbacks: casting potent spells is fatiguing; severe failure
      causes distress.

   This system is based on the conviction that a *player* using magic
   should never be blase: there should always be some tension and
   excitement when casting a spell, or the magic has gone out of the
   game.  Too often in a roleplaying game, the player running a
   magician uses tried-and-true spells so often that spell-casting
   becomes mundane.  Since "mundane magic" seems a contradiction in
   terms, FUDGE Magic attempts to instill a little excitement into
   spell-casting.

   There are many ways to achieve this.  FUDGE Magic has chosen the
   following limitations:

   1) The mana available for a specific spell result gradually becomes
   depleted as it used up.  That is, casting two fireballs in a row is
   harder than casting one fireball and one lightning blast, for
   example.

   2) Magic is an untamable force; there is a skill cap for casting
   spells.

   3) Magic is somewhat risky to use - there are penalties for severe
   failure.

   Options are provided to alter these, for any GMs who disagree.  In
   fact, Section F5.10-c, Spell-Casting Skill Alternatives, is
   essential for Faerie races and demigods, who have much more
   dependable magic powers than humans.  (Such characters would have
   to buy it normally, however, unless the GM is very generous.
   Taking some superfaults to balance it is quite in keeping with
   their nature.)

   See Section E4 for sample characters using FUDGE Magic.

   F5.2  Magic Potential
   ---------------------

   A character with at least one level of Magic Potential (usually
   abbreviated to Potential, sometimes simply called Power) is
   referred to as a magician in this text - substitute your favorite
   word.  Only magicians may cast spells (but see Section F5.10-b,
   Magicians & Non-Magicians).  Magic Potential may be taken more than
   once, but each level counts as a separate supernormal power.  Thus,
   if the GM is allowing three free powers, a character may have Magic
   Potential 3.  A character may also trade 2 gifts (or 6 attribute
   levels, or 18 skill levels) for one level of Potential.

   Failing a spell miserably causes the temporary loss of a level of
   Magic Potential (see Section F5.6, Resolution).  When this happens,
   the magician faints for one minute - longer, if the GM rules the
   circumstances are particularly trying.  When he comes to, the
   magician may function normally, even attempting to cast the same
   spell again - *if* he hasn't dropped below 0 Potential.

   If a magician drops to -1 Potential, he immediately falls into a
   coma, lasting anywhere from an hour to a day (GM's decision).  When
   he wakes, he must roll a degree task against his Constitution: on a
   Mediocre or worse roll, he takes a wound.  He checks Constitution
   again at the end of every day he is *active* - a failed result
   means another wound.  These wounds *cannot* be healed until he
   recharges his Magic Potential to level 0.

   A magician with 0 Potential may still cast spells; a magician at -1
   Magic Potential, however, cannot attempt any magic spells.

   Magic Potential may be recharged *only* by resting for one week per
   level.  (GMs may alter this time to taste, of course: resting for
   one day might be sufficient for more epic campaigns.)  For example,
   a magician falls to -1 Potential.  Resting one week will bring him
   up to 0 Potential (and cure any wounds incurred by being active
   while at -1 Potential).  A second week of rest will bring him up to
   +1 Potential.  However, no character may gain Magic Potential
   levels beyond his starting level except through Character
   Development - see Section D.

   F5.3  Spells
   ------------

   When a magician wishes to cast a spell, he describes the result he
   has in mind.  The GM assesses how powerful such an effect would be,
   based on how prevalent magic is in her campaign.  In a low-magic
   campaign, even a simple spell such as levitating the jail keys over
   to an imprisoned character would be taxing.  In a high-magic
   campaign, however, that would be a trivial spell, and even shooting
   forth a flash of lightening from a fingertip wouldn't be out of the
   ordinary.

   Spells, then, are either Trivial, Average, or Potent.  (And they
   may be Very Trivial, or Very Potent, of course.)  The GM tells the
   player what the potency of a proposed spell is - a magician would
   have a sense of this.

   The GM also decides the duration of the spell, if it succeeds -
   seconds, minutes, hours, days, etc.  Rolling a higher relative
   degree means it lasts longer.  Some spells might have permanent
   effects, such as healing (until wounded again, anyway), busting a
   hole in a wall (until repaired manually or by magic, at least),
   teleporting to a distant place (until you come back, of course),
   and so on.

   The GM also needs to determine if there are any drawbacks to
   casting a spell.  FUDGE Magic assumes that spells are tiring to
   cast, and a magician reduces his Fatigue attribute when casting.
   The more potent the spell, the more the fatigue.  (Fatigue is
   regained by resting, of course.  If Fatigue goes below Terrible,
   the character passes out.)

   You may not like this idea, and either skip it entirely or change
   the drawback to something else.  Perhaps a magician has a limited
   number of spells he can cast in a day, or in an hour.  Or maybe
   each spell affects his Sanity attribute, and he needs to convalesce
   to restore it.  (Reduced Sanity can manifest in many amusing ways
   in the meantime, of course!)

   F5.4  Skill
   -----------

   Spell-casting is a skill that must be learned.  The default is Non-
   Existent, and, due to the element of uncertainty in FUDGE Magic
   (see Section F5.1, FUDGE Magic), the maximum base skill level is
   Fair.  This cannot be raised permanently - but see Section F5.10-c,
   Spell-Casting Skill Alternatives.

   One generic Spell-Casting skill is assumed, but the GM may require
   more if she breaks magic down into different types.

   Base skill may be modified, to a maximum of Great, by the
   following:

   Casting a Trivial spell: +1 or +2 levels.
   Casting an Average spell: +0 levels.
   Casting a Potent spell: -1 or more levels.

   Taking an average time to cast a spell: +0 levels.  (Note: the GM
        assesses the average time for any given spell proposed.
        Potent spells might take all day, or even longer, while
        Trivial ones might take one to five minutes.)
   Taking a long time to cast a spell carefully: +1 level.  (Relative
        to each spell, of course.  For a Trivial spell, this might
        mean taking a half an hour or more.)
   Casting a spell much more quickly than normal: -1 level.  (For a
        Trivial spell, this could mean as quickly as one combat round
        of concentration.)

   Using normal effort to cast a spell: +0 levels.
   Using extra effort to cast a spell (more fatigue than normal, or
        counts as two spells cast if there is a limit per day, or
        reduces Sanity more than normal, etc.): +1 or +2 levels.
   Using less effort than normal to cast a spell: -1 or more levels.
        (Reduced fatigue, or it only counts as half a spell against a
        daily limit, etc.)

   First spell-casting of a particular effect in a given area in the
        last day: +0 levels.
   Additional spell-castings of a particular effect in a given area in
        the last day: -1 level per casting.  (The size of the area is
        defined by the GM.  For most fantasy worlds, assume it's about
        50 yards or meters in diameter.  In a low-level magic
        campaign, the area might be the size of town or even city,
        while a high-level magic campaign might be so mana-rich that
        the magician can simply take a step or two and be in a new
        area.  Note that the *area* governs which spells can be cast
        without penalty: if one magician casts a healing spell, a
        second magician will be at -1 to cast a healing spell in the
        same area within the next 24 hours.  Note also that a magician
        may be unaware of what spells were cast in an area before he
        arrived . . .)

   For using authentic magic formulae: +1 level.  (The Law of
        Contagion or the Law of Similarity, for example - see Frazer,
        _The Golden Bough_.  Both Laws require some physical
        component, also: a feather to cast a flight spell, a piece of
        the subject's hair to heal or hurt her, a drop of water to
        become a water jet, a stick to become a staff, a bearskin to
        change the magician into a bear, etc.  Drafting the spell in
        poetical form might also earn +1 level, if the GM is willing.)

   Multiple magicians casting a spell that they have *all* tried
        before: +1 level (for 2 to X magicians) or +2 levels (for more
        than X magicians).  (X is set by the GM, anywhere from 2 to
        10, or even more for low-magic campaigns.  One magician is
        assumed to be the primary caster: only roll once against his
        skill.)

   Other modifiers may also apply, such as in a spell to magically
   search the mountains for someone you love (+1) or searching for
   someone you've never met (-1).

   F5.5  Natural Magic Resistance
   ------------------------------

   Each area has a Natural Magic Resistance, simply called Local
   Resistance, or just Resistance.  Resistance is described as a
   level, ranging from Terrible to Superb, with an average of Fair for
   most *fantasy* campaigns.

   The GM sets the Resistance level based on how prevalent magic is in
   the game.  The general Resistance level is probably Great or Superb
   in a setting like modern earth, while a fantasy campaign with high
   levels of magic might have a Mediocre or even a Poor Resistance
   level.  There may be worlds in which the Natural Magic Resistance
   level fluctuates from place to place, or possibly even with the
   phases of the moon.  There may even be "currents" or "tides" of low
   or high Resistance that change course periodically, even invading
   totally new areas.  Thus, even here on high-Resistance modern
   earth, there will be places and times of the year when cultists
   gather to call forth unseen powers ...

   A PC magician would know the general Resistance level for at least
   his home area.  He may or may not know whether it fluctuates
   periodically, or if far lands have different Resistance levels.  In
   order to determine the specific Resistance of the local area at a
   given time, a magician needs to cast a spell specifically to that
   end.

   F5.6  Resolution
   ----------------

   Each spell is then resolved as an Unopposed Roll: the degree task
   is equal to the Natural Magic Resistance of the area.

   If the magician *surpasses* the degree task, he has overcome the
   area's natural magic resistance and the spell occurs as he
   described it.  The better the relative degree, the better the
   result.  The magician suffers -1 (or more) to his Fatigue attribute
   *if* the GM deems the spell is fatiguing.  (If the GM has chosen
   some other drawback, of course, that is applied instead.)

   Sometimes a skill roll is then needed to *do* something with the
   end result of a spell.  For example, a fireball needs to be thrown
   accurately: use the Throwing Skill and Ranged Weapon rules.

   If the magician *equals* the degree task, then a watered-down
   version of the spell occurs.  Either it will have a very short
   duration, or reduced potency, or there is a time lag before the
   spell takes effect, etc.  There may be an unexpected side effect,
   though it won't be harmful to the magician.  There is no penalty
   for the magician beyond a possible -1 to Fatigue, at worst.

   If the magician rolls *below* the degree task, however, he is
   adversely affected.  The Natural Magic Resistance of the area has
   resisted his attempt to manipulate mana, and his psyche is jolted
   because of it.  There may (or may not) be some magical effect, but
   it will *not* be the desired effect, and, if he rolled poorly
   enough, it may even be inimical to the magician's goals - or health
   . . .

   On a failed roll, the magician is stunned for one combat round (no
   actions or defense) and takes at least -1 Fatigue.

   If he rolls a result of -3 or -4, the spell automatically fails (no
   matter what the rolled degree) *and* he also temporarily drains one
   level of his Magic Potential - see Section F5.2, Magic Potential,
   for effects.  (This is the "riskiness" of magic mentioned in
   Section F5.1, FUDGE Magic.)

   Examples: Barny casts a spell of Average potency in a Fair
   Resistance area and gets -2: a Poor result.  The spell fails and
   Barny is stunned for a combat round, but he does *not* drain a
   level of Magic Potential because he rolled better than -3.  Later,
   in an area of Poor Resistance, Barny takes a long time (+1) to cast
   a Trivial spell (+1), raising his skill by +2 temporarily to Great.
   He rolls a -3 result, which is a Mediocre rolled degree.  Although
   the rolled degree is greater than the Resistance, the spell still
   fails because he rolled a -3 result.  Barny also exhausts 1 level
   of Magic Potential - ouch!

   F5.7  Personal Magic Resistance
   -------------------------------

   If the spell is one which attempts to Control another being, either
   mentally, physically or spiritually, then Opposed Rolls are *also*
   called for.  First, the magician needs to overcome the Local
   Resistance of the area (as above); then he has to overcome the
   Personal Magic Resistance of the subject.  Personal Resistance may
   be an attribute or gift, as the GM wills; it may even be a
   different attribute for different types of spells (a mental
   attribute for attempts to control the mind, etc.).  Note that this
   second roll is Opposed - the subject of the spell gets a chance to
   resist it, and so can influence the result.

   If the GM is willing, the magician may roll against the degree
   result he rolled to cast the spell.  That is, if he rolled a Great
   result on the spell, he rolls the Opposed roll as if his skill were
   Great.  Otherwise, he uses the same level he rolled initially
   against.

   "Control" can mean many things to different GMs.  Personal
   Resistance would resist an attempt to read someone's mind to one
   GM, but not to another.  Personal Resistance does *not* resist any
   spell that calls or creates physical energy to lash out at another
   being, though.  If the magician successfully creates lightning at
   his fingertips to blast at the subject, that is not resisted by
   Personal Resistance; it is treated as a physical weapon.

   F5.8  Certain Spell-Casting
   ---------------------------

   Sometimes a magician desperately needs a certain result.  In this
   case, he may opt not to roll the dice at all, and simply drain one
   level of Magic Potential for a guaranteed success.  He takes the
   usual penalties for losing a level of Potential - see Section F5.2,
   Magic Potential.

   The GM may restrict this to Trivial spells, or non-Potent spells,
   or have no restrictions at all, beyond requiring the normal fatigue
   (or other) penalties.

   If the spell is one that could logically be resisted by the
   subject, however, the subject still gets a Resistance roll.  In
   this case, the magician rolls as if his skill were Great.

   F5.9  Enchanting Items
   ----------------------

   Items may be permanently enchanted in this system.  The magician
   works for a number of weeks or months as required by the GM,
   depending on the number and potency of the spells desired, and the
   general availability of magic items in the campaign.  At the end of
   *each* month (or week), the magician rolls against two degree
   tasks: one to overcome the Resistance of the area, and the other to
   overcome the Resistance of the item.  The usual penalties apply on
   failing to overcome Resistance.  If he surpasses the degree task,
   the spell is slowly being set into the item, one stage at a time.
   On a tied degree task, the work counts as only half a time period,
   but does progress the enchantment.

   Obviously, an area with low Natural Magic Resistance (Poor or even
   Terrible) will attract magicians, especially enchanters.

   F5.10  FUDGE Magic Options
   --------------------------

   One of these options offer a way to limit FUDGE Magic for those who
   think it is too sweeping.

   The others make magic more reliable and less risky, and even make
   it available to non-magicians.

   F5.10-a  Specialized Magic Potential
   ------------------------------------

   In this option, each Magic Potential level must be bought as a
   specialization.  A specialization can be suggested by the player or
   set by the GM.  The categories can be as broad or as narrow as the
   GM wishes: the broader the terms, the more powerful the magicians.
   Examples of specialized Potential: Augury, Combat Magic,
   Communication Magic, Defensive Magic, Elemental Magic, Flying
   Magic, Healing Magic, Illusion, Information-Gathering Magic, Mind
   Control, Necromancy, Only Affects Living Beings, Only Affects
   Sentient Beings, White Magic (cannot harm anyone, even indirectly),
   etc.

   Very narrow specializations should probably cost less than 1
   supernormal power: perhaps each very specialized Potential is worth
   1 gift.

   If the GM allows it, a character may have Power levels in more than
   one specialization.

   In order to cast a spell of a given result, the magician *must*
   have at least +1 Potential specialized in that type of magic (on
   the character sheet, that is: he may be temporarily reduced to 0
   Potential).  Someone with +1 Potential: Combat Magic and +2
   Potential: Information-Gathering could not cast a spell to control
   someone's mind, for example.

   Note that specializations can also be handled as faults: see
   Section E4, Sample Characters, for examples.

   F5.10-b  Magicians & Non-Magicians
   ----------------------------------

   The GM may allow non-magicians to cast spells.  In this case, it is
   *very* risky, as there is no Magic Potential "cushion" - one severe
   failure is enough to devastate the character.  Still, in an
   emergency, it may be worth the risk.  Such a character would still
   need to have some Spell-casting skill, however.  (But see Section
   F5.10-c, Spell-casting Skill Alternatives).

   The GM may choose to define a spell of "average" potency
   differently for a magician (anyone with at least 1 level of Magic
   Potential on the character sheet) and a non-magician.  In this
   case, a non-magician is at -1 or -2 to cast what a magician can
   cast with no penalties.

   For an even greater difference between magicians and non-magicians,
   rule that a non-magician can only cast a spell that a magician
   considers Trivial.  (That is, the spell is so Trivial that a
   magician gets a bonus for casting it, as stated in Section F5.4,
   Skill.)  The non-magician may even be at -1 or -2 for trying such a
   powerful (to him) spell.

   F5.10-c  Spell-Casting Skill Alternatives
   -----------------------------------------

   Since tastes differ, and FUDGE Magic tends to be undependable (see
   Section F5.1, FUDGE Magic), three options are provided for more
   reliable spell-casting:

   1) Use the basic FUDGE Magic system, but allow a magician to
      improve his chances of casting a spell beyond Fair.  At a cost
      of one *supernormal power,* this may be raised to Good.  At a
      cost of *two more* supernormal powers, casting skill may be
      raised from Good to Great, the maximum.

   2) GMs who want magic to be a *lot* more reliable can simply treat
      Spell-casting as any other skill.  That is, it costs the usual
      skill costs to raise it to Good or even Great.  Superb Spell-
      casting is not recommended for any but inherently magical races,
      however, even in high-level magic campaigns.

   3) Another possibility for potent magic is simply having Spell-
      Casting equal to the Will attribute.  (There may still be a
      ceiling of Great, Good, or even Fair.  In the latter case, this
      is still a potent option because the player doesn't have to buy
      Spell-casting skill.)  This is especially appropriate for games
      in which non-magicians can cast spells - see Section F5.10-b,
      Magicians & Non-Magicians.

   F5.10-d  Less Risky Spell-Casting
   ---------------------------------

   To make spell-casting less risky (not necessarily a good thing -see
   Section F5.1, FUDGE Magic), make it harder to drain a level of
   Potential.  Examples (apply as many or as few as desired):

   1) 1 level of Potential is drained only on a -4 result;
   2) A magician cannot deplete a level of Magic Potential if he is
      attempting a Trivial spell;
   3) A magician cannot exhaust a level of Magic Potential if he is
      attempting a Trivial or Average spell;
   4) A magician cannot deplete a level of Magic Potential if he takes
      enough time to get a +1 bonus for slow and careful spell-
      casting;
   5) 1 level of Magic Potential can only be depleted on a hurried
      spell-casting attempt that fails badly;
   6) A magician cannot drain a level of Magic Potential on the first
      spell cast each day, or when the moon is full, or if the Natural
      Magic Resistance is Mediocre or worse, etc., etc.

F6  Sample Miracle System: FUDGE Miracles
-----------------------------------------

Date: November & December, 1992
By: Steffan O'Sullivan

   F6.1  FUDGE Miracles
   --------------------

   Here is a sample miracle system (not generic), based on the
   following premises mentioned in Section C4, Miracles:

   Can miracles occur by petition: yes.
   Who can petition: anyone.  Holy persons (supernormal power
      required, *plus* character behavior must be in synch with
      deity's goals - GM decision on how the player is roleplaying)
      have an advantage, however.  Religious Investiture is not
      required, and, in fact, does no good if behavior is
      inappropriate.  It is primarily a social advantage.
   Certainty of petitioned miracles: Mediocre.
   Broad or specific requests: specific requests are more likely to be
      granted.

   F6.2  Divine Favor
   ------------------

   Divine Favor is a supernormal power that can be bought in levels.
   Each level is dedicated to a single deity; it is possible to have
   Divine Favor from more than one deity in a polytheistic world.

   Each level of Divine Favor counts as *two* supernormal powers.

   Divine Favor can be temporarily lost if the character does not act
   in accordance with the deity's desires.  Usually a period of
   atonement is required to regain Divine Favor.  This may be
   instantaneous for a very merciful deity, or it may take up to a
   month for stricter deities.

   F6.3  Petitioning a Miracle
   ---------------------------

   A character may petition a miracle at any time.  However, some
   deities do not like to be disturbed for trivial matters, and may
   ignore requests when it is obvious the character hasn't even tried
   to help himself.

   In FUDGE Miracles, the petition should be fairly precisely worded.
   Rather than a simple, "Please help me," the character should focus
   the plea: "We are starving, please feed us," or, "My friend is
   dying, please heal him."  A holy character can petition for any
   miraculous result desired, however - there is no established list
   of miracles.

   Characters without Divine Favor have a Petitioning skill of Poor
   (or Mediocre, if the GM wants a more deity-active game).  Those
   with one or more levels of Divine Favor have a Petitioning skill of
   Fair.  Petitioning skill cannot be raised.  (If the GM wants a
   high-level deity-active campaign, Petitioning skill can be raised
   to Good at the cost of one supernormal power.)  It can be modified,
   however - see the next section.

   To resolve a petition, make an Unopposed roll against Petitioning
   skill.  Each level of Divine Favor grants the holy character one
   extra chance to roll the dice in a petition to his deity.

   On a Fair or worse result, the roll is a failure.  If the character
   has any levels of Divine Favor from the same deity, he may roll
   again for each level (this does not count as a separate petition).
   He can stop at any point: only the last result rolled counts.  This
   means a character with two levels of Divine Favor can try one, two,
   or three rolls.  If he gets Good, Fair, and Mediocre results, in
   that order, the result of the petition is Mediocre.

   On a Fair or Mediocre result, the petition isn't answered by the
   deity, but the deity isn't annoyed by the petitioner.  On Poor or
   worse result, however, the deity is angry with the character, and
   there will be a -1 on the next petition attempt.

   On a Good or better result, the petition is granted.  The better
   the rolled degree, the better the answer to the prayer.  For
   example, a Good result might heal one wound, while a Superb result
   would totally heal the character.  A Good result might call a wolf
   to fight for the petitioner, while a Superb result might call three
   lions.  And so on.

   F6.4  Modifiers to the Petitioning Skill Level
   ----------------------------------------------

   All modifiers are decided by the GM:

   The petitioner's behavior lately has been strictly in accordance
        with the deity's desires: +1
   The petitioner's behavior lately has not been in accordance with
        the deity's desires: -1 or more

   The petition is specific to furthering the deity's desires: +1
   The petition goes against the deity's desires: -1 or more

   The petition involves the specific sphere of influence of the
        deity: +1 (Calling for a fireball from a fire god, for
        example.  This is not appropriate for a Supreme God, since His
        sphere encompasses all things!)
   The petition involves an element antagonistic to the deity: -1 or
        more (asking the Fire deity to use water, for example.)

   The petition is phrased too generally: -1 or more
   The petition is a trifling request: +1, provided the petitioner has
        exhausted his own abilities to accomplish this task.  (An
        example might be requesting a piece of chalk, which is
        trifling, but simply cannot be found anywhere near the
        character.)

   The petitioner has not tried to help himself first: -1 or more.
   The last petition was a Poor or worse result: -1
   The deity feels the petitioner is calling for help too frequently:
        -1 or more  (This is optional, and may be invoked by a GM
        annoyed at constant requests for miracles . . .)

-- 
  - Steffan O'Sullivan		         sos@oz.plymouth.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.design