Character Creation: Magic

Rule Book

**Elemental Magic**

The first thing to remember about essence is that it is in everything including the ground upon which we walk. Essence is essentially energy that we can tap into, extract it and manipulate it to our will.

Elemental magic in Age of Essence is easy to come by as there is magic in just about everything including living creatures, where most magic users harness it from. To cast elemental magic you must first take the skill known as spellcraft. Spellcraft allows you to access the first tier of magic which contains four beads of essence. These four beads come in the colours of red (fire), blue (water), green (air) and brown (earth). Each bead represents a point of that magical energy and the amount of beads you have represents how much of that particular power is available to you. You now have the power to summon the magical energy to you ready to cast a spell.

**Law Vs Chaos**

There are two ways that a character can manipulate magical essence from the spellcraft skill. This is via either law or chaos. Law and chaos can also be referred to as wizardry or sorcery.

**Wizardry (Law)** - Wizardry is the study and control of the elements. A wizard is not naturally gifted with magic and so must learn and study the fundamentals of magic and from there be able to harness and control it. What this means is when a character takes spellcraft (law) they get four beads one of each colour and 4 spells.

**Sorcery (Chaos)** - Sorcerers are characters that have magical energy thrust upon them and do not always have full control over what kind of energy that it is. Often in a character’s history they are descendants from a powerful line of mages or magical being and their blood is infused with the power of magic. For a character who takes the skill spellcraft (chaos) they get four beads of power but each bead is chosen at random each day and 6 spells that they choose when they take the skill. Sorcerers are often imbalanced and their personalities can be influenced by this fact.

**WARNING**: Once you choose between chaos and law there is no going back.

**Creating a spell**

Once you have created a character with spellcraft you then get to create a set number spells of your choice. For law mages this number is 4 spells and a chaos mage gets 6 spells. These spells can be put together using the spell table provided or by discussing a desired spell with a ref. Each spell has to have an element associated with it which has a base cost of 0. From there each spell has a cost which is the number of beads required to cast that spell. You cannot add beads to a spell to increase its power once the spell has been created. For instance the blast spell costs 3 beads and making it with fire costs 0. Fire blast is then a level 1 spell because it uses its base cost of 3 beads of fire to cast. Multiple effects can be added to create a spell and can even stack with each other.

To make a spell of a higher level you have to times the basic cost of beads by the level you want the spell. For instance to make a level 2 fire blast I would need to time the 3 bead cost of blast by 2, making fire blast cost 6 beads. Each spell effect can be increased to a maximum of level 3.

All spells created must be put into a spell book that you must provide and be checked by a ref. Once a spell has been created it cannot be changed. You can learn new spells by spending 10EXP to develop a new spell. Later you can gain access to combined elements. These are rejuvenation, magma, lightning and ice.

**Casting a spell**

Once you have your beads and spells it’s time to cast. There is no limit to the amount of times you can cast your known spells but you are limited by the amount of spells you know and the amount of beads you have in total. Each level of spell requires 5 seconds of casting, so a level 1 fire bolt spell takes 5 seconds to cast, where as a level 2 spell will take 10 seconds. To cast a spell you must first draw your beads from your pouch. Once you have the beads in your hand you must chant your spell for the required amount of time. Once that is done you then cast the spell at your target by calling the name of the spell, the level and the target location (if applicable).

Here is a spell example: I draw one red (fire) bead and I begin to chant my spell. “By my power and the power of fire, by my power and the power of fire. I cast fire bolt level 1 torso on that skeleton”. The skeleton then takes one point of damage to the chest. Once done place the magic beads back into the pouch and start again.

Other spells such as ’shield’ are reactionary. This means that something has to happen to it for it to go off. Shield for example is a defensive spell that negates a single attack. Once it is cast the beads used to create the spell are currently in use and so cannot be used for anything else until the spell is used up or dismissed.

You cannot move while casting spells and moving will mean that the spell fails to cast. If you take any damage while you are casting the spell automatically fails and you will need to start again. If a ref calls “failed spell,” speak to them after the encounter is resolved to find out why.

Here is an example of how to make a spell:

First I need to choose an element so I will pick fire. This means to cast the spell I will need to draw fire beads. Next I choose the effects of my spell. I want to use bolt and knock back. Bolt costs 1 bead and knock back costs 2 beads. So to cast fire bolt knock back I need to draw 3 fire beads and cast for 15 seconds (5 seconds per bead).

When you make a spell try to picture its effect visually in your head. For instance water wall would make a wall of water rise up from the ground and form in front of my hand. Not all elements will work for all spell effects.

**Element**

**Fire –** Fire is the most destructive force of all the elements and is often used as a tool of destruction and purging. It’s also used by forge masters to keep their fires going and to get intense heat for their metals. Water opposes fire.

**Water –** Water is a beautiful and deadly force and is useful for both utility and damage. Water is often used by brewers to help maximize their efficiency. Fire opposes water.

**Air –** Air is the most elusive element and is often used for hastening travel. It is a perfect magic for holding opponents back and causing adverse effects. This magic is often used by travellers and messengers for efficiency. Earth opposes air.

**Earth –** The toughest of elements that is used for its defensive and fortifying properties. This magic is used often to strengthen the walls to cities and mortals alike. It’s often used by farmers to help turn the fields and plant crops quickly. Air opposes earth.

**Damage**

**Bolt –** Bolt does one of point of damage to one called location. This spell can be blocked by shields.

**Elemental touch –** This summons the element to your hands and it can be used to inflict 2 points of damage to a single touched location.

**Blast –** This power is like bolt but does one point of damage to all locations. This spell cannot be blocked by a shield.

**Effect**

**Knock back –** This effect knocks your opponent back 10ft per spell level.

**Daze –** This dazes a target and interrupts spell casting. The target is dazed for 3 seconds and can defend but not attack. This is a mind affect.

**Knockdown –** This ability knocks an opponent to the ground. They may still act normally after the affect has taken place.

**Multiple**

**Extra target –** This effect allows you to target either another location on the opponent or another opponent entirely.

**5ft area –** Only some spells can benefit from this effect but as it says the area of effect becomes 5ft.

**Chain –** Only some spells can benefit from this effect. The spell leaps between everyone within a 5ft area dealing the damage and effect of the spell. If allies are in this field it will target them also.

**10ft area –** Only some spells can benefit from this effect but as it says the area of effect becomes 10ft.

**Utility**

**Imbue Object –** This ability temporarily imbues an object with an element. This ability allows for the user to imbue their weapon with an element and cause elemental damage to their opponent. The power used to imbue is set aside and cannot be used while the spell is active.

**Wall** **–** Creates a 10ft wide elemental wall between you and your foe preventing conflict. You must be stationary and in contact with the wall while casting this spell. Walls are not permanent physical walls, they are magical based and will only last for 10 seconds per level of the spell.

**Manipulate Element –** This power allows you to control the elements themselves from causing floods and unexpected storms to awakening a volcano or turning a camp fire into a deadly weapon.

**Resistance**

**Resist Element –** This skill allows you to resist the effects of the selected natural element until recalled. This spell costs 1 bead for 1 point of elemental resistance, e.g. Fire resist level 2 will cost 2 fire beads and will make you immune to any fire damage, up to 2 points worth.

**Shield –** This ability gives you a one off resistance. Using this ability lasts until used up but the power used to create it is set to one side and cannot be used while the shield is active. It negates the first blow that hits you then is used up.

**Armour –** This ability gives you 4 points of elemental armour. This will resist all mundane weapon damage but not the effects of spells, imbued weapons or magical weapons. Using this ability lasts until used but the power used to create it is set to one side and cannot be used while the armour is active. This does not stack with physical armour.

**Elemental** **Immunity –** This ability gives you full immunity to the element associated with it. If using combined magic you will only be immune to that type of magic not the ones used in the combination. The power used to create it is set to one side and cannot be used while the shield is active.