Caster (TCJ)

#### **Overview:**

Casters are a powerful breed, even in their lower and more unskilled levels they can harness the energies of other dimensions. Though with these great powers come great risks, the innumerable dimensional reconstruction events that a caster may face, and the horrors that come with them. There are three sub-classes: Combat Casters, Support Casters, and Artificers. Combat Casters have abilities focused around being in direct combat, allowing them to have an upper hand and possibly even avoid damage. Support Casters have abilities focused on mass buffing/debuffing mainly, with abilities doing things like assigning AOE to spells. Artificers are the item crafters, mainly focused on creating and enchanting items.

#### **Magic system:**

Magic causes major strain on the basis of the fabric of reality by essentially punching a whole through the fourth dimension and pulling through incomprehensible energies that is then channeled by the caster into a spell. Certain areas can only take some much dimensional strain and with increased dimensional strain comes increased chance of dimensional reconstruction and the severity thereof. With some factors like temples or past rituals affecting the maximum amount of dimensional tension that can be handled in an area, backlash that is received on dimensional reconstruction, or the speed of which dimensional tension will naturally dissipate. Dimensional reconstruction is basically similar to the idea of anti-matter particles, with energy pulled through the 4th dimension needing to be made up for to conserve energy in the caster's dimension, meaning that the more a caster casts the more reconstruction that needs to occur, and that on failing a spell a flash reconstruction event can occur. Flash reconstruction events are directly based to on how much dimensional tension is currently present in the area and is essentially backlash for dimensional strain.

Each map tile can take up to 100 points of dimensional strain normally, every 10 points the dimensional strain level increases from 1-10, with increasing backlash. Should the maximum be lowered, the lower strain levels will be removed (ie a tile w/ a max of 90 starts at level 2), and if the maximum is raised the levels will be adjusted accordingly by dividing by 10 and rounding down to the nearest whole number.

Things that can affect a map tile's dimensional strain properties are things like: Temples (-10 [varying]), previous spells (varying), bonuses of current casters (varying), etc. A caster will not automatically know the area's strain level, and must either guess, use items, or have access to and use spells gauging the strain levels. Unless altered, a tile will naturally dissipate strain at 10 points per week.

When a caster casts a spell, they will make a check of 1d100 (with bonuses for strain ONLY) and if they roll OVER the current amount of strain, there is no backlash; however if they roll UNDER they remove that much strain and will consult the effects of active spells dealing with backlash if applicable or the chart as appropriate to what they rolled (ie if the max is 100, strain is 60, and one rolls a 19, strain becomes 41 and the caster consults the level 2 dimensional reconstruction). When consulting the table, the caster will make a check with no bonuses to see what backlash they receive from the level.

##### **Level 1:**

Race dysmorphia - Become absolutely convinced you are a race that you are biologically not (make daily somewhat difficult willpower checks until success after 1 day to dispel the effect).

Magical tourettes - Make willpower checks to not randomly blurt out things pertaining to your casting during your turn, checks become somewhat difficult if one has failed a willpower check within the last three turns (make daily somewhat difficult willpower checks after 1 week to dispel the effect).

Flashbacks(?) - Make willpower checks during sleep to not become absolutely convinced that a random implanted memory actually occurred, or that it will occur (make daily somewhat difficult willpower checks after 1 day to dispel the effect).

Escapism - Develop a temporary addiction to the first addictive substance one comes in contact with (make daily somewhat difficult willpower checks after 1 day to dispel the effect).

Absolvation - Become obsessed over making oneself clean under their casting belief system and if the caster does not purify themselves at least once a day all checks are made with somewhat difficulty (make daily somewhat difficult willpower checks after 1 day to dispel the effect).

Private eyes? - Become convinced that something from one's belief system is secretly watching your every move for a week, this cannot be dispelled.

##### **Level 2:**

Talkin' funny - One will speak the words in all sentences backwards for one day (make daily somewhat difficult willpower checks after 1 week to dispel the effect).

Bad luck - One's next action will automatically be a failure.

Absolvation II (2) - Become unable to cast until oneself is clean under their casting belief system or until one day has passed.

Cease and desist - Receive a warning as according to one's belief system, the next dimensional reconstruction will become a level 3 event if it is level 1 or 2, or unless one makes oneself clean under their casting belief system/one week passes.

Goose chase - Be given a task with parameters set by one's belief system, if the task is failed one does a dimensional reconstruction check, not accepting any roll under level 5.

Cosmic blip - Reveal one's location to casters or anything able to detect dimensional tension within map 3 tiles (including the tile one is in at the time).

##### **Level 3:**

Hyper-fixation - All rolls not pertaining to one's casting or belief system must be rolled with somewhat difficulty (make daily somewhat difficult willpower checks after 1 week to dispel the effect).

Magical haze - One is taken by things no others can see, all wisdom, intelligence, or charisma checks are made with difficulty (make daily somewhat difficult willpower checks after 1 day to dispel the effect).

Bad luck II (2) - One's next action will automatically be a critical failure.

Cosmic breakage of wind - Be thrown in a random direction (1d10 [clockwise, 9 down, 10 up]) fifty feet (limit of 10 feet upwards/downwards) as well as be accompanied by a sulfuric smell for 1 week.

From the land down under - One's feet (or otherwise bottom point) becomes extremely buoyant, placing their head by their feet, one can use their hands but their head will scrape the ground. This effect lasts for one day or until broken by a difficult willpower check which may be rolled hourly.

A lust for the crusade - One becomes infatuated with the idea with protecting one's casting or belief system, and cannot cast until they destroy/deface/kill something belonging to another casting or belief system (one can cast in the act of the crusade).

##### **Level 4:**

The voices from beyond the veil - One will hear strange sounds and voices from things that aren't there (make daily difficult willpower checks after 1 week to dispel the effect).

Cosmic blip II (2) - Reveal one's location to casters or anything able to detect dimensional tension within map 5 tiles (including the tile one is in at the time).

Cease and desist II (2) - Receive a harsh warning as according to one's belief system, the next dimensional reconstruction will become a level 5 event if it is level 4 or lower, or unless one month passes.

Magical alzheimers - One can't quite remember their spells, and must read/practice their spells within three turns of casting or they forget again. This effect lasts for one day and cannot be dispelled.

Where the light has gone out - One's willpower is temporarily halved for one week (make daily difficult willpower checks).

Shrouded in darkness - One can only perceive artificial light for one week (make daily difficult willpower checks after 1 week to dispel the effect).

##### **Level 5:**

The things from beyond the veil - One will see and hear strange things that aren't there (make daily difficult willpower checks after 1 week to dispel the effect).

A fragment left behind - Lose all senses in a random body part, as if it isn't there for one day (make daily difficult willpower checks after 1 day to dispel the effect).

A leaky faucet - Begin bleeding black ink-like blood very quickly from a random orifice, it does not harm the afflicted asides from socially and slows to a trickle over two weeks (make daily difficult willpower checks after 2 weeks to dispel the effect).

Necromorphosis - A random amount (1d4) of small body parts (IE fingers) will become horribly mutated and disgusting, as if it was pulled off of a ghastly ghoul, the body part will be treated as crippled (2) and cannot be healed (make daily difficult willpower checks after 1 week to dispel the effect).

A messenger from the void - A random amount of (1d4) weak monsters will come from the dimension one channeled the energy for the spell from and begin attacking the caster.

Cosmic displacement - The caster is sent to a random safe location within 10km of one's location.

##### **Level 6:**

Cease and desist III (3) - Receive a harsh warning as according to one's belief system, the next dimensional reconstruction will become a level 7 event if it is level 6 or lower, or unless one month passes.

Necromorphosis II (2) - A random limb (1d4, not including head or torso) will become horribly mutated and disgusting, as if it was pulled off of a ghastly ghoul, the body part will be treated as crippled (2) and cannot be healed (make daily difficult willpower checks after 1 week to dispel the effect).

Cosmic displacement II (2) - The caster is sent to a random safe location within 1 tile of one's location.

A most divine deal - Make a deal with a higher power outside of one's casting or belief system (or inside if a power that would make sense to 'bail out' one's character) to avoid greater punishment, if one fails to make a deal or follow the deals terms one automatically makes a check for a reconstruction event, only taking events of level 8 or higher.

Reality slip - Hear, see, and feel strange things that aren't there (make daily difficult willpower checks after 2 weeks to dispel the effect).

Less than subtle eyes - Become constantly followed and observed from a distance by a random amount of (1d4) representatives (IE angels) of one's casting or belief system, or if not applicable: By general monstrosities from beyond one's dimension. They will disappear on contact and can be seen by standard means, but will not attract hostile attention unless pointed out by the afflicted caster. This lasts for one month and cannot be dispelled, but if the caster triggers a reconstruction event the representatives will summon a random amount of (3d4) weak monsters, which will attack the caster with the representatives.

##### **Level 7:**

Momento mori - Have a random symbol tattooed/burnt onto one's body, while this can be removed by powerful healing magic and does not directly harm the caster, it can be recognized as a mark of the beast of sorts.

A harbinger of the void - A random amount of (3d4) strong monsters will come from the dimension one channeled the energy for the spell from and begin attacking the caster.

Mandela effect - Become randomly swapped with oneself in a similar timeline where any detail or details may be changed, they may be large or small, but one will not know automatically.

Pandora's box - Have one's senses replaced with information as if they were in another random plane of existence, though their physical body stays in the same place.

4th dimensional blackout - One's perception is randomly shifted within one day (past or future) in one's current timeline, one's consciousness is blacked out in this time period, unable to remember anything that occurred between the moment of blackout and where they regain memory-forming consciousness.

A fragment left behind II (2) - Lose all functionality in a random body part, as if it isn't there for one day (make daily difficult willpower checks after 1 day to dispel the effect - this affect may be applied to organs, not including the brain or heart).

##### **Level 8:**

Cosmic blip IV (4) - Reveal one's location to casters or anything able to detect dimensional tension within 10 map tiles, as well as to all creatures in the current map tile (including the tile one is in at the time).

Momento mori II (2) - Lose a random small body part (IE finger) permanently (can be healed via magic or prosthetics).

4th dimensional blackout II (2) - One's perception is randomly shifted within one week (past or future) in one's current timeline, one's consciousness is blacked out in this time period, unable to remember anything that occurred between the moment of blackout and where they regain memory-forming consciousness.

Mandela effect II (2) - Become randomly swapped with oneself in a similar timeline where any detail or details may be changed, they may be large or small, but one will not know automatically. Though in this timeline, something extremely cruel to one's character, or their vaguely imminent death is supposedly assured.

Necromorphosis III (3) - One's entire body will become horribly mutated and disgusting, as if it was pulled off of a ghastly ghoul, the entire body will be treated as crippled (2) and cannot be healed, as well as one's total health being reduced to 1/5 (make daily difficult willpower checks after 1 month to dispel the effect).

Cosmic displacement III (3) - The caster is sent to a random location (not causing instant death) within 5 tiles of one's location.

##### **Level 9:**

4th dimensional blackout II (2) - One's perception is randomly shifted within one month (past or future) in one's current timeline, one's consciousness is blacked out in this time period, unable to remember anything that occurred between the moment of blackout and where they regain memory-forming consciousness.

Momento mori III (3) - Lose a random limb or organ (not including head torso, brain, or heart) permanently (can be healed via magic or prosthetics).

Reality tether - Automatically trigger reconstruction events at any casting, as well as become the target for all reconstruction events in one's current tile for one month.

Absolvation III (3) - One realizes that they have personally offended the higher powers of their casting or belief system, and must absolve themselves by sacrificing three things or more of great personal significance or a combined value greater than or equal to 1 ton of gold. One cannot cast until the sacrifices have been made or one year has passed.

Death's aura - Become encased in a cloud of miasma that reduces the health of anything inside by 1/5 per turn. Oneself cannot be reduced to any lower than 1/10, this cloud is a 50' cube, and will last for 1 month.

No warning great enough - Have a greater being (IE a God or demi-God), along with a random number (3d4) of strong monsters come from the dimension one channeled the energy for the spell from and begin attacking the caster.

##### **Level 10:**

Cosmic swap - One's player becomes swapped with their character, and cannot return to their dimension unless powerful dimension-walking magic can be used to find one's character and retrieve them. The player 'character' and their swapped character will have linked consciousness and can work together.

Divine redaction - One's character and all dimensional strain producing entities affiliated with them in the map tile will suddenly disappear, as if they were never there. The tile will have a maximum of 0 dimensional tension, and any casting will automatically result in a level 10 reconstruction event, permanently.

Dimensional scar - One's character and all dimensional strain producing entities affiliated with them in the map tile will be sucked into a tear in reality, but the tear will stay open, spewing out random energies, monsters, etc. The tile will have a maximum of 25 dimensional tension, and any casting will result in something appearing from the tear; this effect will stay for 10 years or until the tear is closed.

Groundhog day - Become trapped in a time-loop for a time equivalent to one's deeds against their casting or belief system, or against the multiverses in general.

The great judgement - Be sent to the highest power under one's casting or belief system to answer for one's sins, or simply be cast into a hellish dimension wildly different from one's own. One may appease the power by justification, or by trading worldly possessions equivalent to their soul and their deeds, or simply giving their soul - thus making them totally controlled by this power.

Abraham's maelstrom - One's entire plain of existence is faced with a 5th dimensional energy storm, which will decimate everything in existence, but will allow one's character to live and to be able to survive at the cost of everything and everyone they've known, as well as trapping them inside of this dimension and plain of reality OR one can take responsibility for their actions and be destroyed across all dimensions and plains of reality.