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Magic
Magic is a powerful force. In trained hands, it is highly effective in accomplishing many kinds of effects. In the hands of the untrained, it can be dangerous and destructive, both to the person attempting to use and to all those around him.
Note, however, that everyone has some Magical Aptitude, as it is assumed that in this world, everyone is somewhat familiar with magic in general, possibly as a victim of it. Of course, a spellcaster is more adept in understanding the workings of magic, and a caster's MA normally reflects that knowledge.
Spell Mechanics
Casting a Spell
In order to cast a spell:
- The character must have the spell available to him; that is, he must possess the spell list, and be of sufficient level to cast the spell in question (except where noted, below: "Casting Spells Above Level").
- No more than one spell per round may be cast. (Period, no exceptions.)
- Only one save per spell unless otherwise mentioned in the spell text.
*Note:
- Interrupted spells (a player being struck by either a weapon or a spell before he can cast) do not expended power points, but the spell is lost.
- Fizzled spells (rolls above your characters MA) result in a failed spell, and expending power points.
Casting Sustainable Spells
Sustainable spells are indicated in the spell lists in the Spell Cost, the Duration, and the category "Sustainable." The Spell Cost shows both the number of Power Points used to cast the spell for the initial number of rounds, and the number of Power Points used to sustain the spell for the incremental number of rounds as shown under "Duration."
Example: A spell listing a Spell Cost of 8/3 and a Duration of 5+(2) costs the caster 8 Power points to cast the spell for 5 initial rounds, and 3 Power points to sustain that spell for every two rounds after the cast.
Sustainable spells are IMed and cast in the normal way for the initial number of rounds. All of the casting rules apply. If the caster decides she wishes to sustain the spell, she must IM the PGM of her intentions on the round that the initial duration expires. The PGM does not presume to know the player's intentions; if the player does not IM the sustain, the spell will not be sustained. This is not counted as a move, nor will it need an additional MA roll; the spell has already been successfully cast. There will be no additional chances to save for the sustained rounds, unless otherwise indicated in the spell description.
The caster may cast another spell after sustaining a spell, as long as 1) the number of Power points required to sustain the spell already in effect is 2 or less; and 2) the additional spell is not a sustainable spell.
Types of Spells
There are three general types of spells, based on the time needed to cast.
- Cantrip: A spell that is easy and quick to cast. Cantrips give a +50 bonus to the caster's speed.
- Normal: A spell that takes the normal time to cast. There are no bonuses, or penalties to the character's speed.
- Ritual: A spell that takes anywhere from a few minutes to several days to cast. Because of the time required, it is impractical to cast a Ritual during combat. Rituals must be cast during normal Parthos hours, or during Tournaments.
Cannibalizing
In extreme cases, a caster may temporarily "borrow" some of her Stamina in exchange for Power points. This is a highly unusual and risky move and should be used with extreme caution! The exchange, if successful, will be at 2 Stamina for every 1 Power point. In order to accomplish this, the caster must first decide how many Power points she wishes to gain, and IM the PGM. This is her move for the round; she may make no other move that round, regardless of her initiative.In order to accomplish the exchange, the caster rolls a d100 on her Magical Aptitude; if she rolls under, the exchange is successful; if not, no exchange is made.
Critical Rolls
100: All remaining Stamina is lost; the caster falls unconscious at 0. The caster cannot cannibalize again until he or she has rested for eight hours.
1: The caster gains double Power points.
If the caster is hit before the exchange is attempted, and falls below the Stamina points needed to make the exchange but above 0 Stamina, she would still roll the attempt (hoping, no doubt, to fail, and making a mental note to plan more carefully in the future). If she succeeds, the exchange is made, and she will be left with whatever the negative number of Stamina points result. If the roll fails, there will be no effect, as usual.
Note that this exchange is temporary, lasting for one day.
Spells Above Level
A caster may attempt to cast a spell above her current level, providing the spell in question is from her original (Class) spell list.
The spell will be cast at a penalty of -25 to the caster's MA per level above the caster's current level. If the caster possesses a scroll with that spell, the penalty is reduced to -15 per level above the caster's level. Additionally, five (5) Power Points will be used over and above the spell's normal Power Points. Note that some spells will be impossible to attempt.
If the caster rolls less than her MA minus the appropriate penalty and more than 1 on a d100, all is well. The spell functions normally.
If the caster rolls a 1 on a d100, the additional Power Points are not used. She does not get the added benefits of rolling a 1 listed with the spell.
If the caster rolls above her MA minus the appropriate penalty on a d100, and less than 100, the spell will backfire as if she rolled a 100 per the spell listing.
If the caster rolls a 100 on a d100, the magic goes wildly awry. Very, very bad things will happen to all within 50 feet of the caster. If the spell was an offensive spell, All within 50 feet of the caster will either take BC10x5 damage, or PGM's choice. If the offensive spell has a duration, the duration will double. There will be no save against these effects. If the caster should live through this, she will be unable to use any mental functions for BC4 weeks. In effect, she will be a drooling idiot.
Teaching Spells
A spellcaster may teach any spell, on his base list or another, if his equivalent caster level is at least 5 levels higher than the spell he wishes to teach. This restriction does not apply to spells created through Magical Theory.
To effectively teach and learn a spell, the following rolls must be made successfully by the teacher and student:
Teacher: Will + (MT/5)
Student: I.Q. + (MT/5)
If the teacher is teaching a spell from his/her original spell list (eg, an illusionist teaching an illusion spell), 15 will be subtracted from his roll.
Note: Magical items can provide exceptions to these rules and restrictions. In all cases, the magical item description supercedes these rules. For example, an 11th Level Illusionist would be able to teach a 6th Level Illusionist spell, but not a 7th Level Illusionist spell. If he also knew 6 levels of spells from the Enchanter list, he could teach a Level 1 Enchanter spell, but not a level 2 spell from that list.
Though a student is allowed to learn only one spell on each list per week, he may attempt learning that spell once per day as necessary.
Costs for learning from a teacher:
There is an overhead cost of 750ss to open a new list. This is money spent to the Marketplace, not another player, as it represents books, materials, and other ritual paraphernalia involved in learning spells. Spells carry a materials cost of 50ss per spell level.
*See Acquiring Spells for more information
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