Spellcasting

Steps

1. Pick an Arcana, a Spell, and a Yantra
   You can pick any Spell or Spell Practice up to your Arcana's level. Preferably pick a Yantra that will have a sympathetic connection with the spell Arcana.
2. Pick Potency or Duration
   Use your Gnosis for one of these values (Potency = Gnosis, or Duration = Gnosis Turns), the other starts at 1.
3. Spend Reach
   You have 1 Reach for each level of Arcana above the Spell Level. See the table below for ways to spend Reach. You can also spend Reach on extra effects in spell descriptions. Use one of the methods for getting more Reach if needed.
4. Roll dice
   Roll a number of dice equal to Arcana + Gnosis + Yantra. First, describe what you're doing to the storyteller as they may tell you to subtract some dice as penalties for Aimed spells or spells cast against opponents. Then roll dice. At least 1 success means the spell worked at least a little bit, but more may be needed for the intended full effect.
5. Resolutions
   The storyteller describes what the result is, and has final say on any unresolved issues.

Spending Reach

Note: One Turn is 3 seconds long

Getting More Reach

If you are short on Reach, these are your options (in any combination):

• Use a Sympathetic Yantra. If your Yantra matches the domain of any of the spell's Arcana, gain +1 Reach.
• Take longer. +10 minutes cast time for +1 Reach. You can do this a maximum number of times equal to your Gnosis. This is called Ritual Casting. Prevents Reflexive casting.
• Spend mana. Spend 1 Mana for +1 Reach. You can do this a maximum number of times equal to your Gnosis.
• Risk paradox. Turn 1 die in your spellcasting roll into a Paradox Die for +1 Reach. You can do this a maximum number of times equal to your Gnosis.

Spells

The spells in the core rule book are examples of spells that can be Improvised Spells, Rotes, or Praxes.

Improvised Spells

Improvised Spells are spells you make up off the top of your head that follow the Practices as a guide. They can happen to coincide with the examples in the core rule book.

Practices

All spells, whether improvised or written, are categorised according to their practice level as outlined below. As you grow more powerful in Arcana, you become able to use higher level practices. They are described fully in the core rules. Note that the core rules has level 4 spells that can cause Aggravated Damage but we move that to level 5 only, and do not charge Reach or Mana for them.

Rotes

Rotes are spells written down, such as in a grimoire, that you can recite or perform to cast.

• Requires you have written it on your character sheet and made a note what item contains it (in case you lose it)
• Requires a minimum number of turns to cast equal to its Spell Level (the more complex the spell, the more steps to cast it)
• You get +3 dice for your spellcasting dice pool (instead of the Rote Action Quality in the core rules)

Praxes

Praxes are spells learned off by heart.

• Requires you have written it on your character sheet (you have the capacity to remember only a few at most, equal to your Gnosis)
• You get +3 dice for your spellcasting dice pool (instead of the Exceptional Success related rule in the core rules)
• You can use your downtime to change your Praxes (your character spends time practising and memorising a new set of spells)

Arcana

Arcana cover the type of subject you can affect with magic and also confer various bonuses called attainments as you progress in each. They are described fully in the core rules.

Yantra

A Yantra is anything you use during the casting of a spell, like a magic wand you carry or a pool of nearby water. Yantra give +1 Reach if associated with one of the spell's domains. e.g. A a bone grants +1 to the dice pool for being a tool and +1 Reach for spells involving Death. Only one yantra counts, so use the most powerful one available. Extra yantra used are for role playing purposes only.

Sympathetic Yantra

A sympathetic yantra is any Yantra that falls under a domain of the highest Arcana used for the spell, such as a still living sprig of a tree for a Life spell, or a pocket watch for a Time spell.

Cast Time

Instant Casting (Default)

You take 1 turn (or about 3 seconds) to cast a spell. You can opt to take longer, as a way of getting more Reach.

Extra Yantras are not used in this simplified set of rules, so there are no rules for taking extra turns for their use.

Reflexive Casting

Some spell descriptions state that they may be cast "as a reflexive action". In this case, they can be cast immediately after you are the subject of another character's action or spell. Often such spells are defensive spells used to intercept or counteract an attack.

Ritual Casting

Ritual casting takes a methodical set of steps which may include spoken words, hand gestures, singing, dancing, music, drawing symbols or runes, meditation, or any other thematic processes appropriate for the spell. Each 10 minutes spent performing a spellcasting in this way adds +1 Reach, which can be done a maximum number of times equal to your Gnosis.

Factors

Range

Default Range

You may cast spells upon yourself, or a willing target by touching them.

• Spellcasting dice roll: Arcana + Gnosis + Yantra (as normal)

Otherwise, you may cast spells by attempting to touch the subject or fire your spell in a straight beam towards it.

• Spellcasting dice roll: Arcana + Gnosis + Yantra - subject's Defense - Range Penalty
• Range Penalty = Similar to a small hand gun (-0/-1/-2 dice for ranges up to 20/40/80 yards/meters)
• If the subject is difficult to hit, the storyteller may require more than 1 success

Sensory Range

Target anything you can directly sense with one of your five senses (for live video feeds or photographs, use Sympathetic Range), avoids the Aimed spell check, cannot be dodged. The spell effect appears at the subject (it does not create a beam of magic).

Casting Through Time

Target the past or future of the subject. Note that subjects may notice this use of magic in the past and behave accordingly.

• Requires Time 2 (Temporal Sympathy attainment)
• Requires using a Yantra sympathetic with the subject, like the subject's sympathetic name¹
• Spellcasting dice roll: Arcana + Gnosis + Yantra - Withstand
• Withstand = The subject, compared to its present state, is deliberately preserved or unchanged (-0), coincidentally unchanged (-1), changed somewhat (-2), or vastly different (-3)

Casting Through Space

Target a subject anywhere in the world. Note that subjects may use the connection created in order to cast spells back upon you if they are able.

• Requires Space 2 (Sympathetic Range attainment)
• Requires using a Yantra sympathetic with the subject, like the subject's sympathetic name¹
• Spellcasting dice roll: Arcana + Gnosis + Yantra - Withstand
• Withstand = Yantra is supernaturally connected (-0), personal (-1), specific but not personal (-2), or unspecific/coincidental (-3)

Scale

By default, the scale of your spell is 1 target, no larger than an average human being (scale 5 in the core rules). If you want to affect more subjects, you must cast using an area spell using Reach on the area the subjects occupy. The maximum area or volume allowed is measured in either yards or meters, whichever you prefer, and indicates the longest dimension, such as the diameter of a circle or a sphere.

Selective Casting

Generally, if all the subjects in the area are willing, then the caster can choose which subjects are affected. Otherwise, the spell affects all subjects in the area equally. Your storyteller can make exceptions to these guidelines when describing the consequences of a spell.

Potency

Spell Potency determines damage and is also the Withstand rating which helps prevent your spell from being dispelled.

Duration

As you spend Reach, increase the unit of measurement. The default unit is Turn (1 turn is 3 seconds), then increases to Minute, Hour, Day, Week. For example, with Gnosis 3, your Invisibility spell lasts 3 Turns by default but can be increased with Reach to 3 Minutes, 3 Hours, 3 Days, 3 Weeks, then Indefinite.

If the storyteller chooses, they can also use a simpler method, where Reach increases to 1 Combat, 1 Scene, 1 Session, then 1 Session plus any downtime until next Session. This may make book keeping simpler if your storyteller likes to work in these terms. Gnosis has no bearing if this option is used.

Active Spells

An Active Spell is a spell that was cast, before its duration has run out. The number of Active Spells you can have is 1, as you need to concentrate on it. If you want to cast a different spell while maintaining an existing spell, you must dismiss the first spell. The only method for having multiple spells active is enchanting items, moving the spell into an object that you must keep with you.

Concentration

There is no dice roll required to maintain concentration, even if something happens that might break your concentration such as being injured. If you fall unconscious however, any Active Spell you have cast ceases.

Enchanting

You can enchant an item, making it magical, with an Indefinite spell, as a method for maintaining more than 1 Active Spells. In this case, you must write down the details of the enchantment next to the item and follow any other rules for magic item crafting.

Dismissing a Spell

The caster of an Active Spell can cause it to cease at any time.

Reach

Reach is how far you can stretch, expand, empower, boost, or modify a given spell. Unlike the core rules, Reach does not move each spell factor to a new and more powerful table. Instead, there is one table for spending reach to empower spells.

Paradox

Paradox dice represent risky spellcasting caused by guessing or cutting corners. Replace a die in the dice pool with a Paradox die and give yourself +1 Reach. Gnosis determines how many times you can do this. Treat Paradox dice as you would any other dice in the dice pool, counting successes and re-rolling. Every 0 rolled on a Paradox die also causes 1 Paradox, as it succeeds too well and gets out of control. Treat the Paradox caused in this manner as the number of successes on the Paradox roll in the core rules and proceed with the core rules to resolve it.

Mana

Mana is an invisible magical energy stored inside the mage that can be spent for various magical benefits and spells. In these simplified rules, it is used to gain the Reach you desire for your spells and all Mana costs noted in the core rules can be ignored.

Dice Mechanics

We use simpler rules for Rote, 8-Again, 9-Again rules as presented in the core book.

• To make it easier to estimate the number of successes before you roll
• To avoid confusion between Rote Quality on rolls and Rote spells
• To avoid the need for specialised dice rolling software, to simplify output of dice rolling software

Rote Action Quality

The Rote Action Quality is an alternative set of rules for rolling dice that is much less likely to result in failure and more likely to result in successes. Confusingly, in the core rules, it is not always used for Rote Spells

• Replace this rule with a +3 dice pool bonus

8-Again Action Quality

The 8-Again rule in the core rules means re-roll 8s, 9s and 0s instead of just 0s, increasing your chances of successes.

• Replace this rule with a +2 dice pool bonus

9-Again Action Quality

The 9-Again rule in the core rules means re-roll 9s and 0s instead of just 0s, increasing your chances of successes.

• Replace this rule with a +1 dice pool bonus

Tables

These tables are to illustrate and clarify but the goal of these rules is to not need tables during play.

Scale

Scale units are in number of targets, yards or meters. In the case of areas and volumes, it indicates the longest dimension. e.g. the diameter of a circle or a sphere.

Potency

Spell Potency determines damage.

Duration

Simpler book keeping options are in brackets and can be used at the ST's discretion.