Advanced Rules
The fog enveloped all the mages.
The light from a thousand stars exploded
within the circle.
Wooden bells, silver chimes, steel cymbals
could be heard. Some of the
mages began to bleed from the
ears. Others cried out with
pain and made as if to clap
their hands over their eyes.
Then all disappeared. The fog vanished with them,
revealing a late afternoon mountaintop without tree or
living beast. All was silent.
- A gathering of power,
Hederick the Theocrat
Sorcery is strange stuff. What's more,
sorcerers are strange people. With that
in mind, the SAGA magic rules were
designed to allow a hero skilled in sorcery to do almost anything he wanted
within the schools he knew. Given
enough time, practice, and spell
points, a sorcerer can use the basic
magic rules to accomplish almost any
effect he can imagine. But the nature
of magical researchers (like all scientists) urges them to push beyond the
constraints that nature has set up for
them, even when those boundaries are
so wide that they have yet to be fully
measured.
This chapter answers some of the
questions most likely asked by players
with sorcerer heroes and offers optional rules to enhance and expand
the basic magic system.
Narrators and players alike should
remember, however, that all the material presented in this chapter is optional.
If they do not think it adds to the fun
of their DRAGONLANCE: FIFTH AGE campaign, or if they have invented their
own "house rules" to cover these topics,
Narrators are under no obligation to
use it. They should feel free to modify
these rules or cobble them together
with ideas of their own; these concepts
are meant to be as adaptable as the
basic rules. The most important thing
in any DRAGONLANCE game is that
everyone playing enjoys himself.
Levels of Training
One of the most underused facets of
the SAGA rules is the ability code. Of
course, a Reason code of "B" or higher
is required to play a sorcerer hero, but
what - other than the number of
schools of sorcery he can learn - is the
difference between a hero with a code
of "A" and one with a "B?" In terms of
sorcerous comprehension, is there any
real difference among the lower codes?
What exactly is it that a hero with a
code of "C" must learn to be able to
perform sorcery?
Reason Code "A"
Heroes with Reason codes of "A" have
undertaken extensive study of sorcery
and understand not only the practical
application of magic, but also the theories that explain how and why a spell
does (or doesn't) work. This study need
not have taken place at a formal school,
but it will almost always include some
kind of support and advice from an
accomplished sorcerer. It is a rare
prodigy that can reach Reason code "A"
solely on innate ability.
An "A" code allows a sorcerer to
learn three separate schools of sorcery, which itself demonstrates the range of
his understanding. Another benefit of
this comprehensive knowledge is that
the hero can speak intelligently on
details and theories pertaining to all
schools of sorcery, even those to which
he has no access. He can always aid a
sorcerer researching spells in one of his
schools of expertise, but if his Reason
score is high enough (6 or higher) he
can also help a sorcerer preparing a
(pell for a school from which he himself cannot cast (for details on aiding
tpell research, see "Effects of Study" on
page 60).
It will be clear to anyone listening to
this hero that he knows the subject of
sorcery well and his opinion, while not
always correct, certainly should hold
some weight in any debate on sorcerous principles.
Reason Code "B"
A Reason code of "B" indicates that the
hero understands sorcery enough to
make use of specific sorcerous abilities.
He does not, however, have the knowledge or training to be considered a true
expert. Perhaps he simply hasn't studied enough yet, or perhaps he has
reached his own intellectual saturation
point, but his experience is extremely
focused and does not generally apply to
schools of sorcery other than the one
he knows. Many people with codes of
"B" will have had no formal training. It
is becoming more and more common
to find characters and heroes who
"dabble in sorcery."
The sorcerer with a "B" code can
cast spells from only one school, so his
understanding of the nature of sorcery
is necessarily limited. He can speak
very eloquently about his realm of
expertise, but can only appreciate sorcery's full spectrum as it relates to his
own abilities. He can aid in sorcerous
research, but only in the school he
knows (see "Effects of Study").
Sorcerers with Reason codes of "A"
can tell that this hero is extremely specialized in his knowledge of sorcery,
but to all others he will sound like a
fully qualified expert. His opinions
seem sensible and will carry weight in
his specialized field, but may appear
hopelessly naive when applied to sorcery in general.
Reason Code "C"
At this level, a sorcerer does not have
the ability to cast spells from any
school. He does, however, have a fairly
accurate understanding of the underlying principles of sorcery. Perhaps he
has spent enough time in the company
of sorcerers to pick up the basics, or
perhaps he has worked to learn the
ways of magic, only to find that he
simply didn't have the aptitude or the
time to master it. In any case, a hero
with a Reason code of "C" can "talk a
good game," but has only a pedestrian
familiarity with sorcery.
Despite their inability to cast spells,
persons with a "C" code in Reason can
be useful to sorcerers doing research or
looking for assistants for a group casting action (see "Group Castings" on
page 67). Because they understand the
jargon and basic principles of sorcery,
Reason code "C" heroes can do book
research or take useful notes for a sorcerer preparing a new spell (see
"Effects of Study"). Furthermore, in
situations where a sorcerer is drawing
power from a group of nonspellcasters,
heroes and characters with "C" codes
are more useful than less knowledgeable folk.
While these heroes cannot speak
eloquently about any specific facet of
sorcery, they have a complete enough
background to discuss the general
principles of the art nearly as well as
Reason code "B" sorcerers. What's
more, if they listen carefully to a group
of sorcerers debating a particular problem or theory for an hour or
more, heroes with codes of "C" may
attempt one daunting Reason action to
make a single, insightful contribution
to the discussion.
Reason Code "D"
Heroes with Reason codes of "D" have
had first-hand experience with sorcery,
either being affected by it or simply
watching it in action, but they have no
practical understanding of the art or
the energies which fuel it. They quite
probably have met sorcerers from time
to time, and can usually tell the difference between sorcery and well done
sleight-of-hand. Anyone growing up in
a large town or small city will probably
have at least this rating. Sorcery will
not be part of their daily lives, but they
will see it as a common enough thing,
to use if situations get desperate
enough and if one can locate a reasonably priced spell broker.
Heroes at this level are of practically
no use to sorcerers engaged in research.
They cannot be entrusted with even
the simplest academic tasks, but may
do purely physical labor if given specific instructions. Code "D" heroes
understand the necessity of precision
in magical processes, but being anything less than crystal clear when
describing a task likely will result in a
misunderstanding and quite possibly
the destruction of valuable materials.
They are of slightly more value to a
sorcerer performing a group casting
action, but only barely.
A discussion of sorcerous principles
is so far above heroes with this Reason
code that it may as well be in a foreign
language. Not only do they have nothing of any value to contribute, they are
likely either to voice so many basic
questions that the sorcerers ask them
to stop interrupting or to become so
lost that they simply walk away from
the conversation.
Reason Code "X"
A Reason code of "X" indicates that a
hero is completely uninformed about
sorcery. There is no doubt that he has
heard of things like spellcasting, but he
has never actually seen evidence of sorcery. He may have strange or even
superstitious beliefs about the nature
and source of sorcery, and may become
unnerved when spells are cast in his
presence (although it is equally likely
that he will be fascinated by magic and
constantly ask to see more).
These heroes are of absolutely no
use to researchers. Their complete lack
of comprehension of sorcery makes
them incapable of doing anything
(even manual labor) without supervision. They do not understand that
certain things must be done certain
ways to successfully cast a particular
spell. They are of even less value to a
group casting action than code "D"
heroes and may even prove disruptive
to the effort.
Debates of sorcerous principles
sound like gibberish to anyone with a
Reason code "X." They may find the
perceived double-talk amusing, however, and occasionally enjoy listening to
sorcerers babble nonsense at one
another, although rarely for long periods of time.
Wild Talent
Among this section of optional rules,
there is one (considered particularly
optional) which allows some heroes
and characters with a Reason code of
"X" to have a wild talent. Narrators are
advised to read this section carefully
before ruling on whether or not to use
it in their campaigns.
In hero creation, playing the 8
,
9
, or 10
card for a hero's Reason
score, thus giving him an ability rating
of 8X, 9X, or 10X, also entitles the
hero to some kind of sorcerous wild
talent. Somehow, this hero has a natural affinity to sorcerous energy and
can subconsciously tap into it. At
times of great danger or stress he
may, without even knowing it, use
a minor sorcerous effect to distract
or eliminate whatever threatens
him. The hero himself, however,
has no control over this ability.
This last point cannot be
stressed enough. Wild talents are
tools for the Narrator to use to
advance the plot, not for players to
use as extra powers for their heroes.
There will be no telling if and when
a wild talent will manifest.
Likewise, there will be no predicting exactly what effect will be
produced. Perhaps a nearby item (or
even one associated the threatening
presence) will spontaneously combust,
a sudden insight will fill the hero's
mind showing him his foe's weakness,
or an unseen patch of ice will cause the
hero to slip and fall, causing a killing
blow to pass harmlessly overhead. Pride
and style have no bearing on the effects
of a wild talent; it will work in the most
expedient way possible, panache be
damned.
The theory is that a hero with a
high Reason score and an "X" code
has innate sorcerous ability, but is so
artless that he cannot conceive of a
way to use this knack. It is only when
he is otherwise helpless that his subconscious mind uses sorcery in its
Most rudimentary form to protect the
body. The manifestation will always be
from the same school of sorcery (to be
determined by the Narrator and player
at the time the hero is created).
However, it is relatively rare to find
wild talents in the schools of enchantment, summoning, and
transmutation.
The exact effect caused by a wild
talent may change from instance to
instance, but it will always be beyond
the hero's (and therefore the player's)
control. Players do not play cards for
wild talent actions. Instead, they make
a random draw from the Fate Deck to
determine the general effect of the wild
talent: good (white aura), bad (black
aura), or indecisive (red aura). The
Narrator then simply describes whatever specific manifestation occurs.
Alternatively, a wild talent may give
a hero an automatic trump bonus in
particular situations (any action
involving normal fire for a pyromantic
wild talent, for example). Wild talents
are plot devices and should be used as
such. If a manifestation would interfere
with the story, then it should not occur.
Difficulty vs. Cost
In the basic magic rules offered in the
Book of the Fifth Age, all sorcerous
spells have a spell point cost equal to
their difficulty. It seems reasonable to
assume, though, that casting even a
simple spell may be made more difficult by a particularly disruptive
situation (much like conditional modifiers can apply to combat actions, as
described in Heroes of Steel). The distractions and increased stress would
not in any way affect the energy cost of
casting the desired spell, only the sorcerer's probability of performing the
casting incorrectly. To simulate this
effect, the Narrator may choose to
increase the difficulty of any spell cast
under trying circumstances.
In such cases, the charts provided in
Chapter Five of the Book of the Fifth
Age (and on the FIFTH AGE reference
card) determine the spell point cost
and base difficulty of a spell action. The
spell point cost for a specific effect will never increase and, in most situations,
the total difficulty will equal the base
difficulty. However, the Narrator may
assess a penalty to the base difficulty
whenever he deems that the circumstances surrounding the sorcerer make
it hard for him to concentrate properly
or might otherwise interfere with his
spellcasting.
Penalties should be assessed based
on how disruptive the distraction is. A
raucous noise or sudden jostle might
be cause for a 1-point penalty, while
casting a spell in the midst of a great
battle may result in a 5-point penalty.
Trying to keep enough concentration
to cast while under the close scrutiny
of a dragon overlord could give a hero
a 10-point penalty. Each Narrator is
free to assign his own values to different individual disruptions, but he
should take care to maintain a sense
of proportion between the seriousness of the situation and the penalty it
creates.
Example: Palin Majere knows a
spell which will cause a ball of flame
to engulf someone within the immediate area, causing 10 damage points
(base difficulty/spell point cost = 14).
In the classroom, the spell's required
action score would be 14. However, if
Palin were ambushed by a draconian
minion of Malystryx, the difficulty
number might become 17 (assuming
a 3-point penalty for surprise and
ferocity). Trying to cast the same spell
in the middle of a battle between a
unit of Knights of Solamnia and an
equal number of Knights of Takhisis
would prove even more difficult, perhaps resulting in a difficulty number
of 20 or higher (a 6-point penalty or
more for spellcasting in the midst of a
major battle).
Effects of Study
With the advent of sorcery, a magical
art that relies upon the caster's understanding of and sensitivity to forces
present in all things (as opposed to
High Sorcery, which depended on
memorizing incantations and performing ceremonial gestures), it
would seem that the advantage to be
gained through extensive study has
been lost. This is not, however, precisely true. While success as a sorcerer
depends more upon a holistic understanding of the forces of creation than
spell-specific rituals, it still takes a considerable amount of study and practice
to create a specific sorcerous effect
repeatedly, particularly under adverse
conditions such as combat.
Study does not necessarily mean
attending a school or formal lesson. It
indicates giving considered thought, researching similar efforts by other sor-
cerers, and making useful preparations
before attempting spells that have not
yet been mastered. For the purpose of
the game, any spell effect that is, in the
Narrator's opinion, commonly used by
the hero (or most sorcerers trained in
the school of sorcery involved) may be
considered "mastered." For example, all
students of pyromancy will have mastered spells which cause fire to appear
and inflict damage upon everyone in a
general area (whether the fire takes the
form of a ball, cone, or simply spontaneous combustion is immaterial).
Any spell action the Narrator rules
particularly difficult, original, or complicated is considered an "innovative
spell," subject to special restrictions and
penalties.
Innovative Spells
Spouting sorcerous theory and postulating about the required energy and
potential effects of a new spell are one
thing; actually casting it and achieving
the desired results is quite another. No
matter how well a sorcerer understands
his art, things never translate exactly as
expected when taking a spell from theory to practice. For this reason, the first
success with a spell is more difficult to
achieve than any other. Once a hero has
actually produced the effect, repeating
it is significantly easier.
One thing that makes attempting
new spells easier is abundant preparation. A hero who reads a sorcerer's
notes (or better yet, talks to him personally) about similar spells he has
attempted will increase his chance of
success at an innovative spell of similar design. Any difficult spell can be
made easier by breaking it up into
smaller component spells and practicing these before attempting the grand
whole spell. Finally, assistants or co-casters not only make it easier to do
more research in less time, but can
also reduce the base difficulty of a
spell (see "Group Castings" on
page 67).
Attempting any innovative spell
assesses a -5 penalty to the caster's
action score for this action. In other
words, a sorcerer with a Reason score of
6 who plays a 7
card for his action
would not generate an action score of
13 as expected (6+7= 13). Rather, he
would generate an action score of 8
(13-5=8).
This penalty may be offset through
study, research, and other types of
preparation. These include:
- Library research: A sorcerer can
gain a +1 bonus to his action score
for spending one full week researching books, scrolls, diaries, and
first-hand accounts of previous
attempts to cast spells similar to the
one he is planning. A maximum of a
+4 point bonus may be gained in
this manner.
- Personal advice: if the sorcerer
spends one full day discussing his
plan with a character who has succeeded at a similar spell, or two full
days discussing it with a sorcerer
who knows the school the spell falls
under, he gains a +1 bonus to his
action score. A maximum of a +2
point bonus may be gained this way.
- Skilled assistants: Fellow sorcerers
can be of invaluable assistance in
preparing for an innovative spell
action. Each assistant with a Reason
code of "A"and an understanding of
the appropriate school of sorcery
adds a +2 bonus to the action score
for the spell action, and each assistant with a Reason code of"B" adds
a +1 bonus (to spells of his own
school). A maximum of +4 bonus
points may be gained this way;
although a sorcerer may have as
many assistants as he likes, as the
old saying goes, "Too many cooks
spoils the spiced potatoes".
- Unskilled assistants: While those
unskilled in the art of sorcery can
be of some help, their impact is
undercut by the fact that the caster
must constantly review their work
to be sure that errors do not creep
in. A +1 point bonus can be gained
for two assistants with Reason codes
of "C" or for four assistants with
Reason codes of "D." A maximum of
a +2 point bonus may be gained
this way. Characters with Reason
codes of "X" can offer no help and,
in fact, assess a -1 penalty to the
action if they are not prevented
from "helping out as best they can."
Of course, not all of these aids may be
available in a given situation. In order
to do library research, the sorcerer
must have access to a collection with
information pertinent to his subject.
In order to get personal advice, he has
to find skilled spellcasters willing to
spend long periods of time speaking
with him. The availability of resources
is up to the Narrator's best judgment.
Extended Invocations
Another forrn of study which may
affect spellcasting is purposely long
invocation times. The difficulty modifier for invocation time can never be
lower than 1 point, as described in the
basic magic rules. However, once all the
possible preparations have been made,
a hero can increase the likelihood of
success of many spells by stretching the
invocation over a significantly longer
period of time. These lengthy castings
consist of preparing the thirty-minute
version of the spell to the very verge of
completion, but returning to the beginning rather than actually releasing the
magical energy. The theory is that each
time he repeats the spell, the caster
makes slight improvements on his
frame of mind and concentration, thus
making the final spell as dose to perfect
as possible.
Below are the suggested effects for
extended invocation times. Narrators
are, of course, free to amend them as
they see fit.
- Four-hour invocation: The cost of
the casting action is reduced by 4
spell points. This reflects the conservation of energy made possible
by such a concentrated effort.
- Eight-hour invocation: As above,
plus the player plays a card from his
hand for the action normally, then
flips the top card of the Fate Deck.
He may choose either of the two to
generate his action score and discard
the other.
- Twelve-hour invocation: As above,
plus the action automatically gets a
trump bonus, regardless of the suit
of the card played.
- Mishap: If the sorcerer completes an
extended invocation but incurs a
mishap, he must spend double the
normal number of spell points he
would have spent had the spell succeeded. If he hasn't enough points
remaining to pay the increased cost,
he loses all his remaining sorcery
points and may not recover any for a
number of hours equal to the difference between what he had to pay and
what he actually paid. For example, a
sorcerer gets a mishap while trying
to cast a spell that costs 14 points. He
has only 16 points left, so he may not
recover any spell points for twelve
hours (14 doubled is 28, minus 16
available points leaves 12). Furthermore, regardless of whether he could
pay the additional cost, he falls
unconscious and does not wake for
ten hours less one hour per point of
his Endurance score.
Long-Term Durations
The basic rules for sorcery in the
DRAGONLANCE: FIFTH AGE boxed set
cover practically every spellcasting situation likely to come up during an
adventure. Just about any spell effect
that a sorcerer can conceive of can be
created. However, because of the
boundaries built into the spell
point charts, every spell must have
a pre-set duration; it is not possible to create spells that last
indefinitely. While many sorcerers
may yearn for the days when they could cast permanent spells, this is just
one of the changes they have had to get
used to in working with this new sorcery. Still, there is one school of
sorcery which fairly cries out for the
possibility of permanent magical
effects: enchantment.
Many magical items and potions
and most scrolls lost their powers with
the withdrawal of the gods. It seems
only natural that, to recreate all the
magical items that had lost their power,
newly trained sorcerers would try to
cast permanent enchantments as some
of their first effects. Alas, it was not that
easy. The secret of permanent enchantments has eluded even this age's most
prominent magical researchers.
Still, some progress has been made.
Sorcerers can now cast spells that last
longer than once thought possible.
Some groups of enchanters have
reported successfully casting spells that
lasted a month, six months, a year, or
more. Some have even cast spells which
to this date have not dissipated; it is not
certain if these spells are actually permanent, but they certainly seem to be.
The method has not been perfected yet,
and these sorcerers still cannot guarantee that any individual spell will last
any longer than an hour (the longest
time guaranteed on the spell duration
chart). They are teaching their methods
to others, however, so the availability of
long-term (and even permanently)
enchanted items is slowly increasing.
Casting Long-Term Duration Spells
So far, the only school capable of producing long-term durations is the
school of enchantment. In order even to
attempt an extended duration spell, a
sorcerer must be an enchanter. However,
this is not the only requirement. If the
spell being cast is anything more complex than a simple bonus to attack or
defense rating, the caster also must be
(killed in the school of sorcery most
closely related to the desired effect. (For instance, if the spell attempts to make a
crystal give off a radiant light, the sorcerer must be skilled in enchantment
and spectramancy.) This is required for
all sorcerers involved in the casting (see
"Group Castings") and works the same
way as any other enchantment,
(described in Chapter Two).
In order to cast a spell with a long-term duration, the player must declare
this as his hero's intent before the sorcerer attempts the casting. He must tell
the Narrator that the spell is intended
to be of longer duration than usual and
decide exactly how many spell points
his sorcerer will spend in the effort
before he plays any cards for the action.
This number should be as close to his
estimated action score as possible, for if
he doesn't assign enough spell points to
the action, a high action score will not
have enough energy to work to its full
capacity (see below). If the spell succeeds at all, the sorcerer must spend the
full number of spell points regardless of
the actual duration.
The minimum action score of a
long-term duration spell is determined
by adding two numbers together:
Base difficulty + Difficulty modifier = Minimum action score
Base Difficulty
The base difficulty for a long-term
duration spell is equal to the difficulty
of the spell when cast at a duration of
one hour. If the action score generated
exceeds this level, the spell succeeds. If
this action score does not exceed the
minimum action score (or the minimum spell point cost is not paid), the spell lasts for only one hour and then
dissipates.
Difficulty Modifier
The difficulty modifier represents the
work involved in achieving the longer
duration of a spell. Simpler spells will
be easier to infuse with extended life,
while more complicated ones will be much harder to prolong. The Narrator
must determine the relative degree of
difficulty (average, challenging, etc.) of
the spell being attempted on the action
difficulty chart (Book of the Fifth Age,
page 47). The corresponding difficulty
rating becomes the difficulty modifier
for the spell.
For example, a spell which the
Narrator decides is easy would have
difficulty modifier of +4; one which
seems daunting would have a +16
difficulty modifier. For spells the
Narrator deems impossible, 24 points is
merely the minimum difficulty modifier; Narrators are free to assess as high
a difficulty modifier as they consider
appropriate. Therefore, it is entirely
possible to have a long-term duration
spell whose minimum action score
would be nearly impossible to achieve.
Minimum Action Score
An action card is played normally to
generate an action score. If this action
score exceeds the minimum action score
(after applying the difficulty modifier)
and the spell points spent cover the full
cost of such an action, the hero has
achieved a long-term duration.
While a sorcerer will surely know
whether or not he has succeeded at a
long-term duration spell, he will not
know exactly how long the spell will
last. The result of the "Determining
Duration" section at right is for the
Narrator alone to know. However,
casting spells which break the usual
boundaries of sorcery is not something to undertake lightly. The heavy
toll for creating such powerful spells is
described in "The Price of Success"
(next page).
A Sample Spell
Mistress Jenna (Re 9A) wishes to
imbue her staff with the permanent
ability to shine with a magical light so
she no longer needs the use of a
lantern. She knows both the necessary
schools of sorcery: enchantment and
spectramancy. Her player has a 9
card to play for the action and so
announces that she will spend 30 sorcery points, hoping for a high trump
card. The spell's base difficulty is determined to be 13, and the Narrator
decides the spell is an easy one, as Jenna
has cast it many times before for
shorter durations. The minimum
action score is set at 17 (13 + 4).
Jenna's player plays her 9
card
and flips the top card of the Fate Deck,
revealing the 5
. Since this is also a
trump card, the next card, the 8
, is
also added in. This makes the action
score 31 (9+9+5+8= 31), while the
spell points spent total 30, both significantly higher than the minimum action
score. The spell succeeds and will have
a long-term duration, but Jenna does
not know exactly how long.
Determining Duration
Once a long-term duration spell has
been successfully cast, the Narrator
must determine its actual duration.
The sorcerer who cast the spell will
rarely have anything other than a broad
idea of how well he accomplished his
work. (If he presses for information,
Narrators should feel free to tell a
player that his enchantment will last for
such periods of time as "less than a
month," "more than a year," or "you
have no idea.")
The length of a long-term duration
spell is determined by subtracting the
minimum action score (generated above)
from the energy put into the casting:
Spell strength - Minimum action score = Duration score
Spell Strength
The amount of energy and effort put
into a casting determines its spell
strength. This figure equals the action
score generated for the spell or the total
number of spell points spent (decided
before the action score was generated),
whichever is lower. Therefore, a high
action score is useless if the player allocated too few sorcery points, and many
points must be spent and wasted if the
action score is not high enough.
Duration Score
The chart below will help the Narrator
determine the exact length of a successful long-term duration spell. Although
this chart provides some exact figures,
interpretation is encouraged. The only
hard-and-fast rules should be that a
duration score of 1 results in a minimum length of one day, and no spell is
ever truly permanent unless it has a
duration score of at least 100. Other
than this. Narrators are free to assign
durations according to the needs of
their campaigns.
Duration Score |
|
Length of Spell |
1 |
|
1 day |
5 |
|
1 week |
10 |
|
1 month |
20 |
|
1 year |
50 |
|
100 years |
75 |
|
1000 years |
100 |
|
Permanent |
Jenna's Spell Result
In the example on the previous page,
Jenna succeeded in casting a long-term
duration spell. The spell strength was
30, the number of spell points she allocated before casting (it could have
been 31, the action score, if she had
allotted more spell points to the
effort). With a minimum action score
of 17, this makes her duration score 13
(30-17=13).
According to the chart, this score
puts the length of the spell at somewhere between a month and a year.
The Narrator may decide exactly how
long to let the effect last, can remark
that the light slowly begins to fade
after a month or so has passed, or may
simply wait until an appropriate point
in the campaign storyline to declare
that the staff no longer has any magical
energy.
The Price of Success
Successfully casting a long-term duration spell means that the sorcerer has
imbued an enchanted item with a bit
of himself. He has not merely manipulated the sorcerous energy within
and surrounding the item, he has used
his own energy to insure the continuation of the spell effect. This act,
forcing primal forces of magic to go
against their nature, has a high cost
attached to it.
Every time a sorcerer successfully
casts a long-term duration spell, he
permanently loses a portion of his
magical power. The energy used to
make a mundane item magical is actually transferred from the sorcerer into
the item itself. As a result, the sorcerer
permanently lowers his maximum
available sorcery points by a number
equal to the base difficulty of the spell.
These spell points do not regenerate
with time, and the sorcerer can never
regain them. Improving his Reason
score will raise his available spell points
normally, but the penalty must be
applied to his new spell point total.
In the example above, Jenna would
permanently lose 13 sorcery points,
dropping her total (if this was her first
successful long-term casting) from 81
to 68 points. If she ever managed to
raise her Reason score to 10, her available spell points would be 87 instead
of 100.
Furthermore, after a hero has lost
more than one-third of his sorcery
point total this way, the Narrator is free
to assign an additional story-based
penalty, if one is appropriate. For
example, if the hero has lost many spell
points casting long-term pyromancy
spells, the Narrator may rule that his
ability to cast spells from that school
has been impaired; from now on, all
pyromancy spells he casts will carry a
-3 action penalty.
The Fine Points of Permanence
Making permanent objects may seem
particularly difficult; it is intended to
be so. Sorcery is about the manipulation of energies within objects, not
about changing their very nature.
Those who have experimented with
long-term duration spells have found
them much easier to cast successfully
in a team effort. A group of sorcerers
who all know the same two or three
schools of magic can generate action
scores well above what even the luckiest single sorcerer could manage (see
"Group Castings"). However, every
sorcerer involved with the casting of
the spell suffers the same consequences. So, while success is more
easily achieved, the mages burn out
their magical abilities in a shorter
period of time.
It might seem that the heavy price
of making lasting magic would bring
an end to attempts to create
enchanted scrolls and potions.
However, these sorts of items operate
under slightly different rules than do
most extended duration spells and are
usually more economical to make
than permanently enchanted items
(see "Special Magical Items" on page
70). In the end, this line of research
may lead to an easier way to create
permanent enchantments, but so far
no progress has been made toward
that end.
Using Enchanted Items
One of the benefits of the long-term
duration spell is that the spell effects
imprinted on an item are reusable
without the expenditure of spell
points. Items with simple enchantments are active every time the
weapon is used (and work as
described on page 88 of the Book of
the Fifth Age). For more complex
enchantments (generally ones involving spell effects from schools other
than enchantment), however, a spell
point cost is attached to each use of
the power.
If an item is one which, in the days of
High Sorcery, would have been created
with a specific number of "charges"
before the item is exhausted - such as
wands of fireballs, lightning bolts, and
other particularly powerful effects - then a specific number of spell points
must be spent each time a "charge" is
used. As a rule, this cost equals to the
minimum action score of the initial
enchantment. These spell points are
paid by the item itself.
Enchanted items with charges are
activated when a specific action is
performed upon or with the item.
Examples of these trigger mechanisms
include opening a box or book, submerging the item in water, working a
mechanical lever, waving the item in a
particular pattern, and simply concentrating and willing the item to work.
Heroes may have to attempt an easy
Reason action to activate the item, as
described in Chapter Five of the Book
of the Fifth Age, if the Narrator deems
it necessary.
Every enchanted item has a reservoir of spell points which is equal to
the maximum spell point total its
maker had at the time he created the
item. In other words, an enchanter
with a Reason score of 7 would create
enchanted items with a reservoir of 49
spell points available each day. The
item will always have 49 spell points
available each day, even if the caster
later raises his Reason score. Likewise,
items regain spell points the same way
a sorcerer does, 1 point per hour
(refreshing itself completely the next
day). If an item has no spell points left
in its reservoir (or too few points to
hurl a charge), it is exhausted until it
has regained at least enough spell
points for one charge.
Example: The enchanter described
above creates a wand which hurls +20
damage fireballs over a very long
range. The initial enchantment had a
minimum action score of 17, so every
time the wand uses a charge it uses 17
apell points. The wand has 49 spell
points, therefore it can only fire two
charges before it is exhausted (49 - 17
- 17 = 15). Once the wand has been
unused for two hours (and regained
two (pell points) it may be used to cast
one more charge (15 + 2 = 17). After
that, however, it may not be used again
for at least seventeen hours or until
the next day.
Extraordinary Spell Parameters
Having discussed the possibility of
extended invocation times and durations, it seems prudent to say a word
about expanding other spell parameters. The charts given for determining
spell difficulty were designed with the
thought of covering all reasonable possibilities. However, it is clear that from
time to time heroes will want to try
extraordinary feats of sorcery. What
should a Narrator do, for example, if a
sorcerer wants to cast a spell that affects
an area larger than a house?
The answer is, as always, that he
should use his best judgment and
improvise. To aid Narrators to that end,
though, is the following advice:
- Narrators should assess severe
penalties to spell actions which
should not work (or bonuses to
those which should not fail). They
may alter the difficulty number to a
point that they consider fitting for
the action being attempted, regardless of what the charts say the
difficulty should be. As stated in the
"Difficulty vs. Cost" section, sometimes a spell is just more difficult to
cast than it "ought" to be according
to the basic rules.
- Cooperative magic (see "Group
Castings") ought to have the possibility of more powerful effects than
individual spellcasters might achieve
working alone.
- Narrators should never allow the
heroes any chance to succeed at blatantly impossible actions. No matter
how hard they try, they will never
split the world asunder or instantly
kill a Great Dragon solely through
their own sorcerous powers.
- Absolutely no player may use the letter of the rules to disrupt the story.
The premise of the SAGA rules is that
the story is the most important
thing. No rule or regulation ever has
power over the tale being told.
Group Casting
As with most things in life, spellcasting
can be done more effectively and more
efficiently when a group of heroes
works together to achieve a common
goal. Cooperation is the one weapon
the humanoid races of Ansalon have
that even the mighty dragon overlords
can neither overpower nor achieve
themselves.
There are two ways a sorcerer in the
act of casting a spell can make use of a
group of willing assistants. First, a
number of sorcerers may work
together, cooperatively casting a spell.
This is called a combined spellcasting
action. Alternatively, a single sorcerer
may cast a spell while drawing on the
power, expertise, and discipline of a
group of supporters, who may be of
any role, sorcerous or not. This is
called a coordinated spellcasting. In
both cases the difficulty and opposition ability vary from spell to spell.
Combined Casting
Difficulty: Varies
Action ability: Reason
Opposition ability: -
Comments: When a group of sorcerers
works together to cast a spell, the spellcasters greatly increase their chance of
success. The difficulty of the spell is
figured normally, and the hero with the
highest Reason score performs the
action. The action score, however, is
determined by adding together the Reason scores of all the participating
sorcerers. Each sorcerer must be skilled
in the school of magic being used and
must likewise pay the spell point cost
for the action.
Participating in a combined spell
action counts as a sorcerer's action for
that combat minute (or other period).
He may do nothing other than participate in the casting for its full length
(therefore, if the invocation time is
particularly long, he may lose two or
more opportunities to perform his
own individual spell actions). During
this time he may neither attack a foe
nor defend himself from counterattacks (his defense automatically fails
and he suffers damage normally).
Should a participating sorcerer leave
the casting for any reason, or be
knocked unconscious, the spell is disrupted and the other sorcerers all
suffer the same consequences they
would have incurred if the action had
resulted in a mishap.
For example, say the Master of the
Tower (Re 10) and his two comrades, Jaclyn Cashell (Re 8) and Grevasse (Re 7),
work together to cast a spell to divine the
outcome of an upcoming battle. Since all
three have been trained in the divination
school, they may perform a combined
spell action together. They add their
Reason scores first (10 + 8 + 7 = 25).
The Master is the lead sorcerer (his
Reason score is higher than is the
others'), so his player would play the
action card, in this case the 5
. Since
this card was trump, the player flips the
top card of the Fate Deck to reveal a
3
which yields a total action score
of 33 (25 + 5 + 3 = 33). All three will,
of course, have to pay the full sorcery
point cost of the spell, but they have
achieved a success level well beyond
what is normally considered impossible, proving that when sorcerers as
powerful as these three work together,
there is very little they cannot accomplish.
Groups performing spells with a
difficulty rating of 24 or higher do not
automatically gain one quest as an
individual sorcerer would after completing a spell considered an impossible
action (see Chapter Three of Book of
the Fifth Age).
Mishap: Any mishap that occurs during a combined casting affects the
entire group (although the Narrator
may give the sorcerers the opportunity
to protect themselves individually).
Suggestions for appropriate mishaps
can be found in the "Magical Mishaps"
section (page 76). For example, say the
sorcerers were trying to divine information from a time too far in the past
(scrying on the creation of Krynn, for
example) and failed. They might each
be asked to succeed at a desperate
Reason action or suffer severe memory
loss, leaving the possibility that the
Master and Jaclyn may escape
unscathed while Grevasse is left a temporary amnesiac.
Coordinated Casting
Difficulty: Varies
Action ability: Reason
Opposition ability: -
Comments: In situations where no sorcerers are available (or willing) to join a
hero in a combined casting, he can still
use an untrained (or mixed) group of
volunteers to help him cast his spell.
This is a two-step process. First, the
spellcaster must coordinate his assistants. Second, he must attempt the spell
action.
To coordinate a group of assistants,
the sorcerer must succeed at an average
Presence action. This represents his
ability to communicate what he wants
the group to do and when he wants
them to do it. Should the coordinating
action fail, the sorcerer may not
attempt the spell action.
If the coordinating action succeeds,
the sorcerer goes on to attempt the
spell action. He determines its difficulty normally, but adds one-half the
combined Reason scores from his assistants to his action score (rounding
fractions down).
The spell points for the action can
all come from the spellcaster or from any or all of the assistants. The assistants decide individually how much
energy they want to offer to the casting. Nonsorcerers calculate their
sorcery points by squaring their
Reason scores the same way spell users
do; they just cannot access to this
energy on their own. If the total of
spell points contributed is not enough
to pay for the spell, the caster must
make up the difference. If there is a
surplus of spell points, the caster must
still pay at least 1 point per spell he
coordinates.
Contributing spell points to a coordinated spell action counts as a hero's
action for that combat minute (or
other period); he may do nothing
other than participate in the casting for
its full length (therefore, if the invocation time is particularly long, he may
lose two or more opportunities to perform his own actions). During this
time, he may neither attack a foe nor
defend himself from counterattacks
(his defense automatically fails and he
suffers damage normally). Should a
contributing hero leave the casting to
engage in battle or be knocked unconscious, the sorcerer must succeed at a
challenging Presence action in order to
continue with the casting. If this action
succeeds, the spell goes on as before,
albeit minus the spell points the missing hero would have contributed
(which the sorcerer must now provide); if it fails, the spell is disrupted
and everyone still involved suffers the
same consequences they would have if
the action had resulted in a mishap.
For example, say Palin and Ulin
Majere, returning from a quest to rescue Usha from a prison camp, are
ambushed by draconians. Palin wants
to use his knowledge of summoning to
transport the group to safety but, due
to the battle at the prison, does not
have the sorcery points to pay for the
16-point spell. He and Ulin cannot
perform a combined spell action, since
Ulin is not schooled in summoning.
Palin therefore decides to perform a
cooperative casting and asks Ulin and Usha to offer him whatever energy they
can. Usha offers 5 spell points worth of
energy and Ulin offers 10. Palin uses 1
point of his own depleted resources.
The action score is determined by taking Palin's Reason score (10) and
adding half the total of the contributors' Reason scores. Usha has a Reason
score of 8, as does Ulin (8+8=16+2
= 8). Using this total (10 + 8 = 18),
Palin's player lays down an action card
and resolves the action normally.
The number of assistants a sorcerer
can coordinate is determined by his
Presence code:
Presence |
|
Number of Assistants |
A |
|
Large group (10 people) |
B |
|
Small group (5 people) |
C |
|
Couple (2 people) |
D |
|
Individual (1 person) |
X |
|
- |
Mishap: A mishap in a coordinated
spellcasting is directed at the spellcaster
only. However, all assistants must pay
double the number of spell points they
volunteered for the casting and will
remain dazed and disoriented for ten
minutes less one minute per point of
Endurance they have. Suggestions for
appropriate mishaps can be found
under "Magical Mishaps."
Competitive Spells
Sorcerers may be able to tap into the
primordial magic of Krynn, but they
are still only human (or elf, or gnome,
as the case may be), as likely to disagree
and work at cross purposes as any other
group of individuals. However, while
warriors can get into a tug-o-war over a
sword, and rogues can wage a war of
pocket picking, sorcerers do not have
such an obvious, physical manifestation
to their disputes. Two sorcerers skilled
in the same school can wrestle over
control of a spell effect with no outward sign of the competition except the
strained looks on their faces.
Competitive spells occur only when
two or more sorcerer heroes share a common school. The competition is
actually over control of an existent spell
effect - the sorcerers cast separate
spells ordering the effect to behave in
the manner each desires. This situation
cannot arise between a hero sorcerer
and an opposing character; in that case
the hero's spell is considered simply a
resisted action.
When two or more sorcerer heroes
engage in this type of competition,
each player must announce exactly
what his hero is trying to do magically
to the spell effect. They all then
attempt spellcasting actions, and the
hero who succeeds by the most points
controls the spell effect for this attack.
The effect he sought occurs, and the
other heroes must wait until the next
attack to attempt to wrest control of
the effect from him. All the heroes
must pay the full number of sorcery
points their attempted spell actions
cost, regardless of whether they
succeeded.
If one sorcerer is clearly in control
of the effect, the Narrator may, if he
chooses, give that hero an automatic
trump bonus to his next Reason spell
action to simulate his pre-existing
dominance of the situation.
Special Magical Items
The history and folklore of Krynn is
replete with magical scrolls, potions,
weapons, and enchanted items of all
descriptions. The gods of magic obviously were proud to see their gifts
infused into diverse vessels, and
allowed the practitioners of High
Sorcery to create as many magical
items as they could manage during
their mortal lives. Almost every group
of adventurers in previous eras carried with them at least one or two
scrolls or potions-quite often
designed to help heal the seriously
wounded. Most of these items have
become inert or have completely disappeared since the withdrawal of the
gods. Until recently it has been impossible to replace them using sorcery. A
catalog of magical items which have
survived into the Fifth Age has been
compiled by Jaclyn Cashell, head
librarian of the Tower of High Sorcery
in Wayreth. This work describes in
detail the workings of all known items
of magic and is considered the definitive guide to enchantment under High
Sorcery. (This information may be
found in the The Last Tower dramatic
supplement.)
The discovery of a method for casting spells with long-term, possibly even
permanent, durations begs the question of whether or not it is possible to
make such items widely available again.
Scrolls
While most magical effects can be created by both High Sorcery and
modern sorcery, there are definitely
some things that each does better than
the other. Today's sorcery is much more versatile than High Sorcery, with
its rigid reliance on incantations,
material components, and ritualistic
gestures. However, the essence of High
Sorcery spells could, under the right
conditions, be imprinted onto a scroll
for use whenever needed. Modern
sorcery is about activating magical
energy within objects and immediately shaping it to the caster's needs.
This is not a process which can be
simulated by words on a page.
Scrolls cannot be made to carry the
essence of today's sorcerous spells. In
other words, despite the efforts of
dozens of the Academy of Sorcery's
best minds, spell scrolls do not work in
the Fifth Age the way they did in previous ages (however, see "Single-Use
Items" on the next page).
Potions
Potions are another idea that has carried over from the methods of High
Sorcery, but they have fared little better than scrolls in their translation to modern magic. A very few of the old
potions do still work, more because of
the natural properties of the ingredients than a successful translation of
magical methodology. Mostly these
potions are poisons or brews which
induce sleep or aid healing. In well
over ninety percent of the cases,
though, recipes for potions from
before the withdrawal of the gods do
not work in the Fifth Age as they did
before the Chaos War, and the
alchemical formulae for creating them
now produces only inert liquids
(however, see "Single-Use Items,"
below).
Single-Use Items
Other types of magical items have been
much easier to reproduce using modern techniques. Originally these
remained potent only over the very
short term, considering duration limitations. However, with the discovery of
a method to cast long-term duration
spells, it has once more become possible to enchant items to produce
specific magical effects for long periods
of time. This process, however, exacts a
high price from the caster: He must
permanently give up a portion of his
sorcerous abilities every time he casts a
long-term spell. Fortunately, Academy
researchers working to revive the art of
scrollmaking discovered a "loop-hole"
in the sorcery of long-term duration
spells: single-use enchantments.
Single-use enchantments are cast
exactly as other long-term duration
enchantments are (see page 62), but the
item can produce the magical effect
only once, and the sorcerer's spell point
loss is not permanent. When someone
trips the enchanted item's trigger, the
spell imbued in the item goes off. The
item then becomes mundane once
more, and the spell points invested in it
return to the sorcerer who cast the
enchantment.
Any item that can be affected by
sorcery may be turned into a single-use
magical item, but enchanters who specialize in this process prefer to use
cheap, easily replaceable materials.
Oddly enough, the two most popular
media among enchanters today are
scrolls and potions. There is nothing
actually magical about the parchment
or liquids involved in these spells-the
sorcerous energy is not bound in the
parchment and ink, nor is it distilled
into the colorful brew. Rather, the
enchantments are set to be triggered
(or activated) by breaking the seal on
the scroll or emptying the vial; it is in
no way required that the user actually
read the scroll or drink the potion. It is
important to realize that modern sorcerers have copied only the form (the
scroll or potion) from the era of High
Sorcery, not the actual type of magic.
Perhaps the use of scrolls and
potions is the enchanters' way of showing respect for the departed gods of
magic, using their old vessels as a tribute to the long, honored history
of High Sorcery. Or, maybe the
forms of the scroll and potion
are so deeply ingrained in the
tradition of magic users that
finding a method to include
them in modern sorcery provides a comforting sense of continuity.
Using These Items
Single-use magical items work
in practically the same way that
other enchanted items do; however, they use a number of trigger
mechanisms that cannot be employed
with items meant to be used repeatedly.
Examples of such trigger mechanisms
include breaking the seal on a scroll,
emptying a vial of liquid, snapping or
tearing the item in half, burning the
item, and breaking the item over the
target.
The only real difference between
wielding reusable and single-use magical items is that one-shot items have no
set invocation time. The enchantment is
bound to the item in such a way
that the user controls how
quickly the energy is released.
When a hero wants to activate a
single-use magical item, he
should declare how long the
effect will take to manifest. He
must then consult the invocation time spell design chart
(chart 1 on the FIFTH AGE reference card) and pay the number
of sorcery points associated
with his chosen invocation
time. Generally, a hero will want
to use 4 or 5 spell points to gain
a one-minute or instant invocation. However, if for some reason he
is budgeting his spell points (perhaps
to use with another magical item), he
may call for longer invocation times,
causing a delayed effect while he concentrates on releasing the enchanted
item's magical energy.
For the purpose of using magical
items, it is assumed that heroes all have
a number of sorcery points equal to the
square of their Reason scores, just as if
they were sorcerers. Normally, the hero
cannot access these latent spell points,
but the enchantment cast on the item is
designed to tap them to power itself.
Magic Batteries
As the basic understanding of sorcery
increases, it becomes possible for spellcasters to create more and more
powerful spell effects. These strong
new spells, however, have proportionally higher difficulties and spell point
costs. Several sorcerers working
together can generate an action score
high enough to succeed at almost any
spell. However, gathering enough spell
points to actually attempt the spell is a
much more difficult problem.
Sorcerers have a limited number of
spell points available to them, and,
even if they do have enough for a
mega-spell, they are understandably
hesitant to attempt it for fear of
exhausting their resources.
Considering the fact that many sorcerers ignore more mundane aspects of
their education in order to learn more
about their specialty, it is easy to see
why they might be averse to committing large portions of their energy to
single spells.The solution to the problem of not having enough spell points
to cast high-powered spells is, if not
solved entirely, lessened by a nearly
overlooked ramification of the nature
of sorcerous energy.
The spell points that sorcerers use
are the manifestation of the spark of
god-energy, an inheritance from the
divine creation of their races. Every
creature that is a creation of the gods
carries within him a bit of the divine -
a bit of magic. However, this statement
is true of all the gods' creations. Every
rock, lake, cloud, and fire on Krynn
contains a bit of the gods. These natural phenomena might, therefore, be
used for the energy they contain.
The spark of the gods' magic can be
found in every item and substance on
the planet. Every mote of dust in
Ansalon can be considered a magic battery, based on the power of the gods at
its heart. However, the energy needed to
free that magical power is so great that
the process leaves a sorcerer nearly
drained and yields very little energy in
return. In other words, while it is possible to draw spell points out of any
pebble, raindrop, or spark, the process is
impractical because it costs more spell
points than any normal item contains.
Research conducted by Ulin Majere,
with the help of the enigmatic Shadow
Sorcerer, has revealed one type of item
which freely yields a large number of
spell points: magical artifacts.
Enchanted items from the time before
the Second Cataclysm are infused with
the power of the gods and can be
tapped relatively easily for their energy.
Any sorcerer who holds such an artifact may freely drain away its spell
points in order to power his spells.
However, if more than a quarter of the
sorcery points in an item have been
drained, its magical abilities do not
function until it has been allowed to
recover all its lost points. An artifact
which has been leeched of energy rejuvenates at a rate of 1 spell point per
week. Exactly how many spell points a
particular artifact has - and whether
they are sorcery or mysticism points -
is for the Narrator to decide. However,
the following chart may be used as a
general guideline:
Type of Artifact |
|
Spell Points |
Item of distinction |
|
10-20 |
Item of renown |
|
20-40 |
Item of fame |
|
30-60 |
Item of glory |
|
50-100 |
Item of legend |
|
100+ |
Magical Reservoirs
One other possibility exists for sorcerers desperate for naturally occurring
sources of magical energy. For years,
visitors to many of the legendary and historic sites of Ansalon have com-
mented that these locales have a
magical air about them. This is, in fact,
more literally true than most visitors
would believe. For some reason, places
of historical importance-where the
fate of the world has been decided,
where the gods themselves have
stopped to note the actions of
mortals - are steeped in magical
energy. The very rocks, plants, and air
in places like the Tomb of Huma, Life's
Spring, the heart of the Blood Sea, and
even Dargaard Keep (home of the murderous Lord Soth) fairly crackle with
magic. Any sorcerer (or mystic) who
casts spells in such places of power may
find the spell points he needs simply
flowing out of the air.
This source of spell points, however, is not nearly so sure as draining
an item of magic. Certain places of legend may serve as magical reservoirs, but
they are also very nearly living, breathing beings unto themselves. Each one
remains true to its past. A legendary
site will supply spell points for those it
deems worthy, heroes whose hearts
and purposes match those of the site
itself. The Tomb of Huma, for
instance, proves a nearly limitless
source of spell points for those who are
pure of heart or are battling the forces
of Takhisis. Dargaard Keep, on the
other hand, would be a place in which
a covetous, scheming spellcaster might
find his spell energy bolstered. And, in
any case, the spellcaster must use the
reservoir's points immediately to cast a
spell; they cannot use these spell points
to replenish their own pool or "hold
onto" them for future castings.
If a site of legend is befouled, if minions of a faction antithetical to its
nature take up residence, or if a sorcerer
who appears worthy uses the site's spell
points for an action that defies the spirit
of the legend, the site might not produce any more spell points until such
time as righteous heroes reclaim the
land and restore it to its "proper" state.
Narrators are left to decide how
much, if any, help a particular locale yields as magical reservoir. Sometimes,
legends of a site's sorcerous nature are
merely rumors spread by overly poetic
minstrels or proud locals. Other times,
the site may not agree with the heroes'
purpose or plan. Use of magical reservoirs is not a right. Only the proper
hero in the right place at the right time
can tap the magic of a particular spot.
And, of course. Narrators should feel
free to limit the number of spell points
available from a single reservoir to prevent abuse.
Players should note that, although
they may reap spell points from casting
spells at legendary sites, there are also
drawbacks. These sites are generally
very public, well known places. Casting
an extremely powerful sorcerous spell
away from prying eyes will be nearly
impossible. And if the heroes do successfully tap the magic of a location,
they can be sure that the next time they
go there they will find a dozen other
sorcerers who have heard tales of the
event and seek to claim the power for
themselves. Word also will leak back to
the hero's enemies, who are likely to set
a trap for him when next he visits.
Focuses
A great deal of research has gone into
building a personal magic battery, or
focus. Unfortunately, no sorcerer has
yet managed to create such an item.
Most researchers have progressed with
the idea that all items on Krynn are low
level batteries anyway, so a sorcerer
might be able to enchant a rock or
small bauble so that he could store several days' worth of spell points in a
vessel for use at a later time. As of yet,
though, no sorcerer has succeeded in
manufacturing an item to serve as a
focus. Mystics have suggested that sorcerers should limit themselves strictly
to unaltered natural items, but this has
not yet worked, either.
Most enchanters seeking to create a
focus agree that the amount of energy
contained in an object is fixed. In
every known case, attempts to store
more magical power than the object could normally hold has ruined the
item.
Some scholars of the new magic
believe that sorcery comes from the
result of the gods hammering into
shape primordial chaos itself, and suggest that releasing this energy could
have catastrophic consequences. It
might be dangerous to attempt to
unlock and alter the potential power
stored in natural materials, for in doing
so, the enchanter may unleash more
power than he can control.
Magical Mishaps
Sorcery is an art which is very loosely
defined. There are no spell lists or
other artificial restrictions placed on a
sorcerer. Whatever spells he can conceive of, and has the energy to create,
are his for the casting. This, however,
leaves the Narrator in a bit of a
quandary. If he does not know in
advance what magical effects a sorcerer
will attempt to create, he cannot plan
for such contingencies as spell failure
or mishap.
This is ultimately a situation which
cannot be remedied. The fact of the
matter is that the Narrator's job is a difficult one. He will repeatedly be called
on to make snap decisions which will
determine the heroes' fates and even
lives. Fortunately, though, it is possible
to give the Narrator a guide to help him
make his decisions.
Crime and Punishment
The best rule of thumb to use when
deciding the result of a magical mishap
is to "make the punishment fit the
crime." While mishaps represent bad
luck more than they do retribution,
the Narrator should weigh the motives
of the sorcerer in casting his spell. If he
was selfish, greedy, or otherwise ignoble, the Narrator should feel
completely justified in ruling harshly,
with the mishap causing the hero personal loss, public embarrassment, or
even physical danger. If the spell was
cast in the name of charity, sympathy,
honor, or some other selfless cause, the
Narrator may want to temper the
mishap somewhat. The heroes should
have some kind of bonus for trying to
do the right thing in a difficult situation, even if it didn't work.
Follow the Story
The central theme to every good
DRAGONLANCE: FIFTH AGE game is the story. That
point cannot be stressed enough. Even a
mishap, whatever it is, should advance, and hopefully add to, the
story. This is a game about
heroes, and heroes must overcome
hardships. Mishaps are Fate's way of
adding the few extra challenges which
turn an ordinary adventurer into a legendary hero. If it is possible. Narrators
should make the mishap point out the
direction the heroes should take (or at
least away from any erroneous paths
they seem likely to follow). This will let
them learn something from this bad
situation.
When All Else Fails
Sometimes a mishap will occur when
there is simply no way to make it
balance the scales of justice or tie it
into the story. When all else fails, there
are four types of mishaps applicable to
just about any spell. Narrators who
feel truly stuck for unique, story-based
mishaps to throw at the heroes may
want to choose an appropriate fate
from one of the following categories.
Reversal
A mishap that takes the intended
result of a spell and turns it completely around is a reversal. Examples
of reversals include a lightning bolt
(or other attack) which strikes friends
rather than foes, divinations which
give enemies an insight into the plans
of the heroes, transmutations which
completely miss the desired effect
(turning a door into mud rather than
granite), and enchanting an item with
a negative modifier instead of a positive one.
An alternative type of reversal
would be one in which the spell takes
effect exactly as the sorcerer planned,
but the results and repercussions of
the spell are opposite to his expectations. For example, if through
geomancy he drives off a band of
marauders with flying rocks and dirt,
the townspeople end up being less
than appreciative when they find out
that the source of the ammunition was
their corn fields. The bandits may be
gone, but their crop is now ruined.
They may not be able to survive the
coming winter thanks to this hero's
"help."
Reflection
A mishap that causes a spell effect to
happen to the caster rather than his
intended target is a reflection. This
type of mishap is most commonly seen when an offensive spell (such as a
pyromantic attack) damages the sorcerer rather than his target. Creative
Narrators, though, can find more
subtle applications for reflection
mishaps. The new target of the spell
does not necessarily have to be the
sorcerer himself; instead, it may be his
friends or even his possessions.
Embarrassment
Sometimes a hero's most vulnerable
spot is his ego. A mishap which does
no real damage to anything other than
the sorcerer's pride and reputation is
simply referred to as an embarrassment. Perhaps the spell causes the
hero to wind up standing in a public
square soaking wet, covered in mud,
or completely disrobed. Maybe his
bungling destroys or permanently
mars a local landmark. There is no
end to the possible embarrassments a
creative Narrator can inflict on a hero.
Spell Point Cost
If no other option seems appropriate,
the Narrator may always rule that
some aspect of the spell went so terribly awry that the casting grew far
beyond the hero's control. Not only
did the spell fail, but it ballooned and
used twice (or more) the number of
spell points it should have. The physical result of this might be unspectacular, but the repercussions of
doubling the spell point cost may be
staggering, particularly for an expensive casting or after the sorcerer has
already cast several spells that day.
When recovery of spell points is measured in hours, this mishap can be the
most feared of all.