Magery, or more oftenly called the Veilaan Arts, is the technique of invoking magical effects through the understanding and application of the power known as the veil. Once a mage comprehends the objective rules of reality, they can employ them in a repeatable and methodical manner. Of course this does not mean a mage can figure out these fundamental laws for themselves, only that once a technique or formula is learned, they can manipulate it in a variety of ingenious ways.
The path of mavery is often a hard one, requiring much time spent in study and research. Even its reputation can be viewed with an element of suspicion when compared to the worship of communal gods; as those not privy to its secrets tend to regard it with jealousy or perhaps fear, especially when the mage is an aloof recluse without need for or responsibility towards his community.
Most mages either come from or form schools or companies in which they share their knowledge in return for mutual protection or a degree of respectability. Of the base members of these schools apprentices are chosen to take on more advanced tutelage by a full mage. More sophisticated societies often evolve specialised orders, utilising their unions to practice particular types of magery as a profession, from itinerant weather-workers to mercenary spell-swords. At its pinnacle, magery can even be used to shield nations from more ‘primitive’ forms of magic, or provide an increase to the standard of living by the maintenance of innovative enchantments.
Each spell can be mastered by those mages willing to spend the time to grasp its philosophical meanings and memorize the methodology. As such, most orders of the veilaan arts keep the secrets of their most potent magics well hidden, even to their own students, for fear of the spell’s power being abused, or corrupting its wielder.
Although the Veilaan Arts is often viewed as a dark or evil, magery plays a key role in society, as a service to those with enough coin.
The veil is a complex power that manifests naturally as a purple mist or fog that rolls across the lands of kerethad. In its natural state, especially during the day, it is inert, and very rarely does it condense of its own volition. Thus a mage must hold a vast store of it within their Veilaan Kreshes. Once enough has been collected then they can cast their spells.
The practice of magery requires two core skills, Invocation and Shaping. Invocation reflects the depth of knowledge concerning a particular philosophy or school; whilst Shaping is the skill of the mage to manipulate the veil to suit the parameters of a spell, so that can be cast in a flexible and innovative manner.
Invocation represents a mage’s ability to successfully cast spells learned from their company or mentor.
The skill encompasses a plethora of magical principles from comprehending the philosophy underlying how that type of magery works, to being able to achieve the necessary mental state to manipulate reality. As the value of this skill increases, so does the capability of the mage to create greater changes.
The Intensity of a magery spell is equal to one tenth of the Invocation skill used to cast it.
In their default form, the veil is relatively feeble in scope. Shaping is the method used to change the parameters of a magery spell so that it can be wrought to meet certain requirements, such as increasing its range or duration.
Once the base concepts of Shaping are known, they can be applied to any spell known by the mage, no matter its school or tradition. Thus mages normally need only learn a single Shaping skill.
Shaping is never rolled against when casting magery, rather it acts like a governor to limit the degree of modification which can be applied to a spell. The maximum level of alteration is equal to one tenth of the value of the Shaping skill. Thus a mage with Shaping 47% would be able to apply 5 points to shape the parameters of any magery spell he or she cast.
These points may be divided up amongst any of the following components to optimise the spell as desired:
Combine: Used to fuse together several spells into a single casting
Duration: Used to extend the period of time the spell’s effects last
Magnitude: Used to penetrate magical defences or resist magical attacks
Range: Used to increase the distance a spell can be cast over
Targets: Used to increase the number of targets affected by the spell
Used with spells which have the Resist trait, each point of shaping applied to Ablation grinds down any protective magic on the target which tries to block the incoming spell; reducing its Magnitude by the level of ablation. This is still the case even if the protective magic successfully blocked the sorcery spell.
This component permits the mage to combine the effects of several magery spells into a single casting, so that they all affect the target simultaneously. This not only saves time on casting, but also preserves Magic Points, as all the conjoined spells share the same shaping components. Use the following guidelines when combining spells:
A spell may not be combined with another instance of itself; only different spells may be combined
If the conjoined spells come from different sources, then the lowest Invocation skill is used as the base casting chance
The conjoined spells must all share the same target or targets
Any shaping applied to a combined casting is assigned to each, and every one of the spells involved at no extra Magic Point cost
Each additional spell added using combine, costs one extra Magic Point and increases the difficulty grade of the Invocation roll by one step.
Although combined spells might require several different resistance checks, the target only makes a single resistance roll – the result matched against each requisite opposed skill. Thus it is perfectly possible, for example, to save against all the combined spells requiring Resist Endurance whilst simultaneously failing to throw off the Resist Willpower spells.
Magery spells have a default duration equal to the POW of the caster in minutes.
Applying one or more points of Shaping to the Duration component will extend the length of a magery spell as noted in the table. The spell remains running for the entire duration, although in some cases part of its effect may require active concentration to function.
Some spells may end up with an extended duration which can last hours, or even longer. In these cases the Magic Point Attribute of the mage is temporarily reduced by the number of Magic Points used to cast that spell until the magic is dropped or expires.
Used to ensure that a spell works, no matter what the mental and physical distractions, each point of shaping applied to Focus permits the sorcerer to ignore one level of difficulty applied against them. This covers the loss of verbal or somatic components, mental state due to narcotics, combining multiple spells, and even penalties applied for suffering wounds. This component cannot raise the casting chance above its base value.
Used with spells which have the Resist trait, each point of shaping applied to Fortune allows an additional casting roll from which the sorcerer selects the most favourable result. A spell cast with 3 points of shaping applied to Fortune would permit the sorcerer to roll four times and choose the best roll.
Magery spells have a default Magnitude of 1, making them weak and vulnerable.
Applying one or more points of Shaping to the Magnitude component will improve its ability to overwhelm magical defences or resist magical attacks. It has no effect on the Intensity of a magery spell which is solely based upon the caster’s Invocation skill.
Used with spells that randomly target Hit Locations, each point of shaping applied to Precision allows the caster to adjust the dice roll by 1 to select the most advantageous location.
Magery spells have a default Range of Touch, requiring that the recipient be within physical reach of the caster.
Applying one or more points of Shaping to the Range component will allow the spell to be cast over greater distances, potentially achieving ranges beyond the immediate perception of the caster. In such cases the sorcerer will need alternate methods of observing the target.
Magery spells limited to Touch range may only be cast on others if physical contact can be maintained for the entirety of the Invocation.
Once someone or something is affected by a magery spell, it continues even if they travel beyond the spell’s Range. Spells which require Concentration lapse into passive mode once the target exceeds this distance, but only for the period it remains beyond the Range limit.
Used to hasten the casting of complex or heavily manipulated spells, each point of shaping applied to Swiftness reduces the casting time by 1 Turn, to a minimum of one.
Magery spells have a default Target of one object, creature or person, which may be the caster himself.
Applying one or more points of Shaping to the Targets component will allow the spell to affect an increasing number of multiple targets, each one receiving the full consequence of the magic. That is to say, each target receives an identical copy of the original spell.
Unless specifically permitted by its description, the targets of a spell may not be changed once it is cast.
Points of Shaping | Combine | Duration (Mins) | Magnitude | Range | Targets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
None | None | POW | 1 | Touch | 1 |
1 | 2 Spells | 2xPOW | 2 | 1m×POW | 2 |
2 | 3 Spells | 3xPOW | 3 | 5m×POW | 3 |
3 | 4 Spells | 4xPOW | 4 | 10m×POW | 4 |
4 | 5 Spells | 5xPOW | 5 | 50m×POW | 5 |
5 | 6 Spells | 6xPOW | 6 | 100m×POW | 6 |
6 | 7 Spells | 7xPOW | 7 | 500m×POW | 7 |
7 | 8 Spells | 8xPOW | 8 | 1km×POW | 8 |
8 | 9 Spells | 9xPOW | 9 | 5km×POW | 9 |
9 | 10 Spells | 10xPOW | 10 | 10km×POW | 10 |
10 | 11 Spells | 11xPOW | 11 | 15km×POW | 11 |
Each point... | +1 Spell | +1 x POW | +1 Magnitude | +5km×POW | +1 |
Points of Shaping | Ablation | Focus | Fortune | Precision | Swiftness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
None | None | None | 1 Casting Roll | 0 | 0 |
1 | -1 Magnitude | 1 Level of Difficulty | 2 Casting Roll | +/- 1 | 1 |
2 | -2 Magnitude | 2 Levels of Difficulty | 3 Casting Roll | +/- 2 | 2 |
3 | -3 Magnitude | 3 Levels of Difficulty | 4 Casting Roll | +/- 3 | 3 |
4 | -4 Magnitude | 4 Levels of Difficulty | 5 Casting Roll | +/- 4 | 4 |
5 | -5 Magnitude | 5 Levels of Difficulty | 6 Casting Roll | +/- 5 | 5 |
6 | -6 Magnitude | 6 Levels of Difficulty | 7 Casting Roll | +/- 6 | 6 |
7 | -7 Magnitude | 7 Levels of Difficulty | 8 Casting Roll | +/- 7 | 7 |
8 | -8 Magnitude | 8 Levels of Difficulty | 9 Casting Roll | +/- 8 | 8 |
9 | -9 Magnitude | 9 Levels of Difficulty | 10 Casting Roll | +/- 9 | 9 |
10 | -10 Magnitude | 10 Levels of Difficulty | 11 Casting Roll | +/- 10 | 10 |
Each point... | -Another Magnitude | +1 Levels of Difficulty | +1 Casting Roll | +/- Points Spent | +1 |
A character starting the game as a mage should choose a company or college to study at; Only one of these institutes can be chosen at this stage but others can potentially be discovered during the course of play.
Mage characters begin with a number of spells from that school equal to one twentieth of their Invocation skill. Once the campaign starts they are restricted in what additional spells they can study, and when they can learn them.
Learning new spells requires an investment of Experience Rolls as described in the Magic chapter. Whether or not new spells are available is a different matter. For example, an adept member of a powerful guild may be withheld from freely acquiring the more dangerous spells of the order; only being taught once they demonstrate the correct level of understanding or responsibility.
A scholar learning the veil through written teachings cannot learn every spell inscribed within its pages as soon as they have the Experience Rolls to invest. There are limits to how much, and how quickly a mage can understand and absorb knowledge from the complex metaphysical implications of such a work.
As a rough guideline, spells accessible to an organization are usually linked or entwined in such a way that they must be learned:
In a particular order; acquisition of lesser incantations being needed to comprehend the underlying techniques to invoke higher ones.
When a specific degree of mastery is reached, each spell limited to a particular cult rank or value of the Invocation skill may be learned as the mage has demonstrated the necessary level of comprehension.
Only after the student has shown the correct attitude, behavior or dedication to be permitted deeper knowledge.
Thus the learning of new spells is not an automatic ability or right. Access to them must be earned through roleplaying and over a period of time in the campaign. A new spell should be regarded as a reward for completing a particularly difficult task, as a consequence of advancing in a company or cult rank or even as the result of many months research and study. When knowledge is quite literally power, a mage should not be able simply to purchase spells by handing over a cartload of silver. Although a gift might influence the mind of a mage’s mentor, the spell itself is almost always priceless.
Although magery is not necessarily the most potent type of supernatural power available to mortals, the ability of a mage to shape his or her magic makes it extremely versatile. Mages can weave a handful of awesome spells into a single, magic-efficient casting; blast small units of warriors with the same spell; or even control the mind of a victim from hundreds of kilometres away. This ability, which greatly augments one or more spell components, enables their magic to far exceed the more rigid parameters of other types.
The inherent flexibility of magery extends beyond its ability to be shaped. Similarly they need not return to specific holy places to recover their magical strength unlike theurgists. In effect, magery grants its practitioner freedom from needing things or places. All that is required is knowledge of the spell, and enough Magic Points to invoke it,
Casting spells as veilaan arts requires that the mage performs a short invocation, allowing him to mentally impose the spell’s transcendental formula upon the veil, changing it in reality. This is done through envisioning complex glyphs or most commonly writing glyphs upon the Kresh which holds their store of the Veil. Then through an articulate utterance, to pull the Veil from the Kresh.
Firstly they must actually know the spell being cast. Simply reading or repeating a spell parrot fashion from something like a scroll will not work if the mage has no understanding of its underlying metaphysics
Secondly they must have the requisite number of Magic Points remaining. Attempting to cast a spell with insufficient Magic Points means that either the spell doesn’t work, or something bad occurs to the mage to find the last fragments of power.
Thirdly on the last turn of casting, the mage must pass an Invocation skill check. Failing to cast the spell correctly usually results in nothing bad save that the magic doesn’t work, or at worst the squandering of a few Magic Points.
The cost of casting a magery spell depends on how much it is shaped, and the success level of the Invocation skill roll.
Base cost is 1 Magic Point plus an additional one point per spell component modified. For instance a spell which has its Range and Duration components increased will have a base cost of 3 Magic Points. If several spells are woven together using Combine, then an additional Magic Point is added to the cost for each extra spell. Once the base cost is known, the Invocation roll is made:
Critical Success: the spell works but only half the Magic Point cost is expended.
Success: the spell works, and the full Magic Point cost is expended.
Failure: the spell fails, but no Magic Points are expended.
Fumble: the spell fails, and the full Magic Point cost is expended.
The time taken to cast a magery spell is equivalent to 1 Turn plus an additional Turn for each spell component modified. This is usually the same as its Magic Point cost except in cases where Combine (or the optional Swiftness component) is utilised.
The Invocation skill check is made on the final turn of casting; the result of the roll occurring immediately.
Magery spells have a default Intensity equal to one tenth of the caster’s Invocation skill. Their Magnitude depends on how many shaping points were devoted to that spell component.
Mages need not apply the entirety of their available Intensity if they desire to limit the spell’s effect.
Magery spells resist dispelling using their Magnitude. Thus if this component is left unaugmented magery can be fairly easy to dismiss.
There are no restrictions to the number of concurrent spells a mage can maintain, save that only a single Concentration spell can be focused on at any moment in time.
Due to the boggling complexity of Veilaan invocations, there is a limit to how many spells a mage can keep in his mind. Thus a mage may only memorise a number of spells up to the value of their INT characteristic. In the rare situation that the mage has access to more spells than they have the space to memorize them, spells may be swapped by spending a week of intense deliberation in reclusive isolation to exchange them.