[Skills](Skills.md)| [ToC](FluxRPG.md) | [Powers, Talents, and Abilities](Powers,%20Talents,%20and%20Abilities.md) ----- The default Magic System in Flux RPG is skill based. Each spell is its own skill. With rare exceptions, outlined in either the description of a spell, or the description of a merit, there are no "Untrained" spell skills. Unless specified otherwise (or you work something out with your GM), you must invest at least one rank into a given spell in order to use it. Most spells will have a set of prerequisites that are described in the spell description. You must meet these prerequisites to learn the spell. If the prerequisite includes a spell or skill, then the skill must be trained and the character must have a skill rank of at least five (5) ranks in the prerequisite spell skill in order for it to count as a prerequisite. The Ability Score for all spell skills (unless specified otherwise in the spell) is Gnosis. Most spells count as Difficult Skills for the purpose of purchasing and advancement. Some low level-spells may count as Normal skills. ## Spells Spells are purchased like skills of the appropriate difficulty. During character creation this is simplified, but during play this means that most spells will be purchased as difficult skills. Each spell will have a Spell Rank and a Skill Rating. The **Skill Rating** is what is used to determine the percentile chance of success for many spells. This is equal to the caster's Gnosis Score + Skill Rank + Modifiers. The **Spell Rank** is the number of ranks purchased in the skill plus any levels of Mage Gift or equivalent specialty traits. It is possible that other abilities or traits may further modify this. The **Spell Rank** is the Skill Rank modified by the character's Power Modifier. Beyond determining the difficulty of many spells, these values may be used in other ways as well, such as to increase the range or duration of a spell, or to reduce the casting cost. ## Power Rating Some spell descriptions will refer to the caster's Power Rating. This is simply the caster's Power score modified by any traits such as Mage Gift or similar. Additionally, when spells refer to the caster's Power modifier, or POW, unless otherwise stated, this value should be modified by Mage Gift or other appropriate traits to determine things such as damage, duration, or range. ## Mana Mana is power that can be used to work great feats of wonder. To most characters though, it is just a part of who they are. The character’s base mana is equal to their Quintessence Score. This mana is not actively usable by most characters. Furthermore it is a base foundational part of the character’s spirit, much like the flesh of their body. If their mana is fully depleted, they will die just as surely as if their Constitution were fully destroyed. For most purposes, the Mana rating represents the character’s base pool of essence. Very few spell casters can interfere with it. ## Essence (EP) Essence is the fuel used to cast most spells. The size of your Essence Pool, or the amount of Essence that is stored within the caster's body, is determined by the following formula: EP = Ego + Mana. Mage Gift and similar traits that provide "the spark of magic" contribute to this value by influencing your mana score. Other Attributes may impact this as well. ## Stamina Points (SP) Stamina is a measure of your body's endurance, and can also be used to fuel some spells. Some Attributes also allow the character to use stamina in place of Essence. The size of the Stamina Pool is determined by the following formula: SP = Ego + Constitution ## Anatomy of a Spell The easiest way to explain the anatomy of a spell is to present the default template, with notes in place. > For the purpose of this document we are bound by the capabilities of MarkDown. So, I will present the format used in the SpellBook section. |Spell Name | | | ------------- | ------------------------- | | Cost: | Cost in EP or SP | | Difficulty | Spell Difficulty Rating | | Schools | School(s) of Spell | | Types | Type/Category | | Prerequisites | Things needed to learn the spell| | Components | Material Components | | Range | How far the spell reaches | #### Description >Spell Description: A description of the spell and what it does. A mix of fluff and mechanical effects. **Cost:** Most spells will be powered by EP. Some will default to SP or allow either. More rarely a spell will be powered by hitpoints or even mana. If there is anything unusual involved, it will be explained in the description. **Difficulty Rating (DR):** This is how hard the spell is to cast. This will either be a number or a description. If it is a number, then that is the base difficulty under normal circumstances. If it is a description it might say something along the lines of "Touch Attack," or "Ranged Attack," indicating that difficulty is based on your ability to attack another character. In the case of anything unusual, it will be explained in the spell description. In most cases, Gnosis will replace Agility for attack purposes. **School:** The School that a spell belongs to is the overarching discipline or category that it belongs to. Many casters will specialize in one or two schools. **Type:** This holds two types of information. Type may be a description of what the spell does with its subject matter, or it may be a tag indicating that it belongs to a category of spells for grouping purposes for one attribute or another. Examples: Invocation, Evocation, Alteration, Conjuring, Defense, Attack, Knowledge Additional Examples: Archery, Divine, Healer ## Casting a Spell The steps to casting a spell are fairly straight forward: 1. Decide to cast the spell and let the GM know. 2. Determine the difficulty and cost. 3. Determine if it is successful. 4. Determine the outcome. Anything unusual about a given spell will be included in its description. ## Spell Range Every spell has a range; the distance that it can be cast at. In order to standardize this, we have the following range categories that apply to most spells. | Descriptor | Range | | ---------- | ----- | | Personal | The spell targets the caster| | Touch | This one is obvious | | Reach | 1 Meter | | Short | Spell Rank or Power * 1 meter | | Near | Spell Rank * 10 meters | | Medium | Spell Rank * 25 meters | | Long | Spell Rank * 50 meters | | Far | Spell Rank * 100 meters | | Line of Sight | Must see the target | ## Spell Maintenance Some spells can be maintained over time. Some require the attention of the caster, and some do not. In the case of spells that do require attention, the caster's Gnosis is at an effective -1 for every such spell that is active. More clarity on this will come with time. > In future editions a list of spells will be presented in this document to get character’s started. A more thorough list is already available [Here](SpellBook.md). ----- [Skills](Skills.md)| [ToC](FluxRPG.md) | [Powers, Talents, and Abilities](Powers,%20Talents,%20and%20Abilities.md)