Ars Magica, the
original design by Morfedel, on the TRoS Community
Board
modified and formatted by
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This document is intended to represent a conversion of TRoS' magic system to the Ars Magica format, while keeping the strengths of both
systems. Knowledge of both systems is
assumed. The Riddle of Steel is
available through Driftwood Games at http://www.theriddleofsteel.com. Ars Magica is available as a download from rpgnow.com. When in doubt, follow the base mechanics of TRoS, and the spirit, structure, and atmosphere of Ars Magica.
The
fundamental premise of Ars Magica
is that all magical effects or spells are the combination of one or more techniques
(verbs) and one or more forms (nouns), which are collectively referred to as
the
Techniques
Creo - Create
Intellego - Percieve
Muto - Transform
Perdo - Destroy
Rego - Control
Forms
Animal - Animals and Beasts
Aquam - Water
Auram - Air
Corporem - Body (human body)
Herbam - Plant
Ignem - Fire
Imagonem - Images
Mentem - Mind
Terram - Earth
Vim – Power or Magic
Each one of these arts can be
learned, improved, studied, and used, just as the 9 Vagaries could be used in
the TRoS magic system. However, these now serve as
pre-requisites for certain target numbers.
For instance, if you have a Creo of 3 and a Ignem of 3, the best spell you
can ever hope to cast will have a target number (TN) of 6. If you have a Creo
of 0, you can not use the technique in any spell, under any circumstance.
Some spells have prerequisites (The
Beast Remade, which gives an animal human form, is Muto Animal with a Corpus
requisite). This means that you take the
lower score of Animal or Corpus in determining your ability to cast the spell,
but for all other purposes (bonuses, enchantments, talismans,
whatever) it’s an Animal spell.
Limits
·
Nothing can be permanent (creations,
healing, etc) without the use of Raw Vis.
·
Magic cannot affect the human soul,
or bring back the dead.
·
Magic cannot alter true nature – such
as reversing human aging, making an animal human.
·
Magic cannot alter the passage of
time, or alter the past or future.
·
Magic cannot affect the unseen
without an arcane connection.
·
The Divine and Infernal may not be
destroyed (although they may be affected)
Target Numbers
The process of determining the level of the spell is as follows:
·
Target(s)
·
Volume
·
Duration
·
Range
·
Level of Effect
You will notice that these are the same as before for TRoS. However, the numbers and meaning of each have been
changed.
Target(s): This represents the number of
targets, rather than the type. It
is used most especially when you are trying to avoid
using an area of effect that could effect allies and
foes equally.
1. Self
2. Other
(one target outside yourself)
3. Three
(3)
4. Handful
(around 5 or 6)
5. Dozen
(around 12)
Range:
0. Self
1. Touch
2. Reach
(around the distance of the longest of melee weapons)
3.
Distance (the distance a man could
run in several seconds; the range of a thrown rock/dagger, etc)
4. Range
(Bow shot distance, line of sight, etc)
5. Any
Distance (some taretting method, such as scrying or an arcane connection is required; an arcane
connection could be a hair from the person, or nail clipplings,
or their True Name in game worlds were True Names are used)
Duration: durations longer than months are
possible, but special circumstances
0. Instantaneous/Concentration
1. Rounds
2. Minutes
3. Hours
(sunrise/sunset)
4. Days
5. Weeks
Beyond this point are special circumstances, meaning I may
just throw them out, hehe
6.
Months
7.
Years
8.
Decades (Effectively permanent,
except for the immortal fey, at this point)
9.
Centures
10.
Millenia
Volume(in radius): Volume and
Targets are Mutually Exclusive.
0. Self
1. 1
yard
2. 4
yard
3. 9
yards
4. 16
yards
5. 25
yards
Effect:
1.
Minor Effect: minor changes, control,
other alterations. Apprentice level magic. AM level 1-5 effects.
2. Lesser
Effect: alterations and effects are of low degree, but not inconsiderable.
Novice Level Magic. Ars
level 5-15 effects
3. Moderate
Effect: effects are considerable and significant. Journeyman Level Magic, Ars level 15-25 effects
4. Greater
Effects:effects are awe inspiring
and have few flaws. Master Level Magic. Ars level 25-40
effects
5.
Flawless Magic: Effects are complete.
Archmage Level Magic. Ars
level 40+ effects
As you can see, with the numbers changed, levels of
spells will be higher. A caster wanting to cast spells on himself
for apprentice level effects has a starting TN of 2 before any other factors.
Levels of effects are determined by a judgment call from
the Seneschal, based on the power level he wishes in the game. Note, greater
successes mean greater effect, so the Target Number should be determined based
on a minimum for the spell to even work.
For example, a generic healing spell (Creo
Corpus) might have an effect level of 1, but 5 successes would men complete
healing.
Casting times and pools
The Sorcery
Pool is never modified by
The Sorcery
Pool is modified by
The Sorcery Pool is modified by
The
Act of Casting
To cast a spell, the character rolls
his SP dice, dividing them up as he sees fit into the spell, his resistance to
the deleterious effects of VIM, and those he may wish to hold in reserve.
As he is casting a spell, a sorcerer
must still divide up his sorcery pool into two groupings. Instead of aging,
however, the detrimental effect he is fighting off is fatigue. Magical fatigue effects ALL pools, not just just CPs. Note that using spells
such as Mana 1 (Creo Vim)
also deliver fatigue... but one may not refresh their mana
pool to a level that would alleviate fatigue.
Each spell is composed of a single technique (the verb)
and a single form (the noun). A spellcaster cannot
cast a spell with a CTN that is greater than his Technique + Form.
So, for instance, if a sorcerer with a Creo of 3 and an Ignem of 5 wants
to hurl a blast of fire, his best CTN he can manage is an 8. This gives the caster flexibility in how he
does Creo Ignum – he can
achieve a conflagration at close range that lasts for an instant (perhaps
immolating himself as well) or he can light a campfire
from a distance.
When casting magics, one must
modify the CTN of the spells based on the aura of their surroundings. Magical
Auras reduce the CTN of the spell by their aura; fairy auras reduce the CTN of
the spell by half their aura, but sometimes have strange effects; divine and
infernal auras increase the CTN of the spell by their aura strength.
If the caster gets a single success, the spell goes off, and
the minimum effect is achieved. Whether
additional successes alter the effect of the spell is left to the discretion of
the Seneschal. In general, greater
successes = greater efficacy, but it’s also possible that useful side effects
result – reduced fatigue, bonus SP dice for the next round, silent or
motionless casting, etc...
All of the TRoS casting modifiers
apply as normal (gestures, distractions, etc)
additionally, a spell focus may be used, as per Ars Magica, to reduce the TN by 1.
Formalized Spells
This system suddenly makes formalized
spells significantly more valuable (as formalized spells have a TN of -2 vs.
their spontaneous equivalents). If you have a Creo
Corpus combined score of 6, and there is a spell that is normally a TN of 7 or
8, you won’t be casting it without a formal spell. However, if you know a
sorcerer who has it formulized, and you have something in exchange....
Botches & Twilight
As with TRoS,
botches only happen when a casting attempt fails, and contains more than a
single 1. On any botch, the magic called
more than simply fails – it goes out of control. The effects are up the Seneschal, but may
include physical damage to the caster.
Regardless, when a character botches, the resulting chaos
gives them a twilight point. As with
ARS, when a character gets 24 twilight points, their history – literally. As with ARS, temporary twilight episodes are
possible – any time a character encounters wild magic (from further botches, or
as may arise in gameplay) roll one die for every
point of twilight with a target number of 12.
A single success puts the caster into a twilight fugue, as described in
ARS.
Twilight is irreversible.
Casters can use raw
Spontaneous spells can be pumped to give you extra
dice. 2 dice per pawn seems about right.
Formulaic spells have an additional option, the caster can
either take two extra dice, OR, he can raise one attribute of the spell WITHOUT
CHANGING THE TN. So, for instance, a
caster wishing to throw a really nasty Pilum of Fire,
who can normally only cast a CrIg of 8, could use a
pawn of Ignem Vis to up the
damage level of his formulaic spell to EL4, up from EL3.
Some amount of Raw Vis is required
for ritual spells, and is required for any magic which causes permanent changes
(like regrowing an arm). The amount is left up to the seneschal, but a
good guideline is 1 pawn per level of effect.
Combat Casting & Resistance
Sorcerers can resist spells better than others. When the
target of a spell, a sorcerer adds his score in the form being used against him
to the dice pool being used to resist magic - and even if a spell is not
normally resisted, a sorcerer can still attempt to resist with the raw form
pool alone. So, a sorcerer targeted by a Pilum of
Fire can roll his Ignem score to resist the attack,
in addition to making a standard, non-magical dodge to get out of the way. This
makes forms valuable for resisting hostile effects; since techniques influence
more spells (only 5 techniques vs. 10 forms) this makes them more valuable for
spell combinations.
The maximum effect a damage causing spell can have is that used in its target
number. Thus, Pilum
of Fire can be cast as a nuisance for a TN of 6 (with a target 1, range 4,
effect 1), in which case no matter how many successes are achieved; the only
result will be a little shock. Or, it
can be cast as dragon-killing death-fire (target 1, range 4, and effect 5) for
a TN of 10. Note,
this would imply some SERIOUS specialization and a fat dice pool.
Sorcerous Damage Levels
Effect Level 1.
The number of successes is the number
of shock points caused. That is it - spells of this level are rarely more than
minor irritations – perhaps enough to get that barmaid to drop a glass.
Effect Level 2.
Use the generic damage table, as
normal. The DR of the spell is equal to the highest
Effect Level 3.
As effect 2, but the level of injury
is also how much "blood loss" the target takes. In other words, using
the generic damage table, acheiving 3 levels of
injury on the table nets the shock and pain, and additionally 3 points of
"blood loss." Note this may not be actual blood loss, but represent a
person slipping into shock. Alternatively, a spell duplicating a correct effect
may instead use one of the other damage tables. For instance, a spellcaster casts a Rego Herbam spell to cause a tree to reach down and strike at a
knight on a horse. In this case, it would use the correct blunt damage table.
Effect Level 4.
At this level, damage becomes
dangerous. Effects are as per effect-3, as above, but additionally, a roll is
made with the current number of successes plus the number of "blood
loss" points caused by magic against the target's health as a TN. Each
success causes a drop of 1 pt in health. Alternatively, an immediate, non-fatal
but serious effect can be generated. Example: a sorcerer casting The Arm of the
Infant, a Muto Corpus spell that transforms a single arm or leg into that of an
infant's would fit into this category.
Effect Level 5.
At this level, a spell can be
instantly fatal. As Effect-4 above, but even a single success is fatal. An
example. The Clench of the Crushed Heart, a Perdo Corpus
spell in which, if successful, immediately crushes the target's heart.
Note: Spells are delivered in two varieties, projected or
invasive. Projected spells use some kind of medium; for example, a Pilum of Flame would be a small "spear" of flame
hurled from the caster's hand. Meanwhile, the aforementioned Clench of the
Crushed Heart is invasive.
Projected spells cannot be resisted, but only dodged - or
interfered with like any other projectile would be. This does not mean such
spells can break through erected defenses, but it does mean that one's natural
defenses are ineffective.
Invasive spells are the reverse; they cannot be dodged in
any traditional manner, but are instead resisted by one's natural defenses.
Note also: Intellego spells can
often be used to scry information on the target. In
some cases, resistance to stop the effects are reasonable, but other times,
such resistances may not make sense; in these cases, a resistance, particularly
sorcerers with appropriate scores in the form being used, may use their
resistance to realize they are being scried upon.
Character Creation
For every point of proficiencies put towards the arts, the
caster has X points to spend on forms and techniques. Each new level a caster learns costs that
many points: so level one costs 1 point, level 2 costs 2 more, for a total of
3. This works the same way for
experience: for each point assigned to proficiencies, 2 points may be
distributed towards new
X is determined by the Seneschal, based on the campaign
environment:
X=2: Magic is very rare.
Only specialists can cast truly awesome magics.
X=3: Magic is uncommon.
Specialists can wield might magic right off the bat, generalists start
being useful.
x=4: Roughly Ars magica standard.
It’s possible to know a little bit of everything, and have one or two
areas of concentration.
x=5: Run! It’s a
Wizard! Hide the women and children!!!
Advancement
In order to advance an
However, you don't actually advance at that time. The
advancement does not occur until you have studied sufficiently to gain the
improvement.
Study is done in one of several methods.
Book Study: the book must be about the art in
question, and it must be of a score at least equal to, if not exceeding, the
value you are trying to raise up to. If so, then each seaon
of study, roll MA versus a target number = to the new score you are trying to
achieve. Each success lowers the target number for a next check; once it
reaches 0, your score goes up.
Regions of Power: Should you find a region with a
sufficiently high magical aura, particulary if it has
an aspect similar to the art you are studying, its
aura rating can count as a book.
Research: Sometimes, there just isnt anything else available, and you have to forge your
path on your own. This details trying to discover the next level of power via labwork in conjunction with all of the above methods,
postulating new theories, etc.
For
research to work, the Sorcerer begins by gathering other materials. he takes the highest score of either his best book, vis source, or region of power. For each other source that
is within MA of the highest source, he may add 1 to the score of the highest
source. If this source reaches the level needed, he may begin the research,
with one additional season added as the first season where no rolls can be
made; he spends the first season gathering, combining, and cross referencing
his sources.
When this is all done, he will be done with his research,
reached his score, and have a new book representing his notes. Although a
sorcerer's personal books may be coveted by others, many sorcerers are loath to
either loan them out (because they may need them, and who knows what the other
sorcerer will do with the knowledge), and because he can use this new book to
help him with his next bit of research.
Note: A sorcerer may only use one book of his own; to
reach new pinnacles of knowledge, cross-referencing other sources to trigger
new tracks of thought is necessary.
Spell Mastery
A caster may choose to spend experience, in the normal way,
to master a specific spell (spontaneous or formulaic). This has the effect of reducing the normal
casting time by 50%, and two dice to his Sorcery Pool when casting this spell.
Enchantment & Lab Work
In general, Seneschal’s should follow the processes and
spirit of Ars Magica. In particular Vim is a corporeal
manifestation of magic, and required in the laboratory and in the field to make
certain types of magic effective.
Per AM rules, the caster must invest 1 pawn of
In general, the “Lab Total” system from Ars
can be modified to create a “lab pool”: Technique + Form + Discipline + other
stuff. This can then be used to roll for
successes against the Casters TN in Arcane Theory, ritual magic, Herbalist or
other skill as appropriate, with the TN modified by the level of the work being
done. Instilling the effect takes
TN/highest art seasons (this matches the timing requirements in AM pretty
closely)
For example, Bob has Creo Ignum 4/4, and a Discipline of 4. His lab pool is 12. His lab is located in a favorable aura, so he
gets a 13th die. He wants to
invest Pilum of Fire into a silver broach (he hears
it might help against werewolves). He
spends 6 pawns of
The big day in the lab arrives. Pilum of Fire is a
TN8 spell – normally a pretty easy task for Bob. He wants to be able to use it 3 times a day
though, and that adds 2 to the TN (per the Ars table
on number of uses per day) so now he’s up to a 10 – still a reasonable shot on
13 dice. Using the “charges” table from Ars, he sees he gets 24 charges for “free”, and he doesn’t
want to risk any more dice on that. He
rolls the bones, and gets one 10, so the broach is made. Since
the TN is 10, and his highest art is 4, it will take bob 2 more seasons to
finish the process (TN/highest art, rounded down). It will also take him another 4 pawns of Ignem Vis (or Creo
Vis, if you ever found some) to make the item. (Note: as per AM, a device can have as many
levels of effects as it took to ‘open’ the item, so in this case, Bob could put
2 more levels of effect into the brooch at some later time.)
This is roughly the same time and expense it would require
in Ars Magica.
Pretty expensive in terms of game time – 9 months to make a
broach that will shoot 24 pilums of fire. Then again, it could come in AWFULLY handy.
Talismans
Creation is exactly per Ars,
except that an attuned talisman grants the cast 2 extra dice when casting
spells of the
Spell Examples
Pilum of Fire (Creo Ignum) (projected)
Target: 1
Range: 4
Minimum Effect Level: 3
TN: 8
At EL3, the Pilum
will roll on the generic damage table, plus blood loss
Upping the effect to 4 raises the TN
to 9, and would cause an additional instant loss of 1HT
Upping the effect to 5 makes the TN
10, and is potentially lethal
Bind Wound (Creo Corpus)
Target: 2
Range: 1
Minimum Effect Level:3
TN: 6
With 1 success, 10 points of bloodloss
are immediately restored. Each
additional success restores an additional 10 points.
Bleed (Perdo Corpus) (invasive)
Target: 2
Range: 1
Minimum Effect Level:3
TN: 6
5 points of bloodloss are
directly inflicted per success.
Smack (Perdo Corpus) (projected)
Target: 2
Range: 2 (Melee Reach)
Minimum Effect Level: 2
TN:6
With 1 or more successes, roll on the generic damage
table.
Mana 1 (Creo Vim)
Target: 1
Minimum effect level: 1
TN: 2
Refreshes pool equal to targets DRAW + 1 per success.
Mana 2 (Creo Vim)
Target: 1
Minimum effect level: 2
TN: 3
Refreshes pool equal to targets DRAW*2
+ 1 per success.
Parma Magica: Magical Shield (Creo Vim)
Prerequisites: Perdo, Intellego
Target: 1 (self)
Duration: 3 (hours; this is why I was thinking of Sun
instead)
Effect Level: 1-5 (varies based on level learned)
TN: 5-9
Creates a magic shell around the caster that attempts
to detect and neutralize incoming hostile magics. The Parma Magica
can only effect magics of an
Effect Level equal to or less than it; it lasts for a number of hours equal to
its successes rolled, the number of successes rolled is added to the number of
dice rolled in any attempt to avoid or resist any incoming hostile magical
attacks.
ex: Johnathan
has ignem 4 and has cast a Parma Magica
with an effect level of 5 and 4 successes, which means it lasts 4 hours. During
a battle, a Flambeau mage targets him with a Pillum of
Fire; Johnathan can choose to dodge, and gains four
bonus dice for his successes against the attack for his dodge attempt; however,
even if struck, he gets to roll 4 dice to resist the attack (due to his ignem score) and 4 dice for his successes for parma magica, for a total of 8
dice to resist the attack.