Magic (Arden-Vul)
...IN PROGRESS...
spell prep spell casting arcane spell acquisition
identifying and using magic items
turning undead
arcane spell acquisition
- roll your Int-based % Chance to Understand Spells. You can attempt this once per level per instance of the spell (if you acquire a second copy of a scroll, gain tutelage from another mage who knows it, etc).
- there is no limit to the number of spells you can learn, but you must commit them to your spellbooks and reference those to prepare the spells.
Arcane Spellbooks
- Tome: 1000 gp, 30 lbs, 48 capacity
- leather-bound wooden covers, metal corner bosses, metal clasp
- sturdy, saves as wood / metal
- gets +X to save against magic, where X is the highest capacity taken up by any spell in the book (e.g. +6 if it has a 7th level spell in it)
- could be used as the basis to make a magic item w/ more embellishment (cost) of cover, materials, illumination, etc
- writing a spell into the tome costs gp and capacity based on it's level
- Traveling Spellbook: 500 gp, 6 lbs, 12 capacity
- flexible leather cover, cloth tie or leather buckle, oilskin cover protects from splashes of water/acid, limited exposure to flame, etc.
- saves as leather / paper
- writing a spell into the traveling book costs the same capacity and 2x the gp for a tome
- binding the magic into a more compact form, with less "book infrastructure" to assist it, requires more elaborate and expensive means
Transcribing an Arcane Spell
- You must have a source document and a suitable spellbook to transcribe into. The process takes 1 day per spell level and requires costly materials and space in the spellbook as listed below.
- 1st - 2nd = 2 capacity, 100 gp per level
- 3rd - 4th = 3 capacity, 150 gp per level
- 5th - 6th = 4 capacity, 200 gp per level
- 7th - 9th = 6 capacity, 250 gp per level
Recreating an Arcane Spell
- If your spellbook is lost or destroyed, you can recreate spells you know from memory and experimentation.
- For each level of the spell, this takes 300 gp and 1 week, after which you may also pay the normal time and cost to transcribe it into a spellbook.
Metaphysics
Spell Preparation
Panoply
Druid
- crystal: w/o 50% casting failure
- prep requires no special tools
Cleric
- holy symbol: w/o 50% casting failure
- prep requires no special tools
Mage
- prep requires a pouch of miscellaneous components and tools
- implement: w/o 50% casting failure (rod, staff, wand, athame, orb, etc)
- raiment: w/o 50% casting failure (precludes armor)
casting doesn't require components, unless a rare or expensive consumable or focus is listed (500 gp scrying mirror, 50 gp of silver dust, etc), or a component plays a physical role in the spell (draw a circle around the area in chalk, the figuring animates, etc).
Casting Spells
- Cleric
* Requires a holy symbol to focus upon, speech for mantras and invocations, and a free hand to gesture.
- Druid
* Requires a crystal to focus upon, speech for mantras and invocations, and a free hand to gesture.
- Mage
* You must be free to chant arcane words and gesture (verbal and somatic). * Spells with a material component instead require an implement (rod, staff, wand, orb, athame). * Expensive consumables and foci are as listed. * You must wear raiment to cast properly. If you wear armor, your effective caster level (for slots and effect) is lowered. * Raiment: normal * None / Light: -2 levels * Medium: -4 levels * Heavy: -6 levels
The focus, study, magical attunements, and other requirements needed to pursue holy, primal, or arcane magic interfere with those of the others kinds.
Preparing Spells
- Recover all spell slots after a Long Rest
* Uncast spells remain prepared * You can break down a currently prepared spell to reclaim the slot w/ 1 minute of focus
- to prep spells
* must be reasonably comfortable and secure, able to meditate, focus, take ceremonial actions, etc (will be largely unaware of surroundings, +1 to be surprised) * you have your holy symbol, elf-stone crystal, or arcane implement and components pouch/kit * (arcane) you must have the spell present in writing (spellbook or scroll) * spend 2 Turns per level of the spell * if interrupted, you have to start over on that spell from scratch a higher level slot can be used to prepare a lower level spell, but there is no additional benefit from this.
???learning a spell: 1 week per level? roll chance of success? can retry, you just lose the time and money trying
Identifying an Arcane Scroll
- scrolls can be activated without knowing what they do.
- a scroll's effect can be deciphered by reading it during a Short Rest (1 hour). Can also decipher 1 spell in an unfamiliar spellbook (foreign tradition, written in code, crazy author)
- ancient magic combined divine and arcane aspects in ways modern magic doesn't. modern wizards (and thieves, and bards) can only activate mostly-arcane scrolls, clerics can only activate-mostly divine scrolls (the spiritual process is accessible, even if it was prepared with the aid of a different god).
Arcane Research
potions
- sipping (or maybe just smelling?) a potion gives a clue to its effects
- can share a potion around, dividing its duration among multiple uses / people? (some minimum amount must be used)
Learning Spells
- mages invent 1 spell each level, randomly chosen from a set of 3 options (player chooses the level, reroll any already known spells)
- clerics get a large number of core spells automatically available (healing, abjuration, light, divination, fire). they can get extra spells by devotions to particular saints associated with the domain (effectively spending time and cash like arcane research)
- druids have to develop their abilities through training. they get some (4?) free spells of their choice added to their repertoire with each level, and can train to develop others (effectively spending time and cash like arcane research)
Turning Undead
- Once per Dungeon Turn, as an action, you brandish your holy symbol and rebuke the undead with holy words. Roll d20 and consult the chart. Up to 2d6 individuals are affected. Apply the single roll against all types of undead, resolving each case, from weakest to strongest.
- This is not casting and can't be interrupted.
- Turned undead attempt to flee for 3d4 rounds. They may fight, but only to break through to a path of escape.
Arcane Research
Int check as part of arcane research
