General Directory
Mages
MAGES
Magic Systems
There
are two magic systems in use in the campaigns, Standard GURPS and UMANA
or (Unlimited Mana) A PC must decide at generation which system
he or
she will use. You cannot change later.
As a
matter of general reference, Standard Mages are referred to as
'Wizards' while UMANS Mages are called 'Sorcerers.' The term
'Mage'
refers to either type.
Standard Magic
(Wizard's)
This
system is required for any mage with only 1 level of Magical Aptitude.
It is an optional system for mages with 2 or 3 levels of Magical
Aptitude. The MU casts spells using mana and energy drawn from his or
her Fatigue (Strength). This energy is recovered quickly. Ten minute
recovers 1 point plus 1 point if the PC eats a decent meal.
Alternatively the spell Recover Strength allows quicker recovery.
ADDITIONALLY:
The wizard may cast a spell that requires more energy than he or she
has available, however doing so has a consequence. It results in a
potentially disastrous calamity. For every 5pts of energy above the
caster’s Fatigue there is a +1 to the dice roll on the calamity table.
The MU must maintain a running tally of energy used beyond ST.
Every
additional casting above ST results in additional Calamity roles.
Energy is recovered, (deducted from this negative tally) at a rate of 1
point per level of Magical Aptitude per 24 hours, provided that the 24
hour period includes an adequate 8 hour rest period. The wizard must
maintain a running tally of mana points used above his or her ST. Any
additional casting that occurs while the wizard is running a negative
tally, even if using his or her own fatigue, will cause an additional
calamity roll.
Umana System
(Sorcerers)
This
system is available ONLY to sorcerers with 2 or more levels of Magical
Aptitude. The sorcerer utilizes mana from the surrounding environment.
He or she has a safe casting Threshold of 30 points available.
Any
time the sorcerer exceeds 30 points a roll is made on the Calamity
table with an additional +1 per 5 points above 30. The sorcerer must
maintain a running tally of points cast. Additional casting above the
30 point Threshold results in additional calamity roles. Energy is
recovered, (deducted from the tally) at a rate depended on surrounding
mana levels per 24 hours, provided that the 24 hour period includes an
adequate 8 hour rest period.
Zero Mana = 0
Recovery
Low Mana =
8pts Recovery
Average Mane =
16pts Recovery
High Mana =
32pts Recovery
Very High Mana =
Halves recovery
time to 12 hours AND 32pts
A
sorcerer employing Umana may elect to spend Fatigue to cast spells at a
rate of 4 Fatigue points for 1 mana point. Energy generated in
this
manner does not count against daily threshold use. Fatigue
expenditures, can be recovered through normal rest or by means of the
Recover Strength spell.
New Advantages:
Increased
Threshold
A Umana sorcerer
may purchase
increased Threshold as follows:
20% increase in
Threshold (6pts)
costs 10 points
40% increase in
Threshold
(12pts) costs 20 points
60% increase in
Threshold
(18pts) costs 30 points
80% increase in
Threshold
(24pts) costs 40 points.
100% increase in
Threshold
(30pts) costs 50 points
Increased Damage
Cost
= 10 points
A
mage with this advantage may opt to spend extra energy on adding damage
to attack spells. The amount of energy added is depended on Magery
level and IQ. Each point of IQ over 11 adds 1 point to the energy that
can be added to increase damage. Ex: IQ 12 = 1 point. IQ 14 = 3
points.
Magery I = 2pts
+ 1pt/IQ>11
Magery II = 4pts
+ 1pt/IQ>11
Magery III =
8pts + 1pt/IQ>11
Academy Trained
Mage
Cost = 5pts
This allows a
wider range of
starting spells for a new mage. See the description.
Limitations on
Magic and Mages:
Velitar Mages have certain limitations on them. They ARE NOT
PERMITTED
to use spells from certain Colleges. They may learn them for
prerequisites (using the thaumatological knowledge gained from the
research to further other spell research), but they MAY NOT CAST them.
Starting Spells
A
100 point PC Mage cannot have more spells than he or she has IQ. Having
attended the school the mage is limited as to what Colleges he or she
may pick from to those that are taught in the school. The same is true
of a mage that studied under one Master. This is not to say that the
teachers don't know other spells, they're just not teaching them!
A
starting PC can never begin knowing any Necromantic spells. It is
illegal for them to be taught, practiced or used. No respectable Mage
would give a pupil access to these spells even if he or she knew them!
To start a character knowing these spells will require the `Unusual
Background' Advantage along with an explanation. This will cost 10
points.
The Prohibited
Colleges are as
follows:
All Control,
Creation and
Summoning Spells for Earth and, or, Water Elementals.
Plant Spells
Animal Spells
(except Shape
Shifting spells)
Weather Spells
Most Healing
Spells
The following
spells are not
known by any Velitar mage, to the best of anyone's knowledge, and are
therefore unavailable.
Timeport,
Timeport Other, Timeslip, Timeslip Other, Create Door, Seek Gate, Scry
Gate, Control Gate, Create Gate, Slow Time, Accelerate Time, Suspend
Time, Time Out.
The spells
Sunlight, Continual
Sunlight and Sunbolt may be cast only by Clerics of Mitra.
There are no
such thing as Tech
or Radiation spells.
Further Wizards
are limited in
what Healing Spells they may learn and cast.
SPELL LIST FOR
MAGES, by Colleges
Food
Communication
and Empathy
Sound
Light
and Dark (except Sunllight, Continual
Sunlight and Sunbolt)
(New Spells)
Shape shifting
Healing (listed)
Lend Strength
Lend Health
Share Strength
Share Health
Recover Strength
Teleport
Teleport Other
Blink
Blink Other
Beacon
Trace Teleport
Rapid Journey
Divert Teleport
Hide Object
Sanctuary
Planar Visit
Plane Shift
Plane Shift Other
Phase
Phase Other
When
it is necessary to know a spell from a prohibited college as a
prerequisite for a permitted spell, it is acceptable to purchase that
spell with a half point (.5) This reflects a basic understanding of the
principals involved, without the ability to actually cast.
Special Notes:
All Acid Spells
are in a
separate College.
All Electricity
Spells are in a
separate College.
All Ice Spells
are in a separate
College.
Teleport
and Teleport Other are in the College of Movement. They are also in a
separate College of Teleportation which consists of all other Teleport
spells and those other spells listed.
All Shape
shifting spells are
considered a separate college.
Magical Training
A
would be mage has two choices, either attend the only `school' in
Velitrium or train with a Master. In either case a student spends from
four to six years studying.
In
Calbazar there was a great College of Sorcery that for centuries
trained the Wizards of the Velitar and the Savarn. When the Velitar
were at last settled in Velitrium several efforts were made to
establish a similar institution.
The
College of Sorcery in Calbazar was run and controlled by the Savarn,
much to the displeasure of the Velitar. Because of this dislike for the
system used by the Savarn there was a general unwillingness to copy it.
The problem was that no one could come up with a satisfactory
substitute. All of the Velitar mages had different ideas as to what
the new College should teach, how it should teach it and above
all,
who should be in charge. The result was years of bickering, quarreling
and feuding that even degenerated into outright warfare on several
occasions. During these years many of the mages set about training
their own apprentices and establishing a number of `schools' or
`academies' rather than wait for the founding of a central College.
Today only one school remains, the Academy of Sorcery....
The Academy of
Sorcery
Founded
by Kistotain
Tortrix a few years before he vanished during a complex enchantment
that went bad.
It is
located in Drunmore and there are presently six instructors teaching
fourteen students. The curriculum changes with instructors. At the
present time the Academy specializes in Fire spells, Electricity
spells, Mind Control spells, Body Control spells, Meta and Enchantment
spells and Protection spells. A student can also learn those Healing
spells allowable to mages, Food spells and Movement spells. The skills
of Spell Throwing, Spell Jet, Magic Breath and Body Sense are also
taught as appropriate.
Enrollment in the school,
for those PC's who seek magical training later in their careers, costs
$8,000.
For
a character to have been trained at the school is an advantage, the PC
has a wider selection of spells to start with. The cost of this
training is 5pts.
Training with a
Master
There are only fifteen independent mages that are willing to train
apprentices. They typically teach only one or at most two at a time.
Cost for such training is usually less than a school but the selection
of Colleges is more limited. Typical cost ranges from $5,000 to $7,000
and includes room and board though the quality of such varies widely!
A PC
who wishes to be trained by a Master may select spells from any three
colleges, (Except the proscribed ones of Earth, Water, Plant, Animal
and Necromantic) plus spells from the Healing list and the Protection
college.
The skills
of Spell
Throwing, Spell Jet, Magic Breath and Body Sense will also be taught as
appropriate.
There is
no extra point
cost to be trained by a Master.
Wizards and Iron
& Steel
In
the world of Velitrium the metals iron and steel impair the focusing
and control of Mana. For every point of Magical Aptitude a mage has he
or she can carry 1 pound of iron or steel with out any negative effect.
For every pound above that limit the spell casters base skill is
reduced by 1.
Because of this it is very rare to find a mage wearing any armor beyond
reinforced leather (which has 1lb of metal in it) unless the armor is
of Bronze. Most mages carry few weapons of steel, those they carry are
generally small like daggers or arrow heads. (An arrow head weighs 1oz.)
There are Bronze weapons and armor available but they have the
disadvantages of increased weight and reduced damage, see the Weapon
Descriptions.
The
Elves long ago discovered a secret to making steel that does not
interfere with Mana. Consequently Elven armor and weapons do not count
when calculating interference. The Dwarves also know how to make
such
weapons and armor, though they rarely do, except on special orders and
the customer must help provide the ingredients!
Mages as Clerics
Cleric/Mages is a possible dual role. Any player who wishes to play
such a character must strictly abide by the rules of a cleric. For
example, the PC cannot use bladed weapons. And the PC must also keep to
the rules of the Mage, like those concerning the use of iron and steel.
Spell lists must be maintained separately and all the Vows must be kept.
At
the time of character generation the player must pay for both the
clerical advantage and Magical Aptitude. Since the religious calling
must take precedence over any secular career, or else Mitra will strip
away the Cleric's religious powers, character points must be divided so
that the majority goes into the clerical skills.
If a
PC Mage elects to follow a religious calling late in life, after
creation, he or she is certainly welcome. The training needed, in
addition to the required character points, will take at least ten years.
Thaumatological
Training
Applicants to the Academy or those seeking training from a single
Master must be at least fourteen years of age, have at least one level
of Magical Aptitude, and they must be literate. (There are Church run
schools in most villages and all towns, 50% of the population is
literate or at least semiliterate), and they must pay a fee.
If
the applicant meets all of these requirements he or she is accepted
conditionally. The applicant must agree to swear an oath of Loyalty to
the school or Master. After this the applicant becomes a Novice.
This is a one year period in which the Novice studies the basics
of
magic, its history and theory. During this time the Novice must achieve
a skill level equal to IQ in the field of Thaumatology (MVH).(Note:
Magery Levels count towards IQ in this skill) For each required
point
the character must put in 2,000 hours of study, to reach this goal in
one year means the novice puts in 11 hour days, every day for one year.
At some point after reaching the necessary level of skill everything
starts to come together for the Novice. Each month after the skill
level is reached the Novice rolls Vs IQ + Magery, a success translates
1pt of those spent on Thaumatology studies into a spell. (This will be
one of the basic spells needed in the given College) The choice of
College is up to the student. Every month there after the Novice
continues to roll Vs IQ + Magery until the other points also resolve
themselves into spells. This spells may be another basic spell in a
different college, or the next spell in the first college. As soon as
all points are turned into spells the Novice becomes an Initiate.
At
this point the Initiate will become aware of any limitations in his
casting abilities, for example he might be a One College Mage, or a
Solitary Mage, these limitations will be revealed as he or she explores
the new spells and works on learning more. It is during this time that
the Initiate can choose to aspect him or herself to one of the Elements
(Fire or Air).
As
an Initiate the student studies some of the more advanced techniques of
Magic. Ceremonial Magic, Alchemy, Astrology, the Manufacture of Items,
the making of Scrolls, etc. They don't actually do these things but
they study the theory and watch others perform the actual rituals etc.
During this time period, which is at least one year, the Initiate will
continue to earn 1pt for every 2,000 hours of study. It is
important
to note that the student, whether Initiate or Novice cannot work more
than 14 hours per day, to do so for more than 5 days will result in a
loss of HT and IQ of 1pt each per week. They will require two weeks
complete rest to restore the lost points. There are potentially
5,000
study hours in a given year (360 days), so no more than 2.5 points may
be earned this way. It is possible to carry over the half point from
the period as a Novice, if there is one.
At
the end of the period of 1 year the Initiate may roll Vs IQ + Magery, a
success allows him to add a point bonus equal to his Magery. (1 to 3).
So that at the end of the year the Initiate will have added from 3 to 6
new spells to his grimoire. If the Initiate has less than six spells in
his grimoire he or she remains an Initiate for a further six
months,
at which time a second IQ roll plus Magery is made, if there are still
less than six spells another six months are added, and another roll,
and so on. If there are more than six spells in the grimoire,
then the
Initiate becomes an Apprentice.
An
Apprentice spends less time studying and more time doing. The
Apprentice becomes an assistant to his Mentor, actually doing hands on
work in the labs, traveling with the Mentor, or as his or her agent.
This is a time of extensive testing, forcing the Apprentice to use his
spells in all kinds of situations, and under different conditions.
Points are awarded for the things the Apprentice does, and for the
first time the student is allowed to copy spells directly from the
Mentors spell books. The Apprenticeship continues until the Apprentice
has learned a number of spells equal to his or her intelligence.
At
this point the student has graduated from the training and is a mage.
The graduate is now obligated to serve the school or Master in
any
capacity for two years. Generally this is either as a teacher in a
school, or as an assistant in making magic items etc... If the
entrance fee had been waived, then the graduate is obligated for three
years of service. Upon graduation the new mage is presented with a
Staff, as the spell.
During a students tenure in the school or with the Master
(typically 5
to 7 years), living quarters are supplied, as is food and clothing,
study materials and the like. These things are covered by the entrance
fee.
Completing any magical Training, whether in a school or with an
individual Master will give the student a default skill in
Thaumatology (IQ+Magery) and Research (Magical IQ).
