Magic - Time Magic

Time Magic stands at the crossroads of foresight and peril, granting those who dabble in it a fleeting command over the flow of hours and seconds. Unlike other disciplines that rely on raw power, Time Magic demands subtlety and restraint - its practitioners must weigh each moment they alter against the risk of unravelling reality. The spells below illustrate how small nudges can create significant advantages or insights. They are intentionally limited in scope, emphasising the tense balance between reward and consequence. Should you wish to invent more Time Magic in the future, consider the following guidelines:

• Subtlety Over Might: Focus on granting minor advantages or brief glimpses rather than sweeping rewrites of history, keeping the tension of possible paradoxes and backlashes.
• Narrative Hooks: Use symbolic or dreamlike imagery when describing glimpses of the past and future, adding mystery and allowing the GM leeway in interpretation.
• Personal Cost: Build in a toll - fatigue, temporary confusion, or lost memories - to show that bending time exacts a price from the caster.

This approach ensures Time Magic remains a rare and awe-inspiring force, inviting creative storytelling without overshadowing other forms of magic.
Time Magic users are also known as Chronomancers.

Time Magic List

CN: Casting Number
Note:

• Over time, Chronomancers build up a deep connection to the flow of time and sometimes can feel intuitively when something dramatic happened or is going to happen at their current location without having to cast a spell.
• Overcasting is not available for Time Magic.

Spells are sorted by CN cost and then by name.

Temporal Echo

A brief resonance with time's threads reveals a hazy echo of past events in a location.
As the caster focuses on lingering temporal energy, faint images of what once transpired fade into view - ghostly outlines of conversations, footprints that flicker, or echoes of conflict. These echoes are often incomplete or symbolic, reflecting how difficult it is to pin down the past.

CN: 3
Effect: You witness a short scene (up to 10 seconds) from the last 24 hours at your exact location. These images are vague, colorless impressions, and offer only partial clues.
Miscast: You suffer a minor disorientation, gaining 1 Fatigue as your mind grapples with overlapping timelines.

Intellect Cost: 3
Effect: You gain a cryptic mental image or snippet from something that occurred within the past day in your immediate area. While it might provide a clue (voices, shapes, or key objects), it is often open to interpretation.
Intrusion: Instead of the intended memory, you witness an emotionally charged or traumatic event, inflicting 2 points of Intellect damage as you reel from the shock.

Slip Between Moments

In a blink, the caster sidesteps danger by phasing out of linear time for a heartbeat.
For a heartbeat or two, the caster exists outside normal flow, letting threats pass them by or allowing a sudden burst of movement. Observers might see a flicker, as though the caster vanished or blurred for an instant before reappearing slightly displaced.

CN: 2
Effect: Immediately move up to half your Movement (even out of engagement) and gain +10 to Dodge tests for one round. This break in time protects you from attacks that might otherwise connect.
Miscast: Temporal whiplash leaves you dazed - suffer a –10 penalty to all tests for the next round as you snap back into real time.

Intellect Cost: 4
Effect: The caster instantly shifts up to 3 meters. Their next defense roll is also eased by one step, reflecting that partial time-shift's continued effect.
Intrusion: The caster blinks out of sync for longer than intended - missing their next action entirely while the timeline reasserts itself.

Delay Harm

Briefly suspends a harmful effect in a flicker of halted time.
The caster touches an ally or themselves, halting the progression of an ailment or injury. It feels as if the wound or poison is locked within a single second, waiting to resume.

CN: 2
Effect: A single Critical Wound or debilitating Condition (Bleeding, Poisoned, etc.) is paused for 1d10 Rounds. When time resumes for the effect, it takes full hold if not otherwise cured or nullified.
Miscast: The effect shifts unpredictably, redirecting part of the wound or condition to the caster for one round (e.g., the caster feels the target's nausea or pain).

Intellect Cost: 4
Effect: Suspend one harmful effect on yourself or an ally for up to 1 minute. If the effect is not addressed (healed, purged, or removed) before the minute is up, it resumes.
Intrusion: The locked effect returns amplified, dealing +1 damage or lasting one step longer than normal.

Accelerate

The caster boosts a target's speed, granting them a brief surge of faster reflexes.
Time seems to flow more slowly for the target, or perhaps they merely move so swiftly that others appear sluggish. This effect taxes the body, making it a rare choice for routine use.

CN: 2
Effect: One ally within range gains +1 Advantage and an additional Action on their next turn, though this extra Action can only be used for Movement or Support.
Miscast: The target experiences a sudden backlash - gaining 1 Fatigue or suffering a temporary muscle cramp as time snaps back.

Intellect Cost: 2
Effect: Choose one ally. On their next turn, they may take an extra action (though it must be an immediate, simple action such as movement, reloading, or a basic attack).
Intrusion: The target's body strains under the abrupt time distortion, suffering 2 points of Might damage.

Flicker of Foresight

A fleeting glimpse of the near future grants the caster (or their ally) a moment of advantage.
When the caster's intuition sparks, they receive a sudden flash showing the next few seconds - perhaps a stray arrow's path, a trap mechanism moving, or an assailant's feint in combat. Although the vision is only partial, it can be enough to shout a warning or reposition oneself for safety.

CN: 3
Effect: Once within the next 10 minutes, the caster (or a nominated ally) may re-roll a failed Skill or Opposed Test, accepting the second result. This small window of foresight helps them act swiftly to correct a near-failure.
Miscast: A minor temporal distortion scrambles the caster's senses, imposing a –10 penalty on Perception Tests for 10 minutes as reality reasserts itself.

Intellect Cost: 2
Effect: The caster or a chosen ally gains an Asset on their next Speed or Intellect defense roll, reflecting an instinctive dodge or perfect timing.
GM Intrusion: The vision is misleading - causing the character to hesitate at the wrong moment, losing their next action or imposing a short penalty (like –1 to their next roll).

Hourglass Ward (Ritual)

A stationary barrier that slows incoming threats around a protected area.
By placing an hourglass or time-focused totem in the center of a ritual circle, the caster weaves a bubble of slowed time around a small area. Arrows and spells crawl at the ward's edge, giving the ward's occupants a chance to react or duck for cover.

Ritual Time: 1 hour
Effect: The caster establishes a ward no larger than a modest room. Ranged attacks or incoming spells targeting those inside suffer –10 to hit for as long as the ward stands (usually until sunrise or a maximum of 12 hours).
Miscast: The ward malfunctions; one random occupant is Slowed (–10 to Movement and cannot run) for the ward's duration.

Intellect Cost: 6
Effect: For 1 hour, an area (radius ~3 meters) slows incoming attacks. Enemies attacking occupants inside have +1 difficulty on their rolls.
Intrusion: The field warps internal time unexpectedly - characters within must make a Speed Defense roll or lose their next action to time distortion.

Chronicle's Thread (Ritual)

A quiet ritual that reveals symbolic fragments of an individual's recent timeline.
Through concentration, chanting, or the weaving of a thin silver thread, the caster taps into the target's personal timeline. The resulting vision is never straightforward: glimpses appear as metaphorical scenes or emotive flashes, like a painting in motion.

Ritual Time: 30 minutes
Test: Extended Channelling and Language (Magick)
Effect: By focusing on a personal item of the target, the caster perceives emotional highlights from the target's last several days. The images are often cloaked in symbolism - like a swirling storm to represent anger or a bright lantern for hope.
Miscast: The timeline tangles, possibly presenting a fake or contradictory vision. The caster may even witness a snippet of someone else's timeline entirely.

Time: 30 minutes
Intellect Cost: 3
Effect: You glean vague, symbolic impressions of a target's recent experiences via a personal keepsake. This might reveal hidden turmoil or covert actions, but the truths are couched in dreamlike metaphors.
Intrusion: Instead of clarity, the caster glimpses a potential future or an entirely unrelated figure's timeline, sowing confusion.

Turn the Sand (Major Ritual)

A risky attempt at briefly rewinding recent moments.
Legendary among chronomancers, this ritual painstakingly unravels a sliver of the past, letting participants relive a single moment. The timeline's elasticity fights back, risking paradoxes if overused.

Ritual Time: 10 minutes, once per day
Effect: Up to one round (6 seconds) of time is rewound. Everyone involved replays their actions but retains knowledge of the initial outcome. Fate or Fortune points may be spent to alter results.
Miscast: Roll on the Major Miscast Table. Chronological tampering invites serious anomalies - entities or energies that lash out at the ritualists.

Intellect Cost: 7
Effect: Once per day, you revert time by one round (about 6 seconds). All participants must reroll the exact same actions unless they burn 1 XP for a different approach.
Intrusion: The timeline "snaps" an unexpected figure or threat into the scene - someone unaffected by the rewind, possibly an enemy with knowledge of events.

Time-Magic Miscast Consequences

For Chronomancers who critically fail a casting roll. Roll 1d20 or assign by GM fiat.

General

#	Title	Consequence	Consequence
1	Lost Track	You misjudge time; next appointment/event is missed by 1d10 minutes, –10 Fellowship with offended NPC.	You arrive 10+ minutes late; 1 step hindered on next social roll with involved NPCs.
2	Blink of Forgetting	Forget why you entered a room; –10 Intelligence until you rest.	Lose next action in narrative scene; 2 Intellect damage.
3	Repeating Word	You involuntarily repeat last sentence three times; –10 Charm rolls for an hour.	Speech glitch: social tasks hindered one step for an hour.
4	Phantom Echo	Hear your own footsteps from tomorrow; WP Test or gain Fatigue.	Take 2 Intellect damage; next Perception roll hindered.
5	Hourglass Glare	Nearby clocks stop; locals uneasy (+1 Difficulty on Gossip).	GM intrusion: NPCs suspect you of ill omen; social task hindered.
6	Frozen Ink	Ink on paper refuses to dry for d10 minutes; any document smears.	Written creation hindered; 1 XP GM intrusion if contract ruined.
7	Speeding Quill	Hand writes too fast - text illegible; must rewrite, lose an hour.	Lose 1 recovery roll worth of downtime; 2 Intellect damage.
8	Muffled Tick	Ambient sounds slow; –10 to Evaluate tests for 1 hour.	Perception tasks hindered for 1 hour.
9	Subtle Aging	Hair streaks grey; –5 Fellowship with vain nobles until dyed.	Permanent cosmetic flaw unless treated; –1 to next non-combat Pool recovery.
10	Premature Dusk	Sunlight dims in 10m radius for d10 minutes; superstitious NPCs gain +1 Fear.	All tasks in area hindered; minor GM intrusion scene of panic.
11	Time Ripple	Small items (quills, coins) shift 1m sideways; may cause confusion.	GM intrusion causes minor lost item; 2 Intellect damage if valuable.
12	Stalled Breath	Hold breath unknowingly 30s; Endurance Test or 1 Fatigue.	Speed defense roll or 2 Speed damage; coughing fit hinders tasks briefly.
13	Reverse Flow	Tea pours upward; observers stunned, –10 Charm until explained.	Next social action hindered; lose 1 XP if reputation suffers.
14	Calendar Slip	Date on official paper changes to yesterday; bureaucratic delay d3 days.	Task requiring paperwork hindered; pay extra cost (GM).
15	Future Scent	Smell of future meal; you become ravenous, –10 Willpower vs temptation.	All tasks involving food hindered until you eat; lose 1 Might if fasting.
16	Shadow Lag	Your shadow moves half-second slow; sages (and kids) notice (+1 Difficulty Lore).	Observation tasks against you eased; stealth hindered one step.
17	Looped Whisper	You hear a phrase from next week; gain +1 Corruption if disturbing.	Take 3 Intellect damage; possible foreshadow GM intrusion.
18	Temporal Static	Crystal watches crack; valuables lose 10% value unless repaired.	Random cypher depletes 1 step; artifact malfunctions once.
19	Parallel Peek	Glimpse alternate self; –10 Cool for 24h.	Roll Instability: 4 Intellect damage or be dazed 1 hour.
20	Chronal Collapse	Your local minute rewinds twice: tasks repeat; GM reruns last narrative action with possible worse outcome.	GM intrusion repeats previous action scene; everyone rolls again with +1 difficulty.

Combat

Higher results are increasingly disastrous.

#	Title	Consequence	Consequence
1	Tick-Tock Twitch	The caster’s eye flickers uncontrollably. Suffer –10 to Perception Tests for the next 10 minutes.	For the next 10 minutes, all the caster’s Perception-based tasks are hindered by one step as their vision flickers forward and back.
2	Lost Second	The caster hesitates; lose 1 Advantage and act last in the Initiative order this Round.	The caster momentarily blanks out. They lose their next action and move to the end of the initiative order this round.
3	Temporal Nausea	Sudden vertigo; gain 1 Fatigue and –10 to all Tests until end of next Round.	Waves of vertigo strike. The caster suffers 2 Intellect damage (ignores Armor) and all tasks are hindered for one round.
4	Jumbled Words	Speech reverses for a moment. Any spell or skill requiring spoken words automatically fails this Round.	Speech reverses and loops. For 1 minute, any ability requiring spoken words automatically fails and social tasks are hindered.
5	Clock-Hands Blur	The caster’s sense of time skews. All Test durations they estimate are wrong by a factor of 2 (twice as long or short) for the next hour.	The caster’s sense of duration warps. For 1 hour, any use of Effort costs 1 additional point, and the GM may create timing-based intrusions.
6	Echoing Footsteps	A future footfall overlaps the present. Caster makes a Stealth Test at –20; failure reveals their position with a loud echo.	A duplicate footfall rings out. The caster’s next Stealth attempt is hindered by two steps; nearby creatures are alerted to the noise.
7	Phantom Pain	The caster feels wounds they haven’t taken - yet. Suffer 1d5 Wounds (ignoring TB & armour).	Future injuries are felt now. The caster takes 4 Might damage (ignores Armor) and gains a minor GM intrusion hinting at a coming threat.
8	Backward Blink	Instantly moved 2 yards to the square they occupied one Round ago. If that spot is now occupied, both characters take a Dodge Test or fall Prone.	The caster involuntarily snaps 1 meter back to where they stood a moment ago. If that space is occupied, both beings take 3 damage (any Pool, GM’s choice) and must make a Speed defense roll or fall prone.
9	Fugue Flash	Brief memory loss: –10 to Intelligence Tests for 1 hour. Any ongoing Extended Test the caster is leading is paused.	Short-term memory skips. For 10 minutes the caster cannot spend Effort; any new information given must be re-explained.
10	Aging Touch	The caster’s hand prematurely ages. Reduce one random characteristic (GM choice) by –5 for 24 hours.	A hand withers in fast-forward. The caster’s Speed Pool maximum is reduced by 2 for 24 hours (restoration fixes it).
11	Stuttered Timeline	A ripple forces everyone within 5 yards to re-roll Initiative next Round; new order stands for remainder of the encounter.	Everyone within short range re-rolls initiative next round. The caster always acts last and all their Speed defense rolls are hindered for that round.
12	Time-Locked Limb	One limb freezes for 1d10 Rounds (caster’s choice of arm/leg). Weapon held is dropped; Movement halved if a leg.	One limb freezes for 1 minute. Attacks using that limb are hindered by two steps and tasks requiring two hands cannot be attempted.
13	Paradox Pulse	Nearby clocks, hourglasses, or mechanical timers shatter. Anyone within 10 yards tests Willpower or gains 1 Corruption.	Chronal shockwave: all creatures within short range take 2 Intellect damage; artifacts or cyphers with depletion lose 1 extra depletion roll.
14	Hourglass Shard	The caster’s body glitches. Lose 1 Wound each time you gain Advantage for the next 3 Rounds.	Shards of stalled time pierce the caster. For the next 3 rounds, each time they gain an Asset or Advantage, they suffer 2 Intellect damage.
15	Chronovore Flicker	A translucent time-eating mite appears and bites the caster. Suffer 1d10 Toughness damage (non-lethal) and lose 1 Corruption as it devours errant seconds.	A spectral “time mite” bites the caster, draining 3 random Pool points (GM decides which). The mite may return as a later GM intrusion.
16	Loop of Terror	One ally within line of sight relives the last combat blow they took. They must re-accept the damage roll; if they took none, they instead lose 1 Resolve.	An ally the GM chooses must immediately repeat the last damage they suffered (ignores Armor). If they haven’t taken damage, they instead take 3 Intellect damage from existential dread.
17	Rip in the Hour	The air tears open; everyone within 3 yards must pass an Athletics Test or be flung 1d5 yards and take 1d5+2 Wounds (ignoring armour).	A ragged tear opens. Everyone in immediate range must succeed on a Speed defense (Difficulty 4) or be hurled 2 meters and take 5 damage (any Pool).
18	Grey Hair, Grey Mind	The caster instantly ages 3d10 years. Reduce Agility and Toughness by –10 until restored via magic or miracle; Apply Age effects per rulebook if now older threshold.	The caster ages 3d10 years. They lose 3 points from both Might and Speed Pools until cured by powerful magic or miracles.
19	Temporal Rift	A 2-yard radius area becomes time-warped: rounds there last twice as long. All inside act every other Round; missile trajectories curve strangely (–20 BS). Area persists 1d10 Rounds.	A 3-meter radius zone becomes unstable for d6 rounds. Creatures inside act only every other round, and all tasks there are hindered. Ranged attacks into or out of the zone are +1 difficulty.
20	Grandfather Paradox	Cataclysmic backlash! The caster must pass a Hard (–20) Endurance Test or drop to 0 Wounds and gain a Major Critical Wound to the chest as their timeline violently re-syncs. All allies within 10 yards test Agility or suffer 1d10 Wounds from imploding chronal energy.	Catastrophic backlash! The caster must make a Might defense (Difficulty 6). Failure: drop to 0 in all Pools and gain a permanent major injury or mutation (GM’s choice). Allies within short range must make a Speed defense (Diff 4) or take 4 damage (any Pool) as reality convulses. Successful save halves the damage.

Using the Table (Cypher)

• Roll 1d20 on a major failure or choose a fitting effect.
• GM Intrusions can escalate any result for dramatic flair.
• Most damage ignores Armor because time itself is the source.
• Recovery rolls and repairs may fix Pool loss, but aging or paradox injuries usually require narrative solutions or high-level abilities.