Spell Breakdown
Spells are the effects of combining energy with your essence (or life force) through a conduit. The spell exits the conduit, and its effect is activated based on the spell’s description. More information about the specific spells and their effects can be found in the spells chapter.
Area of Effect
There are a few different area of effects that spells can have. Each one is unique in their own way and depending on the situation have their own strengths and weaknesses. Throwing up an Earth Barrier when trying to escape from a monstrous creature in a cave might be the difference between life and death. At the same time, channeling a fireball in a confined space with all your fellow adventurers in the blast area, probably isn’t the best idea. See area of effect section in the game rules chapter for more information.
Types of Spell Area of Effect
Barrier/Wall
The spell creates a wall that stretches out in a line and remains until the channeler dismisses it; it is dispelled, or the duration of the spell ends. The barrier extends both horizontally and vertically, based on the spell’s limitations.
Cone
The spells expand out in a direction of the channelers’ choosing. As the spell expands out, it widens at the farthest point of the spell’s range. This creates the cone appearance of the spell.
Dome
A dome is a variant of a pillar because it creates a ceiling within the pillar. Each spell determines how high the ceiling of the dome is, along with how wide the dome is.
Line
The spell expands out from a point in a single straight line. Anything within the line’s path is affected by the spell unless otherwise stated. Unless otherwise stated, the line originates from the channeler's conduit and spreads to the location of their choice.
Pillar
Like the dome area of effect, except that the radius of the spell is smaller. Instead, the spell is taller and extends upward, creating a column in which the spell’s effects are unleashed. Unless otherwise specified, pillars don’t have a limit as to their height.
Plane
A circular area of effect that is along the ground or a flat surface. The effects extend only a few inches above the surface.
Sphere
The spell expands out from a centralized point in a circular area. Depending on the spell will depend on how large of a circular area the spell covers.
Elementary spells
Spells that have become second nature to you when channeling them. You have become so comfortable with them you can channel them, spending no essence.
Spells that have an original cost of one essence can be used as an elementary spell. The cost of the spell is reduced to zero, giving you a free spell to channel.
While elementary spells still require a conduit to expel the excess energy, it does not cost any essence to channel. However, unlike other spells, an elementary spell does not destroy the conduit, but can still damage the channeler if a conduit is not used. In addition, any spell that restores health or essence, cures ailments, or other forms of healing cannot be elementary spells.
Elementary spells are gained through traits, channeling skill tiers, masteries, and other special abilities. Memorizing elementary spells is the same as memorizing normal spells. The only exception is that they are harder to be removed by force. They are always the last spells to be removed should an attack cause memory issue.
Boosting Elementary Spells
If an elementary spell is boosted, it is no longer an elementary spell and requires essence to channel. The boosted elementary spell is treated as a normal spell.
Fusion Spells
It is common knowledge among channelers that spells can be boosted in order to produce stronger versions of most spells. However, what is not common knowledge is that some spells can be increased even farther past their boosted effects. Spells with this ability are known as fusion spells and require multiple channelers to channel the spell.
Channelers found that spells needing fifty or more essence require multiple channelers.
Spell cost ≥ 50 = requires more than one channeler to channel
When channeling a fusion spell, the essence cost is broken up between the channelers. One channeler is to release the spell, and the others need to stay within five feet of each other and the main channeler. If a channeler moves over five feet away during fusion spell channeling, the remaining channelers have to pay more. If the increased cost exceeds the remaining channelers channel limit over channeling is applied. This continues if multiple channelers move out of range until only one channeler is remaining or the cost of the spell is too great. When this happens, the spell ends, and all essence used in the channeling is lost. Leaving the range of the channeling causes that channeler to lose the essence amount they were contributing to the spell.
The key to casting a fusion spell is for all channelers to know the spell and have enough essence (or life force). The channeling skill being used must be expertise and be at master tier. If any channeler involved does not meet even one of these requirements, the fusion spell cannot be channeled.
The spell difficulty for fusion spells is that of the main channelers plus one for each channeler involved in the channeling. So, when four other channelers assist the main channeler whose spell difficulty is 21, the total spell difficulty becomes 25.
To cast fusion spells that need different energies, a separate channeler is required for each type of energy. Each individual channeler picks one energy type from the fusion spell and focuses on channeling that part of the spell.
Gaining New Spells
Starting spells are indicated by the traits you originally took at character creation. Refer to your traits for how many spells you start with and any restrictions the traits might have. Otherwise, there are a few other ways to gain new spells. Learning new spells comes with experience, patience, practice, and sometimes coin.
When gaining a new spell, there are no limits on what spells can be obtained. Even spells that are beyond your channeling limit can be learned.
Buying Spells
Spells can be purchased from local channelers, but they are going to only have specific spells that are useful for their practice. Most temples have spells for sale that specialize in their god’s energy. The list of spells that are for sale is up to the game master. See the spells for sale section in the marketplace chapter for more information.
Channeling Skills
Each time you make a channeling skill expertise, you gain an additional spell from the new energy type you just learned. This is only gained once per skill regardless if the expertise skill is educated or wild. The new spell’s cost cannot exceed your channeling limit. This was the spell you used when practicing learning the new energies flow.
Copying Spells
There will be times when you come across a spell book or scroll that has spells you want. While you can copy them, it takes time and is based on the cost of the spell. The time to copy a spell is double the spell’s level in hours. So, if the spell is level two, it will take four hours to copy the spell.
Trading Spells
Spells can be traded between fellow channelers. Trading spells is, using your own spells as payment for new ones. You copy the channeler’s spells you're trading with while they copy yours. The cost of trade is done by spell level. For example, three 1st level spells would equal one 3rd level spell and vice versa. Just make sure you're trading with a channeler who has an interest in the energy types you specialize in, otherwise they most likely will not want to trade.
Memorizing Spells
Typically, a channeler uses a grimoire or scrolls to store their library of spells. However, they rarely use the actual book or scrolls as their conduit out of fear of destroying the spells they have amassed. Therefore, most channelers have an additional object they meld with to perform their channeling. Their grimoire and scrolls sit safely off to the side while their conduit does all the work.
To keep the channeler’s grimoire safe, most channelers memorize several spells to use for a period. Memorizing spells requires a full rest and the number of spells that can be memorized equals your mental plus two.
Mental + 2 = maximum memorized spells
When choosing to memorize a new spell, your grimoire or scrolls are required in order to study the new spell.
Memorizing a spell is more than simply learning the spell’s command words. It is memorizing how the spell works. How the spell is broken down and functions piece by piece. Therefore, when memorizing new spells, it requires a full rest.
Channeling without Memorizing
It is possible to channel a spell by directly reciting it from your grimoire or scroll, but at a higher spell cost. Channeling this way, increase the cost of the spell by two.
Channeling directly from grimoires = spell cost +2 (no memorization)
If using a scroll as the conduit when channeling its spell, the cost is not increased, but the scroll is destroyed.
Open Spells
Most spells have one of the main energy as their base energy, but some spells can be used with any energy type. These spells have their own category that is referred to as “Open Spells” because they are open to all the energy types when channeling.
Regardless of the energy used, most open spell effects are the same. For example, the spell Parlor Tricks allows you to create small effects in entertaining others. The only difference between using different energy types with that spell is the color the effect appears as.
Simple Channeling
Some spells have simpler versions of themselves that can be used when not in combat. Spells that are simple have limits and cannot be used in combat without a cost. Using a simple channeling of a spell in combat requires you to focus hard enough on the spell that it causes you to over channel.
Spell Boosting
Channelers can make personalized spells by adjusting the amount of energy used. Adding more essence to the process, helps channelers cast stronger spells. This is known as Spell Boosting.
Every spell is different and operates uniquely based on its flow of energy. Boosting spells is easier for some than others. The effects of boosting spells are hard to predict because of the unknown and powerful nature of energy. While most spells can be boosted, some might not feel the effects are worth the price.
All spells have a base cost that must be paid to channel it.
An expertise channeling skill at the novice tier allows you to surpass a spell's limits. While most spell properties can be boosted, not all of them can. For example, most spells that can become Elementary Spells cannot have their damage boosted, as it is already increased based on the skill total of your expertise channeling skills. Listed below are all the properties that can be boosted and how much additional essence the spell will cost per boost. Read over the descriptions of each boost property for more information on how they function.
Action Cost When Boosting Spells
Boosting a spell can increase the time to channel the spell. For every two boosted properties (or boosting the same property multiple times) the action cost increases by one. If the action cost exceeds five actions or already states a cost higher than five (i.e. 1 turn) the extra actions roll over into multiple turns. For example, if boosting a spell’s damage four times (+16 essence) and the spell’s action cost is already four, the total action cost would be increased to six. Channeling this boosted spell would take one turn (five actions) and one additional action on the channeler’s next turn. Ultimately requiring two turns to channel the boosted spell.
Action Cost for Elementary Spell Boosting
The only time the action cost is not increased when a spell is boosted is for elementary spells that have their properties automatically increased based on the channeler’s channeling skill total.
Elementary Spell Boosting
Unless the spell specifically specifies otherwise, spells that can become elementary spells cannot have their properties boosted like other spells. Instead, only their damage property is boosted based on the channeler’s channeling skill associated to the spell. This type of boosting does not increase the cost of the spell or the number of actions.
At adept and master skill tier, the indicated damage die is increased by one per tier. So, if your chrono channeling skill is at master tier and you are channeling Energy Bolt, the damage would be 3d8 plus mental (base 1d8 + 1d8 for adept +1d8 for master tiers).
Over Channel Bonus Removed
Boosting a spell too much replaces the standard over channeling bonus with a boosted property bonus.
Boosted Spell Properties
Damage
When boosting a spell’s damage, it is increased based on the spells indicated damage dice. Only one additional damage die is added per boost cost.
Elementary spells cannot have their damage boosted as it naturally increases through your expertise in channeling skills.
Duration
Boosting the duration of a spell increases the time the spell’s effect remain active. If the spell’s duration is in seconds, it can be increased by ten seconds per the cost. Likewise, if it is in hours, it can be increased by one hour per the cost. Other durations, such as days are increased per day, but the cost is doubled (+8 instead of the +4).
Range
Increasing the distance a spell’s effect can travel before hitting its target (or target area) is done through boosting its range property. If the spell uses feet, it can be increased by 5ft. per additional boost cost. Any other measurement of distance that is larger than feet (i.e. miles) is one increment per boost cost. For example, if the spell’s range is in miles, the boost cost would be one additional mile for four additional essence. Otherwise, if it was in feet, it would be five feet for four additional essence.
Any spell that has a range of touch or self cannot have its range boosted.
When a spell affects an area, its range is amplified instead of its target area (like where a fireball explodes).
Spell Difficulty
Boosting like this is tricky because it can cause over channeling which might give a bigger bonus than the boost cost. Some spells can be enhanced without over channeling, resulting in stronger resistance without negative effects.
Targets, AoE
Boosting the area of effect of a spell is tricky because the flow of energy works differently based on the shape of the area of effect. Effects that cover more area are harder to control, therefore, they require more essence to manipulate. Boosting the size of the area of effect can easily cause you to over channel simply based on the increase of the spell’s cost.
Targets/Instances
Boosting the target property allows you to affect more than the indicated number of creatures (or objects) with the spell. Each additional target increases the spell’s cost by the indicated amount. This also applies to spells that have instances of the spell’s effects (i.e. Dagger’s of Time).
If you heal multiple creatures at once, the effect is split among them. For example, if using the Heal spell on two targets for twenty health, you would have to split the twenty health between the two targets. So, each target could be healed for ten health or one target for fifteen and the other for five. It is up to the channeler who gets healed more.
Spell Difficulty
Every Channeler has a spell difficulty. This difficulty represents the base power targets of a spell must overcome in order to not be affected by the spell’s effects. To determine what your spell, difficulty is, add five to your channeling skill being used for the spell.
5 + channeling skill = spell difficulty
The Channeler does not make any rolls to determine their spell difficulty, as it is a static number that the target of the spell must beat. Targets must equal or exceed the spell difficulty in order to avoid the spell’s effects.
Spell Properties
Action
Each spell uses different amounts of actions to channel. If you don’t have enough actions that the spell requires, it cannot be channeled.
Some spells have an action cost with two numbers separated by a slash, meaning they require multiple actions depending on how they are controlled (e.g. Actions: 2/1). Be sure to read the spell descriptions to know which part requires how many actions.
Auto Over Channeling
Some spells are so powerful they cannot be channeled without causing the channeler to over channel. These spells, regardless of the cost, automatically cause the channeler to over channel. This includes if the spell can be turned into a fusion spell or is boosted.
Fusion spells that require over channeling cause all channelers involved in the spell to over channel.
Cost
The cost of the spell is the amount of essence (or life force) you must spend in order to channel the spell. If you have taken the Blood Ritual Mastery, then your health is used instead of essence.
Critical Effect
This is the added effect that can occur when a spell that requires a magic attack roll is within the critical strike range. Spells that do not have the critical effect listed but still require a magic attack, go off the damage type of the spell.
If a critical effect describes an added effect that the damage type already specifies (i.e. acid damage is doubled on critical strikes) the effects do not stack.
Critical DR
Some critical effects require a difficulty rating that differs from a spell difficulty. The critical effect difficulty rating differs from other ratings because it uses the indicated rating instead of your spell difficulty. If this is not listed after the critical effect but the critical effect requires an instinct check, the spell difficulty is used.
Cure
This removes ailments, poisons, and conditions from a target. The number indicates how many are removed per channel.
Damage
If the spell inflicts damage on its target(s), the amount is listed here. Typically, all damage is based on specific dice rolls plus the associated statistic. However, each spell is unique and could be deal different damage.
Damage Type
This indicates the type of damage the spell inflicts. Some types of damage have special universal effects, such as negative and positive energy. See magic damage earlier in this chapter and damage types in the game rules chapter for more information.
Defense
Indicates what kind of defense the spell grants upon activation. For example, Ice Armor grants 2d6 + Guard.
Difficulty
Difficulty indicates whether what instinct check is used when trying to avoid the spell’s effect. The instinct checks are typically against the channeler’s spell difficulty. See magical defense earlier in this chapter for more information.
Duration
The time the spell’s effect remains active. Concentration indicates the spell does not have a set duration and can be contained for as long as the channeler can concentrate on the spell. Instant indicates the effect of the spell happens as soon as the spell has finished being channeled.
Energy Type
The specific type(s) of energy the spell requires you to know in order to channel it.
There are some spells that will list multiple energy types, as they require more than just one energy to channel. While these spells have multiple energy types, they are organized in the spell descriptions under the main energy type used.
Focus Spell
These spells require constant concentration or the spell’s effects end. Only one focus spell can be channeled at a time, but some focus spells can have multiple instances of itself going at the same time.
Taking damage, falling prone, or having to make an instinct check requires you to make a psyche check in order to keep the spell active. If the instinct check is already a psyche check, it counts as the psyche check in order to keep the spell active. The difficulty rating for the psyche check is DR 8 plus the spell level.
Focus spell difficulty rating = 8 + the spell level
Rolling a 1 = Auto Fail (unless elementary)
Heal
The opposite of damage restores health to the target unless they are undead or Finis (Kami trait). Healing undead and Finis inflicts damage.
Instances
Instances are how many times you can channel a spell while keeping previous channelings of the spell intact.
Level
The spells level is a way to categorize spells based on their essence cost and power.
Material
The material property is unique to transmutation, as almost all transmutation spells require an exchange of material.
Range
Some spells have a specific distance in which the spell can travel before the energy disperses. Such as the elemental bolts, which can hit a target from sixty feet away before dispersing. Any spell that requires the channeler to touch their target will have “Touch” listed as its range. Touch spells can apply to the channeler who is channeling the spell.
Range: Touch or Range: 60ft.
Requirements
This property only appears on higher powered spells. They are indicated by stating the statistic needed, followed by the number like this:
Requirements: Channeling 7
Not meeting the spells requirements automatically causes over channeling, but all the effects of the over channel are doubled. This includes the number of over channeling instances gained.
Targets
This indicates how many targets can be affected by the spell. It will range from either one target up to as many targets that fit within an area of effect spell. If the spell is an area effect, it will be indicated with the radius and shape of the affected area.
Targets: AoE, 20ft. sphere or Targets: 1
