Magic Rules

Magic

Using magic in Tails of Thedastria requires some additional rules, and you will find them in this section. If you are playing a rogue or warrior, you don’t need to worry about these rules for the moment. If you are playing a mage, read on!

Starting Spells

Only a mage can learn spells, so be sure to pick this class if you want to use magic. A level 1 mage begins the game knowing three spells. If you are the only mage in your group, you should seriously consider taking the heal spell as one of them. It will keep your allies alive in dire circumstances.
A starting mage can choose any three spells that do not have a requirement. If you’re not sure what to pick, try one these suggested combinations:

Balanced Mage

Arcane Bolt, Heal, Rock Armor.

This is good choice if you are playing a mage for the first time. It has one attack spell, one defense spell, and Heal to help your companions.

Creation Mage

Glyph of Paralysis, Heal, Heroic Offense

This is the support choice, as most of your spells are for aiding your allies. Your only offense is the glyph and proper use of it takes some forethought.

Entropy Mage

Daze, Drain Life, Weakness

This choice lets you really mess with enemies, but has no spells that help your allies.

Primal Mage

Flame Blast, Rock Armor, Winter’s Grasp

If you like to fight, this choice is for you, since it offers some more physically direct magical options, along with some protection for direct physical combat.

Spirit Mage

Mind Blast, Spell Shield, Walking Bomb

This is also a good choice for combat, but offers no protection from mundane threats.

Learning New Spells

A mage can gain more spells in two ways: class powers and talents. A mage learns a new spell every couple of levels on average as a class power. Over 20 levels a mage will learn nine additional spells just by being a mage. The other way to learn new spells is through talents. See Creation Magic, Entropy Magic, Primal Magic, and Spirit Magic in Focuses, Talents, & Specializations for examples of such talents.

Spell Requirements

Some spells have a Requirement entry. This lists spells, talents, or specializations a pony must have in order to learn that spell. For example, glyph of warding lists glyph of paralysis as a requirement, so a pony must already know the glyph of paralysis spell in order to learn glyph of warding. A pony who does not meet a spell’s requirements cannot learn it.

Mana Points

It takes the magical energy of living beings, known as mana, to power spells. The amount of magical power a mage has available at any given time is measured in Mana Points (abbreviated MP). The more you have, the more spells you can cast. If you run out of mana points, you can’t cast spells until you get some back.
A level 1 mage starts the game with mana points equal to 10 + Magic Training + 1d6 and adds Magic Training + 1d6 more every time they gain a level. Powerful mages can cast spells for a long time without running out of mana points. That said, mana points are a finite resource and a smart mage knows when to spend them and when to hoard them.
Each spell has a cost in mana points. This must be paid when the cast action is taken, regardless of whether the spell works or not. Magic always has its price.

Spells and Armor

Although not trained in its use, mages can wear armor. However, doing so makes it more difficult for them to cast spells. When a mage in armor casts a spell, they must pay an additional amount of mana points equal to the strain of the armor type (see accompanying table). This extra mana must be paid for each spell, which makes wearing heavy armor a losing position for mages in the long run.

Casting in Armor

Armor Worn	Strain
Light Leather	1
Heavy Leather	2
Light Mail	3
Heavy Mail	4
Light Plate	5
Heavy Plate	6

Regaining Mana Points

A mage can regain spent mana points by resting. For each full hour of rest and/or meditation, you get back 1d6 + Magic Training mana points. If you manage 8 hours of uninterrupted rest and/or meditation, you get all your mana points back.

Casting Spells

You can cast any spell that you know by making a successful casting roll and spending the required number of mana points. A casting roll is simply a like any other test: you roll your Mind die and any applicable talent dice. The most common talents that apply are Creation Magic, Entropy Magic, Primal Magic, and Spirit Magic, each of which corresponds to one of the schools of magic. For more information on tests, see Playing the Game.
If your casting roll equals or exceeds the spell’s Difficulty, you successfully cast the spell. If not, the spell fizzles and has no effect. Either way, you must spend the required mana points. Some spells make use of the Dragon Die, so it’s a good idea to leave the dice where they fall until the spell is totally resolved.
Spellpower For many spells, making a successful casting roll is all you need to worry about. Make it and the spell works as intended.
Sometimes, however, you must overcome the natural resistance of the target before the spell takes effect. Spellpower is the measure of your arcane might; certain spells allow the target(s) to test against Spellpower to resist or at least offset the spells’ effects.

Spellpower = 10 + Magic Training + magic related Keen Knowledge

Once again the most common Keen Knowledges that apply are Creation Magic, Entropy Magic, Primal Magic, and Spirit Magic. This means that if you are a specialist in entropy magic, your entropy spells are harder to resist.
The abilities used to test against your Spellpower vary by spell. The entry for each spell should tell you whether a test is required, the applicable ability, and the consequences of a passed or failed test.

Spell Stunts

Each spell has a standard effect, but if you do an exceptional job casting it you can manipulate the mana to get even more impressive results. This is known as a spell stunt.
If you make a successful casting roll and get doubles on any of the dice, you can perform one or more spell stunts in addition to the spell’s normal effect. You receive a number of stunt points (SP) equal to the Dragon Die and must use them right away to perform stunts. Initially, all mages choose from the same list of spell stunts, but as they gain levels they get access to new stunts and may use standard ones for fewer stunts points.
Once you have decided on what spell stunts you want to use, you can narrate their effects. You can perform the stunts in any order you choose. You can only perform a given spell stunt once in a round. The spell stunts on the Standard Spell Stunts Table can be used by any character for the SP cost indicated.

Standard Spell Stunts

SP Cost	Spell Stunt
1-3	Puissant Casting: Increase the Spellpower of your spell by 1 per stunt point spent, to a maximum of 3.
2	Skillful Casting: Reduce the mana cost of the spell by 1. This can reduce the mana cost to 0.
2	Mighty Spell: If the spell does damage, one target of the spell of your choice takes an extra d6 damage.
3	Mana Shield: You use the residual mana of the spell casting to set up a temporary protective shield. You gain a +2 bonus to Defense until the beginning of your next turn.
4	Fast Casting: After you resolve this spell, you can immediately cast another spell. The second spell must have a casting time of a major action or a minor action. If you roll doubles on this casting roll, you do not get any more stunt points.
5	Imposing Spell: The effect of the spell is much more dramatic than usual. Until the beginning of your next turn, anyone attempting to make a melee attack against you must make a successful Keen Knowledge: Courage test. The Difficulty is 10 + your Mind die. Those who fail must take a move or defend action instead.

The Risks of Magic

As the need for a Circle of Magi and the existence of the templars attest, magic is dangerous. When casting any spell with a requirement, if the casting roll fails and the Dragon Die result is a 1, a magical mishap occurs. Spells without requirements never cause magical mishaps, which is why they are usually among the first taught to any fledgling mage.
When there is a magical mishap the caster immediately makes a Keen Knowledge: Self-Discipline test against the spell’s difficulty. A successful test means the caster is knocked prone, with the usual consequences (that is, it takes a move action to get back up and opponents gain an upgrade on attack rolls). The mage may avoid the ignominy of falling over by spending additional mana equal to the spell’s original cost.
If the Keen Knowledge test fails, the outcome of the mishap is based on the Keen Knowledge test’s Dragon Die. Consult the Magical Mishaps table for details.
The GM is always free to impose additional or special magical mishap results based on the circumstances: location, weather, environment, type of spell attempted, and so forth, particularly for a Misfire result.

Magical Mishaps

Dragon Die	Mishap Result
1	Mana Drain: The mage loses mana equal to twice the spell’s original cost in addition to the initial cost paid (for a total of triple the usual cost).
2	Mana Burn: The mage loses Stamina equal to twice the spell’s original cost.
3	Backlash: The shock of the mishap leaves the mage unable to cast any spells for 1d6 rounds.
4	Misfire: The spell effect occurs, but targets an ally rather than an enemy (or vice versa) or has the opposite of the intended effect (healing rather than harming, or vice versa). The GM determines the particulars of the misfire.
5	Lost in the Fade: The mage falls into a trance, their spirit lost in the depths of the Fade for 2d6 minutes. The mage is helpless during this time and vulnerable to a coup de grace.
6	Harrowing: As Lost in the Fade, except the mage must also make a Difficulty 5 Keen Knowledge: Faith or Self-Discipline test every two minutes to avoid being possessed by a demons and becoming an abomination, so the longer the mage’s spirit wanders the Fade, the greater the risk. A Player Character who becomes an abomination falls under the GM’s control; the player must make a new pony.

Advanced Spell Stunts

In addition to standard spell stunts, additional stunts that may be available to mages in your campaign. They can make magic more varied and interesting, but they’re optional since they are more stunts and effects to track. Check with your GM to see if these stunts are accessible in your current campaign.

Unlocking Advanced Spell Stunts

Advanced spell stunts are not automatically available to all mages. They represent advanced training, expertise, or creativity in the art of magic. To use these stunts, Player Character mages must have access to them and that access is described in the game rules by the Spell Expertise talent.
In the game world of Thedastria, where the Player Characters live, learning these stunts might require access to expert trainers, such as high-ranking Circle mages, famed and mysterious Valish Keepers, or remote and fabled apostates in distant wilds. Wherever these extra stunts are learned, they are not likely institutionalized abilities taught in formal classes but special flourishes and exertions understood only by the great mages of the day—the kind of rare and distinctive people the Player Characters become as they gain greater levels of power. Put another way, even though these stunts work in a familiar way for you, the player, for your pony they are something difficult to explain and their use in public may cause a fearful reaction from the superstitious in Thedastria. Every mage learns these stunts by making personal breakthroughs in their understanding of their own magical abilities, even if they are guided somewhat by the teachings of other mages.
Seeking out training and understanding of these stunts may be a source of adventure and intrigue, not unlike seeking out a specialization. Therefore it’s a good idea to let your GM know that you want to pursue these stunts for your pony so you can find out if this optional talent is available and, if so, where your pony can learn it.

Should You Use Advanced Spell Stunts in Your Campaign?

Allowing advanced spell stunts in your Tails of Thedastria campaign shouldn’t throw play out of control but it can cause some side effects that some players won’t appreciate. Advanced spell stunts give mages a lot more options than rogues and warriors get when spending stunt points, potentially causing two problems. First, players of warriors and rogues may feel left out. Second, players of mages may be overwhelmed with options when they generate stunt points, thereby slowing down play.
The optional Spell Expertise talent lets individual players decide whether access to new stunts is worth their time and resources. It also introduces the stunts gradually, rather than opening up dozens of new stunts all at once. Because spell stunts are a fleeting option fueled by a limited resource, stunts may alter encounters in surprising ways, giving Player Ponies an edge when they need it most, but varied encounters make different stunts appealing in different ways.
Some player groups may find the advanced spell stunts to be more trouble than they like. Simply disregard the advanced spell stunts, if that’s the case. Or compromise by working with the GM to pick just a few that you like to add to your campaign. If you’re adding just a handful of advanced spell stunts to your campaign, we recommend you skip the Spell Expertise talent and make the stunts available to all mages who cast a spell of the appropriate school.