Spell Expertise

Talents

You are so proficient at casting spells that you can perform feats with mana that dazzle and surprise even other mages.

Effect

D4

You may use spell stunts from the list that corresponds to any magic school talent you possess when casting spells from those schools. Thus, if you have both the Creation Magic and Primal Magic talents to any degree, you may use stunts from the Creation and Primal stunt lists when casting spells from those schools.

D8

You may use stunts from the core Advanced Spell Stunts list which do not correspond to any particular magic school.

D12

You may use spell stunts from any list that corresponds to a magic school for which you have a Keen Knowledge in. Thus, if you have Keen Knowledges of Creation, Primal, and Spirit magic, you may use stunts from those lists when casting spells from those schools.

Side/Secondary Effects

Advanced Spell Stunts

SP Cost	Stunt
1	Arcane Acuity: Your expertise in the magical arts assists you. Make a Difficulty 4/11 Mind test using a talent of your choice. If you succeed, you either become aware of some key magical detail of the current encounter or else gain an upgrade on your next magic-related test, up until the end of your next turn.
1	Arcane Advantage: The target of the spell suffers a downgrade to resist your next spell until the end of your next turn.
1+	Staggering Spell: If the spell does damage, you can move the target 2 yards in any direction for each 1 SP you spend.
1+	Arcane Armor: Channeling residual mana from your spellcasting, you create a protective field around you, gaining an Armor Rating equal to the SP spent until the beginning of your next turn.
3	Lasting Spell: If the spell has a duration beyond instantaneous, it is extended to twice the original duration with no additional mana cost. So rock armor, for example, lasts an additional hour, glyph of paralysis lasts 2d3 rounds, and so forth.
4	Mana Surge: Immediately after casting the spell, regain 1d6 mana.
4	Masterful Casting: Reduce the mana cost of the spell cast by 2. This can reduce mana cost to 0.
4	Split Spell: If the spell affects only one target, you can have it affect two, so long as the second target is within the spell’s range and no more than 6 yards from the original target. There is no additional mana cost. Targets test against the spell separately.
5	Disrupt Magic: In addition to its normal effects, your spell is so powerful that it may disrupt another magical effect on the target; roll an immediate test of your Keen Knowledge: Spirit vs. the Spellpower of any one effect on the target. Success removes the effect, while failure has no additional effect (beyond the normal effect of your spell). Doubles on this test do not generate additional stunt points.
5	Lethal Spell: If the spell does damage, one target of the spell takes an extra 2d6 damage. Alternately, all targets of the spell take an additional 1d6 damage.
6	Penetrating Spell: If the spell does damage, all of its damage this round becomes penetrating damage, ignoring the target’s armor rating.

Advanced Creation Spell Stunts

SP Cost	Stunt
1	Strengthening Spell: One ally within two yards of you gains an upgrade to Body until the beginning of your next turn.
1	Quickening Spell: One ally within two yards of you gains an upgrade to Speed until the beginning of your next turn.
1+	Bolstering Spell: You or one ally within two yards of you with greater than 0 Stamina recovers one Stamina for each SP spent.
2	Sustaining Spell: An ally within 10 yards currently at 0 Stamina doesn’t count this round when determining how many rounds they can survive with 0 Stamina.
3	Empowering Spell: You gain +1 Spellpower on the next spell you cast before the end of your next turn.

Advanced Entropy Spell Stunts

SP Cost	Stunt
1	Consuming Hunger: If a pony within 10 yards of you dies this round, you recover 1d6 mana. Note this only recovers mana you have spent; it doesn’t give you bonus mana above your normal maximum.
2	Minor Curse: The target of your spell suffers a -1 to Defense until the beginning of your next turn.
2	Leaden Feet: The target of your spell is briefly drained of vitality. The target suffers a –1 penalty to Speed until the beginning of your next turn.
3+	Entropic Blessing: The target of the spell loses 1 Stamina and you are healed for the same amount. Note this only heals damage you have suffered; it doesn’t give you bonus Stamina above your normal maximum. If you have enough stunt points to spend, you can use this stunt twice on your turn.

Advanced Primal Spell Stunts

SP Cost	Stunt
2	Dazzling Spell: In addition to other effects, the target of your spell has a downgrade for all tests involving vision (including attacks) until the start of your next turn.
3	Immolation: The magic you use causes you to burst into flame. It causes you no harm, but until the beginning of your next turn anyone who comes into contact with you or attacks you in melee takes 1d6+1 damage.
3	Primal Thick Hide: Your skin hardens briefly and adds 1 to your Armor Rating until the beginning of your next turn. This stunt has no effect if you are affected by a spell that raises your Armor Rating.
4	Lightning Arcs: Electricity arcs from your body, inflicting 2 points of penetrating energy damage to any foes within 2 yards.

Advanced Spirit Spell Stunts

SP Cost	Stunt
1+	Spirit Shield: You shape excess mana to protect you. Until the beginning of your next turn, any spell stunt (helpful or harmful) that costs up to the number of SP you spent to activate energy shield has no effect on you. If it’s a spell stunt that affects multiple targets, you are not affected but others are as normal.
2	Knock Prone: You knock the target of your spell prone. Any pony making a melee attack against a prone foe gains +1 bonus on the attack roll.
3+	Enervating Spell: If the target of this spell has a mana rating, that pony loses 1 mana point. If you have enough stunt points to spend, you can use this stunt twice on your turn.

Discovery

Learning this talent requires access to expert trainers, such as high-ranking Circle mages, famed and mysterious Valish Keepers, or remote and fabled apostates in distant wilds

Related Discipline

Mage‌

Applied Restriction

• Mind (D12) or higher
• At least one Magic related Keen Knowledge talent
• At least a D4 in a talent dedicated to a magic school (such as the Creation Magic talent).