Casting Effects

Every Effect has a Mana Point (MP) cost associated with it, which the Game Master sets when the Effect is discovered or introduced. This cost reflects the Effect’s power and complexity; a simple spark of light might cost 1 MP, a room‑wide silence perhaps 3 MP, while a powerful quake that splits a fortress wall could cost 100 MP or significantly more.

When you choose to activate a learned Effect, the casting process is straightforward:

1. Declare and Spend: Announce the Effect you are casting and immediately deduct its MP cost from your current Mana Point pool.
2. Roll the Skill: Make a skill check using your Magic skill percentage (Roll d100 ≤ Magic %). Apply any relevant modifiers based on the situation using the standard Difficulty Ladder (see Chapter 1).

The outcome of your roll determines the result:

• Success: The Effect manifests as intended.
• Failure (but not 00): The MP cost is spent, but the Effect fails to manifest or fizzles harmlessly. Nothing happens.
• Critical Success (Roll 01): The Effect manifests with greater power or precision than normal. The GM determines the exact benefit – perhaps increased damage, longer duration, greater area, or an additional minor beneficial effect.
• Critical Failure / Backlash (Roll 00 – “Snake Eyes”): The MP cost is spent, and the magic lashes back violently at the caster. You immediately lose Hit Points equal to the MP cost of the attempted Effect.

Casting Below Zero MP (Heroic Casting)
If your MP pool reaches zero, you are not necessarily powerless. You may choose to push beyond your limits by fueling Effects directly with your life force (see Heroic Casting, p. XX for full details). In summary: you can spend Hit Points instead of MP on a one-for-one basis, but each HP spent this way cannot be healed by magical means (only natural healing/Medicine) and imposes a cumulative -10% penalty on all rolls you make until you have fully rested (6+ hours). This is a desperate measure with significant risks.

Concentration

Some magical Effects require the caster to maintain active mental focus to keep the magic functioning after it has been initially cast. These Effects will have “Concentration: Yes” noted in their description. Maintaining concentration demands a portion of the caster’s attention and limits their ability to sustain multiple powerful ongoing effects simultaneously.

Limit on Concentrating Effects
You can concentrate on only one Effect at a time. If you cast another Effect that also requires Concentration while you are already concentrating on one, your concentration on the previous Effect ends immediately as your focus shifts to the new one. You can still cast Effects that do not require concentration (like instantaneous damage spells or simple utility effects) without breaking your current concentration.

Maintaining Concentration
Once an Effect requiring Concentration is successfully cast, you maintain concentration automatically without needing to spend further actions, unless something occurs that potentially breaks your focus.

Breaking Concentration
Concentration can be broken involuntarily or ended voluntarily:

• Casting Another Concentration Effect: Starting a new Concentration effect ends the current one.
• Taking Damage: Any time you take Hit Point damage while concentrating, you must immediately make a Concentration Check to maintain your focus (see below).
• Being Incapacitated or Killed: If you are reduced to 0 Hit Points, fall unconscious, are killed, or otherwise become Incapacitated, your concentration breaks instantly.
• Major Environmental Distraction: At the GM’s discretion, exceptionally violent or distracting environmental phenomena (e.g., an earthquake, a deafening explosion right next to you, sudden immersion in freezing water) might force a Concentration Check.
• Voluntarily Ending Concentration: You can choose to end your concentration on an Effect at any time (no action required).

Concentration Checks
When a rule or situation (most commonly taking damage, or a Major Environmental Distraction) requires you to make a Concentration Check:

• Make the Roll: Roll d100 against your Mind x 5% as the target number.
• Apply Difficulty Modifier:
  • If triggered by taking HP damage: Apply a penalty to your target number equal to half the total HP damage taken from that single source, rounded down (e.g., taking 15 HP damage imposes a -7% penalty; taking 8 HP damage imposes a -4% penalty). This penalty is capped at a maximum of -50%.
  • If triggered by other GM-determined distractions: The GM applies a situational difficulty modifier using the standard Difficulty Ladder (e.g., Challenging -10%, Hard -20%).
• Determine Outcome:
  • Success: You maintain concentration, and the Effect continues.
  • Failure: Your focus is broken, and the Effect ends immediately.

Maintaining concentration under duress can be difficult, representing the challenge of holding complex magic together while dealing with pain or severe distraction.

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File Created: 05/07/2025
Last Modified: 05/07/2025