100867_RAA_Quill & Codex_R1_PROOF

Quill & Codex

• The Magician Spends the re quired Spellcraft Points for a spell of that Rank. • The Magician may spend Spell craft Points (but NOT Adven ture Points) to Bump the Spell’s Challenge Die down. Spells of 7 th Rank and above cannot be cast without Bumping the Spell Chal lenge Die down. • The Magician rolls their Brains, modified by any applicable bo nuses and skills they might have. If they are successful, they cast the spell. (Note that Adventure Points CAN be used to re–roll dice associated with Spellcraft.) ◦ A Stunning Success means you recover 1D4 Spellcraft Points (though you can never recover more Spellcraft Points than you spent in the casting of the spell). ◦ A Catastrophic Failure means 1D4 additional Spellcraft Points were lost in the casting of the spell. • In most cases, attacking with a spell does NOT require a Com bat Roll. Successfully casting the spell means the Attack hits. De fense against the spell’s Damage is rolled normally. • More powerful spells have Back lash effects that the GM inflicts upon the Magician when a spell fails.

Even if a Spell’s Challenge Die is reduced, the Spell Point Cost and potential Backlash remains the same.

CULLEN SAYS – These rules are subject to the whim of the Game Master, yes, but that feels right when it comes to the mercurial nature of magic. Sometimes, spells come easy. Other times, the spell might be difficult. CULLEN ALSO SAYS – Mag ic is strange and exciting, and I don’t want to apply a bunch of rules to something that is, by its very nature, all about breaking rules. There’s one more concept, though, that I want to share. In addition to the rules above, if a player names their spell in a creative way, the Game Master might want to give them a bo nus to their Challenge Die or al low them to Bump the die. After all, saying “I want to cast a fire ball” is fine, but saying “I call forth Vexriel’s Flaming Sphere of Calamitous Rage!” adds so much to the game and should be rewarded!

EXAMPLE – Reinhardt is a Magician with a D12 Brains and 10 Spellcraft Points. He decides that he wants to bring the castle of his most hated enemy, Lord Doomitrell, crumbling down under a firestorm. The GM determines that this spell is Rank 8 because it is so powerful. It costs 8 Spellcraft Points to cast. A Rank 8 spell is beyond impossible for Reinhardt, so he needs to find a way to Bump the Challenge Die. With only two more Spellcraft Points remaining, he spends them both, taking the Challenge Die to D100, which is still pretty hard to pull off. What to do? Ah ha! Reinhardt intones, “I conjure the Void–Storm of Xelvrithrex the Crestfallen!” Naming the spell Bumps the Challenge Die to a D20. The GM rolls a D20 and scores an 11. There’s still a chance! Reinhardt rolls a D12 and scores a 12! Not only is that a success, but it is a Stunning Success! Miraculously, the spell works! The castle walls come crumbling down! And Reinhardt recovers a D4 Spell craft points!

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