The Absolute Truth to Magic

All races of the universe have, within them, the innate ability to change the realities of the world around them. What we view as laws of nature are merely a reflection of our ability to shape the world through methods that we understand. For example, Newton's Third Law exists because we can understand it.

It makes logical sense to us. An event occurs and we look into the "why" of it. Mortals view the world, and then assume the rules that explain the world. Gods, on the other hand, create the rules and use the world as their proof.

Magic, then, is the mortal mind's way of wrapping around how to alter some of the fundamental laws of the universe. It says, "Here are the laws by which the universe is governed, and here is the method by which you can alter the basic level of existence to use those laws to your advantage."

Essentially, magic works because the user believes it will work. The amount of discipline that is required in order to achieve this basic core belief about the universe is reflected in the need for the mystic to achieve a degree of competency in their chosen school of psychic thought.

This explains why magic requires specific conditions be met (circle of black sand, specific incantation, use of the right incense, waving your hand in a circle, etc.) and why even these rules can be bent and broken (expenditure of additional tags). At first, the mortal mind requires these conditions, because its needs to justify its results. By honing your skills to a certain level, you can eventual reach *near* god-hood, wherein you no longer, in your basic understanding of the universe, need to justify why something happened, it is enough that it happens. You effectively will it to be, and it is. Your strength of will is defined by the amount of training you have received in Magic.

For the most part, Magic cannot be used to do things that you can do normally. This is not because magic is limited in this way, indeed, there is nothing that magic cannot do, but because the mortal mind is often too locked into old modes of doing things. Why lift a pen with magic when reaching out and using your hand takes less concentration and thought? This defines the limitation of not directly overlapping with existing skills/items. If you can use a skill to throw bolts of "10 Piercing", there should not be a magic that does the same thing.

In order to cast a spell, the caster must have the following:

• Enough tags in the appropriate schools of magic to cast the spell. These costs are listed on the Spellbook Page.
• A Spellbook containing the spell you wish to cast.
• Any components required for the spell. Note that components in some cases may be omitted; see below.
• A Spell Guide - Please make all reasonable efforts to inform the appropriate Guides that you intend to cast a spell as far ahead of time as possible. Guides have the right to declare a spell a “dud” if not alerted ahead of time that a spell is to be cast. Casters are allowed some reasonable leeway on this, but don’t expect to cast a spell at 4am if you haven’t scheduled it with a Guide first. In extreme circumstances, failure to notify a Guide ahead of time may result in an automatic spell backlash.

All rituals have a tag cost associated with them. These tags will specify Harmonics, Psionics, Projection, or General. For each of these, you must have the appropriate number of tags in the appropriate discipline in order to cast, except general, which can be cast by any discipline.

Multiple characters may attempt to cast a spell together, pooling their tags in order to cast more powerful spells than either could alone. Any characters assisting in the spell may put one tag of their own into the spell. The Primary Caster must always put forth the largest number of tags, and there can never be a “tie” - two casters couldn’t each put in five tags in a ten tag spell, but one could put in six while another put in four. If three casters attempted the same spell, the Primary Caster could put in as few as four tags, while the other two casters put in three each. Note that while all examples listed have been roughly even disbursements of tags, there is no rule that requires it, so long as the Primary Caster always has the highest number. Any Assistants wishing to put more than one tag into a spell must give up two tags of their own per additional tag they wish to donate. If an Assistant wishes to donate four tags, they would give up one tag for their first tag, plus an additional six tags for the other three they wish to donate, making a total of seven.

Components may in some cases be omitted for a spell. The omission of a component adds an additional 50% cost to the tags required to cast the spell. This cost does not compound, so a ten tag ritual with one omitted component would cost 15 tags, and a further component omitted would cost 20 tags, rather than 23. Note that some components that are integral to the spell may not be omitted; these are designated on the spellbook page itself.

Somatic requirements are critical to the proper functioning of a spell. The spellbook will list all somatic requirements required for the casting. Somatic requirements, like components, may be omitted, but this confers an additional 100% cost to the casting of the spell. Also note that in some cases the somatic requirements are integral to the casting of the spell and may not be omitted. Verbal requirements of a spell can never be omitted or the casting will automatically backlash.

Once a spell has begun being cast, any disruption to the spell, it’s components, or it’s caster(s) will cause it to immediately fail and backlash. This backlash is immediate and instantaneous, and cannot be evaded, resisted or blocked in any way. If the casters survive the backlash, they may begin casting the spell again at the point in which it was disrupted. This may in some cases cause multiple backlashes during the casting of a single spell. Backlashes take a number of forms, but most commonly affect the caster(s), components, or target of the spell. In some cases, a backlash may also affect objects within a certain range of the spell, although this is uncommon in all but the most powerful spells.

Some modifiers may reduce the overall cost of a spell. Note that the primary caster must always maintain the highest tag burden regardless of modifiers on the spell, and that in no case may a spells cost be reduced to less than half it’s original cost.

Additional master powers in a discipline over ten increase the caster’s magic ability. For each tag over ten in the appropriate discipline, the tag cost of the spell is lowered by one tag. General tags can be lowered in this manner by extra master powers in any discipline.

If a spell requires a target, that target must be valid for the entire duration of the casting of the spell in order to be targeted. Examples of invalid targets are:

• Targets that are too vague when declared
• Targets whose player is not present
• Targets which must remain in a certain area that leave that area during the casting of the spell.
• Targets which haven’t been prepared properly for the spell. If a spell requires the target to be prepared in some way, the preparation will be included in the spell’s description.

All spells belong to a specific category in addition to being associated with one or more disciplines of mystic focus. The skill Magical Attunement allows a character to cast spells in the category they are attuned to at 10% less cost (rounded up). However, this focus also makes them weaker in certain other areas, making spells in those categories cost an additional 10% (rounded up).

The categories are:

• Force: Any spell that produces an immediate or long-lasting direct force on the target. A magic user attuned to Force Magic is penalized when casting spells that draw upon Entropy or Sorcery.
• Order: Order spells impose a definitive order or rule upon another target. Examples of Order Magic would be spells that extend the duration of other spells. A mage attuned to Order Magic suffers a penalty when casting spells of Entropy or Metamorphosis.
• Summoning: Summoning Magic is used to call forth a target from another place. A classic example of this is summoning extraplanar beings, although Summoning Magic also includes such mundane tasks as calling an item from it’s current location to the caster. Summoning specialists are penalized when casting spells of Sorcery or Enchantment.
• Metamorphosis: Metamorphosis spells are used to alter the properties of a target. Things such as lycanthropy or changing water into wine are both examples of Metamorphosis. Practitioners of Metamorphosis are penalized when casting Order Magic or Enchantments.
• Entropy: Entropy is drawing upon the raw power of Chaos. Entropy spells tend to be very risky endeavors, and frequently produce unexpected (good or bad) results. Casters attuned to Entropy have a harder time casting spells that draw upon Order or Force.
• Sorcery: This school of magic is focused on changing the basic properties of the world around the caster for limited periods of time. Casters of Sorcery suffer penalties casting Force and Summoning.
• Enchantments: The focus of enchantment is to imbue the target with power it didn’t have before. Most magical weapons are the result of enchantment magic. Enchanters suffer a penalty when dealing with metamorphosis or summoning spells.

Glossary:

• Primary Caster: Main caster, also character with highest tag cost for spell.
• Aspect: Discipline of study - Psionics, Projection, Harmonics, or General.
• Dead: Spirit of a permanently dead being.
• Deity: Any Deity from any pantheon.
• Spirit: The life essence of any living target.
• Caster: Any of the casters, Primary or Assistant
• Assistant: Any extra caster assisting in the spell
• True Name: The True Full Name of the target. Required for many summoning and commune rituals. Some entities may have multiple “True Names”, in which case any of the true names will work unless designated otherwise.
• Somatic: Any verbal or nonverbal component of the spell that the caster must perform in order to complete the spell. Some somatic requirements can be omitted, although this increases the difficulty of the spell. Verbal requirements may never be omitted.