TEXT: Elemental Reign
  1
   Elemental Reign
   Elemental Reign
  The Elemental Magic supplement for the Game Engine Manual
  ©1997-1999 Neale Davidson
  
  Elemental Reign
  2
  Introduction
  To some, the strength of earth, the patience
  of water, the passion of fire, the song of air,
  and the mystery of void, are the building
  blocks of the universe. These are the ancient
  elements, those that are controlled and
  create magic.
  There are those who learn about these
  elements. They understand them, and being
  to manipulate them. They can mold the
  elements to their purposes, creating feats of
  magic both wondrous and subtle.
  These are the mages, wizards, witches and
  warlocks. They are the magic-users, and the
  elements themselves are their tools. Before
  any can be become masters, however, all
  must learn. Welcome, students, to the
  beginning to the beginning of that learning.
  How to use this tome
  This book is dedicated to magic, and to
  those whose lives it touches. With it, a
  player can create wizards who cast fireballs,
  dragons summoning powerful spells, the
  old and wise sage, and the dark and
  mysterious warlock. All their characters
  need are the new skills, knowledge, and
  time to dedicate to their craft.
  Caveat
  Nothing in this book is real. That bears
  some 
  special 
  emphasis 
  and 
  some
  explanation. Elemental Reign is for role-
  playing. None of the rules in this book will
  do one whit to allow real people to use real
  magic. It’s all a fantasy meant for the
  express purpose of a game.
  Lessons Within
  Like nearly every rulebook in existence, this
  one is divided up into several sections. A
  player or Game Master does not need to
  read and memorize every bit of this book,
  but should get comfortable with those
  sections most relevant to the campaign and
  desired setting.
  Magic in the Campaign. This deals with
  the very touchy issue of allowing magic into
  a campaign, and what the effects of opening
  the Pandora’s Box are likely to be. Game
  Masters should read this as they start
  designing their magic-laden campaign.
  The Magic User: This is, really, the main
  section that all players and characters
  should become familiar with. This section
  describes the creation and role of the magic-
  user within the campaign. It includes
  information on skills, background, statistics,
  advantages, and disadvantages.
  Spell-Casting. The basic rules on how to
  cast spells, both within and out of combat,
  are covered here. Again, everyone who
  wants to actually cast a spell should look
  here to know how.
  The Grimoire: Many finished spells are laid
  out here for convenience. They’re in
  alphabetical order and make for a handy
  reference.
  Spell-Crafting. If the spells in the Grimoire
  weren’t enough, this chapter details how to
  create new spells from the elemental forces.
  It is recommended that advanced and
  creative players and Game Masters use this
  chapter.
  Requirements
  Other 
  than 
  this 
  manual, 
  all 
  the
  requirements for using Elemental Reign are
  listed in the Game Engine Manual. This
  book is not a complete game, and is
  intended as a supplement to both the Game
  Engine Manual, and the Game Master’s
  setting.
  Lastly, if a reader is not familiar with Role
  Playing Games, please read through the
  Game Engine Manual first, since many of
  the concepts and ideas presented here will
  likely be alien to him.
  
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  Magic in the Campaign
  Magic is a difficult thing to sit down and
  define. The best way to explain it is that it is
  the harnessing of supernatural energies to
  create desired effects. In layman’s terms, it
  is tapping into the unknown and mystical to
  make what is wanted.
  If that definition is disturbing, it should
  probably remain so. Magic is mysterious
  and unknown. When someone is able to
  explain how a form of magic works, it
  suddenly becomes science. Until then, it
  remains the realm of those versed in it,
  steeped in mysticism and ritual.
  For Elemental Reign, the definition changes
  very little. Magic in this game is when a
  character taps into his mana to control the
  elements. 
  By 
  controlling 
  these 
  primal
  magical forces, the caster can create spell
  effects.
  What is Mana? Mana, put simply, is the
  amount of inner energy that a character can
  muster. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  combination 
  of 
  the
  character’s intelligence, willpower, and
  perception. The higher these basic statistics
  are, the more mana the character has at his
  disposal, and the more he can control the
  elemental forces to create spells. The higher
  the mana, the more powerful a magic user
  can become.
  What are Spells? A spell is a method for
  creating a desired effect, such as setting off
  a fireball, reading a foreign language, or
  deflecting incoming attacks. In many ways,
  a spell is a recipe. The character must
  follow the instructions for the spell in order
  to create what he wants. If a  spell is a
  recipe, the ingredients are the character’s
  mana and skills.
  Where do Spells Come From? This system
  is deliberately abstract as to how spells are
  learned. Many settings simply assume that
  a character learns spells and magic related
  skills as he would any other ability. Others
  require magic-users to be born with the
  ability to cast spells. Still others require
  unfortunate power-seekers to give up a part
  of their own essence to some supernatural
  power for magical favor.
  The source of spells comes from the
  campaign and the setting. Spells may all
  work the same way once learned, but
  learning them is going to be very specific to
  each different campaign.
  Fantasy Campaigns
  When adding magic, the Game Master’s
  first duty is to consider where magic fits
  into his campaign. Is it all-encompassing,
  permeating ever fiber of life? Is it instead
  subtler, 
  belonging 
  only 
  a 
  select 
  and
  removed few? Does magic come from
  within, or does it require the use of some
  foreign agent?
  When the Game Master is making these
  decisions, he’s also dramatically shaping his
  setting and campaign. The level of magic
  alone could change how empires are born
  and maintained. The source of magic may
  make it a boon to the adventurer, or a
  source of depravity and evil. The Game
  Master should choose from her options
  carefully.
  The Level of Magic
  Magic 
  is 
  a 
  powerful, 
  inspiring, 
  and
  frightening force within a world, but it loses
  something when it can be commonly found,
  and it can be overly powerful if made too
  rare. Somewhere in between the extremes is
  a level comfortable for a Game Master’s
  carefully designed campaign.
  The Game Master needs to determine
  exactly how much and how powerful he
  wants magic to be in his campaign. This
  could be tricky, and will probably take a
  few times in practice before the Game
  Master 
  finds 
  some 
  level 
  that 
  she’s
  comfortable with.
  Witches, Warlocks, and Fear: Some fantasy
  games, particularly those in the horror
  genre, look upon magic as the ultimate
  
  Elemental Reign
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  intangible knowledge. Those who practice it
  are too powerful to be mortal, and must
  have sold their soul or made some other
  supernatural contract to gain their power.
  Whether this is true in the campaign or not,
  the point is that magic is extremely rare and
  reserved for the select few, and those few
  inspire fear and terror through their magic
  abilities alone.
  Example: Most of classical and medieval Europe
  languished 
  under 
  high 
  superstition 
  and
  illiteracy. Many people believed that not only
  did magic exist, but it was responsible for the
  ills of the world. More than that, however, they
  accused those who were aloof or removed from
  the town’s people as being the casters of this ill-
  magic. Lonely women, in particular, were
  branded and burned for witchcraft, though they
  usually had committed no crime other than
  being single. The true witches of the time could
  be found in high society, within the wives and
  lovers of the nobles.
  Low Fantasy. Low Fantasy games are those
  which do have a decent amount of magic in
  them, but magic is considered extremely
  unusual, 
  and 
  often 
  not 
  available 
  to
  adventurers or the common folk. More
  often than  not, it is the ‘bad guys’ that are
  using the darker aspects of magic to further
  their aims, and the heroes still have to
  overcome them.
  Example: The 50’s were full of ‘pulp’ horror and
  fantasy books which involved the use of black
  magic. Evil wizards could cast powerful magic
  on our intrepid heroes. Magic artifacts were the
  centerpiece of quests. The heroes would have to
  struggle constantly against zombies, fireballs,
  will bending spells, and powerful phantasms,
  but usually never had any of these abilities
  themselves. In a way, it reinforced the idea that
  magic was both evil and taboo.
  Pulp Magic. A vast majority of fantasy
  games fall into the ‘pulp magic’ category.
  This means that while magic goes to a select
  few, it is powerful and inspiring. Where
  most common folk cannot master the
  elements, wizards can perform incredible
  feats. Magic items can be found, through
  effort. Spells and apprenticing go to those
  who know how.
  Example: The small town had little use for a
  wizard.  Though the governor had insisted, the
  townsmen balked. Few trusted those who studied
  magic, largely because they couldn’t tear
  themselves away from their farms and trade to
  study the art. They would be thankful for their
  wizard  soon, however, as the storm’s clouds
  appeared on the horizon.
  High Fantasy: Magic in high fantasy is very
  common and quite powerful. Adventurers,
  more than anyone, can enjoy the benefits of
  powerful spells. Fantastic creatures appear
  with some regularity, and formal schools
  for magic have even been set up in some
  kingdoms. While not every person in the
  world knows magic, or even uses it, they
  have probably been in its presence more
  than once.
  Example: The dragon-riders had come in
  quickly. The enemy soldiers of the realm had
  been taught to use fire-magic to its fullest effect,
  making the flight very dangerous. The riders, for
  their part, knew fire just as well, and what
  happens when it is combined with water to make
  steam. The realm’s magical infantry was very
  surprised to see their favorite attacks turn into a
  smokescreen to be used by their enemies.
  Magical Technology: This is the highest
  form of magical power in a setting. It is
  simply everywhere, and controls every part
  of every day life. Magical skills are taught
  from an early age, and everyone can expect
  a great deal of magic items, spell-power,
  and sources of Mana.
  Example: The world had long ago forgotten
  what life was like without magic. For those born
  Magic-dead, life had become some imitation of
  hell. They were teased, chided, and abused.
  Society considered them rejects, and were
  usually slain as young children. A few, however,
  managed to survive, building their strength in
  different ways. Their time was coming.
  
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  Source of Power
  The second major question to answer is
  ‘where does all this magic come from?’ This
  answer might directly relate to the power of
  magic in a campaign, or it could merely be
  added for flavor. The source of magic could
  be anything from merely an extension of
  nature, to a perverse ritualistic system
  coming from the sacrifice of innocents.
  Natural Magic: Most campaigns should
  probably assume that magic is simply
  another part of nature. Mana is always
  available for use, and spells can come about
  as easily as other skills and abilities.
  Nothing gets modified, and no special
  rituals or materials are needed.
  Example: A group of heroes are wandering
  through the Elf Woods. One of them, a mage,
  needs to cast a spell to determine where they are.
  He merely needs to concentrate on the spell’s
  instructions to tap into his mana. The spell is
  cast immediately.
  Oils and Substances: Many settings may
  require some external ingredient to either
  help allow, or to fully allow, a character to
  tap into his mana. Mystic oils, mandrake
  root, and other forms of brews can be used
  as the catalyst.
  Each dose of the substance can allow the
  magic-user to tap into his full allotment of
  mana, as long as the dose remains in his
  system. This process usually lasts about
  eight hours. It’s a matter of convenience
  that most mages will include this substance
  in their regular diet, thus always keeping
  their mana available.
  Example: A mage uses a specially prepared
  mandrake root to allow him to tap into his
  mana. At breakfast, he ingests it with his eggs
  and ham. For the next eight hours, he can then
  cast spells as normal. When the hours pass,
  however, his mana is once again blocked.
  As an aside, the Game Master could
  determine that the substance needed to free
  mana is an addictive substance, like a drug.
  As the mage continues his career, the worse
  his craving for the substance grows.
  Eventually, the mage will desire the
  substance more itself than for its use, and it
  that desire could even dominate his life.
  Example: After three years, the mage had
  ingested a large amount of the prepared
  mandrake root. Now, it seemed as if his system
  demanded it. Mandrake root, properly prepared,
  was not a cheap item, but he needed it
  desperately, and he knew where some was. It
  was guarded, but it was there.
  Prayer: This could be an obvious source,
  but one’s faith in one’s deity might be
  enough to free a person’s mana. Certainly
  many of the magical feats accomplished in
  the Old Testament follow this idea, as well
  as stories in many other religions.
  As a character prays or chants, mana is
  released for use. For ease of play, for every
  five minutes that a character spends
  praying to his god, one point of mana is
  released for use. It’s also a good idea to
  make the player role-play some part of the
  prayer, to better instill the idea of where his
  magic is coming from.
  Example: The druids were a very insular and
  religious sect. They spent hours chanting to
  their deity for favor, and were rewarded for their
  faith with the power to harness nature itself.
  Note that this idea is purely for the game.
  Real religions work in their own ways, and
  no mere game system could adequately
  cover them all and do any of them justice.
  No players should take the faiths presented
  in their gaming sessions too seriously,
  unless it is their true religion.
  Lastly, this idea also allows the Game
  Master to pull the plug on any religious
  character who acts against the ethos of his
  religion. Put simply, if he angers his deity,
  his deity isn’t going to be terribly inclined
  to give him power.
  Mental Discipline: Some settings may
  simply require characters that want to cast
  
  Elemental Reign
  6
  spells to devote an extraordinary amount of
  effort into training his mind. Effectively, he
  has to learn a mental training skill before
  learning any of the magical skills.
  To make it easy, a character could simply
  learn the mediation skill to accomplish this.
  Each level of meditation that he knows will
  free up one point of mana for use with
  magic.
  Example: Martial Arts are trained in both body
  and mind for their skills. Some of the legendary
  and mythical Martial Arts have powers that
  approach 
  magical 
  skills. 
  These 
  powers
  supposedly require a lot of mental training
  before they may be used properly.
  Soul Selling: Those desperate for power
  have been known to consort with dark
  powers to gain it. In some cases, such
  unfortunate fools have given a part of their
  very essence over to access their own mana.
  In short, they have sold their soul for
  power.
  Soul Selling has a deadly cost, even in life.
  When a person sells off a bit of his essence,
  all 
  mental 
  statistics 
  are 
  permanently
  reduced by one point. In addition, these
  statistics can never be increased. Also, the
  character is travelling the dark path, and
  gains a third level phobia of all religious
  icons.
  His reward for selling his soul is that he
  may now tap into his full mana. He is
  doomed, however, for death is more than
  final from him. When he dies, he is
  irrevocably destroyed. He is no longer a
  person, but an abomination.
  Example: It was said that many ancient ladies of
  Europe sold their souls to Lucifer in exchange
  for the power to control their men. These women
  could then supposedly cast spells to enthrall and
  entice their lovers and husbands. These ‘witches’
  even performed sacrifices and bizarre rituals to
  gain in power. Most of them, however, were
  slain by the guards of the crown. No prayers
  were said for them, and they were burned
  instead of buried, for they had no souls left to
  pray for.
  Sacrifice. Not uncommon in horror genres,
  and certainly a common belief for medieval
  society, the source of magic in some realms
  is the use of sacrifice. It is an extremely
  disturbing source, and almost always lies in
  the purview of the most evil of magic-users.
  For a sacrificial source, something must be
  slain. This could be an animal, plant, or
  something else with life force (health for
  our purposes). Each point of health slain in
  the ritual allows the dark mage to use one
  point of his mana for spells.
  Example: A necromancer has taken a young girl
  to be his next victim. She currently has fifteen
  points of health. When the ritual is complete, the
  necromancer takes those fifteen points, setting
  free fifteen of his mana for use in spell casting.
  The necromancer actually has twenty mana, but
  the remaining five are still trapped, pending
  another sacrifice.
  To state this simply, sacrificial magic is
  utterly evil. Campaigns and settings that
  use it should be very careful to make this
  point clear. Innocents are being slain for
  power. It is the darkest of the dark magic,
  included here primarily to provide a source
  of power for the horror villains of pulp
  horror movies and evil cults of medieval
  society.
  Learning Magic
  Now that the Game Master knows where
  magic itself comes from, she now has to
  decide how characters can learn to tap into
  it. Some campaigns may require a tight lid
  kept on magical secrets. Other campaigns
  might have spell instructions on sales racks
  and the local scroll store.
  Obviously, though, the harder it is for
  someone to learn spells, the more awe-
  inspiring magic becomes. If everyone could
  pick up a Grimoire and start casting, after
  all, magic wouldn’t be special in that
  
  Elemental Reign
  7
  setting. As with all things, the Game Master
  should flavor to taste.
  Forgotten Knowledge. In some settings,
  such as contemporary Terra, magic is a long
  dead art. A few individuals may know
  some of the juicy bits and pieces, and entire
  cults may center around some seepage from
  the past, but the knowledge is mostly dead.
  Characters can pretty much forget about
  learning anything new.
  Example: In the mid 1930’s, the Nazi War
  Machine was very interested in the occult.
  Many historical relics were uncovered, most of
  which were supposed to have magical and
  powerful abilities attached to them. If any did,
  however, no one learned how to tame them, and
  they never saw action on the battlefield.
  Innate. Certainly the easiest way to run a
  campaign is to let the characters innately
  know the basics of magic, and let them
  advance in their spells without any other
  knowledge. 
  This 
  does 
  lead 
  to 
  every
  character having a great deal of magical
  ability, since they don’t need special
  training (or experience points) to pick up
  the elemental skills.
  Example: Let’s say that Xerina, a druidess, has
  the innate ability to learn magic. She does not
  need to learn the elemental skills, and simply
  purchases the spells themselves. She can
  purchase a level six earth spell, for example,
  without actually learning the earth element to
  level six.
  I won’t give a lot of credence to this idea,
  though. It would work for ultra-heroic
  types of campaigns, or for the rare and
  powerful character, but that is primarily
  because it quickly leads to powerful
  characters.
  Self-taught: This is the most effective
  method for wandering, adventuring mages.
  The mages spend the time and effort
  themselves to learn the elemental skills, and
  then the spells that are allowed from them.
  This method is described in detail in the
  next chapter, and could be considered the
  ‘default’ method.
  This method is most suitable for pulp to
  high-fantasy campaigns, where mages are
  common enough that they could reasonably
  learn well on their own with the right
  equipment and a nice, big, Grimoire at their
  disposal.
  Example: In the story-line presented throughout
  this book, Sonya is mostly a self taught mage,
  using her old teacher’s tome for a reference tool.
  During her adventures, her power grows as she
  studies, through she does have to take time out
  to learn the spells and skills that she needs.
  Master 
  and 
  Apprentice: 
  A 
  common
  method 
  for 
  training 
  in 
  pulp 
  fantasy
  involves the old wizard passing down his
  skills to a young apprentice. The younger
  person is usually assigned a number of
  chores, and basically performs mundane
  duties, all the while learning magic to make
  those 
  duties 
  easier. 
  Eventually, 
  the
  apprentice will step up his magical skills to
  more flashy and powerful ability.
  This method can provide for some strong
  background on a character, as well as make
  a 
  good 
  non-player 
  character 
  for 
  the
  apprentice character to interact with.
  Example: Sonya began her magical career as an
  apprentice to an old mage. She learned the basic
  elemental skills from him as well as a few
  mundane spells from the Grimoire. After he
  died, she was found by an adventuring party,
  already well able to use her magic for combat
  and exploration.
  Familiars: A familiar is a supernatural
  teacher of magic and spells. In many cases,
  it is some sort of elemental spirit inhabiting
  a cat, or other small animal. The familiar
  has the physical attributes of the animal, but
  the mental attributes of a powerful wizard.
  Generally, the familiar is a constant friend
  and companion to the wizard, though other
  relationships are less loving.
  
  Elemental Reign
  8
  Often, when a caster is performing rituals
  or have sold their souls, the familiar is, in
  actuality, a demon of considerable power.
  While the demon does grant spells to the
  caster, it is usually at its own high cost. The
  caster must continue to perform acts of
  severe perversion to appease the demon, all
  the while losing his willpower over time to
  the demon’s own, true, hunger.
  Example: A witch in medieval times has already
  sold her soul, and now uses a familiar to teach
  her spells. The demon she calls upon takes the
  body of a black cat, and grants her magic based
  on certain conditions, how often she commits
  murder, adultery, and other crimes. Desperate
  for power, the witch relents, and eventually
  becomes no more than a puppet for the demon.
  Finally, the demon drains all the willpower from
  the witch, leaving her a lifeless husk, devoid of
  both soul and mind.
  Circles and Schools: These are more
  organized forms of instruction, involving
  several 
  teachers 
  and 
  many 
  levels 
  of
  learning. A school is a formal training
  center, while a circle is more casual,
  involving only a handful of tightly knit
  people. A potential student must first pass
  an initiation, and then joins the school in a
  tight brotherhood (or sisterhood).
  The main advantage of circles and schools
  is that nearly any level of magic can be
  taught within them. With so many people
  each contributing to researching magic,
  there exists no greater source to learn about
  the elements and what can be done with
  them.
  Example: Druids often work in circles. A young
  initiate must first prove herself and her loyalty
  to the circle, usually in some sort of ritual, but
  then gains access to the magic knowledge of all
  members within the circle. During her career
  there, however, she is also obligated to teach her
  skills and her discoveries to other circle
  members.
  The Elemental Flavor
  For 
  those 
  who 
  haven’t 
  yet 
  noticed,
  Elemental Reign uses a strong elemental
  theme in its magic. Magic is shaped from
  the five basic elements: Earth, Water, Fire,
  Air, and Void. Where magic is prevalent
  and powerful, it is very likely that other
  aspects of society will adopt the same basic
  theme.
  Religion may become shaped on the
  elements, birthdays and star-signs will be
  assigned to them. Governments and civic
  centers may use the elements to guide their
  routine. In general, the more magic there is,
  the more it will affect the setting.
  Example: In a desert fantasy campaign, magic is
  so powerful that even the races themselves are
  believed to be embodiments of the elements. Each
  race is likened to an element that it most
  resembles in spirit. The strongest would be
  earth. The most scholarly belongs to water. The
  most passionate, fire. The swiftest, air. Finally,
  the most mysterious belongs to the element of
  Void.
  Magic as Conflict
  While magic and spell casting can seem like
  an easy way to solve a conflict, it can also
  bring in conflict of its own. Magic is merely
  a form of power and control, and that will
  always attract unwanted attentions.
  Those Who Hate Magic. Many settings will
  have magic cast by a select few, those who
  spend the time and effort in learning spells
  and skills. For many people in the same
  setting, though, magic is a foreign and
  dangerous concept. Magic users become
  distrusted, and possibly even hated. They
  become feared and despised because of the
  power 
  that 
  they 
  possess. 
  Perhaps 
  a
  malevolent spell-caster damaged the mages’
  reputation in the past. Perhaps the power
  had been abused. No matter the original
  cause, though, known spell-casters may be
  forced to live in isolation or in constant fear
  for their very lives.
  Example: While dark magic and the occult
  would get much of the press in medieval
  settings, there probably are a number of
  ‘witches’ that use their knowledge to heal and
  
  Elemental Reign
  9
  cure the sick.   Sadly, the common people won’t
  see the distinction between a ‘white’ and ‘dark’
  witch, and will burn both to the stake.
  Opposing Schools. Rivalry is another
  major source of magical conflict. Many
  settings will have more than one circle or
  school, perhaps belonging to different
  kingdoms. Inevitably, these rivals will take
  things too far, perhaps even causing
  violence between the various factions.
  Example: Two schools vied for dominance in the
  same realm. One was given over to more
  practical use of magic, while the other
  emphasized art and flavor. It started as a
  friendly rivalry, with awards and trophies going
  to whichever side was more successful in
  contests that the realm organized. For years, an
  uneasy rivalry was between them, and contests
  kept them at bay from one another. This
  particular year, however, some of the famed
  champions of both schools were turning up dead.
  Quest for power. There are those who see
  magic as a means to an end. There are
  others who see magic as a powerful means
  to an end. These men use magic to control
  their forces and drive their ambitions, and
  they constantly seek to improve their spell-
  casting ability, if only to make them even
  more formidable.
  Example: The Dark-Mage was known and
  dreaded by all. He had grown in power for many
  years, some say longer than any mortal could
  live. His amassed army swore themselves fully
  to him, else they would feel the wrath of his
  black flames. He had been called a ‘demon’, and
  all magic had been associated with him and his
  realm.
  Non-Player Characters
  When the Game Master starts assigning
  magic to his own characters, he needs to
  address a few issues. Most of these issues
  will answer themselves, based on the nature
  of her intended campaign. Just by taking
  the few seconds to think these issues
  through, the Game Master can create
  rewarding, if not outright dangerous, non-
  player characters for his campaign.
  Where does the magic fit in? Believe it or
  not, this simple question is often the most
  overlooked. Above all else, the new
  character and his ability has to fit in
  naturally within the campaign. If the
  character is inordinately powerful, or is too
  dramatically different from how the rest of
  the campaign flows, the players will lose
  their suspension of disbelief, and the
  running story is ruined. That’s something to
  avoid at all costs.
  Example: To show what not to do, a player has
  created a mage that is capable of slaughtering
  whole armies. He is malevolent and hateful,
  caring little about his troops and his people. He
  has come from nowhere, and threatens to take
  over the world. While this sounds like a
  plausible villain, a lot of questions come up. If
  no one has heard of him, where did his army
  come from? How did he gain so much power
  without anyone noticing? If he’s such a
  powerful mage, why does the party have to deal
  with him if he could slay them outright?
  Assigning the level of power. It may seem
  obvious, but assigning the level of power
  that a character has in magic can be a bit
  tricky. No character should have more
  magic at his disposal than is necessary for
  the character’s development.
  If the character is more of a commoner sort,
  he probably isn’t going to need much, if
  any, magical skills to get him by, so we
  won’t likely spend the time to learn it. A
  warlord might have only invested in
  combat spells. Old sages and scholars may
  have a lot of spells, but only a few
  dedicated to combat.
  Example: The Game Master has determined that
  the lead villain in his campaign is a powerful
  combat mage. This time, however, he’s given
  some thought to where the mage has gotten his
  power. The mage started as a mercenary in his
  late teens, slowly building up magical prowess
  in his missions. Eventually, his fame in certain
  circles grew and he amassed a small fortune, an
  
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  10
  army, and a great deal of combat-related spells.
  Now, in his late forties, he is hell-bent on
  conquering the party’s homeland for reasons of
  his own.
  At any rate, the Game Master should
  remember 
  that 
  it 
  takes 
  considerable
  experience to gain spells and skills at the
  higher ranks. Though someone may want to
  be powerful, it will take a great deal of
  effort to get their levels of power. There
  shouldn’t be many ultra-powerful mages
  running around, but there could be some
  heavy-hitters that spend all their time in
  study.
  Example: The previous example is a good place
  to start. We know that the combat-mage has
  been in his career for about twenty-five years.
  That is a lot of time to gain experience. We’ll
  assume that he’s built up about three thousand
  points of experience for his full array of skills
  and abilities.
  Of course, he has his physical combat abilities
  raised to a high-level, somewhere above sevens.
  He’s likely also augmented a few statistics.
  Then, there is his magical skill. Almost half the
  character’s total experience could be spent in
  raising the magical skills to high levels, and
  then to a number of individual spells.
  The remaining experience goes to flesh out the
  character’s personality. The warrior-mage could
  be softened with well-played music, for example,
  and he could indeed have musical skills on his
  own. Perhaps he is charming and attractive and
  has the seduction and etiquette skills to their
  maximum? No man lives with only combat
  skills, after all.
  Introducing 
  the 
  character. 
  When 
  the
  character is created, it’s very likely that the
  new mage is going to make him known
  somehow. Many times, these mages make
  themselves the centerpiece of the story, and
  often interfere directly with the lives of the
  party members.
  Remember though, that not all of these
  characters are going to be villains. Many
  could actually aid the party by providing
  wisdom, power, or even simply moral
  support. Others can merely be love-
  interests, family members, or old friends,
  somehow connected to the campaign’s
  story line. No matter what the connection,
  however, the Game Master should consider
  it carefully, and insure that the character’s
  introduction fits well within the desired
  campaign.
  Example: The campaign begins with our
  warrior-mage making his first incursions into
  the party’s home realm. The party is called upon
  to help the defense of their small village. They
  are very surprised to see the ‘villain’ venture
  into the village alone and confront the village
  elder, who recognizes him. Before the party can
  react, the village elder is slain, and our warrior-
  mage rides away to continue his war elsewhere.
  Elemental Magic and Characters
  Allowing the party to have magic-users is a
  fairly big decision. Magic is a powerful ally,
  and can set the tone of the overall
  campaign. Powerful mages can offset entire
  parties. Weak mages may feel useless. As
  with any other designing bits, allowing
  magic-using characters brings up some
  questions that the Game Master needs to
  answer.
  How many mages does the party need? A
  game master should quickly decide exactly
  how many mages that he’ll need for the
  party. A mage-heavy party will have tough
  times 
  in 
  extended 
  combats, 
  or 
  in
  performing stealthy feats. The setting may
  also frown heavily on too many mages
  spending too much time with one-another.
  On the other hand, not enough mages in a
  party could leave them without the much-
  needed spell support in a crisis.
  Unfortunately, there’s no amount of advice
  that can be given to get this right. The Game
  Master and her group are going to have to
  practice until it’s right for them and their
  campaign. Individual playing styles have a
  great deal more to do with the strength of a
  mage than the skills and powers that the
  player’s mage may posses.
  
  Elemental Reign
  11
  Example: Two different people are running A
  mage character. The first is a shy, timid sort,
  and her playing style is accordingly very
  reserved. The mage, under her control, seldom
  casts spells, and constantly whines about her
  ineffectiveness. The party finds themselves
  wishing for another mage. The same character,
  when controlled by the other player, proves to be
  simply deadly in combat, and more than able to
  aid the entire party even when low on mana.
  The party is now very thankful for that
  character.
  How 
  the 
  mages 
  have 
  come 
  about?
  Something else to consider is answering
  how the mages got to be mages in the first
  place. Where did these starting characters
  get 
  their 
  unique 
  knowledge? 
  This 
  a
  question 
  primarily 
  reserved 
  for 
  the
  background of each character, but it
  something which has to mesh in well with
  the existing background. The rarer the
  magic in the setting, the more difficult and
  more interesting a time the character should
  have had in starting her career.
  Many times, the setting will provide
  obvious answers to this question. In a
  setting where masters often seek out
  apprentices, the party member was one of
  those apprentices sought out. In settings
  with schools and circles, she is merely a
  new initiate, beginning her formal training.
  Example: Xerina is a young druidess, recently
  inducted into her circle. As the circle makes
  preparations for an upcoming holiday, a young
  knight comes to them seeking aid. The elders of
  the circle decide that Xerina should accompany
  him, in order to raise her ability, as well as
  educate her about the world around them.
  Forgotten or forbidden knowledge brings in
  its own problems. A mage is going to
  discover her talents either accidentally, or
  by breaking the laws of the land. Either
  way, her ability is going to be kept quite
  secret, for fear of persecution or death.
  Having the other members of her party
  discover 
  her 
  talent 
  could 
  prove
  problematic.
  Example: A young girl got lost in a forest. She
  ran blindly in fear and stumbled across what
  looked like an abandoned Puritan church, dating
  back from the sixteen hundreds. Curious, she
  went inside. Some power filled her as she
  entered. She noted an open bible on the last
  remaining 
  table 
  in 
  the 
  chapel, 
  sitting
  comfortably with another book, emblazoned with
  a Knight’s Cross, entitled ‘God’s Magic of the
  Templar’.
  Character Generation. When the Game
  Master determines how mages can get their
  start, she then needs to decide what, if any,
  modifications she’s going to make to
  character generation. Some settings may
  require 
  certain 
  skills, 
  advantages, 
  or
  disadvantages to allow spell casting. Other
  settings may modify how spells are bought
  through experience. The rules given in the
  next few chapters could be considered the
  ‘default’ spell-casting rules, from which the
  Game Master could modify to better suit
  her purposes.
  Example: For one setting, the Game Master has,
  for some reason, determined that only women
  are allowed to be spell-casters. Any males in the
  group cannot learn spells, but instead gain a +1
  bonus to their strength to make up for it.
  Assigning Limitations. Many settings may
  wish to limit the upper power of magic.
  This can be done by capping the maximum
  level of skill (most skills usually terminate
  at level ten), by the levels of spells, or by
  disallowing the element of ‘void’.
  Example: In one low-mana setting, everyone
  recovers mana at half-rate of normal, no matter
  the circumstances. Spell-casters have to be extra
  careful in what magic they may use, for they
  won’t be getting their mana back any time soon.
  It is possible, also, to simply penalize the
  use of magic in play. Magic use can cause
  damage, and not just mana fatigue. It can
  also become an addiction, as the rush of
  power courses through the body. Some
  societies may frown on magic so much that
  
  Elemental Reign
  12
  those who practice it could be slain on
  sight.
  Example: Ryan is a magic user in the middle
  ages. His art is mostly forgotten, and it takes a
  great deal of effort for him to cast spells. He
  causes one dice of damage to himself for each
  point of major effect in a spell that he uses. Even
  a few minor spells could kill him.
  Room for Growth. Finally, characters are
  going to need to know how they can
  improve upon their skills. While many can
  merely improve their skills in the same
  manner as when they first learned them,
  other characters can find the situation
  impossible. The Game Master should make
  some allowance to improve magical skills,
  even if it is extremely limited.
  Example: After Sonya’s mentor died, she spent
  several weeks learning the basic research she
  needed to improve her own skills. Finally, she
  was able to take the time to learn spells on her
  own, gathering what she could from her
  mentor’s notes and Grimoire.
  
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  13
  The Magic User
  Players should, hopefully, be familiar with
  the basics of character generation already,
  including statistics, skills, background, and
  other little details. If a player isn’t familiar
  with these concepts, he should probably
  refer back to the complete Game Engine
  Manual for a refresher.
  The role of the magic user: It isn’t enough
  to say that a magic-user is the person who
  uses magic in the party. A Magic User is
  someone who dedicates a large amount of
  their time, effort, and lives to the pursuit of
  their art. Where everyone else may pick up
  a spell or two, or dabble in the mystic arts,
  the magic-user takes in the arts fully. His
  magic, and how he uses it, defines him.
  That said, typically, the magic-user is an
  intelligent scholar. He, or she, is well versed
  in many fields, most of which directly are
  related to his art. Other skills may include
  the basic sciences of his time, literature, and
  even art.
  Example: The old sage of the realms was well
  known to hold massive power, but he was also a
  learned man. While hundreds who seek to learn
  magic from him are turned from his tower, those
  who speak of other subjects, such as the arts of
  the period, or the nature of the world around
  them, are usually let in for a spot of herbal tea.
  A few magic-users, however, are given over
  to the needs of war, and may have coupled
  powerful combat-related magic along with
  their formidable physical combat skills.
  Example: Yaimon is a powerful warrior-mage,
  charged with protection his realm and its
  magical secrets. To this end, he has honed both
  his swords and his magical prowess to a
  frightening degree. Those who survive his spells
  are seldom in good enough shape to deal with his
  blood-soaked blades.
  What makes a mage then? As had been
  stated, mages are merely those who
  dedicate themselves fully to their talent.
  They are the sort who has grown to love
  magic and its uses. A magic user is one with
  a great knowledge of magic. How they may
  use this knowledge can vary widely, and
  they can fill a very large number of possible
  roles.
  Prerequisite Statistics
  What statistics are common in well-done
  mages? While a mage certainly doesn’t need
  to push the maximum of his useful
  statistics, he should go down to the lower
  end, either. Actually, good mages usually
  range a little physically weaker than other
  characters, but are often a little bit more
  intelligent. Their mana is generally a few
  points higher than their health. A good
  mage should be a little above average in his
  brains, and often be willing to use his wits
  to overcome a situation rather than spell-
  blasting anything he sees.
  While it can be argued that these statistics
  mean much in making a powerful mage,
  they don’t do much in making a good
  mage. In other words, the characters get flat
  and uninteresting. How many ‘frail and
  rude ultra-mages’ can fit into one world,
  anyway? Far too many, it seems.
  If a player wants to make a mage character,
  a lot of thought needs to go into that
  character, certainly a lot more than where
  the ‘10’ should go into the statistics slots. As
  with any other character, the key point of
  the mage is the style and flavors of the
  character itself. The skills, statistics, and
  abilities will follow naturally.
  The Five Elements
  Magic takes years to master, and requires a
  great deal of concentration and practice.
  Even a mere marketplace showman would
  have spent some time behind books and
  honing his skills. No character should
  expect 
  to 
  become 
  a 
  powerful 
  mage
  overnight.
  To become a mage, an apprentice must
  learn the basics of the five elemental skills.
  The 
  five 
  skills 
  encompass 
  the
  
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  14
  understanding of the magical elements and
  the nature of reality. An apprentice begins
  his study of magic by studying the five
  elements, building up skill in each of them.
  As a mage increases his ability with each
  element, 
  she 
  increases 
  her 
  ability 
  to
  manipulate the world within the laws of
  each element.
  The five elements are Earth, Water, Fire,
  Air, and Void. Each of these elements has
  an appropriate skill, ranging from the
  easiest, Earth, to the hardest, Void. It takes
  one, some, or all of these skills to create
  spells. The five magical elements are listed
  below.
  Elemental: Earth. (Trivial Willpower) The
  element of earth is the simplest of the five to
  shape. It is the most physical of elements;
  the most tied to what mortals know of as
  real and tangible.
  When used as the major effect, or driving
  force, of a spell, it can cause damage with
  physical weapons, augment the physical
  capabilities of the caster, or provide barriers
  against any incoming attacks. When used as
  a minor effect, earth can link a spell effect to
  an item.
  Elemental: Water. (Easy Willpower) Water
  provides rain for crops, and vital drinks for
  survival. It can also torrent in deluge and
  wash away topsoil. It is less physical and
  therefore more difficult to manage than
  Earth.
  When used as the major effect, water has
  the 
  power 
  to 
  corrode 
  objects, 
  effect
  endurance and willpower, and instill cold
  into a person. As a minor effect, water is
  excellent at extending the duration of a
  spell.
  Elemental: Fire. (Average Willpower) Fire, as
  heavily harnessed as it is, nevertheless
  remains a difficult element to shape and
  control. Fire can bring infernos or warmth,
  depending on its use.
  As a major effect, fire can warm, alter one’s
  mental statistics, or simply burn. As a
  minor effect, fire can extend the area of
  effect of a spell into a sphere or a cone.
  Elemental: Air. (Difficult Willpower) The
  element of Air is vital to life, but remains
  very difficult to control. Air can be a cool
  breeze, or a stream of lightning. Air can
  bring damaging electricity, or force from
  ferocious winds.
  As a major effect, air can effect perception
  or dexterity. It can cause damage through
  sound, wind, or even lightning. As a minor
  effect, air adds range to a spell.
  Elemental: Void. (Hard Willpower) Void is
  that intangible element which surpasses
  most of our understanding. It is darkness,
  sickness, cold, and negation.  Void is the
  least tangible of the five elements, and even
  eludes precise definition by scholars. It is
  the hardest element to master.
  Void can effect the mental statistics of a
  character, or magic use itself as a major
  effect. As a minor effect, it can delay the
  effect of a spell, or separate the effect of a
  spell from the caster.
  Learning the Skills
  The five elemental skills are bought up and
  learned in the same way as normal skills. In
  essence, they are indeed merely five new
  skills made for the express purpose in
  learning magic. Merely use the rules
  provided in the Game Engine Manual to see
  how to raise these skills.
  Example: A mage is attempting to increase his
  knowledge of the water elements from level two
  to level three. Since water is an easy skill, it has
  a base cost of two. Raising it to level three would
  cost six experience points.
  Note that while the skills give a character
  basic knowledge of how the elements are
  used to form spells, the magic user still
  does not actually know how to form a spell.
  For that, the mage also needs to learn a few
  of the spells themselves.
  
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  15
  Learning Spells
  A mage learns new spells through research,
  either by reading it whole in an existing
  Grimoire (a large book of spells), or by
  creating new ones of her own. No matter
  how she picks up the spell, however, she
  needs to spend experience to actually learn
  it for her own use. She must also be able to
  actually cast the spell, as each spell requires
  a certain amount of knowledge of the
  elements that comprise it.
  Elemental 
  Makeup: 
  Each 
  spell 
  has
  elemental ingredients that the mage must be
  able to know how to mix together. In a
  spell’s description, the magic-user will find
  the elemental makeup, which lists what
  skills are necessary to learn the spell. The
  mage’s elemental skills must be greater than
  or at least equal to the total requirements of
  each element in order to learn the spell.
  Example: The ‘Accelerate the Magic’ spell has a
  makeup of ‘W5A1’, which requires the mage to
  know the water element of at least level five, and
  the air element of at least level one.
  Example: The ‘Calm’ spell has a makeup of
  ‘W3W3’, requiring the mage to have a Water
  elemental skill of at least six to learn it. The first
  three levels are taken up in the major effect (the
  first ‘W3’). The last three are taken up with the
  ‘minor effect’ of the spell. (The last ‘W3’.)
  Major Effect: Every spell has a dominant
  effect. Fireballs create spheres of fire.
  Healing spells heal. This is the major effect
  of the spell. In a spell’s elemental makeup,
  the major effect should come first.
  The more power placed into the spell’s
  major effect, the more powerful the spell is,
  and the more difficult it is to learn.
  Example: The ‘Calm’ spell has an elemental
  makeup of ‘W3W3’. Its major effect is from the
  first ‘W3’, which makes the spell effect to ‘resist
  at three dice or relax’. This could be interpreted
  as a third-level water spell.
  Learning Cost: This is the amount of
  experience and study the mage requires in
  order to learn the spell. It is equal to the
  power of the spell’s major effect. The magic-
  user pays this amount of experience in
  order to learn the spell, and copy it to her
  Grimoire.
  Example: The ‘Calm’ spell has a Spell Cost of
  three listed with it, which means that the mage
  must spend three experience points in order to
  learn the spell itself. Once learned, the mage can
  use the spell whenever she has enough mana.
  Character Personalities
  Just because a character is a mage, many
  people make some rash assumptions about
  him. They can assume that he is intelligent,
  mystical, and usually a busybody who puts
  himself a layer or two above the other men
  around him. While this is sometimes true, it
  isn’t always necessarily the case.
  The 
  Old 
  Sage: 
  The 
  most 
  common
  perception of the wizard is that of the old
  sage. This is the elderly gentleman most
  interested in magic for study. He is the type
  to seem to know everything, or at least act
  like he does. His adventuring days are long
  since 
  over, 
  however, 
  even 
  with 
  his
  powerful magic.
  Example: One of the old realms has a powerful
  mage, who is known to write long-winded books
  about the various states surrounding his own.
  He is an expert on everything about his world,
  and often talks down to most of the people he
  meets. He can be witty, and even charming, but
  he remains isolated and aloof. Many fear the
  legend of his power.
  The obvious downside to this type of
  character is that he’s well beyond his
  adventuring career. He may be powerful,
  and may indeed know more about the
  world than anyone else, but he’s almost
  purely reserved to book-knowledge. His
  magic is also the stuff of legend, making
  him plot-device fodder.
  
  Elemental Reign
  16
  The Young Scholar: For every great wizard
  there are a hundred men who try to master
  the simplest of magic. These men spend
  their time learning about the elements and
  how they can be manipulated. They can be
  of some aid in combat, but their purpose in
  adventuring is to learn more about the
  world, and to hone their newfound skills.
  Example: As a boy, he was entertained for hours
  in the marketplace as the mages waved simple
  tricks to amuse the other children. Where they
  watched in wonder, however, he was more
  interested in how the tricks were performed. One
  day, he left his home to find a mage to teach him
  those tricks. In that day, his eyes opened to the
  world that surrounded his own.
  This type of character is an excellent choice
  for starting adventurers where magic is
  somewhat common. While not geared for
  combat, the scholar can offer information
  and use his magic to aid the party in many
  ways, 
  particularly 
  in 
  discovery 
  and
  deduction.
  The Rogue: The thief, be he of gold or
  hearts, can make excellent use of magic. He
  has learned that a little magic can well aid
  his already formidable skills, provide that
  extra support needed for escapes, as well as
  dazzle and charm spectators.
  Example: A rogue is someone who lives by their
  wits. A particular rogue has managed to worm
  his way into a hive of more dangerous
  marauders, very near their much-vaunted
  treasure. Knowing that he cannot hope to defeat
  the marauders in combat, he uses his magic
  spells to make him considerably more difficult to
  spot as he makes his way into their treasure
  chambers.
  For the rogue, the advantages of magic are
  obvious. Indeed, in many campaigns, the
  life of the thief may be one of the few lives
  that a magic-user may lead. Many magically
  skilled thieves will use only a few minor
  starting spells to aid them in hairy
  situations. The magic-rogue works well
  within a party, and is almost perfectly
  suited for solo playing.
  The Outcast: Many settings, particularly
  illiterate or superstitious ones, which view
  those who use magic with scorn and
  suspicion. The poor souls who are caught
  are often burned or driven out of their
  homes and are exiled forever. They must go
  on their own, beginning a new life with the
  skills that they have learned.
  Example: Robert was a religious man, but he
  was born with the innate ability to cast spells.
  This marked him as a ‘possessed’ child. His own
  family, the most powerful nobles of the realm,
  cast him aside at a young age. Richard was a
  survivor, however, and rose to power on his
  own, amassing magic and strength enough to
  make him the hero whom the realm needed most.
  This sort of mage is an excellent source of
  rich story line and background. He would
  either have to be careful, or powerful, or
  both,  to move about in society with any
  relative ease. It may be a hard character for
  beginning role-players to try out, but the
  character can also be a very rewarding one.
  The Warrior-Mage: There are some men
  skilled in both sword and spell, and they
  can grow to be the most fearsome
  combatant on the battlefield. The warrior-
  mage dedicates his life in the art of
  victorious battle, versed almost only in
  fighting, his role is rigid and definitive.
  Example: Yaimon Primeria is a warrior mage of
  some skill and renown, having dedicated most of
  his lift study to the arts of fire and weaponry.
  His skills and mindset are those of a military
  man, and while he remains a daunting foe on
  the battleground, he lacks more mundane and
  practical skills.
  The role of the warrior-mage should be
  pretty obvious. For them to excel in their
  craft, however, they must sacrifice a great
  deal of experience that could go to
  rounding out their character, possibly
  making them useless outside of combat. A
  good warrior-mage character will grow in
  power slowly, evolving into a fully rounded
  soul as well as a combat monster.
  
  Elemental Reign
  17
  The Wizard: The traditional wizard is the
  character that never seems to run out of
  tricks. While he’s intelligent, the wizard is
  more pragmatic in his use of magic,
  applying it more often to even mundane
  tasks. The wizard will attempt to learn and
  use as much magic as possible, whether he
  needs to or not
  Example: The “Old Gray One” has been around
  for a few hundred years, studying and learning
  magic for almost the entirety of that time. He’s
  still in good shape, but many people will
  attribute that to more magic, since the “Gray
  One” seems loathe to even turn the page of his
  great books without casting a spell to do it for
  him. Lord, forbid him from ever actually having
  to do some real work for a change.
  Wizards tend to be two main things,
  powerful, and obvious. Towns reporting
  strange goings on can often point to the
  local wizard for their woes. Wizards, while
  good at magic in all its forms, might be at a
  loss when magic isn’t a viable option for a
  solution.
  The Witch: The witch is a broad statement
  about a woman spell-caster. The statement
  isn’t exactly a flattering one. However, a
  more traditional witch is partial herbalist,
  spell-caster, and chanter. Her spells of
  choice are usually subtle, and more for
  affecting mood and long-term health.
  “Black Witches” usually opt for poison
  brews and secretive attack spells. “White
  Witches”, on the other hand, look for more
  positive uses of their knowledge.
  Example: In today’s society, there are a number
  of women (and men) who profess to be witches.
  While the nature of their spell-casting abilities is
  subject to debate, many are very versed in herbal
  remedies and various techniques at relaxation.
  Assuming that these real-world witches can cast
  spells, the effects are quite subtle, raising or
  lowering the mood and health of a subject over a
  period of days, if not weeks.
  The witch is an interesting character, and
  one that is particularly misunderstood.
  Witches were usually historical scapegoats,
  though some cases of Satanism and other
  dark forms of worship have been known.
  To be a witch, all one really had to do was
  know something about medicine that the
  official church did not. Herbal remedies,
  usually concocted from common plants,
  were rumored to contain poisons, animal
  parts, and even human tissue. Being a mid-
  wife was supposed to be some way to curse
  a newborn child to Hades itself. In point of
  fact, most of the common medical practices
  in use today would get someone burned at
  the stake only a few hundred years ago,
  with the word ‘Witch’ labeled upon them
  somehow.
  That said, playing a Witch is a choice best
  reserved for more experienced and daring
  role-players. The very word carries a lot of
  weight and imagery with it, most, but not
  all, of which is undeserved. Depending on
  the setting, witch characters could deal with
  persecution for imagined crimes, as well as
  the inability of most common-folk to tell the
  difference between a ‘White Witch’ and a
  ‘Black Witch’.
  The Pyromancer: Flame and pyrotechnics
  are the magic of choice for this character.
  Any spells ranging from simply lighting a
  candle to the greatest conflagration are fair
  game for him. Of course, using so much fire
  makes him adept at combat, as well as
  being convenient to have around when
  dinner needs cooked.
  Example: Every year, the Realm celebrates its
  succession from the Old Empire. Several
  pyromancers are gathered at the festival to
  ‘illuminate’ the evening with brilliant fireworks
  and controlled magical explosions. Many of
  these mages spend weeks thinking of ways to
  outdo one-another in flashy and spectacular
  ways.
  Fire, 
  when 
  controlled, 
  can 
  be 
  an
  exceptionally useful thing. The Pyromancer
  actually has a wide variety of uses, so long
  as the end result is showy and has a change
  of igniting local combustibles. They can be
  fun and relaxing to play, but may need to
  
  Elemental Reign
  18
  be forcibly stopped from throwing random
  fire-based spells in inappropriate situations.
  Background
  Hopefully, by now the player has an idea of
  how the character is going to shape up.
  Now it’s time to flesh out the character’s
  history and background, leading up to her
  adventuring career.
  Who is the character’s family? Most, but
  not necessarily all, mage characters had to
  be born from somewhere. The player needs
  to decide who the character’s family is, and
  what their role in society was as she was
  born.
  In many fantasy settings, particularly those
  with a medieval styling to them, the
  character’s bloodline is very important. In
  some settings, poor or common families
  may not be able to afford proper training
  for a mage child. In others, noblemen may
  be ordered against magic by the church. In
  still others, mages must have descended
  from a particular bloodline in order to gain
  any magical skills at all. The player should
  check with the Game Master to see what’s
  possible.
  Example: As a wilder, Sonya was born with
  innate magical abilities, passed down from her
  mother. Her mother, however, had long been
  shunned by the noble elements of society, which
  feared any manifestation of magic. Sonya
  remained isolated and poor in her youth.
  How did the character grow up? The
  character’s birth naturally leads to her
  childhood. It’s here that her attitudes to
  others and society are formed, and it’s here
  that the player must seek explanations for
  the basic personality for the character. How
  did the character handle her early life, and
  was there any traumatic events that helped
  shape it?
  Example: Sonya lived quietly for several years.
  The isolated town that her mother had chosen to
  settle was mostly peaceful and tolerant. That
  changed, however, when the Council seated a
  new official. The official was a harsh and cruel
  man, who took a liking to Sonya’s mother.
  When her mother became pregnant with the
  man’s child, Sonya’s life with them was over.
  She left home at the mere age of nine, joining up
  with a kind man who she thought was merely
  the local old hermit,
  When did the character get a taste for
  magic? The single most important event in
  a magic-user’s life is her first exposure to
  magic. At this point, the character’s
  eventual destiny has been started. The
  player should think of how this exposure
  began, and what effect did it have on the
  character.
  Example: Two years passed quietly for Sonya
  and her adopted-father. But her mother and the
  man who claimed her eventually did seek them
  out. The official simply tried to claim the girl for
  his own reasons. When the old man objected, the
  official tried to cut him down. Fearful and
  enraged, Sonya’s wild ability kicked in,
  destroying the man outright with a powerful fire
  attack. Her course was clear, she was magical in
  a world that hated magic.
  How was the character’s magical talent
  received? When the character began to
  delve into her magical skills, her newfound
  abilities had to have had some effect on
  those around her, particularly where magic
  is either feared or rare. The player needs to
  decide how the character’s new abilities
  were received, and how she continued to
  pick up her first few skills before she began
  picking up adventuring experience.
  Example: With the official dead, Sonya had
  much to fear. Even her own mother forsook her.
  The old hermit, whose life she thought she had
  saved, had other plans, however. The hermit
  himself was a mage of some ability, overjoyed at
  the prospect of passing down his dying craft.
  They left the small town within the week, in
  time to witness the torching of the house that
  they had called home. Soon, however, they
  would find a new home at an old tower, and she
  would begin her training.
  
  Elemental Reign
  19
  When 
  did 
  the 
  character 
  begin 
  her
  adventuring career? The last major incident
  in the character’s life before adventuring is
  the single moment where the character
  decides on her new career. Why, however,
  would she do it? There are number of
  reasons to adventure, but the player should
  find one which fits the character’s history so
  far, and what her future plans would be.
  Example: Sonya had steeled herself up before
  seeing the people who went to her home. The
  master that she knew they were seeking had died
  of his age several years ago. She had learned to
  distrust strangers, particular those that came
  calling to her master directly. She had almost
  managed to outright refuse them when she saw
  Robert quietly regarding her. He was calm,
  quiet, and a wilder, whose eyes locked with her
  own in an understanding that neither need
  speak. She had known magic for years now, but
  she had never felt a spell that had quite this
  effect on her.
  Adventuring
  Now that the character is beginning her
  career, she needs to decide on what she
  wants out of her new life. Most of the time,
  these wants are going to be the same as any
  other character, but mages may have special
  needs depending on the campaign.
  Why does this character adventure? While
  this may seem an easy question to answer,
  many mages have different desires than
  fortune and glory alone. Advanced magic
  requires experience and study, and many
  mages simply cannot advance their skills
  well unless they invoke practical uses of
  their talent quite often. Others may be
  forced into the ‘free’ life of adventuring
  merely because they know too much about
  the secrets of magic already.
  Example: Sonya had two real motivations for
  going. The first was the more practical reason;
  she needed friends. Mages were rare game in the
  world, worth a fortune to those than can hunt
  them down, and she wasn’t equipped yet to fight
  of those that had discovered her. Experience
  would teach her that. Her second reason,
  however, was more intriguing. It was the man
  who had looked to her. Being another wilder
  would have made him interesting enough, but
  she felt something more as well. Perhaps this
  was the man who would fill that emptiness
  burning in her.
  What is the mage’s role in the campaign?
  The player should now talk to the Game
  Master and the other players in the group to
  see where the new character fits in. This
  may be as simple as the party just needing a
  mage for support, or may be a more
  complex 
  issue 
  that 
  has 
  lasting 
  and
  important ramifications throughout the
  campaign.
  Example: Sonya didn’t really know her
  importance until well into their journey. Robert
  had remained quiet about the issue, and his two
  companions didn’t act like they even truly knew.
  When he told her, there was some sadness in his
  voice. Sonya was needed to somehow magically
  reseal an ancient portal, opened to the Abyss by
  some long-dead Necromancer. Somehow, the
  portal slipped open again, allowing horrors to
  walk the streets of the mundane. Sealing the
  portal was supposed to be easy enough, but
  getting there would be the trick. Worse still, the
  Council of Elders didn’t want to risk themselves
  in the trek. Sonya, and the group she was with,
  was considered ‘expendable’.
  What is the character’s end-goal? Lastly,
  the player needs to decide what the
  character wants to accomplish as a result of
  her adventuring. Basically, what does the
  character need to do in order to consider
  retirement?
  Example: Sonya is unsure of her life and
  destiny. She has studied, so far, to live. But now
  she has seen Robert’s own approach to his
  ‘wilder’ heritage, and questions her own future.
  Perhaps she need not be alone, and perhaps she
  can open the world to more of her own kind.
  Fitting In
  The Game Master has the last decision in
  accepting any mage into her campaign.
  When the character and background are
  
  Elemental Reign
  20
  created, she’ll look it over and ensure that
  everything is consistent to her campaign.
  It’s possible that, despite all the work taken
  so far, the Game Master just can’t make the
  character work in the campaign as is. If so,
  the Game Master should work with the
  player to make the needed alterations.
  Finally, when the character is finished and
  accepted, 
  she’s 
  ready 
  to 
  start 
  her
  adventuring career and expand on her
  magical powers.
  
  Elemental Reign
  21
  Spell-Casting
  It should be duly noted that there is
  absolutely 
  no 
  material 
  in 
  this 
  book,
  anywhere, which will instruct players how
  to go about casting spells. Characters, on
  the other hand, can cast spells given the
  rules outlined below.
  Use of Mana. Casting spells and using
  magic drains mana. Mana is the mental
  energy a character or creature can muster
  before succumbing to exhaustion. The more
  energy is needed to make a spell, the
  quicker the character tires out, an the more
  mana is required.
  Each spell in the mage’s Grimoire will have
  a Spell Cost listed with it. This cost states
  the amount of mana required for casting
  that spell. The mage must have access to
  that much mana to make a casting attempt.
  When that spell is cast, the Spell Cost is
  deducted from her running Mana total.
  Example: Sonya has twenty-two running points
  of mana. She casts the spell ‘Adhere’ that costs
  four points of mana, leaving her with eighteen.
  She recovers the spent mana through normal
  rest.
  No character can willingly drop their Mana
  below zero, extending into their Willpower,
  to cast spells. This means, if a character
  wants to cast a spell requiring more mana
  than she has, she’s going to need to get
  more mana into her somehow.
  Going through the Motions. Casting a spell
  is a sheer force of will. When a mage needs
  to cast, however, she must be able to
  concentrate on the casting-roll. The casting-
  roll is a number of dice, equal to the major
  effect of the spell, rolled under the caster’s
  willpower, plus elemental skill.
  Example: A mage is casting a fireball spell. The
  spell is listed as having a major effect of ‘F3’, or
  three points of fire. The casting-roll is three dice
  under the mage’s Willpower statistics plus Fire
  element skill.
  If the mage is successful in casting the spell,
  the needed mana is drained from the
  character’s current mana total. If there isn’t
  enough mana there, the spell fails to
  manifest, and doesn’t drain anything. Also,
  if the character fails her spell-casting roll, or
  is distracted from the casting of the spell,
  the mana is not drained.
  If everything goes well, the spell will
  manifest at the end of the round in which it
  is completed. (The caster also stops casting
  at this time.) The effect of the spell on the
  game is given in its spell description.
  The spell casting can be made easier,
  however, with additional time. The longer
  that a caster spends on casting her spell, the
  easier the spell is to cast, based on the chart
  below.
  Casting Time
  Ease of Casting
  Two Rounds
  -1d Difficulty
  Three Rounds
  -2d Difficulty
  Four Rounds
  -3d Difficulty
  Five Rounds
  -4d Difficulty
  Example: The mage who is casting fireball
  doesn’t believe that she can make it in one turn.
  She decides to stretch the casting out by one
  round, making it a two-round casting time. This
  delay enables her to reduce the difficulty in
  casting by one die
  Areas of effect: A spell does little good if it
  can’t actually affect anything. Fortunately,
  each spell has an Area of Effect which states
  where the spell manifests, and what all gets
  caught within it. The area of effect is
  determined by the minor elements within a
  spell, and should be clearly stated in the
  description of each spell.
  Self-Affecting 
  Spells: 
  Many 
  spells 
  are
  designed to affect the caster. This means
  that the spell affects only the caster and no
  one else. A spell will default to this is there
  is no minor effect added to a spell to
  modify its area of effect.
  Example: The ‘Blade Master’ spell states that it
  will raise the caster’s melee weapon skills by
  
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  22
  four points. When the caster uses this spell, he is
  the only one caught within the area of effect.
  Touch Based Spells. These spells are designed
  to affect one person that the caster can
  touch as the spell is being cast. For an
  unwilling victim of the spell, the caster
  needs to perform a normal bare-hands to-
  hit roll for the spell to latch on to its
  intended target.
  Example: The ‘Burn’ spell is stated to cause fire
  damage to the person that the caster touches
  while casting it. The caster needs to make a
  successful bare-hands attack roll for the spell to
  manifest and cause damage.
  Ranged Spell. These spells affect a single
  target, up to the given range of the spell.
  The caster must have line-of-sight on the
  target and be able to make a normal to-hit
  roll on him. (The Game Master should use a
  typical dagger’s range to determine the
  difficulty of the attack.)
  Example: The ‘Ice Shard’ spell is listed as
  having a range of twenty meters to its target.
  The caster needs to have line-of-sight on the
  target, and make a successful to-hit roll for the
  spell to manifest and send a shard of ice to the
  target.
  Cones. A cone is a field area of effect, which
  starts at the caster, and then spreads out
  over an area. A wide cone covers a ninety-
  degree arc (the corner of a square), and
  spreads out to a given range. A tight cone
  covers a thirty-degree arc (one hour on a
  clock). Since the area-of-effect covers a large
  area, no to-hit rolls are necessary.
  Example: Sonya is casting a ‘Frost Cone’ spell,
  which covers a wide arc up to a range of ten
  meters. Everyone within the ninety-degree arc,
  up to ten meters away, will suffer from the
  effects of the spell.
  Spheres and areas of effect: The sphere is the
  easiest form of area-of-effect. It simply hits
  everything within a certain range from the
  center of the effect. To to-hit rolls are not
  necessary. The caster of the spell may or
  may not be included under the spell effect
  at his option.
  Example: The ‘Fireball’ spell has an area-of-
  effect of fifteen meters, meaning that everything
  within fifteen meters of ‘ground zero’ will take
  the three dice of fire damage.
  Separation. This spell is much like the
  ranged spell area-of-effect, except that it
  does not require a direct line-of-sight on its
  target. The caster merely needs to know
  what direction and distance he needs to cast
  the spell. Again, to to-hit roll is necessary.
  Example: The spell of ‘Blink’ teleports the caster
  within ten meters, through walls if need be. The
  caster needs only think of where within that ten
  meters he would like to teleport to.
  Duration: Okay, a spell’s duration is not
  technically part of its area of effect, but it
  does have an important modification on a
  spell. The longer the duration of a spell, the
  more time its effect lingers around.
  Example: The ‘Doorway’ spell has the duration
  of eight rounds, meaning that the effect of the
  spell lasts for eight rounds in combat. When the
  duration expires, the doorway returns to
  normal, and the spell-effect is over.
  Spells in Combat
  The trickier part of spell casting comes in
  the chaotic heat of battle. Where men with
  swords, and other weapons, do their best to
  ensure that a spell-caster remains too busy
  to get off the powerful spells to aid his
  comrades. Combat is a dangerous time, and
  every mage needs a few pointers to keep his
  head on while in battle.
  Spellcasting and Actions: Casting a spell in
  combat counts as two actions. It’s a slow
  process to concentrate on shaping the
  elements properly, after all. A mage’s
  player needs to declare that he is casting a
  spell for both actions in that turn.
  Example: At the beginning of the turn, a mage
  character begins to cast a mini-bolt spell. The
  
  Elemental Reign
  23
  mage spends both actions casting the spell, and
  it manifests during the second action.
  When a caster is going through extended
  casting, stretching it out over rounds, it will
  take that many rounds more for the casting
  to be complete, not just two more actions
  per stretch. If the mage somehow has extra
  actions in a round, he’ll only get to use
  them when the spell is completed.
  Example: An alien mage normally has three
  actions per round. He decides to cast a fireball
  spell, but wants to make it easier by stretching
  the casting out over two rounds. On the first
  round, the mage uses all three actions to
  concentrate. On the second round, his first two
  are taken with casting the spell. The last action
  can then be used as the mage needs.
  Lastly, it is possible that a character may
  have four or more actions in a single round.
  In these cases, it is also possible that a
  character may cast more than one spell per
  round. There are no modifiers or anything
  in these cases, the character is simply very
  fast at casting spells.
  Example: A mage has been hasted before combat
  begins. Wanting to dispatch with his foes
  quickly, he casts a lightning bolt for his first two
  actions. When his third action comes up, he then
  casts another lightning bolt, which manifests on
  his fourth action.
  Getting Distracted in Battle. Sometimes,
  the best way to get a mage to mess up his
  spells is to hit him hard, or do anything to
  distract him while in battle. Any attempt of
  distraction can happen while the magic-user
  is still casting his spell, but not on the action
  where the spell manifests.
  The distract someone, the Game Master
  needs to decide if someone’s intense
  concentration can be ruined from an action.
  The Game Master then ups the difficulty of
  the casting-roll for the magic-user by an
  appropriate number of dice, making it
  harder for the caster to succeed.
  Example: A mage is in heavy combat and starts
  to cast a fireball spell. A quick-acting warrior,
  however, slices him with his long-sword for ten
  points of damage. The Game Master decides that
  the casting roll needs to go up two dice, based on
  the amount of damage that the magic-user
  suffered. The casting roll is now five dice instead
  of three.
  Missing the Casting Throw. With all the
  distractions added to the difficulty of
  casting a spell in the first place, a magic-
  user is going to occasionally not succeed a
  casting roll. When this happens, the spell
  merely fails to come together, and the
  magic-user hasn’t spent any mana.
  Example: The mage who just got slammed with
  the long-sword rolls his attempt at casting. The
  five dice proves to be too much, however, and he
  flubs it. The spell fails to manifest, and the mage
  has wasted his actions, but not his mana.
  Missing the To-Hit Roll. A spell-caster can
  manage to get a spell off, but then totally
  miss where he was aiming the spell. The
  mage can easily miss a bare-hands to-hit
  roll, or even a ranged-attack roll if the
  victim is fairly adept at not being hit. (Of
  course, the caster himself may be totally
  inept at aiming.)
  On these occasions, sadly, the spell did
  indeed manifest, draining mana. For touch-
  based 
  spells, 
  the 
  spell 
  effect 
  merely
  dissipates harmlessly. For ranged attacks,
  however, there is a chance that it hit
  something else, just as when shooting into a
  melee crowd. The Game Master will
  determine if there is a decent enough
  chance for a misfire to occur, and what
  ramifications will occur when it does.
  Example: Desperate, a mage fires a lightning-
  bolt across a crowded room to nail an assassin.
  The caster, however, misses his mark, and the
  shot goes wild. The Game Master thinks for a
  long moment, and rolls a ‘luck die’, to determine
  if someone else got hit. Fortunately, the Game
  Master determines that the shot was totally
  wild, and arced well above any other potential
  victims.
  
  Elemental Reign
  24
  Resisting Magical Effects. Many spells may
  be resisted based on someone’s innate
  Strength, Endurance, Willpower, or other
  related ability. To resist an incoming
  magical effect, a victim will need to roll the
  appropriate amount of dice under his
  appropriate 
  statistic. 
  If 
  the 
  character
  succeeds the roll, the spell effect is resisted.
  Example: A target is getting hit with a
  “Clouded Thoughts” spell. The spell has a three-
  dice resistance check against Willpower. The
  victim rolls his three-dice, and makes the
  resistance roll. The spell does not take effect.
  Stopping Spells. Mages can cease any
  spells that they have cast at any time while
  the duration continues. Doing so takes no
  time, requires no skill roll, and drains no
  mana.
  Example: The spell ‘Blur Thine Eyes’ lasts for
  eight rounds. In the fifth round, the wizard
  decides that the spell is no longer needed, and is
  actually a hindrance to him. He merely disables
  the spell, ending it before the duration would
  have naturally expired.
  Stopping the effects of spells thrown by
  others requires yet another spell, called
  ‘Dispel’. This type of spell interferes with
  magic already in the area, and can outright
  terminate a spell in progress.
  Example: An ambition thief is removing a level
  six magical fire trap from a chest. He uses the
  ‘Dispel’ spell, which has a major effect of one.
  The trap is reduced to level five in its major
  effect. The thief can continue to dispel it in this
  manner, until the trap reaches level zero, where
  the spell terminates.
  Multiple Effects in an Area. Sometimes,
  particularly in combat, many spells can
  come into play on the same target, or in the
  same area. The multiple manifestations of
  magic can create some confusion for the
  players and Game Masters. To make things
  simple, however, there are three general
  rules-of-thumb concerning magic.
  Spells are Separate and Individual. Despite
  what creative players may think, each spell
  is a separate and unique spell. Spell effects
  do not mix together when thrown to create
  a new, more interesting, effect. Successive
  spells may affect the area that they’re cast
  into in interesting ways, but spell effects can
  not be combined.
  Example: Two mages in combat launch their
  spells. The first is a ‘Fireball’, and the second is
  a ‘Frost Cone’. The two blasts hit the same area.
  The victims inside get treated to a flame attack,
  then a cold attack, but do not get to witness an
  enveloping fog as well.
  Spells Happen in Order of Play. All spells will
  begin as soon as the mage has completed
  his actions for casting. This means, the spell
  effects arrive on the end of the mage’s
  action. The Game Master should apply the
  results of the spell effect immediately,
  according to the spell’s description.
  Example: A mage is attempting to cast a
  “Gaia’s Shield” spell before a very dangerous
  warrior decides to cut him into little pieces. The
  order of the turn states that the mage has his
  first action, then the warrior has his first action,
  then the mage has his second, then the warrior
  has his second. The mage begins casting on the
  first action. Then the warrior moves up to attack
  with his sword. The mage then completes the
  casting of the Gaia’s Shield spell, and makes a
  barrier of forty points. The last action of the
  round sees the warrior pounding at the newly-
  constructed barrier.
  Spells are Not Cumulative. This means that,
  unless specifically stated otherwise, one
  spell cannot augment another spell. Two or
  more instances of the same spell do not
  garner a more powerful spell effect.
  Example: Two mages have cast the ‘Daze’ spell
  at the same target. The target needs to succeed
  two separate resistance checks at three dice, or be
  dazed for four rounds. Neither the resistance
  check, nor the duration of the spell, is increased
  as a result of the two spells.
  
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  When an ‘overlap’ occurs of a spell effect
  occurs, when the same spell effect is applied
  more than once, the most powerful, or
  longer duration, instance of the spell takes
  precedence. This means that the most
  powerful instance of the spell effect
  continues, overriding any others.
  Example: 
  Suppose 
  the 
  previous 
  example
  happened on two successive rounds. On the
  first, the victim fails his roll and becomes dazed
  for four rounds. On the second round, the
  victim fails the resistance task again, and again
  falls victim to the spell. The new ‘Daze’ spell
  takes precedence over the old one, and he suffers
  another four rounds.
  Watching Where Spells are Thrown.
  Placement can be everything for a spell-
  caster. The wise mage will know much
  better than to level his own friends with a
  powerful attack spell, or to aid his enemies
  with a damage-reducing spell. For these
  reasons, it’s very important for a spell-
  caster to know where he is, and where his
  intended targets are going to be.
  Example: A mage and his companions are in the
  midst of combat with six Trolls. The mage
  knows the ever-popular ‘Fireball’ spell, but
  cannot risk throwing the spell into the fray
  because it would also hit his allies.
  When a mage decides to throw spells
  anyway, there is a good possibility that his
  allies will be hit. For cases of ‘shooting into
  melee’, there is a chance that he might miss
  his intended target, and nail a friend or
  bystander. 
  For 
  area 
  of 
  effect 
  spells,
  however, it’s a given that he’s going to hit a
  particular area, and everyone, regardless of
  their personal feelings for the caster, will
  have a chance to succumb to the spell.
  Example: In a major battle, a wizard begins to
  cast a Fireball spell. Sadly, his comrades are
  engaged in hand-to-hand combat with their
  enemies. When the fireball goes off, not only
  does it hit the enemies, but the flames surround
  and burn at the wizard’s comrades too!
  Everyone in the blast takes the damage.
  As a note, more wizards have been killed
  for 
  ‘accidentally’ 
  nailing 
  their 
  own
  comrades than for not contributing to a
  fight. A Game Master, and the party,
  should take great pains to ensure that their
  party’s wizard is a careful one.
  
  Elemental Reign
  26
  The Grimoire
  A mage’s Grimoire is her spell book, and it
  is vital to the spell-casting abilities to any
  mage. A mage can only cast those spells
  found in her Grimoire, regardless of her
  skill. Of course, once she has successfully
  learned a spell in the Grimoire, the book’s
  job is done.
  A Grimoire is more of a reference book for a
  mage’s spells than anything else, an aid for
  the player. A player should keep track of all
  the spells her mage knows, including their
  descriptions, in a small notebook. This
  notebook, obviously, is then the player’s
  equivalent of the mage’s Grimoire.
  A
  Accelerate the Magic
  Elements: W5A1 / Spell Cost: 5
  This spell is used to ‘hasten’ an existing
  spell’s 
  effect. 
  The 
  targeted 
  spell
  manifestation, which can up to twenty
  meters away, has its duration reduced by
  five levels (refer to the duration chart for
  more detailed affects), A spell can never be
  reduced in this manner to nothingness,
  though a duration can be reduced to
  instantaneous.
  Acid Ball
  Elements: W1E1A1W3 / Spell Cost: 1
  The acid ball creates a small amount of acid,
  which the caster may direct at a target up to
  twenty meters away. The acid ball will then
  burn through the target, doing 1d of rotting
  damage to its target, for the next eight
  rounds. The acid dissipates when the spell
  expires.
  Adhere
  Elements: W4A1F2W4 / Spell Cost: 4
  When this spell is cast, a large puddle of
  adhesive forms over a ten-meter radius up
  to twenty meters from the caster. The glue
  will impede movement (cutting it by half,
  effectively) for anyone moving within it.
  Twenty kilograms of adhesive are created,
  which dissolves into nothingness after eight
  rounds.
  Animal Speak
  Elements: A5W3 / Spell Cost: 5
  Upon touching an animal, and casting this
  spell, 
  the 
  caster 
  can 
  effectively
  communicate with that animal for eight
  rounds. This in no way affects the animal’s
  behavior, or its intelligence. The caster can
  understand the meaning of the animal’s
  grunts and sounds, and the animal can
  understand the caster’s words. Of course,
  the conversation will still be limited to the
  animal’s intelligence. The spell acts as a
  ‘more than hard’ language skill roll.
  Another Voice
  Elements: A1W8 / Spell Cost: 1
  The caster of this spell suddenly takes on a
  different voice. The voice will have different
  inflections and a different pitch, but will not
  noticeably be unfitting to the caster. The
  spell lasts for three hours.
  Armor
  Elements: E3W2 / Spell Cost: 3
  The caster of this spell, for the next four
  rounds, enjoys an additional point of
  reduction 
  against 
  the 
  basic 
  types 
  of
  damage, Edged, Piercing, and Blunt.
  Armor II
  Elements: E6W3 / Spell Cost: 6
  An improved version of the armor spell, it
  lasts for eight rounds and can reduce six
  points of damage from Edged, Piercing, and
  Blunt attacks.
  Asphyxiate
  Elements: A1A1W4 / Spell Cost: 1
  A powerful, and sickening, offensive spell,
  the caster targets a single person up to
  twenty meters away. For every round for
  the next three minutes, or eighteen rounds,
  he will suffer one dice of damage from
  choking. The victim can avoid this effect by
  moving away, or dispelling the magic.
  
  Elemental Reign
  27
  Aura of Fear
  Elements: W4F5W3 / Spell Cost: 4
  The caster of this spell beings to exude a
  powerful presence, causing all those within
  twenty-five meters of him to resist a hard
  willpower roll or become covered in fear.
  Those stricken by the spell cannot take any
  action against the caster and must run out
  of the area of effect until the eight round
  duration expires. Note that while the area
  of effect includes the caster, he does not
  succumb to the spell, since it is extremely
  difficult for him to run from himself.
  B
  Battle Rage
  Elements: W2A1W2 / Spell Cost: 2
  The target of this spell, someone up to
  twenty meters away, must roll 2d under his
  Willpower or go into an uncontrollable
  fighting frenzy, for the next four rounds.
  The affected person will attack the nearest
  person until he falls, is victorious, or the
  spell expires.
  Be Thee Ashes
  Elements: F5A1 / Spell Cost: 5
  A powerful offensive spell, the target of this
  spell suffers five dice of flame damage,
  provided that the caster succeeds his to-hit
  roll. The poor target can be anywhere up to
  twenty meters away from the caster.
  Beacon
  Elements: F5W5 / Spell Cost: 5
  This spell creatures a powerful light from
  the caster, equal to roughly a lighthouse’s
  light, which shines for five minutes in
  length.
  Blade Master
  Elements: E4W2 / Spell Cost: 4
  A useful spell to aid those persons with
  poor combat skills, Blade Master increases
  one of the caster’s melee weapon skills by
  four points for four rounds.
  Blade-sphere
  Elements: E1F2F1 / Spell Cost: 1
  This spell summons up tiny shards of steel
  which fly from the caster and strikes against
  anyone within ten meters, but farther than
  five meters away. The blades strike for one
  die of edged damage.
  Blink
  Elements: V2 / Spell Cost: 2
  This 
  spell 
  enables 
  the 
  caster 
  to
  instantaneously teleport to a place within
  ten meters of the caster. This place need not
  be line-of-sight, but teleporting into an
  unknown site could be very dangerous.
  (Teleporting into a solid object is fatal!)
  Blur thine Eyes
  Elements: A2F3W3 / Spell Cost: 2
  This spell visually distorts an area around
  the caster, making any visual checks into
  that area two dice more difficult. The area
  extends fifteen meters around the caster
  and lasts for eight rounds.
  Brilliant Insights
  Elements: F3W8 / Spell cost: 3
  The caster of this spell becomes three points
  more intelligent for the next three hours. At
  the end of this spell, the caster’s intelligence
  returns to normal with no ill effects.
  Burn
  Elements: F1 / Spell Cost: 1
  A simple spell, the caster can cause 1d fire
  damage with a successful bare-hands attack
  on his opponent.
  C
  Call Animal
  Elements: A3F5W3 / Spell Cost: 3
  The caster of this spell can summon any
  single type of animal to do his bidding
  (within reason) for the next eight rounds.
  
  Elemental Reign
  28
  The animal can resist this effect by passing a
  three dice resistance check against his
  willpower. The afflicted animal may resist
  again if called upon to do something it
  would not normally do. At the end of the
  eight rounds, the animal returns to its
  normal behavior.
  Calm
  Elements: W3W3 / Spell Cost: 3
  The target of this spell, the one touched by
  the caster, will feel very calm and rational
  for the next four rounds, and not engage in
  any hostile act unless provoked. The victim
  can roll 3d under his willpower to negate
  this effect.
  Charge
  Elements: A3E4W5 / Spell Cost: 3
  This spell is basically a short-term trap
  placed upon a small item. For the next 5
  minutes, any item up to 20 Kilograms will
  cause 3d electrical damage to anyone who
  touches it.
  Charm
  Elements: W3W3 / Spell Cost: 3
  The target of this spell, the one touched by
  the caster, will feel friendly to the caster (so
  long as he is not already engaged in any
  hostile acts), and will consider her a friend
  or ally for up to four rounds. The victim can
  roll 3d under his willpower to negate this
  effect.
  Clean
  Elements: W1 / Spell Cost: 1
  This spell removes up to two kilograms of
  dirt and filth from the touched person or
  item. Anyone more dirty than that would
  probably need a hose.
  Clouded Thoughts
  Elements: V3W2A2 / Spell Cost: 3
  The target of this spell must roll three dice
  under his Willpower or become mentally
  confused for the next four rounds. The
  target is capable of defending himself, but
  will not be able to perform complex mental
  actions, such as casting spells. The target
  can be up to forty meters from the caster.
  Copy Words
  Elements: E1W5 / Spell Cost: 1
  The caster of this spell can perfectly copy
  words from one manuscript to another. To
  do this, he holds the blank manuscript to
  the original and casts the spell. The ink is
  duplicated, and a new permanent copy is
  made. The copier magic remains in place
  for five minutes, allowing the caster to
  make many needed copies.
  Cold Touch
  Elements: W3 / Spell Cost: 3
  This spell causes a victim, whom the caster
  must touch, to suffer from severe cold,
  taking three dice of cold damage.
  Cure Poison
  Elements: W1 / Spell Cost: 1
  This spell lessens any poison effect on the
  victim by one dice. The caster needs to
  touch the afflicted person.
  Cure Poison II
  Elements: W3 / Spell Cost: 3
  A more powerful version of the cure poison
  spell, this reduces any poison effect on the
  victim by three dice. The caster still needs
  to touch the afflicted person.
  D
  Daze
  Elements: F3W2A4 / Spell Cost: 3
  This spell will cause the target to be dazed
  with bright colored light for four rounds.
  This spell will effect creatures up to 20
  meters away, but can be negated with a 3d
  roll under endurance.
  Deflect thy Blows
  Elements: E2A1W3 / Spell Cost: 2
  
  Elemental Reign
  29
  A very useful spell, the caster creates a
  small shield around him that circles about
  him, providing two dice coverage against
  incoming attacks while not requiring the
  use of his hands. The spell lasts for eight
  rounds and can only stop one incoming
  blow per round.
  Dispel
  Elements: V1 / Spell Cost: 1
  This spell can lower any single major effect
  of an active spell by one point. Three dice
  wards become two dice wards. The caster
  must touch the manifestation of the spell
  she is attempting to weaken. Any spell
  drained to zero points of major effect is
  completely negated.
  Distraction
  Elements: F2A1 / Spell Cost: 1
  The target of this spell must succeed a two
  dice roll against her willpower or be
  distracted from what she was doing this
  round, including spell-casting. Any action
  the target was going to take is lost. The
  target is a single person up to twenty
  meters away.
  Divine Item
  Elements: A3F5 / Spell Cost: 3
  With a mental image of a particular item,
  the caster can determine the location of that
  item within sixty meters of his current
  location.
  Doorway
  Elements: E6W2 / Spell Cost: 6
  The caster of this spell quickly transforms
  one section of a wall that he is touching into
  a normal door, which he can then open and
  close. The door remains in place for four
  rounds, at which time the door returns to
  its original state. It is impossible to trap
  someone within the doorway. Would-be
  victims will simply be thrown randomly to
  one side.
  E
  Eavesdropping
  Elements: A2W4V3 / Spell Cost: 2
  The caster of this spell can listen in onto a
  conversation (as if he were making an
  average perception check) up to 40 meters
  away, even if the caster is separated
  physically from the talking. The spell lasts
  for 8 rounds.
  Enchantment
  Elements: E1E3W2 / Spell Cost: 1
  This spell will make to-hit rolls one die
  easier than normal for four rounds on any
  single weapon weighing less than ten
  kilograms.
  Encrypt
  Elements: F2E1W10 / Spell Cost: 2
  When this spell is placed onto a parchment
  or scroll, the writing on the scroll becomes
  muddled and difficult to read, causing any
  attempts to understand the writing to
  become two dice more difficult than
  normal. The spell lasts for one full day, at
  which time the writing returns to normal.
  Enfeeblement
  Elements: E1W2A1 / Spell Cost: 1
  This spell will weaken the victim’s Strength
  by one point for four rounds. The victim
  must be within twenty meters and within
  line of sight.
  Enrage the Flames
  Elements: F2A2F3W2 / Spell Cost: 2
  This spell can augment existing fires or
  magical flame by two dice of power for the
  next four rounds. The flame can be up to
  forty meters away, but be less than fifteen
  meters radius in size. Once the spell
  expires, the flame effect returns to normal.
  Enthrall
  Elements: W3A1W5 / Spell Cost: 3
  
  Elemental Reign
  30
  The target of this spell must roll three dice
  under his willpower or become enthralled
  with the caster, so long as the target would
  be of the appropriate persuasion. The target
  will sit back and admire the caster and be
  unable to take any offensive action against
  her for the duration. The spell can be cast
  up to twenty meters away and lasts for five
  minutes.
  F
  False Tongue
  Elements: A2W2 / Spell Cost: 2
  The mage that casts this spell makes his lies
  a little more convincing. For the next four
  rounds, any acting attempts made for lying
  are two dice easier than normal.
  Fetch
  Elements: V2E2V2 / Spell Cost: 2
  The caster of this spell can fetch a small
  item, weighing up to five kilograms, from
  up to ten meters away. The item teleports to
  the caster, and does not need to be seen to
  be summoned. The caster must know
  precisely where the item is, however.
  Fireball
  Elements: F3A1F3 / Spell Cost: 3
  Bringing together the elements of fire and
  air can produce raw damaging flame
  energy. This spell causes 3d damage to all
  creatures within fifteen meters radius at a
  maximum range of 20 meters.
  Fireball II
  Elements: F6A2F6 / Spell Cost: 6
  A more powerful version of the Fireball
  spell. It causes six dice of flame damage up
  to forty meters away within a thirty-meter
  area of effect.
  Flame Wall
  Elements: F6W2 / Spell Cost: 6
  For the next four rounds, this spell will
  reduce six points of fire damage coming for
  the caster. The spell can also affect any
  single person that the caster touches with a
  successful to-hit roll.
  Flash-fire
  Elements: F1F1V2 / Spell Cost: 1
  Flash-fire creates a minor, one dice fire
  explosion to a five-meter area of effect. The
  blast can take place up to four rounds from
  when the spell had been cast.
  Frost Cone
  Elements: W2F2 / Spell Cost: 2
  The Frost Cone spell spontaneously creates
  a cone of ice that causes two dice of cold
  damage to anyone within a ninety-degree
  arc, up to ten meters away.
  G
  Gaia’s Shield
  Elements: E10W5 / Spell Cost: 10
  A powerful defensive spell, the caster
  creates a barrier of earth magic. This barrier
  wards off any incoming damage up to the
  strength of the barrier, which is found by
  rolling and totaling up ten dice. The ward
  lasts for five minutes, or until all the
  barrier’s strength has been ruined.
  Gestalt
  Elements: V3W5 / Spell Cost: 3
  The caster of this spell ties his mana in with
  another willing person of his choice (a
  person that he also touches). For the next
  five minutes, the two people can draw on
  one-another’s mana for purposes of spell
  casting.
  If, during this time, a member of the gestalt
  takes damage to his mana, it is spread
  evenly (rounded up), to those linked. The
  spell is automatically broken if one party in
  the link dies.
  Ghostly Touch
  Elements: V3 / Spell Cost: 3
  The victim of this spell, whoever the caster
  touches during the casting, takes three dice
  
  Elemental Reign
  31
  of damage directly to their life force,
  penetrating any natural defenses. This spell
  does not work on non-living objects, of
  course.
  Guard
  Elements: A3F3W5 / Spell Cost: 3
  An interesting defensive spell, it constructs
  a barrier around the caster of pure energy.
  Anyone moving within fifteen meters of the
  caster will suffer a three dice lightning bolt.
  The spell remains in effect for five full
  minutes.
  Guiding Image
  Elements: F7W5 / Spell Cost: 7
  The caster of this spell can know the
  absolute direction to a memorized site so
  long as it is within 320 meters. The spell
  effect lasts for five minutes. Hopefully, a
  wizard will know by then in what direction
  he’s travelling.
  Grace of Cats
  Elements: A3A1W3 / Spell Cost: 3
  The caster of this spell can increase the
  Dexterity of a single target, up to twenty
  meters away, by three points. This effect
  lasts for eight rounds, where the target’s
  Dexterity returns to normal.
  H
  Hammer Hands
  Elements: E2W2 / Spell Cost: 2
  The caster of this spell enchants his hands
  so that they strike for two additional dice of
  blunt damage with each hit. The spell lasts
  for four rounds.
  Harm
  Elements: V5 / Spell Cost: 5
  A powerful offensive spell, the person who
  the caster touches suffers five dice of
  damage directly from magic, allowing few
  things to defend against the painful assault.
  Harp
  Elements: A1W5 / Spell Cost: 1
  A minor spell, Harp creates a sound of a
  harp playing beautiful music as loud as a
  normal speaking voice. The sound of the
  harp plays its melody for five minutes
  before returning to nothingness.
  Haste Arms
  Elements: A1A25W2 / Spell Cost: 1
  The recipient of this spell, who can be up to
  forty meters away, will gain one additional
  melee attack for the next four rounds. This
  spell does not affect other actions or
  movement.
  Haze
  Elements: W3F3 / Spell Cost: 3
  This spell creates a thick mist fifteen meters
  around the caster. Anything within the mist
  is three dice harder to see than normal with
  regular vision. The mist will fade based on
  normal weather conditions.
  Heal
  Elements: W1 / Spell Cost: 1
  This spell recovers one dice of damaged
  Health on the person the caster touches.
  The effect is instant. Note that some
  campaigns will disallow mages from active
  healing spells.
  Heal II
  Elements: W3 / Spell Cost: 3
  This is a more powerful version of the
  healing spell, and will repair three dice of
  damage onto the person that the caster
  touches. The effect is instant. Note that
  some campaigns will disallow mages from
  active healing spells.
  Heal Rain
  Elements: W3F3 / Spell Cost: 3
  A great boon to parties, this spell can heal
  three dice of damage to everyone within
  fifteen meters of the caster. As with other
  healing 
  spells, 
  some 
  campaigns 
  may
  disallow this spell for mages.
  
  Elemental Reign
  32
  Hone
  Elements: E1 / Spell Cost: 1
  This spell sharpens and strengthens an edge
  of most weapons, keeping them in good
  fighting shape.
  Hunger Pains
  Elements: F3A1W5 / Spell Cost: 3
  This spell fills the victim with a strong
  desire for food, if she fails the three dice
  Willpower feat. The effect lasts for five
  minutes, where the victim feels like she’s
  starving. The victim is a single target up to
  twenty meters away.
  I
  Ice Cloak.
  Elements: V3A1W3 / Spell Cost: 3
  This spell can affect a single target up to
  twenty meters away. The target must roll
  three dice under his endurance or become
  immobilized for the next eight rounds. This
  spell is useful for ending fights.
  Ice Ball
  Elements: W3F3A4/ Spell Cost: 3
  This spell spontaneously creates three dice
  damaging shards of ice in a fifteen-meter
  radius sphere. The caster can lob this spell’s
  effect up to twenty meters away.
  Ice Shard
  Elements: W1A1 / Spell Cost: 1
  This is a simple damage spell that causes 1d
  cold damage to a single target up to twenty
  meters away.
  Ice Storm
  Elements: W3F4F1W3 / Spell Cost: 3
  This spell creates a damaging torrent of
  cold that extends twenty meters the caster.
  The spell, fortunately, does not include him.
  For the next eight rounds, three dice of cold
  damage floods the area of effect.
  Ignite
  Elements: F2E7W3 / Spell Cost: 2
  The target of this spell becomes engulfed in
  magical flames for eight rounds, taking two
  die of fire damage for each round of the
  duration. The person or item can weigh up
  to 160 kilograms.
  Illusion of Nothing
  Elements: A3W5 / Spell Cost: 3
  The caster of this spell, along with the items
  on his person, turn transparent, making him
  three dice more difficult to see with normal
  vision. The spell lasts for five minutes.
  Impart Spell
  Elements: F6W3 / Spell Cost: 6
  The caster of this spell can pass on the
  knowledge of any spell. The spell must be
  level six or less in its major effect. The
  person touched by the caster retains the
  selected knowledge for the next eight
  rounds.
  Inferno
  Elements: F3F4A2W2 / Spell Cost: 3
  Inferno causes three dice of fire damage to
  all targets within a twenty meter area of
  effect. The area can be placed up to forty
  meters away. The area remains burning for
  four rounds, and will continue to damage
  those caught within it.
  Inspired Speech
  Elements: F2W6 / Spell Cost: 2
  For the next twenty minutes, the caster or
  the one he touches seems more charismatic
  and inspiring as he speaks, making any
  leadership or public speaking skill rolls two
  die easier.
  Iron Skin
  Elements: E4W3 / Spell Cost: 4
  This caster of this spell toughens his skin so
  much that he negates four points of physical
  damage (blunt, piercing, or edged) from
  incoming attacks. The spell lasts for eight
  rounds.
  
  Elemental Reign
  33
  J
  Jaundice
  Elements: F1W5 / Spell Cost: 1
  A harmless spell, the victim, a person
  whom the caster touches, suddenly has
  their skin turn bright yellow. The effect lasts
  for five minutes, where the victim’s skin
  returns to normal.
  Jinx
  Elements: V1A1W3 / Spell Cost: 1
  The target of this spell, a single person up to
  twenty meters away, suffers from a bout of
  atrocious luck. Every needed dice roll made
  by the target for the next eight rounds
  becomes slightly more difficult. Each dice
  roll is worsened by one point against the
  jinxed person.
  Joyous Rapture
  Elements: F4W10 / Spell Cost: 4
  When the caster of this spell touches his
  ‘victim’, that person must succeed a four
  dice check against his willpower or be
  extremely, deliriously, happy for the next
  full day. He won’t be able to enter combat,
  or perform any acts of aggression, unless he
  manages to break the spell first.
  Jump by Bounds
  Elements: F2W2 / Spell Cost: 1
  The caster of this spell can reduce the
  difficulty on any jumping or leaping task by
  two dice. The spell effect lasts for four
  rounds.
  K
  Kackle
  Elements: A5F6W2 / Spell Cost: 5
  This spell creates a hideous sound of
  cackling laughter around the caster. Those
  within the thirty meter area of effect must
  succeed a five dice feat against their
  Endurance 
  of 
  become 
  deafened. 
  The
  deafening will recover the next time the
  characters heal up. The laughter lasts for
  four rounds.
  Killing Cone
  Elements: V6F3 / Spell Cost: 6
  A massive attack spell, Killing Cone creates
  a wide cone of raw damaging magic
  extending from the caster to fifteen meters.
  All those caught within the cone suffer a
  six-die damaging attack from pure void
  magic. There is no defense.
  Kindred Seek
  Elements: A3F6W5 / Spell Cost: 3
  This spell detects the presence of any
  creature of the same type as the caster.
  Humans can detect humans, Elves can
  detect Elves, and so on. The spell is up for
  five minutes, and has an effective range of
  sixty meters in a tight arc directly ahead of
  the caster. Any attempt to hide from the
  caster is made at three dice more in
  difficulty than normal.
  Kiss of the Spider
  Elements: V3W5 / Spell Cost: 3
  The 
  person 
  who 
  the 
  caster 
  touches
  suddenly becomes sickened and weak, and
  will take three points of damage from
  poison every round for the next five
  minutes. The spell ceases its effect once the
  victim succeeds a three dice check against
  their Endurance.
  Kombat Boost
  Elements: E3F3W4 / Spell Cost: 3
  The caster and all those within fifteen
  meters of him gain a three point bonus on
  any and all melee attack rolls for the next
  eight rounds.
  L
  Levitate
  Elements: A1W2 / Spell Cost: 2
  This spell will allow the caster to move
  twenty meters per round in the air for four
  rounds.
  
  Elemental Reign
  34
  Life-Signs
  Elements: F2F5 / Spell Cost: 2
  The caster of this spell can detect any living
  being within a radius of twenty-five meters
  around him. The spell is powerful enough
  to override two dice of masking magic. The
  effect is instantaneous.
  Lightning Ball
  Elements: A3F3A1W2 / Spell Cost: 3
  This spell causes three dice of electrical
  damage to all targets within a fifteen meter
  area of effect. The area can be placed up to
  twenty meters away. The area remains
  electrified for four rounds, and will
  continue to damage those caught within it.
  Lightning Bolt
  Elements: A3A1 / Spell Cost: 3
  This moderately powerful single-target
  spell causes 3d electrical damage to one
  target at a maximum range of twenty
  meters.
  Lightning Shards
  Elements: A1A2W2 / Spell Cost: 1
  The caster of this spell is able to throw 1d
  electrical attacks up to forty meters away.
  The caster can attack with these bolts as if
  they were normal weapons during this time
  (given ranges as a dagger). The spell lasts
  for four rounds.
  M
  Magnetize
  Elements: E1 / Spell Cost: 1
  This effect magnetizes any small piece of
  iron, weighing up to two kilograms. The
  spell effect is permanent, though the item
  can be de-magnetized in other ways.
  Mesmerize
  Elements: F3W3A1F2 / Spell Cost: 3
  Those caught in the ten meter area of effect
  of this spell must roll three dice against
  their Willpower or become dazed and
  mentally lost for four and one-half minutes.
  The targets are capable of defending
  themselves in melee, but will be drawn to
  watching the flames around them above all
  else for the duration. The spell can be
  centered up to twenty meters away.
  Memorize the Words.
  Elements: A1W6 / Spell Cost: 1
  The caster of this spell can memorize
  completely any text that he is immediately
  looking at. The image is burned into his
  mind and will remain in fresh memory for
  the next twenty minutes.
  Mana Strike I
  Elements: V1 / Spell Cost: 1
  The caster of this spell, with a successful to-
  hit roll, causes one dice of damage to a
  target’s mana. The target must be someone
  that the caster can touch.
  Mana Strike II
  Elements: V3 / Spell Cost: 3
  This spell allows the caster to damage three
  dice of mana from any target he touches.
  The spell requires a successful to-hit roll.
  Migraine
  Elements: W3 / Spell Cost: 3
  The caster, with this spell, can cause 3d
  damage directly to a target’s Mana energy
  simply by touching the target. This damage
  is reduced with any mental-defenses.
  Minibolt
  Elements: A1A1 / Spell Cost: 3
  Minibolt is a simple damage spell which
  causes 1d electrical damage to a target up to
  twenty meters away.
  Music of the Bard
  Elements: F1W5 / Spell Cost: 1
  The caster of this spell improves his ability
  to play a musical instrument by one level of
  difficulty. This spell lasts for five minutes.
  
  Elemental Reign
  35
  N
  Nap
  Elements: W4F4 / Spell Cost: 4
  All creatures within a wide cone up to
  twenty meters away from the caster must
  succeed a four dice Endurance feat or
  immediate fall into normal sleep.
  Neanderthal
  Elements: E5W4 / Spell Cost: 5
  This spell increases the caster’s strength by
  five points. The spell lasts for eight combat
  rounds, at which time the caster’s strength
  returns to normal.
  Nether-rest
  Elements: V10W10F10 / Spell Cost: 10
  The most powerful of attack spells, it causes
  ten dice of mana damage to everyone
  within fifty meters of its center, which can
  be thrown up to two-hundred meters away.
  As can be seen from it’s elemental makeup,
  only a select few mages ever master it.
  Night’s Rest
  Elements: V3F4W9 / Spell Cost: 3
  This spell affects everyone within a twenty
  meter wide cone who fails a three dice
  willpower feat. Those who succumb fall
  into a deep sleep which lasts for eight
  hours. The affected characters can make
  further willpower checks if someone or
  something has a reasonable chance of
  waking them from a regular deep sleep.
  Night Vision
  Elements: F3W6 / Spell Cost: 3
  When the caster completes this spell, he will
  be able to reduce the difficulty of any
  perception checks caused by darkness by
  three dice. The spell lasts for twenty
  minutes. The spell can also be placed on a
  single person that the caster touches.
  Noise
  Elements: A4F4 / Spell Cost: 4
  Essentially, this spell creates a loud ‘static’
  noise in a tight cone extending twenty
  meters out from the caster. Those in the
  cone suffer four dice of damage from the
  sonic attack.
  Notepad
  Elements: E1W5 / Spell Cost: 1
  This spell allows the caster to place all of his
  thoughts onto a piece a single piece paper.
  This rather unique form of dictation lasts
  for five full minutes, allowing the caster to
  switch one page for another as it fills up
  with the summoned ink.
  O
  Ocean Drop
  Elements: W3F10 A3/ Spell Cost: 3
  This spell smothers an area fifty meters in
  diameter with three dice of water damage.
  The spell can be launched up to sixty meters
  away. It is most effective, however, at
  extinguishing normal fires.
  Omega Dawn
  Elements: F6V4 / Spell Cost: 3
  The caster causes six dice of flame damage
  to his intended victim. The target of this
  spell can be up to forty meters away, but
  does not require a to-hit roll nor does it
  require line of sight.
  Onyx
  Elements: V3W3 / Spell Cost: 3
  The onyx spell greatly adds to the caster’s
  ability to cast further void-major spells. The
  caster reduces the difficulty of any void-
  major spell-casting attempts, excluding the
  one for this spell, by three dice.  The spell
  lasts for eight rounds.
  Orb of Black Mana
  Elements: V4A2F1 / Spell Cost: 4
  
  Elemental Reign
  36
  This orb, when thrown, causes all those
  within the five meter area of effect to suffer
  four dice of damage to their mana. The orb
  can be hurled up to forty meters away.
  Orb of Blinding Light
  Elements: A3F1W1 / Spell Cost: 3
  Light from this orb causes those within five
  meters of the caster to become dazzled with
  bright light. Anyone failing a three-dice
  check against their endurance will become
  stunned from bright light for two combat
  rounds.
  Otter’s Talent
  Elements: W1W5 / Spell Cost: 1
  The caster of this spell gains the ability to
  swim twenty meters per round faster than
  before. The spell effect lasts for five full
  minutes.
  Oy!
  Elements: V4F6W3 / Spell Cost: 4
  This spell creates a cone of bad luck,
  extending from the caster out to thirty
  meters in a wide cone. All those effected,
  for the next eight rounds, will suffer a four-
  point penalty on any dice roll as fortune
  seems to turn a blind eye on them.
  P
  Pain
  Elements: F3A1W3 / Spell Cost: 3
  The victim up this spell, a single person up
  to twenty meters away, suffers a bout of
  wracking pain for the next eight rounds.
  During this time, any and all actions
  attempted by the victim are three dice
  harder than normal. Waves of sheer, but
  non-damaging, agony wash over the victim.
  Some Game Masters may want to put in a
  phobia or other permanent trauma for those
  who suffer from this spell several times.
  Paralyze
  Elements: W3A1W2 / Spell Cost: 3
  The caster of this spell can freeze an
  opponent up to twenty meters away for
  four rounds. The target can negate this
  effect by rolling 3d against his Willpower.
  Pastels
  Elements: F3W3 / Spell Cost: 3
  The poor victim of this spell must resist
  three dice against his perception or have his
  vision altered in such a way that everything
  appears to be colored in pastels, usually in
  the gaudiest combinations possible. The
  victim can function normally during this
  time, for the most part, but all other
  perception rolls regarding vision are at a
  negative three penalty.
  Pick
  Elements: E1 / Spell Cost: 1
  This spell will unlock any simple lock the
  caster touches without breaking it (one die
  difficulty locks).
  Pick II
  Elements: E3 / Spell Cost: 3
  This spell will unlock most locks that the
  caster touches (any locks up to three-dice
  difficulty). The spell will not break the locks
  affected.
  Planar Banish
  Elements: V6F3 / Spell Cost: 6
  This 
  spell 
  attempts 
  to 
  banish 
  all
  supernatural creatures within fifteen feet of
  the caster in a wide arc. The creatures can
  only remain if they succeed a six dice check
  against their willpower.
  Pollute
  Elements: W1 / Spell Cost: 1
  This spell simply pollutes water, or other
  liquids, making them slightly tainted. This
  does not make the water poisonous, but
  turns it instead into common water. The
  spell effect is instantaneous, and lasts
  permanently until the water is again
  purified.
  
  Elemental Reign
  37
  Polymorph
  Elements: E6W9 / Spell Cost: 6
  The caster, with this spell, can alter his
  physical form into any shape he wishes
  without changing his mass. The spell lasts
  for eight hours.
  Puffball
  Elements: E1A1 / Spell Cost: 1
  More of a tease than a real attack, that
  caster creates a small ball of fluff, which is
  then sent out up to twenty meters to its
  target. The puffball explodes into dust
  harmlessly, and then dissipates.
  Q
  Qix Barrier
  Elements: A3F3W2 / Spell Cost: 3
  This spell creates a barrier of wind fifteen
  meters around the caster. Those who wish
  to enter must succeed a three-dice task
  against their strength or be knocked back.
  The spell lasts for four rounds.
  Qix Seeker
  Elements: A3A3V3 / Spell Cost: 3
  This spell casts an energy bolt that seeks out
  the most powerful source of mana within a
  twenty-meter radius, and causes three dice
  of electrical damage to it. Hiding the
  strength of mana from the spell requires a
  three dice effort.
  Quality Stone
  Elements: E4 / Spell Cost: 4
  This spell dramatically increases the quality
  of a gem up to 40 kilograms, making it
  flawless. The spell effect is physical and
  permanent.
  Quench
  Elements: W2 / Spell Cost: 2
  This spell will affect the caster (or the one
  he touches) as if he has been satiated with
  water, totally removing thirst from his
  system. (Acts as if five kilograms of water
  has just been injected into the target’s
  system.)
  Quest
  Elements: F4W10 / Spell Cost: 4
  This spell fills the target, a person whom
  the character touches, with the strong desire
  to complete a single task that the caster
  instructs. The quest effect lasts for one day,
  where the target of the spell returns to
  normal, with full memory of what actually
  happened. The target can resist the effects
  fully by making a four dice Willpower feat.
  Quip
  Elements: F2W5 / Spell Cost: 2
  Used by some stage magicians in their acts,
  the spell actually improves their joke-telling
  capabilities by two levels for the five-
  minute duration of the spell. With this spell,
  even the most serious of men can be a
  decent stand up comic.
  R
  Razor Hands
  Elements: E1W3 / Spell Cost: 1
  The caster of this spell will cause edged
  damage with his hands instead of blunt.
  This spell will last for eight rounds, when
  his hands return to normal.
  Rebound
  Elements: E6W2 / Spell Cost: 3
  For the duration of this spell, up to three
  points of damage suffered by the caster
  during hand-to-hand combat is rebounded
  onto the attacker. The spell lasts for four
  rounds.
  Reflect Arrows
  Elements: A6W3 / Spell Cost: 6
  This spell reflects any incoming piercing
  attack back in the direction of the attacker
  (requiring another to-hit task), so long as
  the incoming damage is six points or less.
  The spell lasts for eight rounds.
  
  Elemental Reign
  38
  Remove Phobia
  Elements: F3W3 / Spell Cost: 3
  The person touched by this spell can ignore
  the affects of any or all of his Phobia
  disadvantages for the next eight rounds.
  Return
  Elements: V5E2W1 / Spell Cost: 5
  When cast upon an item of five kilograms
  or less, then items becomes so enchanted
  than when thrown or launched up to 80
  meters away, it will magically return to the
  hand of the caster. The spell effect lasts for
  only two rounds.
  Romantic Gestures
  Elements: F1W3 / Spell Cost: 1
  This character has a slightly easier time of
  seducing a romantic interest with this spell.
  Her rolls for seduction are one die easier
  than they would normally be.
  Rotting Armor
  Elements: E1 / Spell Cost: 1
  When the caster touches his opponent, after
  casting the spell, the opponent’s armor loses
  one point of its effectiveness against one
  type of damage.
  S
  Scry Magic
  Elements: A1 / Spell Cost: 1
  This simple spell simply allows the caster to
  determine if whatever she is touching
  contains magic. This is considered to be
  useful only for trivial detection.
  Send Message
  Elements: A1A1W1 / Spell Cost: 1
  A simple spell, the caster can project his
  whispers up to twenty meters distant. The
  spell lasts for only two rounds.
  Sense Illness
  Elements: A3 / Spell Cost: 3
  This spell reveals if a creature carries a
  disease. It also provides some details on the
  nature of the disease. The mage will still
  need to possess the appropriate skills to
  properly diagnose the illness, however.
  Shadow-Form
  Elements: V4W5 / Spell Cost: 4
  The caster of this spell will turn immaterial,
  making any physical attacks to him four
  dice harder to make for the next five
  minutes. The shadow-formed mage can
  move through many solid objects (up to
  dense objects like stone, but not steel)
  during this time and move as normal.
  Shards of Iron
  Elements: E3A1F2  / Spell Cost: 3
  This spell summons up a tight cone that
  extends to twenty meters. The cone fills
  with a rush of razor-sharp iron shards that
  strike all targets within for three dice of
  edged damage.
  Shards of Steel
  Elements: E5A1F2  / Spell Cost: 5
  This spell summons up a twenty-meter tight
  cone that fills with a rush of razor-sharp
  metallic shards. The shards strike all targets
  within for five dice of edged damage.
  Shield
  Elements: E2W3 / Spell Cost: 2
  When cast, this spell creates a small shield
  on the caster’s arm which will make him
  more difficult to hit in combat by one dice
  (partial cover). This spell lasts for eight
  rounds.
  Shroud
  Elements: V2F5W4 / Spell Cost: 2
  This spell creates a 25-meter diameter
  shroud of darkness around the caster for
  sixteen rounds. Visual perception checks in
  this darkness are two dice harder than
  normal.
  
  Elemental Reign
  39
  Speed-burst
  Elements: A5W2 / Spell Cost: 5
  For the next four rounds, the caster of this
  spell can move twenty-five meters per
  round faster than normally for his normal
  movement type.
  Slick-trap
  Elements: W3E2V2 / Spell Cost: 3
  A minor spell, the caster places this spell
  onto an item weighing in at no more than
  five kilograms and then discards it. At any
  time up until four rounds, the spell can be
  released, causing anyone touching the item
  to make a three dice dexterity roll or fall
  over.
  Soft Noise
  Elements: A1V2 / Spell Cost: 1
  This spell creates a small noise anywhere
  within ten meters of the caster. The noise
  can be of any type, but fairly quiet. This
  spell does not require a to-hit roll.
  Steel-Fire
  Elements: F1E3W3 / Spell Cost: 1
  The caster can, by touching a item of ten
  kilograms or less, cause the item to cause an
  additional d6 fire damage with each strike.
  This 
  effect 
  lasts 
  for 
  eight 
  rounds,
  whereupon the item acts normally.
  Strengthen
  Elements: E1E3W2 / Spell Cost: 1
  This spell will toughen small materials, up
  to ten kilograms. Materials which would be
  easy to break become average to break, et
  cetera. This spell lasts for four rounds.
  Stun
  Elements: E3A1 / Spell Cost: 3
  The subject of this spell, who can be up to
  twenty-meters away, will suffer from being
  stunned for three rounds, as if he were hit
  by a large weapon. The target recovers
  normally and suffers no additional damage.
  T
  Talon Hands
  Elements: E1W3 / Spell Cost: 1
  The caster of this spell will cause piercing
  damage with his hands instead of blunt.
  This spell will last for eight rounds, when
  his hands return to normal.
  Tap
  Elements: A1A4 / Spell Cost: 1
  This spell ‘taps’ the target, who can be up to
  twenty-meters away. The tapping causes no
  damage, and merely feels like someone is
  trying to get his attention.
  Teleportation
  Elements: V6 E5 / Spell Cost: 6
  With this spell, the caster can teleport
  himself and 40 kilograms of material with
  him. Teleported items must be whole to
  take effect. The teleport can go to 160
  meters away. Note that teleporting into
  solid objects is fatal.
  Teleport Another
  Elements: V7E4V3 / Spell Cost: 7
  The caster of this spell can teleport any
  object, or person, within a twenty-meter
  range, up to 160 kilograms in mass, up to 20
  meters away. There is no resistance to this
  effect. Note that teleporting into solid
  objects is fatal.
  Thunder-clash
  Elements: A4W3F3A1 / Spell Cost: 4
  All those in the area of effect of this spell, a
  fifteen meter sphere up to twenty meters
  away from the caster, must roll a four dice
  resistance check against their Endurance or
  become deaf from the violent cracks of
  thunder in the sphere. The deafness ends
  with the termination of the spell.
  Torchlight
  Elements: F1E3W8 / Spell Cost: 1
  
  Elemental Reign
  40
  This spell will enable one item up to ten
  kilograms in weight, to glow like a torch,
  providing a single torchlight, for three
  hours.
  Torrential Sphere
  Elements: A4F3W2 / Spell Cost: 4
  This spell creates a fierce wind rush lasting
  four rounds and surrounding the caster.
  Anyone attempting to enter the rush of
  wind, an area of effect out to fifteen meters
  from the caster, must make a difficult
  strength check. Failure causes no damage,
  but pushes the opponent out of the area of
  effect. Note that everything except the
  caster, who is in the eye of the storm, must
  constantly resist this effect.
  Touch-Blind
  Elements: F3W2 / Spell Cost: 3
  The person touched by this spell must resist
  a three dice check against their endurance
  or become blinded for four rounds.
  Translation
  Elements: F1A2W5 / Spell Cost: 1
  The caster, after starting this spell, can
  understand whatever he reads, writes,
  hears, 
  or 
  says, 
  within 
  forty 
  meters,
  regardless of whatever language it is in. The
  spell lasts for five minutes.
  Trip
  Elements: A2A1 / Spell Cost: 1
  The target of this spell must roll two dice
  under his Dexterity or trip and fall flat-
  faced on the ground. The target can be up
  to twenty meters away.
  U
  Underhand Attack
  Elements: V3V2 / Spell Cost: 3
  This spell causes three dice of damage from
  raw magic to a person up to ten meters
  away.  There is no obvious source of this
  attack.
  Undheim
  Elements: W4F3F1 / Spell Cost: 4
  This spell creates a torrent of cold water
  that causes four dice of damage to everyone
  within fifteen meters of the caster. The
  caster is not included in the effect.
  Undheim II
  Elements: W6F5F1 / Spell Cost: 6
  Basically, a more powerful version of the
  Undheim spell. It causes six dice of damage
  over a twenty-five-meter radius around the
  caster. The caster is still not included in the
  affect.
  Union of Damage
  Elements: E3A2W4 / Spell Cost: 3
  This spell creates a bond between the caster
  and a single target up to forty meters away.
  While this bond is in effect, the caster can
  determine which of the two people take the
  first, most serious, three dice of damage
  from any incoming physical attack on either
  of them. The spell lasts for eight rounds.
  Union of Will
  Elements: F3A2W4 / Spell Cost: 3
  This union links the caster’s willpower to
  that of another person up to forty meters
  away. While the bond is in effect, the caster
  can choose which of the two people can use
  their willpower to resist an incoming
  mental attack, so long as that attack is less
  than three dice in strength. The spell lasts
  for eight rounds.
  User’s Cure
  Elements: E3W8 / Spell Cost: 3
  When touching someone afflicted with an
  addiction to a substance, the caster reduces
  the need for that substance by three levels.
  The addiction remains ‘at bay’ for the next
  four hours, where it will return to normal.
  
  Elemental Reign
  41
  V
  Veil Magic
  Elements: V3E3W10 / Spell Cost: 3
  This spell is generally cast to his the true
  nature of a magic item. For one full day,
  any person attempting to detect magical
  effects on the affected item will need to roll
  a three dice Perception check to see past the
  veil, otherwise they cannot sense any
  magical effects at all. The spell can be
  affixed to any item up to ten kilograms.
  Vision Circle
  Elements: F4W5 / Spell Cost: 4
  The caster of this spell can see in all
  directions around him, up to a distance of
  twenty meters. He cannot be surprised or
  taken from behind while this spell is in
  effect. The spell lasts for five minutes,
  where the vision of the caster returns to
  normal.
  W
  Walled Mind
  Elements: V6W3 / Spell Cost: 6
  The caster of this spell traps his mind from
  outsiders, 
  making 
  any 
  attempts 
  to
  communicate with or control him mentally
  six dice harder than normal. The spell effect
  lasts for eight rounds.
  Web
  Elements: E4W4A1 / Spell Cost: 4
  The target of this spell will become trapped
  in a sticky stuff which takes four dice
  against strength to break free. The web can
  be dropped up to twenty meters away and
  lasts for three minutes.
  Whirlwind
  Elements: A1F1F6W4 / Spell Cost: 1
  A powerful offensive spell, the whirlwind
  summons a powerful windstorm centered
  around the caster, that extends thirty
  meters outward. The torrent causes one
  dice of blunt damage each round for three
  minutes (eighteen rounds). The eye of the
  storm, extending from the caster out to five
  meters, is immune to the damage.
  Wind Shaft
  Elements: A6A3F1W2 / Spell Cost: 6
  This spell creates a pillar of air five meters
  in diameter and five meters high. It can be
  placed anywhere within fifteen meters from
  the caster, and will cause anything within
  the vortex that is less than 80 kilograms to
  instantly rise to the top. The spell lasts for
  four rounds.
  Wings of Eagles
  Elements: A5W10  / Spell Cost: 5
  This is one of the most popular spells. After
  casting , for the next day, the caster can fly
  at a speed of 25 meters per round.
  X
  Xenophobia
  Elements: W3W5F3 / Spell Cost: 3
  The caster of this spell emits a wide cone
  out to fifteen meters. All those within the
  cone are three dice more susceptible to fear
  effects when encountering an intelligent
  species other than them. The spell effect
  lasts for five minutes.
  Y
  Yield Damage
  Elements: E6W3 / Spell Cost: 6
  The caster of this spell creates a damage
  barrier around him. All damage from
  physical attacks must first penetrate this
  barrier. The barrier’s strength is determined
  by rolling six dice and adding the result.
  The spell remains in effect until the barrier
  has exhausted all its damage protection, or
  until eight rounds have expired.
  Youth
  Elements: E7W10 / Spell Cost: 7
  An interesting spell, it actually makes the
  caster appear physically younger by a full
  
  Elemental Reign
  42
  generation. The spell requires great effort,
  however, and lasts only for one full day. It
  is not uncommon, however, for a powerful
  wizard to cheat death from aging by
  carrying around items enchanted with this
  spell. When the spell expires, the caster
  returns to her natural age.
  Z
  Zap Spell
  Elements: V1A1 / Spell Cost: 1
  The whole purpose of this spell is to foul up
  someone else’s spell-casting attempt. When
  cast at a magic-user up to twenty meters
  away, it suddenly makes his active spell-
  casting attempt one die more difficult. Note
  that this can be cumulative, as really long
  spell-casting times could become really
  hard spell-casting attempts.
  Zeus Bolt
  Elements: A6A1 / Spell Cost: 6
  Reserved for the masters of air, this
  offensive spell causes a whopping six dice
  of electrical damage to a single target up to
  twenty meters away. It is a serious drain on
  mana, however, but known to give enemies
  pause before continuing combat.
  
  Elemental Reign
  43
  Spell  Creation
  There are few things more rewarding to a
  mage than creating a spell from scratch and
  seeing it work in the field. Spell Creation,
  however, requires a great deal of effort and
  time for success.
  In this chapter, the process of spell creation
  will be described in detail for both players
  and Game Masters. That means, unless the
  Game Master objects, that any mage
  character with the appropriate skills can
  research and develop their own, unique
  spells.
  Research
  Creating a new spell from scratch takes
  some time. One week per point of the
  spell’s intended major effect is needed to do
  the proper research. This can be modified
  depending on the resources available to the
  mage. At the end of this time, the mage
  needs to make a spell-casting roll with the
  new spell. If the mage succeeds, then his
  research is successful, and a new spell is
  created. If the roll fails, the mage’s research
  was fatally flawed, and the time is wasted.
  Example: Suppose a mage was making the
  Fireball spell from scratch. Since the intended
  spell requires three dice for its major effect, it
  will take three weeks to create it from scratch. At
  the end of the three weeks, the mage must then
  make a three-dice roll  against his Fire skill.
  As with regular spell-casting, the ease of
  research can be adjusted when more time is
  allowed. However, the amount of time
  required to make research easier can be
  staggering. The chart below shows just how
  long it will take to reduce the difficulty in
  creating a spell by certain levels.
  Research Time
  Ease of Casting
  Two Weeks
  -1d Difficulty
  One Month
  -2d Difficulty
  One Season
  -3d Difficulty
  One Year
  -4d Difficulty
  Example: Since the fireball spell requires a three-
  dice check, the mage decides to make it a little
  easier by adding two weeks to the research time.
  This reduces the needed Fire skill roll to two
  dice, but makes the mage’s time spent in the lab
  considerably longer.
  Experience
  Sadly, even though the mage knows the
  literal ‘ins-and-outs’ of the spell, he doesn’t
  receive any experience bonus in learning it.
  He has to use experience for the spell just
  like any other, paying one experience point
  per level of the major effect of the spell
  Example: Now that our example mage has
  discovered the fireball spell, it’s time for him to
  add it to his collection. To do this, he spends
  three experience points to pick it up, just as he
  would if had simply been handed the spell from
  another source.
  Major effects
  When designing a spell, the character needs
  to decide which element will best bring
  about the desired effect. Each element has
  certain strengths and weaknesses making it
  more or less appropriate for any given task.
  Earth Effects
  Earth can provide protection, such as
  forming a shield or armor. It can cause any
  type of physical damage, blunt, piercing, or
  edged. It can also affect anything based on
  Strength, 
  Endurance, 
  Dexterity,
  Comeliness, and Health.
  Damage: An Earth spell is the most suited
  for physical damage attacks. Creating a
  large boulder and slamming it into an
  opponent would definitely be an Earth
  effect. So would creating a cone of spewing
  razors, designed to rip into an enemy’s
  hide. The amount of damage would
  determine the major effect’s power. Three
  dice of damage would require three points
  of mana spent into the major effect of the
  spell.
  Creation: The act of creating a solid item,
  such as forming a shield, or creating a
  
  Elemental Reign
  44
  sword from the ground at your feet, would
  also be an effect of Earth. To measure the
  amount of power required, use the Binding
  table (under minor effect). The table will
  give weights allowed for creation as well.
  To create a ten-kilogram item, for example,
  would require three points of mana in the
  major effect. Note that created items must
  need duration in the spell for them to
  remain intact.
  Strength, Dexterity, Endurance, Comeliness:
  Directly affecting someone’s strength, such
  as making someone stronger or weaker, is
  relatively simple. Strength will go up or
  down one power per point of mana in the
  major effect. (note here too that duration
  would be needed for the spell to be much
  use). The other physical statistics would
  work in the same manner.
  Resistance Checks: Of course, any spell that
  requires a resistance check is fairly easy to
  manage as well. Say that a wall of intangible
  force is guarding a hallway, which forces
  those travelling through it to make a three
  dice check against their strength to pass.
  This would require three dice for its major
  effect. Also, say that a trip spell requires
  two dice against a target’s agility or he falls
  down. This would require two dice for its
  major effect.
  Water Effects
  Water provides rain, and can provide
  drinks. It can also cause physical or cold
  damage. It can also rot away materials. It
  can 
  lastly 
  affect 
  anything 
  based 
  on
  Endurance or Willpower.
  Damage: Damage from water works in the
  same manner as from Earth, with each
  point of mana doing a dice of damage.
  Water, however, can do damage through
  cold, blunt, and piercing only.
  Creating Liquids: The most obvious effect of
  the water element is the ability to create
  water. To create water (or any other liquid),
  use the same rules as you would for
  creating a solid.
  Rotting: The ability to cause rot can be
  measured in one of three ways. The first is
  to simply cause damage from a rotting
  source (there is no direct damage type, the
  afflicted item simply rots away). Armored
  opponents will not suffer rot damage, but
  their armor might.
  The 
  second 
  way 
  is 
  to 
  reduce 
  the
  effectiveness of armor by a point per mana.
  Chain mail afflicted by a three-point rot will
  now be less effective against all three types
  of physical damage.
  Lastly, rot could make materials one dice
  easier to break for each point of mana
  placed into it. A difficult to break box
  becomes average. The spell description
  should specify how the spell manifests and
  under what circumstances.
  Endurance and Willpower: Also considered
  the defensive statistics, Endurance and
  Willpower can be directly affected by
  water, 
  as 
  described 
  for 
  the 
  physical
  statistics in the Earth element.
  Resistance Checks: As with earth, each point
  of mana makes resistance checks against
  Endurance and Willpower one dice harder.
  A charming spell at three dice of power for
  the major effect would require a three dice
  check against the victim’s Willpower.
  Fire Effects
  Fire is a dangerous element, most notably
  for causing flame damage. It also can
  provide heat and warmth. It can also affect
  the mind, manipulating the Intelligence,
  Willpower, 
  Perception, 
  and 
  Charisma
  statistics.
  Damage: Fire spells can only bring damage
  through fire (while not technically correct,
  heat is considered the same as fire for
  determining damage in this system). As
  with all other damage types, one point of
  mana of major effect will cause one dice of
  damage.
  
  Elemental Reign
  45
  Light: Fire creates light as a side effect. To
  measure the amount of light a fire spell
  does, each torchlight worth of light costs
  one mana of the major effect.
  Intelligence, Willpower, Perception, Charisma:
  Fire affects the mental statistics just as Earth
  can effect the physical statistics. Also,
  resistance checks against these statistics
  work in the same manner as stated for both
  Earth and Water.
  Air Effects
  Air is a wondrous element, bringing soft
  breezes and ominous lightning. It controls
  noise and music. Lastly, air can manipulate
  the Dexterity and Perception statistics.
  Damage: Air spells can bring damage from
  either 
  raw, 
  blunt 
  force, 
  or 
  through
  electricity. As with all other damage types,
  one point of mana for major effect will
  cause one dice of damage.
  Noise: Air controls noise as a side effect. To
  control noise, the caster can use a point of
  mana to either halve or double the volume
  of the noise, or create a new sound at
  normal speaking voice. Using noise as a
  deafening attack would be a resistance
  check against Endurance.
  Wind: The element of air controls wind.
  Each point of mana placed into a major
  effect can change the wind speed of the
  affected area by 10 kilometers per hour. Air
  moving beyond 60 KPH is equivalent to
  severe storms.
  Perception and Dexterity: Air affects the
  statistics 
  of 
  affinity, 
  Perception 
  and
  Dexterity. Resistance checks against these
  statistics work in the same manner as stated
  for both all other elements.
  Void Effects
  Void is that intangible element which
  surpasses understanding. It is darkness,
  sickness, cold, and negation. It can also
  scramble and dispel other magic. Lastly,
  void can manipulate any statistic.
  Damage: Void spells can bring damage from
  pure raw mana, or by disintegration.
  Disintegration has no defense and will
  cause one dice of damage for every point of
  mana for major effect. Mana burning will
  damage one dice of mana on a target for
  every point of major effect spent.
  Sickness and Poison: Sickness and poison are
  basically 
  resistance-style 
  spells 
  usually
  operated against a target’s endurance
  statistic. Each dice of major effect can make
  the sickness or poison more difficult to
  cure. 
  The 
  Game 
  Master 
  should
  automatically disallow any instant-death
  poisons or illnesses, as they make the game
  rather boring.
  Dispel: The element of void can be used to
  cancel existing spell effects. Each point of
  void as a major element will dispel one
  point of the major effect of the spell being
  dispelled. Dispel ceases a spell, and
  requires no duration. Spells dispelled to
  zero points in its major effect cease
  immediately.
  Statistics: Void can affect any statistic.
  Resistance checks against void work in the
  same manner as stated for all previous
  elements.
  Adding Minor Effects
  Minor effects are basically how and where
  the spell manifests. This is accomplished by
  adding secondary elements and spending
  the points for expanding the spell’s effects.
  For the spell to actually do something to
  someone other than the caster himself, it
  will need a minor effect added to it.
  Caster Only Spells: Some spells are
  designed only to affect the caster. These
  spells don’t require any to-hit rolls, since
  the caster can always be assumed to be able
  to target himself.
  
  Elemental Reign
  46
  Example: A mage is casting a strength
  enhancement spell on himself. Since the spell is
  considered caster-only, he doesn’t need to make a
  to-hit roll to strike his target. He still needs to
  make his casting roll, however.
  Touch based spells: Touch-based spells are
  those that require the caster to reach out
  and physically touch the intended target.
  This generally requires a barehanded to-hit
  roll in addition to the spell-casting roll.
  Example: The Rotting Armor spell is a touched-
  based spell. In order to succeed in casting it he
  needs to ‘attack’ his victim by managing to
  touch him. This usually requires a two-dice
  melee roll, but this could be modified for
  different combat situations
  Sometimes, the to-hit roll can be ignored if
  the target of the spell is a willing
  participant. In these cases, the caster only
  needs to make her spell-casting roll.
  Example: A healing spell is being cast on a
  injured person. Since the injured man does
  indeed wish to be healed, he’s not resisting being
  touched. The caster needs to make no to-hit roll
  to ‘strike’ his target.
  Range: Each point of air, as a minor
  component, provides a twenty-meter range
  for the spell’s effect. Without range, all
  spells occur either as touch or on the caster
  himself.
  Example: The Web spell adds one point of air to
  add some range to the spell. This single point of
  Range extends the spell’s reach to twenty
  meters.
  A line of sight is required for this type of
  range to be allowed. Spells using range will
  normally require an average dexterity roll
  to hit.
  Minor
  Effect
  Range
  Minor
  Effect
  Range
  1
  20m
  6
  120m
  2
  40m
  7
  140m
  3
  60m
  8
  160m
  4
  80m
  9
  180m
  5
  100m
  10
  200m
  Distance: Distance is similar in range in
  that it provides distance from the caster for
  the 
  spell 
  to 
  manifest. 
  The 
  primary
  difference is that there is no visible line
  from the caster and no needed line of sight
  for the spell to manifest. Distance also can
  provide much more vast distances when
  compared to normal ranged magic.
  Example: The Underhand Attack spell has two
  points of void attached to it for Distance. This
  enables the spell to manifest anywhere within 10
  meters of the caster, without needing to check for
  line of sight.
  Minor
  Effect
  Distance
  Minor
  Effect
  Distance
  1
  5m
  6
  160m
  2
  10m
  7
  320m
  3
  20m
  8
  640m
  4
  40m
  9
  1.2km
  5
  80m
  10
  2.4km
  Area of Effect: Each point of fire dedicated
  to area of effect provides a five-meter
  radius for the spell’s effects. The effect is
  spherical and effects everyone within the
  radius. There is no to-hit roll required to
  strike things in a spherical area of effect.
  Example: The ever-popular Fireball spell has
  three points added for a spherical area-of-effect,
  giving the spell a radius of fifteen meters. Note
  that this particular spell can launch the center
  point of the spell up to twenty meters away from
  the caster by also using the minor effect of air.
  Without the added component of range,
  however, any area of effect will also include
  the caster.
  Minor
  Effect
  Area of
  Effect
  Minor
  Effect
  Area of
  Effect
  1
  5m
  6
  30m
  2
  10m
  7
  35m
  3
  15m
  8
  40m
  4
  20m
  9
  45m
  5
  25m
  10
  50m
  Wide Cone. Each point of fire dedicated to
  a ‘wide cone’ area of effect will increase the
  range of the cone effect by five meters. The
  
  Elemental Reign
  47
  spell starts from the caster, and extends out
  covering a 90-degree arc from him.
  Cones aren’t exactly particular in their use,
  and will effect everyone with the area, aside
  from the caster. (The caster isn’t technically
  in the area of effect. The cone merely starts
  from her.) As with ‘spheres’, wide cones
  require no to-hit rolls.
  Example: The ‘Frost Cone” spell has two points
  of fire dedicated to giving the spell effect a wide-
  cone up to ten meters away. The spell affects
  everyone within the cone, requiring no to-hit
  rolls to see who and what within gets damaged.
  Minor
  Effect
  Wide
  Cone
  Minor
  Effect
  Wide
  Cone
  1
  5m
  6
  30m
  2
  10m
  7
  35m
  3
  15m
  8
  40m
  4
  20m
  9
  45m
  5
  25m
  10
  50m
  Tight Cone:  The tight cone is a narrower
  version of the wide cone. It starts from, but
  does not include, the caster. It extends in a
  thirty-degree arc (the arc made by one hour
  on a clock) out to its range. As with
  ‘spheres’ and ‘wide cones’, a tight cone
  does to require a to-hit roll.
  Each point of fire adds ten meters to this
  cone effect. The spell effects extend to
  absolutely everything within the area of
  effect. The caster is not assumed to be in the
  area of the cone.
  Example: The Shards of Iron spell has two
  points of fire allocated for a tight-cone effect.
  The cone starts from the caster and spreads out
  on a thirty-degree arc out to twenty meters
  away. Everything within the cone is affected by
  the spell.
  Minor
  Effect
  Tight
  Cone
  Minor
  Effect
  Tight
  Cone
  1
  10m
  6
  60m
  2
  20m
  7
  70m
  3
  30m
  8
  80m
  4
  40m
  9
  90m
  5
  50m
  10
  100m
  Binding: Earth enables a spell effect to be
  bound to a solid item, such as a staff or
  scroll. The bind is immediate, and the spell
  effects will emanate from the affected item
  and not the caster. All other aspects of the
  spell, including duration, work normally.
  The amount of bind required depends on
  the weight of the item.
  Example: The Steel-Fire spell has three points of
  Earth dedicated to binding the spell effect to an
  item of up to ten kilograms. The spell will then
  erupt from the affected item for the duration of
  the spell. The caster can go off and do something
  else for the time.
  Binding
  Level
  Weight
  Allowed
  Binding
  Level
  Weight
  Allowed
  1
  2 kg
  6
  80kg
  2
  5 kg
  7
  160kg
  3
  10 kg
  8
  320kg
  4
  20 kg
  9
  640kg
  5
  40 kg
  10
  1.2 tonnes
  Duration: Water enables the effects of a
  spell to last longer than instantaneously.
  Each point of water provides a longer
  duration for the spell’s effect. The spell
  effect ceases when the duration expires or
  when the caster wills it away.
  Example: The Razor Hands spell dedicates three
  points of water to stretch out the effects of the
  spell for eight rounds. The spell terminates
  normally at the end of the eighth round.
  Delay. The delay effects enables the caster
  to specify when a spell effect manifests.
  Each point of void provides a longer
  possible delay for the effect, calculated in
  the same manner as duration. The spell, at
  the caster’s will, can manifest at any time
  during the given delay.
  Example: The Slick-Trap spell has two points of
  Void dedicated to Delay. This means that the
  spell will not begin for four rounds until after it
  has been cast. It will manifest at the end of that
  forth round. After the four rounds are complete,
  the spell manifests normally.
  Level
  Duration or
  Delay
  Level
  Duration or
  Delay
  
  Elemental Reign
  48
  1
  2 rounds
  6
  20 minutes
  2
  4 rounds
  7
  45 minutes
  3
  8 rounds
  8
  3 hours
  4
  3 minutes
  9
  8 hours
  5
  5 minutes
  10
  1 day
  Power-playing Spell Creation
  Construction systems, such as this one, are
  prone to one deadly thing, power-gamers.
  A Game Master should take special care
  when dealing with this type of individual.
  Spells made by these folks will have a
  tendency to pack an incredible punch with
  very little cost, cause ‘instant death’ with
  very little effort, or anything else that makes
  his mage more powerful than he rightfully
  should be. This attitude simply should not
  be acceptable and is definitely not within
  the spirit of the game
  Just too Powerful: If a player submits a
  spell which just seems to powerful, such as
  a ten dice damaging attack which sticks on
  a target for and hour or so, then he
  probably shouldn’t have it. Of course, the
  odds on casting such a spell are small, but it
  could be done. Most times, spells of this
  type will do one of either two things. The
  ‘kill anything’ or the ‘make me omnipotent’
  spells, both of which are obvious enough
  and can be vetoed out of hand.
  Example: An illegal spell is designed to cause
  pressing damage directly to a character’s throat.
  The spell is third-level, to which the victims in
  the area of effect must roll three dice against
  their endurance or die instantly. Instant-death
  spells are very bad and do little more than create
  bad-feeling in the group.
  Statistic Manipulation: A point of mana
  should only manipulate a major statistic by
  one point. A player cannot kill someone by
  magically dropping a victim’s statistics
  alone. Spells cannot also cause damage to a
  statistic instead of heath.
  Example: An illegal spell is designed to blind
  someone. The spell’s description states that it
  will cause ‘3d’ damage to a character’s
  Perception, killing him if it drops below zero’.
  This spell defeats the purpose of having health.
  Recharging. Spells cannot be used to
  recharge a character’s mana, since that
  defeats the purpose on using mana in the
  first place.
  Example: An illegal spell would see the caster
  use one point of mana in a spell designed to
  bring back one dice of mana. Obviously, the
  mage would never need worry about running
  out of mana if this were legal.
  General Use and Specific Use Spells:
  Some spells may seem like a good idea, but
  their application is too powerful. I want to
  put all these people to sleep, for instance.
  Usually, the best way to curb these spells is
  to assign a statistic for a resistance check.
  Other times, you may simply want to tone
  down the end effect in terms of points
  instead of dice.
  Example: A spell designed to reduce an armor’s
  overall protection by two dice should likely
  change to two points.
  Game Master’s Preview: The intelligence
  for having the Game Master preview each
  spell before it’s scribe should be obvious.
  Super-powerful spells that solve all the
  problems in an adventure are boring. The
  Game Master should exercise his right to
  keep the adventures doing well by vetoing
  spells that he feels will disrupt the game.
  Sometimes, a spell may follow the rules
  very well, and not seem unbalancing, but
  the Game Master may simply not want it in
  his campaign. In these cases the Game
  Master should be ready to state why he
  doesn’t want it to his players.
  Example: A Game Master has stated that
  elemental spells in his campaign cannot heal. A
  player creates a spell which brings back one dice
  of health for every point of mana spent. The
  Game Master disallows it, because it is in the
  purview of the church in his setting, and that
  effect is simply not attainable.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Game Engine Manual/Game Engine Manual Elemental Reign.pdf