High Magic

The High Magic Skill
The Risk of High Magic
Rewards and Risks of High Magic
Duration of Spells
High Magic Spell Traits
High Magic Spells
High Magic Fumble Table
Elementals
Summoning Elementals
Compelling Elementals
Types of Elementals
Elemental Summoning Fumble Table

A mouse must have a combined POW and INT of at least 32 in order to learn and use High Magic. Those characters that have the necessary POW and INT and experience from a career or backstory start with 1d2+1 High Magic spells. Characters can learn a number of High Magic spells equal to 1/2 their INT, rounded up. Characters with the requisite POW and INT can freely mix Hedge Magic and High Magic (i.e., they can know and cast either or both).

More High Magic spells can be learned. It costs 5 Experience Rolls to learn a new High Magic spell, and takes a month of dedicated study and practice. New spells must be learned from a teacher or a reliable source (such as a scroll or grimoire designed to teach a new spell).

The High Magic Skill

The High Magic skill base percentage is POW + INT. It may be allocated points as with any other skill when allocating skills using the Skill Pyramid method.

High Magic spells are cast, and elementals are summoned, using the High Magic skill. Preparing and casting a spell, or summoning an elemental, requires two Action Points (turns), and a successful High Magic roll. If the roll fails, the spell does not work and must be readied and attempted again later. If the roll succeeds, the spell works and Magic Points are deducted.

If the High Magic roll is a...
• Critical Success: the spell’s Magic Point cost is 1 regardless of level (and see below for a possible increase in POW).
• Success: the caster spends the required Magic Points for desired or required Levels, and the spell works.
• Failure: the caster spends the required Magic Points for the desired or required Levels, but the spell does not work.
• Fumble: the caster spends 1d3 x Level Magic Points, the spell fails, and the caster must roll on one of the High Magic Fumble Tables.

Rewards and Risks of High Magic

A critical success using the High Magic skill means that the wizard has opened themselves to the higher truths of nature, and has the opportunity to draw magical energy from nature itself. If the player wins an opposed roll of their own High Magic skill against their POW x 5, they gain 1d2 points of POW. They gain the same number of Magic Points as gained POW points.

Channeling the necessary nature force required for High Magic through one's body is dangerous. If a High Magic caster fumbles, things could go badly wrong. See High Magic Fumble Table below.

If fumbling High Magic causes a character to drop below a combined POW and INT of 32, they lose the ability to cast High Magic, and must seek to gain POW or INT to regain it. Whether or not they drop below 32 INT+POW, they lose the same number of Magic Points as lost POW points.

Duration of Spells

Unless a spell has either the Concentration or Instant traits it has a natural duration which lasts the entire scene or action for which the spell was used. A few spells have custom durations noted in the spell’s definition.

High Magic Spell Traits

High Magic Spells

Control

Traits: Concentration, Ranged, Resist (Special), MP/Level: 4
Control the thoughts and/or actions of one intelligent being per level. The magician must succeed in an opposed POW x5 (caster) vs. Willpower (target) test against each target. Each level of the spell allows the magician to control one being. This spell cannot be used on unintelligent animals. Each attack is independent (opposed tests made against each target). The magician must concentrate on the spell, using no other spells or doing anything more than moving slowly and speaking briefly, or the targets will simply stand idle.

The magician controls the movements and speech of the target(s). The target cannot speak or perform any voluntary action other than those specified, but if the magician wishes, the target can speak freely or have a limited range of free actions. Having more than one target do different things requires a Willpower roll each combat round to maintain coordination between different targets. If the Willpower test fails, the targets stand idle.

If the target is commanded to perform an action it would normally find objectionable, a Hard Willpower test lets it resist. Success means that the target balks and does not follow the order for one turn, standing still or otherwise idling. Failure means the target performs the action as required. The action can be commanded again in the following turn, with a new Hard Willpower roll. If the action commanded is wholly objectionable, such as murder of an ally, the Willpower test is Easy. If the command is suicidal, the Willpower roll is Very Easy. If the result of the Willpower roll is a critical success, the target breaks free from the Control spell.

Diminish Skill

Traits: Ranged, Resist (Willpower), MP/Level: 3
Cause a target to have one Difficulty Grade harder per Level (maximum 2 Levels/2 Difficulty Grades) to be applied to one skill.

Dispel

Traits: Instant, Ranged, Resist (Special), MP/Level: 3
Dispel or counter the effects of High Magic spells. The level of Dispel used must be equal to or greater than the level of the spell being dispeled. The caster must win in an opposed roll of their High Magic skill against the opposing/original caster's High Magic skill. Note that Dispel High Magic cannot undo effects such as damage done by the Elemental Blast spell. Dispel instantly dispels Hedge Magic spells without requiring an opposed roll.

Elemental Blast

Traits: Instant, Ranged, Resist (Evade), MP/Level: 2
This spell invokes a beam of elemental energy towards a single target. The target takes 1d4 damage per level. Under most circumstances, non-magical armor absorbs the damage. This spell can be Evaded. If Blast is parried with a shield, the shield blocks a random amount of damage (see Shields), with any remainder going to the target. Each form of Elemental Blast is a distinct spell, and must be learned separately.

Air: A visible disruption in the air shoots towards the target.
Fire: A stream of fire shoots from the caster to the target.
Earth: A stream of small rocks, sand, and dust shoots towards the target.
Water: A swirling, boiling stream of water shoots to the target.

Enhance Skill

Traits: Ranged, Resist (Willpower), MP/Level: 3
Cause a target to have one Difficulty Grade easier per Level (maximum 2 Levels/2 Difficulty Grades) to be applied to one skill. If the target knows the spell is being cast (i.e., the caster communicates to the target somehow) and is willing, no Willpower test is required.

Farsight

Traits: Concentration, Ranged (Special), MP/Level: 3
Use this spell to see what is happening in any area within 100 meters of a familiar area, or within 10 meters of an unfamiliar area. This gives full vision and hearing, as if in that area, allowing that point of view to have any mobility they possess, while within the spell’s range. A caster physically near an area within the 10-meter range can cast it into that area, regardless of familiarity. Each level adds another 100/10 meters of range.

Invisibility

Traits: Concentration, Ranged, Resist (Willpower), MP/Level: 2
Turn 3 SIZ per level of an object or another being invisible. Items or living beings cannot be turned partially invisible, though components can if the object consists of more than one “piece”. The magician must concentrate on the spell and must do no more than walk or speak to maintain the invisibility. Fighting, taking injury, using another power, performing some athletic maneuver, or similar distractions break the effects and end the spell.

Attacks against an invisible character or object are made at a Formidable Difficulty Grade; similarly, attempting to parry an attack from someone invisible is Formidable. This power does not stop sound or other sensory clues from the target, and successful use of the Perception skill reduces the Difficulty Grade of attacks and parries to Hard.

If one knows the spell is being cast on them and they're amenable, they need not resist; otherwise, an opposed Willpower test is used.

An invisible being (not the caster, who must be concentrating) can move, attack, flee, or stand still while the spell is active. Invisibility can be dispelled by the caster at any time, though starting it again requires another casting.

Illusion (Type)

Traits: Ranged, Resist (Perception), MP/Level: 2

Illusions are immobile unless the caster concentrates on the illusion to the exclusion of all else. Those witnessing (hearing, smelling, seeing) an illusion may attempt to detect the falsehood using an opposed Perception roll.

Illusions can be used to mislead or terrify opponents, or entrap them. Disguising walls, concealing traps, concealing (or creating) the smell of burning or rot, creating frightening wailing sounds, or the sounds of running water (or concealing those sounds) are just a few examples.

Auditory Illusions

Create or conceal a sound of the caster's choice. Level in this case roughly corresponds to how loud the sound is, and what range it can be heard or concealed from.

Scent Illusions

Create or conceal a smell of the caster's choice. Level in this case roughly corresponds to how strong the smell is, and what range it can be smelled or concealed from.

Visual Illusions

Create the image of up to 3 SIZ points of an object or creature per Level. This is visual only, with no sound, scent, touch, or taste. If touched, it remains but is insubstantial.

Mindspeech

Traits: Ranged, Resist (Willpower), MP/Level: 2
Use this spell to speak to one other mind per level. Only surface conversation or feelings are transmitted, and the target may need to make an Insight roll to understand if not traditionally intelligent. Language is not a barrier to this spell, however. Multiple targets of the spell cannot communicate to each other using this spell, though casting Mindspeech Level 1 on a target, lets them communicate with one other mind.

Restore Health

Traits: Instant, Touch, MP/Level: 4
Heal 1d6 + 3 Hit Points of damage per spell Level. Restore Health will reverse the effects of one Major Wound if cast within 6 hours of receiving the wound.

If a character died in the same or previous round that the Restore spell is cast, they are brought back from the brink of death, gaining 1 Hit Point and remaining unconscious.

Summon Elemental (Type)

Traits: Special Duration, MP/Level: Special
Summon one elemental of a type known to the caster. Summoning an elemental costs 4 Magic Points. The caster may demand one service from the elemental, after which it will depart back to its plane of origin. The duration of the service is either instant, i.e., the elemental takes the action demanded of it and then immediately departs, or it can last for the length of situation or scene, such as combat.

To compel an elemental into long term service, a caster must engage the elemental in a negotiation that takes 1d4 + 2 rounds, at the end of which the caster rolls POW x 4. If successful, the elemental is bound for the negotiated length of time, up to one year. The caster must sacrifice a Magic Point for the duration of the compelled service. See Compelling Elementals for more details.

Teleport

Traits: Instant, Ranged (Special), Resist (Special), MP/Level: 2
Instantaneously teleport 3 SIZ per level from its current location to another place within POW x 10 x Level meters. The object or being to be teleported must be within POW meters of the caster. Only complete objects can be teleported; it is impossible to teleport a part of a living being or whole object away (i.e., enough Levels must be used to transport at least the SIZ of the object or being). If an object is not directly affixed or attached to another object, it can be teleported. For example, a gun could be teleported out of a holster, but an engine could not be teleported out of a car.

Living beings being teleported can resist if desired, using Willpower. Teleporting a living being into a solid object or material (such as dropping them into the ground underneath them) affords them an Easy Willpower test to resist being teleported. If they fail, they can use a Luck point to deflect the Teleport spell.

Fumbling with the Teleport spell can be extremely dangerous.

Vision of the Past

Traits: Concentration, Ranged (Special), MP/Level: 4
The caster is able to "see" (and hear) events that have transpired in the past within 100 meters of the caster, for up to 1 day in the past per level.

High Magic Fumble Table

Elementals

Nature is the source of all magic, and elementals are nature embodied in physical form. The elemental facets of nature are air, earth, fire, and water. The "opposite" or opposed elements have a natural antipathy towards each other, and High Magic practitioners cannot learn to summon and wield opposed elementals. This naturally restricts High Magic users to two types of elementals.

Air and earth are each others' opposites, and thus are opposed against each other. Similarly, fire and water are opposites and thus are opposed. For example, if a wizard learns to summon air elementals, they may also learn to summon fire or water elementals, but not earth elementals.

The High Magic skill is used to summon elementals, although each type of elemental must be learned as any other High Magic spell (either at character creation or at the cost of 5 Experience Rolls).

When summoned to the physical plane, elementals have Hit Points and the ability to wield powers inherent to their own element. An elemental's Hit Points will be equal to the Caster's POW at the time summoning starts. Elementals on the physical plane do not regain Hit Points; whether called on for one service or compelled, when their Hit Points are brought to 0 or below they immediately return to their plane of origin.

Elementals are susceptible to weapons and magic (but, see specific details for each type of elemental).

Elementals have two Action Points.

Commanding an elemental takes one Action Point; the elemental takes their action on the caster's next turn, whether that's in the current or the next round. For situations where the elemental will be repeatedly acting across multiple rounds, it will continue to act on the summoner's initiative.

Summoning Elementals

Like other High Magic spells, summoning an elemental requires two Action Points. Successfully summoning an elemental allows the caster to demand one service from the elemental, unless it is to be compelled into longer service. The duration of the service is either "one time", i.e., the elemental takes the action demanded of it and then departs, or it can last for the length of a situation or scene, such as combat.

If fumbling the Summon Elemental spell causes a character to drop below a combined POW and INT of 32, they lose the ability to cast High Magic, and must seek to gain POW or INT to regain it. Whether or not they drop below 32 INT+POW, they lose the same number of Magic Points as lost POW points.

Compelling Elementals

Elementals can be compelled to serve for a longer period of time; this can last up to one year. In this case, the elemental is bound into an object or location of the caster's choosing.

To compel an elemental into long term service, a caster must engage a successfully summoned elemental in a negotiation that takes 1d4 + 2 rounds, at the end of which the caster rolls POW x 4. If successful, the elemental is bound for the negotiated length of time, up to one year.

A compelled elemental may be commanded to inhabit the object or location, and will answer a demand of service four times per day. If asked for a service a fifth time in a day, the elemental will perform the service; however, the caster must roll on the Elemental Summoning Fumble Table, and the elemental departs for its plane of origin.

Compelling an elemental for any amount of time requires the sacrifice of one Magic Point, for the duration of the elemental's compelled service. If this drops combined POW and INT below 32, the caster loses the ability to cast High Magic (including elemental summoning), although they can still command any elementals they have compelled.

A summoner can maintain up to INT / 5 (round up) compelled elementals. They are free to summon more elementals if they demand one service of them. However, if they attempt to compel an elemental into long term service when they're at their limit, they must immediately roll on the Elemental Summoning Fumble Table, and regardless of the outcome, they fall unconscious.

Transferring Compelled Elementals

A High Magician can voluntarily give an elemental that's bound into an object to someone else. In order for the recipient to command the bound elemental for the duration of negotiated service, the recipient must roll their own POW x 4. If they fail, they must immediately roll on the Elemental Summoning Fumble Table, and the elemental in question is released after the effects of the roll take place.

Types of Elementals

Players can invent powers for their summoned elementals, although the Game Runner should work with the player to ensure that the new powers are thematically and narratively appropriate, and not so powerful that they would unbalance play. Players should keep in mind that the Game Runner is the final arbiter of rules.

Sylphids - Air Elementals

Sylphids appear as a shimmering in the air, sometimes morphing in and out of a small, vaguely humanoid form with a whitish blue aura.

Air elementals can:

• Move objects or material of up to 2 points of SIZ for 1d8 minutes
• Attempt to divert ranged weapons (arrows, spears, bolts, etc.) from a target, applying one Difficulty Grade against the attacker's roll
• Improve a target's ranged weapon attacks by one Difficulty Grade
• Create a vaccuum around one target, causing asphyxiation if the target requires air; this attack skill is the caster's POW x 3, each turn
• Send an earth elemental back to its plane of origin; this action does the same to the Sylphid, whether or not it's compelled

Golems - Earth Elementals

Golems appear as small humanoids made of earth and stone.

Earth elementals can:

• Attack with their fists; their attack skill is the caster's POW x 3; a successful attack causes 2d6 points of damage
• Lift and carry as much weight as a large beast of burden such as a draft beetle
• Pass through earth and stone works, such as walls
• Crumble or weaken an area of 1/2 square meters of earth or stone each round
• Send an air elemental back to its plane of origin; this action does the same to the Golem, whether or not it's compelled

Scintilla - Fire Elementals

Scintilla appear as a live flame floating in the air, sometimes becoming a small humanoid form with a fiery yellow-orange aura.

Fire elementals can:

• Attack by throwing a burst of flame, which does 2d6 points of damage; their attack skill is the caster's POW x 3; range is the caster's POW in meters
• Set flammable things on fire - not immediately, but more quickly than with an open flame
• Provide enough ambient light to see in a small area
• Merge with a metal weapon, causing an additional 1d4 fire damage
• Send a water elemental back to its plane of origin; this action does the same to the Scintilla, whether or not it's compelled

Naiads - Water Elementals

Naiads appear as a glistening, foating orb of water, sometimes shifting in and out of a small, vaguely humanoid shape with a blue-green aura.

Water elementals can:

• Transport objects or material of up to 2 points of SIZ through water for 1d8 minutes
• Cause drowning, whether or not the target is in water; this effect is the same as asphyxiation; the attack skill is the caster's POW x 3, each turn
• Extinguish small fires
• Provide enough water for several beings to drink
• Send a fire elemental back to its plane of origin; this action does the same to the Naiad, whether or not it's compelled

Elemental Summoning Fumble Table

Based on Mythras Imperative, Written by Pete Nash and Lawrence Whitaker, and published by The Design Mechanism, Copyright 2023.

Material on this site not covered by other ownership or copyright statements is Copyright © 2024 Robert Prince.

Portions based on Chaosium's ORC-licensed Basic Roleplaying.