Spells: Difference between revisions
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===Preparing Wizard Spells=== | ===Preparing Wizard Spells=== | ||
they can prepare and cast. Their high Intelligence score might allow them to prepare a few extra spells. They can prepare the same spell more than once, but each preparation counts as one spell toward their they may use to cast the spell. No matter how well they know each of their spells, if they have not taken the time to charge their aura with energy by resting, they may not cast it. | |||
===Preparing Sorcerer and Bard Spells=== | ===Preparing Sorcerer and Bard Spells=== | ||
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===Rest=== | ===Rest=== | ||
To prepare | To prepare their daily spells, an arcane caster must first sleep for 8 hours. The wizard, sorcerer, or bard does not have to slumber for every minute of the time, but they must refrain from movement, combat, spellcasting, skill use, conversation, or any other fairly demanding physical or mental task during the rest period. If their rest is interrupted, each interruption adds 1 hour to the total amount of time they have to rest in order to clear their mind and refresh their aura. They must have at least 1 hour of uninterrupted rest immediately prior to preparing spells. If the character does not need to sleep for some reason, they must still have 8 hours of restful calm before preparing any spells. | ||
===Recent Casting Limit/Rest Interruptions=== | ===Recent Casting Limit/Rest Interruptions=== | ||
If a wizard, sorcerer, or bard has cast spells recently, the drain on | If a wizard, sorcerer, or bard has cast spells recently, the drain on their aura reduces their capacity to prepare new spells. When a wizard, sorcerer, or bard prepares spells for the coming day, all the spells they have cast within the last 8 hours (such as during an overnight fight) count against their daily limit for the coming day. Normally, this is not a concern, because most casters regain all their spells after a night's rest, which means there's been eight hours of no adventuring. | ||
If, however, your restful night was interrupted by a massive midnight battle, any spells you used during that battle (unless you wait a full eight hours after the combat to regain your spells) count against your next days allotment of spells. | If, however, your restful night was interrupted by a massive midnight battle, any spells you used during that battle (unless you wait a full eight hours after the combat to regain your spells) count against your next days allotment of spells. | ||
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===Wizard Spell Preparation Time=== | ===Wizard Spell Preparation Time=== | ||
After resting, a wizard must study | After resting, a wizard must study their spellbook to prepare any spells that day. If a wizard wants to prepare all of their spells, the process takes 1 hour no matter how many spells that may be. Preparing some smaller portion of their daily allotment of spells takes a proportionally smaller amount of time, but always at least 15 minutes, the minimum time required to achieve the proper mental state. The GM is encouraged to abstract this time as part of a Full Night's rest, although as much detail, or as little, may be devoted to this process. | ||
===Spell Selection and Preparation=== | ===Spell Selection and Preparation=== | ||
Until | Until they prepare spells from their spellbook, the only spells an arcane caster has available to cast are the ones that they already had prepared from a previous day and has not yet used, or, any spells they can always cast such as cantrips or orisons. In general, an arcane caster must prepare each of their spells at least once per year, although they usually do it far more frequently. During the study period, the caster chooses which spells to prepare. If a wizard already has spells prepared (from the previous day) that they have not cast or used up for mana burning, they can choose to abandon some or all of them in their aura, effectively 'forgetting' that instance of the prepared spell, to make room for new spells. | ||
When preparing spells for the day, a wizard can leave some of these spell slots open. Later during that day, | When preparing spells for the day, a wizard can leave some of these spell slots open. Such open slots can be used for mana burning, or for powering the [[Arcane Blast (Feat)]], for reasons why this is sometimes done. Later during that day, they can repeat the 15 minute preparation process as often as they like, time and circumstances permitting. During these extra sessions of preparation, the wizard can fill these unused spell slots with any spell in their spellbook, as always. They ''''cannot'''', however, abandon a previously prepared spell to replace it with another one, or fill a slot that is empty because they have cast a spell in the meantime. That sort of preparation requires a mind and aura fresh from rest. Like the first session of the day, this preparation takes at least 15 minutes, and it takes longer if the wizard prepares more than one-quarter of their spells. | ||
===Spell Slots=== | ===Spell Slots=== | ||
The various character class tables show how many spells of each level an arcane spell caster can cast per day. These openings for daily spells are called spell slots. A spellcaster always has the option to fill a higher-level spell slot with a lower-level spell. A spellcaster who lacks a high enough ability score to cast spells that would otherwise be his or her due still gets the slots but must fill them with spells of lower level. | The various character class tables show how many spells of each level an arcane spell caster can cast per day. These openings for daily spells are called spell slots. '''A spellcaster always has the option to fill a higher-level spell slot with a lower-level spell.''' A spellcaster who lacks a high enough ability score to cast spells that would otherwise be his or her due still gets the slots but must fill them with spells of lower level, or find other uses for them. | ||
===Prepared Spell Retention=== | ===Prepared Spell Retention=== | ||
Once an arcane caster prepares a spell, it remains in | Once an arcane caster prepares a spell, it remains in their mind and aura as a 'nearly cast' spell until they use the prescribed components and gestures to complete and trigger it, or, until they abandon and 'forget' | ||
===Death and Prepared Spell Retention=== | ===Death and Prepared Spell Retention=== | ||
If a spellcaster dies, all prepared spells stored in his or her mind and aura are wiped away. Potent magic (such as raise dead, resurrection, or true resurrection) can recover the lost energy from the caster's aura when it recovers the character. Thus, raising a caster in battle brings them back with their | If a spellcaster dies, all prepared spells stored in his or her mind and aura are wiped away. Potent magic (such as raise dead, resurrection, or true resurrection) can recover the lost energy from the caster's aura when it recovers the character. Thus, raising a caster in battle brings them back with their unused spells intact. | ||
===Arcane Magical Writings=== | ===Arcane Magical Writings=== | ||
To record an arcane spell in written form, a character uses complex notation that describes the magical forces involved in the spell. This is not a language, and is not subject to the Linguistics Skill. All arcane casters use the same system of symbols no matter what | To record an arcane spell in written form, a character uses complex notation that describes the magical forces involved in the spell. This is not a language, and is not subject to the Linguistics Skill. All arcane casters use the same system of symbols no matter what their they take time to study and decipher how it was used. | ||
Once a character deciphers a particular magical writing, | Once a character deciphers a particular magical writing, they do not need to decipher it again. Deciphering a magical writing allows the reader to identify the spell and gives some idea of its effects (as explained in the spell description). If the magical writing was a scroll and the reader can cast arcane spells, they can attempt to use the scroll. | ||
===Wizard Spells and Borrowed Spellbooks=== | ===Wizard Spells and Borrowed Spellbooks=== | ||
A wizard can use a borrowed spellbook to prepare a spell | A wizard can use a borrowed spellbook to prepare a spell they already know and has recorded in their own spellbook, but preparation success is not assured. First, the wizard must decipher the writing in the book (see Arcane Magical Writings, above). Once a spell from another spell-casters The wizard must repeat the check to prepare the spell again, no matter how many times they have prepared it before. If the check fails, they cannot try to prepare the spell from the same source again until the next day. (However, as explained above, they do not need to repeat a check to decipher the writing.) | ||
===Adding Spells to a Wizard's Spellbook=== | ===Adding Spells to a Wizard's Spellbook=== | ||
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===Replacing and Copying Spellbooks=== | ===Replacing and Copying Spellbooks=== | ||
A wizard can use the procedure for learning a spell to reconstruct a lost spellbook. If | A wizard can use the procedure for learning a spell to reconstruct a lost spellbook. If they already have a particular spell prepared in a spell slot, the wizard can write it directly into a new book. The process wipes the prepared spell from their mind and aura, just as casting it would. If they do not have the spell prepared, they can prepare it from a borrowed spellbook and then write it into a new book. To fully scribe spells stored in memory and aura into a standard 100 page spell book costs 1000 gp. | ||
Note that duplicating or replacing a spellbook is MUCH less expensive than preparing your main spellbook. Most wizards keep a spare or three hidden away in very safe places, just in case. | Note that duplicating or replacing a spellbook is MUCH less expensive than preparing your main spellbook. Most wizards keep a spare or three hidden away in very safe places, just in case. | ||