Spells: Difference between revisions
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There is a third class of abilities, the Yngvarian abilties, whose only defining trait is, they don't fit the Vancian or Howardian models cleanly. Yngvarian abilities are hotly debated as an ongoing area of philosophical discussion. | There is a third class of abilities, the Yngvarian abilties, whose only defining trait is, they don't fit the Vancian or Howardian models cleanly. Yngvarian abilities are hotly debated as an ongoing area of philosophical discussion. | ||
====Spells as | ====Spells, Extracts, and Poultices as class abilities==== | ||
Spells, Extracts, and Poultices, as noted above, all follow the same underlying mechanic, even though they behave very differently. When mana burning, Spells, Extracts, and Poultices are considered 'fungible', meaning that any of them may be mana burned to empower any of the others. This is of use for dual-classed and multi-classed characters, or under other circumstances as they may arise. In these rules, all references will be to 'spells' for brevity, but always refer to all three abilities. | |||
Spells are primarily Vancian because they have a strongly defined series of steps, 'Spell Levels". But spells have a second element, the 'Circle'. The Circle of a spell is related to but not fully defined by the spells Level. The damage a spell does is determined by its Circle, NOT its level, and the Circle of a spell can be raised by the caster through a process called 'Mana Burning' or just Burning. | Spells are primarily Vancian because they have a strongly defined series of steps, 'Spell Levels". But spells have a second element, the 'Circle'. The Circle of a spell is related to but not fully defined by the spells Level. The damage a spell does is determined by its Circle, NOT its level, and the Circle of a spell can be raised by the caster through a process called 'Mana Burning' or just Burning. | ||
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If you ever try to cast a spell in conditions where the characteristics of the spell cannot be made to conform, the casting fails and the spell is wasted. [[Environmental Effects]] of high wind and heavy rain can force [[Caster Check]]s for certain spells. | If you ever try to cast a spell in conditions where the characteristics of the spell cannot be made to conform, the casting fails and the spell is wasted. [[Environmental Effects]] of high wind and heavy rain can force [[Caster Check]]s for certain spells. | ||
Spells also fail if your concentration is broken and might fail if you're wearing [[ | Spells also fail if your concentration is broken and might fail if you're wearing [[Armor and Shields]] while casting a spell with somatic components. | ||
===The Spell's Result=== | ===The Spell's Result=== | ||