The Great Castlemourn Campaign Magic

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Mana

A magician's personal mana is equal to the sum of their Sight and Crown Tongue skill ranks divided by 6.

Additionally every location has ambient mana which any magician can tap into. This requires a Geomantic Lore test so the first thing a wise magician does upon entering an area is attune themselves to the ambient mana of that area.

Ambient Mana

• 1d6: City
• 2d6: Town, village, farmed field, orchard
• 3d6: scrub wood, seasonal grazing
• 4d6: wild areas not traversed by people, graveyards
• 5d6: low level magical place
• 6d6+: high level magical place

Magical places often have additional mana for specific Talents. These ratings are guidelines and specific places may have more or less ambient mana. It is even possible for a place to have zero or even negative mana as well. These magical dead zones are rare and nearly always dangerous.

Casting Spells

Gather dice due to personal and ambient mana and roll them against the mana cost of the spell. If the roll exceeds the needed amount you may increase its duration or number of affected targets as shown in the tables or increase its base effect as noted in the spell description.

Duration	1 hour	6 hours	1 day	1 week	1 month	1 season	1 year	5 years	25 years	Lifetime
Cost	+0	+3	+5	+7	+10	+12	+18	+25	+30	+35

Targets	< 6	Half Dozen	Dozen	Sm Crowd	Lg Crowd	Village	Sm Army
Cost	3 per	15	20	25	35	45	55

In general, it takes some time to cast a spell. Enough time for it to be easily stopped. There exist two exceptions. First, a caster may cast spells of their Natural Talent much more quickly. Second, a caster may use a talisman to cast a specific spell as if it were of her Natural Talent.

Talismans

Talismans are generally created over the Winter Phase. A caster can create a number equal to the number of dice of natural mana she is entitled to. Talismans are good for only a single year, at the end of which they burn out, and they may be used only once. A caster may also create a special talisman, at the cost of 1L, which may be used any number of times over the year. It may also be burned out prematurely for a +5 bonus to the magic skill. The talisman may be used at the same time that it is destroyed to gain this bonus.

Ordinary talismans take the shape of magic wands, bones, scrolls, combs, small philters, or other, similar shapes. Special talismans may take the form of a staff, a robe or dress, a crown or tiara, a crystal, or a potion of which only a single drop is required. Burning out a special talisman may be very dramatic, especially if a crit or fumble is achieved.

Talismans can also be used to achieve a few other effects. A potion doesn't require that the caster speak the magic words, but obviously must be consumed or applied to be successful. A talisman could also incorporate a sympathetic component, in which case it could be used for any spell against that target, rather than a specific spell against any target. Other, similar effects may also be possible.

Researching Spells

Magic in Mournra is largely lost. For a sorcerer or enchantress to learn new magics, they must usually be found in some ancient ruin or taken as a prize from some other magic-user.

It is, however, possible to develop spells through careful experimentation and research. This is a long process, and is almost always performed over the Winter Phase as part of a character's training. It is very difficult to do, though the possession of magical items can aid greatly in the process. The process is often very unpleasant, as well, and can involve a number of questionable tasks.

For a magician to perform spell research as part of her Winter Phase, she must meet one of three conditions: 1. She has trained a magic skill (not including Crown Tongue), and put all of her points gained into it. 2. She has a magic skill (other an Crown Tongue) already at 20 or higher, and performs no other training. 3. She is in possession of a magical item which she wishes to study.

If the magician meets one of these criteria, she simply specifies more or less what she is trying to research when she does her training. It has to either be a spell related to the skill being trained or at 20, or be a spell related to the magical item. The sorceress then attempts two rolls: one of Crown Tongue and one of the appropriate magic skill. If both rolls succeed, the spell is successfully researched. Some very potent spells may require a critical success in the magic skill to successfully research. Below is a list of modifiers which can affect the roll, some favorable to the caster, others not.

You have seen someone else perform the spell: +5 You research the spell prudishly: -10 You research the spell recklessly: +5* You research the spell unnaturally: +10* You are researching with a written scroll: +5 The spell is not of your Natural Talent: -5 You research the spell in a magical place or time: +5 or more You research the spell in an oppositely magical place or time: -5 or more

Researching a spell prudishly means that you are going out of your way not to do anything inappropriate - you aren't scrounging for corpses or testing the spell on servants (or otherwise involving them if we're talking deadly magics). Reckless research means doing such this more than strictly necessary. Unnatural research means human sacrifices, unnatural liaisons with monsters, and otherwise doing things which would get you in huge trouble. In short, normal research makes other people uncomfortable but doesn't usually cause harm; prudish research seeks to avoid even this discomfort, reckless research puts people at risk, unnatural research is just straight up hurting them (or otherwise effecting their fears).

A critical success on the magic skill roll may be worth some small benefit with the spell - perhaps a free talisman or similar small benefit. A fumble on the magic skill roll means that things go wrong somehow. This is usually bad, but not necessarily, and may or may not directly affect you. When researching recklessly, a natural roll of 1 or 2 will always cause something to go wrong, though the spell may be successfully researched regardless. When researching unnaturally, something always goes wrong, though the research is very likely to also succeed.

Spells

Animal Friend

• Understand Animal (4)
• Talk To Animal (8)
• Summon Animal (15)
• Command Animal (25)

Banish

• Turn (Creature Type) varies
• Banish (Creature type) varies

Blessing

• Attention 3
• Enhance Blessing 5
• Good Luck 8
• Fertility 12
• Bless Village 15
• Remove Curse varies
• To Victory 15

Control Creature

• By Type varies

Curse

• Clumsy 8
• Dim Sight 9
• Blight 10
• The First Curse of the Razha 10

Cast upon a man (only) and causes him to stutter uncontrollably, imposing a -2 on all Orate, Flirting, and Singing rolls, and a -5 on any spell casting rolls. The spell requires the target to have offended you in some way, and lasts until the target apologizes publicly (you tell the target this as part of casting the spell). Otherwise, it lasts indefinitely, or until you lift the curse or die.

• The Third Curse of the Razha 14

Cast on a man (only) and strikes him impotent. While under the effect of the spell, if he crits a Lustful roll or fumbles a Chaste roll, he goes mad. The spell lasts indefinitely, or until you remove it or it is removed magically (your death has no impact on the spell).

• Infertility 12
• Wither Field 25
• Lampoon 25

Demonize

• By Type

Dispel

• Unravel Magic (Effect)
• Counterspell (Effect)
• Offensive Dispel (Effect +5)

Divination

• Augury 10
• Divination 18
• Commune with God 25

Divine Miracle

• Intercession 10
• Intervention 25
• Miracle 55

Emotion

• Slumber 10
• Fear 10

This spell causes the target to treat the caster as if they were a creature with a Valorous modifier. Anyone wishing to attack or approach must pass a Valorous roll. On a fumble they flee in terror, on a failure they can try again the next round. The penalty starts at -0 for a successful casting and increases to -5 for +5 Mana and -10 for +10.

• Name of The Seven 15
• Inflame Passion 15
• Charm 15

The enchantress uses this spell to create a directed trait of 2d6 points. It must be a trait beneficial to her, and directed towards her. Generally acceptable traits might include Chaste, Lustful, Generous, Merciful, Just, Trusting, or Forgiving. Multiple traits can be affected for the same price as for affecting multiple people. Fumbling this spell might result in the caster gaining the directed trait, or in the opposite trait being affected.

• Suggestion 15
• Fascinate 15
• Create Passion 25
• Dominate 25

Flame

• Control Flame 5+

The sorcerer takes mental control of a single fire. The fire is assumed to have some sort of size, which is on the same scale as for creatures. So, a size 10 fire is about as big as a normal lady. That probably equates to a sizable bonfire. For a character who is on fire, the fire is half the character's size.

When the spell is cast, the caster can control a fire of size up to the total amount of mana generated. This "costs" only 5 of that mana. The remainder of the mana can be spent to affect duration, increase the number of targets, or increase control over the fire. For every 2 points of mana "spent" over the base 5, the caster can influence the size of the fire by 1 point. So, if she devotes 10 mana to controlling the fire above the default 5, she could raise or lower the size by up to 5. She can continue to adjust the size of the fire over the duration of the spell, but by no more than 2 points per round, and never beyond the range she paid for. Reducing a fire to size 0 extinguishes it, causing the spell to end immediately. If the fire moves outside of the caster's range, she can influence it back towards that range, but not away from it.

While under the caster's control, the fire resists being extinguished, but concerted effort can still put it out, as can severe conditions. Effectively, the caster can "heal" the fire.

• Burning Hands 16

You shoot forth a huge gout of fire from your hands, about 20 yards long and in a considerable arc. More or less everyone in the direction of your choice is lit on fire, though the spell does no direct damage. People with shields may roll against the value of their shield to escape the flames, unless they are using the shield in close combat or aren't holding it at all.

Fumbling the casting of this spell means that a freak gust causes the flames to blow back in the wrong direction.

• Fire Shield 12

This spells conjures a dancing flame around the caster. The flame has a skill of 15, and acts to defend the caster against attacks on its own volition. It will never attack, and it cannot be directed - if there are multiple attackers, the fire shield is divided as evenly as possible against them all. If the fire shield wins a combat roll, it does 3d6 damage, affected normally by armor, to the attacker. On a fumble, the shield goes out. On a crit, it ignites the attacker, but does not do double damage. On a tie, the fire shield counts as a sword. The fire shield cannot deal damage against attackers using magic, ranged weapons, or lances, halberds, or great spears. The spell operates independently of the caster, who may pursue other actions, but attackers may be struck only by the shield or the caster, and do not need to split their skill between them. For every extra 10 mana applied to this spell, the skill may be increased by 5, to a maximum of 25, or the damage may be increased by 1d6, to a maximum of 5d6. In any case, the fire shield is easily extinguished by water, or anything else which would extinguish a fire.

Healing

• Improve Aid 5
• Improve Care 5
• Heal Fast 15
• Treat Disease 18
• Transfer Wound 3/1d6
• Instant Healing 5/1d6

Necromancy

• Oracle 10
• Command Corpse 15
• Animate Corpse 30
• Raise Graveyard 55

Protect

• Ward Person varies
• Ward Place varies
• Offensive Ward varies
• Trap Object varies
• Ward vs Creature varies

Sacred Space

• Magic Circle 4+

Shapeshift

• By Creature 10+

Summon Creature

• By Type varies

Travel

• Swiftfoot 5
• Swifthoof 10
• Footrun 10
• Footfly 15
• Open Ley Line 15
• Dimension Door 25
• Teleport 50

Weather Control

• Change Weather 5+
• Nice Weather 12
• Good Rain 12
• Call Storm 18