Last Emperor: Magic
This article describes the conversion for the Last Emperor, a D20 Dragonstar campaign to the Storytelling system, of the Magic system.
Spell Characteristics
The Mage system uses several factors to describe their magic. The D20 spells all fall into the same category for some of these factors. All D20 spells are rotes, and none of the casters can use improvisational magic. Almost all spells are vulgar, and casting vulgar magic does not produce Paradox.
Gnosis
Gnosis is the basic magic skill, a measure of understanding and connection to the realm of magic. All creatures have a Gnosis of 1, all the creatures in the world have some connection to the magic. The Arcana Mastery table (pg 76 Mage) has been changed to the following:
| Arcana | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gnosis | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | Mana Max |
| 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 7 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| 8 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| 10 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
Schools of Magic
| School of Magic | Ruling Arcana |
Inferior Arcana |
|---|---|---|
| Abjuration | Space / Fate | Life |
| Conjuration | Space / Spirit | Forces |
| Diviniation | Time / Fate | Mind |
| Enchantment | Mind / Life | Matter |
| Evocation | Forces / Death | Spirit |
| Illusion | Mind / Prime | Space |
| Necromancy | Death / Sprit | Time |
| Transmutation | Matter / Life | Death |
Like the Mage mystic orders, D20 has a set of 8 schools of magic. By selecting a speciality school of magic, the caster gets access to two ruling arcana (which are then cheaper to buy more dots in) and is limited by one Inferior arcana (which now costs more to buy dots in, and is limited in how many dots they can purchase). A mage is not required to have a school of magic, all their arcana are common ones.
