PHOBOS: Magic Book

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Magic

"Magic? I'll show you magic in the clink of glasses in a toast, in the settling of a pint from silt to black, in the voice that rises as it tells its tale... in a hundred smiles that bubble into laughter, and shut the golden door against the cold."
-Hellblazer: Damnation's Flame

All magical power in Phobos comes from one source - the ability of those with Wyrd to manipulate the world. Wyrd is a kind of magical technology - by thinking in certain patterns, Wyrd flows into the pattern, and that produces the effect desired. Strictly speaking, these effects do not violate the laws of physics (mostly conservation of energy), they operate on more fundamental laws; it might be thought of as the equivalent of cheater cartridges for console videogame systems.

Within the setting, practitioners of magic are referred to as Adepts, Mages, Magicians (though this suggests stage illusionists more than real Thaumaturgy), Wizards, Sorcerers, Witches, Warlocks, and so on, all more or less interchangeably. For internal consistency within the rules, however, "Thaumaturge" is used to describe a practitioner of Thaumaturgy, "Sorcerer" to describe a practitioner of Ritual Magic, and "Adept" to describe a practitioner of Cantrips. Few characters in the setting would use those specific terms in that way, however; most mages use more than one kind of magic, and there are few formal training programs and almost no shared culture for mages.

There are three kinds of Magic in Phobos:

Cantrips: Minor magics that everyone can use.
Ritual Magic: Prolonged rituals that can produce a wide variety of effects.
Thaumaturgy: Directly manipulating magical physics.

Cantrips (ML 1)

[Leiber example]

Cantrips are minor spells that can be used by Adepts in their daily lives. To cast a cantrip, the Adept must chant or sing an incantation (traditionally Latin, Greek, or Egyptian phrases, though some are in other languages, even English) and perform some physical part of the ritual. The incantation can be recited in a low whisper, but it must be audible to people or spirits very close to the character. The recitation generally takes two rounds (taking effect at the end of the second round), unless otherwise specified. While performing the incantation, any interruption (especially being injured) will stop it from working, though at no Wyrd cost, and the Adept must start over. Cantrips cost 1 Wyrd per casting at the end of the incantation.

Cantrips have only as much effect as the GM decides is suitable - usually providing a bonus of +1 to +4, or creating a helpful coincidence. Cantrip effects should be (in the game world) indistinguishable from luck, skill, and coincidence; the only way to tell that it was not a natural effect is that the character can do it repeatedly and consistently. Anything flashier and more powerful would have to be done through higher forms of Magic.

Generally no success roll is needed unless the cantrip is attempted in a stressful situation (plunged into total darkness while a killer approaches, and you need to light a candle to find the exit...) There are generally no special problems for failure beyond the Cantrip not working (which can itself be fairly disastrous), and no additional bonuses, as Cantrips are minimal effects.

For every point of Magic: Cantrips score, the Adept may know one Cantrip. Learning Cantrips that have already been developed merely requires the character to find another Adept who knows it and convince them to teach it to you, or find a book describing it. It takes only a few minutes (30-LOG) to practice the incantation enough to memorize it. An Adept could memorize a large number of Cantrips, more than the Adept can use, but only some of those will be "enabled" within the Adept's mind until their skill score increases sufficiently.

Adepts can develop new Cantrips by improving their skill level, trying a {Magic: Cantrips\Average (+0)}, and spending 5 CP if they succeed. The player can describe any effect for the new Cantrip, with the GM's approval, as long as it is subtle. Existing Cantrips can be re-developed this way, if the Adept cannot find an existing source for it or wants to translate it into a more convenient language.

Sample Cantrips

Bargain Hunter Cantrip: Effect: An Adept who needs an item will be able to find it for available, often at a discount, in the next appropriate shop visited. Nothing can be found that is not possible to find in that shop, though it may be improbable.; Ritual: Recite the incantation just before entering the shop. Rare or unique items may not be available and will likely not be discounted, and the GM may draw extra Wyrd off the Adept.
Bladesharp Cantrip: Effect: Makes an edged weapon extraordinarily sharp, providing a +2 damage bonus in combat for the next fight (only).; Ritual: While chanting a marching chant, strop the blade with a piece of leather. The bonus rises to +3 if you also use fine oil.
Warning: too-frequent use of Bladesharp will eventually decay a weapon's edge, though a smith or blade store can usually restore it.
Change Cantrip: Effect: The Adept finds some change - d20×10 cents worth in various coins.; Ritual: Look under a sofa cushion, in a pay phone change slot, on a street, or on the floor - anywhere it's plausible for change to be.
Convince Cantrip: Effect: The Adept can convince someone to do something they would normally be unwilling to do for the Adept, but willing to do for someone else. The Adept and target automatically make opposed {Wyrd\Average (+0)} rolls, and the cantrip only takes effect if the Adept wins; Active targets will know this has been used on them, while Mundanes will not. Modern mages like to use the example of "These are not the droids you're looking for", or The Voice from Dune, but it does not require weird voices or gestures. Convince can be used to gain entry to secure areas (as long as someone is permitted in), to "borrow" money (as long as the target is not a complete skinflint), to persuade thugs to leave you alone, etc.; Ritual: Chant the incantation, and then the next question or request you make of someone (in the next minute at most) is "convincing". The GM will almost certainly draw off additional Wyrd, depending on how unlikely the request is to be granted - up to 5 Wyrd for reasonable sums of money, considerably more (maybe more than the Adept has) for job- or health-endangering actions.; Warning: The target remembers the action and the Adept, but will not question it of themselves. If someone later asks them about it, though, they will be confused, and may either rationalize it or get extremely angry.
Debugging Cantrip: Effect: Allows a computer programmer to locate the cause of one specified bug in a program.; Ritual: Leaning back in a chair, sip a caffeinated beverage, crack knuckles, and quickly scroll through the source code while singing along to loud music (frequently "Head Like a Hole" by Nine Inch Nails).
Dowsing Cantrip: Effect: Allows the Adept to find water hidden underground. Variants to find buried money, lost items (if you have another item that has been near it for a long time), oil, or other things exist.; Ritual: Sing the incantation. Then, holding a forked stick, wander around an area at random. The length of time the Adept has to wander may depend on the depth of the water, or it may not. You might wander for days with no rest before finding it, or you might hit it in the first minute. This is utterly under the control of the GM. The GM may draw extra Wyrd off the Adept.
Firestarter Cantrip: Effect: Creates a spark to start a fire with, even in wind, rain, or other adverse conditions, though it must still have dry fuel to burn.; Ritual: Rub together two small sticks or strike a piece of metal on a rock, or strike even an apparently empty lighter or apparently dead match while humming the incantation.
Gambler's Cantrip: Effect: Gambler's Cantrip influences the next cards or die roll the Adept (not the player!) gets in a game of chance. Dice can be adjusted by 2 pips on the dice either way (total), or the value of a card can be adjusted by 2 ranks either way, or the suit of a card can be changed to the other of the same color.; Ritual: Perform a "lucky action" (blowing on the dice, fanning and reorganizing your cards, etc.) and recite the very short (1 round) incantation - something along the lines of "good numbers!", "luck be a lady!", or "gimme some good cards!"; Warning: Excessive use of this cantrip can be life-threatening, as people may conclude that you are cheating, which in a sense you are.
Longwind Cantrip: Effect: Allows the Adept to exert itself 50% longer before suffering the effects of fatigue.; Ritual: Perform a brief stretching exercise (2 rounds) while singing the charm.
Parking Cantrip: Effect: The Adept can locate a parking space anywhere. If there are none free, someone will be leaving.; Ritual: The Adept must circle the area at least once, while chanting a song of mayhem and frustration; the most recent version circulating uses "Bad Habit" from the band The Offspring.; Warning: If nobody parked nearby intends to leave, more drastic coincidences will occur, from the car being stolen, to emergencies calling people away. In addition, the GM may draw extra Wyrd off the Adept.
Quiet Cantrip: Effect: The Adept will move and perform actions for the next few minutes (GM's option) as quietly as possible, giving a bonus of +4 to Stealth tasks.; Ritual: Whisper a lullaby.
Taxicab Cantrip: Effect: An empty taxicab will pass by the Adept within a few rounds, provided that that Adept is in or near a city, and on a street a taxi could plausibly be on. Variants like Bus Cantrip and Hitchhiker's Cantrip are common.; Ritual: Recite the incantation, whistle a "come-here" (wheeo-wheet!), and look around.
"The Check IS in the Mail" Cantrip: Effect: When the Adept is absolutely desperate, enough cash comes in to carry you over for a short time, whether it's a rebate sent away for and forgotten, a bonus from a long distance company who wants your business, a mislaid royalty check, or a belated birthday present from gramma. Of course, you have to be at home (or some place you could be receiving mail) for this to work. A character should not receive more than $100 or so from this, and it is unlikely to work more than once a week.; Ritual: A brief ritual spoken before opening the mailbox. Even the oldest forms of this cantrip, dating back to Egypt and Sumeria, are in the form of "please please please please please let there be something today..."
Trueaim Cantrip: Effect: The Adept's next shot with a ranged weapon will receive a +4 bonus to hit.; Ritual: Recite the incantation, aim, loosen up and roll head, aim again carefully, and fire (takes a total of 3 rounds, allowing the Adept to fire on the third round).; Warning: Use of this for games of darts, pool, or other contests of skill carries the same risk as Gambler's Cantrip.
Wayfinding Cantrip: Effect: Gives the Adept an unerring sense of direction back to some place previously visited, if the intervening territory is even vaguely known.; Ritual: Drawing a symbolic representation of "here" and "there" and the intervening terrain in the dirt or on a piece of paper, while singing a travelling song.

Ritual Magic (ML 3)

Rituals can produce almost any effect desired, but rituals are rare, difficult to research, take hours or days to perform, often have extensive (and sometimes morally, or, more to the point, legally, unacceptable) material requirements, and run serious risks if the ritual is interrupted or fails.

[FIXME]

Thaumaturgy (ML 6)

Thaumaturgy is the direct manipulation of magical physics. It is extremely powerful and extremely dangerous. Thaumaturgy requires characters to learn a number of "Forces", each one an individual skill with no defaults between them or any other Magic skill.

The Thaumaturgic Forces are:

Air: Wind, sound, electricity, precision, and information.
Earth: Dirt, stone, metal, plants, fungi, protection, and strengthening.
Fire: Heat, light, and physical illusions.
Life: Healing, harming, and enchanting the bodies of the living.
Mind: Healing, harming, and enchanting the minds of the living.
Water: Ice, cold, darkness, motion, and transformation.

Most Thaumaturgic effects are very elemental and direct, and unless specifically stated otherwise, both the effect and source are apparent to anyone observing the casting. Spells have precise and generally inflexible effects.

Thaumaturgic spells fall into two categories, depending on how refined and debugged they are: Charms and Formulas.

Charms are new spells, usually used only by the Thaumaturge who created them. Creating new spells is a long and laborious process, but not very difficult - even for fairly novice Thaumaturges. However, new spells are likely to contain mistakes and inefficiencies, some minor, some very significant or dangerous. Eventually, with enough practice and trial-and-error changes, spells can be perfected and optimized.

Formulas have already gone through this process over several centuries and the work of dozens or hundreds of Thaumaturges, but have several disadvantages: they were usually designed for more primitive times when blatant spell-casting was more acceptable; they are almost never precisely what you need, as they were designed for someone else's needs; and as they get more and more optimized, they require more and more precise gestures, words, and even modes of thought during casting, increasing the risk of miscasting them. Truly, there ain't no such thing as a free lunch. See Turning Charms Into Formulas below.

Beginning PC Thaumaturges know one standard Thaumaturgic Formula in each Force for every 5 full points of skill score in that Force; a character with Magic: Air 14 knows only two Air Formulas. Beginning Thaumaturges also have one Charm of their own in each Force they have any skill in, which is assumed to have been a Great Success - +0 casting modifier and the standard Wyrd cost (see Creating New Charms below).

Spells used in combat use the Magic skill roll to determine whether they hit and what their Result Quality is, and cannot generally be dodged or defended against. Armor and cover are effective against direct attacks unless otherwise specified.

Casting Spells

Casting a spell requires the character to spend the time listed for the spell (most often 1 round) doing any gestures, incantations, or visualizations necessary, spend the listed Wyrd, and make a {Thaumaturgy: <Force being applied> \ <listed modifier>} task:

Result Quality Effect

Extreme Failure (0-) The spell catastrophically misfires, as Great Failure, with 200% area of effect and 200% of the abnormal damage or effect. The Thaumaturge is so traumatized by this, 1 point is lost from maximum Wyrd and the Force skill used to cast the spell.

Great Failure (1-10) The spell misfires; either the reverse effect happens, or it hits the wrong target (quite possibly the caster, or a nearby character), or it otherwise goes astray. This is not a good time to be a Thaumaturge's friend.

Normal Failure (11-19) The spell fails.

Borderline (20) The spell works, but will have some minor flaw, or have minimal damage or effect.

Normal Success (21-30) The spell works as intended.

Great Sucess (31-40) The spell works as intended, but with 150% normal area of effect and 150% of normal non-damage effect. This is not always a happy event for Thaumaturges who might be in the blast area.

Extreme Success (41+) The spell works as intended, but with a 200% normal area of effect and 200% of normal non-damage effect. Three words of advice: duck and cover.

Result Quality	Effect
Extreme Failure	(0-)	The spell catastrophically misfires, as Great Failure, with 200% area of effect and 200% of the abnormal damage or effect. The Thaumaturge is so traumatized by this, 1 point is lost from maximum Wyrd and the Force skill used to cast the spell.
Great Failure	(1-10)	The spell misfires; either the reverse effect happens, or it hits the wrong target (quite possibly the caster, or a nearby character), or it otherwise goes astray. This is not a good time to be a Thaumaturge's friend.
Normal Failure	(11-19)	The spell fails.
Borderline	(20)	The spell works, but will have some minor flaw, or have minimal damage or effect.
Normal Success	(21-30)	The spell works as intended.
Great Sucess	(31-40)	The spell works as intended, but with 150% normal area of effect and 150% of normal non-damage effect. This is not always a happy event for Thaumaturges who might be in the blast area.
Extreme Success	(41+)	The spell works as intended, but with a 200% normal area of effect and 200% of normal non-damage effect. Three words of advice: duck and cover.

Thaumaturges can have any number of spells active at the same time, and cancel their own spells at will, with no effort.

Most Thaumaturges prefer not to use their own Wyrd to power spells until absolutely necessary. They instead use various power batteries; traditionally in the form of staves, wands, and gems.

Air Formulas

Forces of wind, sound, electricity, precision, and information.

Antistatic
Wyrd Cost: 3 (9 as Charm)	Range: touch
Casting Time: 5 rounds	Area of Effect: self and 0-3 others holding hands
Casting Modifier: +0	Duration: Magic: Air × 10 minutes
Description: Gives the target characters magical armor against electrical damage, both natural and magical. The armor extends a few centimeters from the characters' skins, and protects against a number of points equal to the casting RQ×1. During casting, a flurry of harmless electrical arcs briefly surround the characters, but then fade.

Earth Formulas

Forces of dirt, stone, metal, plants, fungi, protection, and strengthening.

Oakskin
Wyrd Cost: 3 (9 as Charm)	Range: touch
Casting Time: 5 rounds	Area of Effect: self and 0-3 others holding hands
Casting Modifier: +0	Duration: Magic: Earth × 10 minutes
Description: Gives the target characters magical armor against all physical damage, both natural and magical. The armor extends a few centimeters from the characters' skins, and protects against a number of points equal to the casting RQ×1. During casting, the characters' skins take on the appearance of oak bark and then return to normal.

Fire Formulas

Forces of heat, light, and physical illusions.

Handfire
Wyrd Cost: 1 (3 as Charm)	Range: touch
Casting Time: 1 round	Area of Effect: special
Casting Modifier: +4	Duration: Magic: Fire × 1 hour
Description: Handfire conjures a small (15cm) glowing sphere of what appears to be fire, though it is perfectly harmless and intangible; it is only slightly warm to the touch. The handfire will either remain in the caster's hand, or be attached to whatever the caster was touching at the moment of casting. The handfire can only be moved after casting by moving whatever it's attached to. Handfire casts enough light to read by out to a 3m radius, enough to see to move by out to a 10m radius, and can be seen from up to several km away at night (which is presumably when one would use it).

Tracer
Wyrd Cost: 2 (8 as Charm)	Range: Magic: Fire × 40m
Casting Time: 1 round	Area of Effect: 1 target
Casting Modifier: +2	Duration: instant
Description: Tracer (known to earlier generations of Thaumaturges as "Fire Dart") fires a small, brightly glowing dart of fire at a target from the caster's hand. The dart is not an incredibly effective weapon, as it does only RQ×0.5 damage, but it's a cheap, fast, and long-ranged magical attack. If the target is flammable, it will almost certainly catch fire, doing an additional d20×0.25 END damage every round until put out.

Fireproof
Wyrd Cost: 3 (9 as Charm)	Range: touch
Casting Time: 5 rounds	Area of Effect: self and 0-3 others holding hands
Casting Modifier: +0	Duration: Magic: Fire × 10 minutes
Description: Gives the target characters magical armor against fire and heat damage, both natural and magical. The armor extends a few centimeters from the characters' skins, and protects against a number of points equal to the casting RQ×1. During casting, the characters briefly appear to be engulfed in flames, but that passes in a moment.

Fireball
Wyrd Cost: 4 (16 as Charm)	Range: Magic: Fire × 10m
Casting Time: 2 rounds	Area of Effect: 5m radius
Casting Modifier: -2	Duration: instant
Description: A nasty spinning ball of fire (initially 1m diameter) that flies out to its maximum range or the first significant solid barrier (a hand or lamp post in the way will not stop it, but a full-body impact or a wall or door would), and then explodes in a 5m radius for RQ×1 damage. Areas that are inaccessable or shadowed by solid barriers are protected from the blast. If this spell is cast in a very tight confined space (a ventilation duct, for instance), it will fill out a bit further (how much so is at the GM's discretion), but otherwise any volume that it conforms around is "lost".

Ring of Fire
Wyrd Cost: 4 (15 as Charm)	Range: 0m
Casting Time: 2 rounds	Area of Effect: 3m radius
Casting Modifier: -2	Duration: Magic: Fire × 1 minute
Description: A burning ring of fire (cue Johnny Cash here) bursts up around the caster, rising to 3m high, with a 1m thick "wall" starting 3m from the caster's current position. Anyone on the inside is safe from the fire, and will feel only slightly warm. The caster can move in and out of the ring safely, as many times as desired, while anyone else can pass out of the ring only once safely. Anyone contacting the ring takes d20×2 END damage (it burns, burns, burns, that ring of fire!), and anything flammable contacting it catches fire, taking an additional d20×0.25 END damage every round until put out.

Life Formulas

Forces of healing, harming, and enchanting the bodies of the living.

Mind Formulas

Forces of healing, harming, and enchanting the minds of the living.

Alternate Reality

Wyrd Cost: 8 (32 as Charm) Range: 10m

Casting Time: 2 or more minutes Area of Effect: One target

Casting Modifier: -10 Duration: Magic: Fire × 1 hour

Description: The target is subjected to an illusion which affects all senses. During this illusion, the target continues to move, speak, and act in reality - so striking out at a monster is actually striking out at thin air or at someone else, and climbing a fence may actually be climbing over a balcony railing. Any effects of the illusion, including damage, seem completely real to the target; the target may develop psychosomatic injuries, or may just imagine them. The target can even die, whether from psychosomatic injuries, real injuries incurred by real-world events,

The target must try a {higher of Magic: Mind or LOG\-(caster's RQ)} task (preferably rolled secretly by the GM), which determines how effective the illusion is:

Result Quality Effect

Extreme Failure (0-) As with Great Failure, but the character is trapped in the illusion, essentially permanently until brought out with magic or a great physical shock. If nobody tries this, get out the straightjacket and bedpan. Even if freed, the character will have to make an insanity check.

Great Failure (1-10) The character fully believes the illusion to be real, with whatever reassurances the GM has to give that it is real. The character's own mind has accepted the illusion, and will not reject it on its own. However, violations of the illusion by others can give the character cause for disbelief, and in any case the spell duration will still end eventually, and the character will then be freed. Any unexpected end to it is good cause for an insanity check from the uncertainty about what is real and what is not.

Normal Failure (11-19) The character fully believes the illusion to be real, but can come to disbelieve in it. The character cannot perceive anything from reality unless the illusion specifically allows or imitates it. The spell duration will end eventually, and this may or may not be cause for an insanity check, depending on how much the character believed it.

Borderline (20) The illusion has a steady "leakage" of real-world objects and events into it, but is otherwise still functioning.

Normal Success (21-30) Both reality and the illusion are perceived, overlaid on each other, and the character can usually tell which is which.

Great Sucess (31-40) The illusion is visible in a ghostly form for a few moments, then fades.

Extreme Success (41+) The illusion affects the caster instead of the target, and the target becomes the illusion's controller, exactly as if the target had cast it. The original caster can no longer even drop the spell. The new target must make this same task roll to determine the effect. Mundane targets will probably still have no idea of what they're involved in, but Actives, Thaumaturges especially, are going to be dangerous.

The casting time is mostly consumed concentrating on imagining the illusionary scene and how it will react to events by the target if the caster is not controlling it. The caster may remain in concentration and control the illusion at will, but if the caster drops concentration, the illusion continues with the responses and areas "programmed" at casting. If a target moves out of the areas programmed, reality is visible again.

Deep Scan
Wyrd Cost: x	Range: x
Casting Time: x	Area of Effect: x
Casting Modifier: x	Duration: x
Description: [FIXME]

Water Formulas

Forces of ice, cold, darkness, motion, and transformation.

Coldsuit
Wyrd Cost: 3 (9 as Charm)	Range: touch
Casting Time: 5 rounds	Area of Effect: self and 0-3 others holding hands
Casting Modifier: +0	Duration: Magic: Water × 10 minutes
Description: Gives the target characters magical armor against cold damage, both natural and magical. The armor extends a few centimeters from the characters' skins, and protects against a number of points equal to the casting RQ×1. During casting, the characters appear to freeze over and be covered in frost and ice, but after a moment that fades.

Creating New Charms

Creating a new Thaumaturgic Charm requires the character to make a {Magic: <Force being applied>\Hard (-5)\d20 days in research, experimentation, and study} task and spend 5 CP. If the result is Borderline or better, the character gains the new spell, regardless of how efficient it is. The 5 CP are always spent at the end of every attempt, just before the player rolls the die. As with all Wyrd skills, no Wyrd may be used to modify this die roll.

The minimum Wyrd cost of a Charm is the cost it will have as a Formula; this is 25% of the standard cost, rounding up. The casting bonus gained on this table cannot exceed (6 - minimum Wyrd cost × 2). For example, Handfire has a standard cost of 3 Wyrd (casting time=2 rounds, range=touch, area=n/a, duration=1-4 hours, power=trivial), and thus a minimum Wyrd cost of 1. Its casting bonus cannot exceed [6-2=4], so it has a +4.

Result Quality Effect

Extreme Failure (0-) The creation of the Charm fails, and the character obviously did not know as much about Thaumaturgy as he or she believed. Lose 1 point from maximum Wyrd and from the Force skill used.

Great Failure (1-10) The creation of the Charm fails, and the character takes d20 LOG damage from magical backlash.

Normal Failure (11-19) The creation of the Charm fails.

Borderline (20) The Charm is created, but has a -10 penalty to casting rolls and costs 200% of the standard Wyrd.

Normal Success (21-30) The Charm is created, but has a -5 penalty to casting rolls and costs 150% of the standard Wyrd.

Great Sucess (31-40) The Charm is created, has a +0 modifier to casting rolls, and costs the standard Wyrd.

Extreme Success (41+) The Charm is created, has a +5 modifier to casting rolls, and costs only 75% of the standard Wyrd.

Result Quality	Effect
Extreme Failure	(0-)	The creation of the Charm fails, and the character obviously did not know as much about Thaumaturgy as he or she believed. Lose 1 point from maximum Wyrd and from the Force skill used.
Great Failure	(1-10)	The creation of the Charm fails, and the character takes d20 LOG damage from magical backlash.
Normal Failure	(11-19)	The creation of the Charm fails.
Borderline	(20)	The Charm is created, but has a -10 penalty to casting rolls and costs 200% of the standard Wyrd.
Normal Success	(21-30)	The Charm is created, but has a -5 penalty to casting rolls and costs 150% of the standard Wyrd.
Great Sucess	(31-40)	The Charm is created, has a +0 modifier to casting rolls, and costs the standard Wyrd.
Extreme Success	(41+)	The Charm is created, has a +5 modifier to casting rolls, and costs only 75% of the standard Wyrd.

For the most part, the specific effects of a Charm should just be described and the numbers selected by the player and GM as seem appropriate. However, there are some guidelines for the Wyrd cost of a spell. To determine the "standard cost" of a spell, select one entry from each of the following tables, and total the selected Wyrd columns. If the standard cost is 0 or less, it is increased to 1 (nothing is free). No set of rules will cover every situation, so be flexible with this. The GM has every right to adjust the standard Wyrd cost if it seems inappropriate.

Duration, Range, and Area of Effect are often expressed in terms of "X × Magic: <Force>"; for these, assume a score of 10 when determining cost.

Casting Time Wyrd

1 round (3s) +2

2-3 rounds (6-9s) +0

4-10 rounds (12-30s) -4

11-40 rounds (30-120s) or more -8

Range Wyrd

Self only (no area-of-effect!) -2

Touch or 0-1m +0

2-10m +2

11-30m +3

31-100m +4

×2 Range 4+1 per doubling

Area of Effect Wyrd

N/A or One Target +0

2-4 Targets or 1-3m Radius +4

5-8 Targets or 4-10m Radius +8

×2 Targets or ×2 Radius 8+2 per doubling

Duration Wyrd

Instant or 1 round (0-3s) +0

2-10 rounds (6-30s) +1

11-40 rounds (33-120s) +2

2-10 minutes +3

11-60 minutes +4

1-4 hours +5

5-24 hours +6

1-7 days +7

8-30 days +8

1-11 months +10

1-9 years +12

10-99 years +14

100+ years +16

Power Wyrd

Trivial effect, or cause or prevent RQ×0.25 damage,
or +/-1 to 2 to a stat or skill -4

Lesser effect, or cause or prevent RQ×0.5 damage,
or +/-3 to 4 to a stat or skill +0

Average effect, or cause or prevent RQ×1 damage,
or +/-5 to 6 to a stat or skill +4

Greater effect, or cause or prevent RQ×2 damage,
or +/-7 to 8 to a stat or skill +8

Major effect, or cause or prevent RQ×3 damage,
or +/-9 to 12 to a stat or skill +16

Astounding effect, or cause or prevent RQ×4 damage,
or +/-13 or more to a stat or skill +32

Casting Time	Wyrd
1 round (3s)	+2
2-3 rounds (6-9s)	+0
4-10 rounds (12-30s)	-4
11-40 rounds (30-120s) or more	-8

Range	Wyrd
Self only (no area-of-effect!)	-2
Touch or 0-1m	+0
2-10m	+2
11-30m	+3
31-100m	+4
×2 Range	4+1 per doubling

Area of Effect	Wyrd
N/A or One Target	+0
2-4 Targets or 1-3m Radius	+4
5-8 Targets or 4-10m Radius	+8
×2 Targets or ×2 Radius	8+2 per doubling

Duration	Wyrd
Instant or 1 round (0-3s)	+0
2-10 rounds (6-30s)	+1
11-40 rounds (33-120s)	+2
2-10 minutes	+3
11-60 minutes	+4
1-4 hours	+5
5-24 hours	+6
1-7 days	+7
8-30 days	+8
1-11 months	+10
1-9 years	+12
10-99 years	+14
100+ years	+16

Power	Wyrd
Trivial effect, or cause or prevent RQ×0.25 damage, or +/-1 to 2 to a stat or skill	-4
Lesser effect, or cause or prevent RQ×0.5 damage, or +/-3 to 4 to a stat or skill	+0
Average effect, or cause or prevent RQ×1 damage, or +/-5 to 6 to a stat or skill	+4
Greater effect, or cause or prevent RQ×2 damage, or +/-7 to 8 to a stat or skill	+8
Major effect, or cause or prevent RQ×3 damage, or +/-9 to 12 to a stat or skill	+16
Astounding effect, or cause or prevent RQ×4 damage, or +/-13 or more to a stat or skill	+32

Turning Charms Into Formulas

After a character has used a Charm at least once a month for one year, the character may try a {Magic: <Force>\Hard (-5)\d20 days of research and practice} task, spending 5 CP just before rolling the task; even if the task fails, the CP are spent. The effects of this improvement can never improve a casting bonus beyond (6 - minimum cost × 2), and cannot reduce the cost below the minimum Wyrd cost (25% of the standard cost, rounding up). When a Charm reaches both of these limits, it is a Formula, and can no longer be improved.

Result Quality Effect

Extreme Failure (0-) The improvement of the Charm fails, and the character obviously did not know as much about Thaumaturgy as he or she believed. Lose 1 point from maximum Wyrd and from the Force skill used.

Great Failure (1-10) The improvement of the Charm fails, and the character takes d20 LOG damage from magical backlash.

Normal Failure (11-19) The improvement of the Charm fails.

Borderline (20) There is no improvement to the Charm.

Normal Success (21-30) The Charm's Wyrd cost is reduced by 1 point.

Great Sucess (31-40) The Charm's Wyrd cost is reduced by 2 points, and gets an additional +1 bonus on casting.

Extreme Success (41+) The Charm's Wyrd cost is reduced by 3 points, and gains an additional +5 modifier to casting rolls.

Result Quality		Effect
Extreme Failure	(0-)	The improvement of the Charm fails, and the character obviously did not know as much about Thaumaturgy as he or she believed. Lose 1 point from maximum Wyrd and from the Force skill used.
Great Failure	(1-10)	The improvement of the Charm fails, and the character takes d20 LOG damage from magical backlash.
Normal Failure	(11-19)	The improvement of the Charm fails.
Borderline	(20)	There is no improvement to the Charm.
Normal Success	(21-30)	The Charm's Wyrd cost is reduced by 1 point.
Great Sucess	(31-40)	The Charm's Wyrd cost is reduced by 2 points, and gets an additional +1 bonus on casting.
Extreme Success	(41+)	The Charm's Wyrd cost is reduced by 3 points, and gains an additional +5 modifier to casting rolls.