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Arcana

Skill Rate: Fast

Uses: Arcana has a variety of techniques that are critical to any character who wishes to be a spellcaster of maximum potential, and a few techniques (such as Magical Sense) that could be valuable to non-caster characters.

Arcane Knowledge: At its most basic, Arcana can be used to simply figure out if you know something related to magic or the supernatural, including magical creatures. This check cannot be retried without either the Science: Research or the Humanities: Research technique until you place another rank in Arcana - you either know something, or you don't. Making a knowledge check is a 0SA. See the table: Knowledge DCs to find out the DC for this check.

Supernatural: Unless otherwise specified, all techniques in Arcana are supernatural.


Techniques:

  1.   Circle Magic : With this technique, you know how to create powerful magical circles. A magic circle can take many forms, from elaborate runes to mystic pentagrams, but at its heart, a circle needs just that ƒ a simple circle drawn on the ground. The circle can be drawn out of anything, such as chalk, paint, a felt pen, or a line drawn in sand. The circle keeps magic and magical creatures out. If someone tries to cast a spell across the circle (either from outside in or inside out), he must make a Magic Power check opposed by your Arcana check. If a magical creature (such as a demon) tries to cross, you must make an Arcana check against its Will. If you succeed, it can‚t cross and can‚t make another attempt for at least one day. Further, it can‚t attempt to break the circle (such as by rubbing out a line) at all. If a non-magical creature with supernatural powers (such as a wizard or vampire) crosses, make the same check. If you succeed, it can cross the circle but loses access to its supernatural abilities until it leaves. Anything that breaks the circle, even a hair laid across it, negates its effect completely. Depending on how big the circle is and the methods used, it takes a different amount of time to draw. However, for a 1m diameter circle, it should take about six seconds using a conventional drawing utensil such as a piece of chalk.
  2.   Advanced Circle Magic: [Requires Circle Magic]   You can attempt to make particularly elaborate magic circles for greater effect. This takes about an hour for a 1m circle, and longer for larger ones or if you‚re using unusual methods. The advanced circles might be decorated with mystic runes and arcane sigils, depending on your character‚s style. They function as normal ones (see above) except that you get a +3 bonus on Arcana checks to keep magic and magical creatures out.
  3.   Artifice Technique Tree:
  4.   Create Scroll: You can create magic scrolls
  5.   Create Potion: You can create magical potions.
  6.   Magewright:   [Requires 10 ranks in Arcana] You can enchant weapons and armour
  7.   Link : [requires 1 rank in Magic Power] You may link with one or more other characters, all of whom must have this technique.  One character leads the linked group, the rest follow. Following requires 3 second concentration. Following characters may not cast spells, although they are free to move, attack, and otherwise act normally - although all members of a linked group must remain in an adjacent cluster (typically arranged in a circle). The leading character gains a +1 bonus to the Magic Power skill and maximum spell power rating per follower. The number of casters that can link together is limited by the Magic Power of the weakest follower.

Lowest Follower Magic Power

Maximum Number of Followers

1

1

3

2

5

3

7

4

9

5

11

6

+2

+1

The leader of the linked group can pass control to another as a 4SA, assuming both are willing. The new leader may not cast a spell this round if the old leader did on his turn. A character can only be in one linked group at a time.

This technique also allows a character to use mana wells. See Chapter 9 for more information on mana wells.

  1.   Anchor Spell : You cast a spell on an Anchor Point. The spell remains until it is triggered. You may set your own trigger conditions, which can be as complicated as you like. A common use is to anchor traps to a Threshold. Ex: "Anyone (or anything) who tries to open this door without wearing this talisman becomes the target of the spell." Common Anchor Points: Thresholds of households, Wards, silver objects.
  2.   Muffle Casting: With this technique, you may attempt to make it harder to detect your spellcasting. Using Muffle Casting adds 1 second to the casting time of a spell, but the DC to detect it with Magical Sense (or a similar ability) is equal to an Arcana check result minus the spell's power level.
  3.   Magical Sense : You gain Magical Sense as an additional sense. This allows you to notice magic being cast. The DC to detect magic being cast is equal to six minus the Power rating of the spell, so more powerful spells are easier to detect. The DC increases by one for every 10m away it was cast. This sense cannot penetrate unbroken walls of lead, Cold Iron, or magic circles. It is transmitted along silver like spells are. Magical sense functions even if the user is blind or deaf. A character with Magical Sense immediately knows if an item is magical just by touching it (though not necessarily what it does without an Arcana check) and if another creature is a spellcaster just by touching him or her.
  4.   Double Cast :   [Requires Rapid Fire, 5 ranks in Arcana] If you use both your hands for casting a spell, you can cast it as if you had added the Rapid Fire metamagic to it. If you have added Rapid Fire, you can cast it as if you added it again. Both hands must be free (or holding the required magic focus) to use this technique.
  5.   Warlock Specialized Tree:
  6.   Warlock Neophyte: You may add the Mad Casting metamagic to spells for +0 power instead of +1 power.
  7.   Warlock Apprentice:   [Requires Warlock Neophyte, Mad Casting, 3 ranks in Arcana] When you add the Mad Casting metamagic, you swap your Magic Skill for Magic Power for all purposes, not just for attack rolls.
  8.   Full Warlock:   [Requires Warlock Apprentice, 10 ranks in Arcana] You gain access to the Warlock secret seed:
  9.   Expert Warlock
  10.   Wizard Specialized Tree: You learn the ways of the Wizard. If you take a technique in this tree, you may not take a technique in any other Specialized casting tree.
  11.   Wizard Neophyte: All of your spells must share the same Focus, or else you lose all benefits of Wizard Specialized tree. You can replace the Focus if it is destroyed, but not if it is merely lost  ƒ you must find it. However, you can learn two new spells.
  12.   Wizard Apprentice: [Requires Wizard Neophyte, five ranks in Arcana]  Increase the maximum spell complexity by one point for spells that use your Wizard's Focus as a Focus.
  13.   Full Wizard:   [Requires Wizard Apprentice, ten ranks in Arcana] You gain access to the Wizard secret seed: Reflect.
  14.   Expert Wizard: [Requires Full Wizard, 15 ranks in Arcana] You can memorize three new spells.
  15.   Magus:   [Requires Expert Wizard, 20 ranks in Arcana] Once per round, you can reroll a Magic Skill check.
  16.   Witch Specialized Tree: If you take a technique in this tree, you may not take a technique in any other Specialized casting tree.
  17.   Witch Neophyte: For you, the Curse spell seed has 0 base power and complexity. However, you may not cast spells while inside a mortal humanoid's current residence without permission. Once you have gotten permission from someone who is allowed to give it to enter once, however, you can enter and cast spells freely thereafter.
  18.   Witch Apprentice: [Requires Witch Neophyte, 3 ranks in Arcana]  
  19.   Full Witch: [Requires Witch Apprentice, 10 ranks in Arcana] You gain access to the Witch secret spell seed: Hex
  20.   Expert Witch:
  21.   Master Witch:
  22.   Theurge Specialized Tree:
  23.   Neophyte Theurge: [Requires   1 rank in Faith] You cannot cast spells while touching iron or steel, or when your Faith abilities are denied to you. However, you may use one half of your Faith bonus (rounded down) instead of your Magic Skill for checks such as attack rolls when casting spells.
  24.   Apprentice Theurge:  
  25.   Full Theurge:   [Requires Apprentice Theurge, 10 ranks in Arcana] You gain access to the Theurge secret spell seed: Solar Ray
  26.   Expert Theurge:   [Requires Full Theurge, 15 ranks in Arcana] The light that shines from you casting through silver is bright yellow and counts as natural sunlight.
  27.   Mystic Specialized Tree:
  28.   Mystic Neophyte: You cannot cast spells unless you are blind, or wearing some sort of blindfold that completely prevents you from seeing.
  29.   Mystic Apprentice: [Requires Mystic Neophyte, 3 ranks in Arcana]
  30.   Full Mystic: [Requires Mystic Apprentice, 10 ranks in Arcana]   You gain access to the Mystic Secret Spell seed: Divination.  
  31.   Expert mystic:
  32.   Farseer:
  33.   Necromancer Specialized Tree:
  34.   Conjurer Specialized Tree:


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