MAGE 2 MAGE Spell System Version 0.89 Copyright 1989-1995 by Robert M. Reimann Preface ------- Presented here is the latest draft of the Mage 2 Mage Spell System and Spell Description Language, a modular, playable magic system that attempts to integrate all aspects of magic in a cohesive and sensible way, allow sophisticated mage-to-mage combat, and present a general method of constructing complex, unique spells. The core mechanism is SDL, a general spell description language consisting of magical *effects* (manifestations of magical force) and *operators* which control and shape the effects into useful configurations. (Note that what most systems call "effects" are actually combinations of effects and operators, as defined above.) The Mage 2 Mage system consists of 32 physical effects (equal numbers of biological and psychic effects are currently being developed) and 27 operators. The effects presented here are part of a rationale for magic that must be built into your world; you are welcome to change them to better fit your needs, but they were chosen with consistency in mind. The operators are the real heart of the system; you should modify them only with great care. Too many non-general operators will spoil this system. Mage 2 Mage uses a spell point system to determine the spell cost; there is no concept of discrete "spell levels", although some effects cannot be used by low level mages. Spells may be designed with arbitrary complexity, the limiting factor is the number of spell points a mage has available to expend. Spell points are assigned on the basis of mage level, and the extent of the mage's "gift". Mage 2 Mage also provides a painless and logical way of producing magical items, while at the same time keeping their power limited to reasonable levels. Demonology and necromancy have been implemented within the same framework, and systems of alchemy and magical medicine are currently under development. Lastly, Mage 2 Mage has been designed to work within any combat system that makes use of melee rounds as units of combat action. I. The Nature of Elemental Magic and Spellcasting "Magic" itself is not an energy source in any true sense. It is rather the ability of some entities to alter the fabric of reality in a way that changes the natural balance of elemental forces in a localized area and channel it in a useful fashion. This ability is innate to some creatures, but others (humans among them) must be trained. "Spell" is the name given to the psycho-physical manipulations a mage or magical creature must perform to produce a magical effect. Spellcasting can therefore be thought of as a psionic skill, with an important exception. Once a spell is cast, it's semi-physical nature gives it a certain "life of it's own"; it does not *need* to be constantly maintained after it has been cast, although it *may* be altered once it has been cast, either by the original caster, or by another mage of sufficient power and skill. The existence of any spell is, however, intimately bound to the existence of the casting entity; if the caster is killed, the spell will cease *unless* spell "ownership" has been transferred to another casting entity before the original caster dies. Spells themselves cannot be written down, but "recipes" for spells may be recorded using the spell description language described below. Spell descriptions have no magical power themselves, they must be interpreted by a spell caster. However: true, active spells may be bound to scraps of paper, thus filling the role of "traditional" magical scrolls. As with any skill, magical ability improves with practice. As mages gain spell casting experience, the number of spells a mage can cast and/or the complexity of his spells will increase. Spell casting is an exhaustive effort requiring intense powers of will. Spell points are an arbitrary method of measuring a spell's complexity. A mage is, in a sense, "rated for" a certain number of spell points per day, based on his experience (level), and his magical prowess, or gift. He can't exceed this rating, not because he would do himself harm, but rather, because it is simply beyond his current level of capability. An appropriate amount of rest will restore a mage's spell point "rating" to full value. Spells need not be written or memorized, they may be cast "on the fly". In fact, this is quite common in magical combat. Spells are, in general, non-permanent for reasons outlined above. II. Elemental Forces, Matter, and Effects The structure of all matter is created by the flow of elemental forces through the Material Plane. Were there no flow of these energies, the Material Plane would contain only formless chaos. The world in which magic exists is entirely shaped by an intricate flow of elemental energies that yields land, oceans, air, living things, etc. All living things possess the ability to alter the flow of elemental forces to a certain degree by physically interacting with them. Some sentient beings further possess the ability to alter the flow of these forces, and hence the world around them, purely by using their mind, i.e., by magic. There are four primary elemental forces, each residing on a separate plane: EARTH AIR FIRE WATER However, these planes overlap each other to a certain extent, thus yielding a total of 16 subplanes: True Earth True Air True Fire True Water Airy Earth Earthy Air Earthy Fire Earthy Water Fiery Earth Fiery Air Airy Fire Airy Water Watery Earth Watery Air Watery Fire Fiery Water Lastly, there are two states for each of these 16 forces, a positive energy state and a negative energy state. These two states are called "Light" and "Dark" respectively. Each of the 16 permuted forces above can be manipulated in either the Light or Dark form, yielding a total of 32 different elemental flows. Each type of flow generates a unique set of effects. These forms are usually abbreviated by their initials, e.g., LWE (Light Watery Earth), DTA (Dark True Air), etc. There are three manifestations of an effect; physical, biological, and psychic. Each manifestation is separate and independent of the other two. Physical effects are primarily for combat. Biological effects can be used to cure and cause illnesses, and to bestow qualities of living creatures on inanimate objects. Psychic effects can be used to cure and cause mental disorders, to bestow qualities of sentient creatures on non-sentient things, and to deal with spirits, which have no physical characteristics. Biological and psychic effects are more complex, and may not be used until the mage has gained higher levels: Level Manifestations Usable ----- --------------------- 1+ Physical 5+ Physical, Biological 9+ Physical, Biological, Psychic (Currently, these rules cover only physical effects; biological and psychic effects will be added in future versions.) One final characteristic of some importance is that dissimilar effects may not occupy the same physical space in the Material Plane. This is called the Law of Exclusion. Thus, when two different effect types come together, one must give way. This quality can be used to a mage's defensive advantage. If he casts a barrier of dissimilar effect in the path of another oncoming force, and his force is as potent or more so than the oncoming force, it will be blocked. Note that this only works for effects that are manifested in the same way; e.g., a physical effect will not block a psychic effect, for instance. III. Magical Training and Aptitude Unlike some systems, this system offers mages the opportunity to specialize in areas of expertise, giving them greater control over more limited resources. Initial training of a mage lasts a maximum of 12 years. In that time, the mage may divide his studies among one or more elemental forces. Each force studied includes both Light and Dark effects, as well as all three manifestations (physical, biological, psychic). When a mage learns a force, he generally learns both the Light and Dark versions (exception: Elemental Mages, below). The following table shows how studies may be divided, how much time they take, and what abilities each term of study confers on the mage. Study Time Skill Class Max. Potency Range Know/Use Resist ---------- ----------- ------- ----- -------- ------ 12 years Elemental* d8/lev 80'+8'/lev 40%+4%/lev 20%+2%/lev 10 years Singular** d12/lev 120'+12'/lev 60%+6%/lev 30%+3%/lev 6 years Major d8/lev 80'+8'/lev 40%+4%/lev 20%+2%/lev 4 years Minor d6/lev 60'+6'/lev 30%+3%/lev 15%+2%/lev 2 years Minimal d4/lev 40'+4'/lev 20%+2%/lev 10%+1%/lev * Elemental Mages learn all four Light or Dark effects (not both) of an element; thus a Mage of Light Air would learn Light True Air, Light Watery Air, Light Fiery Air, and Light Earthy Air. ** Singular Mages may not learn any other force beyond their singular specialty; their minds are too "colored" by their magic to permit learning a new kind. So, Medwyn the Mage could spend his 12 years of study becoming an Elemental Mage of Light Water or a Singular Mage in Fiery Air, or he could spend 6 getting a Major in Fiery Air, and 6 more getting another Major in, say, Earthy Water. Or he could get two Minors and and two Minimals, etc. Spending more time learning a particular force allows the mage to use it more effectively; a singular mage gets d12 per level damage from his effects, twice the damage of a mage with a similar Minor. Similarly, his casting range is larger, his ability to recognize (Know) magic of his specialty and make use of it (Use) is better as well. Finally, he is also able to better Resist magic of the type in which he received the training. Spell points are assigned to Mages according to the following formula: Spell Points = (GIFT)*level/2 GIFT is a new statistic measuring a character's magical aptitude. It is in the range 1-50. Human max is usually around 30; only very magical creatures are in the 40-50 range. Most sentient creatures require training for their GIFT to be useful. Spell points are calculated the same way for all mages regardless of training. All fractional points are rounded up. As a mage casts spells, his spell points are depleted. They are regained with sleep; 1/10 of a mage's total points are replenished per hour of rest. There is one important exception to this rule: if a spell is still operating, the spell points used to cast it or those used during its operation *cannot* be replenished until the spell has been stopped. Once it has stopped, the points may be replenished as described above. This effectively limits the number of semi-permanent spells that a mage is able to cast. Note: Spell points expended *during the execution* of a spell are replenished at the normal rate. IV. Physical Effects The following is a complete list of physical effects associated with each elemental form. Also included is the *unit volume* associated with each effect. Each unit volume of an effect used in a spell represents 1 die (of the appropriate type according to mage training) of damage. Thus, a 10th level Mage can produce a maximum volume of effect equal to 10 times the unit volume. See the cost column under Section V.1, Operator Summary. (Note: Full descriptions of these effects and their various uses will be included in future versions of the system). EARTH ----- Form Physical Effect Unit Volume ---- --------------- ----------- LTE Crystal/Glass (0.10 m)^3 LAE Sand (1.00 m)^3 LWE Loam (1.00 m)^3 LFE Lava (0.01 m)^3 DTE Stone (0.50 m)^3 DAE Dust (1.00 m)^3 DWE Mud/Quicksand (0.50 m)^3 DFE Metal (0.10 m)^3 WATER ----- Form Physical Effect Unit Volume ---- --------------- ----------- LTW Water (1.00 m)^3 LAW Foam (1.00 m)^3 LEW Glue (0.10 m)^3 LFW Steam (0.10 m)^3 DTW Ice (0.50 m)^3 DAW Snow (1.00 m)^3 DEW Poison (Liquid) (0.01 m)^3 DFW Oil (0.10 m)^3 FIRE ---- Form Physical Effect Unit Volume ---- --------------- ----------- LTF Fire (0.50 m)^3 LAF Plasma (0.01 m)^3 LEF Brimstone (0.10 m)^3 LWF Electricity (0.10 m)^3 DTF Rust (0.10 m)^3 DAF Ash (1.00 m)^3 DEF Alkali (0.10 m)^3 DWF Acid (0.10 m)^3 AIR --- Form Physical Effect Unit Volume ---- --------------- ----------- LTA Air/Wind (1.00 m)^3 LWA Fog/Cloud/Mist (1.00 m)^3 LEA Ambient Light (1.00 m)^3 LFA Radiant Light (0.10 m)^3 DTA Shadow/Darkness (1.00 m)^3 DWA Storm (1.00 m)^3 DEA Gas (Poison) (0.10 m)^3 DFA Smoke (0.50 m)^3 V. Operators Operators are the core of the Mage 2 Mage SDL, providing the syntax for spell description and execution. This section gives a summary of all SDL operators. followed by complete descriptions of the syntax and semantics of each operator. Examples are included. V.1 Operator Summary The following table summarizes the name, cost, and function of each operator. Except where noted, this cost is accrued at the time the spell is cast. This casting cost is based on the occurrence of each operator in the written syntax of the spell. Operator Cost Description ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Basic (Effect) Operators ------------------------ alter 1* alter an existing object using an effect create 1* create a new effect destroy 1 destroy a previously created effect move 1** move an effect to a new location rotate 1** rotate an effect around any axis shape 1** form an effect into a desired shape Path (Shape) Operators ---------------------- fill 1 fill a closed polygonal (2D) area lineto 1 extrude an effect along a given line scale 1 resize a previously created effect surface 1 mold an effect along a given surface volume 1 form an effect to fit a specified volume Flow Operators -------------- halt 1 stop a spell if...then...else 1/1/1 conditional determined by input events repeat...until 1/1 loop until event wait until 1 pause spell until event Event Operators (all 0 cost) --------------- and | or | boolean operators for combining events not | interrupted signals a spell has been interrupted general format for events Special Operators ----------------- bind 1 bind a spell's range relative to a given object interrupt 1 alter a given spell makeowner 1 reassign ownership of given spell to another mage resume 1 resume an interrupted spell : 0 assign a spell a name * 1/2 point x (potency^2 + range^2) is expended for each effect created and 1/2 point x range^2 for each object altered during the execution of the spell, subtracted from the mage's spell points at the time the effect is created/object is altered. See ALTER and CREATE. ** 1/2 point per unit volume of the effect operated on is expended for each effect operated on during the execution of the spell, subtracted from the mage's spell points when the operation occurs. For SHAPEd effects, the volume of the effect after the SHAPE operation is used. For MOVE and ROTATE, the current volume of the effect is used. See MOVE, ROTATE, & SHAPE. V.2 Operator Details This section describes the operators summarized above in detail. In the descriptions below, variables are in angle brackets, and optional arguments are in straight brackets. Each operator is listed followed by a paragraph describing what it does, followed in turn by an example of usage. V.2.1 Basic Operators ALTER alter lookat using [] [range ] Create a connection between the spell and an existing source of manifested elemental force. This works similar to CREATE, except that the link to the elemental plane is connected to an existing object. Thus, when the mage manipulates the elemental force in the spell, it will directly modify the nature of the object. If the object is very nearly "pure" in the elemental sense, the changes will be most pronounced. ALTERing an object consisting of mixed elemental forces may have unpredicatble results, depending on the form of the effect chosen. The effect may optionally be given a name by which other operators may refer to it. Each time a new object is ALTERed in a spell, 1/2 spell point is subtracted from the mage's available spell points. These points are replenished in the usual fashion. Note that these points are *in addition to* the casting cost of each ALTER operator. A mage's spell may only ALTER one *simultaneous* object per level of the mage's experience. For example, a 3rd level mage may only alter 3 objects at the same time; if he wishes to alter a 4th object, his spell must be designed so that one of the 3 objects is no longer being ALTERed before the next one is ALTERed. A spell will terminate if too many effects are simultaneously ALTERed. Example: alter lookat pebble using Stone shape volume lookat pebble scale 10'x 10'y 10'z This example SDL fragment alters a pebble by scaling it up to boulder size. If this was performed on a different object, only that part of the object consisting of Stone would be effected, yielding an unpredictable result if only part of the original object consisted of Stone (the less Stone, the less predictable the result). CREATE create [] [ potency

] [range ] Create a point source of the given effect on the tip of the caster's index finger (right or left depending on handedness) or, if the spell is BINDed elsewhere, create the point source at the location of the BINDing. This is an initialization operator, creating the link to another plane. For physical effects, the effect must be scaled or otherwise shaped to a physical dimension before any force is actually released (see SCALE, SHAPE). The effect may optionally be given a name by which other operators may refer to it. Each time a new effect is CREATEd in a spell, 1/2 spell point is subtracted from the mage's available spell points. These points are not recoverable until the spell is stopped/finished. Note that these points are *in addition to* the casting cost of each CREATE operator. A mage's spell may only CREATE one *simultaneous* effect per level of the mage's experience. For example, a 3rd level mage may only create 3 effects that exist at the same time; if he wishes to create a 4th effect, his spell must be designed so that one of the existing effects is DESTROYed before the next one is CREATEd. A spell will terminate if too many effects are simultaneously created. Examples: create (p)LTA create Wind create Wind mywind All three of the above perform the same function. The first specifies the physical effect Light True Air. The second uses the more colloquial description of Wind. The third gives the effect a name, making it easier to refer to it later in the spell. This is useful if you are using multiple effects that are doing different things. DESTROY destroy [] Removes the last created (or, alternatively, the named) effect or causes any object ALTERed using the effect to revert to normal. When a spell terminates, all effects are automatically destroyed. Any effect which goes outside the spellcaster's range is also destroyed. Example: destroy mywind MOVE move [] to pointdir move [] to lookat move [] to x y z Move the last created (or named) effect a specific distance in a direction indicated by a pointing gesture, to a named object specified by looking at the object, or a specific position in space relative to the last position. If the object has been specified in an event, or has been identified previously in the spell, lookat is not necessary. An effect may be moved anywhere within the spellcaster's range, unless somehow obstructed. Each time an effect is MOVEd in a spell, 1/2 spell point is subtracted from the mage's available spell points for each unit of current volume of the effect. These points are replenished in the usual fashion. Note that these points are *in addition to* the *casting* cost of each MOVE operator, whose points are not recoverable until the spell is stopped. If the effect is smaller than 1 unit volume, the correct fraction is subtracted. Examples: move mywind to lookat orc move mywind to 10' pointdir move mywind to 5'x 10'y 15'z The first example moves the Wind ball used in an earlier example in a straight line to the surface of an object specified by lookat, in this case, an orc. The second example moves the ball in a straight line 10 feet in the direction the caster points. The third moves the ball 5' to the caster's right, 10' up, and fifteen feet forward, away from wherever it was, with respect to the caster. ROTATE rotate [] x y z [origin pointdir] rotate [] x y z [origin lookat ] rotate [] x y z [origin x y z] rotate [] pointdir [origin pointdir] rotate [] pointdir [origin lookat ] rotate [] pointdir [origin x y z] Rotate the last created (or named) effect around any axis (x,y,z), relative to the center point of the effect (default) or a named point, OR rotate to an angle specified by gesture. Each time an effect is ROTATEd in a spell, 1/2 spell point is subtracted from the mage's available spell points for each unit of current volume of the effect. These points are replenished in the usual fashion. Note that these points are *in addition to* the *casting* cost of each ROTATE operator, whose points are not recoverable until the spell is stopped. If the effect is smaller than 1 unit volume, the correct fraction is subtracted. Example: rotate firewall 90y origin lookat orc This fragment rotates a wall of fire (previously shaped) ninety degrees around the y (up-down) axis with the body of a given orc as the center of rotation. Note that the point of rotation does not need to be a point inside the effect itself. SHAPE shape [] [] ... [] Shape the last created (or named) effect using a path described by a "subspell" consisting of valid Path Operators. When an effect is shaped, any previous shaping is forgotten. Position of the effect is maintained. Each time an effect is SHAPED in a spell, 1/2 spell point is subtracted from the mage's available spell points for each unit of current volume of the *final* effect. These points are replenished in the usual fashion. Note that these points are *in addition to* the *casting* cost of each operator, whose points are not recoverable until the spell is stopped. If the effect is smaller than 1 unit volume, the correct fraction is subtracted. The SHAPE operation yields one die of damage for each unit volume of the effect, subject to modification by the potency multiple (see CREATE). If the shaped volume is smaller than 1 unit volume, it is considered to be 1 unit volume for the purposes of spell point cost and damage. A mage may not SHAPE an effect to occupy more than L unit volumes, where L is the level of the mage. Examples: shape mywind surface 1'thick lookat box shape mywind volume lookat donut shape mywind lineto 2"thick lookat corner1 lineto 2"thick lookat corner2 lineto 2"thick lookat corner3 lineto 2"thick lookat closeit fill shape mywind scale 2'x 2'y 2'z The first example shapes the wind into a hollow box (i.e., the wind only blows in the planes that form the sides). The second example forms a solid torus of wind. The third example shapes the effect into a 4-sided filled polygon (like a wall) of uniform two-inch thickness. (See Path Operators, below.) V.2.2 Path Operators FILL fill Fills any closed polygon defined by a list of lineto operators within a shape operator. The fill operator must directly follow the list of lineto operators. The fill operator will use the line thicknesses of each lineto to fill with, interpolating if necessary. The lines must form a closed polygon, or the fill will fail. See SHAPE for example. LINETO lineto thick pointdir [smooth] lineto thick [lookat] [smooth] lineto thick x y z [smooth] lineto thick trace Used only in conjunction with the shape operator. Adds a line of thickness to the shape of the effect. The current position of the effect (or the endpoint of the last line drawn, if there is been no use of the move operator since the last line was drawn) forms the beginning point of the line, the endpoint may be specified with a distance from the beginning point and a pointing gesture for direction, or by looking at a named endpoint. For the latter, the endpoint must be a physical object. If the object has been previously identified in the spell, lookat is not necessary. If smooth is specified, the endpoint will be smoothed to a curve if another line is drawn from it. The third form of lineto allows the mage to specify precise coordinates in space to draw the line to, relative to the current position of the effect or the endpoint od the last line drawn. The fourth form of lineto allows the mage to trace a path with the tip of his finger. This may only be done with newly created (i.e., unmoved, unscaled, previously unshaped effects). See SHAPE for examples. SCALE scale x y z Scale an effect to a given size. If the effect was not previously shaped using other Path Operators within the same SHAPE operation, the scaled object will be a spheroid. Scaling is always performed using the center of the effect as an origin (see CREATE, SHAPE). An effect may be scaled up to the limit of the spellcaster's range or spell points, whichever comes first. See SHAPE for examples. SURFACE surface thick [lookat] Shapes an effect to match the size and contours of the selected object. The object is selected by looking at it; it must be within spellcasting range, and must fit entirely with the spellcasting range. The surface thickness is determined by . A surface can be formed from anything withing the mage's spellcasting range. See SHAPE for example. VOLUME volume [lookat] Like the surface path operator, but fills the entire volume with the effect. (See above). See SHAPE for example. V.2.3 Flow Operators HALT halt Halts a spell. A halt is not necessary at the end of a non-looping spell, as it is implied. Example: if (nonhuman and intelligent) 10' then halt else ... This spell fragment halts the spell if an intelligent nonhuman comes within 10' of the caster, or wherever the caster may have bound the spell. IF...THEN...ELSE if [] ... [] then [] ... [] [else [] ... [] ] Conditional that determines spell flow based on the truth value of the event operators (see Event Operators). Example: boltbox: bind to touch box repeat if (orc or kobold) 30' then if orc 30' then create bolt Fire move to orc shape scale 1'x 1'y 1'z else create bolt Electricity move to kobold shape scale 1'x 1'y 1'z wait 2 sec destroy bolt until me "off" This spell creates a 1 foot radius bolt lasting 2 seconds when either an orc or a kobold comes within 30 feet of a box the mage touched when he cast the spell. If it is an orc, the bolt is of fire, if it is a kobold, the bolt is of electricity. REPEAT repeat [=] [] ... [] repeat [] ... [] until [] ... [] Repeats part of a spell for a set number of times, or until a specified event becomes true. A loop variable may be used for spell effects that want to keep track of iteration (see Event Operators). Examples: torch: bind to touch endofstick create Fire shape scale 1"x 1"y 1"z repeat move to endofstick until me "off" This spell creates a torchlight at the end of a staff which will stay lit until the mage says "off" (and is within range). WAIT wait