Thanks to: MHP for most of what is found here.
Normally I use most magick rules from the rulebook and Realms of Sorcery but below are various optional rules for magick and spellcasting that I created. Thus, every rule from the corebook and RoS stands, unless it gets overruled by one of those below. Note that some of those make no sense unless other rules are incorporatet also. Finally, I don't use all the rules here myself, nor have I tested them all.
Darksurge |
Magickal Pockets |
Casting Modes
Energy Spheres |
Magick Channels |
Special Regarding Priests
Lunar Effects |
Concotions |
Spell Grades
All spellcasting bears a certain amount of risk of releasing a darksurge, which is an unpredictable change in the spell or side effect due to the chaotic magical energies. This chance is the same as the MP cost of the spell, x0.5 for petty magic, x2 for violent spells, x3 for necromantic magic and x4 for daemonic/dark/chaos magic. Only highest multiplier applies. Summoning undead adds 5 to the total chance and summoning daemons adds 10. Priest spells have only half the chance the wizard spells have, except priests of chaos. Clerics of Tzeentch add x1.5 to all other modifiers. When modifying spell energy usage with casting modes or skills, the chance of a darksurge is changed accordingly. The chance of darksurge can never be lower than 1% and never higher than 99%, although for each point above that, add +10 to the effect roll (see below) if a darksurge occurs. When a roll determines that a darksurge occurs, roll on the following table:
001-125 Strange visual effects
126-250 Strange audial effects
251-350 Strange visual and audial effects
351-490 Spell fizzles
491-495 Casters hair changes colour
496-500 Casters eyes change colour
501-550 Spell is weakened
551-600 Spell is strengthened
601-650 Spell behaves totally opposite to normal
651-670 Spell affects all within range
671-720 Casters mind is touched, gains d3 insanity points
721-750 Casters mind is touched, gains 2d3 insainty points
751-765 Caster gains a disorder
766-773 Caster permanently loses d6 from all mental stats
774-776 Caster permanently loses 3d6 from all mental stats
777-781 Casters alignment changes one step toward Chaotic. If he already is
chaotic, there is no effect
782-831 Casters body is damaged for d6 W
832-861 Casters body is damaged for 2d6 W
862-891 Caster gains d3 mutation points
892-906 Caster gains a mutation
907-914 Caster permanently loses d6 from all physical stats (%)
915-917 Caster permanently loses 3d6 from all physical stats (%)
918-932 Caster is greatly weakened by the spell. All %-stats drop to 20 and M/S
to 1
933-947 Gain disability
948-977 Caster is stunned for rounds equal to spell level. WP test required to
cast the spell successfully
978-992 A daemonic being is summoned, appearing in the next round
993-997 Caster is possessed by a daemon
998 Casters soul is destroyed, leaving only an empty shell
999 Caster is sucked into the void and is lost
000 Caster is ripped apart in an explosion that affects anyone within 5 yards as
a blast spell
Magickal energy flows from the warpgates and is spread through the Warhammer world by what is called the Winds of magick. This is what spellcasters tune into and tap the necessary energy to create a spell effect. But not all areas of the world have the exact same energies or concentration. Most areas are 'normal' but here and there a so called pocket can be found where the Winds of magick are a bit different, changing how spells are used. These differences can affect spellcasting of the different types of magick or just magick in general. These pockets vary greatly in size but they are very rarely larger than an acre but are often only a few feet across. Following is a brief description of some of those pockets:
Energy Pocket - The Winds of magick are very concentrated in these places, allowing easy gathering of energy and causing the magic point cost of every spell cast within an energy pocket to be halved, rounding up. Unfortunately, the abundance of energy causes the normal darksurge chance to be doubled.
Dead Zone - The Winds of magick are particularly weak in dead zones, making spells harder to cast. This results in every spell cast within its boundaries to cost twice as many magic points and the gathering of the energies takes enough time so that the spell effect is always released at the end of the round. On the bright side, the chances of a darksurge occuring are the same as normally.
Wyrdzone - The Winds of magick are very random and chaotic in these areas. The magickal energies virtually run amok, causing almost every casting to result in a surprise. What happens when a spell is cast within a wyrdzone is up to the GM. This can be just about anything, a different spell effect is released (even one the caster doesn't know), casters magic points are depleted (or restored), spell costs different amount of magic points, spell costs nothing at all, ingredient is not consumed, caster is obliberated, or whatever the GM can come up with.
Rubric Pockets - The energies concerning a certain type of magick are enhanced or decreased within a rubric pocket, working in the same way for that type as energy pockets and dead zones. A positive pocket enhances that type of magick and a negative pocket decreases it. For example, within a positive rubric elemental pocket all spells work normally except for elemental spells that are enhanced as by an energy pocket.
Additionally, any abilities of magic items can be affected by the different magickal pockets. What type of magick the energies of the item are and how they are affected is entirely up to the GM. Furthermore, magic items are frequently affected as by a wyrdzone, even when within another type of magickal pocket.
Spellcasters have the option of distorting the spells they cast to a certain extent. This allows them to one or possibly more of the following:
Fast cast - Add +50% to MP cost of spell and hurry
it so that it only takes half as long to cast.
No chanting - Add +25% to MP cost of spell and instead cast without
chanting.
No gestures - Add +25% to MP cost of spell and instead cast without
gestures.
No ingredients - Add +100% to MP cost of spell and instead cast without
ingredient.
Increased range - Add +100% to MP cost of spell and instead increase
range by 100%.
Increase area - Add +100% to MP cost of spell and instead increase area
of effect by 100%.
Increase duration - Add +100% to MP cost of spell and instead increase
duration of spell by 100%.
All casting modes can be used in combination but each casting mode used must be announced before casting starts. Fractions are rounded up.
Instead of the normal ingredients, magic users can make use of 1” diameter balls called energy spheres. Those are made by alchemists and contain enough focus to allow a spellcaster to cast spells normally without the required ingredients. One energy sphere is needed per level of the spell to be cast and they are consumed in the process. Energy spheres count as rare goods and each costs about 10 GCs.
When an apprentice first becomes a wizard, he needs to undergo a ritual to enchant his staff so that it can serve as a channel between the wizard and the winds of magic. A wizard can cast a spell without his staff but then a WP check is necessary to cast the spell successfully (or if you are using that already, a -20 penalty), costs x3 more magic points and takes +50% more time to cast. Each individual staff works only for the wizard who made it. Magical staves and wands can act as channels for any wizard. Just as wizards use their staff, priests need their holy symbol. This they must enchant with a similar ritual and casting spells without it has same effect. But unlike wizards who can cast spells without their staves, priests can't without their symbols. If a wizards staff or priests symbol is ruined, the owner must succeed a WP test or become unconscious and lose all his magic points. If the test is successful, he still loses half his current magic points.
Priests don't need ingredients for their spells as they only partially draw their power from the winds of magic. The power they draw from their deity allows them to cast without ingredients.
Priests (those that are allowed to wear armour) do not suffer the same penalties when casting spells in armour as wizards do. They only get penalized by half of what wizards and alchemists do, rounded down.
The winds of magic are affected by the moons as follows. The percentages should be applied to the MP score of the spell before any other possible modifiers. Thus a wizard casting a blast spell when both moons are full, will have his casting time reduced by 10, stat loss is only 5 (instead of the normal 10) and the chance of a darksurge is 30% (instead of the normal 20%).
Mannslieb full - Casting time decreased by 10. Darksurge
chance –50%.
Mannslieb almost full (2 days on either side) - Casting time decreased by 5.
Darksurge chance –25%.
Mannslieb neither close to full nor new - No effect.
Mannslieb almost new (2 days on either side) - Casting time increased by 5.
Darksurge chance +25%.
Mannslieb new - Casting time increased by 10. Darksurge chance +50%.
Morrslieb full - MP cost –50%. Darksurge chance +100%.
Morrslieb almost full (2 days on either side) - MP cost –25%. Darksurge chance
+50%.
Morrslieb neiter close to full now new - No effect.
Morrslieb almost new (2 days on either side) - MP cost +25%. Darksurge chance
–50%.
Morrslieb new - MP cost +50%. Darksurge chance –100%.
Invigorator – This alchemical potion immediately restores d10 magic point for the weaker type or 2d10 for the stronger. Each time a spellcaster drinks one of these potions, he must make a WP check based on the new score. There is a +10 bonus for the weaker type and –10 penalty for the stronger. If the test is failed, the spellcaster gains one insanity point. It counts as rare goods and each dose costs 30 GCs (weaker) or 45 GCs (stronger) respectively.
Jiva – This alchemical dust is used as a snuff. When taken in, the spellcaster must make a T-test or become drowsy for the effective duration. One dose remains effective for 2d6 turns and during that time, magic point cost of spells is reduced by 1 (minimum of 1). While the dust is in effect, the chance of a Darksurge happening is raised by 5%.
Cerain Tor – This alchemical potion increases the power gathering rate of the caster, allowing him to cast spells at only half the normal time while under its effects. The effects of one does last for 3d4 rounds. Unfortunately, when the effect wears off, the spellcaster experiences a magickal backlash, causing him to be slow at casting spells (finishing them at the end of the round). That backlash lasts for ten times as long as the beneficial effect. Furthermore, the Tor (as it is called) is highly addictive and those hooked suffer a -10/-1 penalty to all tests if they don't use at lease one dose per day.
This introduces different spell strengths. Each spell has three grades, 1, 2 and 3. When a spellcaster first learns a spell, he knows that spell of grade 1. He can then, if he wants to, study to learn grades 2 and 3 in order to become more powerful using that spell. Following is a description of how the grades work. Note that there are some spells which these rules will not apply to. How those spells are affected by the grades, the GM must decide:
Grade 1 - The cost of learning grade 1 in a spell is 50% of what it costs normally. Any die rolls for effects of the spell are at -1 (minimum 1) and victims gets +10 to magic tests.
Grade 2 - The cost of learning grade 2 in a spell is 50% of what it costs normally (that is 50% for grade 1 and 50% for grade 2 totalling 100%, same as normal). The effects of the spell are same as normally.
Grade 3 - The cost of learning grade 3 in a spell is 50% of what it costs normally (that is 50% for all three grades, totalling 150% of normal cost). Any die rolls for effects of the spell are at +1 and victims gets -10 to magic tests.
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