Magic is a new broad skill covering all the kinds of spell-casting found in Middle Earth. Only Wizards and Sages (or Diplomats with Sage secondary profession) can purchase this broad skill and its specialty skills. Casting any kind of Magic requires freedom of movement and the ability to speak. A skill check is made using the appropriate ability and rank score. On any success, the spell takes effect and the caster automatically suffers 1 point of Fatigue damage; on any Failure, the spell does not function but the character still suffers 1 point of Fatigue damage (2 points on a Critical Failure). A character may attempt to cast a spell even if it will cost his last Fatigue point (although he may not attempt to cast a spell if he has no Fatigue points left). When casting a spell a character may make a Resolve-mental skill check to ignore some of the penalty due to Fatigue damage: on an Ordinary success, he ignores 1 step; on Good, 2; on Amazing, 3; on a Critical Failure, he suffers an additional +1 step penalty to the Magic check.
In the following table, skills in red cannot
be used untrained. Specialty skills are indented.
|
Skill Name |
Cost |
Ability |
|
Magic |
8 |
-- |
|
Healing |
4 |
CON |
|
Enchantment |
4 |
INT |
|
Sorcery |
4 |
WIL |
|
Wizardry |
4 |
WIL |
|
Charm |
4 |
PER |
This skill allows the spell-caster to heal injuries (his own or others) by mere touch. On an Ordinary success, the recipient is healed 2 Wound or 4 Stun damage; on a Good success, 1 Mortal or 2 Wound or 4 Stun; on an Amazing success, 2 Mortal or 4 Wound or 8 Stun. Alternatively, this skill can be used to heal poison or disease (the success on the skill check must equal the quality of the disease or poison). According to The Hobbit, Gandalf had once used this skill to heal Gwaihir, the Lord of the Eagles.
This skill allows the spell-caster to imbue an object (for example, Gandalf’s staff or smoking pipe) or area (for example, hidden Rivendell) with magical properties, either temporarily or permanently. First, determine the quality of the effect:
Ordinary: minor power (giving off light) or small
bonus (-1 step or +1 damage)
Good: major power (sealed barrier) or a large bonus
(-2 step or +2 damage)
Amazing: greater power (invisibility) or a superior
bonus (-3 step or +3 damage)
There is a +1 step penalty to the skill check for a Good effect and a +2 step penalty for an Amazing effect.
For temporary enchantments, only a simple skill check is required and the result determines the duration of the effect: the current round and all of the next on an Ordinary success; the rest of the current scene on a Good success; the rest of the current day on an Amazing success. The caster may choose to end temporary effects at will.
For permanent enchantments, a complex skill check is required. The difficulty of the complex skill check is equal to the quality of the effect: 4 successes are required for an Ordinary effect, 7 for a Good effect, and 10 for an Amazing effect. One skill check toward this total can be made every day for an Ordinary effect, one roll every month for Good, and one roll every year for Amazing. An item being enchanted is destroyed on the third accumulated Failure or on even one Critical Failure.
The corruption of the caster is imbued on an enchanted item. An enchanted item created by a spell-caster with any amount of Corruption forces a character who possesses the item to make a Corruption check (at a penalty equal to the Corruption accumulated by the caster) when he first uses the item or himself accrue Corruption (see Corruption).
This skill allows the spell-caster to attack with fire or lightning or to invoke a dark curse. It can duplicate the effects of either Pyrokinetics or Electronkinetics. Alternatively, this skill can inflict a curse upon one future roll made by the victim (such as the next action check or the next use of a specific skill). The specific roll affected must be declared when the spell is cast. On an Ordinary success, the roll suffers a +2 step penalty; on a Good success, +3; on an Amazing success, +4. Any use of Sorcery requires the spell-caster to make a Corruption check (see Corruption).
This skill allows the spell-caster to negate other magic. The success on the Wizardry roll must exceed the success (or the quality) of the original spell effect in order to cancel it (so it is impossible to negate an Amazing success or effect). There is no modifier to the skill check if the target spell is being cast in the same phase, but there is a +1 penalty if the spell is already in effect and a +2 penalty if the effect is permanent (for example, an enchanted item). Alternatively, this skill can be used to duplicate the effects of Mind Reading (as listed in the Player’s Handbook) or Sensitivity (it will reveal the use of magic items or spells on an Ordinary success, the specific kind of magic on a Good success, and the origin of the magic on an Amazing success; the cost to use it is no different than any other spell).
This skill duplicates the effects of Suggest, Illusion,
or Tire. Saruman used the Suggest power of this skill to
bend Grima Wormtongue to his will and manipulate Theodin, Gandalf used Illusion
to fool the trolls Bill, Tom, and Bert in The Hobbit, and the wood elves
of Mirkwood used Tire to subdue Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit.
Rank Benefits: Sorcery uses the normal rank benefits listed for Electrokinetics and Pyrokinetics. Charm uses the normal rank benefits listed for Tire (but not for Suggest or Illusion). For all other Magic skills (including the use of Charm for Suggest or Illusion and Wizardry for Mind Reading and Sensitivity), at Rank 4 the caster is allowed to make a Stamina-endurance check to avoid taking fatigue damage at a +1 step penalty; at Rank 8, no penalty; at Rank 12, a -1 step bonus.