Magical Spell Acquisition
Magical Spell Acquisition explains how the mage character class acquires their collection of incantations and dweomers, which come in two forms: cantrips and spells. At the 1st level of experience, many of the former are gained, but only three of the latter — however, as a character obtains experience levels, the spell list that grows steadily contains a far more powerful magic.
This page is concerned with the first-time acquisition of mage spells rather than the means by which mages re-acquire cantrips and spells after use. Discussing that process for a moment, a mage records their steadily acquired spells and cantrips in a spellbook. This is used to mentally construct each spell in the caster's mind, in preparation of it's casting. This process of interpreting symbols and fixing them once again in the mage's mind is conveniently called "memorizing," though this is not an accurate description of what's really going on. It's worth noting that the preservation and upkeep of spellbooks is of utmost importance for the mage, as losing one would be most unfortunate.
Below can be found two tables, each explaining how these cantrips and spells initially come into the mage's possession. Cantrips are divided into "types," of which the player gets some of each. Spells are divided into "levels," which must not be confused with a character's experience level.
Gaining Cantrips
| Cantrip Type | Number Gained | New Cantrips |
|---|---|---|
| haunting sound | 1-3 | 01-13 |
| legerdemain | 1-3 | 14-20 |
| person-affecting | 1-4 | 21-36 |
| personal | 1-4 | 37-51 |
| reversed | 1-4 | 52-70 |
| useful | 1 per point of intelligence above 9 | 71-00 |
Cantrips are subdued magic spells, easy to cast and usually taking little time. They are useful, and can sometimes serve to distract or disable an enemy combatant for a round, but more often they are tricks that an apprentice caster learns from a young age.
Mage cantrips are divided into six types, as shown. The number gained indicates the initial number of cantrips that the character has acquired by 1st level. The appropriate die is rolled and the character chooses that number of cantrips from the lists that are linked below.
As the character increases in level and gains spells, for each new spell, a new cantrip is also gained. A percentile die is rolled to determine which kind of cantrip.
- For example, Pamela moves from 3rd level to 4th level, gaining one 1st and one 2nd level spell, and therefore two cantrips. She rolls twice, receiving a "31" and a "77"; the new cantrip column indicates that Pamela gains one person-affecting and one useful cantrip, which are added to her previous list.
In addition to cantrips having a short casting time, the caster doesn't need to spend an action point discharging the effect — this happens as soon as the cantrip's cast. Additionally, the caster can perform other actions in the same round as casting a cantrip, which is also different from spells, which usually need full rounds to cast. This gives an advantage to cantrips, so that using them as a rapid fire opening in a combat can be more effective than taking time to build up a more powerful spell attack. Only one cantrip may be used in a single round, however.
Gaining Spells
| X.P. Level | 1st lvl | 2nd lvl | 3rd lvl | 4th lvl | 5th lvl | 6th lvl | 7th lvl | 8th lvl | 9th lvl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2nd | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 3rd | 4 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 4th | 5 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 5th | 5 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 6th | 5 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 7th | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 8th | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 9th | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| 10th | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – |
| 11th | 7 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – |
| 12th | 7 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – |
| 13th | 8 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – |
| 14th | 8 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | – |
| 15th | 9 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | – | – |
| 16th | 9 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – |
| 17th | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | – |
| 18th | 10 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 19th | 10 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 20th | 11 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| 21st | 11 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| 22nd | 11 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| 23rd | 12 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| 24th | 12 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| 25th | 12 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| 26th | 13 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| 27th | 13 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| 28th | 13 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 4 |
| 29th | 13 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 |
The acquisition table shows the number of spells that a mage should have according to their experience level. For example, a 1st level character should have three 1st level spells. A 9th level mage should have six 1st level, four 2nd level, three 3rd level and two 4th level spells and one 5th level spell, for a total of 16.
As a character goes up a level, they must compare the number of spells they possess already against the number of spells they should have for the new level. According to the table, as the mage progresses from 5th to 6th, it can be seen that they will gain one 2nd level and one 3rd level spell, in order to reach their full compliment. They would also receive two cantrips.
Mage Spell Tables
Here are a list of mage spells, which can be reviewed to choose which spells the character wishes to possess.
As these spells accumulate, the amount of space they require within a spellbook accumulates also. More powerful mages will have accumulated enough spells that they have filled the pages of the first empty spellbook they purchased, and will probably have one or two other books as well. The process of "memorizing" these spells takes time; it is as if the mage were a bottle being filled; once the spell is in place in the caster's mind, the caster mentally places a stopper over the top of the bottle. The spell's power then remains held within the mage, until the metaphorical stopper is removed.
