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Page Revision: 23/10/2017 08:59
This (incomplete and under construction) document is a player guide to the types of spells available to immortals characters. It is targeted at new players and assumes the reader is familiar with character generation, understanding the difference between questor’s, elementalist’s and anything powers.
Unfortunately for new players, a part of the immortal’s experience is learning through exposure. For that reason, this document attempts only to explain the mechanics, and not provide a detailed set of concrete examples, ie. no spoilers. The real thing can be discovered through more the social interaction of talking to other players or playing the game.
Be warned that the guidelines below are not 100% correct. The are definitely not complete, there are many other options that become available later in the game. It does however, hopefully explain the basics of the system enough to help a player make efficient use of a characters resources.
Introduction to Spells
Immortals are able to use power to manifest various effects in the game world depending on the nature of their power and what they have learned. The most common way Immortals do this is through spells.
Other ways power can be used on the fly to manifest effects includes: “buying off damage” and using skills. All new player should make sure they know what “buying off damage” is.
Most uses of power for a repeatable effect, that isn’t buying off damage or using a skill, is classified as a spell. Immortals have two main paths to take when they want to learn a new spells: develop it as an elemental effect or learn it as an anything spell.
All spells require definition, before casting: a title and a description (if the spell effect is not obvious from the title). For example, a “blending” spell requires no description while an “open rift” spell at least requires a description of where the rift goes to.
Immortals have two basic ways to cast spells: as elemental spells or anything spells.
Elemental Spells
A part of any Immortals power is elemental, including anything powers. Any Immortal can generate elemental effects (spells) directly related to their power.
Elemental spells take no time to learn and can be created on the fly: in the middle of combat, while pondering the effect the sudden stop at the end of a fall will have, or while stumbling around in the dark trying to find a way out.
In addition to being able to generate spells directly related to their powers, elementalist’s and questors are able to generate spell effects that are near to their power. Elementalist’s and questors have wider ranging influences over their power than anything powers.
To elementally learn a spell, the player must justify manifesting the effect using their elemental powers.
Justifying Spells
This can be one of the hardest things for new players, especially if playing an elementalist. Elemental spells must be justified with respect to the elemental domain the player has control over.
For example, the Warder of Secrets needs to justify a “Secret Passage” spell. The player contends that secrets are, obviously, within the elemental domain of their power. That may be enough to justify the spell, since it seems reasonable that someone whose title involves secrets should be able to move around in secret. On the other hand, they may be required to provide more justifications, depending on how open-ended and general the effect is.
Sometimes justification is not required if the spell is obviously directly related to the power, or the spell is similar to existing spells. On other occasions, however, the character's domain of power may not be enough of a justification. For example, if Alias wants to create a 'fire ward', then this is not simply an elemental effect. In fact, Alias must use 'essences' for his various wards.
They can still be improvised, but require essences that are appropriate to what is being warded against. So, to ward against fire, he would need to be holding 'fire essences' or something similar, and spend them as part of the improvised spell process.
Anything Spells
Anything powers allow an Immortal to sacrifice to learn a spell. Sacrificing takes maybe as long as a week, at the end of which the immortal permanently sacrifices one or more points of power to learn a spell.
Unfortunately for the player, the amount of power required to sacrifice to learn the spell is never revealed to the players. The player must specify how much they sacrifice. If it is not enough to learn the spell, the power is lost and the spell is not learned.
Sacrifice Cost
The amount of power required to learn the spell depends on several things, including: the complexity of the spell, how closely the spell relates to the elemental nature of the anything power, and the flavour of the power sacrificed.
In general, spells with complex effects are harder to learn. Complex effects are spells like teleport, annihilation, astral gate, and others. Simple spells are easier to learn, for example: detect magic, force bolt, blend, etc.
Flavoured Power
Using elemental power can affect the cost of sacrificing to learn a spell. For example, the Prince of Demons wants a disguise spell so he trades the master of disguises for disguise points. If he uses these disguise points, the sacrifice cost is reduced.
Opening Spells
Once a spell has been justified, or successully sacrificed for, it may be cast. The first casting of a spell is referred to as opening the spell. The amount of power used to open the spell sets the value of the spell. Once set, the value of spell can only be altered during initiations, or through extraordinary means (including wishes, and breaking down magic items).
All spells have a minimum amount of power required to manifest and effect. For many simple spells this minimum is a single point. For example, a blend cast at one point may generate a mild blending effect.
For more complex effects, the minimum power to generate an effect may be much higher. For example, a line of sight teleport may require 8 points just to have any effect.
When a player attempts to open a spell below the minimum required to generate an effect, the spell fails, and the spell IS NOT opened. Sometimes the cast may succeed, but the effect fails, in which case the spell has been opened, but nothing happened for other reasons.
An interesting twist to opening spells is the effect of the environment. In a low mana zone, Immortal power is half as effect as normal. If the player wants to cast a new spell at 4 points, they have to open the spell at 8 points (which is halved to 4 for the effect). Unfortunately, the spell is opened at 8 points, NOT 4.
One rare case of opening a spell at zero is known of. A questor, out of power, pursuing their quest, cast a spell at zero. The questors miracle pool over spent to have the spell work. This is not a normal situation, and should not be assumed to be repeatable.
Spell Values
Once opened, a spell has a title, description, value and cost. Through initations and certain other means the cost of spells may lower and the value increased.
To cast a spell, an Immortal needs an opportunity and maybe power.
Cost and Value
The cost of a spell is the cost to cast the spell, and is recorded on a players character sheet for every opened spell. The cost and value are set when the spell is opened, both at the opening value of the spell. The cost is the cost to cast the spell. The value is the power the spell is set at.
Over time, the cost of casting particular spells may be lowered and/or the power of the spell raised.
Paid Off Spells
When the cost of a spell is reduced to zero, the spell is referred to as being paid off. Paid off spells cost nothing to cast and can be used when ever needed. They are very VERY important to an Immortal.
Starting characters receive four paid off spells for free (all set at a value of 1 point).
Buying Down Spells
The two most common ways to alter the cost and value of spells are: initiating and breaking down magic items to spells.
During initiation, the spell cost can be lowered by 1 point at a cost of 1 point. The power may raised, costing 1 point, but ALSO raising the spell cost by 1 point. For example, a starting “blend” spell has a cost of 0 and a value of 1. For 1 point the value is raised to 2, which increases the cost to 1. For another 1 point, the cost can be lowered from 1 back to 0.
Magic items containing the appropriate types of magic may, with the GM’s permission be “broken down to spells”. This involves extracting the power in a “flavour” that matches the spell. For example, a potion of giant strength may be broken down to “strength” spell or a “+4 shield” broken down to a “force field” spell. The cost of moving the spell, is the same as during an initiation and the GM will tell the player how many points of power are available in the item. Unlike an initiation, spells can be moved up and/or down by more than a single point when breaking down items.
Casting and Over Spending
To cast a spell, the immortal must spend power equal to the cost of the spell. This will cause the spell to manifest at the spell value (which is often higher than the cost).
If the immortal wants the spell effect to be stronger than normal, the spell can be cast at a higher value than normal by “over spending”. When over spending, for every 2 extra points spent on casting the spell, the value is increased (for the casting only) by 1 point. Overspending by 6 points would increase the spell value by 3 points.
Elemental Spells
All immortals are better at casting their elemental spells that any other spells. This does not mean the elemental spells are stronger, the immortal is just better and casting them.
Elemental spells can be cast in any form, end even while unmoving (although it is faster to cast when free to jesture). Elemental spells are innate to the immortal.
The down side of elemental spells is that they require justification, giving them a mechanic for operation. This mechanic for operation, makes it harder (more expensive) to cast spells that are a stretch of the elemental power. For example, the “carver of stone” elementally taking on a tiger form by turning to stone, carving himself into a tiger and reverting to flesh is a expensive way to take a tiger form.
Anything Spells
Anything spells require proper casting, including jestures, so the caster must be a form that allows them to cast spells. An immortal in animal form cannot cast an anything spell.
The advantage of anything spells (once they are learned) is that they are efficient. They may not be a good as an elemental spell directly related to the elemental power, but the are the next best thing.
Primary and Secondary Titles
The primary title of an immortal forms their primary power domain(s). They have a wider range of control over their primary domain(s) and can push the domain further.
Secondary powers are much narrower. They give less control over the domain. Point for point spells from the primary title are stronger.
It may also cost more to sacrifice to learn a spell if an immortal’s anything power is not their primary title.
Aged Immortals
As immortals grow in age and initiations, their spells become stronger. Spell values of older immortals are worth more than that of younger immortals.
With additional initiations, aged immortals are likely to have more paid off spells with higher values. This makes them a force to be reckoned with.
Planes of Power
Immortals may initiate to a plane of power. On a plane of power, the spells of an immortal are 1 point stronger. Be careful when opening a spell, it might work on a plane of power, but off plane it may no longer have the minimum value to be effective. The same plane of power can be initiated for multiple times.
Diminishing Returns
Some spell effects have dimishing returns (or upper limits). A good example is strength spells. The Lord of Giants may take a “giant strength”. Casting “giant strength” at 6 points gives him storm giant strength. Casting “giant strength” at much higher than this doesn’t increase the value of the spell significantly, as the spell is already at the upper limit of the strength of giants.
For many spells, there is no need to spend too much on the spell. The extra power spent can be useful in low mana zones or when the spells is being dampened by another effect.
Learning Spells
The two main ways to learn spells are as elemental spells or anything spells. This section clarifies known exceptions and other methods to acquire spells.
Primary and Secondary Titles
It is not known for sure, but it is assumed that it costs more to learn spells if the immortals anything power is not their primary title. This means that questors and elementalist’s may have to sacrifice a slightly more to learn some (or maybe all) spells.
Illusion Spells
Several powers allow Immortals to generate illusions, including dreams, and disguises.
Disguises are not an anything power, but is conferred the ability to sacrifice to learn forms, ie. make disguises real (it cannot make anything real however). This is an exception to the rigid classification of questor, elementalist and anything powers; it overlaps a little.
Anything is possible in immortals.
Samples of Spells
Spells can be sampled from friendly spell casters or invested spells.
Sometimes, spells may be learned from other immortals, or even non immortal spell casters (eg. Alusian’s). Learning from another may allow an immortal to reach a spell that is elementally just out of reach, but within the scope of the power.
Invested spells can be found in magic items, for example potions. Sometimes the invested spell can be learned by “breaking down the item” to learn the spell, although unless the spell is very close elementally, usually at least one point of real power is also required.
Wishes and Other Extraordinary Means
One brute force way to learn a spell is through a wish. Most anything powers are wish granters, so can wish to learn spells. Wishes attract twilight points – you have been warned.
Very powerful wishes are able to give Immortals opened spells, sometimes even paid off.
Without doubt, there are other extra ordinary means of learning spells.
Blind Spots
All immortals start with a primary title. Most immortals inherit a blind spot from this primary title. This is an area that the immortal cannot move into by normal means. Initiations and anything spells cannot cover it. Be aware that an immortal cannot learn spells in their blind spot.
Skills
Some immortals have skills they are able to spend power using. This occurs when many of the activities of the skill are closely related to the title of the immortal. If you can spend power on a part of skill, you can (in general) open that action as a spell.
For example, the “lord of spiders” can spend power to “analyse traps” from one of his subterfuge skills. After spending power on “analysing traps” for a few sessions, he decides to open it as a spell at 2 points. This new spell stacks with his skill, making him a worthy sneak.
Spell Foci
A spell focus is an item that a spell is cast through. There are three main types (others may exist): enhancers, mediums, and channels.
The form of the focus has to be appropriate to the spell or character. For example, a pair of socks are unlikely to be very effective as a focus for a mind mask, although anyone “brave” enough to suggest it may be in for a “pleasant” surprise.
Enhancer Focus
Enhancer Foci are items that are built to allow a specific spell to be focused through. Standard enhancers is to add directly to the power of the spell. An enhancer focus can also focus as area effect spell to target a single entity, or anything else appropriate.
Creativity and style are rewarded in immortals. Coming up with stylish items that match an immortal’s flavour and the spell being focused will give the item a much better chance of success.
Standard enhancer foci add power to the spell one for one. For example, an immortal has a jump spell they want to complement with some boots. While visiting the lord of spiders, a point of power is traded for a pair of 1 point spider boots. The boots add to the jump spell.
An enhancer focus for a sun flash spell is created from a magnifying glass made by the lord of crystals. It gives the sun flash a point focus when cast through it.
Medium Focus
When a spell is learned, it can be defined as being run by an external focus. The spell doesn’t count towards the casters running spell total. As usual an appropriate item has to be found for the focus, which can be quite hard.
The typical cost of a medium focus is 1 point. Addition points can be put into the focus to add enhancements to the spell effects.
Channel Focus
A channel focus is an item that is a part of a spell. When the spell is learned, the spell is defined as being cast through this special focus. If the channel is lost, the spell is also lost! Casting a spell through a chanenl focus makes it more powerful.
Like medium foci, enchance properties can be added to channel foci. A channel focus cannot be a medium focus.
Example
This section gives a basic example for beginner players, to help them understand the mechanics of spell casting.
Our example immortal has recently sacrificed to learn a new spell, lightning bolt. While travelling along (innocently) they run into a Blue Dragon. Without warning, our example immortal opens up with a lightning bolt (while the Dragon is distracted eating other party members).
The “lightning bolt” spell is cast for the with 6 points of power. This sets the value and power of the spell at 6 points.
The dragon’s attention is drawn to this new attacker. A large tail lashes out at our immortal. Realising he does not have any defenses in place, our immortal hurriedly raises on of his starting spells: “force field”, to defend againt the attack. The spell costs 0 and is set at 1 point. Our immortal doesn’t like the chances of a 1 point force field stopping this dragon and decides to over spend. The immortal spends 4 points to cast the spell, overspending by 4. This adds 2 to the value of the spell (half of 4), making the “force field” value 3 (for this particular casting).
The “force field” holds. Our immortal wants to fire another “lightning bolt”, but looks at his power total and realises he only has 4 points left. The cost of the lightning bolt is 6 points, it cannot be cast with 4 points.
He does have a “force bolt”, set an 1 point. The cost is also 1 point. Our immortal decides to overspend on the forcebolt, spending a total of 3 points for the cast. 1 point is required to cast the spell normally. This mean 2 extra points were spent on the cast (the immortal overspent by 2 points). This add 1 point to the value of the spell for the cast (half of 2).
Creativity and Style
Hopefully the above discussion clarifies some of the basics of spells, how they are learned, how they can be defined and how they change over time. The above is only a light coverage of the topic.
In reality, no one knows all the options, all the rules, all the intricacies. In the play of immortals, power gaming is kept in check by the rules changing if they are being abused.
Bringing creativity, style and quality content to the game world is always rewarding, and usually rewarded. Remember this when developing or researching an immortal.