Spellcasting

The act of casting a spell is a considerably new concept in the grander history of Tsindwr. Spells are portable Magick, conjurations plucked from the Arras with incantation and foci freed from the limitations of Inscription and Ritual casting. Before, permanent infusions of Magick onto a physical medium called Enchantments were the only method of harnessing the Arras.

Spellcaster Adventurers

The world of Umbrea has its own magic source called the Arras, first discovered by the Mullburrows. However, between the influence of Faerie and Gloam, and the events of the Dread, the Arras has become unstable. Those who wield Essence in this way risk experiencing the instability of Magick for themselves. Failing to cast a spell often has consequences as the spell goes awry. Mechanically, each spell learned by a character should have a consequence along with its description, and consequences lower the experience cost of learning the new spell.

Spell Limits

In order to learn new spells, a player must use the Experience Market to purchase them. However, there are some base limits to the amount of spells a character has access to, called their Stored Spells, and the amount of spells a character may choose from to cast at a given time, called their Prepared Spells. These limits are subject to change due to class features.

Potency. A character's Potency is a value that influences their spellcasting limits. Potency is calculated by subtracting the initial number of Marks in the spellcasting class' pool from 10. So a Healer would have a Potency of 4, but a Spellslinger would have a Potency of 8.

The maximum number of Stored Spells a character may have is equal to their Potency score. The maximum number of Prepared Spells a character may have is equal to the maximum number on their spellcasting Potential's Volatility Die. These are both initial values which can be increased in the Experience Market.

The Act of Casting

Harnessing the Arras is a difficult task, and comes with risk. Casting a spell will always require a Test to be made, as specified by the spell description: any success level of Failure or lower will activate the spell's consequences, otherwise it is successfully cast. There is no limit to the number of times a spell can be cast, but balancing Stress and risk of consequences will prevent spellcasters from casting safely indefinitely.

Spellcasting requires a free hand. If this hand is Bound, the spellcasting Test is made with Disadvantage.

Adventurers will be able to choose and switch out their Prepared Spells from their Stored Spells throughout their adventuring. This can be done at the end of a Long Rest. Newly purchased spells start as Stored Spells and are not automatically assigned in a slot within a character's Prepared Spells.