Chapter 6 - Mana

Supernatural phenomena are the effects produced from Mana, a powerful force that infuses the multiverse with its energy. There are some who are able to channel its power and use it to bring to bear powerful effects. These effects are categorized as the MANA APTITUDES.

How it works - Mana

Mana, in essence, is raw cosmic energy, likened to the live current of electricity. The MANA attribute represents the ability to channel raw power energy from the cosmos and store it inside oneself. Holding mana in this way comes with its own benefits and drawbacks. NOTE: of all the abilities, Mana is the only attribute that starts at 0, while the rest start with 1 during hero creation.

Spell Essence Aptitudes give your hero access to various spell effects, which take a MANA roll. Your hero can, at first, only manifest spell effects in their space, or upon those they touch. Purchasing certain Spell Shape Aptitudes will give your hero other ways to manifest these effects. Metamagic Aptitudes give your hero the ability to augment their spells to greater effect.

Following are the actions that can be taken with MANA.

Casting a spell: the SHAPE action

To cast a spell, your hero takes the SHAPE action. Regardless of failure or success, mark a spell cast. Each successive spell cast accumulates a -1 penalty on SHAPE actions.

Spell Costs by Aptitude Tier

Aptitude Tier Base
1 (Novice) 1
2 (Journeyman) 4
3 (Veteran) 9
4 (Peerless) 16
5 (Expert) 25

Overchannelled: Because mana is raw, unfiltered magical power running through your hero's body, they can only channel so much. If this number becomes greater than double your hero's MANA attribute, your hero dies, exploding and causing each creature within a radius in unites equal to your hero's MANA value to make a MANA-contested REFLEX roll, taking bludgeoning damage on failure.

Backlash: Each degree of failure incurs an instance of bleeding.

The MANA Spell Essence Aptitudes

Novice (Tier 1)

  • ACID

    Spell Essence | You can give your hero's SHAPE action the acid trait, causing acid damage.

  • AFFLICT

    Spell Essence | You can cause your hero's shape action to gain the necrotic trait. Each success grants the target the cursed condition, which is a -2 to their rolls in an ATTRIBUTE, chosen upon casting.

  • AIR

    Spell Essence | You can give your hero's shape action the air trait. Spell effects cause moving air. Can SHOVE or TRIP. Can also grant bonus or penalty to jump rolls.

  • COLD

    Spell Essence | You can add the cold trait to your hero's shape action, which allows for a spell effect of cold damage.

  • COMMUNE

    Spell Essence | TBD

  • CURE

    Spell Essence | You can add the healing trait to your hero's shape action, which allows for a spell effect of healing, removing an injury for each success. Dispels HARM

  • DARKNESS

    Spell Essence | You can add the darkness trait to your hero's shape action, which allows for a spell effect of darkness. For each success, targets are blinded for a round. Dispels LIGHT.

  • DISPEL

    Spell Essence | Allows for a spell effect that negates another spell effect.

  • EARTH

    Spell Essence | You can add the earth trait to your hero's shape action, which allows for a spell effect of tumultuous earth. Can SHOVE or TRIP, can make difficult terrain, can cause damage to buildings. Dispels LIGHTNING.

  • ENTICE

    Spell Essence | Allows for a spell effect that raises a person's demeanor towards the caster.

  • FIRE

    Spell Essence | You can add the fire trait to your hero's shape action, which allows for a spell effect of fire damage. Dispels COLD.

  • FORCE

    Spell Essence | You can add the force trait to your hero's shape action, which allows for a spell effect of force constructs. Damage is bludgeoning, can shove; can parry attacks.

  • LIGHT

    Spell Essence | You can add the radiant trait to your hero's shape action, which allows for a spell effect of light. For each success, provides light at a radius of 2-units(10-feet), targets that take a radiant injury are blinded, dispels DARKNESS.

  • LIGHTNING

    Spell Essence | You can add the electricity trait to your hero's shape action, which allows for a spell effect of lightning damage. In addition to injury, the target also gains the stunned condition. Dispels WATER.

  • METAL

    Spell Essence | You can add the metal trait to your hero's shape action, which allows for a spell effect that manipulates metal. Can parry attacks, can TRIP.

  • SONIC

    Spell Essence | You can add the sonic trait to your hero's shape action, which allows for a spell effect of sonic (sound) damage. Does full damage to objects. In addition to injury, the target also gains the deafened condition.

  • STONE

    Spell Essence | You can add the stone trait to your hero's shape action, which allows for a spell effect that manipulates stone. Can parry attacks, can SHOVE.

  • SUMMON

    Spell Essence | You can add the summon trait to your hero's shape action, which allows for a spell effect that causes an object to appear within the caster's range. The object can be no larger than one unit (5ft) on a side per success. Disappears if the object was not specially prepared beforehand. Can parry attacks, can attack with slashing, piercing, or bludgeoning damage.

  • TRANSMUTE

    Spell Essence | Allows for a spell effect that changes one mutable property (Material Type, Weight, Size) of an object per success, one degree (also per success).

  • WATER

    Spell Essence | Allows for a spell effect of flowing water. Can shove or trip, can grant bonus or penalty to swim actions. Dispels FIRE.

  • WOOD

    Spell Essence | You can add the wood trait to your hero's shape action, which allows for a spell effect that manipulates wood or other natural vegetation. Can parry attacks other than slashing damage, can TRIP.

Journeyman (Tier 2)

  • ANIMATE

    Spell Essence | Prereq: TRANSMUTE | You can add the manipulate trait to your hero's shape action, which allows for a spell effect that gives animation to inanimate objects.

  • BANISH

    Spell Essence | Prereq: DISPEL | Allows for a spell effect that sends non-native creatures to their home plane.

  • CELERITY

    Spell Essence | Prereq: TRANSMUTE | Allows for a spell effect that can grant or deny extra ticks.

  • COMPEL

    Spell Essence | Prereq: MENTALIST | Allows for a spell effect that gives a compulsion to the target.

  • CONFUSE

    Spell Essence | Prereq: MENTALIST | Allows for a spell effect that confuses the target.

  • FEAR

    Spell Essence | Prereq: AFFLICT | Allows for a spell effect that ignites intense fear in the target. Each success is a round of the target being frightened.

  • FIGMENT

    Spell Essence | Prereq: ILLUSIONIST | Allows for a spell effect that manifest illusions.

  • GLAMER

    Spell Essence | Prereq: ILLUSIONIST | Allows for a spell effect that shrouds the target in illusion

  • HARM

    Spell Essence | Prereq: AFFLICT | Allows for a spell effect that deals necrotic damage. Only affects living creatures.

  • LEVITATE

    Spell Essence | Prereq: TRANSMUTE or AIR| Allows for a spell effect that causes the target to rise upward.

  • PAIN

    Spell Essence | Prereq: AFFLICT | Allows for a spell effect that causes intense pain in the target. Each success on the roll is a round of incapacitating pain.

  • PATTERN

    Spell Essence | Prereq: ILLUSIONIST | Allows for a spell effect that causes the target (those who see this effect) to become: MANA 2 - blinded, afflicted; 3 - confused, compelled, stunned, or asleep.

  • PROPHECY

    Spell Essence | Prereq: DIVINER |

  • RESTORE

    Spell Essence | Prereq: HEALER | Allows for a spell effect that more effectively heals injuries, regrows limbs, removes curses.

  • SCRY

    Spell Essence | Prereq: COMMUNE | Allows for a spell effect of clairvoyance and clairaudience.

  • SLEEP

    Spell Essence | Prereq: ENTICE | Allows for a spell effect that causes the target to fall asleep.

  • STUN

    Spell Essence | Prereq: ENTICE | Allows for a spell effect that causes the target to become stunned.

  • TELEPATHY

    Spell Essence | Prereq: COMMUNE | Allows for a spell effect that can read the thoughts of the target.

Veteran (Tier 3)

  • CALL

    Spell Essence | Prereq: SUMMONER | Allows for a creature more powerful than what's available to SUMMON to be called.

  • DOMINATE

    Spell Essence | Prereq: COMPEL | Allows for a spell effect that grants the caster control of the target's actions.

  • FABRICATE

    Spell Essense | Prereq: TRANSMUTER | Turns raw materials into a finished product.

  • FLY

    Spell Essence | Prereq: LEVITATE | Allows for a spell effect that grants the target a fly speed: MANA 3 - Twice the target's base movement speed; 5 - Thrice the target's base movement speed.

  • HYPNOSIS

    Spell Essence | Prereq: COMPEL | Allows for a spell effect that mimics COMPEL, but allows for more instructions.

  • LEECH

    Spell Essence | Prereq: NECROMANCER | Allows for a spell effect that adds a penalty to a target's attribute, while gaining a bonus for the caster. Each success is a -2/+2 to the targeted attribute.

  • NETHEREVOCATION

    Spell Essence | Prereq: NETHERMANCER | Mimics elemental evocations (those that are in the list of prereqs for EVOKER)

  • NETHERMANCY

    Spell Essence | Prereq: ILLUSIONIST | Allows for a spell effect that is illusory in nature but mimics reality with a disturbing level of realism.

  • NETHERTELEPORT

    Spell Essence | Prereq: NETHERMANCER | As the Essence Aptitude TELEPORT but the beginning and ending must be in an area of shadow or darkness.

  • UNDEATH

    Spell Essence | Prereq: NECROMANCER | Allows for a spell effect that will give the semblance of life to dead tissue, causing them to rise as undead. The number of successes determines the amount and type of undead that rise.

Peerless (Tier 4)

  • DEATH

    Spell Essence | Prereq: NECROMANCER | Allows for a spell effect that will kill the target.

  • DRAIN

    Spell Essence | Prereq: LEECH | Allows for a spell effect that, while adding injuries to the target, reduces them from the caster. Each success transfers one injury.

  • GATE

    Spell Essence | Prereq: TELEPORT | Allows for a spell effect that will open a two-way portal to a location. Double the caster's range for this spell.

  • PAUSE

    Spell Essence | Prereq: CELERITY | Allows for a spell effect that pauses the flow of time.

  • PHANTASM

    Spell Essence | Prereq: NETHERMANCER | Allows for a spell effect TBD

  • PSYCHOMANCY

    Spell Essence | Prereq: DOMINATE | Allows for a spell effect that rewrites a target's memory.

  • RESURRECT

    Spell Essence | Prereq: RESTORE | Allows for a spell effect that raises the target from the dead, restoring them to life.

  • TELEKINESIS

    Spell Essence | Prereq: FLY or FORCE | Allows for a spell effect that allows the caster to move objects with their mind.

Expert (Tier 5)

Other MANA Aptitudes

Novice (Tier 1)

  • ACOLYTE

    General | Prereq: any 2 novice Spell Essence aptitudes | Bonus to actions with the spell trait. Your hero's shape action gains the reaction trait. Decrease the divisor for your hero's boost action by 1.

  • BEAMCASTER

    Spell Shape | Add to the cost of a spell effect to: affect a line starting from your hero and extending three units (15ft).

  • CONECASTER

    Spell Shape | Add to the cost of a spell effect to: affect a cone starting from your hero and extending two units (10ft).)

  • FAMILIAR

    General | Prereq: SUMMON | Can use a ten minute ritual to call for the service of a familiar, a magical creature that will serve you.

  • MAGICCIRCLE

    Spell Shape | Add to the cost of your hero's spell effect to: affect the confines of a circle, it's effect triggered on conditions specified by the caster

  • POOL

    General | Bonus to SPELL ROLLS

  • RAYCASTER

    Spell Shape | Add to the cost of your hero's spell effect to: attack a target up to 4units(20ft) away.

  • USEARTIFACT

    General | Bonus to rolls involving using a magic item.

Journeyman (Tier 2)

  • ABJURER

    General | Prereq: DISPEL | Bonus to SPELL ROLLS in the DISPEL tree. You can add the reaction trait to your hero's shape action if they are shaping DISPEL.

  • ADEPT

    General | Prereq: ACOLYTE + any 2 journeyman Spell Essence aptitudes | Bonus to reactions with the spell trait. Decrease the divisor for your hero's boost action by 1.

  • ARTILLERIST

    Spell Shape | Prereq: novice spell shape aptitude | Allows a spell effect to affect an area up to 2 square units (10ft), at a range of 8 units (40ft).

  • CLOUDCASTER

    Spell Shape | Prereq: any novice spell shape | Add to the cost of your hero's spell effect to: manifest as a cloud of magical energy that fills a cube, the length in units per side of which can be up to their MANA value squared.

  • DIVINER

    General | Prereq: COMMUNE | Bonus to SPELL ROLLS in the COMMUNE tree.

  • EMPOWERED

    Metamagic | Prereq: any novice spell essence aptitude | Add to the cost of a spell effect to: Gain one additional success (if your hero has at least one success) when counting successes after the SPELL ROLL.

  • ENCHANTER

    General | Prereq: USEARTIFACT | Allows for creation of magic items.

  • EVOKER

    General | Prereq: any 2 of ACID or AIR or COLD or DARKNESS or FIRE or FORCE or EARTH or LIGHT or LIGHTNING or METAL or SONIC or STONE or WATER or WOOD | Bonus to any SPELL ROLL using one of the prereq spell effects.

  • FARSHAPER

    Metamagic | Prereq: any novice spell essence aptitude | Add to the cost of a spell effect to: Double that spell's range.

  • FOCUSEDSHAPER

    General | Prereq: FOCUS | Reduce the cost to sustain a non-instantaneous spell effect.

  • HEALER

    General | Prereq: CURE | Bonus to SPELL ROLLS in the CURE tree.

  • ILLUSIONIST

    General | Prereq: GLAMER, FIGMENT, PATTERN | Bonus to SPELL ROLLS in the GLAMER, FIGMENT, and PATTERN trees.

  • MANAFORM

    General | Bonus to boost action. Gain access to the empower action.

  • MANARAGER

    Your hero's sustain action gains the rage trait, and can be used to sustain their rage. The CR is equal to the number of rounds your hero has been raging. Each use of sustain in this fashion increases overchannelled by one. Critical success increases overchannel as normal. Your hero can take the boost action while raging.

  • MENTALIST

    General | Prereq: ENTICE | Bonus to SPELL ROLLS in the ENTICE tree.

  • NECROMANCER

    General | Prereq: HARM | Bonus to SPELL ROLLS in the HARM tree.

  • POLYMORPHIST

    General | Prereq: TRANSMUTE | Bonus to SPELL ROLLS in the TRANSMUTE tree. Allows for TRANSMUTE to affect living matter for a success.

  • QUICKSHAPER

    Metamagic | Prereq: novice spell essence aptitude | Add to the cost of a spell effect to: Decrease the casting time (in ticks) of the spell by one.

  • RITUALIST

    General | Your hero has learned to channel more efficiently, using rituals to help shape spell effects. A ritual takes ten minutes per tier of the spell effect being shaped. The cost of the spell is reduced by half.

  • SCROLLSCRIBE

    Spell Shape | Prereq: any novice spell essence, ARCANIST | Add to the cost of your hero's spell effect to: confine the casting of the spell to a scroll, for later use. The CR to identify the spell held within the pages is the SPELL ROLL.

  • SPELLSWORD

    Spell Shape | Prereq: MELEE | Add to the cost of your hero's spell effect to: affect the struck defender of an attack. Must shape the spell immediately before the attack.

  • SPHERICASTER

    Spell Shape | Add to the cost of your hero's spell effect to: manifest as a ball of magical energy that fills a unit space (5ft square) and can be moved every round (with concentration), affecting whomever or whatever it touches. Moving the ball in this way is a 2-tick action, and the ball rolls or hovers with a speed that treats your hero's MANA as it's REFLEX.

  • SPLITRAY

    Metamagic | Prereq: RAYCASTER | Add to the cost of a spell effect to: split the ray of effect into two, targeting up to one additional targets who can't be more than the spell effect's range apart from each other.

  • SUMMONER

    General | Prereq: SUMMON | Bonus to SPELL ROLLS in the SUMMON tree. Allows for the summoning of living creatures, each success increases the output of the spell TBD.

  • VESSEL

    General | Prereq: POOL | Bonus to SPELL ROLLS.

  • VORACIOUSDISPELLER

    General | Prereq: ABJURER | Bonus to DISPEL. When your hero successfully counters or dispels a spell effect, they can damage the caster, who takes damage equal to the difference between your hero's AFFECT ROLL and the CR.

  • WALLCASTER

    Spell Shape | Prereq: novice spell shape aptitude | Allows a spell effect to manifest as a wall up to 2 square units (10ft).

  • WIDESHAPER

    Metamagic | Prereq: novice spell essence aptitude | Add to the cost of a spell effect to: Double the affected area of the spell effect.

  • WILDSHAPE

    General | Your hero has the ability to turn into a beast their size category or one smaller. No fly, swim, or burrow speed until MANA 3.

Veteran (Tier 3)

  • ARTIFICER

    General | Prereq: ENCHANTER | Bonus to rolls made to create magic items.

  • BLEEDOFF

    General | You may reduce the cost of the next spell your hero casts by an amount up to their OVERCHANNELLED value. Doing so reduces OVERCHANNELLED by that amount.

  • MANATHROTTLE

    General | Allows you to choose the amount of dice you roll for your hero's SPELL ROLLS, up to their MANA score.

  • METAMAGE

    General | Prereq: three novice metamagic aptitudes, two journeyman metamagic aptitudes, and one other veteran metamagic aptitude | Choose a metamagic aptitude your hero has applied to their spell effect. Square it's cost addition, and apply it again. This can be done a number of times equal to half your hero's MANA (round down).

  • NETHERMANCER

    General | Prereq: NETHERMANCY | Bonus to SPELL ROLLS in the NETHERMANCY tree.

  • REFLECT

    General | Prereq: ABJURER | Bonus to DISPEL. When your hero successfully counters a spell effect, they can turn the magic back upon the caster, as appropriate. The caster is allowed the same saves as the original spell.

  • SEER

    General | Prereq: DIVINER | Bonus to PROPHECY SPELL ROLLS

  • SMITE

    Spell Shape | Prereq: QUICKCASTER | Your hero can cast a spell as part of a single attack action, affecting the struck defender.

  • TELEPORT

    General | Prereq: SUMMONER | Your hero can be the target of their own SUMMON spell effect.

  • TELESHAPER

    Metamagic | Prereq: any journeyman metamagic aptitude | Add to the cost of a spell effect to: cast the spell effect without verbal or somatic components.

  • THIRSTYDISPEL

    General | Prereq: ABJURER | Bonus to DISPEL. When your hero successfully counters or dispels a spell effect, they can reduce their cast count by the difference between the AFFECT ROLL and the CR. Divide this number by 6 and reduce overchannel by that amount.

  • UNFETTERED

    Metamagic | Prereq: EMPOWERED | Add to the cost of a spell effect to: Gain two automatic successes (for no points, and your hero must have at least one success) when counting successes after the SPELL ROLL.

  • WARLOCK

    General | Prereq: *TBD | (Something to do with a pact with a patron to receive additional magic)

  • WITCH

    General | Prereq: *TBD | Bonus to SPELL ROLLS when casting as a ritual. Additional bonus if that spell targets someone.

Peerless (Tier 4)

  • HIGHOCTANE

    Metamagic | Prereq: UNFETTERED | Add to the cost of a spell effect to: Gain three automatic success (for no points, and your hero must have at least one success) when counting successes after the SPELL ROLL.

  • PERMANENCY

    General | Prereq: TBD | Add to the cost of your hero's spell effect to: instead of having to concentrate on a non-instantaneous effect to sustain it, this spell effect will persist.

Expert (Tier 5)

  • MANACAPSTONE

    General | Your hero's BOOST action's MANA divisor decreases by 1. For each hour of rest, double the amount your hero reduces their cast count. Your hero's overchannel can be up to three times their MANA score before explosive death. Reduce the tick cost of all actions with the spell trait by one.

Spellcraft Components and Implements:

The use of components and implements add to the power of spells cast. They either pay for mana costs or can reduce the CR of the spell. Material components are consumed during the casting of the spell. Verbal components, such as "magic words" only lower the CR, and vary by their complexity. Somatic gestures have similar functionality. Certain components and implements have more effectiveness with different manifestations of magic. Implements can naturally and automatically modify spells. Whether to deal more damage or to increase the range, these items can be crafted or found in the world.

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