Magic in the Six Worlds

We experimented with various mechanics for magic. We finally settled on the "Words of Power" system which was created by Brian Engard posted on the Evil Hat website. Our magic system is a continual work in progress.

MAGIC

To use magic, you need three things. First, you need an aspect representing the fact that you are a practitioner of magic. Something like Trained in the Seven Towers Academy could justify your study in the field of magic, for example. Second, you need a high Lore skill. Lore is the skill you use to cast magic spells; a higher Lore represents more skill and knowledge in all things magical, in addition to other types of knowledge, provided you have an appropriate aspect. Finally, you need words.

Magic spells are made up of words. Each of the words below is a sphere of influence, an umbrella under which magical effects following a specific theme exist. Each word has three syllables, each increasing in power. Anyone versed in the use of magic

can access the first syllable of each word. In order to gain access to the second and third syllables of each word, take the following stunts.

Student of Magic: You have access to the second syllable of all words.

Master of Magic: You have access to the third syllable of all words.

CASTING A SPELL

When you cast a spell, you must form the spell out of words, fix it in your mind,

and speak the spell. When you form the spell, decide what you want the spell to do. Do you want to divert a stream? Force someone to flee? Summon a djinn? Decide what you want to accomplish, then choose all applicable words.

When you fix the spell in your mind, you determine which syllables you’ll use

and how difficult the spell is to cast. For each word that you put into the spell, look

to the syllables you have access to. If the effect you want exist within the bounds of a

syllable, add that syllable’s value to the total difficulty of the spell. If it does not, use

the next highest syllable; if it doesn’t exist within the third syllable, add +4. Do this

for each word within the spell until you have a total value for your spell. When you speak the spell, you say it in a clear voice: spend a fate point and roll

Lore.

• If you fail, either the spell does nothing and you get your fate point back or the

spell takes effect but has unforeseen (and possibly catastrophic) consequences.

• If you tie, the spell takes effect but has some minor unforeseen consequences.

• If you succeed, the spell takes effect.

• If you succeed with style, the spell takes effect and choose one word: you may

cast the spell as if you had used the next highest syllable, even if you don’t have

access to it.

THE DEFAULT SPELL

Before you add words to a spell, it:

• Affects you or a mortal you touch.

• Last for as long as you can see the target.

• Has no particular effect.

• Provides Mediocre (+0) opposition.

If you cast any spell on a creature against its will, add its Will to the opposition

of your Lore roll.

WORDS

COMMAND

You can affect a creature’s behavior, forcing it to act in a specific way.

First Syllable: You place a special boost on the creature representing your command.

You can use your free invocation only to compel the creature to follow your

command, which it can resist by giving you a fate point.

Second Syllable: The aspect you place is a situation aspect rather than a boost,

though you can still invoke it once for free.

Third Syllable: If the target resists your command, it takes a mental consequence

in its lowest available consequence slot.

DISTANCE

You can cast spells at greater range. When you cast a spell without incorporating this word, you can affect only yourself or things you can touch.

First Syllable: You can affect anything you can see.

Second Syllable: You can affect anything you have some sort of sympathetic token

for (a lock of hair, a piece of a statue, etc.), regardless of distance.

Third Syllable: You can affect anything, provided you can speak its name.

 ELEMENT

You can affect the elements: air, earth, fire, water. This word actually represents

four different words; if you want to affect two different elements, it counts as two

different words.

First Syllable: You can affect elements that have been bounded or constrained in

some way by human beings: statues, flames within a lantern, blown breath, a fountain,

and so forth.

Second Syllable: You can affect the raw element itself: wild flames, the earth beneath

your feet, the air around you, a river, and so forth.

Third Syllable: You can affect elemental creatures made of the element, such as

djinn (made of fire) or golems (made of earth).

KNOWLEDGE

You can peer through the veil of the cosmos, glimpsing invisible truths. All answers

you glean grant you boosts.

First Syllable: You may ask the GM one question; she must answer your question

with truthful, helpful information. Without the Time or Distance words, you can

only ask about the present in your immediate surroundings.

Second Syllable: You may ask the GM two questions.

Third Syllable: You may ask the GM three questions.

LUCK

You can alter someone’s luck, making it more likely that they’ll be lucky or unlucky.

First Syllable: You place a special boost on the target representing the fact that

they’re lucky or unlucky. You may invoke it at any while it still exists to either allow

the target to experience some fortunate twist of fate (finding a pouch of coins, for

example) or minor personal inconvenience (having paint spilled on them). You can

pass the invocation of the boost to the target when you cast the spell, if you wish. You

cannot alter your own luck.

Second Syllable: You can invoke the boost for more potent effects. The target experiences either a major boon (such as narrowly avoiding being trampled by a horse on

the street) or personal setback (losing a large sum of money in a game of chance). You

can affect your own luck, but doing so often has unforeseen consequences.

Third Syllable: The boon or tragedy you can cause with your invocation no limit,

you can give or take virtually anything to or from the target. You can affect your own

luck, and it works almost entirely as intended. Almost.

MOVEMENT

You can change the speed at which a thing can move, or even the way in which

it can move.

First Syllable: You can grant immobile things the ability to move along the ground.

You can also cause a mobile thing to become slow or fast.

Second Syllable: You can grant something the ability to move in a way it could not

before. Maybe a fish can now walk, or a carpet fly.

Third Syllable: You can cause something to be somewhere else immediately.

PURIFICATION

You can purge things of impurities or even, with more potent spells, damage or

injuries.

First Syllable: You can purge nonliving matter of impurities and minor imperfections.

This could allow you to purify food or drink, remove minor flaws from a

gemstone, or erase the rust from a suit of armor.

Second Syllable: You can purge living creatures of impurities and can repair minor

damage to both creatures and objects. In game terms, if a creature or object has a

situation aspect or mild consequence denoting injury, poison, disease, or the like,

you can remove it.

Third Syllable: You can repair major damage to both creatures and objects. In game

terms, this allows you to erase moderate consequences, though severe consequences

are still beyond your power.

SHAPE

You can affect the shape of a thing, altering it and reshaping it. If the thing you are

reshaping is resisting you in any way, add either its Will or Physique to the opposition

for your Lore roll.

First Syllable: You can alter cosmetic characteristics of the thing: color, shape, and

so forth. You can make a person look slightly different at first glance, but any scrutiny

will reveal their identity. In game terms, this creates a situation aspect representing a

disguise or alteration of basic appearance, with one free invocation.

Second Syllable: You can alter a thing’s shape more fully, giving it features it didn’t

have before. You might give a turtle wings, or change a man into a woman. In game

terms, this creates a single situation aspect with up to three free invocations, or multiple

situation aspects with up to three free invocations between them. These situation

aspects can grant new abilities, such as the ability to breathe under water or fly, but

doing so does not come naturally to the creature. It cannot take abilities away from a

creature; you cannot change a creature’s fundamental nature.

Third Syllable: You can alter a thing completely, turning one thing into another

thing. You might change a horse into a rock, or a man into a tapestry. At the GM’s

discretion, this might change the thing’s aspects completely to suit its new form.

TIME

You can cause your spells to last for greater periods of time. When you cast a spell

without incorporating this word, it lasts only as long as you can see the target.

First Syllable: The spell lasts until sunrise.

Second Syllable: The spell lasts for a year and a day.

Third Syllable: The spell is permanent unless something prematurely ends it, which

you can do with a verbal command regardless of distance.

SAMPLE SPELLS

MAGIC CARPET

You create a carpet that can fly at your command. You must touch the carpet, and

the spell lasts until sunrise.

• Command: 2

• Element (earth): 1

• Movement: 2

• Time: 1

• Total Opposition: Fantastic (+6)

TRANSFORM INTO EAGLE

You transform into an eagle until you wish to be a man again.

• Shape: 3

• Total Opposition: Good (+3)

BIND DJINN

You summon and bind a djinn to your will for a year and a day.

• Command: 2

• Distance: 3

• Element (fire): 3

• Time: 2

• Total Opposition: Legendary+ (+10)