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From rmr@inferno (Robert Reimann) Sun Jul 9 22:00:23 1989 From: rmr@inferno.wpd.sgi.com (Robert Reimann) Newsgroups: rec.games.frp Subject: Mage-to-Mage Magical Combat System (SDL) Update Message-ID: <37616@sgi.SGI.COM> Date: 8 Jul 89 19:25:04 GMT Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc., Mountain View, CA Lines: 1458 Keywords: Revised, now includes illusions Here is the latest draft of the Mage-to-Mage Magical Combat System, the first (to my knowledge) system to make use of a comprehensive magical language to tie together all aspects of magic in a gaming environment. Since my last posting of the system, I have made minor syntax changes, added an operator (thanx to Brad Knowles), added a new class of mages, and integrated demonology and illusionism into the system. Still coming are the much sought-after biological and psychic set of effects. If anyone has been using the system, I'd love any feedback you may have. Robert. rmr@sgi.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Preface ------- Presented here is the first draft of the Mage-to-Mage Magical Combat System and Spell Description Language, that hopefully addresses the issues raised in recent discussions of spell programming languages and mage-to-mage combat, while remaining more general than previous offerings of this type. Some spell construction systems attempt to provide all the functionality of AD&D spells by enumerating hundreds of specialized primitives. The high number of primitives present in the some systems reflects AD&D's lack of a distinction between *effects*, the actual physical, biological, or psychic manifestations of magical forces, and *operators* which act to shape those forces into useful configurations. Note that what most systems call "effects" are actually combinations of effects and operators, as I've defined them above. AD&D-style spells do not require much distinction between effects and operators-- they seem to work better without it-- but an object-oriented, constructive approach really needs to distinguish between objects (effects) and predicates (operators) to be successful and at the same time remain simple. The system presented here consists of 32 physical effects (an equal numbers of biological and psychic effects are currently being developed) and 26 operators. The effects presented here are part of a rationale for magic that is built into the world; you are welcome to change them to better fit your needs, but they were chosen with consistency in mind. The operators are the real heart of the system, you should modify them only with great care. Too many non-general operators will spoil this system. The Mage-to-Mage Spell Description Language (SDL) uses a straightforward left-to-right, top-to-bottom, multi-line syntax. For the most part, each line of spell description represents one spell (mana) point worth of magical effect. Mage-to-Mage uses a spell point system to determine the spell cost; there is no distinction of "spell levels"; spells may be designed with arbitrary complexity, the limiting factor is the number of spell points a mage has available to expend casting it. Spell points are assigned on the basis of mage level, intelligence, and wisdom. Mage-to-Mage also provides a painless and logical way of producing magical items, while at the same time keeping their power limited to reasonable levels. Demonology illusion, necromancy, alchemy, and magical medicine/healing can all be implemented within the same framework (some of these are still under development). Lastly, Mage-to-Mage has been designed to work within any combat system that makes use of melee rounds as units of combat action. Enjoy, and feel free to write/post comments or suggestions. MAGE-TO-MAGE Magical Combat System and Spell Description Language Version 0.75 Copyright 1989 Robert M. Reimann All rights reserved. I. The Nature of Magic and Spellcasting "Magic" itself is not an energy source in any true sense. It is rather an ability of some entities to alter the fabric of reality in a way that changes the "natural" balance of "elemental forces" in a localized area and channel it in a useful fashion. This ability is inate to some creatures, but others (humans among them) must be trained. "Spell" is the name given to the psycho-physical manipulations a mage or magical creature must perform to produce a magical effect. Spellcasting can, therefore be thought of as a psionic skill, with an important exception. Once a spell is cast, it's semi-physical nature gives it a certain "life of it's own"; it does not *need* to be constantly maintained after it has been cast, although it *may* be altered once it has been cast, by the original caster, or by another mage of sufficient power. The existence of any spell is, however, intimately bound to the existence of the casting entity; if the caster is killed, the spell will cease *unless* spell "ownership" has been transfered to another casting entity before the original caster dies. Spells themselves cannot be written down, but "recipes" for spells may be recorded using the spell description language described below. Spell descriptions have no magical power themselves, they must be interpreted by a spell caster. Of course, true, active spells may be bound to scraps of paper, thus filling the role of AD&D-style magical scrolls. As with any skill, magical ability improves with practice. As mages gain spell casting experience, the number of spells a mage can cast and/or the complexity of his spells will increase. Spell casting is an exhaustive effort requiring intense powers of will. Spell points are an arbitrary method of measuring a spell's complexity. A mage is, in a sense, "rated for" a certain number of spell points per day, based on his experience (level), and his mental prowess. He can't exceed this rating, not because he would do himself harm, but rather, because it is simply beyond his current level of capability. As in AD&D, an appropriate amount of rest will restore a mage's spell point "rating" to full. Spells need not be written or memorized, they may be cast "on the fly". In fact, this is quite common in magical combat. Spells are, in general, non-permanent for reasons outlined above. III. Elemental Forces, Matter, and Effects The structure of all matter is created by the flow of elemental forces through the material plane. Were there no flow of these energies, the material plane would consist of formless chaos. The world in which magic exists is entirely shaped by an intricate flow of elemental energies that yields land, oceans, air, living things, etc. All living things possess the ability to alter the flow of elemental forces to a certain degree by physically interacting with them. Sentient beings further posess the ability to alter the flow of these forces, and hence the world around them, purely by using their mind, i.e., by magic. There are four primary elemental forces, each residing on a separate plane: EARTH AIR FIRE WATER However, each of these planes overlaps, to a certain extent, the other three planes, yielding a total of 16 subplanes. Earthy Earth Airy Air Fiery Fire Watery Water Airy Earth Earthy Air Earthy Fire Earthy Water Fiery Earth Fiery Air Airy Fire Airy Water Watery Earth Watery Air Watery Fire Fiery Water Lastly, there are two states for each of these 16 forces, a high energy state and a low energy state. These two states are called "Light" and "Dark" respectively. Each of the 16 permuted forces above can be manipulated in either the Light or Dark form, yielding a total of 32 different elemental flows. Each type of flow generates a unique set of EFFECTs. There are three manifestations of an effect; physical, biological, and psychic. Each manifestation is separate and independent of the other two. Physical effects are primarily for combat. Biological effects can be used to cure and cause illnesses, and to bestow qualities of living creatures on inanimate objects. Psychic effects can be used to cure and cause mental disorders, to bestow qualities of sentient creatures on non-sentient things, and to deal with spirits, which have no physical characteristics. Biological and psychic effects are more complex, and may not be used until the mage has gained higher levels: Level Manifestations Usable ----- --------------------- 1+ Physical 5+ Physical, Biological 9+ Physical, Biological, Psychic Currently, the system covers only physical effects; biological and psychic effects will be added in future versions. One final characteristic of some importance is that dissimilar effects may not occupy the same physical space in the Material Plane. Thus, when two different effect types come together, one must give way. This quality can be used to a mage's defensive advantage. If he casts a barrier of dissimilar effect in the path of another, oncoming force, and his force is as potent or more so than the oncoming force, it will be blocked. Note that this only works for effects that are manifested in the same way; e.g., a physical effect will not block a psychic effect, for instance. III. Magical Training and Aptitude Unlike AD&D, this system offers mages the opportunity to specialize in areas of expertise, giving them greater control over more limited resources. Initial training of a mage lasts a maximum of 12 years. In that time, the mage may divide his studies among one or more elemental forces, such as Fiery Air. Each force studied includes both Light and Dark effects, as well as all three manifestations (physical, biological, psychic). When a mage learns a force, he generally learns both the Light and Dark versions (exception: Elemental Mages, below). The following table shows how studies may be divided, how much time they take, and what abilities each term of study confers on the mage. Study Time Skill Class Potency Range Know/Use Resist ---------- ----------- ------- ----- -------- ------ 12 years Elemental* d8/lev 80'+8'/lev 40%+4%/lev 20%+2%/lev 10 years Singular** d12/lev 120'+12'/lev 60%+6%/lev 30%+3%/lev 6 years Major d8/lev 80'+8'/lev 40%+4%/lev 20%+2%/lev 4 years Minor d6/lev 60'+6'/lev 30%+3%/lev 15%+2%/lev 2 years Minimal d4/lev 40'+4'/lev 20%+2%/lev 10%+1%/lev * Elemental Mages learn all four Light or Dark effects (not both) of an element; thus a Mage of Light Air would learn Light Airy Air, Light Watery Air, Light Fiery Air, and Light Earthy Air. ** Singular Mages may not learn any other force beyond their singular specialty; their minds are too "coloured" by their magic to permit learning a new kind. So, Medwyn the Mage could spend his 12 years of study becoming an Elemental Mage of Light Water or a Singular Mage in Fiery Air, or he could spend 6 getting a Major in Fiery Air, and 6 more getting another Major in, say, Earthy Water. Or he could get two Minors and and two Minimals, etc. Spending more time learning a particular force allows the mage to use it more effectively; a singular mage gets d12 per level damage from his effects, twice the damage of a mage with a similar Minor. Similarly, his casting range is larger, his ability to recognize (Know) magic of his specialty and make use of it (Use) is better as well. Finally, he is also able to better Resist magic of the type in which he received the training. Spell points are assigned to Mages according to the following formula: Spell Points = (INT+WILL)*level/4 This is the same for all mages regardless of training. All fractional points should be rounded up. As a mage casts spells, his spell points are depleted. They are regained with sleep; 1/10 of a mage's total points are replenished per hour of rest. There is one important exception to this rule: if a spell is still operating, the spell points used to create it *cannot* be replenished until the spell has been stopped. Once it has stopped, the points may be replenished as described above. This effectively limits the number of semi-permanent spells that a mage is able to cast. IV. Physical Effects The following is a complete list of physical effect. EARTH LEE: Crystal/Glass DEE: Stone LAE: Sand DAE: Dust LWE: Loam DWE: Mud/Quicksand LFE: Lava DFE: Metal WATER LWW: Water DWW: Ice LAW: Foam DAW: Erosion LEW: Glue DEW: Liquid [Poison] LFW: Steam DFW: Oil FIRE LFF: Fire DFF: Shadow Fire [Cold] LAF: Plasma DAF: Ash LEF: Heat DEF: Alkali LWF: Electricity DWF: Acid AIR LAA: Air/Wind DFF: Shadow/Darkness LWA: Ambient Light DWA: Fog/Cloud/Mist LEA: Illusion DEA: Gas [Poison] LFA: Radiant Light DFA: Smoke V. Operators Operators are the core of the Mage-to-Mage SDL, providing the syntax for spell description and execution. This section gives a summary of all SDL operators. followed by complete descriptions of the syntax and semantics of each operator. Examples are included. V.1 Operator Summary Basic (Effect) Operators ------------------------ create create a new effect destroy destroy a previously created effect move move an effect to a new location rotate rotate an effect around any axis scale resize a previously created effect shape form an effect into a desired shape Path (Shape) Operators ---------------------- fill fill a closed polygonal (2D) area lineto extrude an effect along a given line surface mold an effect along a given surface volume form an effect to fit a specified volume Flow Operators -------------- halt stop a spell if...then...else conditional determined by input events repeat...until loop until event wait until pause spell until event Event Operators --------------- and | or | boolean operators for combining events not | interrupted signals a spell has been interrupted <object><action><proximity> general format for events Special Operators ----------------- bind bind a spell's range relative to a given object interrupt alter a given spell makeowner reassign ownership of given spell to a new mage power change a spell's power range change a spell's range resume resume an interrupted spell <spellname>: assign a spell a name V.2 Operator Details This section describes the operators summarized above in detail. In the descriptions below, variables are in angle brackets, and optional arguments are in straight brackets. Each operator is listed followed by a paragraph describing what it does, followed in turn by an example of usage. V.2.1 Basic Operators CREATE create <effect> [<effectname>] Create a point source of the given effect on the tip of the caster's index finger (right or left). This is an initialization operator, creating the link to another plane. For physical effects, the effect must be scaled or otherwise shaped to a physical dimension before any force is actually released (see scale, shape). The effect may optionally be given a name by which other operators may refer to it. Examples: create (p)LAA create Wind create Wind mywind All three of the above perform the same function. The first specifies the physical effect Light Airy Air. The second uses the more colloquial description of Wind. The third gives the effect a name, making it easier to refer to it later in the spell. This is useful if you are using multiple effects that are doing different things. DESTROY destroy [<effectname>] Removes the last created effect, or the one corresponding to <effectname> if it is given. When a spell terminates, all effects are automatically destroyed. Any effect which goes outside the spellcaster's range is also destroyed. Example: destroy mywind MOVE move [<effectname>] to <distance> pointdir move [<effectname>] to lookat <objectname> move [<effectname>] to <n1>x <n2>y <n3>z Move the last created effect a specific distance in a direction indicated by a pointing gesture, to a named object specified by looking at the object, or a specific position in space relative to the last position. If the object has been specified in an event, or has been identified previously in the spell, lookat is not necessary. If an effect name is given, that effect is moved rather than the last created effect. An effect may be moved anywhere within the spellcaster's range, unless somehow obstructed. Examples: move mywind to lookat orc move mywind to 10' pointdir move mywind to 5'x 10'y 15'z The first example moves the Wind ball used in an earlier example in a straight line to the surface of an object specified by lookat, in this case, an orc. The second example moves the ball in a straight line 10 feet in the direction the caster points. The third moves the ball 5' to the caster's right, 10' up, and fifteen feet forward, away from wherever it was, with respect to the caster. ROTATE rotate [<effectname>] <ang>x <ang>y <ang>z [origin <distance> pointdir] rotate [<effectname>] <ang>x <ang>y <ang>z [origin lookat <object>] rotate [<effectname>] <ang>x <ang>y <ang>z [origin <n1>x <n2>y <n3>z] Rotate an effect around any axis (x,y,z), relative to the center point of the effect (default) or a named point. Example: rotate firewall 90y origin lookat orc This fragment rotates a wall of fire (previously shaped) ninety degrees around the y (up-down) axis with the body of a given orc as the center of rotation. Note that the point of rotation does not need to be a point inside the effect itself. SCALE scale [<effectname>] <n1>x <n2>y <n3>z Scale the last created effect to the given size. If the effect was not previously shaped, the scaled object will be a spheroid. Scaling is always performed using the center of the effect as an origin (see create, shape). If a name is given, that effect is scaled rather than the last created effect. An effect may be scaled up to the limit of the spellcaster's range. Example: scale mywind 2'x 2'y 2'z This example takes the Wind created in the create example and enlarges it to a 2' diameter sphere. SHAPE shape [<effectname>] <pathop1> [<pathop2>] ... [<pathopN>] Shape the last created effect using a path described by a "subspell" consisting of valid Path Operators. If a name is given, that effect is shaped rather than the last created effect. When an effect is shaped, any previous scaling or shaping is forgotten; the newly formed effect will have the same shape and size as the object it was modeled after. Position of the effect is maintained. An effect may be shaped from anything fitting within the mage's spellcasting range. Examples: shape mywind surface 1'thick lookat box shape mywind volume lookat donut shape mywind lineto 2"thick lookat corner1 lineto 2"thick lookat corner2 lineto 2"thick lookat corner3 lineto 2"thick lookat closeit fill The first example shapes the wind into a hollow box (i.e., the wind only blows in the planes that form the sides). The second example forms a solid torus of wind. The third example shapes the effect into a 4-sided filled polygon (like a wall) of uniform two-inch thickness. (See Path Operators, below.) V.2.2 Path Operators FILL fill Fills any closed polygon defined by a list of lineto operators within a shape operator. The fill operator must directly follow the list of lineto operators. The fill operator will use the line thicknesses of each lineto to fill with, interpolating if necessary. The lines must form a closed polygon, or the fill will fail. See SHAPE for example. LINETO lineto <n>thick <distance> pointdir [smooth] lineto <n>thick [lookat] <objectname> [smooth] lineto <n>thick <n1>x <n2>y <n3>z [smooth] lineto <n>thick trace Used only in conjunction with the shape operator. Adds a line of thickness <n> to the shape of the effect. The current postion of the effect (or the endpoint of the last line drawn, if there is been no use of the move operator since the last line was drawn) forms the beginning point of the line, the endpoint may be specified with a distance from the beginning point and a pointing gesture for direction, or by looking at a named endpoint. For the latter, the endpoint must be a physical object. If the object has been previously identified in the spell, lookat is not necessary. If smooth is specified, the endpoint will be smoothed to a curve if another line is drawn from it. The third form of lineto allows the mage to specify precise coordinates in space to draw the line to, relative to the current position of the effect or the endpoint od the last line drawn. The fourth form of lineto allows the mage to trace a path with the tip of his finger. This may only be done with newly created (i.e., unmoved, unscaled, previously unshaped effects). See SHAPE for examples. SURFACE surface <n>thick [lookat] <objectname> Shapes an effect to match the size and contours of the selected object. The object is selected by looking at it; it must be within spellcasting range, and must fit entirely with the spellcasting range. The surface thickness is determined by <n>. See SHAPE for example. VOLUME volume [lookat] <objectname> Like the surface path operator, but fills the entire volume with the effect. (See above). See SHAPE for example. V.2.3 Flow Operators HALT halt Halts a spell. A halt is not necessary at the end of a non-looping spell, as it is implied. Example: if (nonhuman and intelligent) 10' then halt else ... This spell fragment halts the spell if an intelligent nonhuman comes within 10' of the caster, or wherever the caster may have bound the spell. IF...THEN...ELSE if <eventop1> [<eventop2>] ... [<eventopN>] then <operator1> [<operator2>] ... [<operatorN>] [else <operator1> [<operator2>] ... [<operatorN>] ] Conditional that determines spell flow based on the truth value of the event operators (see Event Operators). Example: boltbox: bind to touch box repeat if (orc or kobold) 30' then if orc 30' then create bolt Fire move to orc scale 1'x 1'y 1'z else create bolt Electricity move to kobold scale 1'x 1'y 1'z wait 2 sec destroy bolt until me "off" This spell creates a 5 foot radius bolt lasting 2 seconds when either an orc or a kobold comes within 30 feet of a box the mage touched when he cast the spell. If it is an orc, the bolt is of fire, if it is a kobold, the bolt is of electricity. REPEAT repeat [<var>=]<num> <operator1> [<operator2>] ... [<operatorN>] repeat <operator1> [<operator2>] ... [<operatorN>] until <eventop1> [<eventop2>] ... [<eventopN>] Repeats part of a spell for a set number of times, or until a specified event becomes true. A loop variable may be used for spell effects that want to keep track of iteration (see Event Operators). Examples: torch: bind to touch endofstick create Fire scale 1"x 1"y 1"z repeat move to endofstick until me "off" This spell creates a torchlight at the end of a staff which will stay lit until the mage says "off" (and is within range). WAIT wait <time> wait until <eventop1> [<eventop2>] ... [<eventopN>] Wait for a specified length of time, or until a specified series of events (see Event Operators, below). Examples: wait 10 min. wait until event: human "bang" 10' In the first example, the next spell action will be delayed by 10 minutes. In the second, it will be delayed until the word "bang" is uttered by a human within 10' of the spell's position. A spell's position is either the place it was cast, or the position of an object to which it is currently bound (if any). V.2 4 Event Operators AND OR NOT INTERRUPTED Event operators take the following general form: <objects> <actions> <proximity> Objects in events can be any physical object, entity, or effect that the mage can visualize clearly in his mind. Actions can consist of any physical action the mage can visualize happening. Proximity must be a distance within the mage's casting range. The action of spreaking a phrase can be abbreviated by placing the phrase in quotes. The following is a special action: interrupted [by <being>] "Interrupted" means that the spell has been tampered with by a mage using the interrupt operator (see below). Interrupted is a trap that prevents a spell from being tampered with. Interrupted is also an action, and can be treated as such. If no objects are given with an action, anything performing the action will trigger the event; if no proximity is given, the maximum casting range of the spellcaster is assumed. Objects, actions, and proximity can all be modified using the following boolean operators: and or not Parentheses can be used for clarity of logical groupings. Examples: if (man with tatoo and pegleg) (spit and "howdy") 5' then create Fire if interrupted then halt The first example triggers the if...then operator if a man with a tatoo and a pegleg spits and says "howdy" within five feet of the spell. The second example halts the spell if it is interrupted. (A good trap if the spell was, say, holding up the ceiling!) V.2.5 Special Operators BIND bind [<spellname>] to touch <objectname> Binds the named spell in to a named object, which is selected by touching the object. Once a spell is bound to an object, any effects the spell may generate will operate within the max spellcasting range of the mage, but *relative to the object to which it is bound*, not the mage himself. Bind may be used multiple times in a spell to switch bindings of other spells, or even the spell in which the binds occur (good for cursed items!). If you are binding the spell in which the bind occurs, you do not need to specify the spellname. Note: binding a spell to an object has no effect on the postion of effects. Movement of effects must be done explicitly within the spell. Example: bind to touch rod This binds the spell in which the bind operator occurs to a rod. INTERRUPT interrupt <spellname> at "<breakpoint>" [revert] <operator1> [<operator2>] ... [<operatorN>] Allows a mage to interrupt a working spell at a stated point, and replace that line with a series of new lines. If revert is used, and the spell was interrupted inside a loop, the new spell fragment will execute only once, otherwise the changes are permanent (for as long as the spell lasts). If a halt operator is used in the interruption, the interrupted spell will stop, even if it was in a loop. The breakpoint specified must be a single line from the spell. A mage automatically knows breakpoints for his own spells. If he is trying to interrupt another mage's spell, he must roll his Know/Use percentage to figure out the spell. The other mage must then roll his Resist roll to prevent the interruption. Know/Use and Resist rolls must be made for all spells, even bound ones where the caster is not in the vicinity. Note: interrupt spells do not have names, and cannot be interrupted themselves. Spells that have been interrupted may, however, may be reinterrupted any number of times with new changes. Example: Take a variation of the torch spell described earlier: torch: bind to touch endofstick create Fire repeat scale 1"x 1"y 1"z move to endofstick until me "off" Suppose Medwyn is holding his lit staff, and an orc comes around the corner. Medwyn casts: interrupt torch at "move to endofstick" revert move to lookat orc scale 10'x 10'y 10'z wait 10 sec What happens is that the torchlight is turned into a fireball, and then reverts back to a torch! It's important to interrupt a spell in an active part; if Medwyn had changed anything before the repeat loop, nothing would have changed, because that part of the spell was already done. MAKEOWNER makeowner <spellname> touch <spellcaster> Transfers ownership of the named spell to another spellcaster. The new owner must have enough spell points to have cast the spell but need not have the appropriate training in the effects the spell uses. The new owner loses the number of spell points equal to the cost of the spell, for as long as the spell is active. The old owner regains the points he had lost while he owned the spell. If the new owner understands the spell, he may interrupt it at will. Example: makeowner torch touch Medwyn This changes the owner of a spell called torch to Medwyn. torch is a 5 point spell, so Medwyn loses 5 spell points for the duration of the spell (or until he stops it himself). POWER RANGE power <spellname> <mult> range <spellname> <mult> All spells have a default power and range, determined by the caster's training and skill level. This power and range can be increased at great cost. Two amplify a spell's range or power by <mult> The caster must expend mult^2 the usual number of spell points spent for the *entire remainder of spell*. This also works if the mult is a fraction (for reduced power and range spells). Even so, the minimum any spell can cost is 1/4 its base cost, no matter how weak it is. Spell costs are always rounded up to the nearest integer. Range and power operators should come at the beginning of the spell, right after the spellname. Example: iceball: power iceball 2 range iceball 2 create Ice scale 6"x 6"y 6"z moveto lookat target This example creates a simple ball of ice and hurls it at an opponent. It does double usual damage and can be hurled for double the mage's usual range, but cost *8 times* the normal spell points (24 instead of 3). RESUME resume [<spellname>] at "<breakpoint>" The resume operator is useful in conjunction with the interrupted event. You can write a spell which checks for an interrupt cast on it, and which then performs a special task to counteract the intrusion (such as blasting the person who attemtped the interrupt). After this is done, you may want to resume the spell at a convenient place. This is what the resume operator is for. Example: torch: bind to touch endofstick create Fire repeat scale 1"x 1"y 1"z moveto endofstick until me "off" # check for interrupt # if interrupted by me then move to lookat target scale 10'x 10'y 10'z wait 10 seconds resume at "repeat scale 1"x 1"y 1"z" else if (interrupted by being) and (being is not me) then move to being scale 10'x 10'y 10'z wait 10 sec resume at "repeat scale 1"x 1"y 1"z" This version of the torch spell will actively fireball anyone except the casting mage who tries to interrupt the spell. SPELLNAME <spellname>: You must begin every spell with a spell name. This does not add any cost to the spell. Example: fireball: create Fire move to lookat orc scale 5'x 5'y 5'z wait 5 sec VI. Spell Cost and Duration Spells cost 1 point per line of spell description, with the following exceptions: spellname, power, and range operators, which have no cost (although the power and range operators do change the *overall* cost of the spell as described in the last section). Because spells can loop, they have a potential duration limited only by the life of the owner of the spell (i.e., the original caster, or a new owner assigned using the makeowner operator). However, since the spell points used to maintain a spell cannot be recovered until the spell has ceased (or been terminated), it is in the interest of a mage not to leave too many semi-permanent spells lying around. VII. Mage-to-Mage Combat Unlike most systems, Mage-to-Mage allows mages to directly counter spells cast by other mages under certain conditions. Of particular importance, then, is the way in which mages can determine what other mages are casting. This is called "reading". Reading a spell being cast within range is like a sixth sense, it requires no more time or energy than watching a fighter draw a sword. If a spell is not understood by a mage, it is like watching a fighter draw an unfamiliar weapon. Mages cannot "read" precast spells in the same fashion; it is the act of casting that allows them to be read. Reading precast spells is a skill that requires several minutes of concentration. A spell being cast by another mage may be read successfully by another mage only if the following conditions are met: 1. The reading mage must be within his spell casting range of the enemy. 2. The spell may only contain effects with which the reader has been trained. 3. The reader must make his Know/Use roll successfully. Another crucial element of magical combat is its timing and scheduling. Instead of trying to gauge specific casting times for spells, a more general rule is used for the scheduling of magical combat; one that will hopefully make it easier to integrate Mage-to-Mage into existing combat systems. In Mage-to-Mage, all normal offensive and defensive spells take 1 melee round to cast. Spells cast in one melee round start to take effect (execute) in the following round. Execution of a spell is automatic, a mage does not need to maintain the spell once he has cast it. There is a 3rd variety of spell beyond offensive and defensive (which can be auto-flash or normal shields). This is the interrupt spell, a spell which alters another spell. Since this is a modification to an existing spell, it is relatively instantaneous in its casting and its execution. An interruption to a spell effectively delays the final outcome to the beginning of the next round, at which time it can be once again altered by an interruption. Only one mage may interrupt a given spell in a round; if more than one tries, the outcome is decided by an initiative roll. A mage can always interrupt his own spells (unless he fails an interruption initiative roll in a given round), but to interrupt another mage's spell, The interruptor must beat the enemy's Resist percentage, as well as having been successful at reading the enemy's spell as it was cast. Interrupt spells themselves cannot be interrupted. A mage may perform one of the following options in any given melee round: 1. He can try to interrupt (change) an incoming spell 2. He can cast an offensive spell (which will execute on the following round). 2. He can cast a defensive spell (which will execute on the following round). 4. He can interrupt (change) his own offensive or defensive spell. Precast offensive and defensive spells are, of course, safe from enemy interruptions. If a precast offensive spell is triggered by an event, it executes immediately; the only defense against a precast offensive spell that has just been triggered is a precast defensive spell. In general, a mage-to-mage combat may go as follows: Round 1 ------- Mage 1 casts offensive spell Mage 2 casts defensive (shielding) spell Round 2 ------- Mage 2 interrupts and changes Mage 1's spell (or fails and is zapped) Mage 1 casts defensive spell Round 3 ------- Mage 1 interrupts and changes Mage 2's defensive spell ... And so on, until somebody slips up. There are, of course, many other possible strategies, some of the most useful involving precast defesive spells which the enemy cannot interrupt. VIII. Other Combat Combat against a non-mage follows the same rules outlined above. A spell takes one round to cast, and only one spell may be cast by a mage in a given round. The spell begins to take effect at the beginning of the next melee round. A mage may cast an offensive spell, a defensive spell (again, the distnction between the two is blurred), or may interrupt one of his own precast spells. As with standard spells, the effects of an interrupt begin at the start of the next melee round. IX. Level Advancement Mage level advancement is directly determined by the amount of magic the mage uses "in the line of duty". A mage gets one experience point for every line of spell description he casts in melee or other non-casual situations. Advancement of levels becomes harder with each level advanced. Going from first to second level requires 100 xp. From second to third requires 200 *more* xp. Third to fourth requires an additional 300 xp., and so on. X. Saving Throws and Extended Duration Effects There is one standard saving throw for all types of magic, corresponding to a "Save vs. Magic" in AD&D. Since all magic items in the Mage-to-Mage system are essentially spells bound to objects, there is no need for a separate saving throw for wands, staves, etc. Making a saving throw has one of two results. If the save is versus an area of effect, it means the victim takes half damage in that round *and any succeeding round* in which he is still immersed in the effect. If the save is versus an effect of which the victim is the sole target, making the saving throw negates (destroys) the effect. For effects lasting more than one melee round, damage is taken by those in range of the effect in *each succeeding round*. However, for each round that a victim must take damage, he is entitled to a new saving throw, until he is successful. Thus, an orc that is caught in a sheet of flame for 3 rounds would take full damage from the flame each round, unless he made his saving throw. If he doesn't make it the first round, he can roll again in the second round, and so on. If the orc were to make the saving throw in his second round, he would only receive half damage in the second and third rounds. Now let's suppose that the orc is the victim of a spell that puts darkness over his face and keeps it there for three rounds, hence blinding him. This is a target-victim spell, not an area of effect, so if the orc were to save on the second round, the darkness would be negated. XI. Demons and Elementals Unlike living creatures of the material plane, which consist of complex matrices composed of varying amounts of all the elemental forces, demons and elementals are composed of only a single force. Each demon or elemental lives in the subplane to which it is attuned. Thus one would expect to see wind demons, ice demons, fog demons, etc. Demons and elementals are very similar; the key difference is that demons are sentient, whereas elementals are only of animal intelligence (if that). Demons and elementals may be summoned from a pure flow of any appropriate elemental force that is large enough to pass them through to the material plane (pentagrams for demons, trigrams for elementals). Elementals may be summoned relatively easily, while demons usually appear only if their True Name is uttered by the mage during the summoning ritual. A demon will almost always attempt a contest of wills before obeying a mage; usually in the form of magical combat. If the mage loses, he is liable to be consumed, or worse if the demon is particularly vengeful. If the mage wins, the Demon is bound to obey a single command as issued by the mage. The most common command is to enter an object of power and maintain its magic (in other words, take ownership of any spells bound to the object), remaining there until the object or its magic is destroyed. This allows the creation of permanent magical items, since demons are immortal. Demons are always Singular Mages in the force to which they are attuned, at a level (and with spell points) commensurate with their hit dice. There is a small chance that ordinary use of magic may cause an elemental, or even in rare cases a demon, to be summoned inadvertantly. XII. Spirits. Spirits are the disembodied minds of once-living sentient beings that for some reason were not extinguished when the being died. They too can be summoned by name, using a circle of Darkness. Summoning a spirit involves much the same dangers as summoning a demon; spirits are often waiting for the chance to inhabit a living body again, and will attempt to do so by turning a mage's power against him, and then invading the freshly-dead body. Most forms of what are commonly called "the undead" are the result of spirits gaining control over physical objects (corpses, skeletons, etc). Spirits who were mages when they were alive have all the magical ability they had at that time. Spirits who were not mages are not useful for creating permanent magic items, because they cannot use make use of spell points. They may, however, be useful for questioning and as servants. Spirits which are not mages may be subdued fairly easily by use of Radiant Light. All spirits have the innate ability to manipulate Darkness like a Singular Mage at a level of ability commensurate with their hit dice. However, this ability cannot be harnessed for use with a magic item by the summoning mage. In darkness, spirits also have the ability to life-drain at a touch. Summoners of spirits must be very careful not to allow themselves to be surrounded by darkness, lest he be trapped by the spirit. Once the spirit has been subdued in contest, it will remain so until it has completed the task commanded of it. XIII. Summoning Rituals All discorporeal entities (demons, elementals, and spirits) require special summoning rituals to call them to the mage's service. There are four parts to any summoning ritual, which must be executed in order: 1. Gate 2. Naming 3. Sacrifice 4. Contest Gate ---- The summoner must create (via spell) a gate of appropriate elemental force, and of the appropriate configuration. The configurations are: Trigram: Elementals Pentagram: Demons Circle: Spirits These may be created on any flat, solid surface (stone floors or walls are the most common places). The Gate for summoning a demon or elemental is composed of the elemental force to which the being to be summoned is attuned; the Gate for summoning a spirit is always composed of Darkness. Naming ------ Once the Gate has been created, the mage must call upon the being by name. In the case of demons and spirits, the True Name of the being must be uttered three times. in the case of elementals, which have no specific names, the general name of the kind of elemental desired must be uttered instead. The naming is generally accompanied by a rhythmic chant (sometimes accompanied by drums) which helps guide the being to the entrance of the Gate. The Naming may take from several minutes for a minor elemental, to hours or even days for a very great demon. The naming is complete when a "presence" is felt near the Gate, usually accompanied by a drop in temperature in the vicinty of the ritual. This means that something (hopefully the summoned being) is on the threshold of the Gate. The chance of of a being hearing the call is equal to the suumoner's Know/Use percentage -5% for every level above the summoner that the being is, +3% for every level below the summoner the being is. Sacrifice --------- All summoned creatures require a sacrifice to bring them across the threshold of the Gate. Elementals require only freshly slaughtered animals; demons generally require a living, sentient sacrifice to consume. Spirits are different; their sacrifice must be an object that was important to the spirit while it was alive. Images of loved ones, or symbols of glory are the two most often used objects, but others may be more appropriate to given instances. Sacrifices are delivered to the center of the Gate, usually via a rope or cart, or some other mechanism. Naught but that which is to be sacrificed should enter the Gate at this time, any person who does so is in great peril. At this point, the being will either accept the sacrifice and enter through the Gate to take it and meet the summoner, or will reject it and depart. Contest ------- If the being accepts the sacrifice, the summoner must immediately be on his guard, for the being will almost certainly attempt a Contest of Will. In the case of an elemental, it will attack unless shown an immediate demonstration of force. After this is done, the elemental will obey a single command before returning to its plane of origin. Demons and spirits wiil engage in a full magical battle with the mage. If the demon or spirit surrenders, it will obey a single command as well. Commands can be phrased so as to allow a mage to permanently contain a demon or spirit within a magic item. Elementals do not serve in this purpose because they have no magical ability (being non-sentient); their attacks are purely physical (since they are composed of pure force). If the mage loses the battle (which must be fought one-on-one for the victory conditions to hold), the demon or spirit may take possession of the mage's body and/or soul, unless it is stopped by companions of the mage. XIV. Illusions Mages specializing in Light Earthy Air learn the ability to cast illusions; spells which create images and other stimuli that fool the senses. The physical manifestation of LEA allows the mage to create only images and sounds; tactile and olfactory illusions must be effected using the biological manifestation of LEA, and the more complicated illusions which adjust to creatures' perceptions are possible only using the psychic manifestation of LEA. The shape of visual illusions is determined by the shape of the effect; the actual image is arbitrary. Auditory, tactile, and olfactory illusions are active within the volume defined for the effect by the mage. It may sometimes be useful to divide illusions into separate effects, some of which overlap (i.e., the sound of an illusory breaking glass should be heard beyond the volume defined by the glass itself). XIV.1 Illusion Complexity by Level of Caster The complexity of cast illusions rises with the level of the caster. This is in part due to the fact that the more complicated biological and psychic manifestations of the LEA force are accessible only at higher levels, and in part due to the fact that truely refined illusions are possible only with great experience and practice. The following table lists the type of illusions allowed at each level. In general each level builds on the previous one. 1st level: Auditory effects only. 2nd level: Separate auditory and non-animated visual effects. 3rd level: Mixed auditory and non-animated visual effects. 4th level: Mixed auditory and animated visual effects. 5th level: Like above plus separate olfactory effects. (start biological) 6th level: Like above but mixed. 7th level: Like above plus separate tactile effects. 8th level: Like above, but all mixed. 9th level: Like above but includes objects that enter into the illusion as part of the illusion (i.e., arrows you shoot at the illusory monster will *appear* to stick in it). (start psychic) 10th level: Like above, but living things that enter the illusion are included as part of the illusion (Targ *seems* to be crossing the illusory bridge; he's really fallen to a gory death). 11th level: Like above, but sentient beings who enter the illusion believe it themselves (Targ thinks he is crossing the bridge up to the instant he is killed by impact with the ground below). Note that the lower level illusions will have inconsistencies that may be spotted by intelligent characters (given the time). A 2nd level illusory floor covering a pit has no tactile sense, so you can put your hand right through it. A 7th level one would appear solid were it hit with a pole a character was holding (assuming the tactile part of the illusion were cast in a area around the pit that the characters would pass the pole and their hands through), but anything thrown on top of it would still fall right through. It would take a 9th level version to circumvent that precaution. In a 10th level version a character would appear to be fine on top of it, but the party may still hear a scream and a thud. An 11th level version is completely deadly unless someone makes a lucky roll, and the character notices some small flaw in the illusion (like, the characters visible on top aren't saying much...). XIV.2 Caster Familiarity A caster need not be exceptionally familiar with the illusion he creates. This is especially true for illusions of creatures or objects invented by the illusionist. In the case of illusions of very specific beings or objects, one would expect the caster to be knowledgeable enough to convince others who knew the being or object well, otherwise they would get suspicious, even if the illusion were technically perfect. XIV.3 Disbelief Disbelief of an illusion isn't really a matter of looking at, say, a wall and saying "I don't believe that's there!", but rather a process of noticing inconsistencies or technical flaws in the illusion that give it away. How likely characters are to notice these flaws is dependent in my system on the character's Reasoning Factor (INT+WIS)/2 and the caster's level. If a character makes his RF roll on a d20, he then has a base 35% chance of hestating and detecting a flaw in the illusion -3% per level of the caster over 1, +5% for each level of the victim over that of the caster. Characters always have at least a 5% chance if they make their RF roll. XIV.4 "Deadly" Illusions In the case of an illusion which a character believes will cause him deadly harm, the character rolls a save vs. Magic. If s/he saves, the character is stunned d6 rounds. If s/he fails, s/he must make a CON roll; if successful, the character faints. If not, the character suffers heart failure (note: s/he could be revived with CPR or similar drugs/techniques, but it must be done quickly, and probably will keep the character out of action for several days). Note: for illusions like a baseball thrown hard at your head, in other words, illusions that might cause some harm, but aren't deadly, use only the save vs. Magic, and eliminate the CON roll.