Spell Casting Rules

= Spell Casting Rules = The spell casting rules are set out in the TAG Rule Set book. It has rules for casting spells, spell points, spell point regeneration, learning spells and how to use spells in combat. The Following sections provide a brief overview of the Spell Casting Rules. Please refer to the Tag Rule Set book for detailed discussion.

Spell Points for Mage and Cleric Realms
There are two major realms of magic and two minor realms of magic:

·        Mage realm

·        Cleric realm

·        Mythic Engineering (minor realm)

·        Bard (minor realm)

Mage realm uses Intellect as its primary stat. All spells in the Mage realm use the spells points calculated off of intellect.

Cleric realm uses Wisdom as its primary stat. All spells in the Cleric realm use the spell points calculated off of wisdom.

Mythic Engineer realm uses Ingenuity as its primary stat. All spells in the Mythic Engineer realm use spell points calculated off of Ingenuity.

Bard realm uses Countenance as its primary stat. All spells in the Bard realm use spell points calculated off of Countenance.

Some characters will learn spells from both the Mage and Cleric realms. They will then have two different pools of spell points to use, but still Mage realm spells can only use intellect spell points and Cleric realm spells can only use wisdom spell points.

Special Rules for Mythic Engineers
Mythic Engineers are different than other casters and they have special rules for calculating spell points. The Mythic Engineering practice uses Ingenuity as its primary stat for calculating spell points for one selected realm rather than Intellect or Wisdom. In order to understand their special spell point rules you must understand the special rules they follow for purchasing Spell Disciplines on the Skill Acquisition Chart.

Mythic Engineers are only the 4 following classes: Warmonger, Hooligan, Wizard or Philosopher

Mythic Engineers have special requirements for assigning Disciplines to the Skill Acquisition Chart.

1.      Without exception the 1st column for Spells Discipline Costs on the Skill Acquisition Chart must be assigned to the spell lists of the Mythic Engineering Practice.

2.      The 2nd column for Spells Discipline Costs on the Skill Acquisition Chart defines the characters primary realm. If the 2nd column cost is assigned to a mage discipline their primary realm will be mage and if the 2nd column cost is assigned to a cleric discipline then their primary realm will be cleric. Following points result in that decision:

a. Engineers must choose either mage or cleric realm to specialize in.

Attack Spells
Many spells from both the Mage and Cleric realms are used for combat. Some of those spells are attack spells some are save spells.

Attack spells use the Attach chart just as weapons do. They can cause critical damage as a weapon and there are special critical categories for the various elements of attack: fire, lightning, etc.  Attack Spells use magical projectiles of some type. Thus, they use the attack table and roll like a weapon attack.

Damage caused by attack spells is based on the Attack Chart. The stats column will indicate which Attack chart to use: small, medium, large or x-large. Some spells will use the chart damage at a penalty or a bonus. Subtracting the damage penalty will never reduce damage below 1. If the hit is successful the damage cannot be reduced below 1 point of damage. These special cases will be document in the spell descriptions.

Some attack spells also have a portion of their damage as Save Spell. In those cases the damage for the attack portion is figured and then the save roll as described in the save spells section that follows is used to calculate addition damage or affects.

There are three difference types of spells to attack with: Directed, Touch and Afflicted. Each has different rules and methods for attacking:

Standard Ranged Attack
1.      '''Ranged Spells''' – spells which are shot towards the target foe. These spells are countered by defense and either physical armor or magical armor. The caster receives the following bonuses for attacking with a ranged attack spell based on how many levels of that spell list he knows:

a. +5 to hit for every spell list level up to 10,

b. +2 to hit per every spell list level from 11-20, and

c. +1 to hit per every spell list level 21 and above

d. '''+1 damage per every level of caster'''

Standard Touch Attack
2.      '''Touch spells''' – if the attacker touches the foe it is transmitted. This can often be determined by an attack roll, but because all that is required is to touch the target for a moment the odds of hitting are greatly increased. The caster uses his stat bonus for the stat of the realm of the spell '''Intellect, Wisdom or Ingenuity stat bonus + Agility stat bonus + Spell list level attack bonus. ''' You use the same bonus as in the Directed Spells above:

a. +5 to hit for every spell list level up to 10,

b. +2 to hit per every spell list level from 11-20, and

c. +1 to hit per every spell list level 21 and above

d. '''+1 damage per every level of caster'''

Standard Afflicted Attack
3.      '''Afflicted Spells''' - spells that are cast on a target foe. These spells use a save verses spells roll to determine if they are successful or not. The Caster adds +1 to his save roll to afflict the target for each character level and each level of the spell list known.

a. '''Caster’s level + spell list level known + stat bonus = caster’s total save roll.'''

b. '''+1 damage per every level of caster.'''

Spell Base Range: 100’ + 1’ per level of caster
All spells, unless otherwise specified in the spell description, can be cast with the base range. The base range for a spells ability to be cast is 100’ +1’ per level of caster. After that range the spell becomes ineffective.

This base range is for ranged attack spells, afflicted spells, and spells cast on party members and objects.

Some spells are restricted to touch only and the caster must touch the target object, foe, person or creature for the spell to function.

Healing Spells
Healing spells gain bonuses for healing based on the caster’s level. +1 health in healing per level of caster.

Save Spells
The formula for calculating the total spell save is as follows:

'“Caster stat bonus + character level + 1-100 roll + Spell List level known”   verses   “Target stat bonus + target character level + 1-100 roll + racial bonus”'. Whoever’s total is higher wins.

If the target’s “bonus + level + roll” is higher than the caster’s “bonus + level +roll” then the save against magic is successful.

Example:  A character with an 81 intellect, looks 81 up on the stat bonus chart and finds that he gets a +17 stat bonus. Thus, he can use that +17 to add to his save against Mage realm magic spells. That same character has a 61 wisdom, and upon looking the 61 up on the chart he finds that he gets a +6 stat bonus, which he can use to save against Cleric realm spells. He has a greater chance of saving against a Mage realm spell.

Spell Point Regeneration
Spell points are regenerated by resting, eating and using spell regeneration devices such as a scroll of Spell Point Regeneration.

Stacking Spell bonuses
Typically you cannot cast two of the same spell in order to double the bonus. For instance you cannot cast two level 4 Static Charge spells from the lightning spell list to double the bonuses to +20 attack and + 20 defense. You cannot have two of the same spells active on any target during a round.

You can have two different spells that affect the same attribute or skill on a target during the same round.

Critical Hit Adjustments
Some spells may have limits or bonuses to critical hits. These will be listed in the spell descriptions:

·        '''Reduced critical hits by 1 level''' – this turns an A critical into no critical; B critical into A; C into B; etc.

·        '''Increased critical hits by 1 level''' – this turns an A into a B; a B into a C, etc.

·        + to critical roll – add the amount to your critical roll.

·        - to critical roll – subtract the amount from your critical roll.

·        Some spells will always use a particular chart when a critical is rolled. For instance many fire spells only use the fire critical chart and not the other types like puncture, crush, etc.

Primary Realm
Each spell caster has a primary realm, except Mystics and non-spell classes, which we will explain later. The Skill Acquisition chart lists the class’s primary spell realm. For casters with a defined primary realm they will assign one of the costs in the 4 spell discipline costs columns to one of each of the 4 disciplines in that realm, and that will determine the costs of each spell level of spells lists in that realm. Spells from the other realm can also be learned, but each level of those will be learned at the costs listed in the Other Disciplines column. {| class="MsoTableGrid" border="1" |

Class
|

Primary Realm
|- | rowspan="5" | Warrior Barbarian Thief Rogue Cleric Mage Battle Mage Paladin Jester Monk Mystic Warmonger Hooligan Wizard Bard | rowspan="5" | None  None None None None Mage Mage Cleric Mage Cleric Both Mythic Engineering Mythic Engineering Mythic Engineering Bard |-  |-   |-   |-  As an example a Mage could select his 1st discipline within his Primary Spell Realm of Mage as Elemental, which would mean that each level of an Elemental Spell list would cost the mage 1 skill acquisition point. Then the mage could select the Sorcery discipline as his second discipline, which would mean that each level of a Sorcery spell list would cost him 2 skill acquisition points. The Mage would assign the 3rd column to one of the two remaining Mage disciplines and then the 4th to the last. All spell lists from the Cleric realm cost the amount listed in the Other Disciplines list.
 * }

Mystics, Warriors, Barbarians, Rogues and Thieves have no primary realm, so they can select any discipline from either realm to apply the 1st column on the Spell Discipline costs towards. They can then apply the 2nd Spell Discipline costs to any discipline from either list, then the 3rd, and then the 4th column. Then all other disciplines from either realm will cost the amount listed in the Other Discipline column.