Here is a description of spellcasting as it applies to the world of Whent. These rules are heavily modified for use in the Rolemaster system

1. On Magic

Scholars of the arcane arts largely agree that Ritualism was the first magic and it was those ancient practitioners, known as Weavers since they "wove" the Principle into whatever pattern they desired, who developed the patterns we now call "spells". As these ancients developed these patterns they found that the methods used to draw upon the Principle during their rituals were much more powerful but very slow and did not allow the Principle to be gathered quick enough in the most needful of situations. (I.e. life and death) Again to their credit, the ancients discovered that they could draw Principle directly into themselves (rather than into the magical forms created during a ritual) and force it out in the form of a well-known pattern thereby generating a known effect. Side effects were a loss of versatility since they were limited to patterns they new very well, and very nearly all pattern-cast spells suffered a drastic loss of power relative to the longer rituals.

The ancients also discovered that the Principle drawn into their rituals was of a much higher order than the Principle they could draw into themselves. The ancients discovered that ritualism drew on the vast energies that make up all the planes of existence. This energy was much too powerful to be drawn into the auras of any but the most gifted of magi. Luckily it was found that nearly anyone could draw upon a less powerful form of Principle. This less concentrated magical energy was found to abound throughout the prime plane. Scholars have declared there to be only three sources of magical energy. Arcane Principle is the most powerful and derives from the energies of the planes. Mundane Principle is the least powerful consisting of the ambient magical energies found throughout the prime plane. The last source is the energies the faithful may draw from the various divinities and is termed Divine Principle. All three types of Principle may be used to form patterns of various effects. Mundane Principle, while available to nearly everyone, is limited in that it does not have the ability to fuel the larger and more complex patterns.

For now we will limit our discussion to spell casters, covering Ritualism thereafter.

2. What is Spell Casting

Spell casting involves the drawing of essential magical energies, called Principle, and Forming that energy into a Pattern that creates the desired effect. Spells or castings are Patterns that are known to generate a certain effect. The effects each of these castings generate are largely invariable since even the tiniest change in the Pattern could result in a completely new effect. Spell casting’s principle limitation is that a caster may form only those Patterns he has memorized and is thus limited in the effects he can generate through magic. The benefits of spell casting are that it is much easier to learn and much quicker to invoke its effects.

There are three basic skills any spell caster must know. They must know how to Draw Principle - the energy that will fuel their magics. They must know how to manipulate the Principle, Forming it as they wish. Lastly they must know the Pattern that they need to Form the Principle into to invoke the particular effect they desire. Drawing Principle and Forming that Principle into a known Pattern is the essence of the art of spell casting.

There we have the primary skills of a Mage: Drawing

Forming

Patterns (spells)

Naturally it is not as easy as it may sound!

Spell casters have a large number of options when it comes to learning magical skills. There are more than 25 distinct skills which afford those who would use magic the means and methods for drawing and forming Principle into the effects we know as spells, and there are thousands of Patterns! Regardless of the method used all castings must draw Principle, Form those energies into the Pattern they wish, and release the spell effect.

Note: Most casters carry an appellation based upon the magical area they are most skilled in or are most well known for. A well-known user of Spell Songs magics would be known as "the Bard", or "the Skald". He may very well be an accomplished herbalist as well, but the common folk would call him a bard. Scholars term all users of Arcane Principle "Arcanists" but "Magi" is more commonly used and both carry a very negative connotation. Users of Divine Principle are called by the title their religion gives them or "Father", "Mother", "Brother", etc…

Note: This section pertains to spell casters only and specifically does not apply to Ritualists. Ritualists draw and focus Principle through the auspices of the ritual, not through themselves. Ritualists may duplicate any of the powers of any spell caster but create those effects through a very different procedure. See Ritualism.

 

 

3. The Skills of a Mage

 

1. Development Point Costs for Mage Skills

1. Development Point Costs to Learn Drawing and Forming

The Development Point costs described herein are for generic Pure Spell Users, Hybrid Spell Users, Semi Spell Users and Arms/Layman profession. Specific Rolemaster classes should use the DP costs appropriate to their class. With the approval of the GM specific DP costs for the various individual classes may be derived based on the costs below.

First a quick list of definitions for the various generic types. Since we no longer have the three realms of Channeling, Essence and Mentalism the old definitions not longer fit.

Pure Spell User - A Pure Spell User is one who focuses primarily on one method of Forming with little or no knowledge of the other methods. In his field these spell casters are unrivaled, however they suffer somewhat from a lack of versatility.

Hybrid Spell User - Hybrid Spell Users have knowledge of many methods of Principle Forming. The versatility of a Hybrid is balanced by their lack of depth in any particular art. Hybrids are by far the most common type of spell caster.

Semi Spell Caster - Combining skill with Drawing and Forming Principle with skill in more mundane areas Semis may well be the most over all balanced of all professions. This balance comes at a price, for the Semi will never attain the versatility of the Hybrid, the power of the Pure, nor the mundane skill of an Arms/Layman type.

Arms/Layman - These types, similar to the Rolemaster rules, have little or no skill in the arts of magic. They may choose to attempt to develop some minor skill, but their basic focus on the non-magical skills has left them poorly fit to study such arts. On the other hand their ability with their chosen craft (warfare, stealth, or one of the various crafts) is unrivaled among those who study magics.

With those definitions as our base, here are the Development Point costs:

	Drawing Skills			Forming Skills
	Divine	Mundane	Arcane	First	Second	Third	Fourth	All Others
Pure	3	4	6	1/1/1	3/3	5/5	7/7	10/10
Hybrid	3	4	6	2/2/2	3/3/3	4/4/4	6/6/6	9/9/9
Semi	5	7	10	4/4/4	6/6/6	10/10	15/15	20/20
Arms	10	15	20	10 (7/7)*	15	25	25	25

* - Members of an Arms profession who are accepted into the service of a divine being gain the Development Point cost listed in parenthesis for the Divine Forming skill only.

The Forming skills are listed as first, second, etc and are chosen much the same way as is currently done for the various Weapon Skill categories. After choosing their fourth Forming skill all other Forming skill ranks are purchased at the cost listed in the "All Others" column.

2. Skill Rank Bonus Progression of Forming Skills

The various Forming skills use the standard skill rank bonus progression of:

-15•3•2•1•0.5

These bonuses are used when determining success or failure on the Spell Casting Static Maneuver table just as skill bonuses in the various lists are used in the standard rules. There are no category ranks in Forming and so no category rank bonuses are earned.

3. Learning Similar Skills (Optional but recommended)

There are a number of Forming skills that are very similar in nature. It would be odd if a Mage were highly skilled in Herbalism but could barely learn, much less cast, a Naturalism spell. Accordingly I use the following rules for similar Forming skills:

The following skills are considered similar under these rules:

1. Naturalism and Herbalism are considered similar to each other.
2. Exorcism is considered a similar for Mediums. However Meduimship is not considered similar for Exorcists.
3. Conjuration and Sorcery are considered similar to each other unless the Sorcerer is Pacted. Conjuration is not considered similar for Pacted Sorcerers.
4. Witchcraft and Pacted Sorcery are considered similar to each other but may be learned only with the Master's approval.
5. The four primary disciplines of Mysticism are considered similar to each other. Practitioners of one of the Mystic Variants do not have the ability to learn the primary disciplines as a skill similar to their variant, however they must place Mysticism in their next Forming slot, making all other Forming skills much harder to learn.

When a character learns a Forming skill that has a similar skill(s) they must immediately assign that similar skill(s) the same DP cost as the initial skill plus one.

When there is more than one similar skill each similar skill must follow the progression, adding one to the DP cost until all skills have been assigned. After all similar skills have been assigned a DP cost all the following Forming skills increase in cost by one point for every similar skill added.

Any casting bonus that the initial skill would gain by virtue of being a first, second, etc. Forming skill is decreased by 10 or to zero, which ever gives the larger bonus. Casting bonuses of less than zero are assigned to all similar skills and all succeeding Forming skills gain a -5 to their casting rolls. (See the section on Spell Casting Modifications below.)

1. Development Point Costs to Learn Patterns (Spells)

Learning a spell of the practitioner’s ECL or below costs an amount of DP’s equal to the cost to buy one rank in the appropriate Forming skill. There is no limit to the amount of DP’s spent on spells per level however the GM should require an appropriate amount of game time be spent in seclusion studying. Spells of one to five levels greater than the practitioner’s ECL are learned at a cost of the normal DP’s +1. Spells of six to ten levels greater than the practitioner’s ECL are learned at a cost of the normal DP’s +2. Spells more than ten levels over the practitioner’s ECL are learned at a cost of normal DP+2+1/level greater than ten over the practitioner’s ECL.

Higher level spells of the same type may not be learned without learning the lower level spell, however any treatise on a higher level spell will include the information on the casting of the lower level spells.

1. Spell Casting Modifications

0. Changes with the "Spell Casting Modifications Table" Modifiers

There are obviously no "Base Lists", etc. and therefore the spell casting modifications for casting off the base lists no longer apply. Those modifications are replaced with the following modifications:

	Forming Skills
	First	Second	Third	Fourth	All Others
Pure	+25	+5	+0	+0	-5
Hybrid	+15	+10	+5	+0	+0
Semi	+10	+5	+0	-5	-10
Arms	+0(+10)*	+0	-5	-10	-15

* - Members of an Arms profession who are accepted into the service of a divine being gain the Spell Casting bonus listed in parenthesis for the Divine Forming skill only.

All modifications due to levels and preparation rounds apply with the Effective Casting Level (see below) used in place of the Caster's Level. With the exception of the modifications for Spell Type, the modifications listed in the "Other Modifications" section apply as follows. All spells Formed via Divine Principle are modified as per the listing for the Channeling Realm. All spells that effect the caster only and have no effect occurring outside of the caster's person are modified as listed for the Mentalism Realm. All other spells are subject to the modifications listed for the Essence Realm. For those who have the Arcane Companion the modifications listed for the Arcane Realm should be applied to any spell Formed via Arcane Principle.

With the separation of the process of learning spells and learning how to cast spells a comment needs be made regarding Training Packages that award ranks in Spell Lists. As a general rule during a character's apprenticeship any Spell List ranks may be spent on any Forming skill or on learning spells as they choose (and with the approval of the GM of course). Thereafter a maximum of one rank in any one Forming skill may be gained from any one Training Package. Any additional ranks awarded must be spent on buying one rank in another Forming skill(s) or on spells of the character's Effective Casting Level or less. There is no limit on how many ranks may be spent on learning spells - assuming there are spells available to learn.

 

1. Using the "Spell Casting Static Maneuver Table" Under These Rules

These rules assume the use of the original Casting Maneuver chat, not the new one in RMFRP. Additionally casters do not get the +50 bonus to their spell casting rolls. The Automatic Spell Casting rules still apply, but it is a bit easier to fail if one overcasts under these rules. The Effective Casting Level (see below) alleviates some of this provided the caster sticks with what he is good at.

 

 

 

2. Stat Bonuses to Drawing and Forming Skills

Stat bonuses for the various Drawing and Forming skills are included in parenthesis directly after the skill name. Note that these skills add these bonuses together just as the normal skills do. They do not use an average as the traditional spell casting rules in Rolemaster does.

2. Effective Casting Level

Before we begin an in-depth look at the various skills it must be noted that under these rules the character level of the Mage does not determine the efficacy of the spells he casts. This is a departure from the Rolemaster rules. Instead the relative strength of a caster's spells is based upon the casters ability with each area of spell casting. Each area of magical skill will have its own "Effective Casting Level". This results in a much more realistic variety of spell strengths. An accomplished Bard should hardly be able to read Tarot cards as effectively as he sings!

A caster’s Effective Casting Level (ECL) is used when determining the casters "level" when casting a spell using a particular Forming skill. The ECL is used to determine any modifiers based on level as well as whether the caster is subject to the Extraordinary Spell Failure rules for over-casting. A caster’s ECL is simply the lesser of their ranks in the appropriate Drawing skill, Forming skill, or the limiting skill(s) for the given Forming and Drawing skill. All skill descriptions below include lists of skills that limit the ECL of casters using that particular skill.

 

3. Limiting Skills

The various magical skills of Drawing and Forming do not exist in a vacuum. One’s ability with any of the various magical skills is often limited based upon one’s knowledge in a more mundane field. Casters who attempt spells above these limits are casting largely in ignorance, following the spells pattern with no real understanding of how they are using the energies they have gathered nor how the form will effect the world around them. It is for this reason that wielders of the Arts Magical have earned the reputation for long hours spent delving through musty scholastic tomes.

In the descriptions below each skill has listed with it the various skills which will limit the caster's ECL and effect their cost to learn Patterns.

 

4. On Drawing

There are three recognized sources from which to draw the Principle used to form castings. These energies are commonly referred to as Divine Magics, Mundane (or Low) Magics, and Arcane (or High) Magics. Spell casters practice and develop one or more of these areas to power their spells. As one becomes more adept in drawing on one (or more) of these sources they are able to use greater and greater amounts of the appropriate energy. These three sources are separate and distinct. A caster with more than one Drawing skill must choose which type of energy he is drawing to empower a spell effect. Drawing skills are not cumulative.

E.g. A caster with the ability to draw 50 Arcane Power Points and 80 Mundane Power Points can draw a maximum of 80 PP not 130! Up to 50 of these PP could be of Arcane Principle and any others would have to be of Mundane Principle.

In RM the Power Point Development skill is replaced by the three skills of Divine Drawing, Mundane Drawing, and Arcane Drawing. In all other respects these skills operate as did Power Point Development. Power Point Progression will use the Channeling Progression for Divine Drawing, Mentalism Progression for Mundane Drawing, and Essence Progression for Arcane Drawing in all cases when using the RMSS/RMFRPS races. GMs may choose to use the Arcane Progression instead of the Essence Progression for those races for which it is listed. The races of Whent have their progressions for these skills listed in their descriptions.

6. The Skills of Drawing

0. Divine Drawing

(Em/Pr/Piety - See the section below on the effects of Piety)

Divine Principle is drawn from or through divine beings. Divine Drawing is unique in that any being may learn the skill provided a divine being has granted them the ability!!! Divine Drawing is never innate to a being but is an ability granted to them. Divine Drawing has the benefit of being relatively easy for all to learn and it can power any spell effect, divine, mundane and arcane, provided the deity approves. The drawbacks to this form of drawing is that deities frown heavily upon those who learn any other form of drawing (viewing it as a sign of lack of faith) and the amount of power available varies greatly depending on the piety of the caster. Particularly pious and well-loved priests may gain large multipliers to their divinely drawn power points as well as other positive modifiers to their spell casting. On the other hand casual worshippers as well as the un-pious will find they have the amount of divine power points they can draw drastically reduced, perhaps even to zero, regardless of how many development points they have spent on Divine Drawing! (Note: this is also the ability which will be granted to those who choose to make a pact with evil forces, demons, devils, one of the Old Ones, etc… Depending on the wording of the pact the caster risks not only the loss of some power points, but death and forfeiture of their very soul! Evil gods may also choose to invest their priests only after entering into such a pact at the GM’s discretion.)

Most deities limit the amount of Divine Principle their followers may draw based on the follower’s demonstrated devotion to the deity. Generally this results in the limitation that no one may have more ranks in Divine Drawing than they have in the appropriate Religion skill. Those who are particularly blessed may have different limitations and individual deities may place other strictures upon their followers. (E.g. a god of war may require knowledge of a particular weapon or tactics.) Other strictures would also likely apply. Each divinity should have an individual list of strictures and limits for their religion and may "test" certain followers with strictures unique to the individual as well.

 

1. Mundane Drawing

(Em/Pr/SD)

All beings have the ability to use Mundane Drawing to one degree or another as represented by their Mundane Power Point Progression. This skill is innate. It is not dependent upon any outside source like Divine Drawing, nor is it a product of a unique and rare ability like Arcane Drawing. Mundane Drawing pulls Principle from the ambient magical energy found throughout the Prime plane as well as the energies inherent in various beings, plants, items, gems and, for the gruesome, the energies released by a being’s death. These mundane energies are fairly low in power and users of mundane energies can not effect any of the greater magics. Arcane and Divine castings may not be cast by those skilled only in Mundane Drawing.

While less powerful than other types of drawing Mundane Drawing enjoys the benefit of being limited only by the mage’s skill in Meditation.

3. Arcane Drawing

(In/Pr/SD)

The ability to draw Arcane Principle is a rare talent. Elves have the natural ability as do Dragons and others of the elder races, but it is a rare ability among most other races. (Note: even among Half-Elves it is a very rare and apparently recessive trait. In game terms only those who purchase the "Archmage Ability" talent may develop this skill. Essence/Arcane Power Point Progressions listed for each race are only potentials. Any individual of that race without the "Archmage Ability" talent may not access the skill and therefore will have no Arcane Drawn power points.) Only those able to sense and manipulate the very energies that form the planes of existence may draw upon Arcane Principle. Arcane Principle is the most powerful of magical energies and the users of such can work wonders – or uncounted horrors. Arcane magics are feared by nearly all and known users of such are often hunted and killed to eliminate the threat they pose. Most religions actively seek out and persecute arcanists, usually whipping the commoners up into a killing frenzy as they do so. Those found young enough that have the ability are often brought into the church and taught to use their powers for the good of the church. Typically church arcanists are not taught to draw arcane energies. Divine energies can be used to fuel arcane magics and if that is the arcanist’s only source of power then the deity/church can retain control over the arcanist. The vast majority of people would have no idea that the priest was/is using planer magics. The spell would detect as divine in origin since that was the power source used. These Arcane-Priests are among the most powerful of beings and have greatly increased the power and influence of certain churches. Only the rarity of these Arcane-Priests have kept their religions from seizing absolute secular control. True Druids also are all Arcanists and Priests – although the support structure of Druidry is composed of the typically non-arcane priesthood.

Arcane Drawing is limited by Meditation just as Mundane Drawing is. Additionally an Arcanist may never have more ranks in it than the total of their ranks in Planer Lore plus In bonus. Arcane Drawing may never be developed without a teacher of some sort and Arcanists never teach anyone who has not demonstrated a "proper attitude". This attitude varies of course, but the effect is that very, very few Arcanists are of the Arcanist profession, most having started in some other field and, after demonstrating the "right stuff" for a few decades were lucky enough to have attracted the attention of a suitable teacher.

Note: In game terms this means I do not allow anyone to start as an Arcanist without an incredibly good background justifying it. Which is another way of saying not-at-all. Aside from everything else it is a great character development device and allows for the evil powers to tempt characters with true power. I have always loved books where the hero starts out with nothing and learns as he or she goes along. This allows characters to search for a true benefit rather than just more gold or another magic sword.

 

 

 

7. On Forming Magical Effects

Drawn Principle must be formed or it is only unfocussed potential. There are a number of skills that may be learned which allow casters to form Principle into a variety of effects. Again these skills are divided up into Divine Forming Skills, Mundane Forming Skills, and Arcane Forming Skills. Divine Forming Skills are unique to each god and should be determined by the GM to fit his or her campaign and it’s deities. [See the section on Whent Religions for examples.] Mundane and Arcane Forming Skills are listed below with brief explanations. Remember Arcane Forming draws Principle from the various planes, including the prime. Mundane Forming relies on the Principle inherent in all beings, plants, and things, and upon the ambient Principle found throughout the prime plane. Some Mundane Forming Skills are enhanced when used by those with archmage abilities as detailed below and found in various spell descriptions. It should be noted that these are the skills used for casting the various spells. The spells themselves must be learned as well. It is very possible to be very adept at casting spells of a certain type but to know only a couple of spells in that area. The reverse is also quite common.

 

8. Mundane Forming Skills

The following is a list and brief description of the various divisions of the magical arts. Each of these areas has a number of Patterns (spells) associated with it as well as characteristics unique to it. See the full skill description for the list of available Patterns and further details.

0. Alchemy

(Me/Pr/Re)

Alchemical castings deal primarily with the manipulation of the essential elements of various chemicals, metals, and minerals. Alchemists typically produce potions and elixirs from these elements having various effects. Changing the common properties of matter is also a primary skill among alchemists. (E.g. making steel weigh as much as wood or making wood as hard as steel.) Alchemists also often devise incendiary devices and the like for their own protection and at advanced levels can make various creations to do their bidding. Alchemists often study the art of Magic Crafting and both of these arts are in the gray area between true Ritualism and spell casting.

One of the most limited areas in terms of needing other skills, Alchemist’s are limited when casting any spell to change or modify any substance by their ranks in an appropriate skill. (E.g. Chemistry would limit the Alchemists ability to combine chemicals into a magical incendiary device. When making a wood golem the Alchemist must have ranks in Sculpting and Wood Working totaling more than the level of the spell.) Anyone playing an Alchemist character should talk with their GM to determine appropriate skills and the spell castings they will support. GMs are encouraged to make sure ALL Alchemist spells require some minimum level of an appropriate skill. Over-casting penalties for Alchemists are doubled when the penalty is the result of attempting to cast a spell while lacking the skill ranks with the appropriate mundane skill.

 

1. Apotropaism

(Me/Pr/In)

This very widely known mundane magic is concerned with the warding off of evil and various ill happenings. Nearly every farmer and good-wife knows a smattering of this art – even if they can not actually work a spell. Horseshoes hung over a door, salt thrown over a shoulder, and signing to avert the "evil eye" are all applications of this art. Of course only those with the ability to actually invest these items and acts with magical power can make them truly effective!

Apotropaism has no limiting skills although certain spells may require certain minimum skills, particularly in the area of the various crafts.

2. Astrology

(Me/Pr/In)

Astrology is the science (as its practitioners define it) of using knowledge of the heavenly bodies to make predictions and gain insight into people, places, items, etc… This skill depends heavily upon the user's ability in mathematics, their knowledge of astronomy, and the information they have regarding the item/event/etc… in question. Astrologists are also able to call down the "influence" ascribed to the various heavenly bodies and effect themselves and/or others with it.

Astrologists are limited by their ranks in Astronomy. Additionally they face penalties when casting any spell of a level higher than the total of their ranks in Basic Math and Advanced Math. All spells of 10^th level or higher that require any type of star chart also require that the Astrologist have ranks in Advanced Math equal to 1/3^rd of the spell level or greater (round down). This is an absolute limit for Astrologers. Any spell attempted that fails this last test fails to take effect at all and may generate an ESF depending on the roll. Remember no one may have more ranks in Advanced Math than they have in Basic Math.

3. Conjuration

(Me/Pr/In)

Conjurors have a rudimentary knowledge of Ritualism allowing them to use certain written symbols, signs, etc… to summon items of beings to themselves. It is an important distinction that they do not create objects or beings, but bring an existing item or being to them. Mundane conjurors are limited in that they can only summon items from elsewhere on the Prime plane. Divine conjurors may summon from the prime or such beings as their deity makes available to them. Arcane conjurors may summon from any plane they have knowledge of. Note that there are many modifiers based upon where an item or being is summoned from and extra-planer summonings are both difficult and dangerous.

Conjurers are limited by their knowledge of Circle Lore, Symbol Lore, Warding Lore, and Magic Ritual, Gating (Inter and/or Intra-Planer). They are limited when casting any spell of greater level than they have ranks in Circle Lore. Their total ranks in Symbol Lore and Warding Lore must also equal or exceed the spell level. Knowledge of true Magic Ritual, Gating of either type effectively gives the Conjurer two ranks to add to any of the above skills, for the purpose of determining his effective casting level, for each rank of Magic Ritual, Gating Inter-Planer and/or magic Ritual, Gating Intra-Planer known.

Note: True Ritualism is a lost art. Practitioners are rarer than Arcanists are. No mundane could learn any true Magic Ritual skills without a true Ritualist teaching them, recovering some long lost tome, etc.… A trained Arcanist could study Ritualism and gain proficiency but it would be a work of centuries.

4. Divination

(Me/Pr/Re)

Through this skill practitioners may detect and reveal various hidden, lost, or unknown things. This is not a skill that allows prediction, but rather revelation. Translation of a foreign text is possible, detecting the existence or lack of a substance is possible (water, magic, illusion, life, etc…) as is the reading of the influences on a person, place, or item. Limited viewing of past events is possible as is very limited viewing of the future. Divination is distinct from other similar skills in that it is very limited in scope (time, distance, and area of effect) and that it reveals what is factual. Other skills allow predictions and may cover much greater range, time periods, etc…

Diviners are limited when casting spells of levels higher than the number of ranks they possess in Divination Lore. This is actually one of the easier areas to develop since the ranks must be developed in Divination Lore – General. No specific divinatory technique need be learned as this covers basic (very basic) card reading, dowsing, etc.…

5. Divine

(Me/Pr/none)

This forming skill is the skill most commonly used by the various priests of the divine powers. As listed here it is a generic skill, but in practical use each divinity and/or grouping of gods has their own Divine Forming skill composed of the rites and rituals of the individual religion which invoke the spells common (and often unique) to that religion. Each of these skills must be learned individually and most often are exclusive in that only one may be learned without arousing the ire of the gods. Of note, this skill does not replace any of the other forming skills. While a divinity may include some spells found in other Forming arts, any priest that would have access to the whole of another Forming art's spells must study that Forming art.

E.g. a deity of the Sun, Healing and Music may gift his worshipers with castings that generate burning rays, improve one's musical ability, allow for a basic charming of listeners, and boost healing spells. True priests of this deity would learn Spell Songs and Healing and/or Physician forming skills. Through the power of the deity his songs and healing will very likely be much more effective than those of a more common Spell Singer or Healer when combined with spells from this forming art. The available Divine Forming spells would not replace these skills and spells, but add to them synergistically. The heat ray would very likely be unique to this priesthood and derive solely from his ability in the field of Divine Forming.

Similar to Divine Drawing above skill limits placed on priestly types vary drastically according to the desire of each particular deity or pantheon. Limits here vary from no limits whatsoever, to the lengthy lists of required skills common among the gods of wisdom and knowledge. Again, lists of limiting skills should be developed for each priesthood.

6. Exorcism

(Me/Pr/SD)

This skill is exactly what it sounds like, the skill of using magic to harm, remove and dispel spirits. Most typically this is used against evil spirits inhabiting some poor innocent but it has many other uses, including the dispelling of good spirits by those so minded. This skill is very common among priestly casters.

An exorcist is limited by his ranks in Demon/Devil Lore or Spirit Lore, as appropriate. Certain craft skills effect some spells as well.

 

7. Fortune Telling

(Me/Pr/Em)

This much maligned and admittedly abused skill allows the practitioner to answer fairly broad questions about a single person. To be truly effective the person must be present or at the very least an item with a strong attachment to that person must be present. Reading minds is not possible, but the reading of a person’s aura, motivations, likes and dislikes, etc… is readily done. Predictions regarding the person may be made as well as determining probable good and ill omens for the person. Some device must be used to focus these castings and practitioners typically specialize with one device. Typical devices are cards, crystal balls, dice, runes, bones, etc… Nearly every culture has a preferred method for fortune telling. What brings a bad name to this skill is the many charlatans who have no real ability in castings, but do have a knack for acting and reading peoples reactions. These folks use the same devices but base their predictions on what their victims want rather than on true predictions. The money is the same and it is a lot easier! The use of many of these items as parlor games also tends to detract from how FortuneTellers are viewed.

FortuneTellers have the same limitations as diviners except that they must learn specific techniques. Additionally the method use (Tarot cards, crystal ball, etc.…) must be appropriate to the situation. (E.g. Rune stones may be suitable for divining influences present on a person, but would not help at all to detect invisible beings.)

 

8. Healing

(Me/Pr/SD)

This is the skill of healing hurts and afflictions of one’s own body. Truly amazing feats of healing are possible and it is said that the masters of this art can not be killed by any means. Some divinities have imbued select members of their priesthood with the ability to take the hurts and afflictions of others on to them selves, rendering their patient whole and cured of any ill. These rare selfless persons are able to effect the most miraculous of cures through the magical principle of Sympathy. As the patient’s broken arm becomes whole the priest’s arm breaks and the priest must now go through the arduous process of healing his broken arm. Some practitioners of the Druidic faith have developed the ability to take on the wounds of others and then pass the wounds on to animals in small increments so as not to debilitate any of the animals. It is unknown exactly how they accomplish this and the rumor is a cause of furious jealousy among certain other churches.

Note: Arcane practitioners of the Paths of Life and the Prime may also learn the spells necessary to transfer wounds similar to the ability granted to Divine practitioners.

Much of the Healer's art rests on the assumption that the body knows how to heal its self and magic is used merely to hasten the process. Because of this Healers need much lower levels of skill when compared to most other arts. A Healer's ECL is limited by their skill in Meditation, twice their ranks in Anatomy and twice their ranks in First Aid. Spells above 10^th level require knowledge of Second Aid or Surgery (as most appropriate). Either must have ranks equaling or exceeding 1/4 of the spell's level.

9. Herbalism

(Me/Pr/Ag)

This is the skill of distilling and enhancing the harmful, helpful, and magical properties of various plants. Potions, infusions, oils, ointments, powders, etc. are all the purview of the accomplished herbalist. Herbalists are often skilled naturalists as well. This art provides much of the healing magics found throughout the world. The magics of the Physician are often much more powerful and direct, but most physicians cater to the wealthy whereas Herbalists are more often found out among the common peoples. Particularly in the rural areas.

Herbalists are limited by their ranks in Herb Lore. Additionally their Prepare Herb and Using Prepared Herb ranks must total more than the level of the spell the Herbalist wishes to learn.

10. Magic Crafting

(Me/Pr/Re)

A skill closely related to alchemy and herbalism with many aspects of true Ritualism, magic crafting is the skill of creating items and imbuing those items with various magical abilities. Where Alchemy is the manipulation of the basic elements of a material to change its basic properties, magic crafting uses imbued magic to improve the characteristics of the item and/or allow the item to have a spell-like effect. Magic-crafters also have the ability to imbue items with the ability to improve the user's ability with a particular skill. (E.g. a pendant that gives a +10 bonus to its wearer’s meditation rolls.) Most magic-crafters specialize in the crafting of particular items (books, weapons, etc…). Many magic-crafters are also skilled in alchemy.

Magic Crafters have the same limitations as Alchemists.

11. Mediumship

(Me/Pr/Em)

Skilled mediums are adept at attracting, summoning, and communicating with spirits. These practitioners have very strong connections to the ethereal (or spirit) plane and many believe they represent a step somewhere between normal mundane magic and arcane magics. Their spells do have a rather large variety and their connection with the Ethereal plane is obvious, but the current accepted school of thought is that it is more a variation on the divine grant/pact than a deviation from the mundane limitation on planer magics. As proof the scholars point to the mediums’ reliance upon the good will of the spirits they deal with.

Mediums are usually born with the aptitude and take to their profession naturally. Because of this they suffer very few limitations, but they still may learn no spell of higher level than twice their ranks in Spirit Lore.

 

12. Mysticism

(Me/Pr/Varies by Sub-Discipline, see below)

An eclectic discipline believed to have been introduced by the Toth millennia ago as an option for those who did not have the ability to draw arcane energies. Mysticism actually is composed of four separate disciplines, each of which may be learned for the varying costs in development points. (See the section on learning magic skills for an explanation of the DP costs for learning additional magical skills.) The four disciplines are:

Self-Control: (SD) In this initial discipline the mystic learns to control his own mind.

Body-Control: (SD) In this discipline the mystic learns to control his own body.

Mind-Control: (Em) In this discipline the mystic learns to control the minds of others.

Anicca: (In) In this discipline the mystic learns the world is an illusion and learns how to force change upon the illusion.

Mystic Variants: (Varies - Most typically SD) There are a number of variant mystic paths that have been developed over the centuries. Each variant is unique and usually open only to members of the order or group that espouses its teachings. Spells available to these variants are typically highly specialized and limited in number. Examples of these specialties are the trained Armsmen of the Tarnheld and Mishi no Sutaka, the Navigators of Vartillia and the fabled Zinjo Monks. These variants are almost exclusively available to semi-spell casters and there are special rules for learning them in the section detailing the game mechanics of learning the various skills and in the descriptions of each group.

A true student of Mysticism would never have any area developed to a higher rank than they have in Self-Control and Anicca may never be developed any higher than the mystic’s rank in Body-Control or Mind-Control, which ever is higher. (Note that certain spells in the Anicca discipline require certain ranks in Body-Control or Mind-Control before they can be learned or cast.) Over the centuries a number of variant teachings have developed to fit cultures where true Mysticism was a bit out of place. The best known of these schools is devoted to the development of a warrior ideal forsaking much of the other abilities of Mysticism. Another less known school has developed the use of the cards popularly used in fortune telling as a focus for the Anicca discipline. These and other schools are described under the full treatment of Mysticism. There are also an astounding variety of minor charms known to the peoples throughout Whent. Nearly all are derivations of the teachings of the long forgotten Toth.

All Mystics are limited by their skill in Meditation. They also have limitations based on which of the four Mysticism Forming arts they are using and/or as detailed in the separate section on Mystic Variants. The skills limiting this area vary greatly due to the broad effects of the spells cast under to various areas of Mysticism. Limits will vary based on the type and effects of the spell being cast as determined by the GM.

13. Naturalist

(Me/Pr/Em)

Masters of the wilds naturalists are often more at home with plants and animals than with others of their own race. Control over and communication with plants and animals are the naturalist’s forte. Some weather magics are at the Naturalists beck and call and their knowledge of the ways of the wilds is unparalleled. Most naturalists are capable herbalists as well. Many also are skilled in areas such as Meduimship, Healer, and Physician as well.

Note: This skill is wholly encompassed under the Arcane Magic Skill "The Prime Path". All spells in this area can be cast by one knowledgeable in the Prime Path without the need to learn naturalism and at the same skill level as they have in the Prime Path. Naturalists who discover an aptitude for Arcane Drawing may gain two ranks in the Prime Path for every level they purchase until their ability (ranks) in Prime Path equals or exceeds their ability (ranks) in naturalism.

Naturalists have varying limitations based on the effects of the spell they are casting. Flora Lore and Fauna Lore are the principle limiters. All castings of 5^th level or greater that have any effect on weather require knowledge of Weather Watching to twice the level of the spell due to the complex nature of weather and weather magics. Other skills, particularly those in the Outdoor Environmental category, should be used as appropriate for individual spells.

 

14. Necromancy

(Me/Pr/In)

Hated and feared by nearly all the necromancer deals with death, dying, spirits of the dead, and the re-animation of the dead. Without full access to the spirit plane nor access to the plane of the unlife a necromancer’s power is severely limited. The higher level and most powerful spells of necromancy are available only to those with such access. It is this which leads to the downfall of most necromancers for those with mundane drawing abilities only often succumb to the invitation of the darker powers who are eager to grant such access – for a small price! Rare is the necromancer who, upon seeing his approaching extinction, can resist the siren’s call of power and immortality.

Unsurprisingly Undead Lore is the primary limiting skill for Necromancers. Additionally Spirit Lore limits some Necromantic spells and anatomy is required when creating the various animated corpses. Fortunately for the aspiring Necromancer animated bodies do not require the precision necessary when working with live bodies. Each rank in Anatomy contributes two effective levels when applied to the necromantic arts.

15. Physician

(Me/Pr/Em)

Although the results are very similar the approach of the physician and healer are very different. Where a healer is adept at healing themselves (and through Divine Grace or arcane ability taking upon themselves the hurts of others) they do so largely ignorant of exactly how they manage the task. Physicians on the other hand know exactly what they are doing and use their magics to assist them in their work and accelerate healing. Physicians are much more common than healers largely due to the fact that they are more useful (being able to heal anyone, not just themselves) and do not require the fairly rare combination of intuition and hardiness necessary in a healer who would heal others. Physicians often have knowledge of alchemy, herbalism and/or magic crafting as well.

This forming skill, while not quite so restrictive as Alchemy or Magic Crafting, has a large number of limiting skills. First Aid and Anatomy limit all skills. Additionally the total ranks in Diagnostics, Second Aid and Surgery must equal or exceed the level of the spell to avoid penalties. Lastly, when casting any spell over 10^th level the Physician must have ranks in Diagnostics and Second Aid or Surgery (whichever is most appropriate) equal or greater than half the level of the spell (round up) to avoid penalties.

16. Runist

(Me/Pr/Re)

Runists are masters of the written word, using magical signs and symbols to focus their magic. In some respects similar to the Conjurer the Runist similarly borders on the line between pure pattern magic and ritualistic magic. Unlike the Conjurer the Runist understands the meaning of the signs and symbols he creates. Wards, Carved Symbols, Magically En-runed paper, all are the purview of the skilled Runist.

A knowledge intensive art the forming of runic spells is limited by Symbol Lore, Warding Lore, Rune Lore, Glyph Lore and Circle Lore as appropriate for each given spell. Additionally the physical skill associated with the making of the runic mark must also equal or exceed the spell level. These physical skills often include Stone Carving, Calligraphy, Painting and others. The player should discuss with the GM appropriate skills for each spell.

17. Sorcery

(Me/Pr/In)

Nothing good can be said of the practice of sorcery! Sorcery is the calling of the creatures and energies of the infernal planes. Nothing more and nothing less! Those with the arcane talent can access these planes just like any other, but even the gods can not grant access through divine drawing. Without the arcane talent only an infernal pact can grant access to these planes. Through these pacts the infernal lords use the sorcerers to work their malign will upon the prime plane, corrupting it to allow their minions easier access. News of an active sorcerer has been known to end wars as both sides unite to meet and destroy the greater evil. Powerful these practitioners are, but they stand alone with their masters against even those who others would call "evil".

This skill may be learned either in a scholastic manner or through signing a pact with an evil god, demon, or devil. Absent a pact the scholar of the Sorcerous arts is limited to their ranks in Demon & Devil Lore and must also have ranks in Planer Lore – the Nether Realms equal to half the level of the spell or more. Even with all this many spells available to the Sorcerer will be ineffective unless the full true name of the being is known. It those situations if the true name is not known the only possible outcome is failure. Only the magnitude of the failure is at question. Pacted Sorcerers, similar to practitioners of Witchcraft below, act as directed by their master. They need no other skill and often their masters prefer them to be as ignorant as possible. In these situations the master will give their servant the true names of those who are to be sent to assist the Sorcerer.

18. Spell Songs

(Me/Pr/Em)

One of the most versatile and well-loved areas of magic, spell singers are accepted nearly everywhere they may go. Call them bards, skalds, troubadours, or what have you these practitioners use song and music to shape magical energies into a variety of effects. It is commonly believed, among scholars of magic, that Spell Songs magic is another offshoot of Toth mysticism, perhaps under the influence of the elven peoples. An informal but strong bond links most of the practitioners of this art. A number of the more powerful spells are available to arcanists only, but a mundane spell singer is a force to be reckoned with nonetheless. There are a number of known arcanists who are adepts of this field and are well loved by nearly all. These are the only known non-priestly Arcanists who are generally excepted and not hunted or feared. Well mostly not hunted anyway. Al Hirza and a few other groups still would be more than happy to see them disappear and more than one assassin has been stopped just short of fulfilling their contract.

Not so surprisingly Spell Singers are limited by their ranks in either Singing or Play Instrument. Their ranks in one of these skills (the one with which they are going to attempt to invoke the spell) must equal or exceed the spell level. The intricacy of the higher level spells requires Spell Singers to have both Singing and Play Instrument equal to the level of the spell, or one of those skills developed to twice the level of the spell to avoid penalties.

 

19. Witchcraft

(Me/Pr/none)

What needs be said about this method of forming. A pact is absolutely necessary to cast any of the spells available to these practitioners. Only those bound body and soul to a dark power may progress in this field, those who have willingly and willfully bowed their neck and assumed the mantle of eternal slavery in exchange for power in their lifetime. A strong art capable of corrupting both the wielder and target a proficient practitioner can be devastatingly effective across a wide range of circumstances. There are, of course, some simple but powerful counters to a witch’s spell powers but they are powerful and feared none-the-less. Much like the Sorcerer these practitioners are hated and feared and, when there is hope of success, hunted to their deaths. For this reason many witches make every attempt to hide the source of their powers.

Note: These are the classical witches of fable. I fully acknowledge that witchcraft as it is most often practiced today is nothing like that described above and no offense is intended. Hey, it is a game! J

So far as the masters of these pacted spell casters are concerned ignorance is bliss – or at the very least much less threatening. Practitioners of Witchcraft may be both intelligent and cunning, but when it comes to casting spells they just do what their master told them to do. There are no skills limiting the casting of Witchcraft spells.

 

10. Arcane Forming Skills

The various skills associated with forming arcane energies are named for the planes from which the energies they are forming are drawn. Each plane outside the prime has a fairly unique focus and the spells formed from those energies are limited to effects associated with that plane. Each skill is called a "Path" since use of that skill requires knowledge of the path through which the arcanist can reach the particular plane and pull energy through to their location. All of these skills are limited in that the arcanist can not have more ranks in a particular path than he has in the Lore – Obscure skill of Plane Lore <plane name>. Note that this is a change in that Plane Lore is now an Obscure Lore rather than a Magical Lore. Arcanists may choose one Plane Lore skill to make everyman. Any opposing plane is classed as restricted and all others are normal. There are a number of spells that are unfocussed and may be cast using energy drawn from any plane. These spells may be learned and cast by any arcanist.

All arcane practitioners’ ECLs are limited by their rank in Power Perception as well as by the following skills specific to each type of Forming.

Note: Possession of the Archmage Ability talent lowers the progression of ranks gained in the skill of Power Perception from "Restricted" to "Normal".

 

0. Path of the Elements

(Me/Pr/In)

The process of drawing and forming the energies of the elemental planes is nearly identical for all the various elemental planes. A mage need only learn this one skill to form elemental magics. (Although he is limited to using the number of ranks in the "Path of the Elements" that he has in the appropriate Plane – Lore skill.) The prime elements are Air, Earth, Fire, and Water. Light and Dark are considered quasi-elemental planes contiguous with the planes of Life and Unlife respectively. These planes are more difficult to manipulate than the purer elemental planes and suffer penalties. Similar Penalties accrue when attempting to manipulate energies from para-element planes such as lightning, etc… It is common for Elementalists to specialize in the manipulation of a particular plane’s energies. The Elementalist gains a bonus when doing so making him much more effective. More than any other arcanist the attitudes of Elementalists vary greatly. The practicality of many of the elemental magics also has allowed many Elementalists to find sanctuary with various members of the nobility, particularly with nobles trying to counter an aggressive, expansionist church or neighboring noble.

The ECL of these practitioners is limited to their ranks in the appropriate Planer Lore skill. Each Plane is a separate skill and must be learned separately.

1. The Infinite Path

(Me/Pr/In)

These practitioners use the energy of the infinite alternate prime planes, drawing them through, and reform then in a replica of what they were on the other plane. The power of the magics of these Illusionists lies in the fact that they do not have to create and hold an illusion in their own mind (as a mystic would when using the Mind-Control or Anicca disciplines). Instead these arcanists draw energy from the real scene, depicting exactly what they want, from the alternate prime material plane where it is real. After drawing the energy through the illusionist allows it to re-form, projecting the scene from the alternate prime over the real prime. At high levels these arcanists use the alternate primes and the law of Sympathy to effect True Changes. Rare in the extreme no one has seen a Grey Mage in centuries. This path may have died out for lack of teachers to train new arcanists.

The ECL of these practitioners is limited to the lower of their ranks in Sense Reality or Planer Lore – Alternate Primes.

Note: Planer Lore – Alternate Primes is a restricted skill for all classes. This skill may be bought down to a normal skill through a talent or via the free skill modifiers available to each spell casting class.

2. The Path of Life

(Me/Pr/In)

Directly opposed to the Path of Unlife this path has the smallest membership of all the active paths. (The Infinite Path having apparently died out and the Path of the Word merely an unsubstantiated rumor.) White Mages draw their energies from the plane of life and have very strong connections with life, death, creation, creativity, and growth. These arcanists are usually the epitome of "good" which lends itself to them having rather short life expectancies. Black Mages generally enjoy maneuvering young White Mages into positions where they have to die to save others. Only the best of the young White Mages survive this gauntlet. However, those that do survive to develop real power are very intelligent, very powerful and very good. Black Mages generally never challenge older White Mages knowing that those arcanists are crafty enough to get out of damn near any situation and that if they leave the arcanist alone he will be too busy to cause any trouble for the Black Mage. White Mages strive to keep their abilities from the common people not out of worry that they will be attacked and killed, but rather out of the desire to avoid getting bogged down in "petty" evils. It is not that they are blind to them, it is that they are very much aware of what true evil exists and how much harm could result if they took time away from combating the true evils to right some petty wrong. They are often students of prophecy and divination using it to try to get the jump on potential evil and aid potential good.

The ECL of these practitioners is limited to the lower of their ranks in Cleansing Trance or Planer Lore – Life.

3. The Prime Path

(Me/Pr/In)

More commonly called Naturalists or Green Magi these Arcanists draw on the energies that form the prime plane. Since these energies are ever present these arcanists are by far the most common practitioners of Arcane Magics. Since the prime is the confluence of all the other planes the magics that a Naturalist can work are vast and varied when compared to other arcane magics. They are also generally less capable of direct power. The relative ease with which naturalist energies may be drawn and formed more than compensate for this in the minds of the majority of Naturalists. Fully 80% or more of the arcanists on Whent have specialized in the naturalist field.

The ECL of these practitioners is limited to their ranks in Planer Lore – Prime. These practitioners also are limited in the same manner as Naturalists with the exception that, assuming their Planer Lore – Prime equals or exceeds the spell level, they need only have ranks in any other controlling skill (Flora Lore, Fauna Lore, etc.…) equal to half the level of the spell to avoid penalties.

 

4. Path of the Unlife

(Me/Pr/In)

These practitioners draw energy from the black plane directly opposed to the plane of life. The magics of this plane are obviously harmful to life and have a strong association with entropy. (Note: Death is associated with the plane of Life. You can not have death without life. There is no life on the plane of Unlife; therefore there can be no death. Any living being travelling to the plane of Unlife is gone. Not dead, gone. No soul, no body, no resurrection – ever. Not even the gods can help.) Spell effects associated with this plane are darkness, mind control, and mental damage. It is in direct contact with the Ethereal or Spirit plane and so also deals with the undead. Practitioners of this art are commonly referred to as Black Mages and are typically self-centered power hungry egomaniacs. They are also usually very intelligent and are masters of intrigue and subtlety. There are exceptions of course. Some few are tempted into bargaining with the infernal planes – occasionally they are successful. Just often enough to keep others trying.

The ECL of these practitioners is limited to the lesser of their ranks in Planer Lore – Unlife.

Note: Planer Lore – Unlife is a restricted skill for all classes. This skill may be bought down to a normal skill through a talent or via the free skill modifiers available to each spell casting class. One who actively pursues skill in the Forming of Unlife will find learning this skill becoming easier as they progress. Every ten levels of Forming Unlife that the practitioner gains makes this skill one class easier to learn. (Restricted to Normal to Everyman to Occupational.)

11. On Learning Patterns

Patterns are the structures that the various practitioners of the magical arts form out of the Principle they have drawn. Each pattern invokes a unique effect when it is released. The end result is what is referred to as a spell or a casting. When a lay person talks of learning a "spell" the educated mage knows he is truly speaking of learning the Pattern that will invoke a particular magical effect. While they may use the term spell or spell casting in common company, amongst other practitioners only an uneducated fool would fail to use the more proper terms Pattern and Pattern Forming!

Patterns are learned individually and separately from the Forming skill that is used to create them. Generally practitioners may learn Patterns associated with Forming skills they have been trained in. Practitioners may learn any Pattern of any level, of course it will be much harder to learn Patterns beyond their level of understanding and even harder to properly form them. See the section on Development Point costs for the game mechanics of learning Patterns.

Note that knowledge of various Patterns is the richest coin among those pursuing the magical arts. While some basic spells are available on a nearly universal basis many are unavailable except to members of particular cultures, guilds, organizations and the like. Younger practitioners often eagerly seek service with more experienced mages in the hope of gaining some of the more obscure and powerful spells older mages often have tucked away. GMs should not allow unfettered access to spells. Certain spells would be made available to apprentices. There after all spells must be earned. Remember no one "researches" new spells. They must learn the new Pattern from another mage, a written work, or from some other magic-worker. On the other hand if they do manager to gain access to a fairly unique spell they may look forward to other mages seeking them out to obtain knowledge of the Pattern. Of course most organizations that grant Pattern training to their members require that they not teach those Patterns to anyone outside of their organization…

1. Limitations on Spell Casting

 

1. How Many Spell Do I Know?

To learn a spell Development points must be spent to learn the spell as outlined above. Under the standard Rolemaster rules once you have learned a spell it is yours to cast whenever and where ever you would like. It is not quite that easy under these rules. Every spell caster has a list of Known Spells, Recallable Spells, and Studiable Spells from which to draw. Additionally casters may cast spells directly from a magical text even if they have never learned the spell. (I.e. never spend Development Points to learn it.)

1. Known Spells

Known Spells are those spells the caster knows intimately and can cast at a moment's notice. These spells are cast as one would a normal Rolemaster spell with no other requirements. A caster may "Know" the number of spells in each area of magic as determines by the following formula:

# of Known Spells = ECL + the # of ranks the caster has in Mnemonics.

The number of Known Spells may never exceed the caster's Memory stat plus the number of ranks possessed in Mnemonics.

2. Recallable Spells

Recallable Spells are those spells the caster has a very good knowledge of, but requires a few moments to recall the details and may not cast them "off-the-cuff" as he may with his Known Spells. To recall a particular spell the caster must succeed in a Very Hard (-20) Mnemonics static maneuver to recall the spell. Such spells are considered "carefully committed to memory" and gain the +30 for being so. The caster may gain +10 to the roll for every three consecutive rounds spent in "preparation". The maximum modifier that may be gained in this manner is +50 and preparation rounds require 100% activity. A successful Meditation maneuver prior to the Mnemonics attempt will lower the difficulty to Medium (+0). Like Known Spells there is a limit to the number of Recallable Spells a Mage may have. That limit is found through the following formula:

# of Recallable Spells = 2*(ECL + #of ranks in Mnemonics)

The number of Recallable Spells may never exceed the caster's Memory stat plus twice their number of ranks in Mnemonics. Recallable spells may be moved into a Known slot after a successful Meditation maneuver lasting 10 minutes per spell level. Assuming the caster's Known Spell slots are all full he may choose which spell to move into the vacated Recallable slot.

3. Studiable Spells

Studiable Spells are those that the caster has learned through the expenditure of DPs but exceed their ability to Know or Recall. Such spells, indeed all of a caster's spells, are commonly retained in what the lay person refers to as a spell book. A caster may move a Studiable Spell into a Known or Recallable slot after one hour of study per level of the spell after which he may cast it under the rules for Known and Recallable spells. Assuming the caster's available Known and Recallable slots are full the caster may choose any spell to discard in order to free up the desired slot. The discarded spell becomes Studiable thereafter. There is no limit to the number of Studiable Spells a caster may have.

4. Casting From Tomes

Casters who have skill in the appropriate Forming art may cast spells directly from Tomes containing spell descriptions even in the case where they have never "learned" the spell. In order to do so the caster must study the tome for six hours plus 2 hours per level of the spell to be cast. At the completion of study the caster may attempt to cast the spell immediately (within 15 minutes) thereafter. When casting the spell the caster will cast the spell at half of his ECL and will have cast at -20 to his Spell Casting Static Maneuver in addition to any other penalties. If successful the caster may choose to place the spell immediately into his Studiable Spell list. If he chooses to do so the DP cost must be paid immediately upon gaining his next level, prior to spending DPs on any other skill(s).

 

2. Magical Fetishes

A major limitation on Mundane magic is the necessity that in order to invoke any sort of change the caster must nearly always have something that will act as a focus for the spell. These focuses are called Fetishes. Fetishes may be permanent, like a Harp used by a Bard, or very impermanent, like the herbs used by a Herbalist. Most spells do not require that the fetish be a particular item and it is usually not required that they have any magical properties, but GMs should insure that the item used is appropriate. Particularly appropriate of inappropriate fetishes should result in bonuses and penalties to the Spell Casting Static Maneuver. Complete lack of a fetish results in a minimum penalty of -50 to the Spell Casting Static Maneuver roll.

Example 1 - A Naturalist seeking to cast a spell that will allow him to temporarily assume the form of a wolf might use a necklace of wolf's teeth, a specially prepared wolf's skin, or touch a nearby wolf. All would fulfill the requirement of having a fetish.

Example 2 - Mediums, Fortune Tellers and others often focus most of their spells through a Crystal Ball.

Example 3 - Healers use their own body as a fetish for their magics while Physicians work through their bandages, ointments, scalpels, and the like.

3. Thou May Not Create!

The principle limitation is that no caster may create something from nothing. High Mages draw upon the energies and materials that compose the very planes themselves. Low Magic spells may only draw upon the energies and materials present at the time of the casting.

A good illustration of this is elemental spells. A Mundane caster may cast spells such as Earth Wall but such spells will take one round per level of the spell to form and will form only where sufficient material is present. (Mundane Iron Wall spells are vanishingly rare!) At the expiration of such spells the materials will flow back to their previous positions.

Note: The caster may not take the necessary material from any specific area. The material is drawn generally and evenly from the surroundings. Only the most powerful spells could cause damage to a structure, etc.… by drawing materials from around its base to erect a wall. Move Earth spells would be fully effective of course. Also of note is that while the material does flow back to its previous position (assuming a non-permanent wall) the disruption is obvious and those who have experienced such an effect before would likely be able to identify the disruption’s cause.

This limitation similarly effects the casting of ball and bolt type spells. Again no such spells may be cast without the appropriate material on hand. The material must be within one yard (meter) per caster’s effective level. Low Magic energy spells lack the "punch" that High Magic bolts and balls have since they are composed of mundane materials rather than the concentrated energies of the elemental planes. All energy spells cast via mundane magic that cause damage have their number of concussion hits halved and are –1 level to any critical rolled. (A criticals become –20 A crits.)

Note: When casting a mundane ball or bolt spell the caster must draw the material from a specific area and that material will be projected at the target. The material must be gathered together prior to the spell being cast since these spells lack the ability to gather materials prior to launching the attack. These spells will cause structural damage equal to twice the level of the spell. Fire Bolt spells will snuff out fires of campfire size and smaller and bonfires are necessary when casting Fireball spells. Shock and Lightning effects require appropriate circumstances or they may not be cast at all.

High Mages do not suffer these limitations when drawing energies from the appropriate plane nor is there any delay before the spell takes effect. Practitioners of the Prime Path and the Infinite Path draw mundane energies or substances to fuel their bolt and ball spells. When doing so they suffer the same penalties to damage and criticals that their Low Mage cousins suffer, however since they are drawing Arcane Principle it is their choice as to whether they use material from the local or summon it generally from throughout the plane. Note that High Mages do not have the choice of using any specific material from outside of the one-yard (meter) per caster’s effective level limit. They must choose either a specific material within range or from generally throughout the plane. Practitioners of the Path of the Elements suffer no penalties and automatically summon their materials from the appropriate elemental plane, as do practitioners of the Paths of Life and Unlife when casting their specific Bolts, Balls, Walls, etc.…

Conjurers are a special case, for they may summon items, etc.… from throughout the prime plane. These items may be general or specific depending on the spell cast. This extraordinary ability (for a mundane caster) comes with a cost. Conjurers require a minimum of one minute plus one round per level of the spell to invoke their spells. During this time they are forming the symbols and markings that make their art effective.

 

4. On the Creation of New Spells

New spells may be created only through the use of ritual magic. To the vast majority of the practitioners of the magical arts the discovery of a tome with a long-lost spell is an accomplishment without peer. Without knowledge of the appropriate ritual skills no new spells can be made. One must seek out a spell already developed or a Ritualist who is willing to develop the spell. Naturally the value of any spell book with fairly unique spells is astronomical to the right buyers. This limitation applies to both mundane and arcane magics. A practitioner of divine magic could be granted a new spell after appropriate prayer, but only those of astounding piety have been so gifted and even then only after appropriate sacrifices and rarely even then. (Such a gifting would require the deity to both spend time as well as admit they hadn’t already provided their servants with all they have need of - something they are obviously loath to do.)

Alchemy & Magic Crafting: As mentioned these arts are on the borderline between pure spell casting and Ritualism. None-the-less they suffer from the same restrictions as the more typical Magic Forming skills. If they do not know a spell that will create the particular effect they desire they may not create such an item. Period. The most capable and lucky of these practitioners reach a pinnacle in their arts and, being lucky enough to attract the attention of one of the very few Ritualists, pursue knowledge of Ritualism. Tomes penned by these masters often contain pattern magics for unique and wondrous items and to call them highly sought after would be an understatement. Wars have been fought over such tomes and even the rumor of such is enough to create a frenzy of activity.

 

5. The Effects of Piety on Divine Spell Casters

I use Piety points that are equivalent to the Grace and Corruption points outlined in the section on Divine Status in the Channeling Companion beginning on page 15. I use the term Piety points to avoid confusion with Arcane Corruption and when dealing with agents of the various gods of evil. Grace and Corruption as they effect Divine Status are relative to the deity worshipped. A witch sworn to the demonic Mephisto who has served long and well and has gained 700 "Grace" points may well be considered one of the most corrupt beings known - so I use the term Piety points. Grace points are equivalent to positive Piety points and reflect a positive standing with one's god. Corruption points are equivalent to negative Piety points and reflect a poor standing with one's god.

As mentioned in the section on Divine Drawing those who are skilled in Divine Drawing add their Piety points directly to the total number of Divine Power Points on which they are able to draw upon to fuel their spells. As can be seen when considering the witch mentioned above a god's faithful are very well rewarded! Only the dragons of old or perhaps one of the ancient Toth mages could hope to equal to raw power available to the most pious of the divine servants. Of course those who serve somewhat less than faithfully will find their power lessened by the number of negative Piety points they have. REPENT!!

 

6. Pacts!

Possession of souls is the goal of every resident on the demonic planes. Yes they enjoy watching souls writhe in pain while they slowly consume them, but more importantly it is the only way they can have access to the prime plane! Long ago the Wanderer sealed the prime plane off from the depredations of the demonic hordes. No demon may bring him-self to this plane in the same manner that Mages travel from plane to plane. Oh they have the magical might to cast the spells, but the Wandering God's Wall stands firm, preventing their access.

….but they have found a way!

Souls. The soul of a creature of the prime can allow them access. With this discovery came the creation of the first pacts. A pact is an agreement between a mortal of the prime and a lord of the demonic realms whereby the mortal agrees to serve the demon on this plane in return for power and the ability to cast spell magics. As a sign of the mortal's commitment a tiny portion of his soul is given to the demon lord. This is the true goal of the demon lord. Through control of the mortal and the access the soul shard gives them they seek to send their servants to discover a way to destroy the Wall. The power given to the mortals is, in most cases, quite real, serving to empower the mortal, assist it in achieving the demon's goals (and the mortal's of course), and enticing others to enter servitude.

7. Optional Rules

I allow characters to, over the course of time, change their professions. The rules are fairly exhaustive but the basics are that each profession has a number of essential skills. When a character has more ranks in the essential skills of a profession other than the one they are currently in their Development point costs and various bonuses change to that of the class they have more essential ranks in. This represents the character's changing focus. I am not going to include the rules I use for this here, but due to the more ambiguous nature of the various types of spell casters described under these rules I would suggest the following for Pure and Hybrid Spell Casters.

At any time where a caster's number of ranks in their Second Forming skill equal 80% or more of their First Forming skill, and the number of ranks in their Third Forming skill equal 60% or more of their First Forming skill I would rule that the character must be a Hybrid Caster. At any time where a caster's Second Forming skill is not within 70% of their First Forming skill and their Third Forming Skill is not within 50% of their First Forming skill I would require them to use the costs and bonuses of the Pure Spell Casting profession. For a more accurate picture you may want to include the number of spells known in each Forming art as well.

As I allow changing professions I also allow (require) the DP costs and casting bonuses for the various Forming skills to change based on the character's focus. At all times the Forming skills are assigned DP costs based upon the total of their ranks in the Forming skill plus the number of spells known in that area. A character may say they are a Healer to make it easier to be more capable of healing themselves, but if they wind up with more ranks in Divination then Divination gets the lower DP costs and higher spell casting bonus. It requires a small amount of bookkeeping, but it is worthwhile in my opinion.

With both of these options if they involve similar skills use the average of the similar skills and compare that to the total ranks of the other Forming skills.

 

3. The Magic of Ritualism

1. The Basic Divisions of the Ritual Casting Skill.

There are eight basic classes for the Power Manipulation skill of Magic Ritual. These Basic Classes are Mind, Body, Soul, Creations, Imbuing, Elemental, Gating, and Essænce Cræfting. Most of these classes are further divided into sub-classes, all of which are skills that must be developed individually. The basic classes and their sub-divisions are described below.

1. Mind

Rituals of the mind are divided into Internal and External rituals, each of which must be developed separately. This class, rather obviously, involves the manipulation of the mind of the target.

1. The Mind - Internal

This subclass is devoted to the manipulation of the ritualist’s own mind. Probably the most often used rituals are those associated with increasing the ritualist’s ability to comprehend and assimilate information, but the application of this skill is actually quite varied. This skill also allows the user to protect his or her own mind from assaults, as well as ignoring pain and the like. Through the use of this skill the ritualist may communicate mind to mind with others capable of telepathy.

2. The Mind - External

This subclass allows the skilled ritualist to manipulate the minds of others for good or for ill. It is in this field that we most often find those who read, manipulate, and control others thoughts and actions, but the kindly arts of truth saying and healing of the diseases of the mind also fall within its purview. This subclass also allows the use of telepathy between the ritualist and those unskilled in mind communion.

2. Body

Rituals of the Body also are divided into Internal and External branches. This class involves the manipulation of the physical being of a living creature.

1. The Body - Internal

This subclass is devoted to the manipulation of the ritualist’s own body. Some of the most skilled warriors, martial artists, and athletes are masters of the manipulation of their body. Such talents as self-healing, hasting, and changing the physical structure of the body are possible within this subclass.

2. Body - External

Similar to the Mind class above, the Body - External subclass of rituals allows the ritualist to use the same talents developed in the Body - Internal subclass, but on other creatures. Healing others, warping the bodies of others, even wounding others, all are possible in this subclass.

3. Soul

The last skill divided into Internal and External subclasses is that of casting rituals of the soul. Acting directly on the immortal soul this skill is often considered the most powerful, but it is much harder to learn.

1. The Soul - Internal

This subclass is the rarest of those learned. Practitioners of this art know their soul to be a fortress and work hard to insure it remains unassailable. Protection, purification, and healing of one's soul are the basic skills of this subclass. Projection of one’s soul outside of one’s body, (always accompanied with the mind of course), is perhaps the supreme art of this subclass.

2. The Soul - External

This subclass of soul rituals is the medium used by both the darkest and the most pure of those throughout the multiverse. The subclass is further divided into SE-Corporate and SE-Discorporate.

1. SE-Corporate

Focussing on acting upon souls tied to living tissue this subclass is known for their talents for the evocation of emotion and exorcism. It must be noted that the emotions evoked through this art are blind unreasoned emotions. (Only through the use of the Mind - External skill could a rational basis for some emotion be established.) This skill may also be used in conjunction with SE-Discorporate to corrupt a soul of a living being in preparation for using the soul for the creation of some of the more powerful undead.

2. SE-Discorporate

It is this area of magic which is both most feared and most revered. At it’s most powerful it allows the rejoining of souls to the bodies of the deceased – and the utter destruction of a soul. Raising of many of the undead, and protection of the souls of the innocent belong within this powerful subclass.

4. Creations

Appropriately named, this class deals with the creation of an object from its base components. Note: neither this skill nor any other skill allows for the creation of something from nothing. If the basic components are not present the ritualist must combine this skill with the appropriate Gating skill to bring the materials to hand. This class is also subdivided into Creations – Inorganic, and Creations – Organic.

1. Creations – Inorganic

This is the base skill that all wishing to use Creations rituals must learn. Using this skill the ritualist may purify a base metal, raise a castle, or anything in between. Use of this skill is heavily dependent upon other skills the ritualist has in the appropriate areas. (E.g. – swordsmithing if a sword is to be "created".)

2. Creations – Organic

This skill is much less common. It is usually used to "create" plants, herbs, and foodstuffs. Creation of the composite beasts of legend was almost certainly accomplished through the use of these rituals, but such is currently beyond the comprehension of all but the gods.

5. Imbuing

Listed here as a separate Class, there are many that would argue it is mearly a subclass of Creations. We leave such matters to the learned sages who, by measure of the number of volumes they have written on this subject, undoubtedly have little else to do! This class differs from that of Creations in that it is the skill of imbuing a magical talent within an existing object. This class also has two major subdivisions, Imbuing – Fetishes and Imbuing – Artifacts.

1. Imbuing - Fetishes

This is the skill of imbuing, within objects, talents of limited duration. From the laboratories of these ritualists come the potions and powders most are familiar with. From such also come the temporary, and un-rechargable, runes, wands, and such.

2. Imbuing – Artifacts

Here we have the much more involved skill of imbuing objects with talents of a permanent nature. Ranging from rune paper, wands, and the like, that may be easily recharged, to the swords, staves, and armor of the Kings and wizards of legend this skill allows the creation of true power within items.

6. Gating

This skill is also divided into two subdivisions, Intra-Planer and Inter-Planer.

1. Intra-Planer

By far the most common, and the easiest to learn, Intra-Planer Gating is that skill which allows the ritualist to longdoor, teleport, and apport by creating "doors" between locations on the same plane. It is also this skill used by many seers who scry distant locations by opening "windows" in the fabric of reality, (actually a combination of Mind and Gating covered later).

 

2. Inter-Planer

This type of Gating is harder to learn, harder to effect, and hideously draining of the ritualist’s Essænce. Most often used for travel or combined with another skill to "summon" various creatures.

7. Elemental

Elemental magic possesses the greatest number of subclasses, the most common of which are presented here. It should be noted that combining the effects of two or more of these subclasses often has an effect much greater than its sum. Those who would experiment beware!

1. Dark

– a force of entropy closely related to both earth and water. Dark is most aptly summed up with the word "Absence".

2. Light

– A force of energy closely related to both Air and Fire. It should be noted that both Light and Dark are neutral forces with no true association with evil or good.

3. Air

– Wind and flight are the principal uses of this element.

4. Earth

– Nurturing as well as destroying Earth is both a potent force for building as well as for war.

5. Fire

– The bolt of fire is a force every aspiring wielder of the arts arcane has held in their heart. It must also be remembered that fire also protects and warms, and it makes our very civilization possible!

6. Water

– Often overlooked water is quiet and possesses the patience of ages. It is perhaps supreme among the elements, quashing fire out of hand, relentlessly tearing at the earth, and unaffected by Air, Dark or Light.

8. Essænce Cræfting

The final class of ritual is that of direct manipulation of the forces of magic themselves – that is the direct manipulation of Essænce. For all except Arcane users this is the hardest of the classes to learn. This class of ritual allows its user to dispel magics, buttress spells to make them resistant to magic, to see magical forces, and to prevent others from seeing them.

 

 

 

2. On Learning and Employing Ritual Magics.

When casting a ritual the ritualist is limited to the lesser of his or her ranks in the Ritual Magic skill or the appropriate limiting skill. Meditation limits Mind–Internal, Psychology/Lie Detection /Seduction limits, as appropriate, Mind – External, Cleansing Trance limits Soul – Internal, Artifact Lore limits Imbuing, Essænce Cræfting is limited to half the ritualist’s ranks in Spell Lore, or equal to his ranks in Arcane Lore, (assuming he can find someone to teach the skill), etc... Ritual Lore – Creation is a special case. The ritualist may "create" nothing he or she does not know how to make themselves or has a "template" for. The GM must adjudicate whether the ritualist has the necessary skill, and the level of skill will determine the quality of the item produced. A template may be substituted for the skill in which case the "creation" is a duplicate of the template – although the ritualist may vary the dimensions. [A long forgotten group of Animists were called the "Amber Mages" for their routine of preserving herbs in amber to act as a template for this kind of "creation".] Lastly other skill such as Rune Lore and Undead Lore may act as limiters as the GM determines. The limiting skill can and should vary with the effect the ritualist wants to achieve. If rituals were an easy way to become an "Omni-mage" they would be much more common. It is suggested that ALL rituals be limited to corresponding ‘Lores’ or ‘Research’ skills, or be cast from a ‘recipe’ of sorts such as the caster may find in a Tome of Rituals. The above list is by no means complete and can, and should, vary according to the focus of the caster and the GM's preferences.

Further limitations are applied with respect to learning Gating, Creations and Imbuing. The first of these, Gating, is limited in that the ranks in Inter-Planer may never exceed the ranks in Intra-Planer. Creations is limited in that no skill in Organic may be developed until 5 ranks have been developed in Inorganic. Similarly Imbuing requires 5 ranks in Fetish before any ranks in Artifact may be developed. This basic knowledge is needed to lay the groundwork for the application of the relatively more advanced skills.

Both the Mind and the Body skills have virtually identical effects in both their Internal and External subclasses. While a ritualist skilled in the Internal subclass may never successfully project the effects of the ritual to simulate an External effect, a ritualist skilled in the External subclass MAY attempt to effect themselves with a ritual. In such circumstances the ritualist suffers a –50 to her success roll and failure results are determined as per the Extraordinary Failure Roll rules.

Developed long before the separation of magic into the three Schools we know today rituals, at their most effective level, are properly Arcane and involve the direct manipulation of the Essænce. While the separation of magic into the three schools allowed spells to be learned more easily, (and by those incapable of wielding the forces of the primal Essænce), practitioners of these schools suffer from an inability to cast some rituals, and a harder time learning others. These restrictions are outlined below.

 

1. Arcane Users:

Suffering from the least restrictions, Arcane users may perform any of the known rituals. Additionally, due to the more controlled nature of rituals, Arcane users suffer no negative modifiers to their casting of Arcane magics when they do so via ritual, and their chance of corruption is half normal, (i.e. the same as for other users of magic). (Ritual casting is by far the safest method for casting Arcane magics. It is by this means that the ancient, Arcane using, forces for good have avoided corruption. The time needed to cast these magics is also the reason they do not act more overtly.) On the other hand, should an Arcane user attempt to cast a ritual in less than the indicated time, (see Essence Companion section 9.0), the chance for corruption returns to the same as for normal spell casting. An additional penalty of –60 is applied to the roll to represent the primal nature of the Essænce when drawn quickly. This penalty is in addition to all others.

 

2. Non-Arcane Users:

 

 

 

3. Rituals Involving Multiple Ritual Classes

The most spectacular and the most enduring effects accomplished through Ritual Magic are the product of combining multiple ritual classes to achieve a result a single class could not achieve alone. In such a case the lesser of the RM skills used applies when rolling to determine success and an additional penalty of –10 per RM skill used applies.

Two of the most common effects invoked though ritual magic are the various Scrying spells and most uses of the Creations class. These two classes are used as examples for the combining of ritual classes.

 

 

1. Scrying

A fairly simple effect achieved most commonly through the application of Mind – Internal and Gating skills in combination. The ritualist, assuming she rolls a success using the lower of her Mind – Internal and the appropriate Gating skill, opens a pinpoint "window". This window is a wormhole between the sensory center of her brain and the location she wishes to scry. Infinitely small nothing may pass through this window except her mental energy, (and the mental energy of anyone who senses her and can attack mentally!). Greater skill in BOTH disciplines may allow her to hold the window open longer, or open it on a different plane, or open it at a different time, or extend more senses through the window. All are possible. It is also possible for those of great skill in the Gating class to merely open a large window and hold it open and used their senses to experience whatever was occurring in the area without using any skill in the Mind class. Of course the energies necessary to hold such a window open are prohibitive, not to mention that the window would be obvious to all and anyone could step through, etc… A skilled practitioner of Soul – Internal may choose to forgo both options and withdraw his soul and mind from his body and travel to the location he wishes to view in that manner. No one way is the right way, but the first is commonly considered the safest way.

2. Creation

We have mentioned the need to Gate in material to create any item the ritualist may wish to create but does not have at hand. There are two ways the ritualist may do this. If the ritualist knows how to make the item in question and thereby knows exactly what materials are needed he may gate them in using Gating. (See the discussion on gating to determine where the material comes from, etc…) This is the safest way and allows the ritualist to cast two separate rituals at full ranks in both skills with no penalty. When the ritualist does not know what is needed he must have a template and gate in the materials as he creates the item. This is the most common application of these skills and, as iterated above, the ritualist must roll against the lesser of the two skills –10 to determine his success.

 

4. Rituals and the Gods

In general followers of the various gods do not perform "Rituals". While a god’s followers may be required to perform ritualistic actions before the god will allow the effects of a spell to manifest. These are not rituals in the sense that the caster performs the actions to mold the energies to his or her will. The caster is performing the actions in order to "purchase", in a sense, the finished product.

The two main exceptions on this are where the "god" worshipped does not exist as an entity, (dead but still worshipped, a philosophy is the object of worship – animists, Buddhists, Unlife, etc…), and where specifically required by the god, (god of magic, of self-reliance, etc…

(This reflects my views of the whole cleric-god relationship. I also do not allow Clerics to develop Spell Mastery skills either. How could they improve upon the gods' creation? Even the thought is blasphemy. I do allow the Clerics to pray for different variations on spells, but it is a long process where they have to show their piety as well as the justification for the modification. OTOH once the variation is granted they may use it at will without having to make SM rolls!)

4. Why I did it & Credit where Credit is Due!

1. Why?

The rules above compose a variant system for magic use under the Rolemaster™ rules. As far as role-playing system mechanics go Rolemaster stands head and shoulders above the crowd it my opinion. Nothing of course is perfect! One area that I have always felt had room for improvement is the system for spell casting and magic use. Recognizing that there as many opinions as there are individuals I have always found the spell list system to be awkward, mechanical and somewhat stiltifying. The rules above were developed principly to correct that "fault" and incidentally to interject a tone for magic and magic use more evocative of the type of game I enjoy.

 

2. Credit Where Credit is Due!

First and foremost the Rolemaster system and its developers get two big thumbs up. None of us would be able to enjoy our favorite system if they had not done all the hard work. ICE's dissolution … well it sucks. I get a bad taste in my mouth every time I look at my leather bound collection of Tolkien's works. In any event everything here is based on the Rolemaster system - so it has to be good, right?

Second, if anyone out there has played Dangerous Journeys you will no doubt recognize that most of the classifications of magic have been derived from that system. Changes, modifications, and additions have been made, but the inspiration to introduce a bunch of skills to invoke magic was born from reading and re-reading that game. The break down of magic into Arcane, Divine and Mundane came from mixing Rolemaster and Dangerous Journeys, and Mr. Gygaxx's idea for limiting spells known was stellar in my opinion.

Two other game systems and my constant rereading of them had some part in these rules. Palladium and Ysgarth both left kernels of good ideas in my mind. Palladium played a bigger part in the development of my gaming world, but managed to worm its way into the magic rules. The Runist arts derive in large part from the fun I had playing a Diabolist-Summoner in the Palladium World. Ysgarth was my inspiration for developing a mechanism to allow (and force) characters who spent the time and effort in areas outside their normal professional skills to change to the appropriate profession. The races and priestly groups in my world also gained immesurabely from my reading through Ysgarth

Okay, lastly my thanks to everyone on the Rolemaster List and at the Guild Companion. Over the last few years reading over what everyone had to say has kept me thinking about RM and working on it even through the dark years without anyone to play face-to-face games. I am sure a number of you will gleefully critique these rules, pulling them apart piece by piece - and they will be the better for it!

Comments and critiques are welcome from all who read this. You may reach me at:

aranmull@nycap.rr.com

Thanks and Happy Gaming, Aran