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<html> |
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<head> |
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<title>Crossfire Playerbook - Chapter 4</title> |
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</head> |
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<body> |
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<h1>Magic System</h1> |
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<h2><a name="4.1.0">Description</h2> |
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Two broad categories of magic exist in <em>Crossfire</em> : ``wizardry '' and |
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``divine magic ''. The fundamental difference between the two comes |
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down to the source that powers the magic of each. |
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<p> |
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In divine magic the practitioners, ``priests'', do not use their own power |
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but rather channel power from divine entities (``gods''). They utilize |
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various ``prayers'' to cast their magic and grace is the measure |
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of how much magic the priest may channel. The higher the |
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level of the priest and the better his wisdom and power, the more |
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grace the priest will have in the eyes of his god. |
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In the practice of wizardry a ``wizard'' calls upon his own lifeforce |
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(or ``mana'') to power his arcane incantations. Mana |
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is based on of the wizard's innate power but may be increased through |
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his skill in wizardry . |
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<p> |
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The scope and sphere of these two magics are different. Through the use of |
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divine magic the priest has access to powerful spells of protection, |
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healing, and of slaying <em>unholy</em> creatures. (<em>Note</em> A ``spell'' |
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is a common name referring to both prayers and incantations.) |
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If the multiple gods |
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option is used (<em>Note:</em> this is the default), the god a priest worships |
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will have other impacts on the priest's magic and abilities (see section |
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<a href="chap4.html#4.3.0">multiple gods</a>). In contrast, wizardry is more oriented towards the |
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harnessing of elemental forces of creation, alteration and destruction. |
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There are two minor variants of wizardry : |
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<a href="chap4.html#4.4.0">alchemy</a> and <a href="chap4.html#4.5.0">rune magic</a>. |
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|
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<p> |
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Each form of magic is orthogonal to the other. In some <em>no magic</em> |
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areas, the wizard is blocked from accessing his store of mana, but the |
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priest may operate his magic normally. Similarly, there are <em>unholy</em> |
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areas in which the priest loses his contact with his god and cannot |
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cast magic; in unholy areas the wizard is unhindered. Of course, no |
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magic and unholy areas can sometimes coincide. |
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<p> |
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In addition, wizards |
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have the handicap that if they are encumbered with 'stuff', they are |
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less effective at incantations. Heavy weapons and |
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heavy armour are the main cause spell-failures. See the section |
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on <a href="chap6.html#6.3.0">encumberance</a> for details. |
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Weapons and armour have no effect on the practice of divine magic |
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but grace regenerates slower than mana, and the amount of grace |
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that a priest possesses helps to determine the success of their |
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prayers. <p> |
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|
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<h2><a name="4.10.0">Learning Spells</h2> |
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|
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Both types of spells may be learned by reading books (see section <a href="chap6.html#6.2.0">items</a>). The |
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overall chance of learning a spell uses the following formula:<p> |
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|
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<samp>% chance to learn = (base chance + (2 * level))/1.5<p></samp><p> |
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The base chance that a prayer/incantation will be learnt is based on WIS/INT |
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respectively. Look at table <a href="chap2.html#table_pri_eff">primary stat effects</a> to find your |
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<em>base</em> chance in the learn% column. If you are attempting to learn a |
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<em>prayer</em>, you would use your WIS stat to find the base chance. Likewise, |
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the <samp>level</samp> used in the formula is related to the type of spell. |
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If you are attempting to learn an incantation, the value of level to use |
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is your wizardry experience (and you use the praying experience level for |
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learning prayers. Once your chance to learn a spell exceeds 100%, you |
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always succeed in all attempts to learn spells.<p> |
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<h2><a name="4.2.0">Magic paths</h2> |
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Long ago a number of archmages discovered patterns in the web that spells |
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weave in the aether. They found that some spells had structural similarities |
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to others and some of the mages took to studying particular groups of spells. |
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These mages found that by molding their thought patterns to match the patterns |
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of the spells they could better utilize all the spells of the group. Because |
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of their disciplined approach, the mages were described as following spell |
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Paths. As they attuned themselves to particular spell Paths they found that |
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they would become repelled from others, and in some cases found they were |
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denied any access to some paths. The legacy of these mages remains in some |
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of the magical items to be found around the world. Use of these ``attuned'' |
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items will strongly effect the quality of the incantations and prayers cast by |
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the magician. See section <a href="chap4.html#4.3.0">multiple gods</a> to see how the worship of |
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a god might effect the spell casting of the magician. |
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<p> |
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<p> |
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<h4>Technical details</h2> |
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<p> |
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The Paths themselves are given in table <a href="#table_spath">spellpaths</a>. |
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<p> |
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A character (or NPC) that is attuned to a Path can cast incantations/prayers from that |
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Path at 80% of the mana/grace cost and in addition receives duration/damage |
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bonuses as if the caster were five levels higher. A person that is repelled |
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from a Path casts incantations/prayers from that Path |
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at 125% of the mana/grace cost and receives duration/damage bonuses as if |
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the caster were five levels lower (minimum of first level). |
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The casting time is also modified by 80% and 125% respectively. |
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If a wizard or priest is denied access to a Path they cannot cast any spells from it. |
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<p> |
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<center> |
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<a name="table_spath"> |
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<table border=1 cellpadding=5> |
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<!--#include file="spellpath.html"--> |
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</table> |
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Known Spell Paths<p> |
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</center> |
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|
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<p> |
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Paths are quite powerful; they don't come cheaply. Most magical items |
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with path_attuned attributes will have path_repelled and path_denied |
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attributes as well, to balance them out. |
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<h2><a name="4.3.0">Multiple gods</h2> |
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Gods in <em>Crossfire</em> are not omnipotent beings. Each is thought of possessing |
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a certain sphere of influence, indeed, some philosophers have thought |
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that the gods might spring from the same mystical patterns that form |
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the spell Paths. Certainly it appears that each of the gods embodies |
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one or more of these Paths (but not all of them!!). Because the gods |
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are not omnipotent, we often speak of their religions as being 'cults'. |
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<p> |
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|
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Under the multigod option, priests are allowed to select from an array of |
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different gods. Worship of each god is unique, and brings differing |
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capabilities to the priest. See <a href="AppC.html">Appendix C</a> for a |
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listing of the gods and some of the attributes/effects of worshiping of |
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these cults. |
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<h3><a name="4.3.1">Joining a cult</h3> |
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Praying at <em>aligned</em> |
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<!--#include file="altar.html"--> |
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is the usual way |
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in which a priest interacts |
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with their god/cult. Aligned altars are identified by their name (e.g. |
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altar of <god's name>) and may be found in various maps all over the |
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world of <em>Crossfire</em> . |
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When a player prays over an aligned altar, one of three things may happen based |
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on the players currently worshiped god: |
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|
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<ol> |
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<li> <strong>"Unaligned" player prays over an altar</strong> - |
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results in that player |
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becoming a worshiper of the god the altar is dedicated to.<p> |
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|
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<li> <strong>Player prays over their god's altar</strong> - |
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results in faster grace |
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regeneration. In addition, player may pray to gain up to twice their |
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normal amount of grace. Also, from time to time your god might |
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give you information, blessings, or something really good; it depends |
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on your WIS, POW and priest experience.<p> |
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|
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<li> <strong>Player prays over alien god's altar</strong> - |
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results in punishment |
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of the player (generally they lose some of their priest experience). |
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This action <em>can</em> result in the defection of the player to the alien |
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god's cult.<p> |
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|
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</ol> |
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|
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Note that once a player has joined a cult, it is impossible to go back |
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to being ``unaligned'' to any god. |
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<h4>Summary of benefits/penalties for joining</h2> |
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The following things happen when a worshiper joins a god's cult: |
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<ul> |
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<li>the worshiper gains access to the special flavor of magic belonging |
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to the cult (see table <a href="#table_priest_prayer">priests' prayers</a>). |
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<p> |
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|
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<li>the ability to cast magic is altered to reflect the powers |
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of the worshiper's god. Some spells will be easier to cast; others |
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will be more difficult, and some spell Paths will be forbidden. |
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It is impossible to regain forbidden spells by any means except |
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leaving the cult. |
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<p> |
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<li>the worshiper becomes protected and/or vulnerable to certain attacks. |
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</ul> |
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Note that a player can belong to only <em>one</em> cult at any one time. |
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<p> |
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<a name="table_priest_prayer"> |
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<table border=1 cellpadding=5> |
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<tr><th>Prayer</th><th>Description</th></tr> |
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<tr><td>Bless</td><td> Enhances the recipients combat ability |
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and confers some of the gods special |
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sphere of protection.</td></tr> |
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<tr><td>Banishment</td><td> An <samp>AT_DEATH</samp>¹ attack is made versus |
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enemies of the caster's god.</td></tr> |
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<tr><td>Call holy servant</td><td>Weaker version of an avatar is summoned.</td></tr> |
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<tr><td>Cause wounds </td><td>These prayers use the attacktype of |
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``godpower''. This means they will effect |
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magic immune creatures AND each prayer has |
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the special attacktype(s) of the priest's god.</td></tr> |
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<tr><td> Consecrate </td><td> Dedicates an altar to the caster's god. |
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<tr><td>Curse </td><td> Decreases the recipients combat ability |
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and confers some vulnerabilities particular |
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to the caster's god.</td></tr> |
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|
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<tr><td> Holy orb </td><td>Its like a fireball, but has the same effect |
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as holy word². This prayer is most effective |
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against single creatures. </td></tr> |
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<tr><td> Holy word² </td><td> This prayer shoots forth a cone of power |
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that will damage only enemies of the caster's god.</td></tr> |
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<tr><td> Holy wrath </td><td> Currently the most powerful ``holy word''² |
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prayer available. </td></tr> |
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<tr><td> Summon avatar </td><td> Summons a "golem" that is tailored to |
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the powers of the worshiped god. This |
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prayer is more powerful (in general) |
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than a summoned elemental and is one |
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of the priest's most potent attack spells. </td></tr> |
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<tr><td> Summon cult monsters </td><td> Summons creatures friendly to the priest's |
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god. Depending on the god this can be a |
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powerful or wimpy prayer. </td></tr> |
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</table> |
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|
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<center>Special priest prayers.</center> |
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¹ The target and caster's <samp>levels</samp> are compared. If the caster's |
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<samp>level</samp> is higher, then the creature will probably be destroyed.<br> |
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² ``holy word'' also defines a class of prayers. These spells are |
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all designed to slay only the enemies of the priest's god. |
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|
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<h3><a name="4.3.2">Example god</h3> |
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|
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Lets create an example god-the ``god of the undead''. If you worship |
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the god of the undead, don't expect to be able to gain priest |
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experience (<em>Note:</em> i.e. experience for the <samp>wisdom) experience category</samp> |
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for killing the undead! But you might gain, as a priest of the |
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undead, greater powers of commanding undead, and experience for |
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killing certain (living) creatures that serve an enemy god. Each priest |
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takes on a portion of the ``aura'' of their god; this means that our |
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priest will probably become protected to life-damaging magic like draining |
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and death, while conversely becoming more vulnerable to fire. Such a |
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priest, because their god's domain does not include the living, probably won't be |
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capable of healing either. |
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|
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<p> |
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<h2><a name="4.4.0">Alchemy</h2> |
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|
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Alchemy is a sub-type of wizardry . Being an alchemist is easy; |
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you only need satisfy the following: |
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<ol> |
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<li>be able to cast the alchemy spell. |
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<li>have access to a cauldron |
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<!--#include file="cauldron.html"--> |
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<li>have some ingredients. |
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</ol> |
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To create something put ingredients in the cauldron, then |
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cast the 'alchemy' incantation . You might make something :). |
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Be warned though! backfire effects are possible, especially if you |
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throw a lot of stuff in the pot. In fact, the more junk which is |
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in the cauldron, the |
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<em>worse</em> any potential backfire is likely to be. Backfire generally |
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occurs when you get the ingredients wrong but low-level alchemists |
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attempting very difficult (4+ ingredient) formulae may have |
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problems too!<p> |
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|
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In order to get better at making stuff, you will need to learn the |
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<samp>alchemy</samp> <em>skill</em>. Books found in shops (and elsewhere) |
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will give you formulae for making stuff. There is no hard limit on the |
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number of formulae which might make something (the code is pretty flexible), |
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so you can always <em>experiment</em> on your own, but this will be |
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dangerous! <p> |
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<h2><a name="4.5.0">Rune magic</h2> |
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|
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Runes are another special form of wizardry; essentially runes are |
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magical inscriptions on the dungeon floor which cast a spell (or |
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``detonate'') when something steps on them. Flying |
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objects don't detonate runes. Beware! Runes are invisible |
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most of the time! <p> |
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|
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There are several runes which are specialized; these can be set as |
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your range spell. Some of these are:<p> |
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<center> |
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<table border=1 cellpadding=5> |
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<tr><td> Rune of Fire</td><td> |
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<!--#include file="runefire.html"--> |
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</td><td> does fire damage when it detonates</td></tr> |
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<tr><td> Rune of Frost</td><td> |
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<!--#include file="runefrost.html"--> |
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</td><td> does cold damage</td></tr> |
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<tr><td> Rune of Blasting</td><td> |
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<!--#include file="runeblast.html"--> |
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</td><td> does physical damage</td></tr> |
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<tr><td> Rune of Shocking</td><td> |
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<!--#include file="runeshock.html"--> |
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</td><td> does electric damage</td></tr> |
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<tr><td> Rune of Death</td><td> |
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<!--#include file="runedeath.html"--> |
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</td><td> attacks with attacktype "death" at caster level</td></tr> |
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</table> |
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+ some others you may discover grimores.<p> |
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</center> |
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|
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The spell 'disarm' may be used to try and destroy a rune you've |
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discovered. In addition, there are some special runes which may only |
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be called with the 'invoke' command:<p> |
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<table border=1 cellpadding=5> |
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<tr><td>Magic Rune</td><td> |
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<!--#include file="runegen.html"--> |
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</td><td> You may store any incantation |
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in this rune that you know and |
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have the mana to cast. </td></tr> |
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|
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<tr><td> Marking Rune</td><td> |
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<!--#include file="runemark.html"--> |
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</td><td> this is basically a sign. You |
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may store any words you like in |
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this rune, and people may apply |
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it to read it. Maybe useful for |
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mazes! This rune will not detonate, |
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nor is it ordinarily invisible. </td></tr> |
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</table> |
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|
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<p> |
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<h4>Partial Visibility of Runes</h4> |
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|
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Your runes will be partially invisible. That is, they'll be visible |
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only part of the time. They have a 1/(your <samp>level</samp>/2) chance of being |
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visible in any given round, so the higher your level, the better hidden |
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the runes you make are. |
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<p> |
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<h4>Examples of usage</h2> |
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|
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Here are several examples of how you can use the runes. |
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<p> |
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<samp>'invoke magic rune heal</samp> <br> |
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<quote> |
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will place a magic rune of healing one square ahead of you, whichever |
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way you're facing. |
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</quote> |
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<p> |
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<samp>'invoke magic rune transfer</samp> <br> |
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<quote> |
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as above, except the rune will contain the spell of transference |
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</quote> |
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<p> |
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<samp>'invoke magic rune large fireball</samp><br> |
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<quote> |
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as above, except the spell large fireball will be cast when someone |
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steps on the rune. the fireball will fly in the direction the caster |
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was facing when he created the rune. |
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</quote> |
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<p> |
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<samp>'cast rune of fire</samp> <br> |
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<quote> |
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prepares the rune of fire as the range spell. Use the direction |
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keys to use up your mana and place a rune. |
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</quote> |
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<p> |
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<samp>'invoke marking rune fubar</samp> <br> |
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<quote> |
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places a rune of marking, which says "fubar" when someone applies it. |
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</quote> |
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<p> |
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<samp>'invoke marking rune touch my stuff and I will hunt you down!</samp> <br> |
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<quote> |
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places the marking rune warning would-be thieves of their danger. |
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</quote> |
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<p> |
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|
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<h4>Restrictions on runes:</h4> |
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|
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You may not place runes underneath monsters or other players. You |
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may not place a new rune on a square which already has a rune. Any |
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attempt to do the latter strengthens the pre-existing rune. |
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<p> |
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|
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<a href="handbook.html"><img src="fig/book.gif">Back to table of contents</a><br> |
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<a href="chap3.html"><img src="fig/stairup.gif">Go to chapter 3</a><br> |
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<a href="chap5.html"><img src="fig/stairdown.gif">Go to chapter 5</a><br> |
