Magick in Mythas is a volatile and intricate force, deeply altered by the Divine Fall. Its use comes with risks and rewards, requiring precision, sacrifice, and understanding. This section outlines the mechanics of magick, specialized practices, and their roles in gameplay.
At the heart of Mythas lies a structured yet volatile magickal system. These core mechanics govern how magick is wielded, ensuring balance, power, and danger in equal measure.
Weaving in Mythas is the process of channeling magickal energy to cast spells, requiring a Weaving Check to determine success. The check's DC is influenced by the spell's level, environmental factors, and special conditions like rituals or material scarcity. Skills like Arcana, Nature, Occultism, or Religion are used depending on the magick’s type. Outcomes range from critical success, enhancing the spell's effects, to critical failure, which can result in severe backlash. Backlash varies from minor effects like fatigue or spell fizzles to catastrophic consequences, including environmental anomalies, summoning hostile creatures, or harm to the caster. Weaving Fatigue accumulates with each spell cast, reducing performance and risking unconsciousness or harm if unchecked. Magickal Resonance, the lingering energy of spells, can alter local magickal stability, making future spells easier or harder to cast. Stabilization attempts can mitigate backlash from failed checks but increase the DC, emphasizing the balance of risk and reward. Weaving in Mythas reflects the volatile and powerful nature of magick, requiring precision, skill, and resource management to wield effectively while navigating the dangers of failure.
Backlash in Mythas embodies the inherent dangers of magickal failure, with consequences that escalate based on the severity of the failure. Minor backlash typically results in spell fizzles, fatigue, or harmless Wild Magick effects like brief light displays. Moderate backlash is more dangerous, causing damage to the caster, environmental anomalies such as boiling water or withering plants, or minor physical harm. Severe backlash can lead to catastrophic outcomes, including summoning hostile creatures, permanent environmental corruption, or serious injuries like blindness or limb loss. In Wild Magick Zones, the risks intensify, producing unpredictable effects such as time distortions or elemental storms. Backlash often leaves residual magickal imprints in the area, complicating future spellcasting and altering the local environment. Casters may attempt stabilization to mitigate the effects of backlash, but doing so raises the difficulty and can double the consequences if unsuccessful. This dynamic ensures that magick in Mythas remains both awe-inspiring and perilous. Backlash highlights the volatile nature of magick, turning failure into a significant event that demands careful planning and risk assessment. It deepens the tension and drama of magickal use, reinforcing the power and danger of wielding such forces.
Weaving Fatigue represents the physical and mental toll of repeated spellcasting in Mythas, gradually impairing a caster’s performance. Each spell cast adds a level of fatigue, starting with minor penalties to checks and saves and escalating to reduced movement and concentration difficulties. At higher levels, fatigue poses serious risks, including unconsciousness or permanent harm. Recovery requires rest, specific recovery methods like potions or rituals, or sacrificial practices such as Blood Magick, which reduce fatigue but come with ethical and physical consequences. Fatigue is cumulative, making overuse of magick perilous. Exceeding safe limits can result in catastrophic failures, forcing even the most skilled casters to weigh the risks of continuing to cast. This mechanic adds tension and balance to magick, ensuring that every spell is a calculated decision, particularly during prolonged encounters or moments of critical importance. Weaving Fatigue is a constant reminder of magick’s cost, blending power with the need for caution and strategic resource management.
Magickal resonance in Mythas represents the lingering effects of magickal energy in the environment after spells are cast. This residual energy can enhance, hinder, or entirely transform future magickal attempts in the same area. Short-term resonance may provide minor boosts to Weaving Checks or create obstacles, such as increased DCs due to unstable magickal flows. Long-term resonance can shape the very fabric of the area, turning it into a magickal zone with unique properties. Blessed Zones are areas where magick flows more freely, reducing Weaving DCs and offering casters a safer environment. In contrast, Wild Magick Zones amplify the instability of magick, increasing DCs and producing unpredictable effects such as random elemental bursts or reality distortions. Void-Touched Zones, corrupted by remnants of the Divine Fall, attract Blightspawn and other dangerous entities, making them perilous for both casters and non-casters. Magickal resonance also serves as a narrative and strategic element. Players can detect it using skills like Arcana or Occultism, allowing them to prepare for or avoid areas with strong resonance. This mechanic adds depth and dynamism to the world of Mythas, ensuring that every act of magick leaves a mark on the environment and its inhabitants.
Spellcasting classes in Mythas are shaped by the Divine Fall, emphasizing their challenges and thematic roles. The section provides unique rules, bonuses, and penalties for creating characters in a magickally unstable world.
In Mythas, Wizards do not “memorize” spells in the traditional sense. Instead, they rely on their spellbooks as repositories of knowledge and tools for preparation. A Wizard’s spellbook provides several key benefits:
Reference for Complex Weaving:
When a Wizard casts a spell that is written in their spellbook, they gain a +2 bonus to their Weaving Check, as the detailed notes and diagrams reduce the mental strain of casting.
Research and Adaptation:
Wizards can use their spellbooks to study spells, analyze unstable magick, or modify known spells to suit specific situations. Each day of research can reduce the DC of a specific spell by 1 (maximum -3).
Spell Recovery:
In the event of magickal backlash that erases a Wizard’s ability to cast a specific spell, they can restore the lost knowledge by consulting their spellbook during a short or long rest.
Collaborative Casting:
During Ritual Magick, Wizards can share their spellbooks with other participants to provide a +1 bonus to all participants’ Weaving Checks.
Without a spellbook, Wizards face significant penalties when casting complex spells, as their reliance on written preparation is integral to their methodical approach.
Overview:
Wizards in Mythas are methodical scholars of magick who harness the volatile energies of the world through preparation, study, and ritual. They rely on detailed research and planning to mitigate the inherent risks of spellcasting, emphasizing knowledge as their primary tool for survival and success.
Strengths:
Wizards have unparalleled access to a wide range of spells, provided they have acquired or researched them, and benefit from bonuses when casting prepared spells. Their expertise in Ritual Magick allows them to conduct rituals with fewer participants and enhanced effectiveness. They are also skilled at analyzing magickal phenomena, with proficiency in magickal lore and bonuses to understanding Wild Magick Zones or Void-touched areas. Additionally, Wizards can engage in magickal research to reduce the difficulty of casting specific spells, making them powerful when given time to prepare.
Weaknesses:
The meticulous nature of their spellcasting leaves Wizards vulnerable. They suffer increased Fatigue from failed spellcasting attempts and are significantly hindered when they lack access to their spellbooks or prior preparation, incurring penalties to their effectiveness. Furthermore, their methodical and visible use of magick makes them prime targets for HexHunters and other magickal enforcers, adding an element of constant danger to their pursuits.
Magick Access:
Wizards specialize in Arcane magick but may also access Ritual, Void, Blood, or Sex Magick styles, depending on GM discretion and story context.
Recommended Backgrounds:
Backgrounds like Magickal Scholar, Archivist, and Ritualist enhance a Wizard’s ability to research, cast, and perform rituals, complementing their methodical approach to magick.
Wizards excel in roles that require intelligence, preparation, and adaptability, but their reliance on resources and susceptibility to fatigue demand careful strategy in both gameplay and storytelling.
Overview:
Sorcerers are innate magick wielders, drawing their power from bloodlines, ancient pacts, or mysterious origins. They thrive amidst the chaos of Mythas, relying on raw power and natural resilience to navigate the volatile magickal landscape. Unlike other spellcasters, their abilities are instinctive, making them unpredictable yet formidable.
Strengths:
Sorcerers are uniquely resilient to magickal backlash, reducing its effects significantly. Their bloodlines grant specialized bonuses, such as reduced Void Magick penalties or enhanced Primitive Magick capabilities, depending on their ancestry. They possess adaptive casting abilities, allowing them to re-roll failed Weaving Checks, and their natural charisma enables them to inspire and influence others. When at their peak, Sorcerers can unleash overwhelming power, with critical successes amplifying their spells’ effects dramatically.
Weaknesses:
Despite their raw power, Sorcerers face limitations in the number of spells they know, restricting their versatility compared to other spellcasters. Their innate connection to unstable magick increases their vulnerability to severe backlashes, requiring them to roll twice and take the worse result when a Weaving Check fails. Furthermore, their chaotic magick often attracts mistrust, leading to disadvantage in social interactions with magickal authorities or those wary of instability.
Magick Access:
Sorcerers can wield Arcane, Void, Blood, or Sex Magick, though Void and Sex Magick are subject to GM discretion due to their inherent risks and taboos.
Recommended Backgrounds:
Backgrounds like Outcast, Scion of Chaos, and Feral Prodigy enhance a Sorcerer’s survival skills, increase their proficiency with magickal effects, or bolster their natural resilience and instincts.
Sorcerers embody chaos and power, making them both a threat and an asset in the unpredictable world of Mythas. Their strength lies in their raw potential, but their limited control and social stigma demand careful navigation.
Overview:
Clerics were spiritual conduits who channel magick through their divine or primal connections to higher powers and nature. Their abilities reflect a focus on balance, harmony, and resilience, embodying their sacred role as protectors and healers in a volatile world. They are not common any longer in Mythas.
Strengths:
Clerics possess exceptional spiritual insight, excelling in tasks requiring wisdom and religious knowledge. Their healing abilities are particularly potent, benefiting from bonuses to Weaving Checks when casting restorative spells or using Primitive Magick. Additionally, their divine connection grants them resistance to necrotic and radiant damage, enhancing their durability in combat and magick-heavy encounters.
Weaknesses:
While powerful, Clerics are restricted to casting Primitive Magick, limiting their versatility compared to other spellcasters. Their prominent spiritual role often makes them targets for political and religious conflicts, as they are held to higher moral and societal expectations. This burden of responsibility can lead to complex challenges both in and out of combat.
Magick Access:
Clerics exclusively access Primitive Magick, drawing strength from their alignment with nature and divine energies.
Recommended Backgrounds:
The Temple Acolyte background enhances a Cleric’s healing and protective magick repertoire, while the Wilderness Guide background boosts survival skills and navigation, making them more versatile in natural environments.
Clerics excel as spiritual healers and resilient support characters, offering strength and harmony in a world scarred by chaos. However, their limited magickal scope and societal obligations require thoughtful roleplay and strategic planning.
Overview:
Bards are charismatic and versatile storytellers who merge creativity with magick, using their talents to inspire allies and influence their surroundings. Their unique blend of performance and spellcasting makes them indispensable in both combat and social scenarios.
Strengths:
Bards inspire those around them, granting nearby allies bonuses to saving throws when they cast spells. Their spellcasting benefits from bonuses to Weaving Checks for both Arcane and Primitive Magick, making them reliable and adaptable casters. Their natural charm and skill in performance and persuasion, augmented by bonuses when performing for crowds, give them a strong edge in social and diplomatic interactions.
Weaknesses:
Despite their versatility, Bards are limited in magickal scope, unable to access Void Magick and relying on only a select few styles. Their dependence on charisma means failure in social or performance-based tasks can hinder their spellcasting, creating a vulnerability when inspiration falters.
Magick Access:
Bards can wield Primitive, Arcane, and, optionally, Sex Magick (at GM discretion), giving them a flexible but limited magickal repertoire.
Recommended Backgrounds:
The Traveling Minstrel background enhances their adaptability during journeys, offering bonuses to travel-related skills and extra spells. The Court Entertainer background boosts their social prowess, granting advantages in Charisma-based interactions.
Bards shine as adaptable support characters and charismatic problem-solvers, excelling in situations that blend magick, performance, and diplomacy. However, their limited magick styles and dependence on inspiration require careful management to maintain their effectiveness.
Overview:
Druids are the guardians of nature, drawing their power from the land and striving to maintain balance between civilization and the wild. Their connection to the primal forces of Mythas grants them unique abilities to protect, heal, and restore harmony in an often chaotic world.
Strengths:
Druids excel in understanding and navigating the natural world, with bonuses to Nature and Survival checks that enhance their ability to interact with the environment. Their spellcasting focuses on Primitive Magick, particularly in summoning and environmental manipulation, where they gain additional bonuses to Weaving Checks. They can also Wild Shape once per day, transforming into a normal creature without requiring a Weaving Check, adding versatility to their combat and exploration capabilities.
Weaknesses:
Druids are significantly hindered in corrupted or Void-touched areas, suffering penalties to all rolls in these zones due to their strong connection to the natural world. Additionally, their close ties to nature often lead to misunderstandings and mistrust in urban or industrialized societies, limiting their social effectiveness in these settings.
Magick Access:
Druids are exclusively attuned to Primitive Magick, reflecting their deep connection to the land and its primal forces.
Recommended Backgrounds:
The Forest Hermit background enhances their stealth and exploration skills, while the Sacred Circle Initiate background amplifies their ritual magick abilities, particularly for blessings and weather control.
Druids thrive in natural environments where their abilities can shine, serving as powerful protectors and guides. However, their reliance on nature and susceptibility to corrupted terrain require careful consideration in campaign settings.
In Mythas, both Rangers and Paladins wield a limited form of spellcasting, drawing exclusively from Primitive Magick to enhance their natural or divine roles. Their magick reflects a deep connection to primal or spiritual forces, emphasizing utility and harmony with nature over raw power.
Rangers channel Primitive Magick to augment their survival and tracking skills, manipulate the environment, and support their allies in the wild. Their spells are practical and tied closely to their role as wilderness protectors, focusing on utility and environmental synergy.
Paladins, on the other hand, use Primitive Magick to bolster their martial prowess, heal wounds, and cleanse corruption. Their magick reflects their sacred oaths and serves to amplify their ability to protect and inspire those around them, while combating supernatural threats with divine resilience.
Both classes are restricted in their magickal scope but excel in using Primitive Magick to complement their core roles, emphasizing utility, healing, and harmony with natural or spiritual forces rather than versatility or offensive capability. This limitation roots their magick firmly in the world of Mythas, reflecting the setting’s emphasis on primal balance and spiritual integrity.
Spellcasting in Mythas is fraught with challenges, reflecting the world’s unstable magickal environment. Regardless of their class, all spellcasters face inherent risks when wielding magick, requiring skill, preparation, and resilience to navigate its volatile nature.
Weaving Checks are central to casting spells and represent the caster’s ability to control magickal energies. The difficulty of these checks depends on the complexity of the spell and external conditions, with a base difficulty determined by the spell’s level. Environmental factors such as Wild Magick Zones or Void-touched areas can further increase this difficulty, while traits like bloodline abilities or preparation bonuses may reduce it. Every spellcasting attempt carries the potential for failure, which can unleash dangerous and unpredictable consequences.
Failure on a Weaving Check leads to a roll on the Backlash Table, where outcomes range from minor inconveniences to catastrophic disruptions. A failed spell might simply fizzle, leaving the caster fatigued, or it could cause severe damage, summon hostile entities like Blightspawn, or even create long-term magickal hazards such as Wild Magick Zones. The Backlash Table underscores the inherent danger of magick in Mythas, turning every casting into a calculated risk.
Spellcasting also places a physical and mental strain on the caster, represented by Stamina Points (SP) and Fatigue Levels. Casting spells consumes SP, which can also be spent to mitigate risks, such as re-rolling a failed Weaving Check. Exhausting SP renders a caster unable to continue, leaving them vulnerable in critical moments. Fatigue accumulates through failed checks, environmental pressures, and sustained magick use, imposing penalties on all actions and further reducing SP. This creates a balancing act for spellcasters, who must manage their resources carefully to avoid collapse.
The shared challenges of Weaving Checks, Backlash, and resource management highlight the unpredictable and often perilous nature of magick in Mythas. These systems reward strategic thinking, preparation, and adaptability, ensuring that every use of magick carries meaningful stakes and narrative weight.
Alchemy in Mythas is a practical blend of magick and science, available to Wizards, Sorcerers, Clerics, and Druids. It provides a versatile alternative or supplement to direct spellcasting, offering tools and effects that can be used in scenarios where traditional magick is unstable or risky. By harnessing the principles of alchemy, spellcasters can craft potent items and enhance their utility in a variety of situations.
Alchemy allows the creation of consumables such as healing potions, elemental elixirs, and other items that replicate spell effects without requiring the risks associated with Weaving Checks. This capability makes alchemy invaluable in high-pressure situations or environments where magickal instability poses significant threats. In addition to restorative items, alchemists can craft offensive tools like firebombs, flash powders, or sleep-inducing vapors, providing unique tactical options in combat.
Beyond individual utility, alchemy has broader applications that benefit the group. Certain alchemical mixtures can stabilize Wild Magick Zones, creating temporary safe areas for casting spells. Alchemical reagents can also be used in Ritual Magick to reduce the number of participants needed or to enhance the ritual’s overall potency, making it a critical support for large-scale magickal efforts.
Spellcasters who wish to practice alchemy must dedicate downtime and resources to mastering the Craft (Alchemy) skill. While basic recipes are accessible with effort, advanced formulas often require rare materials, specific tools, or knowledge acquired through exploration and quests. This requirement encourages alchemists to engage with the world around them, seeking out components and experimenting with their craft.
In Mythas, alchemy offers a pragmatic approach to magick, empowering spellcasters to adapt to challenges, mitigate risks, and expand their capabilities beyond traditional spellcasting. It serves as a bridge between science and magick, providing creative solutions for adventurers in a world shaped by instability and danger.
