Using Advantages to create whatever magic effect is desired has proven to be the favorite way to "do magic" in our campaigns.

Steps to Creating a Magical Power

1. Imagine, or recreate, the concept for an ability, spell or magical effect ("Power")
2. Identify which Advantage most closely matches the power
3. Add Enhancements & Limitations [B104, P107] to modify the base Advantage
4. Get approval from GM

Source of Power

Most powers have a source which can be effected in game positively or negatively. For example, if your power if magical in nature, it can be dispelled. On the other hand, a magical power may be amplified if in a powerful magic zone.

Power Modifiers [P25]

• Chi, -10% [P26] - emanates from own life force, meditate daily, requires 10-point disadvantage
• Divine, -10% [P26] - deity grants power, certain behavior is expected in return, requires 10-point disadvantage
• Magic, -10% [P27] - channels mana, varying level of mana zones, anti-magic powers can thwart powers
• Nature, -20% [P28] - channels vital energy of living things, civilization interferes
  • -1 in despoiled wild place such as a clear-cut forest, -3 in a city, -5 amidst ordinary pollution, -10 in a poisoned wasteland
  • penalty equal to half the most advanced manufactured item carried
  • if no roll is required, -10% effectiveness per -1 instead
• Spirit, -25% [P28] - commanding fickle spirits, requires 5-point disadvantage
• ...and others

Ritual, FP Cost, Components, and Signature

All magical abilities should consider 1) Ritual Required, 2) FP Cost, and 3) Magical Signature.

Ritual Requirements / Nuisance Effects [B112]

Rituals Required to Maintain Power

• Requires Ready Action, -10% [P112] (requires consecutive Ready Actions)
• Requires Concentration, -15% [P112] (requires constant concentration, full action)
• Nuisance Effect: No Stealth, -5% (caster must continually chant)
• Nuisance Effect: One Hand Free, -5%; or Two Hands Free, -10%; or One Hand Free & Standing Freely, -10%; or Two Hands Free & Standing Freely, -15% (caster must gesture with hand(s) and possibly feet for the entirety of power)

Sample Power (Simulating Maintaining Ritual) [x-20%] (Requires Ready Action, -10%; Nuisance Effect (no stealth), -5%; One Hand Free, -5%). The caster must spend a Ready Action every round and continually chant while making a one-handed gesture.

Rituals Required to Activate Power

• Requires Ready Action to Activate, -5%
• Requires Concentration to Activate, -10%
• Requires two of the limitations upon activating the power (-5%). Choose upon activation.
  • Nuisance Effect During Activation: No Stealth
  • Nuisance Effect During Activation: One Hand Free
  • Costs 1 FP
• Nuisance Effect During Activation: Two Hands Free (-5%)
• Nuisance Effect During Activation: One Hand & Feet Free (-5%)
• Nuisance Effect During Activation: Whole Body Free (-10%)

Sample Power (Simulating Activation Ritual) [x-10%] (Requires Ready Action to Activate, -5%; Pick Two: Nuisance Effect During Activation (no stealth), One Hand Free, or Costs 1 FP, -5%). The caster must take 1 second to make a small one-handed gesture and speak a word or two.

Requires Magical Staff or Wand

• Requires Magical Staff or Wand, -5% (spell cannot be cast if the mage isn't currently holding a magical staff or wand in one hand). Riley thinks this should be more as it, in a sense, combines Nuisance Effect: One Hand Free During Activation (-2.5%) and Accessibility (-10% to -40% depending on rarity)

Casting Cost & Duration

Spells require an expenditure of energy to create and maintain the magical effects. Spells have a default duration of 1 minute, or 1 second (instant) for attack spells (Affliction or Innate Attack) for active defensive spells. Spells can be maintained automatically with an expenditure of half (round up) the cost to cast. If the caster loses conciseness, either due to sleep, injury or spell effect, active spells cannot be maintained.

• Costs Fatigue, -5%/level (1 FP per level)
  • One level of casting cost per every 10 points of the modified cost of the advantage (rounded).
  • A very low point ability (4 or less) could have no casting cost.
• Extend Duration [B105]

Casting Time

Unless the description of the advantages states otherwise, by default a spell takes one second (an action) to cast the spell. The effects of the spell occur at the end of the caster's turn. If the spell is a combat spell, the attack is made immediately unless the spell is "held" for the purposes of Aiming or Waiting.

• Takes Extra Time [B115], -10%/level (each level doubles the time needed to cast the spell, representing either a longer ritual and/or manipulation of components.)
  • The first level of Takes Extra Time is a Ready Action

Components

Components can be handled by combining a number of limitations.

• Trigger [B115] (ability requires exposure to a specific substance or condition, one dose is expended and is required per use)
  • Very Common, -10% to Rare, -40%
• Accessibility [B110] (ability requires exposure to a specific substance or condition, the substance is NOT expended and is required per use)
  • Very Common, -5% to Rare, -20%
• Preparation Required [B114] (in conjunction with Trigger, preparation of the components is required immediately prior to casting; not appropriate for combat spells)
  • 1 minute, -20% to 8 hours, -60%

Sample Power (Simulating Components) [x-45%] (Common Trigger, -20%; Requires Ready Action, -10%; Takes Extra Time (2 seconds), -10%; One Hand Free, -5%). The caster takes one second to retrieve a component one-handed from a belt pouch, then takes another second to cast the spell using the component in hand. The component is expended and the spell lasts for 1 minute.

Magical Signature [B106]

• Normal Signature, +0% (all magical effects are obviously magical and easily observed)
• Low Signature, +10% (no more easily identifiable than a champagne cork popping)
• No Signature, +20% (almost completely unnoticeable as in a blowgun dart; or undetectable by normal means but leaves a magical trace)

Spell Casting Requires Attribute Roll

Some powers may require an Attribute Roll to function.

Requires (Attribute) Roll [P112 & PP20]

• Roll against Ability
  • Roll against Will or Per, -5%
  • Roll against DX, IQ, or HT, -10%
• Roll is a Quick Contest, -10% (incompatible with any power that already allows a resistance roll, may be added to powers that already require an attribute roll).
• Active Defense, -40% (your ability only protect you against threats you're aware of, DX/2+3, +1 for Combat Reflexes)

Based on Different Attributes [P100]

• Caster may change a DX, IQ, HT, Will, or Per Roll to successfully cast a power to another above Attribute, +20%
• Caster may change a DX, IQ, HT, Will, or Per Opposed Roll to avoid the spell to another above Attribute, +20%

Other Common Enhancement & Limitations

• For powers that are ranged attacks (Innate Attack or Afflictions), a minimal level of fairness should be added to allow the target a chance to avoid the effect. If the attack has a signature, the target can potentially see it coming and make an active defense to dodge. If the attack has no signature, then the power should have a resistance limitation.

Enhancements

Limitations

Accessibility [B110]

• Environmental Accessibility - can only be cast in certain environments
  • Very Common, -5% (in the presence of air, on a planet, in a gravity field)
  • Common, -10% - (in contact with dust, in the presence of microbes)
  • Occasional, -20% - (in a city, in the wilderness, outdoors, touching the ground)
  • Rare, -40% - (in a storm, dense vegetation, desert, underground)
  • Very Rare, -80% - (in lava, quicksand, vacuum)

Unconscious Only [B115] is a good limitation for a character that has a power as a "wild talent".

Uncontrollable and Unreliable [B116] are good limitations when a character is still a novice with their power.

Powers in Combat

• For powers which are ranged attacks (Innate Attacks or Afflictions), once the effect is cast, the power can be held in order to Aim or wait for the best moment to release the effect. If the power has a signature, the cast power will be visible as a ball of light held in one hand.
• Some powers can potentially be used as an Active Defense (if one is allowed in the situation):
  • Damage Resistance, if not already active, can be activated in place of an active defense.
  • Telekinesis, if already active, can be used for a Parry.
  • Warp, if already active, can be used as a Dodge to make a very short, instant jump.

Sample Components

Easy Limitations

Magic spell requires spell component that must be retrieved and manipulated. (-45%)
(Magic, -10%; Trigger (sand), -10%; Requires Ready Action, -10%; Takes Extra Time 1, -10%; One Hand Free, -5%)
The above power is magical in nature. It channels mana and can vary based on local mana levels. It can also be negated by anti-magic powers. To cast the spell, the caster must have one hand free; use a Ready Action to retrieve a pinch of sand; then, use a second Ready Action to dust the sand between two fingers. The spell is cast at the end of the caster's second turn and lasts for 1 minute. If the caster wishes to increase the duration of the spell after the initial casting, he needs to prepare and expend sand. The caster can have the pinch of sand in hand ahead of time (the ready actions do not need to be right after one another).

Power from within requires a shout and expenditure of fatigue. (-25%)
(Chi, -10%; No Sneak, -10%; Costs 1 FP, -5%)
The above power comes from within the individual. The individual must have meditated within the past 24 hours as well as continually fulfilling the requirements of a -10 Point Disadvantage (for example, Pacifism: Cannot Harm Innocents). The individual shouts a word of power while spending 1 FP. The power lasts for one minute and can be maintained for 1 FP every minute.

Sample Magical Powers

The following are sample Magical Powers using Advantages.

Sample Power (Simulating Ritual) [x-20%] (Requires Ready Action, -10%; Nuisance Effect (-4 stealth), -5%; One Hand Free, -5%). The caster must take 1 second to make a small one-handed gesture and speak a word or two.

Sample Power (Simulating Components) [x-45%] (Common Trigger, -20%; Requires Ready Action, -10%; Takes Extra Time (2 seconds), -10%; One Hand Free, -5%). The caster takes one second to retrieve a component one-handed from a belt pouch, then takes another second to cast the spell using the component in hand. The component is expended and the spell lasts for 1 minute.

Insane Fireball that Kills a Lot of People

The caster takes a Ready Action to retrieve some uncommon components from his satchel. For a full 16 seconds afterwards: the caster chants words of power, makes grand gestures with both hands while manipulating the components, and moves wildly about in a circular pattern. The caster cannot sneak, hold anything but the components, or be bound in any way. As a magical ability, any opposing caster can attempt to dispel the magic within the 16 seconds of the casting time. On the 16th round of casting, the caster makes an attack roll to send the fireball to the destination and deals 6d burn damage to anything within a 16 yard radius.

Innate Attack (6d burn) [56] (Nuisance Effect (No Stealth), -10%; Nuisance Effect (Requires 2-hands & Feet), -15%; Requires Ready Action, -10%; Takes Extra Time, 16 seconds, -40%; 16y Radius, +200%; Trigger Occasional, -30%; Magic, -10%)