Based greatly on GLOG magic. No need to go read it however, my rules are self explanatory.
You have a number of spell slots based on your Magic score and your Class.
1 spell slot per magic bonus (up to 3)
1 spell slot if you are a Magic User
1 spell slot if you are a Magic User of 12th level.
You automatically learn a spell for each spell slot if you haven't any.
Magic users can additionally write spellbooks: they can store as many as their level on them; and every time they rest, they can change the spells on their slots. Until the point in which they know more spells than their slots, they don't have to worry about that.
Anybody who knows at least one spell, has one Mana Dice (MD). Non-MUs will probably never have more than one if any.
MUs at third level get the right to bear staff (this is taken from A Wizard of Earthsea and I liked the implications it had on the books, making the staff act as a badge of office for the casters). So, whenever they are holding their staves, MUs have an extra MD (in the original PDF, Goblin Punch makes this bonus come from the wizardly robes, but I preferred to put the focus on the staff instead)
Independently from this staff bonus, they get an extra MD at levels 6 and 9. Some magical items may increase this number under some conditions.
S P E L L B O O K :
notes:
references to turns are equally valid in combat, in dungeon or in overland travel. This means that spells will sometimes last during 4 hours and sometimes during 10 seconds with the same mana. This is intentional and I think it can work, I think it can represent how the caster behaves differently under stress than having time to make proper preparations, meditations and rituals.
I also dont use HP, with Hit Dice being the unit, and everybody getting a death save at 0 HD. Generally, MUs get two per level, while fighters get one. This has made me write carefully all the spells that do or heal damage.
BIRD: You become a bird of your choice (but always the same). You suffer double damage in this shape. This transformation lasts for [sum] turns. Every turn beyond that you must save vs paralyzation or become trapped in this shape.
Inventory slots decrease by 4, but the rest is transformed with you. The rest is lost. Use this table as a guide:
Robin: AC as plate, 24 miles per day
Crow: AC as scale armor, 100 miles per day
Owl: AC as scale armor, 50 miles per day. Good nightvision, bad dayvision.
Hawk: AC as scale armor, 200 miles per day. Consumes 2x turns.
HEAL: With one dice, heal that 1d6 HD to one target, or 1 HD to 1d6 targets. With more dice, divide the results between HD and targets. Every target that is at 0 HD can make a new save, but no more than once (no matter how many casters try after this). This healing is often not true healing, but more a mix of luck, exhorting and praying so the wounds are not as bad as they look.
SHIELD: Duration: [sum] turns. Caster and whoever is near him gets AC = chain, + a chance to block all projectiles during this turn with a 5+ in 1d6. You can spend a MD to re-roll this dice once per turn.
LIGHT: Duration: [sum+level] turns. The staff of the caster emits light enough to read. Investing 2 dice or more raises this intensity up to a car's lights, but consumes 3x turns. Without a staff, this spell doesnt light much beyond the caster's silhouette dimly.
DISGUISE: Put an illusion over something to make it look like another thing. Both the real and the illusory objects or beings must have a trait in common: a characteristic color, a shape, a similar sound, etc. This lasts for [sum] rounds, though a result of 12 or more will make it "permanent". Still, all illusions will degrade over time by acting or being used in a way that doesn't suit the disguise.
FIRE: For every mana die, 4+ is a success. 1-3 is the turns that this die will take to become a success. It takes 1 success to ligth something easily flammable, such as oil, a pinecorn or a torch
2 successes to put a firewall on a narrow corridor, or put flames on a normal sword
3 on a bigger area. When there is no actual combustible, the fire will burn for concentration + level turns.
Wizards that have attained their wands can shoot fire. Roll as many MD you like: the highest is the damage you deal (save vs half), the rest are the number of targets affected.
DIVINATION: This spell requires an oracle that you must carry with you (1 slot) and some time of rest. Every question you ask requires to invest one MD. The answers are always going to be single or composed NOUNS, never verbs or adjectives, nor yes or no; and the GM should be as specific as he can without breaking this restriction.
Every answer you reveive using this spell is then recorded on a vocabulary list that you forge little by little and that can contain a maximum of 6 words. Once you got all six, every question you make must be answered with one of that words or not being answered at all (whatever the GM thinks is more appropiate)
You could say its a spell that becomes less powerful as the mage does the opposite, and that is interesting. This is the reason for which some MUs need to find other MUs to contrast their readings, even if its less leveled up partners.
WINTER BLAST: Invest one MD per turn to project a cone of cold wind towards an area, or down a slope. Everyone caught in there must save vs paralyzation every turn or be uncapable to move significantly this turn. A second failed save will also deal 2 damage by frostbite. A third failed save will freeze the affected character.
Every MD you lose casting this spell deals 2 frostbite damage to you.
Cryomancers normally use Ice Wands which make MD exhaust only on 5+ or even 6+
Wearing heavy pelts adds 1 die to saves against this spell.
FOLD Creates a pocket dimension in any small caché (inside a hat, behind a chair, etc) able to fit [sum] objects. On a 7+, the caster can fit on it. On a 11, it can fit a small group of people. Only one fold can be created at a time. The inside of it will have the appearance of a room, with traces of the place it is located. A fold created on a library will have bookshelves; one created on a stone corridor will have stone, and such. This is probably the way that some backrooms were created in our real world.
PROTECTION FROM EVIL: Duration: [sum] turns. Is actually some version of turn undead. Undead, demons, evil and enchanted beings must save vs paralyze every turn to approach you, and even if they pass, you have +1 AC and +1 save against their special attacks. Monsters save alltogether, using the save of the highest one present.
Once this spell is ongoing, you can roll one MD per turn to exorcize undead: deal [sum] damage to all or a single target, but if they survive they will attack that turn without the need to save. Intelligent monsters may check morale after this.
ASTRAL PROJECTION:: You must invest a full rest on this. If somebody interrupts you, the spell will fail. In the astral plane, physical distances are meaningless but everything looks like a semi-abstract painting (rothko + picasso + van gogh), so its a little tricky to decipher and navigate. Things as specific as something written on a note might be impossible to read, showing instead a symbolic image of the intention of the writer. For each MD you invest you can attempt one of these things:
*Search your way to some place, no matter the distance (1d6 to find: 4 to somewhere known, 5 unknown and 6 if partially hidden). Mind that some places have random encounters even in astral form.
*Find a detail in that place (as above). On a fail, something else might call your attention.
*Send a message to somebody, who will have an impression of you (the reaction and importance given to the message depends on the person)
*Cast a spell telematically.
Your armor and weapons get transported with you into the astral, but the kind of encounters there is mostly magical so that won't make much difference.
