The Shadow of Yesterday
written by Clinton R. Nixon
copyright 2003 Anvilwerks
updated 04/20/2003
Magic
Magic in The Shadow of Yesterday can be many things: subtle, explosive, dangerous, or entertaining. However it is used, though, it is something to be feared. Magic comes from uttering the powerful syllables of zu, forcing that power out on the surrounding world.
Every character in The Shadow of Yesterday can learn Arcane Skills. Unlike other skills, though, an Arcane Skill cannot be used without at least one point in it.
The Arcane Skills, and the definition of what a character can do with them, are:
- Creation (Force)
- The character can create a small amount (enough to fill both hands) of one of the basic elements (fire, air, earth, water) from nothing.
- Destruction (Vigor)
- The character can hurt a target with damage equal to his Success Level. The description of this damage is done by the player, and could be anything from telekinetic tearing of the target's body to a ghostly, arcane flame, but is definitely unnatural.
- Apportation (Grace)
- The character can telekinetically move a small object (small enough to lift in one hand) he is touching slowly within his vision. (The object must start in his hand, but can then move away.)
- Divination (Wits)
- The character can sense magic auras on an object or person he touches.
- Enchantment (Charm)
- The character can force his will on a target, who is well aware what is happening.
- Transformation (Grit)
- The character can transfer points from one of the target's skills to another equal to his Success Level.
There are a few laws that are always in place, unless a Secret alters them, when using magic.
- The target of a magical effect must either be the caster, or something or someone the caster is touching. (In order to touch an unwilling target, the caster must make a Melee Skill Check. This cannot be resisted: as it is not an attack, but a light touch, it is relatively easy.)
- Only one target can be affected with a magical effect.
- A magical effect, except Destruction, is either instantaneous or lasts one hour. (Destruction is instantaneous, but the damage remains.)
- Every magical effect done to a target can be resisted, if the target desires. Usually, a Resist Skill Check is done by the target opposing the player's Skill Check with his character's magical ability.
However, there are many Arcane Secrets, all of which alter the way magic works for a character.
Arcane Secrets
Open Arcane Secrets
Secret of the Invisible Hand: Normally, your character must touch a target to affect it with magic. With this Secret, he can affect any target he can see or have the effects of his magic occur anywhere he can see.
Cost: 1 point from the associated pool.
Secret of Magical Contagion: Normally, your character's magic affects one target. You can spread his magic over a group of targets by spending points from the associated pool.
- A small group of targets (around 5) can be affected for no points.
- A large group of targets (25 or less) can be affected for 2 points.
- A crowd of targets (100 or less) can be affected for 5 points.
- A horde of targets (all that the caster can see) can be affected for 9 points.
Note that this Secret is very hard to use without the Secret of the Invisible Hand. A caster could perhaps touch a small group of targets, but otherwise, needs that Secret in order to use this effectively.
Secret of Magical Persistence: Normally, your character's magic can last for a maximum of one hour. With this Secret, you can extend the duration by spending from the associated pool. For 1 point, you can extend until sundown (or sunrise if used at night.) For 3 points, you can extend until the end of one moon phase (end of the week). For 6 points, you can extend until the next eclipse (end of the month). For 10 points, you can extend until one complete sun cycle (either solstice).
Secret of Magical Effect: You can increase the Success Level of a successful Magic Skill Check by 1, although you can never increase the Success Level past 6.
Cost: 1 associated pool point.
Secret of Sympathetic Magic: If your character has an item of the target he is attempting to affect with magic, you gain a bonus die on your Skill Check.
Cost: None.
Creation Arcane Secrets
Create Anything: Your character can create any pure material that he wants. Pure material is not as simple as any one of the real-world elements: alloys, wood, minerals and such count. What is prohibited is creating, for example, wood and metal at the same time. Steel, an alloy, is fine.
Cost: 1 Force.
Create Mass: Your character can create a mass of material. This is roughly equal to his body mass, doubled for each Force beyond the first spent, and can be in any non-complex shape, such as a sphere, wall, or cube.
Cost: 1+ Force.
Designer's note: I've been asked, why couldn't a character create a big chunk of rock over an enemy's head to kill him, instead of using Destruction? The answer is, of course he can. There are limits, though. First, the opponent gets to make a React Skill Check (if he's aware of the magic), which he may be better at than Resist. Second, damage is figured out by using the caster's Success Level with the magic, multiplied by the number of Force spent if using Create Mass. Without Create Mass, the amount of mass created usually isn't enough to hurt anyone.
Destruction Arcane Secrets
Inner Damage: Your character can damage targets' pools, removing points, instead of doing physical damage.
Cost: 1 Vigor.
Massive Damage: The damage done with Destruction is equal to your Success Levels multiplied by one plus the amount of Vigor spent. [SL * (1 + Vigor spent)]
Cost: 1+ Vigor.
Apportation Arcane Secrets
Speed: You can move objects at your running speed times the amount of Grace spent. (In case you want to hurt people with this, damage is equal to your Success Levels multiplied by the amount of Grace spent on Speed. If Strength is used as well, the result is multiplied by the amount of Grace spent on Strength, causing some devastating results.)
Cost: 1+ Grace.
Strength: You can move a mass of stuff roughly equal to your body mass multiplied by the amount of Grace spent.
Cost: 1+ Grace.
Divination Arcane Secrets
Know Truth: Your character can know the answer to any question asked of him. The GM will determine the clarity of these answers by your Success Levels.
Cost: 1 Wits.
Know Capabilities: You can learn game statistics about a target, such as a particular pool score, best skill and score, or specific skill and score. You can learn a number of bits of information equal to the number of Wits spent.
Cost: 1+ Wits.
Enchantment Arcane Secrets
Gentle Touch: Your character can use Enchantment without making his target aware that he is being manipulated.
Cost: 1 Charm.
Alter Senses: You can alter a target's senses, costing 1 Charm per sense.
Cost: 1+ Charm.
Transformation Arcane Secrets
Craft: Your character can use any of his Craft or Artistic skills magically, making their action instantaneous. The Craft or Artistic skill is rolled first, with Success Levels acting as bonus dice on the Transformation Skill Check.
Cost: 1 Grit.
Living Morph: You can change the target's form into that of another living creature, moving around their pool points as you want at the same time. This costs a minimum of one Grit. You can spend extra Grit points to:
- Double or half the target's size. If this is not done, the target becomes a creature of its same size.
- Flip two skill scores. One of the skills does not have to be stated, if you flip for the target's best skill.
- Add a weapon to the target. One Grit must be spent per +1 damage, and you can decide whether the weapon is sharp or blunt.
- Add an Expertise Secret to the Target.
Cost: 1+ Grit.
Improvising new Arcane Secrets
During the course of a game, a player or the GM may want to expand what can be done with magic. As written, for example, Creation can only create inanimate objects. What if a wizard wants to temporarily create a living being, though? The GM and player may work together to expand the usage of magic with new Secrets. The GM needs to determine whether the usage is permissible in his campaign and how powerful it is. Using that, a new Arcane Secret can be co-written by the GM and player to fit the new usage. An example of one that would allow for the creation of living beings:
Creation: Create Life: The caster can create a living being from thin air. This being has a number of Advances equal to the number of Force spent minus 2 plus the Success Levels of the Creation Skill Check.
Cost: 2+ Force.
Spells
Spells are defined usages of magic, crafted by players or GMs. When a character performs something with magic that he would like to do again in the future, he may write up exactly how the magic worked as a spell, and then take that spell as a Arcane Secret. The advantages to this are that the spell costs one less pool point than it would normally. In addition, a spell may be taken multiple times as a Secret in order to further reduce its cost.
Characters that do not have the Arcane Secrets that make up a spell can still take the spell, although they cannot make new spells that rely on Secrets they do not have. In this case, they must be taught the spell by someone else. This is a good option for a character that focuses on something besides magic, but wants to be able to use a few pre-defined magical effects.
Sample spells
Instant Sword (Creation + Transformation): A sword made of solid steel appears in the caster's hand. The caster can make a Rough Crafts Skill Check, with the bonus dice adding to this spell's Skill Roll. This sword lasts for one hour.
Creation: Create Anything: 1 Vigor.
Transformation: Craft: 1 Grit.
Total cost: 1 Vigor + 1 Grit - 1 = 1 Vigor or 1 Grit.
Hurl (Apportation): You can hurl an object up to your own body weight that you can see at incredible speeds (twice your running speed) at any target you can see. Both the hurled object and the target take damage equal to twice the Success Levels of this spell.
Secret of the Invisible Hand: 1 Grace.
Apportation: Speed: 2 Grace.
Total cost: 1 + 2 - 1 = 2 Grace.
Wrack (Destruction): The caster can decimate the pools of anyone in his sight. A number of pool points equal to twice times the caster's Success Levels are destroyed.
Secret of the Invisible Hand: 1 Vigor.
Destruction: Inner Damage: 1 Vigor.
Destruction: Massive Damage: Twice the Success Levels = 2 Vigor.
Total cost: 1 + 1 + 2 - 1 = 3 Vigor.
Be Unseen (Enchantment): The target of this spell becomes not present in the eyes of those that surround him. (Dogs and other animals that track with their noses are unaffected, if a bit confused.) While this spell is negated immediately if more than 25 people are looking for the target, that shouldn't happen too much. Anyone looking for the target specifically can roll a Resist Skill Check versus the Success Level of this spell. This effect lasts an hour.
Secret of Magical Contagion (large group): 2 Charm
Gentle Touch: 1 Charm
Alter Senses (sight): 1 Charm
Total cost: 2 + 1 + 1 - 1 = 3 Charm.
Werewolf Transformation (Transformation): The target becomes a bi-pedal wolfen engine of destruction until the next eclipse. Charm is reduced to one point, with the points split between Vigor and Grit. The target's best skill is flipped for Melee, and the target's second best skill is flipped for Bash and Hold. The target's fingers become +1 damage sharp claws. You must touch the target to cast this spell.
Secret of Magical Persistence: effect lasts until next eclipse = 6 Grit.
Transformation: Living Morph: 1 base Grit + 2 for skill flips + 1 for the claws = 4 Grit.
Total cost: 6 + 4 - 1 = 9 Grit.
