The Spell-Point system of magickal usage is one that offers a built-in check on the abilities of mages. The theory is quite simple - just like any consumer good, spells cost. Mages have a number of spell points with which they pay for spells. How many points a mage has depends on several factors: overall training, possible specialization, and bonus points.
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Invested Dice is the total number of dice a player has assigned to "Cast ?" skills, whether the campaign is using "Cast X Rank Spells" or "Cast X College Spells." This number of dice does not, however, include the dice invested in a Ranked Mage's specialization philosophy. Available Points lists the number of points a mage has to spend on spells. The number in parenthesis is granted to a Ranked Mage who chooses to specialize in a particular philosophy. This represents their devotion to the understanding of their chosen philosophy and should be role-played as such. A mage who specializes in Alteration magicks shouldn't spend all his time casting Divination spells. Bonus Points are additional points which represent a mage's understanding of the basic underlying principles of magic and are not dependent upon the mage's specific training. Each pip of Magery is worth one bonus point. Thus, a Magery attribute of 3D garners the mage an additional 9 Spell Points. A mage's spell-points represent an expendable commodity. As he casts spells of greater power, he finds they require more from him in terms of cost even as the weaker spells become comparatively easier from him to cast. Once used, spell points are gone. They can only be regained by getting a good night's sleep. Hey, a hard and fast, no-two-ways-about-it rule on a page of alternate systems? No way! If you want your magic-users to be virtual spell-book dynamos, you can have them recover their expended spell points faster. One method, as shown in the table, bases the recovery of spell points on the activity level of the mage. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Spell Rank | Free Magick | Fixed Magick |
|---|---|---|
| cantrip | 1 | n/a |
| 1st | 8 | 4 |
| 2nd | 12 | 6 |
| 3rd | 20 | 10 |
| 4th | 30 | 15 |
| 5th | 44 | 22 |
| 6th | 60 | 30 |
| 7th | 80 | 40 |
| 8th | 100 | 50 |
| 9th | 120 | 60 |
How much does a spell cost? Here's where the Ranked Mage and the College Mage part company. The spells cast by an College Mage have a cost in spell points associated with each individual spell. These mages typically achieve results for a much lower cost in spell points than do Ranked Mages. This is due in large part to the fundamental difference in the manner each group approaches the application of magickal forces. For those playing College Mages, the cost of a particular spell is given as part of each individual spell description. For Ranked Mages, the chart to the right lists the cost in spell points associated with spells of each Power Ranking. Costs are listed according to whether a spell is considered Free or Fixed.
Free Magicks are spells that a mage knows but has not taken the time to memorize before use. This allows a mage access to any spell he knows.
Fixed Magicks are spells a mage has memorized that day. By spending time memorizing a given spell, the mage is imprinting the magickal patterns of the spell on his brain. Before a player gets the bright idea of having his character memorize every spell in his spell-book, the GM should point out that mages are limited to how many spells of each rank can be memorized. The exact number of spells is listed in the large "Spell Point Progression" table at the top of the page. A specialist can memorize more spells of each Ranking, typically spending the extra slots on spells of his specialty.
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