Through the Veil

PCs are magicians charged with loose oversight of the lands of a disintegrated empire. They are few in number, realtively speaking, and wander where they will. During those travels, they may take steps to right wrongs and restore order to lawless areas. Perhaps just responding to reports of supernatural threats.

In addition to any mundane physical traits and skills, the magicians have a selection of powers on which they draw. 

Powers

The magiciansÕ powers determine how well they can manipulate the world around them. There are five powers:

	- Creation (& Destruction)
	- Regulation
	- Alteration (& Transformation)
	- Adjuration (& Abjuration)
	- Divination (& Obscuration)

The powers are rated on a scale of 1 to 5. Each magician begins with a base rating of 1 in each power, then has three rating points to distribute. No power may begin with a rating of more than 3. These ratings can be developed during play.

Affinities

Magicians also develop affinities for working with varied parts of the world with their powers. There are a great many possible affinities that can be developed. Beginning characters may pick five affinities.

	Insects
	Arachnids
	Weeds & Vines
	Trees
	Small Animals
	Large Animals
	Wind
	Standing Water
	Dust & Dirt
	Rocks
	Birds
	Etc.

Affinities are rated from 1 to 3. They may be developed further during play.

Working Skills

Magicians also have some basic skills that are used when working magic. 

	- Weaving
	- Holding
	- Blending
	- Targeting

The Elements of a Working

Magicians work their magic by using powers and affinities in conjunction to alter the world in some fashionÑto work magic. They draw on their powers and affinities and use their skills to work out a casting, then release it into existence. A casting may be simple and require but a single worked segment or may be highly involved and draw on all of the powers and multiple affinities.

Castings are worked in segments. A segment is a basic unit of time and is based on how long it takes to make one significant magical act. Summoning up a basic ball of fire on the end of a torch is a single segment work, for example. Summoning a ball of fire and holding it floating in air, adding to its volume, increasing its temperature, and then sending it skittering down a hallway at some bad guys is a multi-segment work, on the other hand (two or three segments).

The Mechanics

Working a casting involves the manipulation of the energies *and* overcoming the resistance of the Veil.

The Effort of the Magician

For each rating point in the appropriate Power for the casting segment at hand, the player will roll a D6.

For each rating point in an appropriate affinity for the casting segment at hand, the player will roll a D6.

For each rating point in the appropriate skill for the casting segment at hand, the player will roll a D6.

Resistance of the Veil

The Veil or Reality presents a challenge to those who would work to alter it. It resists attempts to change reality. This resistance can vary from place to place and from segment to segment. At times, the resistance can not only ruin a working, it can damage the magicianÕs psyche.

The GM will set a Veil rating. This can vary from 0 to 3. A Veil rating of 0 provides no resistance to casting efforts, while a Veil rating of 3 presents a great deal of challenge.

To check for the effects of the MagicianÕs workings during a segment, the player will roll all of the dice called for by the Power, Affinity, and Skills ratings. All of the dice that exceed the Veil rating are then added together. E.g., with a Veil rating of 2, only those dice that show a result of 3 or greater count towards the total; those dice with results of 1 or 2 do not count.

Results

Characters are generally able to work castings without failure, with the variability being how long it takes to do so. Each segment of a working has a completion rating, and the characterÕs efforts have to meet or exceed that for the next segment of a casting to performed. 

A simple casting may have a completion rating of 9 points of effort for the first segment. A powerful, complex casting may have a completion rating of 18 points for the first segment. 

An abject failure only occurs if more of the dice rolled are resisted by the Veil than can be counted towards completion. If 5 dice are rolled and three are resisted by the Veil, then that attempt at casting fails. The Magician must begin anew.

If all of the dice are resisted by the Veil, the magician suffers Psyche damage. This is problematic, not just because it can lead to insanity, because magicians draw on their Psyche to power castings.

Powering Castings

A magician draws on his or her Psyche to power castings. A magician uses the power of Psyche to pierce the Veil with the workings, and each casting will require points of Psyche be dedicated to the effort. The psychic load depends on how great an effect is being worked.

The magician may increase the psychic load in an attempt to speed the working process. This may backfire, as it also increases the chances of abject failure by adding both an additional effort dies to the roll plus a resisted die to the effort. E.g., the player rolls 5 dice normally, increases the psychic load by one, and then rolls a 6th die for effort and also gets a 7th die which is automatically resisted.