Difference between revisions of "Rules:Magic Power"

Latest revision as of 12:57, 18 April 2014

Magic Power

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Next to the generic Physical power, Magic is probably the most well known power of the four possible power types. Often associated with the unknown, or things that cannot be scientifically explained, magic focuses on powers beyond the sole ability of the person who makes use of it. To describe magic power beyond this simple premise would be defying part or all of what magic really is.

Active and Passive Magic

There are actually two kinds of magic power: Passive Magic and Active Magic. Passive magic describes magic that comes naturally to a character, usually through a god-related parentage (such as is the case with demons and angels, for instance). Powers received as passive magic usually suddenly comes to the character as he/she gains strength and experience, rather than through intuitive creation and research. Passive magic often takes a more physical form than its active brethren, and follow closer to the general concept of the character. Passive Magic has not yet had rules established for it, however, and therefore cannot be explicitly used in a character. We recommend that players wishing to use passive magic use Ki or Physical power instead.

Active magic, on the other hand, belongs to those who study ancient books and worship gods and the universe, or call upon nature to aid them, as opposed to embodying their gifts. Those who practice active magic, in most situations, are called mages. Their powers are drawn from the mystical energies of the world around them, or sometimes from godly beings to whom their studies and fealty are devoted. Mages, by themselves, are very little more than mortal men with no particularly notable abilities (unless they also have powers from other power types). Thus, the entirety of their powers are focused on spells they cast, which can produce an astonishingly huge array of effects.

Active magic, being the only playable type of magic at current, is assumed to be the power type when only "magic" is indicated by a power level. Active mages are, perhaps, the trickiest characters to mold into powerful combatants, due to their utter lack of gimmes. Players who create mages must entirely construct each character from scratch with the powers desired, and often those powers are limited by duration. However, as has been proven repeatedly in Alternate Dragonball Z, a sharp mind can create such a deadly and powerful mage as to counter even the strength of the most mighty Super Saiyans, with but a fraction of their power level. A mage's strength lies almost entirely in the spells chosen, as techniques (spells) are learned far faster than those of other professions, and no other power type has such a wide and unrestricted field of technique possibilities. It is strongly suggested that you do not create a mage unless you are well acquainted with the technique system.

Statistics and Details

An active magic character with no spells has only one true gimme:

Magic Sense and Tact

Active mages can sense magic energy, both active and passive. However, due to it's nature, active magic cannot be sensed inside a person who uses it, like Ki and Psi can (passive magic can be, however). Active magic can only be sensed when it takes (or is taking) the form of a spell. So, while a mage can't be sensed, normally, if that mage casts himself a suit of armor, he can suddenly be sensed because of it. Basic magical senses are rough and inaccurate at best, providing only vague directions and distances of sensed energy, and has a short range limit, except for exceptionally large sources of magic (such as in special plot events).

However, mages receive several more gifts for investing in techniques:

Early Spell Mastery

Mages learning non-permanent spells usually manage to manifest the spell's effect earlier in the development process than wielders of other powers do with their activated techniques. After paying half of the after-bias cost of such a technique, the mage can use it as a Basic spell, subject to Mandatory Casting Time. Paying the remaining half of the cost enables the mage to learn it at an Advanced level, where it is no longer subject to such lengthy preparations.

If an upgrade is approved for a spell that is known at an Advanced level, as soon as the upgrade is mastered to the Basic level, the entire spell may be cast, using that upgrade, at the Basic level. However, to cast the spell with the new upgrade at the Advanced level, the upgrade must also be learnt to the Advanced level.

(If an upgrade is in progress or only learnt to a Basic level, the spell may still be cast without it at an Advanced level.)

Mandatory Casting Time

While mages receive their Basic spell techniques for a reduced price, it also comes with a catch. Casting highly complex spells is a tricky endeavor, and one that requires undisturbed concentration and focus. Thus, while a simple spell might be able to be cast with a simple wave of the hand and a spoken word, a more poweful and complex spell might take an entire song and dance in order to be properly effected.

The amount of time required to cast a given spell is based on the base tech day cost (bias does not come into play) of the spell, plus any upgrades that are applied to it. It is permissible to cast an 'earlier version' of a spell, without some of the upgrades, if the caster wishes to be able to cast a weaker version of it faster.

For spells of up to 90 base days, they may be cast in a single post, without any concentration requirement. For spells that cost more than 90 base days, posts must be spent concentrating on constructing the spell (as a Focus Action) before it can be cast. The cost chart is as follows:

• 1-90 tech days: No preparation time, may be cast in a single post.
• 91 - 180 base days: 1 post of preparation.
• 181 - 300 base days: 2 posts of preparation.
• 301 - 450 base days: 3 posts of preparation.
• 451 - 630 base days: 4 posts of preparation.
• 631 - 840 base days: 5 posts of preparation.
• This continues indefinitely, each level's range being 30 days longer than the last.

Note that this mandatory casting time is not the same as charging -- doing so does not add to the power of the spell, but is required to establish the basic effect. Also note that Autocharges do not reduce the number of mandatory posts of concentration required to activate a spell.

The mandatory casting time of a spell can in no way be reduced except by certain specific CTs. (cf. Speedcast, Spell Efficiency.)

Heightened Damage Range

While mages have no automatic attack at their disposal, when they do research attack spells, they are based off of a higher base damage. Where Ki's natural charge is 30% KiPL and Psi's natural charge is 20% PsiPL, Magic operates at 60% Magic PL natural charge, with each additional charge giving 20% more MagPL damage, to a cap of 140% MagPL on a fully charged spell. This effectively reduces the cost of many damage-based spells. The base speed for a projectile is 50%.

Mages do find certain types of techniques more difficult than other sorts of power wielders, however:

Multifunction Penalty

Mages have difficulty combining different functions within a single spell, as the functions often form internal conflicts within the spell structure, and thus, additional development time must be spent to correct for these conflicts.

For each function past the first, the technique's base day cost is increased by 30 base days. For instance, for a spell that combined the Common Techs Barrier and Levitation, the cost would be the normal cost for Barrier, plus the normal cost for Levitation, plus an additional thirty base days.

Techniques

Mages may cast one technique per post. Mages with multiple power levels may still only use one technique per post, regardless of which PL(s) it came from, though any unused power levels may still perform non-technique actions. Techniques must usually be cast in front of the user, and employs the full use of both hands as well as a verbally spoken component.

The Magical Realm

Magic is the least restricted power type of the four, including the highly customizable Physical power. There are few things it cannot do, since the powers of magic are often based on the imagination and creativity. These things often can be described as either generic or artificial. Objects that work by scientific, manmade concepts are particularly impossible to achieve. Typically speaking, however, elemental-style natural spells (fire, water, earth, ice, wind, etc.) will cost less than their non-elemental alternatives.

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• Power Levels
  • General Details
    • Ki Power
    • Psi Power
    • Magic Power
    • Physical Power
  • Gaining Power
  • Fighting
  • Incapacitation and Death
    • Life After Death