Editing Slayers (section)

===Slayers D20 Spellcasting===
While in the above section spellcasting was explained within its in-universe lore, the following section instead focuses on the Slayers D20 for the purposes of game play. For example, the D20 makes no distinction between White and Holy magic, despite White being the lesser, Astral-infused bastard child of true Holy magic. This is a necessary amalgamation; the anime, which the D20 is based on, doesn't cover Holy magic due to the main cast not interacting with dragons nor elves for prolonged periods of time, and Holy magic is an arcane art to humanity within the Mazoku Barrier. Spellcasting in the D20 may seem complex at first glance, but the real simplicity of it lies in how it handles difficulty checks and the freedom to operate as a spellcaster without breaking the game.

====Types of Magic====
''The following is a list of spells found in each category. Some spells are multi-category; as long as a spell is listed as "Common", then it can be used by witches and wizards without the related feat for its other group.''

'''Common''': Aqua Create, Flare, Flash, Force Push, Healing, Levitation, Lighting, Projection, Writing, Yum, Dark Mist, Dash, Flare Arrow, Flare Bit (Flare Bullet), Freeze Arrow, Freeze Bit (Freeze Bullet), Message, Mind Control, Opening, Sleeping, Change Earth, Fireball, Ice Ball, Identify

'''Sorcery (Black Magic)''': Flash, Bam Rhod, Flare Arrow, Flare Bit (Flare Bullet), Freeze Arrow, Freeze Bit (Freeze Bullet), Mind Control, Burst Rondo, Damu Bras (Dam Brass), Dil Brand, Fireball, Fire Bolt, Ice Ball, Blast Ash, Domination, Firestorm, Flare Lance, Garuk Ruhard, Icicle Lance, Mega Brunt, Blast Bomb, Burst Flare, Dimil Arwin, Dis Fang, Mega Brando, Rune Flare, Vaal Flare, Dynast Bras, Garv Flare, Zelas Goto, Dragon Slave, Ragna Blade, Giga Slave

'''White (Clerical, Holy)''': Healing, Levitation, Lighting, Projection, Water Walking, Writing, Cure Blindness or Deafness, Ferious Breed, Message, Opening, Sleeping, Suspend, Assha Dist, Elmekia Lance, Flow Break, Identify, Rahfas Seed, Recovery, Resting, Telekinesis, Concealment, Fel za'Red, Flow Twist, Illusion, Protection, Visfan Rank (Vistfarank), Dimensional Portal, Elmekia Flame, Megiddo Flare, Resurrection, Restoration, Time Slip, Time Stop, Flame Breath (Holy), Holy Rezast (Holy), Ray Freeze (Holy), Chaotic Disintegrate (Holy)

'''Shamanism''': Aqua Create, Flare, Force Push, Shadow Snap, Yum, Balus Rod, Bom Di Wind, Dark Mist, Dash, Monobolt, Astral Vice, Behfis Bring, Blam Blazer, Change Earth, Diem Wing, Digger Bolt, Ly Briem, Petrify, Ray Wing, Balus Wall, Bom Spreed, Boo Brymer, Buday Wind, Diev Volt, Sea Blast, Shadow Wave, Van Rail, Wind Barrier, Astral Break, Blam Gush, Dug Crystal, Dug Haut, Ghozu Vro, Golem, Mosu Varium, Van Rehl, Demona Crystal, Grey Bomb, Sphere of Earth, Vlave Howl, Rah-tilt (Ra Tilt)

However, these spells aren't the limit of what a spellcaster can do. For example, Spellcraft, Summoning, UMD, and Vision are all critical skills a spellcaster needs on top of a strong spell list to be an excellent ally, not to mention barriers to safeguard from other wizards. Non-spellcasters can attempt to emulate spells with the use of potions, which in the D20 are the physical forms of spells, and there are a host of magical items and talismans players can find for offense or protection. The only real limit a spellcaster might have is making chimeras and copies, since the time and resources needed to make one most often goes beyond the bounds of a standard session. That is, it's not impossible, but not something most players might think about.

====Learning Magic====
Simple, it's a Spellcraft check against the Spell's DC - 10. All it requires is a written formula for the spell (the incantation and the spell's name properly listed), or a trained tutor willing to instruct how to cast the spell, which offers a bonus to the Spellcraft check equal to one-half the INSTRUCTOR'S total Spellcraft bonus. If a spell fails, but by 10 or less, they can attempt to cast the spell regardless of failing. Partially learned spells are cast as normal spells, except have a -5 penalty on Fortitude saves and have double the normal drain (more on spell draining later). For every two points, rounded up, by which the Spellcraft check was failed, the player needs to only cast the spell successfully that many times to fully learn the spell, and cast it henceforth without penalty.

Players can also create their own spells, the only limiting factor being skill, time, and access to a magical laboratory or workshop (and, naturally, GM fiat). A player can describe the spell they wish to construct, to which the GM assigns a reasonable DC check for the spell. The player must then spend one week for each full five points in the potential spell's DC researching the spell in the laboratory. After the weeks have past, the player must make a Spellcraft check, with a DC equal to the researched spell's DC. If it's successful, the spell is now created and can be learned by other players or NPCs. If it's a failure, the player must spend another week researching the error. After that week, they can then attempt the spell again, with a +2 circumstance bonus. Each future error requires another week, but also grants a cumulative +2 circumstance bonus each time. However, there is a limit that this research can take. They can only continue researching the spell for a number of weeks equal to their caster level. (A level 10 witch can get 10 weeks to research errors and a potential +20 circumstance bonus, for example.) If after that allotted time the spellcaster can't successfully cast the spell, they must give up because they aren't skilled enough to be making a spell that powerful yet.

The maximum number of spells, any spell, a player can know at one time is equal to their Intelligence bonus. Spellcasting classes, however, gain additional spells as they increase in level. This means even non-spellcasting classes with adequate Intelligence can also learn spells. Furthermore, spell slots aren't Vancian; an extraordinarily powerful spell instead takes up one the knowledge of a lesser spell to have memorized. A Dragon Slave requires the same knowledge as three normal spells. So, if a player can know 10 spells, knowing Dragon Slave reduces the number of spells a player can memorize down to 7. Also, if a player is specialized in White, Black, or Shamanism, spells from outside their field of expertise, not including common spells, require an additional slot. So, a Cleric who can memorize 10 spells, but wants to know Dragon Slave, has their list limited down to 6 spells. However, spells can be cast almost infinitely, with the only limit being spell drain.

====Spellcasting====
Using magic in Slayers is simple, because rather than getting bogged down in reagents and tools, all it requires is the knowledge of the spell and a standard action. However, this doesn't give spellcasters free-reign; there is still spell drain, and if being attacked or Taunted or failing a spell's DC they will have to make Concentration checks or else lose control of the spell.

Spell drain is the means of keeping magic under control in the D20 system. When a player announces they will cast a spell, they must first make a Fortitude save to see how much a spell exhausts them to cast (going back to the "pool and bucket capacity" analogy from earlier). The DC of this fortitude save is the base DC of the spell being cast, with additional modifiers based on metamagic feats that are applied on the fly.

Spell drain is usually nonlethal damage, meaning that hitting 0 hit points or lower only renders the player unconscious, but if the spellcaster is exhausted prior to casting a spell, it will be lethal to cast that magic. Damage dealt by drain like this doesn't go through a Concentration check, and the drain damage isn't received until after the spell is fired. That means that if a spell would render a spellcaster unconscious after using it, the spell still resolves normally. Moreover, spells use the highest class-based Fortitude save bonus available when casting a spell. A multi-classed wizard / sorcerer using a Fireball, which is both a Common and Sorcerous spell, would get the Fortitude save from whichever class offers the best Magical Training.

:'''Passing a save by 10 or more''': 1/2 base drain (rounded down), no control check;
:'''Passing by less than 10''': Base drain, no control check;
:'''Failing by less than 10''': Double base drain, control check required;
:'''Failing by 10 or more''': Double base drain, control check required, spellcaster fatigued

If the Fortitude save fails, this doesn't mean the spell has completely misfired. A control check is 1d20 + the character's total caster levels + the relevant ability modifier for the spell. Common spells have a Constitution modifier; Sorcery, Intelligence; Shamanism, Wisdom; and White, Charisma. Use whichever modifier is higher if a spell is listed under two lists, such as Fireball under Common and Sorcery. The DC of this check is the spell's DC - 10. If this check is successful, the spell is cast as normal. If the check fails, the spell may simply fizzle out if it's a weak spell, or have funny, awkward consequences than causing the spellcaster harm. Of course, there are certain limits to what may be humorous for failing a spell. [[Rocks_fall,_everyone_dies|Miscasting a Giga Slave should, in almost all circumstances, cause the world to be consumed by the Lord of Nightmares and immediately terminate the campaign.]] But, hey, I'm not your GM, maybe it'll make the caster fart rabbits.

====Spellcasting Options====
To use a spell, it's customary to know the Chaos Words and Power Words of a spell. In general terms a player can say they are mentally chanting the Chaos Words of a spell to absolve them from needing to speak the incantation aloud. However, a really good roleplayer using a verbal incantation gets a +5 bonus on Fortitude saves to resist drain and on control checks, and an addition +5 bonus on both if they use the Power Words, or name of the spell, to fire it. Furthermore, the DC of saving throws against a that spell are increased by +2. However, since the spell is being verbally stated, anyone within earshot with the adequate knowledge of magic will know what is heading their way, and can prepare to counter or defend against it. If a character might not know the spell by the incantation or naming of it, the GM may call for a Spellcraft check with a DC between 15 and 30, depending on how obscure the spell is, to see if that character knows what's being cast.

While spell drain is usually non-lethal, with the exception of an exhausted character, a non-exhausted spellcaster can choose to give their all into a spell. By choosing to take lethal damage, the player gains a +5 bonus to Fortitude saves and control checks with that spell, stacking with the bonuses from the Chaos and Power Words, if used.

There is also cooperative spellcasting.
:'''Combination Casting''': Two or three characters can agree to use a single spell, and must declare a primary caster. The group will then cast the spell using the primary's Fortitude save and control check. The primary, however, gains a bonus on these checks equal to the caster level of their assistant, and potentially another bonus of one-half the caster level of their second assistant. Spell drain is divided equally among the group, with the remainder being given solely to the primary caster.
:'''Spell Boosting''': If a spell has a sustained effect, another spellcaster can choose to amplify the effects of a spell already in effect. To do this the player must make a Spellcraft check (DC spell's base DC - 10). If the check fails, there's no effect. If it succeeds, one of two things can happen. The first is that the spell's effects are enhanced by one-half of the assistant's caster level. Alternatively, the caster can choose to apply a singel metamagic feat to the spell, though the DC increase brought on by this metamagic cannot be higher than the assistant's caster level. Spell drain is divided evenly between all participants, with the original caster taking the remaining damage.
:'''Multi-casting''': Rather than coordinating players into casting one spell, multiple players can choose to cast the same spell normally against the same target for a magical amplification. The area of effect of a combined spell is multiplied by the number of people casting the spell on that area; two people doubles it, three triples, and so on. The damage is also multiplied in this way. If the area of effect or damage of the spells being cast are different, use the larger of each value. The spell's DC, if any, is the highest DC value of the individual spells, including the appropriate Ability modifiers. For the purposes of penetrating spell resistance, use the combined caster levels of all participants' caster level.