Everyone is Wizards

This page is in need of cleanup. Srsly. It's a fucking mess.

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A homebrew made by a lurker on /tg/. It involves everyone being a wizard in a roughly modern setting.

Welcome, to Suddenly Wizards, a rules-light PnP RPG Homebrew that will most likely never be finished. Oh well. In this game, players are average, run-of-the-mill people who have Suddenly become A Wizard! What kind of wizard is up to them, and where they draw power from is up to them as well. The first thing to know about this game is that there are two overriding rules:

The Rule of Cool: If something is sufficiently awesome and is agreed upon as such, it is considered feasible.

Rule Zero: This game is about fun. If you hate fun, leave now. Having fun is top priority here. If you think a rule makes the game less fun, you may (at your GM’s discretion) throw it out.

There is but one important stat to wizards:

????, the stat that dictates magical power. Players determine the name of this stat- it is part of characterization and what their character depends on (at least superficially) to cast their magic. Examples could be SKILL, WILLPOWER, LOGIC, CHARISMA, or even something silly like STYLE, LASERS, or MUSCLE (I cast Fist!).

Whenever a player desires to do something, they will most likely be using magic. Wizards are both physically and mentally identical to common folk, so when rolling to do something mundane (such as lift a log, solve sudoku, or dodge a ball) they’ll roll at a +2. Keep in mind that wizards will not roll for mundane things often- in the previous examples, a wizard would rather summon a familiar to lift the log, burn the sudoku (or simply order it to solve itself!) or erect a Wall of Force or pause time to shoo the pesky ball away.

Character creation is simple. Roll 1d20 for magical power source. This is where the character gets their magic from.

Note: (sp) after a listing requires that a specific type of that is required.

Magic Sources

1	Mana	Your character derives their magic power from Mana, a magical somethingorother that’s usually everywhere. Whether they burn it as fuel, use it as a medium, or something else entirely, they depend on mana to get their magic done.
2	Chi	You draw power from an innate life force, or chi. You can consume the chi of others to power your magics, or hone and strengthen your own.
3	Tradition	Just the way they used to do it, you draw magic from the time-honored tradition of… something. Perhaps you wear robes and draw runes to cast magic, perhaps you crush strange substances between your fingers, or perhaps you mix esoteric and arcane brews. In any case, your often strange and sometimes “outdated” methods have results that no one can debate.
4	Ley Lines	You draw power from ley lines, shifting lines of magical energy that run throughout the planet. You don’t need to be directly on top of one to draw its power, but it wouldn’t hurt to be near one when you cast… would it?
5	Music	The simple rhythms and sounds of music power your magecraft. You may cast while dancing or playing an instrument, and musical mage-fights are often a delight to hear as well as watch.
6	Spirits	Wake old Gramps from his sleep, he owes me a few favors! This source deals directly with the spirits of the departed- usually family or other close relations. They agree to do favors (these manifest as spells), although they may require something in return.
7	Emotion	You cast your spells from the power of rage, the light of joy, or the darkness of sorrow. Specify an emotion to cast from when you pick this- that is the emotion that is your power source.
8	Devices	You’ve got a gizmo for everything, and usually you don’t even know until you pull it out of your pocket! Your spells are less spells, and more altered objects- using a flashlight to cast fireball is an acceptable method for this wizard.
9	Bloodlines	Magic must be hereditary, because you’ve got the genes. You cast magic intuitively- the power lies in your bloodline and in your DNA.
10	Nature	Be one with the forest! You draw your power from Mother Earth and all her plants and animals. Mages with this source tend to live further from civilization, in order to become closer to that which empowers them.
11	Artefact	Your magic comes from a single, usually small, item. It could be a pendant, a necklace, a ring, a bracelet, or even just some magic thingy you keep in your pocket. It bonds to you, and if you try and throw it away, it just ends up on your person again. Somehow.
12	Cosmic	The powers-that-be seem to have decided that you are worthy of wielding powers beyond the world- specifically, space-themed magic. Your fireballs are miniature suns, your cloaking spells bend light itself, and your haste spells make people age slower.
13	Your Mind	Wizards with this power source have unlocked the secrets of the mind, and use this energy to cast spells. Their eyes may glow when they draw upon the innate energy of their mind.
14	Physics	With an intuitive grasp of physical equations, you are able to change those equations slightly to suit your purposes. Need a light? Change a few equations and suddenly your finger’s glowing white-hot at a comfortable room temperature.
15	Great Old Ones	C’thulu f’thagan! Beings older than history and time itself have decided to give you power for reasons unfathomable. Your magic is strange, bizarre, and sometimes sanity-rending, but it is indeed quite powerful. Just hope you don’t meet with your mysterious benefactors- it is an occurrence that few survive.
16	Fey	For whatever reason, mischievous pixies, gnomes, or elves have decided that you should be able to belch lightning. This power is rather unpredictable, although it is easily controlled.
17	Drawing	Your spells may take the shape of graffiti, beautiful landscapes, or strange but precise geometric shapes- but when you cast, it’s difficult to tell whether you’re making art or slinging fire.
18	Potions and Brews	Your power comes from the arcane mixtures that you wield. By mixing together various reagents, you cause magic to spring forth. Drinking the potions grants you the power to cast spells, or even casts the spells directly.
19	Language	By invoking ancient words of power, you shape reality to your will. They may be words spoken to create the universe- or end it. But regardless of origin, they have incredible power.
20	Other	Anything else you can imagine! An organization, mechanical implants, irradiated bugs, ANYTHING. Your only limit is your imagination!

After rolling on (or selecting) a power source, you may select (or roll if you've got a D29 around) a school of magic. You have 5 points to spend on schools; 1 point buys you one rank in a school. You can take up to three separate schools at Magic 1; after that, you may take one additional school per two points of Magic (4 schools at 3, 5 schools at 5, 6 schools at 7, etc). When you take a new school, roll again on the chart. If you roll something you already have, reroll. At any given level, you cannot have more points in any one school than your magic+2. (at magic one, you can have 3pts, etc.)

2	Elemancy	The four elements are yours to control! Or, one of them is, anyway. When you take this school, pick an element. Note that both “classical” elements (air, water, fire, ice) and “scientific” elements (bismuth, hydrogen, carbon) are fair game. You may take as many different elements as you have ranks in this school. You may spend ranks on elements to increase your mastery of them. Unique Move: Elements can Create Element, generating up to (Rank*MV) pounds of an element.
3	Chronomancy	It’s about time! The very nature of time bends to your will. You can make things age, make things younger, or even speed up your own personal time to move faster (then reverse age yourself so that you’re younger than when you started!) Unique Move: Chronomancers can Freeze things in Time, preventing them from moving for (rank) rounds. This is only useable on (Rank) objects at a time.
4	Biomancy	The secrets of life are yours to control. You are adept at manipulating biology- to both heal your allies and cause distress to your foes. Biomancers get a +½ rank to their role when dealing with organic targets. Unique Move: Biomarkers can Heal, restoring (rank) blocks of HP to the target.
5	Necromancy	You control Death. You can slay your foes by bringing Death to them, and aid allies by defying Death. Unique Move: Necromancers can Defy Death, keeping someone who would die alive for (rank) minutes. The person cannot die under any circumstances during this time.
6	Spatiomancy	You control space, and can warp it to achieve various effects, such as connecting two points or teleporting objects. The final DC of Getting Somewhere is decreased by (rank) when you use Spatiomancy to get there.
7	Animancy	The magic of souls- specifically, trapping them, recalling them, or imbuing them into objects. You may assault an enemy’s soul directly, or send hordes of animated minions to fight for you. Unique Move: Animancers can Animate Object, creating (Rank) plain-object minions that disintegrate after (Rank) actions, or after taking 1 block of damage.
8	Psychomancy	Your magic is mental- you have an excellent control over the psyche of both others and yourself. You can manipulate perception, emotions, and mental ability. Unique Moves: Psychomancers can Detect Thoughts on any living sentient target to discover surface thoughts and desires of the target. More time detecting reveals more about the target.
9	Luck	Now isn’t that fortunate? Fate, luck, chance- regardless of what you call it, you can control the frequency with which good things occur to you and to others. Win the lottery! Trip on the Hope Diamond’s big brother! Find ancient ruins in your back yard! But of course, that fortune has to come from somewhere, and what better place to get it than your enemies. Their guns jam. They trip over flat surfaces. They never get any good poker hands. With luck on your side, the die are loaded. Unique Move: Luck wizards can Re Roll 1d4 on a failed check (Rank) times per scene. They can force enemies to roll for things they normally wouldn’t have to roll for (such as walking, using a weapon, or trying to untie their shoes). The DC for this is equal to the Luck Wizard’s Magic Rank, and the target rolls 2d4. The target always succeeds on an 8.
10	Mattomancy	Mattomancers are the best at controlling matter. They can make any sort of matter, though complex things (working machines, etc) are beyond them. They can alter and control any matter they’ve made, and are limited to (rank*Distance) pounds at a time. They can also destroy any matter up to (established limit) at a time.
11	Luxomancy	These mages control light, in all its forms and flavors. They usually prefer to bend it, shaping it into illusions that can be incredibly useful at times. Other tricks include bending light to become invisible (but not inaudible), using fingers as flashlights, and vaporizing foes in massive blasts of light. So much for subtlety. Unique Move: Luxomancers can Bend Light to create illusions and become invisible. They get a +rank on all attempts to stay hidden, unless they speak.
12	Summoning	You call upon a series of magical (and sometimes non-magical) creatures to do your bidding and aid you in (or out of) combat. Need a building leveled? Magma golem. Need a ride? Air elementals can carry you there. Unique Move: Summoners can Summon monsters. They can summon (rank) monsters that exist until they are slain or dispelled. They control these monsters, and have an empathic link with them. The monsters will not rebel under any circumstances, not even if the summoner attacks them.
13	Polymancy	Magic is chaos! At the beginning of every day, a Polymancer rolls on the Magics chart. They reselect their magics based upon their rolls. They use their ranks in Polymancy to put ranks in the randomly selected schools. Polymancers do not get a special move or benefit, because they’re already somewhat unbalanced.
14	Gladiomancy	Gladiomancers are masters of the battlefield. Their tactical skill is unrivalled, and whenever in combat, they know instinctively the most tactically sound and safe positions, enemy movements, and other tactical information. They don’t hide behind allies; they’re often seen on the front lines, slaying enemies with agility and strength that normal humans could never hope to match. Whenever in combat (GM’s discretion), Gladiomancers get the following buffs: +(rank) to all rolls. Has (rank) rerolls per combat instance that can be used on dodging, defending, or attacking actions. But! Gladiomancers are not very powerful outside combat.
15	Cryptomancy	What you don’t know, they can use to hurt you. Cryptomancers control the unknown, the hidden, the secret. They can use this in a variety of ways- calling upon strange phenomena, such as dark matter, ball lighting, and things that are generally unexplained and unknown. Cryptomancers get a +rank to rolls in any situation when they know something important that their foes don’t. This is subject to GM discretion.
16	Chromamancy	Colors fly when you use your magics- you can control color in any and all forms. Make your enemies colorblind! Blind them WITH colors! Blast them in the face with the essence of the color red! Unique Move: Chronomancers can Make Art, which can be sold for money or used to persuade or attract people (as relevant). Time spent increases desired effect (sold for more money, attracts more people, persuades more effectively, etc).
17	Etheramancy	These mages are adept at making contact with the Ethereal Plane- at least, that’s what they call it. Etheramancers can flicker in and out of reality at will, as well as making matter translucent or opaque. Etheramancers get a + rank to all of their rolls to Defend, and can bestow this upon allies as long as they are touching the target (or something that is a part of the target, i.e. clothing).
18	Legiomancy	These mages have found their magic to be best channeled through lots of small things. These mages will control tiny shards or specks- splinters of metal or glass, or grains of sand- and combine them to make solid objects.. Unique Benefit : Legiomancers have made their legion a part of themselves- whenever they would take damage, they may instead elect to take a -1 to all die rolls until the end of the scene. This can only be performed (rank) times per scene.
19	Magineering	These are the eggheads that calculate exactly how magic does what it does and exactly why it does that. They’re also the ones most likely to prompt the phrase “what has science done” when they bioengineer a dragon, create an army of cyborgs, or tap into a legiomancers powers to create flesh-eating nanobots. They don’t do much on their own, controlling a small variety of scientific phenomena, but they have a tendency to “fix” the powers of others, occasionally with mixed results. Magineering can be used in conjunction with another school to Undertake a Project. This Project is the result of several weeks, if not months or years, of research. More time spent will decrease the DC of the check. DC is according to project size, how many people are working, and how much time is required, and is mostly determined by the GM. Projects can be used to create permanent and unique magical devices, creatures, or other things. The GM has the final say on whether or not this will work, but is encouraged to express his approval or disapproval of the project when the Project is approved.
20	Audiomancy	Turn up the volume! This school controls sound in every way, shape and form, as well as resonant frequencies and other sound-related phenomena. They can crumble buildings, pop skulls, and sound like anything or anyone they want to. Audiomancers gain a bonus of (rank) to their rolls when trying to shatter or break an inanimate object.
21	Mechanomancy	This school focuses on control over mechanical objects, as well as making things mechanical. You can mechanize even simple objects with a mere touch, construct robots, androids, and even cyborg implants out of mundane materials, and communicate with any and all machines in a silent language. Technomancers can Make Something Useful, using their Alter stat as a base ability. Magnitude determines power and size of this device.
22	Gaiamancy	Be aware of where you are! Enviromancers focus on being in harmony with one chosen environment, to better understand it. Necromancers are famous for their weather control, as well as their uncanny ability to be anywhere in their environment that they want to be. They can also enlist the help of others who dwell in that environment to aid them in their tasks- and anything from street hobos to small animals to magical beasts will answer the call, depending on the location. Enviromancers get a bonus of (Rank) to all magical rolls when in their Preferred Environment.
23	Atomancy	This magic focuses on spontaneously (and temporarily) changing the properties of physical objects by fiddling with atoms; decreasing density, increasing mass, decreasing conductivity and so on. Unique Benefit: Materiomancers can Alter inanimate objects, changing their material structure to whatever they please. Materiomancers get a bonus of (rank) when altering nonliving materials.
24	Planeswalking	These mages open portals to other planes of existence. They may use these to smite their foes, summon monsters, or imprison enemies. Unique Move: Planeswalkers can Create Portals to other planes, allowing the transfer of matter or energy from that plane. Planeswalkers are immune to any negative effects of any plane they visit, and can bestow this upon (rank) allies.
25	Kinetiomancy	This school teaches its students how to use force to push, pull, defend, and many other things. Kinetiomancers can project force fields, throw people, and casually toss heavy objects aside- all without dirtying their hands by actually touching things. Unique Move: Kineto Dancers can Move Objects of up to (Rank*Magic Progression) pounds at a distance, up to (Magic Progression) feet away.
26	Umbramancy	I AM THE NIGHT. Umbramancers control shadows and darkness. They’re very good at remaining unseen, although they tend to work alone. They are capable of throwing darkness at their foes to blind them. Unique Benefit: Umbramancer get a -(rank) to the final DC of any check made in darkness.
27	Shapeshifting	Who exactly am I? Shapeshifters are the best at changing and improving their bodies. Shapeshifters may sprout wings, grow claws, or become entirely different organisms. They can also bestow unfortunate forms upon their enemies. Unique Moves: Shapeshifters find it easier to Alter living things. Whenever they Alter something living, they add ½ their rank to the roll.
28	Joulomancy	I HAVE THE POWER! Energomancers control energy! Similar to Elemancy or Materiomancy, pick a form of energy (electrical, thermal, radiation, sonic, etc) and use it to smite foes and aid allies! Unique Move: Joulomancers get a bonus to all casting equal to ½ their rank whenever they are exposed to their chosen energy source. They get this bonus for 24 hours after being exposed to the source.
29	Metamancy	The magic of… magic? Metamancy specializes in dealing with spells- be they cast from others or from oneself. Metamancy can empower spells, absorb spells, combine spells, and do general fancy things with magic. Unique Move: Metamancers can Combine Magic, either the magics of others or their own magics. Effect is determined by the GM.
30	Other	You have mastered a form of magic for which there is not yet a school. List your powers, what you control and what you do.

Building a School: In order to construct a school, pick what the mage controls. Then see if it could fall under an existing school (i.e. “I control blood” would fall under Biomancy, you could just specialize in blood and take Biomancy).

How do I magic? Well, now that you’ve put on your robe and wizard hat, it’s time to start magic-ing! In order to do this, check your Magic stat. It should be a one if you’re just starting out. Next, what kind of spell are you casting? Determine the school it’s from- you must have the correct school to cast the spell. Add your proficiency in the school to your Magic, then roll two four sided die. Add these numbers together and compare them to the GM’s DC; if you pass, you have successfully casted the spell.

Base DC and you: Every magical action has a BDC, or base DC. Increasing the Magnitude or Targets of a spell modifies the BDC; increasing magnitude multiplies it, while increasing the Targets increases it mathematically. Attempting more than one action in a round increases the BDC accordingly.

Note: The players do not have to roll every time they cast a spell. If the DC for the spell is lower than their (Magic+Prof), then they are skilled enough to cast it without a chance of failure.

Example: Alex the Pyromancer wants to throw a fireball. It’s a moderately sized fireball with an area of effect of 15 feet, so the DC is increased by 3. The base DC for Hurting Something is 4, so the DC is 7. Alex has a Pyromancy proficiency of 3 and a Magic of one. He rolls 2d4 and adds 4 (prof.+Magic). He rolls a four on the dice, then adds his 4, bringing him to eight. Alex succeeds in casting the spell.

More difficult spells increase in progression according to the following table.

Magic Value (targets/ft) DC Increase

1 +1/5 +1

2 +10/15 +1

3 +20/25 +1

4 +40/50 +1

5 +80/100 +1

6 +240/300 +1

7 +720/ +1

8 +2160/7500 +1

9 +/50k +1

x (2+1/5L)* previous value +1

What the preceding table means is that when players are Magic 1, every time they increase a value by 5, it ups the DC by one. Example:

Marshall is playing an electromancer. He decides to fire chain lightning at a series of guards. He wants to hit all 25 guards, so that’s a total of +4 to the DC (25/5=5). This makes his total DC 9 (2 for an attack, +4 to strike all 20 guardsmen). He has 3 ranks in electrokinesis and a 1 in magic, so he needs to roll at least 5 on 2d4 in order to succeed. He rolls 2,3, which is just enough to cast the spell. He casts it, and all the guards take 1 damage. They aren’t happy about that…

Example 2: Gregory wants to set fire to a 10ft circular area, centered on himself. This increases the DC by 2, but it’s not a damaging attack (unless there are enemies inside that 10ft), so the DC is only 2. The DC to cast this spell is 4, and Gregory has a 3 in Pyromancy and a 1 in magic, so he doesn’t even need to roll to set the grass around him ablaze.

Damage and HP: All minor enemies (referred to as “minions”, “mooks”, “guards”, or “fodder”) have three HP, or one “chunk”. HP is always divisible by three, and is separated into three-block “chunks”. PCs have one “chunk”, and one chunk for every three points of Magic they posses.

All damage spells deal 1 block of damage by default. If the player desires to deal additional damage, they must increase the Magnitude of the spell, and multiply the DC by how much damage they wish to deal. An example will be provided at the end of the section.

EXP, Leveling, and Advancement: A wizard’s EXP to next level is equal to their Magic + 5. Wizards gain EXP for casting spells that achieve their attribute. For example, if a character’s Attribute/Magic is “Style”, then they get EXP whenever they cast a spell to make themselves look more stylin’ or make someone else’s style look better. Players gain EXP equal to the BDC of a spell, +1 if they succeed. Example: Stylin’ Tyler wants his swagtastic mage to make a boring abandoned courthouse into a rockin’ club. He’s not in combat, but it’s a big job, so the GM assigns him a BDC of 2. Tyler needs the whole courthouse done (+4 to DC due to size), and he decides it needs to be absolutely bodacious (Magnitude 2). The final DC is 12, so Tyler rolls his School (in this case, probably Gaiamancy) plus his Attribute (Style), and ends up with an 11. He fails to make the building truly swagtastic, but he still gets 2 exp for trying. There’s no rule against retrying failed checks- but, were Tyler to try again, he’d only get +1 exp, and only if he succeeded.

Combat: The rules of combat are simple. Each player has one action per round. Rounds are approximately six to ten seconds in length (when estimating for time, assume eight). Players may go in any order they wish, or even simultaneously, but they all get only one action per round. Players can, however combine actions. For example, if a wizard wished to both Remain Unseen and Get Somewhere, he could do both, but the BDCs of both actions would be combined. Note that a player cannot perform the same action twice in one turn- they cannot After all the players have gone, their enemies will attack. The only needed stats for normal enemies is that they have 1 chunk (3 blocks) of HP and deal 1 block on a successful attack. It is recommended that enemies be in large groups (20 to 50) and that each group of ten gets a separate attack. All Minion attacks, being non magical, require an unobstructed line of sight and deal 1 block of damage.

Spells can (and in some cases, must) be maintained to function continuously. Wizards can only maintain as many spells as they have Magic; a Magic 1 wizard could not maintain a summon and launch a lightning bolt at the same time. They would either have to drop the summoned creature, letting it die, or not launch the lightning bolt. This also limits how many actions a wizard can take in one turn. For example, at magic 2, a wizard can perform 2 spells (two “actions”) per round (they can now “defend” and “harm” at the same time, or “hide” and “harm”). Actions can be repeated, so long as there are valid targets; two “harm” actions can

Magical Stats: Each wizard is better at certain things. One wizard may be a master of slaying foes, while another may know all there is to be known about magic, and another may be able to preserve friends in even the direst straits.

Harm: How well you can break things or destroy things.

Protect: Protect yourself, or an ally. How well you can use magic defensively.

Quickness: How fast you can move, determines both stealth and dodginess.

Alter: How well you control enemies or aid allies, and change matter. Debuffs and buffs, as well as creating items (for relevant schools).

Support: How well you do out-of combat things- negotiations and knowledge, as well as any mundane skills, draw from this stat.

Stats and Points: Your total points are always equal to your total Ranks in all schools combined (so, 5 at Magic 1, 7 at M2, 9 at M3, etc). The BDC of all magical actions is 8. Putting points in a stat relevant to that action reduces that BDC to a minimum of 2. Additional points put into stats past 6 give a bonus to rolls, instead of lowering the BDC.

Element 5 ranks: Body of (Element). The Elemancer can, (rank) times per day, become their chosen element. They become a sentient construct made of this element for the duration of this time, which is (rank) rounds.

Element 10 Ranks: Soul of (Element) The Element can become their Body of Element form permanently, and turn it on and off at will. In addition, they gain the ability to grow and shrink in this form by absorbing and expelling their element.

Chronomancy 5 Ranks: There and Back : The Chronomancer can now create a time bubble, from which he can time travel safely. This bubble can fit (rank) people inside of it. While inside it, the Chronomancer appears to be frozen. The Chronomancer cannot change location, only time. He must always return to the time he came from, but can visit the same area in any time he wishes.

Chronomancy 10 Ranks: Untethered: The Chronomancer stops aging. He can now travel throughout time freely, carrying as many subjects as he chooses to any time period. He can still only travel through time, not space, but does not have to return to any given time. He always remembers where and when he left.

Biomancy 5 Ranks: Life Regained: The Biomancer can now restore life to things that have been dead for up to (rank) weeks. He can bring any person within eyesight to perfect health in a matter of seconds (at this rank, you can do that anyway, but this entry needed to be longer).

Biomancy 10 Ranks: True Rez: You can restore life and health to anything dead, even delaying the resurrection for up to (rank) years. When a subject is raised, they are raised in peak physical condition, with all the memories they retained before death. (A 91 year old subject would be a young, fit 21-year old physically, but still have the memories of a 91 year-old man.)

Necromancy 5 Ranks: Die Another Day: Necromancers can halt Death in an area around them, preventing anything in that area from dying or being slain for up to (rank) rounds. If a person would die, they instead continue what they were doing, apparently unhindered by their injuries. A necromancer can do this for (rank) rounds, and the field can fit (rank) people inside of it.

Necromancy 10 Ranks: A Bad Day to Die: The Necromancer can halt death anywhere, anytime, and on anything he chooses. He can choose to not die himself, appearing to be frozen in time at whenever he stopped Death. This applies to all subjects- if someone is missing limbs when Death is suspended, that’s how they’re going to look until they get it fixed.

Spatilomancy 5 Ranks: Twist and Pull: Spatiomancers can create gravity wells. A gravity well will suck in objects of up to (rank*mag*5) pounds, and will exist for (rank) rounds, or until dispelled. Gravity wells are capable of crushing people, and have an intensity of up to (rank) times Earth’s gravity, as set by the spatiomancer at the time of creation.

Spatilomancy 10 ranks: Rip and Tear: Spatiomancers can create gravity wells of any size and shape at any location. The gravity wells have a duration set by the spatio cancer, though they can be dispelled earlier if the spatiomancer wishes. The gravity wells can be of any intensity (up to and including black hole).

Animacy 5 Ranks: Body and Soul: The Animancer can send his soul to possess another creature’s body. His body slumps to the floor, seemingly comatose. The Animancer’s soul automatically returns to his body after (rank) rounds. The Animancer must make physical contact with the target to borrow their body. If the Animancer’s original body is slain while he is out, the Animancer is trapped in his new body until his old one can be fixed. The Animancer retains only his ranks in Animacy and his Magic stat when switching bodies. The Animancer controls the possessed body as if it were his; he has no trouble controlling it.

Animacy Rank 10: Soul Survivor: The animancer is now only a soul; he can change bodies as freely as he changes clothing, and his attributes and abilities stay with him from body to body. If he is in a body when it dies, he is forced out of it.

Psychomancy 5 Ranks: Psychonaut: The Psychomancer can enter into another creature’s thoughts for (rank) rounds. He can access any information that the creature knows, retrieving one piece of information (one “question”) per round. To an outside observer, the Psychomancer is simply concentrating. This method can retrieve information that has been forgotten.

Psychomancy 10 Ranks: Idealist: The Psychomancer’s mind now exists within the collective unconscious. Should he be slain, he will still exist; he will be able to mentally communicate with his allies. Should they bring a dead body into contact with his, he can choose to inhabit the dead body (although whatever made it dead should be fixed before he takes it).

Luck 5 Ranks: Tripped on a Million Bucks: Whenever the Lucknomancer would fail a roll, (rank) times per day, he can choose to succeed instead.

Luck 10 Ranks: Impossible Odds: Whenever the Lucknomancer would die, fate has other plans. Every event possible conspires to keep him alive; the biomancer misses an enemy and heals him, a medipack falls out of nowhere, lands on his corpse, pops open, and binds his wounds, etc. . The Lucknomancer is greatly resistant to death. Whenever he would die, roll 2d4. On a 4 or above, fate conspires to keep him alive. He returns to full health on the following turn due to improbably fortunate circumstances.

Mattomancy 5 Ranks: Mattercraft: The Mattomancer can now create slightly complex devices and things (such as a bicycle or a calculator).

Mattomancy 10 Ranks: Matter Craft+: The mattomancer can now create incredibly complex things, such as computers, satellites, vehicles, and human bodies (that are not alive, as mattomancers cannot create souls.)

Luxomancy 5 Ranks: Hardly Light: Luxomancers can create hard-light constructs out of ambient light. As long as they are in an area that is not dark, they can create mundane, non magical items that can last for up to (rank) minutes before dissipating.

Luxomancy 10 Ranks: Bright Soul: Luxomancers at this level have become light. Their body is so suffused with magic that they have become a hard-light construct, capable of regenerating and reconstituting from base photons. When the Luxomancer “dies”, he explodes in a flash of light, and then reforms one week later at a location of their choice. Luxomancers in this state heal 2 boxes of damage every round they are in a well-lit area.

Summoning 5 Ranks: I Call Upon Myself! Summoners can summon alternate-universe versions of themselves. They are not clones; they all share the same consciousness (but not in a creepy hive-mind way; it’s more like “we all know what we all know”.) Summoners can summon up to (rank) versions of themselves, who can remain in this universe for up to (rank) hours.

Summoning 10 Ranks: One-Army Man: Summoners can call upon infinite versions of themselves who remain for as long as they wish. If the original Summoner is slain, a “clone” of him simply takes his place, and since they share the same consciousness and skills, it’s very much like he hasn’t died at all. The “clones” can summon their own “clones”, but will never do so unless instructed to by the main summoner (or his consciousness).

Polymancy 5 Ranks: Change is Good: Polymancers can now roll on the chart again (rank) times per day. When they reroll, they can choose to 1. take what they rolled, stop rolling 2. Take what they rolled, keep rolling 3. decide not not take the reroll and keep the schools they have.

Polymancy 10 Ranks: Control the Flow: Polymancers of this level can reselect their powers at any time (they’d get infinite rerolls, but at that point it’s faster to just let them pick). They still only have 10 ranks to work with, but they can allocate them however they wish (as long as it adheres to the rules).

Gladiomancy 5 Ranks: Combat Focus: When the Gladiomancer is in combat, they can choose to “focus” for up to (½ rank) rounds. When focusing, rolls have a bonus equal to their gladiomancy rank x2 (in addition to normal modifiers). They also gain 1 extra chunk of HP at all times.

Gladiomancy 10 Ranks: Lord of War: The gladiomancer cannot die in combat; his exhilaration, adrenaline, and magi-martial skill prevent his death. The gladiomancer can now Focus for as long as they want (in combat). They gain 2 extra chunks of HP, but that hardly matters at this point.

Cryptomancy 5 Ranks: What They Don’t Know: The Cryptomancer can erase memories about himself (and only himself) from (rank) people per scene. This ability also functions on cameras and any method of detection.

Cryptomancy 10 Ranks: Eternal Secret: The Cryptomancer’s life is now a secret. No one knows of him unless he should choose to let them know. He can erase memories and data at will, and all his powers pertaining to “secrets” now work on himself.

Chromamancy 5 Ranks: Graffiti: Chronomancers can become graphical art, being able to exist as a 2-d form on any surface. They can see out of the surface. They can maintain this form for (rank) minutes, after that time is up they are forced off the surface and into the nearest space that can contain them.

Chromamancy 10 Ranks: Symbolic: Chronomancers can be a drawing permanently. In addition, his consciousness and life can be bound to a symbol or work of art. As long as this work of art exists, he exists; he and the art are one. If he should die, he regenerates from wherever the symbol is drawn or the art is stored. If the symbol is drawn in multiple places, he chooses where to regenerate from.

Etheremancy 5 Ranks: Not Quite There: Etheramancers are not quite there; when something attacks the Etheremancer, roll 2d4 against his rank. If it fails, the Etheremancer was not there when the attack was going to hit him.

Etheremancy 10 Ranks: Never There At All: The Etheremancer is now almost entirely on the Ethereal Plane, and he is entwined with it. If he dies, he will regenerate from the Ether and reform at a place of his choosing. The Etheremancer can bestow ethereality on allies indefinitely, though it should be noted that allies may not be able to cast spells in this state if they are unused to the etherial.

Legiomancy 5 Ranks: For The Horde: Legiomancers can send their swarm out to gather others like them, increasing in size. He can multiply his size by up to (rank) by doing this, and his health multiplies accordingly (2x HP at 2x size, etc). He can maintain this for (rank) hours. It takes (10-rank) hours for his swarm to find material, during which he must remain stationary.

Legiomancy 10 Ranks: Swarmheart: The legiomancer and his swarm are indistinguishable; should his physical form be slain, his swarm will simply reform him somewhere else.

Magineering 5 Ranks: I Cause Problems: Magineers can reduce the DC of completing a project by up to (½ rank). Their expertise allows them to combine all areas of magic into various machines; they can now combine up to (rank) schools of magic into the same Project.

Magineering 10 Ranks: Use More Magic: Magineers can reduce the DC of a project by (rank). They can use any school of magic in their project, so long as they’ve seen it used before.

Audiomancy 5 Ranks: Sound Off: Audiomancers can become sound for (rank) minutes at a time. They can choose when to turn back to normal. When they turn to sound, they specify a location to arrive at. If the location is within a reasonable distance, they arrive there. The Audiomancer also gets a +½ rank to the roll when trying to break inanimate objects.

Audiomancy 10 Ranks: Stuck In Your Head: The Neuromancer has become a living sound. He looks like a human-shaped, clearly discernable disturbance in the air that is somehow solid. He can travel with sound as long as he wishes. The sound associated with his being (usually a short melody) is also incredibly catchy. As long as the sound is not forgotten, the Audiomancer lives. The Audiomancer gets +rank to the roll when trying to break an inanimate objects. Should the audiomancer die, he regenerates from the nearest source of sound in a burst of music that sounds like his melody.

Mechanomancy 5 Ranks: Mechanical Mind: Technomancers can mentally interface with computers, interacting with them at the speed of thought. In gameplay terms, he can touch a computer and “ask” (rank) questions. These “questions” are actually data retrieval; for example, asking “When will the CEO be here next” will retrieve a calendar with the relevant information. All questions can be used in one round. In addition, Technomancers now subtract ½ their rank from the DC of Create Useful Object checks.

Mechanomancy 10 Ranks: Magus Ex Machina: Technomancers can subtract their Rank from Create Object checks. They can interface with any technology, regardless of whether or not they’ve seen it before, and no longer need to touch it. They can upload part of their mind to the Internet, and regenerate from it if killed.

Gaiamancy 5 Ranks: One With This Place: Gaiamancers can meld with their environment, feeling its pulse and knowing what it knows. A Gaiamancer who Melds instantly knows the following: How big this “environment” is (where city ends, where desert becomes forest, etc), how many things live there, native life forms, frequented areas, travel paths by native life, any dangerous environmental factors, the quickest non-magical route from point A to point B, weather in the next 24 hours, and large concentrations of life in the area.

Gaiamancy 10 Ranks: My Soul Is Here: The Gaiamancer is truly one with their environment. They know about their environment as if permanently melded. They can control and instruct life within their environment, as well as life that is native to their environment. They can Spread their environment; trees wither and become desert, deserts become soaked and sprout plants, and great sweeping plains are stripped to barren, rocky plateaus. Note that using this changes the environment, but does not create creatures to live there. The environment finishes changing within a week, and within that time is incredibly dangerous to be in due to the raging forces at work changing the terrain. The geomancer's soul is bound to his environment; should he die, he will simply regrow somewhere in that environment in a similar body with all of his memories and skills.

Materiomancy 5 Ranks: Harder, Better: Materiomancers can alter the properties of their own body, assuming the properties of any material they choose. They can pick up to (rank) properties; such as Hard (+1 chunk of HP, until untransformed) Light (+1 to quickness while transformed) or Flexible (2d4 against rank to determine if damage is actually taken). They must focus on each property as if it were a spell in order to maintain it.

Materiomancy 10 Ranks: Rebuilt: Materiomancers can permanently imbue their flesh with any properties they choose (even “unbalanced” ones, like “indestructible” and “phasing”). They do not have to focus on these attributes. There is only one attribute they cannot imbue themselves with: anti magic, as it would kill them.

Planeswalking 5 Ranks: A Thousand Planes: The Planeswalker has visited a thousand planes, some very similar to this one. The Planeswalker can change planar properties of an area, selecting up to (rank) properties to bestow. These properties include: changing gravity, elemental alignment, ability to be changed, etc. These properties can be maintained for as long as the Planeswalker focuses on them, but he must sustain each individual property as if it were its own spell.

Planeswalking 10 Ranks: Planar Permutation: The Planeswalker controls any plane he’s on with absolute control. He can alter the properties of any plane as many times as he wants, and no longer needs to sustain the properties to keep them active.

Kinetomancy 5 Ranks: Wall of Force: Kinetomancers can make walls or domes of pure force, invisible to anyone non-magical. These walls can stop projectiles or forces according to the power of the mage (a mage 3 mage cannot stop a speeding semi with a force wall, but a magic 5 mage might). These walls can be maintained for as long as the kinetic mancer focuses on them, or until they are shattered.

Kinetomancy 10 Ranks: Force Field: Kinetomancers can make forces and force fields of any magnitude in any place. They can make a forcefield around only themselves that protects against time itself; at this point, they no longer age, and their force-field both sustains and protects them. They are functionally immortal (just like half the other 10 rank skills).

Umbramancy 5 Ranks: Shadow Crawl: Umbramancers can dissolve into a shadow and walk anywhere that is dark; this includes supernatural darkness. They can do this for up to (rank) minutes at a time, after which they are forced to become a physical being.

Umbramancy 10 Ranks: Void Embrace: Umbramancers are one with the shadows. They can teleport from shadow to shadow across any distance, and darkness no longer obstructs their vision (they essentially have infinite-range darkvision). They can regenerate from darkness; if they are slain, their body will melt into blackness and dissipate, and they will reform one hour later in any shadow they choose, walking out of the darkness as if nothing had happened.

Shapeshifting 5 Ranks: Multishift: The shapeshifter can assume the shape of a combination of up to (rank) things. For example, a duckbear, or a carbed, or a boat-plane. There is not a limit on how long they can hold this form, as usual.

Shapeshifting 10 Ranks: Evershift: The shapeshifter has such a mutable physical form that their very soul can shift. When they are slain, their soul becomes a small object of their choosing that can communicate telepathically with other mages. If this small object is brought into contact with another living creature (sentient or not), the shapeshifter can choose to assume that form, seizing the body and using it for themselves. They know what body they are in contact with. When they take the body, they regain all of the skills and abilities they had previously (which were lost when they died).

Joulomancy 5 Ranks: Charged Up: Joulomancers can charge up on a source of their energy, getting a +2x Rank bonus to all rolls for (Rank) minutes. Charging requires a certain amount of their chosen energy- a radiomancer, for example, could either sit in a room full of mildly radioactive rocks for 72 hours or jump in a nuclear reactor core for 2 minutes. After the energy is stored, they can release it within (rank) days before it is fully dissipated.

Joulomancy 10 Ranks: Me=MC2: The Joulomancer can charge up to three times his normal capacity. When he unleashes this, instead of gaining a bonus to his rolls, he permanently ascends into an energy being. In this form, if he is dissipated, he will reform; he cannot be slain. He can travel through places energy would normally go (electromancers could travel through power lines, etc).

Metamancy 5 Ranks: By My Powers Combined: Metamancers can combine magical energy and mundane objects, temporarily imbuing the objects with magical power. They can imbue as many objects as they are willing to sustain, but more objects means less power for each object.

Metamancy 10 Ranks: I Am Magic: Metamancers can control magic to an astounding degree, and can manipulate magics from and at any range. They can sense magic being used, as well as what type of magic is used, what it’s being used for, and who is casting it. They can combine magics even after they’re cast.

20+: Planets, Stars, and Beyond:

By Magic 20, player characters are akin to gods. Potentially having mastered 4 schools of magic, they are most likely immortal, and capable of creating or destroying entire planets (if not entire star systems). So what’s a GM to do when his players get bored of being gods? Well, start paying attention to the man behind the curtain, because PCs are not the only wizards, and the only reason they haven’t found out yet is because all the other wizards are too powerful to care. PCs create planets? These wizards crush galaxies and entire planes of existence, creating universes to fit their wills. Stat-wise, they have things far above what the PCs have- schools in the 20s, and control of magic itself. Those wizards haven’t cared for a while, but if the PCs blow up too many planets, the resident galaxy-wizards might pop by to see who’s messing with his stuff, and chances are he won’t be happy.

Other Wizards:

Other wizards in this setting are incredibly rare. There is somewhere between 5 and 10 other wizards, WORLDWIDE. Enemy wizards are usually in positions of power; they are at the head of groups that control things from the shadows, and wizards established in power hate nothing more than another wizard that they can’t control. Should another “unaligned” wizard come to their attention, they will usually send a representative to present an ultimatum: join us, or die. The rep usually comes heavily armed with some backup.

Wizard Factions: Usually, a faction will be headed by one wizard, though there have been rare instances of more than one wizard ruling. Such partnerships usually do not last long, because of wizards’ tendency to backstab and betray just about everyone in pursuit of power. The reigning wizard factions are as follows:

1: Red Assembly: This group of scientists specializes in the paranormal, and as such, are generally looked down on by the rest of the scientific community. Their belief in magic, stubborn resilience to most kinds of logic, and utter refusal to change viewpoint are simply representations of this faction’s leader: Treinam Redach. Though they are, on the whole, mostly lunatics with degrees, some of them truly care about deciphering the strange and nonsensical occurrence that is magic. If they recruit, they usually send one of the more sociable members to give a speech about the glory of SCIENCE, and how if they join together they can understand magic, and maybe gain incredible power. If the target is unconvinced, the rep will have their comrades come out of hiding and “explain” the “ignorance” out of the them. The target will then usually be taken to one of many Red Assembly hideouts and promptly experimented on by several Red Assembly “doctors”.

2: Blue Corp: This group masquerades as an international business, a shadowy, behind-the-scenes manipulator with hands in every market and product known to man. Active agents of this corp carry small, easy-to-conceal weapons, and attack in small groups in secluded places. It is not known who the leader is, but it is speculated that they’re a Psychomancer of incredible power.

3: Grey Division: The Grey Division is ostensibly an international peace force, but their real goal is the absolute control of all magic. They have people in every country- the FBI, MI6, the KGB, they all have Grey Division agents working in them to seek and capture any magical people. The leader of the Grey Division is said to be a metamancer, who captures images unwilling to serve him and drains them of their power. Grey Division agents treat any operation as a military operation, and generally have military-grade weapons and armor. Protip: They’re scary if you play them right, and hilarious if you play them wrong.

4: Yellow Council: The Yellow Council is a small, dedicated group of hardlining Socialists, believing that power belongs to the people and no one else. The Yellow Council is very focused and organized, having multiple centers of operation throughout the world. Their weapons are usually disguised as working implements- shotguns disguised as rakes, pistols disguised as hammers, etc. The identity of their leader is unknown; however, it is likely that they are an atomancer.

5: Green Movement: The Green Movement is, or claims to be, a grassroots environmental movement dedicated to cleaning up pollution. What they actually are is a culture- and corporate-hating group, who constantly attacks “the man” because “they’re trying to control us”. They usually support nature, or at least pretend to, because “it’s not that mainstream”. They are very much at odds with Blue Corp, and will go after them at any opportunity. Their weapons are made almost entirely of wood, and their clothing is usually some kind of “all-natural” fabric. Their leader is probably a geomancer, but this has not been confirmed or denied. They’re not very organized, and when they do meet it’s usually in out-of-the-way coffee shops.

6: Orange Entertainment- Focusing mainly on show business and other entertaining media, Orange Entertainment brings its audience- and its enemies- a show worth remembering. Their agents are flashy, artistic, and generally over-the-top about everything; any deals they make will usually have a time limit or some component of drama to it “to make it less boring”. Their leader is a Luxomancer by the name of Jarron Ryefield - who is also a famous musical artist, director, producer, actor, and game show host.

7: Men in White: The Men in White are associated with crime. Named so because the first leader (now deceased) wore a white suit, regardless of what he was doing- he was never seen without a white suit on.The Men in White control both crime and the law, thanks to a few hefty bribes and death threats, and now control almost all criminal activity. Usually, action from them takes on the form of gangs attacking various targets, or enemy hideouts being “suspected drug dens” and getting searched by police. Their current leader’s identity is unknown.

8: Purple Astronautics: This faction believes that space is the next step for humanity; to this end, they will sacrifice all. Purple Astronautics is a worldwide organization that “piggybacks” off of actual aerospace researchers such as NASA and the ESA, stealing their data, copying plans, and, in extreme cases, swiping a few prototypes. Their leader’s wizard powers are unknown, but his Source is most likely cosmic. They seek to harness magic to propel Earth into space.

9: Beige Agency: The Beige Agency is the world’s largest intelligence-gathering network, having access to any communication, transmission, or message sent by any means other than whispering in a dark room. Beige has proven time and time again to be incredibly opportunistic, planning and waiting for decades, in some instances centuries, before a carefully laid out plan slowly unwinds. Given the slow and patient movement of this agency, its leader is probably a chronomancer who peers into the future to see the outcomes of his schemes. Beige agents will never approach a wizard; they will observe, gather “data”, and then plant a simple, written note requesting that they join, with the threat of blackmail should they refuse.

10: Indigo Brotherhood. Very rarely, a faction forms around the idea of magic. The Indigo Brotherhood is a small but rapidly growing organization that advocates the existence of magic. They claim that magic exists, that they have proof, and that now it’s time for humanity to ascend and evolve into a new generation of magical beings. Thus, they claim that the best policy is to kill anyone who does not have the proper “aura” for “magical adaptation”. They carry unique, runed weapons with strange designs carved in them, though it’s questionable whether or not the runes do anything.

These are simply example factions; you can pick and choose which ones are included, or make your own, but there will never be more than ten major NPC factions in the starting game.

Faction Leader Wizards: The Faction Leaders are usually powerful wizards who have specialized, but their weakness lies in the fact that they have stopped gaining magical power- since they have the single-minded goal of taking over the world, they seldom focus on the growth or improvement of their magic, generally taking a “one of my apprentices will do it for me” approach. Faction leaders will almost always have a scrying orb, from which they can observe major operations of their forces- and sometimes even provide long-ranged magical support by bombarding battlefields with spells. PCs fighting a faction can expect enemies to have intermittent magical support- perhaps the enemies suddenly have far tougher armor, or a few explosions obscure them long enough to escape.

A Note On Antimagic: Antimagic in this setting is impractical due to the incredible variance in schools, power sources, and individual beliefs; magic is incredibly personal, and so a great deal must be known about someone in order to create an antimagic for them (incredibly personal details- some of them meaningless, such as blood type, cell type, favorite spell focus, what they think of when spellcasting, last time they were sick, current bacteria count of their lower intestine, favorite type of Eastern cuisine, etc.). If an antimagic is somehow created for someone, it usually only works on one school, and only if they don’t get any better at magic. Given that all the faction leaders aren’t improving at magic and only know one school, every faction leader constantly sends agents to find the main headquarters of other leaders, launching massive assaults in an attempt to capture the leader or his personal information and finally create an antimagic, nullifying an entire faction. None of them so far have been close; not even Beige seems able to do this, although they may just be biding their time…

The Fate of a Wizard: Wizards always have one of two fates: death, or Ascendance. Death is the most common. Ascendance only happens when the wizard has grow sufficiently powerful (Magic of 20+) and is noticed by the Interdimensional Cabal of Greater Wizards (ICGW, or IC for short). Not all people who are invited to Ascend actually choose to; there are many notable examples of wizards who enjoyed their current lives too much to find a new one elsewhere.

A Note On Faction Leaders: So who are these people? They are the Old Magic, a group of wizards who refuse to die, but cannot attain the power to Ascend. They are a previous generation of casters, born in a time when specialization was key. This limits their power. Every faction leader specializes HEAVILY, to the point where they only have one school. They believe this school is the only true expression of magic, refusing to tolerate other schools and forcing any apprentices they have to use their chosen school. However, magic was not made to be focused that heavily, and as a result, they “starved” their own magic, preventing it from growing by refusing to express it in other ways. This is why they do not grow.

Differences between Old and New Magic?: PC’s are New Magic. Faction leaders are Old Magic. One similarity is that casting any magic requires line of sight, or at least knowledge of where the target is, which is why the Old Mages don’t just murder each other with lightning bolts without moving from their fortresses. Old Magic also takes longer to cast, is generally more potent (when spells are of the same level) and is also highly focused (thanks to the mindset of those who use it). New magic is generally quicker, requiring less somatic and verbal components, and being much less obvious when it’s used.

“Antimagic” Handcuffs: Faction recruitment is always a problem. Wizards need more minion wizards to do their bidding, but if recruitment goes poorly they’ve just made a powerful enemy. Even if the recruit decides to join the faction, there’s nothing stopping them from changing their mind inside the compound and wreaking havoc. To prevent this, Wizards have discovered and created an “antimagic” metal. This metal, in sufficient quantities, disrupts the flow of magical energy in such a way that, if enough is in contact with a spellcaster, they cannot cast spells. The cuffs cannot “un-cast” an already cast spell, only prevent a spell from being cast. When the cuffs absorb magical energy, they begin to glow, and the caster can tell that the cuffs are absorbing and (slowly) diffusing the energy. If anti magical cuffs are overloaded with arcane energies, they explode violently, releasing every spell that was cast into them at once. Recruitment officers who are trying to be less threatening and more friendly often give the target a badge or pin made of antimagic metal (called “magestone”) without telling them. The downside to this is that smaller amounts take less to overload.

Additional Notes about New Mages: New mages have several traits that work in their advantage.

1: Magespeak. Mages can use ambient mana to speak in a language only they can hear and understand. It is no louder than normal speech, but only New Mages can hear it.

2: Ignorance Field: New Mages’ minor magical actions are undetectable to normal civilians. For example, a summoner summons a Fire Elemental. A normal civilian would not see, hear, or be affected by the fire elemental unless they were directly attacked by it, but if they survived that encounter, they would remember being caught in a burning building or some other “accident” rather than remembering that they were attacked by a fire elemental. Those who know magic exists and anyone who knows of a wizard (they must also know that they ARE a wizard) are immune to this effect.

Sample Game:

1. Characters are made, introduced. It is recommended that the GM simply explain that the PCs are meeting somewhere, with the knowledge that all of them are wizards (but not any info about sources or powers unless players desire). PCs meet each other, learn of each other’s powers.

Optional: Start when the PCs get their powers, let them sort a meeting out.

2. Character goals are set, characters choose their “magic” stat, characters decide what their goal is.

3. One or more PCs get recruitment notices; no one actually shows up, but they get notes, hints, etc. that they’re being recruited.

4. PCs individually or collectively plan on what to do about this- do they join, do they not join, do they ignore them and hope they’ll go away, what happens?

5. Whether PC’s join, or fail to join, oppose the factions, or something different entirely, they’ll have to go on a series of missions/escapades to get to where they want. If they haven’t joined a faction, recruitment will gradually get more and more aggressive. If they have, they’ll be asked to do various faction missions, wear a uniform, and use only one school of magic (that they are forced to take as many ranks as they can in the next time they level up).

The following is subject to change: 1: Rolling mechanics and DCs, as well as associated mechanical effects. Not sure entirely how to handle this. 2: Some school powers, especially Gladiomancy, as that's difficult to balance. The following is NOT subject to change: 1: Anything with schools; chances are it's already there and can be used under some subset of something.