Wordman/WyldMagic

Wyld Magic provides an alternate system for sorcery, necromancy and weaving (the Autochthonian version of sorcery). Though written against the standard 2E system, it doesn't make much use of standard 2E mechanics, so should port easily to any other variation. It intends to make this type of magic much less predictable and much more interesting and fun. Based on using cards to track the channeling of spells, much of the mechanics are based on ideas from the original Castle Falkenstein.

Basis

The Primordials built Creation out of pure will. Ever since, their offspring have been trying to figure out how they did it. Some of them have even succeeded, at least partially. The ability to just think something to make it happen remains elusive, but several different approximations have been developed (possibly only with the help of the Primordials themselves). These include:

• Sorcery is the most general type of primal magic. Practitioners typically use rote spells for safety, but need a lot of raw power to make it work.
• Necromancy is thought by some to be simply a version of sorcery with a more specialized focus on death, destruction and the dead. Others feel that its connection to the underworld makes it a different thing altogether.
• Weaving is little known in Creation, but popular in Autochthonia. It is an odd middle-ground between sorcery and astrology, routing specific spells through Primordial-created machines.

These lesser approximations have few limits on what they can accomplish. The minds of mortals, exalts and gods, however, are not built to handle such primal forces, and trying to wield them is imperfect at best and hazardously unstable at worst. As a result, practitioners rely on two "crutches" that lessen versatility but make the practice safe enough to use. The first is the use of predefined "spells", which reduce the infinite possibility of this type of magic down to a more manageable goal. The other is patience, slowly gathering the forces needed to work a spell in a controlled way, rather than rushing instantly to the result. Of these two, patience is the more likely to be abandoned in the heat of the moment, where necessity or pride cause the caster to hurry.

Even in the best of circumstances, though, the forces at work through this kind of magic are substantial, and often even sorcery that goes to plan unleashes some collateral effects with the extra energy. Getting just the effect you want requires time, but there are shortcuts for those willing to pay the price.

Concept

The basic idea of this system is that, in order to shape spells, the caster needs to accumulate cards drawn from a standard deck of playing cards. The numeric values of these cards add "points" to the shaping. The spell can be released only when a certain number of points are available. A complication, however, is that the suits of the cards have specific meanings. Ideally, all of the points to shape the spell come from a particular suit. If points from other suits are present, they contaminate the effect of the spell when it is actually cast. Depending on the relative weightings of the suits at casting time, the spell can do radically different things. As the caster spends more time accumulating cards, the greater the likelihood that she will get the suit she wants, as well as reduce the impact of the suits she doesn't.

This should change spellcasting in the following ways:

• Casters will gain the option to sacrifice safety and complete control of the outcome to be able to cast faster.
• Casters will be able to increase the effect of spells to some extent by casting them more slowly.
• Between two different casters casting the same spell, the one with higher Essence and Occult will be able to cast more quickly, more safely or both.
• Spells will typically generate side effects unless cast very safely.
• Spell casting interacts with normal actions more cleanly.
• Casters can act while casting, at the cost of losing control of the spell.
• Losing control of a spell is much easier to do then in canon, and effects when it happens are more drastic.
• Spells have a small chance of not going off no matter what the caster does.

Rules

The system described here replaces all of the rules for shaping sorcery (ex2e.251), and their equivalents for necromancy and weaving. Since "shaping" also means something completely different in Exalted, the concept of gathering energy to power a spell is referred to here as channeling. One type of action is used to channel spells:

Channel Spell (Speed 5, DV variable)

When declaring a channel spell action, the player selects a DV penalty to represent just how much attention is being given to the channeling within the action. For every -1 DV chosen, the player gets to draw one card from standard deck of playing cards. These cards will determine how the channeling is progressing. This action can be mixed with others in a flurry as normal; however, any action (or flurry) that includes a channel spell action cannot have a DV penalty higher than either the character's Essence or Occult rating. This comparison is done before charms or other penalty reducing effects are applied. If this threshold would be exceeded, the player must either reduce the contribution from the Channel Spell action (and, thus, the number of cards drawn) or (if part of a flurry) eliminate other actions in the flurry.

Schmendrick has Essence 3 and Occult 5. He uses his action to Channel Spell. He would like to take a -4 DV to draw four cards, but he cannot because his Essence is only three. So, he takes a -3 DV penalty and draws three cards on this action.

Much later, Schmendrick needs to cast a spell on the run. He flurries a Dash action with a Channel Spell action. The Dash supplies a -2 DV. Since the highest total penalty he can apply and still be able to cast a spell is -3 DV, his attention to the Channel Spell action can only result in a -1 DV penalty, supplying only one card. If he had, instead, needed to rise from prone (-1DV), then dash (-2DV), he would not have been able to use the Channel Spell action at all.

Characters can be distracted while channeling. Each time they are distracted, they must make a Wits + Occult roll with a difficulty set depending on the reason for the distraction. On success, they continue to channel normally. If such a roll fails, the spell aborts (see below). If it botches, the spell detonates (see below). This test is made every time one of the following occurs while channeling:

• the caster makes a die roll related to taking an action. The difficulty to avoid distraction is one plus the DV penalty of the action take (e.g. a -2DV action would make the difficulty 3).
• the caster makes a die roll for any other reason. The difficulty to avoid distraction is one.
• the caster uses any defense value. The difficulty to avoid distraction is one.
• the caster activates a charm. The difficulty to avoid distraction is equal to the minimum Essence requirement of the charm.
• the caster takes damage. The difficulty to avoid distraction is equal to the number of health levels suffered.

Note that a single event might prompt several different distraction tests. For example, an attack on the caster might require the caster to use DDV (prompting one test), activate a defense charm (prompting another), but still take damage (prompting yet another). Note that as a spell is actually cast, the channeling has ended, so the above checks are no longer needed.

All cards provided from a Channel Spell action are drawn at once, and take effect simultaneously. If, after the cards are drawn, the character elects to cast the spell (see Casting, below), the channeling ends and the spell is cast immediately. It is possible, therefore, for the lucky or impatient to cast spells instantly, simply spending a single Channel Spell action and immediately casting with whatever cards they happen to get.

It will often be the case that a single Channel Spell action does not provide enough cards (or enough of the right cards) to cast the spell. The player then has three choices on her next action:

1. She can either continue to cast the spell by using Channel Spell on her next action
2. She can "power down" the spell by using Channel Spell on her next action. This works as a normal Channel Spell, but instead of drawing cards, she discards previously drawn cards. If all the cards are gone, the spell has dissipated harmlessly. Otherwise, the character has to make one of the three choices again on her next action. Cards are discarded at random (determine the card with a die roll or similar means). A given Channel Spell action can either be used to accumulate or eliminate cards, not both at once.
3. She can abort the spell (see below).

The essence needed to power the spell is committed when the first Channel Spell action starts, and remains committed until the spell is cast, aborted, or detonated.

Accumulating Cards

Any given spell casting should use its own deck of cards. The deck should be shuffled upon the first Channel Spell action, and used until the spell is resolved. A typical 52-card deck is used. Jokers may be left in or taken out, depending on the needs of the campaign. Cards have the following meanings:

• Diamonds: The card is associated with the intended effect of the spell.
• Hearts: The card is associated with an unintended emotional, social or illusory side effect to the spell.
• Clubs: The card is associated with an unintended physical side-effect based on the underlying premises of the type of magic.
• Spades: The card is associated with an unintended side-effect that affects the caster alone.
• Ace through Ten: The card provides a number of points equal to its value. Aces are worth one point.
• Face Cards: The card represents control and finesse within the channeling, and can be used in two ways. At any time during channeling, a face card can be used to nullify a card of the same suit. Both the face card and the card it nullifies are discarded and play no part in the spell effect. Each face card that remains (of any suit) provides a bonus success to any and all die rolls called for by the spell when it is cast.
• Jokers: On drawing a joker, flip a coin or roll a die to generate a high/low result. If the result is "high", the joker immediately restores a point of temporary willpower to the caster and is discarded. On a "low" result, the spell immediately aborts (see below) unless the character spends another point of willpower. Since cards from a given Channel Spell action take effect simultaneously, it is possible to draw both jokers at once. If this occurs, roll for each and apply the effect from both. If, however, both results are "low", the spell detonates unless the player spends a point of willpower, in which case the spell merely aborts instead (no more willpower can be spent to stop the abort in this case).

The number of points needed to successfully cast a spell, called the horizon depend on the spell's circle:

• First circle (Emerald, Shadowland, Man-Machine): 20 points
• Second circle (Sapphire, Labyrinth, God-Machine): 41 points
• Third circle (Adamant, Void): 63 points

Once the horizon is reached, the channeler may cast the spell but does not have to. They may continue channeling if desired.

Tuning Spells

Actions spent channeling after the horizon is reached are referred to as tuning the spell. Such Channel Spell actions work as described above, except that the channeler can make the following adjustments:

• When the cards are drawn, the player can discard any (or all of them) before they take effect. This does not provide any additional cards, but gives the player some degree of control. The player can even discard jokers in this way, but if they do they must also discard the rest of the drawn cards.
• If the player chooses to keep all of the newly drawn cards, he or she may discard one previously drawn card.

Any discarded cards are now ignored, having no effect on the channeling at all. It is possible that the result of the tuning action may put the caster back under the horizon. Even so, the caster can still keep tuning, having crossed the horizon once already. They still need to reach the horizon in order to cast the spell, however.

In the very rare circumstance that the deck runs out of cards, the caster must cast, power down, or abort the spell on that action.

Casting Spells

When the player has the desire (and enough points) to cast the spell, the channel ends and the spell is cast immediately. At this point, the suits of the cards, as well as the total ranks in each suit, come into play. As long as the caster accumulated enough points, the spell goes off successfully and is resolved as normal. The suits of the cards played, however, may taint the spell with side effects.

To cast the spell, the player adds up the ranks of each suit gathered during the channeling to get the number of points of each suit. Diamond points get "spent" canceling out points from the other suits. That is one diamond points cancels out a point from one of the other suit totals (player's choice as to which). When and if all the diamond points are spent, the following occur simultaneous with the spell going off:

• If there are any diamonds remaining: a pool of dice is created equal to the number of remaining diamond points. Dice may be taken out of this pool and used in any test made during the casting. These count as dice from charms. Once used, the dice is lost. If dice remain after casting, they are lost. Note that this result will only happen when diamond points outnumber all other suits combined.
• If there are any hearts remaining: an unintended emotional, social or illusory side effect to the spell.
• If there are any clubs remaining: an unintended physical side-effect based on the underlying premises of the type of magic. Sorcery tends to manifest effects based on the elements of Creation, other types of energy and chaos. Necromancy tends to manifest necrotic effects, the Underworld and entropy. Weaving tends to manifest the Autochthonian elements, pollution and order.
• If there are any spades remaining: an unintended side-effect that affects the caster alone. The effect is typically some kind of feedback that works in some way opposite or counter to spells intended effect.

The intensity of any unintended side-effects depends on a rough comparison between the remaining points of a given suit and the spell's horizon and is judged in relation to the power of the spell being cast as well. If the remaining points in a suit are...

• ...equal to or in excess of the horizon, then the effect is even more profound than the spell itself.
• ...equal to half of the horizon up to the horizon, then the effect is roughly the same intensity as the spell itself.
• ...equal to a quarter of the horizon up to half, then the effect is roughly as intense as a spell one circle lower. If there is no lower circle the intensity is on par with an average environmental effect.
• ...less than a quarter of the horizon, then the effect is roughly equivalent to a spell two circles lower. If there is no such circle, then then intensity is largely cosmetic.

The more intense the effect, the more likely they are to effect groups of people (usually friend and foe alike, though spade effects will only ever effect the caster) and the longer they will last. Some effects may alter the surrounding landscape itself. For example, a solar spell that generates very intense physical side-effects might turn the surroundings into a Wyld zone for a time, while a similar side-effect from a void circle necromantic spell might create an instant shadowland that lasts quite a while. Exact effects are up to the Storyteller.

A player draws eight cards total during a channel: A♦, 9♦, J♥, 2♣, 6♣, 4♠, 7♠, Q♠. Just prior to casting, the caster uses the Q♠ to cancel out the 7♠, leaving him with six cards, totaling 22 points. This is enough to cast the terrestrial circle spell (Flight of the Brilliant Raptor) he is attempting, so lets it fly. He sums up the suits: 10 diamonds, zero hearts (face cards are worth zero), 8 clubs and 4 spades. The 10 diamonds will cancel out with 10 points of the other suits. The player looks at his choices, and decides he'd rather take the side-effects himself, so cancels all of the club points and all but two of the spades. This leaves him with only 2 spade points, so the only side-effect will be some amount of feedback felt only by the caster. Since the horizon for a terrestrial spell is 20 points, 2 spade points generates only cosmetic feedback. Since the spell is a fire attack, the Storyteller decides that, as the firebird races to incinerate its target, the temperature immediately around the caster suddenly drops below freezing, coating his armor in a thin layer of frost. The caster is otherwise none the worse for wear, while the target is covered in fire. Note that the stray face card the caster channeled (the J♥) wasn't used to cancel another card, so provides an extra success for the tests made to resolve the Brilliant Raptor effects.

Aborted Spells

Spells can be aborted for three basic reasons:

1. The caster fails a distraction test (see above).
2. The caster stops channeling a spell intentionally, without "powering down" some or all of the accumulated energy.
3. A joker is drawn while channeling and not countered with a point of Willpower.

An aborted spell leaves the caster with a potentially large supply of potential energy on his hands, and only two things that can happen to it: he can dissipate it harmlessly, or it will flow into his anima. Take the current point value of the cards the caster has channeled (the caster may quickly use face cards if he can before this) and create a pool of one lethal damage die for each point. The caster then makes a Wits + Occult roll. For each success on this roll, remove a number of dice from this pool equal to the user's Essence. This represents the energy he manages to dissipate without harm. Such energy usually manifests spectacularly, but harmlessly. The remaining dice dump into the casters anima. At first, his anima flare increases as if one mote had been spent for each die; however, once the banner reaches iconic (if it isn't already) any remaining dice are rolled as damage against the caster. Only natural soak applies to this damage roll.

Essence used to power aborted spells is lost.

Detonating Spells

When things go very bad, a spell can detonate. This can happen for two reasons:

1. The caster channels two jokers, both of which come up "low", and he doesn't spend Willpower to downgrade this situation to an abort.
2. The caster botches a distraction roll.

On detonation, very bad things happen. The Storyteller may decide on the exact effects if they so choose, replacing the standard effect with what they like: a rip in space-time, decent into Deep Chaos, or something even more insidious.

By default though, when spells detonate, create a pool of damage dice equal to the points currently channeled (the caster may quickly use face cards if he can before this) or the horizon of the spell being cast, whichever is lower. To this, add one die for each mote spent to activate the spell. This damage is rolled against the caster, who can soak only with his natural soak, to which his Essence rating is added, as the energy explodes out from his body. Those within three yards of the caster must resist the same damage, but can soak with armor. As this is not an attack, it cannot be parried; however, perfect parries explicitly stop the damage. Dodges can only be used if they function by removing the target from the area of effect. For each three yards beyond this, the damage is cut in half, rounded down.

You may infer from this that performing powerful sorcery without something like a Walkaway is a really bad idea.

Variations

switching suit meanings for the necromancy and weaving.

Appendix: Math

More complete discussion of the math is inWordman/WyldMagic/WyldMagicMath.

The points needed for each circle were determined using the average number of points per card drawn. For the first card in the deck, this 4.074. Even though the math changes as cards are removed from the deck, we'll stick with a basic assumption that four points are generated for each card drawn, on average. The number of diamond points generated turns out to average just over one point per card drawn. That is, if you draw three cards, on average three of your points will come from diamonds.

The point totals are also based around the idea of a minimal sorcerer performing at maximal effort for average effect. For example, to buy the first circle of sorcery, necromancy and the like, you need Essence and Occult ratings of 3. A sorcerer who just met this requirement would be a "minimal terrestrial sorcerer". Given his traits, when this sorcerer casts a spell, the best he can manage is to channel three cards per action. This is his "maximum effort". The results of the cards are looked at using results that would average out this effort over many different castings, supplying an "average effect".

So the points are set such that:

• The minimal sorcerer performing at maximal effort would, in the average case, would have enough raw points to cast a spell in the same amount of time as they would in canon exalted. That is, terrestrial circle spells take two rounds in canon (one for shaping, one for casting). Therefore, the number of points need to cast the same spell under this system should be such that (on average) one round of channeling do not supply the required number of points, but two rounds do. This is measured in raw points, ignoring suit.
• In the "minimal" stage point totals are set such that, even if they have enough points to cast in the standard number of rounds, if they do, they will almost certainly generate side effects.
• As the sorcerers Traits increase buy one point, the extra card gives them more points per channel. The point totals should be such that a sorcerer at this level should just manage to get enough points to cast the same spell in one round (though at risk). This sorcerer also becomes the "minimal sorcerer" for the next circle up.
• Once a sorcerer has traits three above the minimal condition (e.g. Essence and Occult 6 in the terrestrial case), they should just be able to, on average get enough diamond points in the standard casting time to cast the spell.

What this all means is that you need to pay attention to the median of a single rounds card draw. If you set the threshold for a circle to be the median of the minimal sorcerer performing at maximal effort, you get pretty close to the above conditions. So:

• First circle
  • Needs two rounds in canon (one shaping, one casting). Thus two rounds of channeling.
  • Minimal sorcerer at maximal effort is three cards per round.
  • Median is ~12 total, 11 if you negate cards with non-diamond face cards
  • Assume the caster is using non-diamond face cards to cancel non-diamond cards.
  • Three cards per round for one round gives 11 points (30 max), 22 for two (58 max; only four 10s in deck, so max would be 10, 10, 10, 10, 9, 9).
  • Mode is 10.
  • Mean is 12.424343 total points, 3.106086 of them diamond.
  • Setting threshold at 20
    • will make the average minimal sorcerer need two rounds of channeling, but will only just make it.
    • possible to cast with round round of channeling (i.e. instantly), but probably with side effects.
    • A trait four sorcerer should easily get enough raw points to cast in one round, but would only have 8 diamond points after two rounds.
    • A trait six sorcerer would average 12 diamond points in two rounds, which is about right.
• Second circle
  • Needs three rounds in canon (two shaping, one casting). Thus three rounds of channeling.
  • Minimal sorcerer at maximal effort is four cards per round.
  • Four cards per round for one round gives 15 points (40 max), 30 for two (76 max), 45 for three (108 max).
  • Median is ~17 total, 15 if you negate cards with non-diamond face cards
  • Mode is 17.
  • Mean is 16.691567 total points, 4.172892 of them diamond.
  • Setting threshold at 41
    • will make the average minimal sorcerer need well into three rounds of channeling.
    • guarantees the spell cannot be cast in a single round by the minimal sorcerer.
    • possible to cast spell in two rounds, but probably with side effects.
    • possible, though not likely to get all diamonds casting this circle.
    • A trait five sorcerer should average just enough raw points to cast in two rounds, practically guaranteed enough for three, but would only have 15 diamond points after three rounds.
    • A trait seven sorcerer would average 21 diamond points in three rounds, making magic of this circle still unstable.
• Third circle
  • Needs four rounds in canon (three shaping, one casting). Thus four rounds of channeling.
  • Minimal sorcerer at maximal effort is five cards per round.
  • With five cards per round, caster much more likely to use face cards, so assume they are using face cards to discard non-diamonds.
  • Five cards per round for one round gives 18 points (49 max), 36 for two (92 max), 54 for three (129 max), 72 for four (160 max).
  • Median is ~21 total, 18 if you negate cards with non-diamond face cards
  • Mode is 20
  • Mean is 21.014598 total points, 5.253649 of them diamond.
  • Setting a threshold of 63 points
    • will make the average minimal sorcerer need four rounds of channeling, but not by much.
    • guarantees that he cannot cast in a single round, is unlikely to cast in two and usually won't be able to cast in three.
    • can never get all diamonds to cast this circle (only 55 diamonds in deck).

Comments

This is a neat idea. I wouldn't use playing cards for an Exalted game, though. - IanPrice

What would you use instead? - Wordman

Dice, or simply a resource-allocation system instead of a random one. If I were to implement scalable sorcery and/or random sorcery, I'd stick with resolution systems similar to those that already exist in the game. So it would boil down to a dice pool with a difficulty. The probability curve would not work out the same way, but I don't value that as highly as I value consistency in execution. I also see the value in the scaling effect without the random chance for failure added, and might incorporate that into a sorcery-enhancing charm or charm set. - IanPrice

I may do some simulation of this Wordman with my Exalted group. We're a crunchy bunch and like to experiment with unique things and play with percentages. I do like the way your math stacks up. It keeps things fresh and makes for a far more dangerous version of big scary magic. I like it. I can see where some Exalted groups may not care for it though. Those trying to lean closer to Nobilis for their play will dislike the complexity when they'd rather be acting more and rolling/drawing cards/etc less, I'd wager. We'll definitely give it a go though. - EwindaleMoss

A summary of objections I largely agree with from ECR:

• How do diamonds help spells that don't depend on die rolls. (They don't, but could do things to duration, etc.)
• Detonation and aborting is too harsh.
• Need to mention spells cast outside of combat (meant to have a section for this, but forgot).
• Didn't really sell the concept of why a sorcerer would want to use sorcery more under this system rather than less. Arguments of "increased speed for less control" and "actually get to act while casting" seem to have completely eluded a number of readers. That is, it's written more to gamemasters than players.
• Overly complex. (It was intended to be crunchy, which doesn't bother me, but I think spell resolution in particular is a bit too crunchy.)
• Some would rather use dice than cards (though I don't see how this works without rolls to determine the "suit" of the dice, at which point you might as well use cards anyway.)

- Wordman