Wheel of time Magic System conversion (This is long)

[Raymond Caleatry]

Finally i have finished typing up the first draft of the magic system, just so you guys can question it to pieces.  Please rip it to shreds, the more problems found, the better my game will run in the end.  I also have a list of about 60 spells/weaves to write up in the coming week, but untill then there is an example in the text.  

Some of the descriptions of the talents have been stolen from the WoT D20 system book.

Magic – Weaving

Every magic user has 5 derived attributes that describe their strengths and skills as a Channeler.

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Derived Attribute Description

Power [ To + Ht + Wp ] / 2 The amount of power a Channeler can  safely channel

Form [ Wt + Per ] / 2 Describes the skill in which the  Channeler channels the one power

Mental Endurance [ Ma + En ] / 2 Describes how well a Channeler deals with the extreme fatigue of channelling, as well has how well a male Channeler deals with the madness

Discipline [ Wp + En ] / 2 How mentally controlled a character is.  This is used to oppose all shielding attempts, as well as describe how long tied off weaves last for.  Many non-power related weave attributes are controlled by this.  For instance gate wave width and height, air walkway lengths etc.

Draw [ St + Wp ] / 3 – Female
Draw [ St + Wp ] / 2 – Male How strong the Channelers hold on the one power is.  How quickly you can channel the power.

A Channeler also has two pools

Weaving Pool = Power + Draw

This is the limit of the characters power.  It is used as a measure of how exhausted the character is well as what weaves she can create.  A Channeler can only cast a weave of a power level equal or less than her current Weaving Pool or her Power, which is lower, with out over channelling.

Resistance Pool = Mental Endurance + Draw

This pool is used to counter the exhaustion and drain of channelling, and is explained later.

Affinities

Every Channeler starts play with at least one affinity with one of the five powers.  They may have more than one affinity, which is a type of blessing.  The affinities represent the Channeler having a greater ability for using that power.  A Channelers first affinity depends upon the Channelers sex.  A male Channeler has to choose from Earth, Fire, and Spirit.  Whilst a female Channeler has to choose from Air, Water, and Spirit.  The affect of an affinity in gaming terms is to reduce the power level of a weave by 1 for each power that the Channeler has an affinity with

Talents

Every Channeler starts play with at least one talent.  They may have more than one talent, which is a type of blessing.  The talents represents the Channelers area of study whilst learning the power, and I a guide line for what type of weaves a Channeler can perform at more powerful levels.  A Channeler is unable to cast weaves with a power of 4 or greater in areas outside of their own expertise. I.e. weaves which fall under a talent that they do not have.  There are 9 talents:-

Cloud Dancing
The Cloud Dancing talent connects the Channeler with the primal forces of weather, allowing her to sense and control wind, rain, warmth, and even lightning.

Conjunction

The conjunction Talent deals with the bonds between people.  One of the most common Talents among Aes Sedai, its weaves grant the Channeler the ability to bond a warder, detect the location of others, and sense Shadowspawn.

Earth Singing
This Talent connects the Channeler with the earth.  Its weaves grant the Channeler the ability to sense minerals, split the earth open, and create land-shaking earthquakes.  It is not a common talent among any of the female channelling traditions.

Elementalism

This Talent, one of the most common among all the channelling traditions, relates to the control of the elements: the creation of light and fire, control over water, and the use of hardened air as a tool or weapon.

Healing

The Talent of healing involves repairing damage done to the body and mind; the fine work if accelerating and assisting the body's natural healing processes.  Ironically though, the same skills apply to damaging the body and mind – hence, a umber of the weaves within this talent involve inflicting pain, damage, and death.  Fortunately, most of these weaves are either rare or lost.

Illusion

Weaves of the Illusion Talent affect the minds and senses of those who witness them, causing them to experience often spectacular effects.

Travelling (LOST)
The weaves of this powerful lost talent allow the Channeler to travel great distances in short periods of time – or even instantaneously.  Furthermore, some travelling weaves create bridges to other worlds, such as Tel'aran'rhoid.

Warding

Wards protect the Channeler, or an object or place, from the observation or interference of others.  Warding is a very common talent, especially among the Aes Sedai, but those who use it only use a fraction of the talents potential.  The area encompassed by a warding weave cannot overlap, contain, or be contained within another warding weave.

Balefire

Balefire is a lost talent of extraordinary destructive power.  Balefire not only destroys the target, but also removes them from the pattern, and therefore the wheel, by burning their thread back in time.  All memories of the time in question remain the same, but the what ever the target did in the time, just didn't happen.  The heavy use of this power during the war against the Dark One, caused an informal truce with using this power, as it has the ability if enough threads are burnt, to destroy the pattern.

The Five Powers

The One Power is split into 5 powers Air, Earth, fire, Spirit, and Water.

When the character is created the player allocates points into each of these powers.  These points represent the characters skill at using the individual powers.  These points are taken from the Proficiency points.

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Proficiency Points 0 2 4 6 8 14
Power Skill Points 0 2 3 4 6 10
To work out how many skill points you get, divide the number of proficiency points by 1.5 and round up.

Each Channeler starts with one point in each of the powers and can use these points to increase these up to a maximum of 5.

The Powers - The following is a rough guide to figuring out what level of skill is used in the casting of weaves.


Level 1
It is possible to create simple weaves that are fixed in one place, and have very little complexity. These weaves can be moved very slowly and are not very accurate. For instance:-

Create a Crowbar made of air.

Set an object alight with fire.

Split an object into several large pieces using earth.

Push the water out of an object.

Sense the surface emotions of a person.

Level 2
The weaves are more complex and can be moved around more swiftly and with a little grace.  Simple weaves can combine other powers.  For instance:-

Create a construct of air that holds a cutting tool of fire.

Burn large symbols in the ground.

Carve a rough model of somebody into a rock face.

Change the current in a river.

Delve a person to find mental and physical problems


Level 3
Complex weaves that can incorporate many extra powers can be made.  Weaves can be moved swiftly as with an accuracy of millimetres.  For instance:-

Create a Construct of air to hold and wield a sword of flame.

Create fairly convincing illusions using weaves of fire.

Create an accurate carving in any medium.

Sense water residue to an accuracy that can determine incoming weather conditions.

Determine all problems, mental and physical, that are affecting an individual.

Aid the healing process by closing up and sealing wounds.

Level 4
Weaves can incorporate any extra powers and can be moved with extreme grace.  Accuracy down to the cellular level can be obtained.  For Instance:-

Incorporate air to control the healing process by acting as a conduit for the other powers used.

Cause a fire to erupt from all a targets pores, so as to spontaneously combust.

Create simple items that are infused with the one power – Ter' Angreal.

Change the intricate flows of moisture in the air, so as to tweak the weather conditions over an area of effect.

Fully heal wounds.

Temporarily stop mental illnesses for a period of time.

Create life like illusions that can be interacted with.

Level 5
Weaves are accurate down to the molecular level.  The Channeler can create very complex weaves that do extraordinary things.  Most of these weaves have been lost.  For Instance:-

Split a target into its component molecules.

Remove a target from the pattern completely (Balefire)

Completely cure all wounds a target has, mental or physical.

Create Angreal and Sa' Angreal.

Tunnel through master wards.

Create Wards that do many specific things to select people and objects, or even one target.

Power level
Each weave has a power level.  This is the level of power needed to form and maintain the weave.  The power level is dependent on how many targets, area of effect and the strength of the forces involved.  It represents the amount of the one power needed to be channelled to perform the weave.   Generally the more complex the weave, the more powerful it has to be, as there are more threads of power involved.  However this is not always the case, as it doesn't take much skill to throw a large boulder at someone, but a lot of power.  And a minor healing weave needs little power, but a lot more basic skill.

Area of effect
The area of effect partly determines the power of a spell.  The table below gives guidelines to how much power is related to what size area.

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Power Area of effect
1 Can target a single object or area. No larger than sword.
2 Can create larger weaves that can affect an area up to the size of a person.
3 Can create a weave that can affect the area of several paces in diameter.  I.e. a small group of people.
4 An area of affect the size of a taverns main room can be created.
5 An area of affect the size of a town square can be created.
6 Can affect an area the size of a hamlet.
7 Can affect an area the size of a small village.

The power level also is determined by the strength of powers used in the creation of the weave.   A guide to what power levels are needed for different tasks is shown below.

Air – Is all about the manipulation of objects, it is a power that is also used heavily to create constructs for other weaves, like Rand Al'Thor's sword of fire.

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1 Create a weave that has enough force to lift small objects like pieces of fruit, pens etc
2 Can move larger objects of the weight a large sword.
3 Can create enough force to stop a person from moving or deflect a sword blow.  
4 Can create a force that is sufficient to lift a person
5 Can lift a target that has a mass of up to the size of a wagon. (Not the horses).
6 Can create a force that can lift large boulders, and uproot trees.
7 Can force open the main gate of a capital city.

Earth – Is used to search and manipulate materials, generally non-organic.  This is commonly used in destructive spells, but is also used to create objects with the power.

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1 Can sense the difference between different rocks and minerals by touch.
2 Can separate different rocks and minerals. And detect differences up to 10m in all directions.
3 Can re-order substances to create small mundane objects. Detect up to  100m
4 Can re-order substances to create larger mundane objects up to the size of a large sword. Detect up to  1km
5 Can create objects that are the size of a human sized statue. Detect up to  10Km
6 Can create Ter'Angreal.  Large statues.  
7 Can create Angreal and Sa'Angreal. Can detect and Detect magma veins deep in the earths crust.

Fire – Is used to alter the temperature of objects.  Weaves of this nature usually create fire directly, but they don't have to, as a room can have its temperature raised or lowered discreetly by fire as well.

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1 Candle flame.  A Channeler can change the temperature discreetly by +/- 10 ˚C
2 Hearth fire.  A Channeler can change the temperature discreetly by +/- 20 ˚C
3 Intensity of a Bonfire. A Channeler can change the temperature discreetly by +/- 30 ˚C
4 The release of energy is similar to that burning building.  A Channeler can change the temperature discreetly by
+/- 50˚C
5 Produce a flame hot enough to cut through metal.  A Channeler can change the temperature discreetly by
+/- 70 ˚C
6 Produce a flame hot enough to cut through rock.  A Channeler can change the temperature discreetly by
+/- 100 ˚C
7 Produce a flame hot enough to cut through rock diamond.  A Channeler can change the temperature discreetly by
+/- 150 ˚C

Spirit – Is used in weaves mostly as a guide for the other powers, or as a form of intelligence for wards.  Spirit as also used in conjunction with any weave that directly touches the True Source.  I.e. Shielding and Severing.

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1 The Channeler can delve a person to sense recent physical bodily harm.
2 The Channeler can delve a person to sense long term conditions and old wounds.
3 The Channeler can delve a person to sense diseases.
The Channeler can create a weave that effects the perceptions of other people.
4 The Channeler can delve a person to sense poisons.
The Channeler can create a weave that has a very limited intelligence. ( if this happens, then do that )
5 The Channeler can delve a person to sense mental conditions.  The Channeler can create more subtle and complex intelligences.  (if this an that happen, do this, but wait for an amount of time before triggering)
6 The Channeler can delve a person to sense any if the target is under the effect of another weave.  The Channeler can create a selective weave that re-sets and targets only when specific conditions have been met.
7 The Channeler can create weaves that can create an artificial intelligence.  This level of power was used in conjunction with other powers to create all the Shadowspawn constructs, like Trollocs.

Water – Is used mostly for sensing the conditions of an area.  This can be done to look for life forms, weather conditions or just bodies of water etc.  Water can also be used in conjunction with other powers to change weather conditions, or call up storms so that lightning is easier to create.  The brute force approach can also be used to create powerful water currents that could be used to form whirlpools.

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1 A Channeler can stir water in a pool. A Channeler can sense bodies of water
2 A Channeler can create currents strong enough to move small objects around in stream.  A Channeler can sense do a limited degree, the movements of the bodies of water.
3 A Channeler can create currents strong enough to slow a small river, and hence make it flood.  A Channeler can determine accurately large flows of water.
4 A Channeler can re-direct a flow of water.  A Channeler can sense the flows of water in a person.  
5 A Channeler can create currents strong enough to split a flow of water.  A Channeler can detect trace amounts of water in the atmosphere.
6 A Channeler can stop the movements of water completely.  Or create currents strong enough to be destructive (small whirlpool)
7 A Channeler can re-align the natural water table.  Create a Whirlpool big enough to sink a ship.

Embracing the Source

Before weaves can be cast, the Channeler must embrace the source.  This takes the same amount of time a half a combat round.

Making a Weave – to make a weave the Channeler has to be embracing the one power.

1.   Decide what you want to do with the power.
2.   Check that you have the sufficient skill to make the weave.  Without this skill it is not physically possible to create the weave.
3.   Calculate the power level of the spell.  This was described earlier.  And check to see if you have to over channel to cast this weave.
4.   Roll Form against a TN of the spells power. A single success and the weave is created.
5.   Roll the resistance pool against the TN of the spells power to see how badly effected your character is by the drain and exhaustion of channelling.  Subtract the number of successes from the power of the spell, and then remove the total from your weaving pool.


Over Channelling

If a Channeler doesn't have the required weaving pool, or her base power is not high enough, then the Channeler may attempt to over channel.  This is done before Form is rolled when casting the spell.

Roll the Channelers draw against a TN of 5+ the amount of extra power needed to cast the weave.  Only one success is needed to succeed.  If this is done, continue casting the weave as normal.  If the over channelling fails then the weave fails, but the Channeler still has to roll her resistance for the weave.  If a critical failure is rolled, then the character is stilled (is severed from the source and may not channel again unless healed).

Exhaustion

This shows the physical exhaustion caused by channelling the one power.  When a Channeler makes a weave, they have to resist the physical and mental draining effects of the act.  This is shown by a slow reduction in their weaving pool.  And the effects of this reduction are described below.

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% of Weaving Pool left Physical condition Modifiers to all TN's
75..................... Strained................... + 1
50..................... Tired...................... + 2
25..................... Exhausted.................. + 3
10..................... Collapsed – can't walk..... + 6
0 or less.............. Unconscious

Example

Alanna's – dice pools, derived attributes

Power         7   Weaving Pool      10
Form         4   Resistance Pool   7
Mental Endurance   4
Discipline      5
Draw         3

Alanna Mosvanni has an affinity for air, and the talent Elementalism, wants to cast a ball of fire at a target.  The fireball is to have the intensity of a bonfire, and is to be large enough to fry the 6 Trollocs who are charging her.

For this weave, Skills in Fire 1 and Air 3 are needed.  The air is needed to guide and encapsulate the fire at high speed, whilst the fire just needs to burn.  

The area of affect is 3 due to the size of the fire ball being that of a group of people.  Powers of Fire 3 for the bonfire intensity and Air 1 to hold the fire, which is effectively weightless, need to be used.  This totals to a power of 7, which is reduced by 1 for the affinity with air to a power of 6.  This is what will be used by the Channeler to cast the weave.

Note that if the power level was greater than her power, she would have to over channel to make up the difference.

She rolls her form against the TN of 6 and gets 1, 2, 4 and an 9.  Success!

Now she rolls her resistance pool against a TN of 6 and gets 1, 2, 2, 6, 6, 8, and 10.  This gives 4 successes, and so reduces the drain from 6 to 2.  Her weaving pool now becomes 8.  So she is not really showing the stress of channelling yet.

If the same weave was repeated, but this time Alanna only has 5 of her 10 pool remaining, then things may turn out a lot differently.

Alanna is at 50% of her weaving pool, so is at +2 to all TNs.  To cast this weave, first she has to over channel to get the extra point of power needed.

She rolls her draw against a TN of 10 (5 + 1 for the extra power + 2 for being tired) and gets 4, 9, and an 8.  Success!  

Now she casts the weave, rolling her form against the TN of 8 (6 + 2 for being tired) and gets 5, 6, 6 and a 10.  Close but she still pulls it off.  

Now she has to resist the effects of channelling.  Rolling her Resistance Pool against TN of 8 (6 + 2 for being tired) she gets 2, 3, 3, 5, 7, 7, and a 9.  1 success puts the drain at 5 and her pool at 1.  

This is at 10% of her total weaving pool, that last weave hit her hard.  She collapses to the floor, still conscious, but not able to walk unaided and all her rolls are at +6.  It's a good thing she has a warder.  


Tying off a weave

If a Channeler has learnt to do so, (all Aes Sedai can do this), then they may tie off a weave.  This means the Channeler doesn't have to keep hold of it.  Tying off a weave is not difficult, but it takes time, one combat round.  A tied off weave remains in effect for a number of days equal to the casters Discipline minus the weaves power in hours.


Linking

It is possible for several Channelers to link together all their power, under one Channelers control.  There are a few conditions to linking.

1.   Men can't link with other men.
2.   If men are using in a link, then a man has to have control of the circle.
3.   There must always be at least double the number of women as men in a linking.
4.   Up to 13 women may be linked together before a man has to be introduced so the circle can be expanded.
5.   Whilst you are linked, you cannot be forced to over channel.

When a Channeler links several things happen.

1.   The Draw of everybody in the linking is added to the Leaders weaving pool.
2.   All the drain from casting weaves with the circle is split evenly among the members of the link, rounded up.  An each individual has to roll separately for drain.

Circles are usually used when trying to shield male Channelers, as they are generally more powerful than their female counterparts.


Holding weaves

A Channeler can hold more than one weave at once, but it requires a lot of power as it requires more power to hold two small weaves than one larger one.  The number of weaves that can be held is determined by the Channelers weaving pool.  To check if a Channeler can hold all the weaves in place or if they can cast anymore:-

1.   Add the powers of all the weaves together and add 1 for each additional weave.
2.   If this total is greater than the casters current weaving pool then the Channeler must either drop one of the weaves or over channel to draw the extra power needed to keep them in place.
3.   If over channelling fails then the more powerful weave is dropped.
4.   The amount of power, if any, that a Channeler has to play with is equal to the difference between the total power of holding the weaves, and the casters weaving pool.

This means it would be possible for a Channeler to be holding a bridge of air so to retreat across a river, but also cast fireballs at the enemy.

Power heightened senses

When a Channeler is holding the One Power, they can see further and with more detail, smell things not usually detectable, and hear much more clearly.  To represent this, whilst a Channeler is embracing the power they receive – 4 to all perception based checks.

Well....ok... You have finally finished reading it.  A big thanks to any that get this far.

Raymond Caleatry

[Sneaky Git]

Well....ok... You have finally finished reading it.  A big thanks to any that get this far.

Raymond Caleatry

Thanks for all of the work put into this!

I just took a quick look, and will go over it in more detail later today...or tomorrow.  From what I have seen so far, however, it looks nice.

Thanks again!

I also have a list of about 60 spells/weaves to write up in the coming week, but untill then there is an example in the text.

Cool.

Chris