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<title>Crossfire Playerbook - Chapter 4</title>
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<h1>Magic System</h1>
<h2><a name="4.1.0">Description</h2>
Two broad categories of magic exist in <em>Crossfire</em> : ``wizardry '' and
``divine magic ''. The fundamental difference between the two comes
down to the source that powers the magic of each.
<p>
In divine magic the practitioners, ``priests'', do not use their own power
but rather channel power from divine entities (``gods''). They utilize
various ``prayers'' to cast their magic and grace is the measure
of how much magic the priest may channel. The higher the
level of the priest and the better his wisdom and power, the more
grace the priest will have in the eyes of his god.
In the practice of wizardry a ``wizard'' calls upon his own lifeforce
(or ``mana'') to power his arcane incantations. Mana
is based on of the wizard's innate power but may be increased through
his skill in wizardry .
<p>
The scope and sphere of these two magics are different. Through the use of
divine magic the priest has access to powerful spells of protection,
healing, and of slaying <em>unholy</em> creatures. (<em>Note</em> A ``spell''
is a common name referring to both prayers and incantations.)
If the multiple gods
option is used (<em>Note:</em> this is the default), the god a priest worships
will have other impacts on the priest's magic and abilities (see section
<a href="chap4.html#4.3.0">multiple gods</a>). In contrast, wizardry is more oriented towards the
harnessing of elemental forces of creation, alteration and destruction.
There are two minor variants of wizardry :
<a href="chap4.html#4.4.0">alchemy</a> and <a href="chap4.html#4.5.0">rune magic</a>.
<p>
Each form of magic is orthogonal to the other. In some <em>no magic</em>
areas, the wizard is blocked from accessing his store of mana, but the
priest may operate his magic normally. Similarly, there are <em>unholy</em>
areas in which the priest loses his contact with his god and cannot
cast magic; in unholy areas the wizard is unhindered. Of course, no
magic and unholy areas can sometimes coincide.
<p>
In addition, wizards
have the handicap that if they are encumbered with 'stuff', they are
less effective at incantations. Heavy weapons and
heavy armour are the main cause spell-failures. See the section
on <a href="chap6.html#6.3.0">encumberance</a> for details.
Weapons and armour have no effect on the practice of divine magic
but grace regenerates slower than mana, and the amount of grace
that a priest possesses helps to determine the success of their
prayers. <p>
<h2><a name="4.10.0">Learning Spells</h2>
Both types of spells may be learned by reading books (see section <a href="chap6.html#6.2.0">items</a>). The
overall chance of learning a spell uses the following formula:<p>
<samp>% chance to learn = (base chance + (2 * level))/1.5<p></samp><p>
The base chance that a prayer/incantation will be learnt is based on WIS/INT
respectively. Look at table <a href="chap2.html#table_pri_eff">primary stat effects</a> to find your
<em>base</em> chance in the learn% column. If you are attempting to learn a
<em>prayer</em>, you would use your WIS stat to find the base chance. Likewise,
the <samp>level</samp> used in the formula is related to the type of spell.
If you are attempting to learn an incantation, the value of level to use
is your wizardry experience (and you use the praying experience level for
learning prayers. Once your chance to learn a spell exceeds 100%, you
always succeed in all attempts to learn spells.<p>
<h2><a name="4.2.0">Magic paths</h2>
Long ago a number of archmages discovered patterns in the web that spells
weave in the aether. They found that some spells had structural similarities
to others and some of the mages took to studying particular groups of spells.
These mages found that by molding their thought patterns to match the patterns
of the spells they could better utilize all the spells of the group. Because
of their disciplined approach, the mages were described as following spell
Paths. As they attuned themselves to particular spell Paths they found that
they would become repelled from others, and in some cases found they were
denied any access to some paths. The legacy of these mages remains in some
of the magical items to be found around the world. Use of these ``attuned''
items will strongly effect the quality of the incantations and prayers cast by
the magician. See section <a href="chap4.html#4.3.0">multiple gods</a> to see how the worship of
a god might effect the spell casting of the magician.
<p>
<p>
<h4>Technical details</h2>
<p>
The Paths themselves are given in table <a href="#table_spath">spellpaths</a>.
<p>
A character (or NPC) that is attuned to a Path can cast incantations/prayers from that
Path at 80% of the mana/grace cost and in addition receives duration/damage
bonuses as if the caster were five levels higher. A person that is repelled
from a Path casts incantations/prayers from that Path
at 125% of the mana/grace cost and receives duration/damage bonuses as if
the caster were five levels lower (minimum of first level).
The casting time is also modified by 80% and 125% respectively.
If a wizard or priest is denied access to a Path they cannot cast any spells from it.
<p>
<center>
<a name="table_spath">
<table border=1 cellpadding=5>
<!--#include file="spellpath.html"-->
</table>
Known Spell Paths<p>
</center>
<p>
Paths are quite powerful; they don't come cheaply. Most magical items
with path_attuned attributes will have path_repelled and path_denied
attributes as well, to balance them out.
<h2><a name="4.3.0">Multiple gods</h2>
Gods in <em>Crossfire</em> are not omnipotent beings. Each is thought of possessing
a certain sphere of influence, indeed, some philosophers have thought
that the gods might spring from the same mystical patterns that form
the spell Paths. Certainly it appears that each of the gods embodies
one or more of these Paths (but not all of them!!). Because the gods
are not omnipotent, we often speak of their religions as being 'cults'.
<p>
Under the multigod option, priests are allowed to select from an array of
different gods. Worship of each god is unique, and brings differing
capabilities to the priest. See <a href="AppC.html">Appendix C</a> for a
listing of the gods and some of the attributes/effects of worshiping of
these cults.
<h3><a name="4.3.1">Joining a cult</h3>
Praying at <em>aligned</em>
<!--#include file="altar.html"-->
is the usual way
in which a priest interacts
with their god/cult. Aligned altars are identified by their name (e.g.
altar of <god's name>) and may be found in various maps all over the
world of <em>Crossfire</em> .
When a player prays over an aligned altar, one of three things may happen based
on the players currently worshiped god:
<ol>
<li> <strong>"Unaligned" player prays over an altar</strong> -
results in that player
becoming a worshiper of the god the altar is dedicated to.<p>
<li> <strong>Player prays over their god's altar</strong> -
results in faster grace
regeneration. In addition, player may pray to gain up to twice their
normal amount of grace. Also, from time to time your god might
give you information, blessings, or something really good; it depends
on your WIS, POW and priest experience.<p>
<li> <strong>Player prays over alien god's altar</strong> -
results in punishment
of the player (generally they lose some of their priest experience).
This action <em>can</em> result in the defection of the player to the alien
god's cult.<p>
</ol>
Note that once a player has joined a cult, it is impossible to go back
to being ``unaligned'' to any god.
<h4>Summary of benefits/penalties for joining</h2>
The following things happen when a worshiper joins a god's cult:
<ul>
<li>the worshiper gains access to the special flavor of magic belonging
to the cult (see table <a href="#table_priest_prayer">priests' prayers</a>).
<p>
<li>the ability to cast magic is altered to reflect the powers
of the worshiper's god. Some spells will be easier to cast; others
will be more difficult, and some spell Paths will be forbidden.
It is impossible to regain forbidden spells by any means except
leaving the cult.
<p>
<li>the worshiper becomes protected and/or vulnerable to certain attacks.
</ul>
Note that a player can belong to only <em>one</em> cult at any one time.
<p>
<a name="table_priest_prayer">
<table border=1 cellpadding=5>
<tr><th>Prayer</th><th>Description</th></tr>
<tr><td>Bless</td><td> Enhances the recipients combat ability
and confers some of the gods special
sphere of protection.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Banishment</td><td> An <samp>AT_DEATH</samp>¹ attack is made versus
enemies of the caster's god.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Call holy servant</td><td>Weaker version of an avatar is summoned.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Cause wounds </td><td>These prayers use the attacktype of
``godpower''. This means they will effect
magic immune creatures AND each prayer has
the special attacktype(s) of the priest's god.</td></tr>
<tr><td> Consecrate </td><td> Dedicates an altar to the caster's god.
<tr><td>Curse </td><td> Decreases the recipients combat ability
and confers some vulnerabilities particular
to the caster's god.</td></tr>
<tr><td> Holy orb </td><td>Its like a fireball, but has the same effect
as holy word². This prayer is most effective
against single creatures. </td></tr>
<tr><td> Holy word² </td><td> This prayer shoots forth a cone of power
that will damage only enemies of the caster's god.</td></tr>
<tr><td> Holy wrath </td><td> Currently the most powerful ``holy word''²
prayer available. </td></tr>
<tr><td> Summon avatar </td><td> Summons a "golem" that is tailored to
the powers of the worshiped god. This
prayer is more powerful (in general)
than a summoned elemental and is one
of the priest's most potent attack spells. </td></tr>
<tr><td> Summon cult monsters </td><td> Summons creatures friendly to the priest's
god. Depending on the god this can be a
powerful or wimpy prayer. </td></tr>
</table>
<center>Special priest prayers.</center>
¹ The target and caster's <samp>levels</samp> are compared. If the caster's
<samp>level</samp> is higher, then the creature will probably be destroyed.<br>
² ``holy word'' also defines a class of prayers. These spells are
all designed to slay only the enemies of the priest's god.
<h3><a name="4.3.2">Example god</h3>
Lets create an example god-the ``god of the undead''. If you worship
the god of the undead, don't expect to be able to gain priest
experience (<em>Note:</em> i.e. experience for the <samp>wisdom) experience category</samp>
for killing the undead! But you might gain, as a priest of the
undead, greater powers of commanding undead, and experience for
killing certain (living) creatures that serve an enemy god. Each priest
takes on a portion of the ``aura'' of their god; this means that our
priest will probably become protected to life-damaging magic like draining
and death, while conversely becoming more vulnerable to fire. Such a
priest, because their god's domain does not include the living, probably won't be
capable of healing either.
<p>
<h2><a name="4.4.0">Alchemy</h2>
Alchemy is a sub-type of wizardry . Being an alchemist is easy;
you only need satisfy the following:
<ol>
<li>be able to cast the alchemy spell.
<li>have access to a cauldron
<!--#include file="cauldron.html"-->
<li>have some ingredients.
</ol>
To create something put ingredients in the cauldron, then
cast the 'alchemy' incantation . You might make something :).
Be warned though! backfire effects are possible, especially if you
throw a lot of stuff in the pot. In fact, the more junk which is
in the cauldron, the
<em>worse</em> any potential backfire is likely to be. Backfire generally
occurs when you get the ingredients wrong but low-level alchemists
attempting very difficult (4+ ingredient) formulae may have
problems too!<p>
In order to get better at making stuff, you will need to learn the
<samp>alchemy</samp> <em>skill</em>. Books found in shops (and elsewhere)
will give you formulae for making stuff. There is no hard limit on the
number of formulae which might make something (the code is pretty flexible),
so you can always <em>experiment</em> on your own, but this will be
dangerous! <p>
<h2><a name="4.5.0">Rune magic</h2>
Runes are another special form of wizardry; essentially runes are
magical inscriptions on the dungeon floor which cast a spell (or
``detonate'') when something steps on them. Flying
objects don't detonate runes. Beware! Runes are invisible
most of the time! <p>
There are several runes which are specialized; these can be set as
your range spell. Some of these are:<p>
<center>
<table border=1 cellpadding=5>
<tr><td> Rune of Fire</td><td>
<!--#include file="runefire.html"-->
</td><td> does fire damage when it detonates</td></tr>
<tr><td> Rune of Frost</td><td>
<!--#include file="runefrost.html"-->
</td><td> does cold damage</td></tr>
<tr><td> Rune of Blasting</td><td>
<!--#include file="runeblast.html"-->
</td><td> does physical damage</td></tr>
<tr><td> Rune of Shocking</td><td>
<!--#include file="runeshock.html"-->
</td><td> does electric damage</td></tr>
<tr><td> Rune of Death</td><td>
<!--#include file="runedeath.html"-->
</td><td> attacks with attacktype "death" at caster level</td></tr>
</table>
+ some others you may discover grimores.<p>
</center>
The spell 'disarm' may be used to try and destroy a rune you've
discovered. In addition, there are some special runes which may only
be called with the 'invoke' command:<p>
<table border=1 cellpadding=5>
<tr><td>Magic Rune</td><td>
<!--#include file="runegen.html"-->
</td><td> You may store any incantation
in this rune that you know and
have the mana to cast. </td></tr>
<tr><td> Marking Rune</td><td>
<!--#include file="runemark.html"-->
</td><td> this is basically a sign. You
may store any words you like in
this rune, and people may apply
it to read it. Maybe useful for
mazes! This rune will not detonate,
nor is it ordinarily invisible. </td></tr>
</table>
<p>
<h4>Partial Visibility of Runes</h4>
Your runes will be partially invisible. That is, they'll be visible
only part of the time. They have a 1/(your <samp>level</samp>/2) chance of being
visible in any given round, so the higher your level, the better hidden
the runes you make are.
<p>
<h4>Examples of usage</h2>
Here are several examples of how you can use the runes.
<p>
<samp>'invoke magic rune heal</samp> <br>
<quote>
will place a magic rune of healing one square ahead of you, whichever
way you're facing.
</quote>
<p>
<samp>'invoke magic rune transfer</samp> <br>
<quote>
as above, except the rune will contain the spell of transference
</quote>
<p>
<samp>'invoke magic rune large fireball</samp><br>
<quote>
as above, except the spell large fireball will be cast when someone
steps on the rune. the fireball will fly in the direction the caster
was facing when he created the rune.
</quote>
<p>
<samp>'cast rune of fire</samp> <br>
<quote>
prepares the rune of fire as the range spell. Use the direction
keys to use up your mana and place a rune.
</quote>
<p>
<samp>'invoke marking rune fubar</samp> <br>
<quote>
places a rune of marking, which says "fubar" when someone applies it.
</quote>
<p>
<samp>'invoke marking rune touch my stuff and I will hunt you down!</samp> <br>
<quote>
places the marking rune warning would-be thieves of their danger.
</quote>
<p>
<h4>Restrictions on runes:</h4>
You may not place runes underneath monsters or other players. You
may not place a new rune on a square which already has a rune. Any
attempt to do the latter strengthens the pre-existing rune.
<p>
<a href="handbook.html"><img src="fig/book.gif">Back to table of contents</a><br>
<a href="chap3.html"><img src="fig/stairup.gif">Go to chapter 3</a><br>
<a href="chap5.html"><img src="fig/stairdown.gif">Go to chapter 5</a><br>
