psionic, or mystical nature that require Energy Points to use.
NOTE A T T R IB U T E S
A T T R IB U T E S
CHAPTER
2: CHARACTER
CREATION
Relevant Stat: None Type: Paranormal
A character with the Magic Attribute has the ability to manipulate arcane energies to produce a specific set of effects that seemingly defy physical laws.
The player should define the character’s magical ability and establish a consistent theme for his or her powers. Themes that are common in anime include:
• Elemental magic such as mastery over traditional elements like wind, water, or fire or less traditional “elements” like darkness, ice, the moon, or even love.
• Spells or powers that involve contacting or controlling natural spirits (shamanism) or the dead (necromancy).
• Black magic, involving destructive forces or evil or negative energies.
• Magical powers with an exotic or whimsical theme such as a set of abilities whose “special effects” all relate to tarot cards, flowers, cats (“nekomancy”) or pretty much anything else.
• Psionic abilities that produce psychic effects such as Telepathy, Telekinesis, or Precognition; psi powers are normally assumed to be talents with which the character was born, although they may have required special training to awaken.
• Ki-based magic, where the character focuses his or her inner spirit through martial arts training to produce various exotic attacks and abilities.
• Divine powers granted by a deity to a priest, priestess or other holy individual.
• Legendary powers innate to a magical entity such as a fox spirit’s ability to change shape or possess people or the myriad powers of a vampire.
The GM may rule that only certain types of magic exist within his or her campaign setting and that all characters with a Magic Attribute should conform to them. For example, in a game aimed at simulating a particular “magical girl” show, any character with the Magic Attribute may be expected to emulate the way the magical powers work in the show. It is perfectly reasonable for a character to take the Magic Attribute multiple times to represent a character who has two or more different types of magic.
A character with the Magic Attribute receives 10 Power Points per Level of this Attribute. Power Points may be used like Character Points to acquire individual Attributes (but not Stats). Attributes acquired using Power Points are designated “Magical Powers” and represent the extent of the character’s magic. A Magical Power is used just like an ordinary Attribute, except each time the character uses it he or she must perform an invocation and expend Energy Points. This can represent casting a spell, concentrating on his or her inner ki, focusing a psychic power, and so on.
Characters are free to acquire almost any Attributes as Magical Powers using their Power Points with these exceptions: Dynamic Sorcery, Energy Bonus, Magic/Psionics, and Own a Big Mecha. The GM should exercise caution in allowing characters to acquire Highly Skilled or Organizational Ties, since either can be inappropriate or unbalancing. In addition, each Magical Power should be given its own descriptive name or special effects. Thus, while a Magical Power may be acquired as “Weapon Attack Level 2,” on a character sheet it should be written down as “Lightning Bolt: Weapon Attack Level 2,” etc.
An invocation normally involves a short verbal incantation or magic phrase combined with gestures, which should take one action; the character must be able to speak and have his or her hands free to perform it. (For ways to get around this, see Magic Options, page 50). If the power is an offensive one (such as Mind Control or Weapon Attack), the character can make his or her attack as part of the invocation. Each invocation normally drains Energy Points from the character equal to the Power Points that were spent to acquire that Level of the Attribute. A character can choose to use a Magical Power as if it were acquired at a lower Level to conserve
Energy Points, however.
If the Magical Power is an Attribute with instantaneous effects, such as Exorcism, Teleportation or Weapon Attack, the character must invoke the power anew (and spend Energy Points) each time he or she wishes to make use of it. If it has continuing effects (as in the case for most other Attributes), these effects will last for one minute; the character can maintain it for a greater duration by spending additional Energy Points equal to the Power Point cost every minute. Maintaining a Magical Power requires no special concentration, but if the Power is not maintained it will cease to function and need to be invoked all over again in order to reactivate it.
Less Powerful Magic
Magic-using characters may have intermediate numbers of Power Points. If the character’s Magic has 3 fewer Power Points, the cost of the Magic Attribute is reduced by 1 Character Point. If the character takes 5 fewer Power Points, the cost is -2 Character Points. If the character has 8 fewer Power Points, the cost is -3 Character Points.
Bill wants his teenage psychic character, Joe Green, to have an intermediate Level of Magic. He takes Magic Level 2 with the -5 Power Points modification. This is recorded as Magic Level 2 (-5 Power Points) (6 points). Instead of having 20 Power Points (10 per Level), Joe only has 15, but his Magic Attribute costs 6 points instead of 8 points.